When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Connect with
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
32 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
johngalt
12 years ago
Those charts show what I have been claiming. Namely, that the Obama Stimulus added more to the baseline budgets of nearly every department within the federal government, at a much higher rate than his predecessor. Again, for those who believe taxation plays a big role in fixing the debt problem of the country, that is a drop in the bucket compared to the overall spending increases by the government. Federal spending needs to be addressed first, and foremost, before any discussion involving tax rate changes should happen.
Unemployment is 9%. The economy is slowing. Jobless claims are at an 8 month high.
Osama who?
Esdraelon
12 years ago
2049? Look, do the math, we have a 14 trillion deficit, I already pointed out in another thread that with the measly few hundred billion they are proposing to cut out of this years proposed spending, the deficit will double to 28 trillion by 2018.
We better be pondering upon that, not 2049, however there may be a silver lining in all this: the global warming hysterics claim that their ‘climate models’ show that the seal level will have risen enough in 2049 to extinguish all the major coastal cities, so doubtless this will reduce the deficit spending somewhat…..
(Reuters) – Vice President Joe Biden predicted on Friday the U.S. economy would create 100,000 to 200,000 jobs next month, with a rise to 250,000 to 500,000 jobs per month soon afterward, according to a press pool report.
“We caught a lot of bad breaks on the way down. We’re going to catch a few good breaks because of good planning on the way up,” Biden told a political fundraiser in Pittsburgh, the pool report said, as he hailed the Obama administration’s recovery efforts.
President Barack Obama has insisted that boosting jobs is his top domestic priority, mindful that persistently high unemployment could mean heavy losses for his Democrats in November’s congressional elections.
Well, the good news is that last month Obama created 62,000 new hamburger flippers…..
Nan G
12 years ago
CA is giving a glimpse of how liberal-run gov’ts look at tax revenues.
We (in CA) got an unexpected extra $3 billion in tax revenues – because of the extended Bush tax cuts.
So, what to do?
You might think we could avoid some slashing of programs OR stave off other fiscal emergency actions longer.
But you would be wrong.
The state employees of CA and all their depts are SPENDING all that money as fast as possible!
They want it to disappear so that taxes can be raised sooner rather than later!
They even expressed the desire that Gov. Jerry Brown shoot a Republican or two until the Republicans buckle to their desire to raise taxes!
Nan G
12 years ago
In the West we CAN be analytical….or not.
We can look at these charts and see where we are going.
Or we can put our heads in the sand.
But other cultures are simply not analytical under any circumstances.
Look at this story, for a single example: Iran.
(Remember, this is 2011.) Ahmadinejad allies charged with sorcery
…..
Several people said to be close to the president and his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, have been arrested in recent days and charged with being “magicians” and invoking djinns (spirits – genies).
Ayandeh, an Iranian news website, described one of the arrested men, Abbas Ghaffari, as “a man with special skills in metaphysics and connections with the unknown worlds”.
…..
Just imagine living in a society where there are even headlines like this!
Sure, we know it is really cover for a power struggle between the ayatollahs and Ahmadinejad, but to even think your neighbors might swallow this ”official” story is pretty darn scary!
What other crazy things do they swallow?
If you think it was hard to live in Soviet Union because of the Party line, think about the masses of Iranians that an analytically-minded person must hide his true beliefs from inside Iran.
I feel sorry for those few.
AND the HORDES are still coming out from the open border, to
increase those numbers.
blast
12 years ago
If you notice in the graph the huge increase began when the Bush Tax cuts took place (followed by the loss from the recession). Tax cuts without spending reductions are insane.
Interesting that actual taxes are down substantially.
The total tax burden — for all federal, state and local taxes — dropped to 23.6% of income in the first quarter, according to Bureau of Economic Analysis data.
