U.S. funding for future promises lags by trillions

[Renae]

The federal government's financial condition deteriorated rapidly last year, far beyond the $1.5 trillion in new debt taken on to finance the budget deficit, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

The government added $5.3 trillion in new financial obligations in 2010, largely for retirement programs such as Medicare and Social Security. That brings to a record $61.6 trillion the total of financial promises not paid for.
This gap between spending commitments and revenue last year equals more than one-third of the nation's gross domestic product.
Medicare alone took on $1.8 trillion in new liabilities, more than the record deficit prompting heated debate between Congress and the White House over lifting the debt ceiling.

U.S. funding for future promises lags by trillions - USATODAY.com

So, how about we face reality now that we've made promises we can never hope to keep, and move forward by doing the right thing for our future and ending those programs putting us in such a hole.

 

[tessaesque]

But, but..that would be political suicide! Heaven forbid anybody do what is right at the sake of reelection!

 

[shades]

all true, but there has to be a clear plan.

Saving Medicare for people over 55 and alerting those under 55 that they have 15 years to make some other arrangements to survive on a todays dollar 8,OOo
voucher propped health care plan seems reasonable.

the problem will be between now and then to convince the insurance companys to offer a plan at or very near that cost to provide seniors health needs.

putting the ball in the private sectors hands is the only way out of the funds shortfall, plain and simple.

 

[TOJ]

There is a very easy way out. Simply print more money.

That will take care of the problem and, 'sides, that will teach those seniors. When they figure out the only thing they can buy with their monthly SS payment is a week's worth of cat food, they will wish they hadn't made such a fuss about attempts at reform.

.

 

[Ikari]

U.S. funding for future promises lags by trillions - USATODAY.com

So, how about we face reality now that we've made promises we can never hope to keep, and move forward by doing the right thing for our future and ending those programs putting us in such a hole.

Such as aggressive, interventionist wars in foreign countries which spend trillions of dollars? That one? Or did you mean that we should stop helping the poor in our country?

 

[Grant]

Such as aggressive, interventionist wars in foreign countries which spend trillions of dollars? That one? Or did you mean that we should stop helping the poor in our country?

I doubt that Socialism was ever "The American Dream" but it seems it was for enough of them. It will not end until, like other Socialist countries, there is a near or total collapse.

 

[Chappy]

Oh, my! The sky is falling!

Why must conservative leadership always operate from a place of fear and loathing?

Government's mountain of debt - USATODAY.com offers more details and some alternatives to the knee-jerk conservative demands that we must terminate these all too popular and successful social programs or die in the gutter.

The reality is that the solutions to our long term obligations have been well known for quite some time; spending cuts through tailored program adjustments, e.g., gradually increasing early retirement age to 64 years over the course of decades, and, revenue increases, e.g., allow tax rates to return to their Clinton-era levels when we experienced the greatest economic expansion in human history.

The sky is not falling no matter how much conservative leaders wish it would.

 

[tessaesque]

Oh, my! The sky is falling!

Why must conservative leadership always operate from a place of fear and loathing?

Government's mountain of debt - USATODAY.com offers more details and some alternatives to the knee-jerk conservative demands that we must terminate these all too popular and successful social programs or die in the gutter.

The reality is that the solutions to our long term obligations have been well known for quite some time; spending cuts through tailored program adjustments, e.g., gradually increasing early retirement age to 64 years over the course of decades, and, revenue increases, e.g., allow tax rates to return to their Clinton-era levels when we experienced the greatest economic expansion in human history.

The sky is not falling no matter how much conservative leaders wish it would.

If all of those ideas are so great, Chappy, then why isn't the liberal leadership putting them on the table? They aren't putting anything on thet able.

 

[Ikari]

If all of those ideas are so great, Chappy, then why isn't the liberal leadership putting them on the table? They aren't putting anything on thet able.

The Republocrats never put anything on the table. It's much easier to sit back and point fingers than to do anything. Plus, then you can't get in trouble for having done something.

 

[tessaesque]

The Republocrats never put anything on the table. It's much easier to sit back and point fingers than to do anything. Plus, then you can't get in trouble for having done something.

