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Are elected officials intentionally driving our country into debt?

Are elected officials intentionally driving our country into debt?

  • Total voters
    31
jamesrage

jamesrage

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Are elected officials intentionally driving our country into debt?


I say yes. If they actually were trying to keep our country from going into debt then they would cut spending left and right, not continue to spend like some rich kid spending his parents' money.
 
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jamesrage said:
Are elected officials intentionally driving our country into debt?
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Well, they're certainly not doing it by accident. ;)

If you're asking if they have an ulterior motive, I rather doubt it . . . at least not the rank and file in Washington. As to larger plots afoot? Your guess is as good as mine.
 
jamesrage said:
Are elected officials intentionally driving our country into debt?


I say yes. If they actually were trying to keep our country from going into debt then they would cut spending left and right, not continue to spend like some rich kid spending his parents' money.
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The thing is Representatives and Senators have no personal incentive to not spend the national debt.

Rather, they have personal incentives to dole out social welfare, corporate bailouts, government contracts, and tax exemptions by getting campaign contributions from lobbyists paid for by corporate interests.

So nobody really cares about the debt or how it's spent, and Congress gets paid campaign contributions not to.
 
I wouldn't say that most of them are doing it as part of some sinister plot. A lot of them are stupid, ignorant people who will do anything to get reelected. Giving out goodies is a great way to do that.
 
Yes, but they are doing it with a willing populace, for the most part. That is why they keep their jobs. They are giving the masses what they want, to one extent or another.
 
Forgive me for stating the obvious, but they did cut spending.
 
Here's the thing. Each of those items you think needs to be cut "left and right". Someone in congress' re-election is tied to those things. No one is willing to let their thing get cut, losing them their seat. Everyone else's stuff, that's fine. But not their own. And then since no one lets their own thing get cut... then nothing gets cut.
 
I don't think so. A big part of keeping constituents happy by bringing the pork barrel projects back home. At the same time I think many politicians have done the math and see it all easily fundable if they tax super-high income earners at higher levels like big oil execs, etc.

IMHO what we need to do is give the POTUS the line item veto but allow then to be overturned by Congress but unlike other votes that require a 2/3 vote, just by the same number of votes the original bill the line item was attached to passed.

I'm also not opposed to figuring out some way to incentivize savings such as rewarding government department employees with bonuses for returning money to the treasury they didn't need. Of course, this could be exploited so it would need to be done in a way that protects tax-payers and citizens from abuse.
 
jamesrage said:
Are elected officials intentionally driving our country into debt?


I say yes. If they actually were trying to keep our country from going into debt then they would cut spending left and right, not continue to spend like some rich kid spending his parents' money.
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Yes, the Keynesians are still in power. In their world money is free, and debt and inflation are good things.

ThePlayDrive said:
Forgive me for stating the obvious, but they did cut spending.
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Their cut was so insanely small that it didn't even make a dent. That's like saying you add $30k in credit card debt a year, but cut $300.
 
ThePlayDrive said:
Forgive me for stating the obvious, but they did cut spending.
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Isn't that like saying "I'm thousands of dollars in debt, I didn't spend fifty cents on a soda last week so I cut spending"?
 
Hello everyone! :2wave:

I voted Yes on this poll. I believe, as others have pointed out, that elected officials are intentionally driving our country into debt through policies they continue to support (or create themselves); as well as their refusal (or apparent inability) to take the necessary steps to truly shrink these debts in a meaningful way. This does not appear to be a problem with just one political party or another; nor is it a problem that is isolated to the federal government. With demands being made by the American people to support or expand program X and to create program Y, these politicians put themselves in impossible positions when they promise too much to their constituents and the lobbyists that have supported them and whom they are indebted to. Add to this the expectations of the political party that they belong to and it becomes easier to see why governments continue to grow as well as the debt (not to mention the taxes, which seem to be used up without lowering the debt in a noticeable way at this time).
 