By contrast, individuals spent roughly 27% of income on taxes in the 1970s, 1980s and the 1990s — a rate that would mean $500 billion of extra taxes annually today, one-third of the estimated $1.5 trillion federal deficit this year.
blast, hi, yes It was the time where the DEMOCRAT MAJORITY WHERE SNEAKING THEIR EXPANSIVES BILLS CALLING FOR MORE EXPANSES ON THEIR BEHALF EVEN WHEN BUSH WAS PRESIDENT,
THEY COULDN’T WAIT TO BE IN POWER WITH THEIR ELECTED OWN CHOSEN LEADER,
THEY WHERE BIG SPENDERS THEN AND ARE TILL TODAY, you know that this is a unoperable sickness,
and unstopeble no matter if the NATION IS IN LOWEST REVENUE AND BIGGEST DEBTS EVER SEEN IN ANY PREVIOUS TIME EVER, you will think of that come 2012 november hey?
johngalt
12 years ago
I found Ollie North’s comments on the killing of UBL quite interesting, and also quite different than what has been talked about, and I find myself agreeing with him. He stated that he believed that the WH should not have announced anything, nor acknowledged anything, in regards to what happened. From his point of view, there was quite a bit of possible Intel, that is now quite useless, as anyone associated with UBL, who has the slightest idea that UBL is dead, by our hands, will dump all planning and communication protocols that they had with UBL. We, by announcing his death, and that we were responsible, just made it that much harder, in the future, to engage terrorist targets.
Not to mention, and this wasn’t brought up by North, but is my own opinion, that no announcement, and no acknowledgment, would also have the terrorists associated with UBL wondering if it was one of their own that did the deed.
I agree with North. We should never have announced anything about the killing of UBL.
johngalt, yes OLLIE NORTH has the best response to it and you too with your added opinion,
I CANNOT COMPREHEND WHY ARE THE PRESIDENT THINKING TO OVERLOOK THAT SO IMPORTANT FACT; dont he listen to his advisers? dont his advisers think further than their present day life?
dont they have any VISION OF CONSEQUENCES TO AN ACTION?
THEY SUPPOSE TO BE SMARTER THAN THAT, HOW COME THOSE PEOPLE GET ELECTED?
THEY ARE PUTTING AMERICANS IN DANGER BY THEIR LACK OF JUDGMENT.
blast
12 years ago
hey ilovebeeswarzone,
How do you explain the Republican controlled House of Representatives, Republican controlled Senate, Republican President Bush passing the LARGEST UNFUNDED ENTITLEMENT in history. (Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act).
blast , I kind of was expecting you, to try to reverse the DEMOCRATS ACTIONS
on the BACK OF THE REPUBLICANS, BUT REMEMBER THE BILLS SNEAKED UNDER THE PILES
BY DEMS, WHO HAD A MAJORITY IN THE ACCEPTANCES OF THE BILLS, AT THE LAST MINUTE.
can’t you see it clear as it was? or are you trying to protect your side? even if they where at fault.
blast
12 years ago
beez… tell me which bills you are speaking about. I just posted a REAL and TANGIBLE – ENORMOUS Spending program passed by MAJORITY REPUBLICAN HOUSE, SENATE and REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT BUSH.
THIS BOONDOGGLE will cost us $549.2 billion over the next 10 years. That is a reoccurring expense (and unfunded), be sure to point out all of the reoccurring unfunded new expenses the democrats passed.
blast you still focussing on one side, Okay that republican bill must have been partisan good in order to past, remember the DEMS MAJORITY WHO HAD POWER ON PASSING BILLS UNDERNEATH THE OTHERS, IT COULD HAVE BEEN THEIR OWN PAS UNDER THE REP. NAME,
OKAY HOW CAN i TELL YOU THE DEMS SECRET BILLS PASSED, BECAUSE THEY WHERE SECRETS REMBER? AND IF THEY DID NOT TELL YOU AS A DEM YOU ARE, HOW CAN YOU EXPECT ANYONE ELSE TO KNOW?
BYE
@blast: I just posted a REAL and TANGIBLE – ENORMOUS Spending program passed by MAJORITY REPUBLICAN HOUSE, SENATE and REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT BUSH.
Somewhat laughable, blast… I suppose you want to consider SS and Medicare “funded” with a box full of IOUs?
blast
12 years ago
@ Mata, I am taking beez on the issue he raised. The last few Dem majority congresses did not pass Social Security or Medicare, last I checked those are 1935 and 1965.