I wonder how challenging it is for you to completely ignore reality.

 

[Ikari]

I wonder how challenging it is for you to completely ignore reality.

It's impossible, I'm well grounded in reality. Thanks for the insult, though I find it lacking in sufficient smarmy to award you any points.

 

[Chappy]

What do you suppose VP Biden is doing these days? Democrats and Republicans are going through the choices, just not in public.

 

[tessaesque]

It's impossible, I'm well grounded in reality. Thanks for the insult, though I find it lacking in sufficient smarmy to award you any points.

It wasn't an insult. It was an observation. There has been 1 or 2 republican budget/budget cut bill proposed, and several attempts to meet dems at the table. There have been 0 democrat budgets/budget cut bills proposed, and no attempts to meet republicans at the table. Obama's budget wasn't even a completed work, but merely a generic guideline. Those are facts. Your statement was disengenous opinion, at best. That's reality. Perhaps you'd like to join us here.

 

[snilloctjc]

What do you suppose VP Biden is doing these days? Democrats and Republicans are going through the choices, just not in public.

Whatever he is up to I just pray it doesn't involve digital photography and any form of internet connection.

 

[Ikari]

It wasn't an insult. It was an observation. There has been 1 or 2 republican budget/budget cut bill proposed, and several attempts to meet dems at the table. There have been 0 democrat budgets/budget cut bills proposed, and no attempts to meet republicans at the table. Obama's budget wasn't even a completed work, but merely a generic guideline. Those are facts. Your statement was disengenous opinion, at best. That's reality. Perhaps you'd like to join us here.

Republicans do the same thing. They held up everything to get their tax cuts for the rich previous. Don't sit there and pretend that the Republicans never run any form of obstructionist plan. Both sides do it. A lot it turns out. That's reality. Perhaps you'd like to join us here.

 

[tessaesque]

Republicans do the same thing. They held up everything to get their tax cuts for the rich previous. Don't sit there and pretend that the Republicans never run any form of obstructionist plan. Both sides do it. A lot it turns out. That's reality. Perhaps you'd like to join us here.

I was not the one who implied or directly stated that either party are constantly doing nothing, or obstructing progress. I was pretty clearly refering to the democrats sitting on their asses awaiting re-election instead of doing their damned jobs regarding this budget process / cuts process. I am the first to point out the faults of either party and don't sit around intentionally bashing and creating cute little insultory names for the opposition because of my childish disdain for them.

If you want to skew arguments and distort truths in order to be correct that's fine. If you want to change your position or ignore history, fact, or truth that's fine. If you want to change defnitions to fit your ideology that's fine. But your motivations and debating techinique are completely transparent.

 

[Ikari]

I was not the one who implied or directly stated that either party are constantly doing nothing, or obstructing progress. I was pretty clearly refering to the democrats sitting on their asses awaiting re-election instead of doing their damned jobs regarding this budget process / cuts process. I am the first to point out the faults of either party and don't sit around intentionally bashing and creating cute little insultory names for the opposition because of my childish disdain for them.

If you want to skew arguments and distort truths in order to be correct that's fine. If you want to change your position or ignore history, fact, or truth that's fine. If you want to change defnitions to fit your ideology that's fine. But your motivations and debating techinique are completely transparent.

They all do it. The only real accomplishments (if one wishes to use those terms) are the bail outs and subsidies for large corporations and banks. What else have they done? Either of them? We still sit after all these years at over 9% unemployment, there's been no real movement in any of our wars, our deficit keeps increasing and neither side has been able to get it under control. The Republicans were in charge when our debt was flying through the roof as well. But both sides play the politics cards. It's easier to sit and point than to tackle the problem. You can make all the bills you want, but if you make them unreasonable from the start and don't budge you run obstructionist tactics. That's the reality of the situation.

I skewed no argument, distroted no truth. I merely made a statement about reality. If you can't handle it, that's your problem. But what you wish to do is to ad hominem it up. What productive measures has the government, either party, done to improve our lot? To decrease our debt? To function properly and best serve the People? A real attempt, not politics as usual trying to introduce things you know the other side won't budge on. Got anything? I'm all ears.

 

[Grant]

Oh, my! The sky is falling!

