It is true that both sides are playing party politics, I believe the President has the better viewpoint and here's why?
Do tell....
Yes, the country has had a spending problem, but let's not pretend that the spending just began under his presidency.
No, it didn't. And the repubs paid a price for that in 2006 and 2008. Since that time spending has exploded.
Let's not forget, we had TWO wars and both wars required billions of dollars to support.
Yet military spending as a percentage of GDP has remained relatively the same for decades. The wars over time have been miniscule in spending when compared to the social welfare programs of the progressive demo's.
Now, members of the GOP have told us "we're broke", but they also say we're the richest and most powerful country in the world. How can they hold both viewpoints?
Because it is true. We are the richest country on the face of the earth, due to our natural resources, that we either won't, or can't due to over regulation, exploit. Think of the Billions given to Brazil's Petrobras (Soros) while at the same time telling them we'd like to be their best customer....
People have been posting charts and graphes to this forum for months. Some of those illustrations shows how much this country brings in in tax revenue and how much we've had going out to date. Others have provided long-range revenues and outlays since as far back and 1929. A few of those illustrations have shown that this country hasn't been taking in as much tax revenue for atleast the last 25 years.
Wouldn't this have much more to do with the 'Baby Boom' generation retiring, than it does not taxing enough.
Over that time, we have fought in or funded four wars (Somalia, Desert Storm, Irag and Afghanistan), engaged in atleast two military campaigns (Granada and now Libya), have had a number of natural disasters and alteast two man-made disasters (ExxonValdez and BP oil spills).
Do you have a cost vs. time span for all of these things you list here?
We've also increase the availability of prescription drugs to Medicare patients without appropriating funds for it.
And what do you think Obamacare will do? Or are you of the Robert Reich viewpoint?
Now, I understand that entitlement programs are costing our country billions of dollars every year as well, and the price tags have increased it seem each year, but these same people are also telling us that our society is both living longer and that many among our senior citizens aren't as healthy in comparison to those who came before them a generation ago. So, those additional cost affect Social Security and Medicare payouts. But that doesn't explain the other entitlement program, Medicaid.
Medicare and Medicaid are linked in their cost analysis. However both are social welfare programs that are not enumerated in the constitution. I think that any honest analysis of social welfare programs vs. military expenditure one would have to admit that social welfare programs cost far more than our military.
It is true that many of our nation's citizens aren't stepping up to their personal responsibilities, but there are many who for reasons beyond their control have to utilize Medicaid insurance to seek medical care.
Depends on what you mean by "circumstances beyond ones control".... personal responsibility is just that, and it seems that by assigning anyones circumstance as being beyond their control, or unchangeable you take that personal accountability away for them. This is America, you can do, or be whatever you want, if you have the will that is.
One example is Wal-Mart. Not more than six years ago reports circulated that "Medicaid expenditures increase by 1.5% for every 1% that the market share of Wal-Mart increases in a state." Furthermore, if you scroll down in that same linked source above, you'll find a news brief that mentions an internal memo by Wal-mart officials recommending that "Wal-Mart hire more part-time employees and discourage unhealthy job applicants to help reduce health care costs." This practise clearly confirms the claim made in the preceeding article. That's one example how corporate entities have forced more people until the federal dole.
In that Wal Mart is the largest employer in the US, I would say that is a problem not with Wal Mart making decisions to find ways to reduce their benefits payouts, we've all seen jobs with crappy benefits, and it is not a law that benefits are mandated by law for any employer to provide, but I think more a problem with the nanny state trying to force business to do things in line with decades old liberal policies that they are not responsible for. Also, what does it say about this country that Wal Mart is the largest employer in the first place?
There's also natural disasters that have displaced hundreds of thousands.
This country will continue to have 'Acts of God' that are devastating and as our population rises are tragedy to watch for the people involved. Certainly you are not suggesting that the Government is empowered to tell people where they can live are you? Or that the Government is responsible to make people whole after such disaster?
Then we have the housing bubble that have cost so many people their jobs since 2008.