So beez… what about it… Point out an unfunded entitlement that the democrats and their leader as you refer to Obama, passed. Maybe if you learned about what actually makes up our debt and revenue stream you will understand how we got into the trouble we have today.
Yes, blast… they were in 1935 and 65…. passed and signed into law by Dem held Congresses, and Dem presidents.
blast
12 years ago
MataHarley , yes they were, I was never disputing that. They are settled law and benefits, and the Republicans in congress have no stomach to take on getting rid of Medicare. So back to the discussion between beez and I that you jumped into… he was talking about :
DEMOCRAT MAJORITY WHERE SNEAKING THEIR EXPANSIVES BILLS CALLING FOR MORE EXPANSES ON THEIR BEHALF EVEN WHEN BUSH WAS PRESIDENT,
THEY COULDN’T WAIT TO BE IN POWER WITH THEIR ELECTED OWN CHOSEN LEADER,
THEY WHERE BIG SPENDERS THEN AND ARE TILL TODAY
I am sort of interpreting that he is not referring to 1935 and 1965, but the last congress. If you read my comments, I pointed out that Republicans have been big spenders… and pointed out the Drug bill, and the hundreds of Billions they spent….. UNFUNDED. I did not even mention the off book wars etc. All done while lowering REVENUE and setting up the huge budget deficits we have now. It was not magical, it happened right before our eyes. Cut taxes and don’t pay for two wars, yeah… look at those revenue and spending lines spread out…
If you notice in the graph the huge increase began when the Bush Tax cuts took place (followed by the loss from the recession). Tax cuts without spending reductions are insane.
Erroneous observation since all the “huge” increases are 2008 and going forward… and all under the hefty majority control of Pelosi/Reid, and piled on by a big spending Obama. Which was the point bees was making when she pointed out that the dem majority was passing their big spending bills while the power was theirs.
Now my error in my response to you was lifting/pasting only a portion of your comments, which prompted my response to you. You mentioned the Prescription drug spending bill, and you won’t get any argument from me… and most other fiscal conservatives… that this was foolhardy.
How do you explain the Republican controlled House of Representatives, Republican controlled Senate, Republican President Bush passing the LARGEST UNFUNDED ENTITLEMENT in history. (Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act).
Without that, I admit my response to you didn’t make sense. But I’m dragging your butt back thru history to point out your embellishment of “the largest unfunded entitlement in history”. That dubious honor belongs to both SS and Medicare, and all creations of the Dems holding sway over two of the three branches of power.
blast
12 years ago
Mata, last time I checked, both Social Security and Medicare are both funded by specific taxes (right on the payroll). Oh, and the IOU’s you spoke about… that is the government spending the trust fund money and buying Treasuries to fund the deficit (and for the unfunded wars). There is no doubt those programs need to be adjusted to keep them solvent, especially medicare… where medical costs have been rising at an unsustainable rate.
Why not pass a tax to pay 100% of the cost of the OIF/OEF and the incremental support of the troops? Why are we cutting taxes when we are spending on these efforts?
As Americans we are just not paying our bills. We are drunk on cutting taxes without cutting spending.
Like I said, blast… that’s if you want to consider “funded” a box full of IOUs. Purchase of securities is still spending, and is included as part of the national debt. Cash ain’t there, guy…. The only thing it “funded” was more Congressional spending, and used as a piggy bank.
“Funded” is one of those “meaning of ‘is'” arguments…. and has no validity save in funny money, fuzzy accounting tricks.
blast
12 years ago
Mata, I won’t debate that how the trust fund has been used (abused) is bad, but that is a separate issue to the program itself. Social Security is paying its way… the general budget is not.
Cutting taxes and not paying the bills is the problem. It is high time we PAY our bills. No more borrowing through IOU’s, No more borrowing from China etc.
Just the Civil Gummint types are targeted. I’t’s a good thing that We announced a Withdraw date.