Why must conservative leadership always operate from a place of fear and loathing?

Government's mountain of debt - USATODAY.com offers more details and some alternatives to the knee-jerk conservative demands that we must terminate these all too popular and successful social programs or die in the gutter.

The reality is that the solutions to our long term obligations have been well known for quite some time; spending cuts through tailored program adjustments, e.g., gradually increasing early retirement age to 64 years over the course of decades, and, revenue increases, e.g., allow tax rates to return to their Clinton-era levels when we experienced the greatest economic expansion in human history.

The sky is not falling no matter how much conservative leaders wish it would.

Do you see any sufficient public or political interest in any serious spending cuts? That alternative will always be too 'Conservative', too 'right wing',

It will be like the Freddie Mae/Freddie Mac collapse where everyone denied there was a problem until it was too late to do anything about it.

 

[Grant]

The Republocrats never put anything on the table.

That's not quite so.

Paul Ryan of the House Committee on the Budget certainly did, and the Obama Administration hasn't even offered up a budget in well over two years.

It's much easier to sit back and point fingers than to do anything.

Well in this case it certainly is because the Republicans offered some modest proposals while the Democrats have as yet offered nothing. Still no budget despite at one time owning the Senate Congress and Presidency.

Plus, then you can't get in trouble for having done something.

Barrack Obama couldn't have said it any better.

 

[Ikari]

That's not quite so.

Paul Ryan of the House Committee on the Budget certainly did, and the Obama Administration hasn't even offered up a budget in well over two years.


Well in this case it certainly is because the Republicans offered some modest proposals while the Democrats have as yet offered nothing. Still no budget despite at one time owning the Senate Congress and Presidency.


Barrack Obama couldn't have said it any better.

They have certainly tried introducing their own versions of cuts. I just think these are superficial attempts, that they know full well they ask for cuts in areas they can't get the Dems to budge on. In the end, it's a failing of both parties because this is part of the job of Congress, regardless of D or R. They need to do this, but they both get caught up in their political games of parties that they refuse to actually move forward. That's why I wanted to know if what in reality has been accomplished. What were they able to do. This recession didn't start with Obama, it was merely continued by him. There was plenty of time when the R's had more numbers to get things passed.

More and more the trend seems to be that one side offers some legislation, it won't go through, and they throw up their hands and say "well we tried, but the otherside won't work with us". That's more of a constant than either of the parties truly working for us. I don't feel that either party is responsible to the People any longer.

 

[toddwv]

That's not quite so.

Paul Ryan of the House Committee on the Budget certainly did, and the Obama Administration hasn't even offered up a budget in well over two years.


Well in this case it certainly is because the Republicans offered some modest proposals while the Democrats have as yet offered nothing. Still no budget despite at one time owning the Senate Congress and Presidency.


Barrack Obama couldn't have said it any better.

Check your facts. The Obama Administration has submitted a budget every year since President Obama was elected.

 

[tessaesque]

Check your facts. The Obama Administration has submitted a budget every year since President Obama was elected.

The "budget" he submitted this year was a shell. It was a basic outline with no detail and was not complete. Hard to vote on an incomplete budget.

 

[snilloctjc]

Check your facts. The Obama Administration has submitted a budget every year since President Obama was elected.

The issue is not submitting a budget that is only a request - the issue is the House abandonded its Constitutional duty and did not approve a budget. The Executive Branch can only propose, the House MUST pass a budget. the 2010 budget was delayed for nothing more than political reasons - the elections

 

[dontworrybehappy]

The issue is not submitting a budget that is only a request - the issue is the House abandonded its Constitutional duty and did not approve a budget. The Executive Branch can only propose, the House MUST pass a budget. the 2010 budget was delayed for nothing more than political reasons - the elections

And that lies solely on the shoulders of the liberal left.

 

[TOJ]

The issue is not submitting a budget that is only a request - the issue is the House abandonded its Constitutional duty and did not approve a budget. The Executive Branch can only propose, the House MUST pass a budget. the 2010 budget was delayed for nothing more than political reasons - the elections

Didn't the Demos control the House in 2010?

Also, didn't the House pass a budget this year?

.