I apologize for not logging back on yesterday evening.
Never a concern.
>>declare that a new total of $19 trillion in debt is somehow a good thing.
No one says debt is a good thing. Sometimes it's better than the achievable alternatives.
>>you and others have posted cartoon-like graphs showing how the national debt will likely remain flat under Hillary Clinton, but will rise dramatically under Donald Trump.
Those are based on analyses of the consequences of the their respective tax proposals. They're all pretty much the same. If you'd like, I can find ones that use the numbers instead of graphic representations, but they'll indicate the same thing. Those who buy into trickle-down effects project substantially higher levels of income, but I'd say we shouldn't fall for that a third time. It doesn't work.
>>Either the debt is a good thing or it is a bad thing.
Considered in isolation, it's bad. But that's not the way things work. I owe tens of thousands of dollars on my mortgage. I figure that's acceptable debt. If I ran up a $20K debt on a credit card to follow the Red Sox around the country on road trips, I'd call that a mistake. Similarly, if we had borrowed nineteen trillion and accomplished something significant, it might have been worth it. You'll agree that all we did was waste the money.
>>a quote from Barack Obama, from the 2008 campaign trail
What were we accomplishing with that borrowing? We were mostly covering revenue losses associated with the tax cuts for wealthy households he foolishly championed. In an election, it's arguably better to keep it simple — "Debt bad!"
>>Probably the only words that have ever come out of Barack Obama’s mouth that I actually agree with.
If you think about it, you agree with a lot more that he's said.
>>IRS political profiling
I'll say that this was to some extent mishandled. My view is that the gubmint should have been much more proactive on it. Tax-exempt status is something that shouldn't be taken advantage of. Here's what I had to say about this earlier:
http://www.debatepolitics.com/polls/196070-has-obama-been-good-president-40.html#post1063402801
>>Obama’s DOJ buddy Eric Holder (or even the in-the-tank FBI)
There are always questions regarding impartiality in situations like this. I have confidence in the career people at those agencies.
>>Classified email scandal … every [other] government employee … would have prosecuted and put in prison for committing even one tenth of the violations committed by Hillary Clinton in this matter.
I disagree. It's easy to say that and sort of easy to
think it. But the details of the circumstances, imo, led to the decision not to prosecute. You'll agree she's taken a hit for this politically, and I can understand yer feeling that it should have been a lot more. I do not see it as an example of corruption. "Inept" I can agree with, and I'll say that you can make an argument that the law should be changed so that behaviour like hers would be held to a greater degree of accountability, but I don't think she was given a pass.
Step back and ask yerself why this happened. She didn't want people who have been after her for decades to have access to her communications with staff and advisors. I want transparency in gubmint where it's advisable, but I also want someone like the SOS to be able to discuss and formulate plans without thinking she's effectively being listened to by the rest of the world. I expressed my view here recently:
I'd say she's guarded and wary of being attacked by her political opponents. It's unfortunate. In some ways, she doesn't react well to the "Get the Clintons" cottage industry. I don't see her as being particularly honest, but nevertheless honest enough.
>>Millions of illegals will someday become registered voters, right
Possibly. Fwiw, I call them "undocumented."
>>so lets by all means allow them to stream in unabated.
That's not what's happening.
>>let’s spend US taxpayer dollars affording them benefits
Which benefits?
Most social welfare programs bar illegal immigrants from receiving benefits and require proof of immigration status. That includes food stamps, as well as cash welfare assistance, Medicaid, and even the new health care law. — "
Fact-checking immigration,"
PolitiFact, July 1, 2012