Obviously the Taliban is still in business. Hmmm…
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the militants were attacking civilians to hide their defeat, caused by the killing of Osama Bin Laden.
But Taliban spokesman Yusuf Ahmadi said the Kandahar attacks had been planned for some time as part of the insurgents’ annual “spring offensive”, announced last week, and had nothing to do with Bin Laden’s death.
Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban and a hotbed of the insurgency, has been the focus of military operations by the Western-backed government over the past year.
A senior Kandahar police official blamed the attacks on last month’s escape by about 500 prisoners, many of them Taliban, from the main jail in the city.
The official, who did not want to be named, told our correspondent: “If 106 Taliban field commanders – some of them the very backbone of the insurgency – had not escaped from the prison, attacks like this would have not occurred.”
Also last month, Kandahar’s police chief was killed by an attacker in a police uniform, while in January the provincial governor’s deputy was killed.
Shouda sent them to Club GITMO. The Kandahar Cage leaked like a sieve.
Old Trooper 2
12 years ago
@MataHarley: Not to Worry, We aren’t Broke…We still have Checks!
Obama Logic. We need to take His checkbook and ATM Card away. Soon… The most Economically Illiterate Regime Evah!
Old Trooper 2
12 years ago
Seize Congress and Senate Pensions like GM and Chrysler Stock and Fund Social Security!
Put the Congress & Senate on Social Security for compensation. Hmmm…Executive Order Time?
Greg
12 years ago
Note how the red revenue line shown on the bottom chart, Federal Spending is Growing Faster than Federal Revenue, reverses from a long steady climb to a sudden steep downturn as it passes year 2000. What might that be attributed to?
How much slower would the upward ascent of that spending line be, without the escallating costs of the unfunded Medicare Part D program?
According to the latest actuaries’ report, Medicare Part D will cost taxpayers — beneficiaries pay virtually nothing — $62 billion this year. This figure is expected to rise sharply in coming years to $150 billion in 2019. By 2030, Part D alone will cost taxpayers 1 percent of GDP. In present value terms, Medicare Part D adds almost $16 trillion to our national indebtedness. (That’s how much would need to be in a trust fund today to pay all the benefits that have been promised over and above the trivial premiums paid by beneficiaries.) That is why former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker has called the unfunded prescription drug benefit “the most fiscally irresponsible piece of legislation since the 1960s.”
OLD TROOPER 2 those are great suggestions,I’m sure the AMERICANS WOULD LIKE THAT SWITCH.
about the escapy prisonners, they should not have been there in the first place,
why put the militarys at risk to have them come back to kill those they miss the first time,
what kind of roe is that, It would be enough for me to go bazurk and go on a rampage of shooting them all if I was one soldier there
And if one decide to do likewise, I would not prosecute that soldier at all, not killing the ennemies is against the logic even the most ignorant person would not agree, It’s about time the sodier have their way and shoot them on site, we just have to figure out how many would be still alive today if they would have not be subject to the rules of engagement, this is a WAR, and the soldier are there to finish it,
not to entertain The President Karzei bye
Note how the red revenue line shown on the bottom chart, Federal Spending is Growing Faster than Federal Revenue, reverses from a long steady climb to a sudden steep downturn as it passes year 2000. What might that be attributed to?
I don’t know. Possibly the Tech bubble bursting? I’d hope that you aren’t of the belief that it was the Bush tax cuts, as the major portion of those didn’t happen until 2003. And how about that? Roughly the same time as those tax cuts happened, revenue started climbing again. Hmmm. Interesting.
Nan G
12 years ago
@johngalt:
You brought up the tech bubble burst.
Just before that happened was when so many gov’t employee unions got their generous pensions/benefits locked in.
As you look at the continued increase in expenditures, you are seeing the result of locked in pensions but not locked in revenue…..the bubble and burst.
Those charts show what I have been claiming. Namely, that the Obama Stimulus added more to the baseline budgets of nearly every department within the federal government, at a much higher rate than his predecessor. Again, for those who believe taxation plays a big role in fixing the debt problem of the country, that is a drop in the bucket compared to the overall spending increases by the government. Federal spending needs to be addressed first, and foremost, before any discussion involving tax rate changes should happen.