ThePlayDrive said:
Forgive me for stating the obvious, but they did cut spending.
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Exactly where did these cuts occur in 2012? phantom savings 30 years down the road do not count as spending cuts. taking it out of one program and spending it on another does not either.
 
No, they are simply shortsighted untrained selfish individuals more concerned with their own "power" and "privilege" and maintaining it than with workable, longterm solutions. They are no different from the utterly selfish morons in the union that drove Hostess into insolvency. Most politicians would sell their own mothers into slavery for the chance of getting more votes to hold office.
 
I think they are intentionally trying to bring down the greatest capitalist society of all time; its the biggest threat to their utopian government controlled way of life that they can see coming out of a total collapse. For that last part - they are wrong.
 
I voted no, because as I thought about the question, I thought: They are too stupid to know what they are doing and the consequences of their actions.

So no, not intentional, it's just they are prime examples of why survival of the fittest was such a good idea. Too bad we have overstepped nature on that one.
 
Politicians have always looked at the budget as someone elses money (no matter who) and so they spend accordingly. They do not give a ****a bout consequences.
 
There should be more "I do not know" votes..
Honesty, less stupid opinions.....we really do not know...
But I am willing to give them some credit...
We have the under taxed wealthy, two un-funded wars...maybe 3,(drugs), and a recession...at the same time.
Is it any wonder ??
..and at the same time, all the manufacturing has gone to China.
Where was our leadership 20 to 50 years ago ??????
And the far right disinters ...guess who...Henry Kissinger....
 
CalGun said:
I think they are intentionally trying to bring down the greatest capitalist society of all time; its the biggest threat to their utopian government controlled way of life that they can see coming out of a total collapse. For that last part - they are wrong.
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Only your opinion.
My opinion is that capitalism must adjust for the times..
 
Sentinel said:
No, they are simply shortsighted untrained selfish individuals more concerned with their own "power" and "privilege" and maintaining it than with workable, longterm solutions. They are no different from the utterly selfish morons in the union that drove Hostess into insolvency. Most politicians would sell their own mothers into slavery for the chance of getting more votes to hold office.
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True, as far as it goes.
The executives must also accept responsibility, rather than playing mindless blame games.
 
That is why I wrote "I think" because it is only my opinion. I have no trouble with the adjustment of capitalism. Reagan and Ed Meece prosecuted a 1000 banksters in 8 years how many has obama? I'm all for some adjustments to capitalism but I'm guessing you and I disagree on how. Both socialism and communism have failed too so I find working towards their end quite sad.

earthworm said:
Only your opinion.
My opinion is that capitalism must adjust for the times..
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RepublicanMcDuc said:
I wouldn't say that most of them are doing it as part of some sinister plot. A lot of them are stupid, ignorant people who will do anything to get reelected. Giving out goodies is a great way to do that.
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I think the one mistake people make about elected officials is that they seriously underestimate their intelligence.
 
I voted 'Yes', but I would have preferred a "Yes, but..." option.

I don't think they spend like they do with the narrowly-defined intent to drive us into debt, but they do intentionally make decisions that unavoidably include putting us in debt. And like almost everything else, it all comes back to us, the voters. As long as the system is set up like it is, where the rich pay for access and get tax cuts, and where the rest demand and get 'stuff' because they are numerous enough to actually elect our representatives, then nothing will change. Give everybody what they want and put off dealing with the downside as long as possible.

It has been proven, and politicians know, that we the voters will piss and moan, but in the end we will still re-elect the same people over and over. As long as we continue to not hold them accountable, even our own who "bring home the pork", nothing will change.
 
jamesrage said:
I think the one mistake people make about elected officials is that they seriously underestimate their intelligence.
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In the conditions that prevail today, why would anyone capable of using their intelligence ever run for public office?
 
DVSentinel said:
In the conditions that prevail today, why would anyone capable of using their intelligence ever run for public office?
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Power,benefits, money and the ability to directly shape the country.
 
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