Yep, and a bubble that was avoidable had demo leadership in congress listened to republican leaders as this debacle was unfolding.
This housing crisis was avoidable, sans the effort of both parties to buy votes by basically giving home loans to people who historically could never afford them.
Those numbers have increased based on the actions of Republican leadership among some of the states by reducing expenditures to our public schools, thereby forcing layoff to teachers and other public employees. Many have had to retire because their retirement benefits have been significantly altered. It's not what they dedicated up to 20 years of their lives and gave of their hard earned income just to have those benefits reduced because their respective states didn't manage their financies properly.
How can you manage a bully, or thug demanding more and more of the budget, then gaming the system to steal from the taxpayer? Interesting though that you see only a certain segment of worker in this country as entitled.
It might be more beneficial to turn states into "right to work" states in order to make it easier to attract businesses or provide handsome tax breaks if no taxes at all for extended periods to lure business to a state, but when you allow businesses to go for 25-30 years (as was nearly the case for a foreign business that wanted to set up shop in Mobile, AL about three years ago) and your state is already hurting for revenue, all you've done is remove even more revenue from your state. So, to trim cost what have state's done? Shut down state governments, left "IOUs", forced public employees off their jobs by cutting costs and not rehiring.
States that are 'right to work' states seem to have an easier time through things like this Obama economy. Take a look at my state. SC. Sure we have our pockets of high unemployment like every other state does now, but we are still attracting business. Compare that with say MI, or IL.
There are problems all around, but only someone who has ignored events over the last 25-30 years would think that our nation's economic problems began on January 20, 2009.
No one with any intelligence say that. Strawman argument, and platitude are not what wins the debate anymore.
Yes, the Treasury has spent at least $1 trillion since Obama has come into office, but much of that spending has been done out of necessity.
Try approaching $5 Trillion. In 3 years. And as for necessity? You call a Trillion dollar Stimulus package that when boiled down was little more than payola for the Presidents Union allies, and did NOTHING to unemployment a success?
Our economy was in chaos when he took office.
You don't want Obama to shoulder any of the blame for this mess, yet you would ask us to believe that this nations problems began with Bush...Weak argument. And doesn't play anymore with the American people.
Between the actions taken by former President GW Bush before he left office (TARP) and President Obama once in office (ARRA, aka, the Stimulus bill), I bellieve those actions kept things from getting alot worse.
Yet you have no metrics to show that to be true. Other than your partisan talking point blather. BTW, Obama used TARP as well.
So, now we're at this crossroad called the debt ceiling. The President has shown a willingness to cut spending including reducing outlays to Medicare and other entitlement programs. He's asked in return that such cuts don't affect the benefits to our sick, our elderly and the unemployed as affected by the economic downturn and from these natural disasters, and for some revenue to help pay for those benefits and to invest in our country's future by funding research in science or paying for repairs to our nation's infrastructure.
Obama says a lot of crap, where is his CBO scored plan? Where is the demo budget? MIA. So, based on Obama's last three years of lies, and misdirection using partisan, ideologue pap, I wouldn't trust what he says as far as I can throw him.
And he's asking that of those who either helped to make this mess or of those who can afford to pay more in taxes. As much as some people would like an "shared sacrafic" by all, I don't see how that's possible when the very side of the political divide contiues to ask, "where are the jobs" yet insist that the poor should pay more, too? Does it make sense to demand of a poor man or one who has no income to pay more? With what shall he pay it?
Class warfare is a Stalin like tactic. You know what happens when the proletariat become the bourgeoisie don't you? See every Socialist/Communist nation since time began. Failure or lack of human rights is the outcome.
I believe President Obama sees the larger picture and is trying to be fair to all sides. Based on our nation's current economic state, I really don't think that what he's asking for in these debt ceiling negotiations is too much to ask.
Obama has not warranted trust. Let's see the demo's and Obama cut the spending first, then maybe we can talk about revenues. Until then, we have been burned by this crapola by demo's before, Ask Bush I, and I for one don't trust the liar n chief.
j-mac