The biggest welfare state in history.
Unemployment is 9%. The economy is slowing. Jobless claims are at an 8 month high.
Osama who?
2049? Look, do the math, we have a 14 trillion deficit, I already pointed out in another thread that with the measly few hundred billion they are proposing to cut out of this years proposed spending, the deficit will double to 28 trillion by 2018.
We better be pondering upon that, not 2049, however there may be a silver lining in all this: the global warming hysterics claim that their ‘climate models’ show that the seal level will have risen enough in 2049 to extinguish all the major coastal cities, so doubtless this will reduce the deficit spending somewhat…..
@DrJohn:
Flashback April 23, 2010:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/04/23/usa-jobs-biden-idUSN2321155820100423
(Reuters) – Vice President Joe Biden predicted on Friday the U.S. economy would create 100,000 to 200,000 jobs next month, with a rise to 250,000 to 500,000 jobs per month soon afterward, according to a press pool report.
Well, the good news is that last month Obama created 62,000 new hamburger flippers…..
CA is giving a glimpse of how liberal-run gov’ts look at tax revenues.
We (in CA) got an unexpected extra $3 billion in tax revenues – because of the extended Bush tax cuts.
So, what to do?
You might think we could avoid some slashing of programs OR stave off other fiscal emergency actions longer.
But you would be wrong.
The state employees of CA and all their depts are SPENDING all that money as fast as possible!
They want it to disappear so that taxes can be raised sooner rather than later!
They even expressed the desire that Gov. Jerry Brown shoot a Republican or two until the Republicans buckle to their desire to raise taxes!
In the West we CAN be analytical….or not.
We can look at these charts and see where we are going.
Or we can put our heads in the sand.
But other cultures are simply not analytical under any circumstances.
Look at this story, for a single example: Iran.
(Remember, this is 2011.)
Ahmadinejad allies charged with sorcery
Just imagine living in a society where there are even headlines like this!
Sure, we know it is really cover for a power struggle between the ayatollahs and Ahmadinejad, but to even think your neighbors might swallow this ”official” story is pretty darn scary!
What other crazy things do they swallow?
If you think it was hard to live in Soviet Union because of the Party line, think about the masses of Iranians that an analytically-minded person must hide his true beliefs from inside Iran.
I feel sorry for those few.
AND the HORDES are still coming out from the open border, to
increase those numbers.
If you notice in the graph the huge increase began when the Bush Tax cuts took place (followed by the loss from the recession). Tax cuts without spending reductions are insane.
Interesting that actual taxes are down substantially.
blast, hi, yes It was the time where the DEMOCRAT MAJORITY WHERE SNEAKING THEIR EXPANSIVES BILLS CALLING FOR MORE EXPANSES ON THEIR BEHALF EVEN WHEN BUSH WAS PRESIDENT,
THEY COULDN’T WAIT TO BE IN POWER WITH THEIR ELECTED OWN CHOSEN LEADER,
THEY WHERE BIG SPENDERS THEN AND ARE TILL TODAY, you know that this is a unoperable sickness,
and unstopeble no matter if the NATION IS IN LOWEST REVENUE AND BIGGEST DEBTS EVER SEEN IN ANY PREVIOUS TIME EVER, you will think of that come 2012 november hey?
I found Ollie North’s comments on the killing of UBL quite interesting, and also quite different than what has been talked about, and I find myself agreeing with him. He stated that he believed that the WH should not have announced anything, nor acknowledged anything, in regards to what happened. From his point of view, there was quite a bit of possible Intel, that is now quite useless, as anyone associated with UBL, who has the slightest idea that UBL is dead, by our hands, will dump all planning and communication protocols that they had with UBL. We, by announcing his death, and that we were responsible, just made it that much harder, in the future, to engage terrorist targets.
Not to mention, and this wasn’t brought up by North, but is my own opinion, that no announcement, and no acknowledgment, would also have the terrorists associated with UBL wondering if it was one of their own that did the deed.
I agree with North. We should never have announced anything about the killing of UBL.
johngalt, yes OLLIE NORTH has the best response to it and you too with your added opinion,
I CANNOT COMPREHEND WHY ARE THE PRESIDENT THINKING TO OVERLOOK THAT SO IMPORTANT FACT; dont he listen to his advisers? dont his advisers think further than their present day life?
dont they have any VISION OF CONSEQUENCES TO AN ACTION?
THEY SUPPOSE TO BE SMARTER THAN THAT, HOW COME THOSE PEOPLE GET ELECTED?
THEY ARE PUTTING AMERICANS IN DANGER BY THEIR LACK OF JUDGMENT.
hey ilovebeeswarzone,
How do you explain the Republican controlled House of Representatives, Republican controlled Senate, Republican President Bush passing the LARGEST UNFUNDED ENTITLEMENT in history. (Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act).
blast , I kind of was expecting you, to try to reverse the DEMOCRATS ACTIONS
on the BACK OF THE REPUBLICANS, BUT REMEMBER THE BILLS SNEAKED UNDER THE PILES
BY DEMS, WHO HAD A MAJORITY IN THE ACCEPTANCES OF THE BILLS, AT THE LAST MINUTE.
can’t you see it clear as it was? or are you trying to protect your side? even if they where at fault.
beez… tell me which bills you are speaking about. I just posted a REAL and TANGIBLE – ENORMOUS Spending program passed by MAJORITY REPUBLICAN HOUSE, SENATE and REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT BUSH.
THIS BOONDOGGLE will cost us $549.2 billion over the next 10 years. That is a reoccurring expense (and unfunded), be sure to point out all of the reoccurring unfunded new expenses the democrats passed.
blast you still focussing on one side, Okay that republican bill must have been partisan good in order to past, remember the DEMS MAJORITY WHO HAD POWER ON PASSING BILLS UNDERNEATH THE OTHERS, IT COULD HAVE BEEN THEIR OWN PAS UNDER THE REP. NAME,
OKAY HOW CAN i TELL YOU THE DEMS SECRET BILLS PASSED, BECAUSE THEY WHERE SECRETS REMBER? AND IF THEY DID NOT TELL YOU AS A DEM YOU ARE, HOW CAN YOU EXPECT ANYONE ELSE TO KNOW?
BYE
Somewhat laughable, blast… I suppose you want to consider SS and Medicare “funded” with a box full of IOUs?
@ Mata, I am taking beez on the issue he raised. The last few Dem majority congresses did not pass Social Security or Medicare, last I checked those are 1935 and 1965.
So beez… what about it… Point out an unfunded entitlement that the democrats and their leader as you refer to Obama, passed. Maybe if you learned about what actually makes up our debt and revenue stream you will understand how we got into the trouble we have today.
Yes, blast… they were in 1935 and 65…. passed and signed into law by Dem held Congresses, and Dem presidents.
MataHarley , yes they were, I was never disputing that. They are settled law and benefits, and the Republicans in congress have no stomach to take on getting rid of Medicare. So back to the discussion between beez and I that you jumped into… he was talking about :
I am sort of interpreting that he is not referring to 1935 and 1965, but the last congress. If you read my comments, I pointed out that Republicans have been big spenders… and pointed out the Drug bill, and the hundreds of Billions they spent….. UNFUNDED. I did not even mention the off book wars etc. All done while lowering REVENUE and setting up the huge budget deficits we have now. It was not magical, it happened right before our eyes. Cut taxes and don’t pay for two wars, yeah… look at those revenue and spending lines spread out…
First of all, blast, bees is a very delightful woman. :0)
Secondly, I read @your comment where you said::
Erroneous observation since all the “huge” increases are 2008 and going forward… and all under the hefty majority control of Pelosi/Reid, and piled on by a big spending Obama. Which was the point bees was making when she pointed out that the dem majority was passing their big spending bills while the power was theirs.
Now my error in my response to you was lifting/pasting only a portion of your comments, which prompted my response to you. You mentioned the Prescription drug spending bill, and you won’t get any argument from me… and most other fiscal conservatives… that this was foolhardy.
But the comment I should have snipped and pasted was @from your ensuing commentary:
Without that, I admit my response to you didn’t make sense. But I’m dragging your butt back thru history to point out your embellishment of “the largest unfunded entitlement in history”. That dubious honor belongs to both SS and Medicare, and all creations of the Dems holding sway over two of the three branches of power.
Mata, last time I checked, both Social Security and Medicare are both funded by specific taxes (right on the payroll). Oh, and the IOU’s you spoke about… that is the government spending the trust fund money and buying Treasuries to fund the deficit (and for the unfunded wars). There is no doubt those programs need to be adjusted to keep them solvent, especially medicare… where medical costs have been rising at an unsustainable rate.
Why not pass a tax to pay 100% of the cost of the OIF/OEF and the incremental support of the troops? Why are we cutting taxes when we are spending on these efforts?
As Americans we are just not paying our bills. We are drunk on cutting taxes without cutting spending.
Like I said, blast… that’s if you want to consider “funded” a box full of IOUs. Purchase of securities is still spending, and is included as part of the national debt. Cash ain’t there, guy…. The only thing it “funded” was more Congressional spending, and used as a piggy bank.
“Funded” is one of those “meaning of ‘is'” arguments…. and has no validity save in funny money, fuzzy accounting tricks.
Mata, I won’t debate that how the trust fund has been used (abused) is bad, but that is a separate issue to the program itself. Social Security is paying its way… the general budget is not.
Cutting taxes and not paying the bills is the problem. It is high time we PAY our bills. No more borrowing through IOU’s, No more borrowing from China etc.
Hey, Kandahar is getting whacked…again
Afghanistan: Fierce fighting follows Kandahar attack
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13320972
Just the Civil Gummint types are targeted. I’t’s a good thing that We announced a Withdraw date.
Obviously the Taliban is still in business. Hmmm…
Shouda sent them to Club GITMO. The Kandahar Cage leaked like a sieve.
@MataHarley: Not to Worry, We aren’t Broke…We still have Checks!
Obama Logic. We need to take His checkbook and ATM Card away. Soon… The most Economically Illiterate Regime Evah!
Seize Congress and Senate Pensions like GM and Chrysler Stock and Fund Social Security!
Put the Congress & Senate on Social Security for compensation. Hmmm…Executive Order Time?
Note how the red revenue line shown on the bottom chart, Federal Spending is Growing Faster than Federal Revenue, reverses from a long steady climb to a sudden steep downturn as it passes year 2000. What might that be attributed to?
How much slower would the upward ascent of that spending line be, without the escallating costs of the unfunded Medicare Part D program?
From an article that appeared this past November in Fiscal Times:
OLD TROOPER 2 those are great suggestions,I’m sure the AMERICANS WOULD LIKE THAT SWITCH.
about the escapy prisonners, they should not have been there in the first place,
why put the militarys at risk to have them come back to kill those they miss the first time,
what kind of roe is that, It would be enough for me to go bazurk and go on a rampage of shooting them all if I was one soldier there
And if one decide to do likewise, I would not prosecute that soldier at all, not killing the ennemies is against the logic even the most ignorant person would not agree, It’s about time the sodier have their way and shoot them on site, we just have to figure out how many would be still alive today if they would have not be subject to the rules of engagement, this is a WAR, and the soldier are there to finish it,
not to entertain The President Karzei bye
@Greg:
I don’t know. Possibly the Tech bubble bursting? I’d hope that you aren’t of the belief that it was the Bush tax cuts, as the major portion of those didn’t happen until 2003. And how about that? Roughly the same time as those tax cuts happened, revenue started climbing again. Hmmm. Interesting.
@johngalt:
You brought up the tech bubble burst.
Just before that happened was when so many gov’t employee unions got their generous pensions/benefits locked in.
As you look at the continued increase in expenditures, you are seeing the result of locked in pensions but not locked in revenue…..the bubble and burst.
A video showing how high-speed rail is laid. Just because it’s interesting.