Speaker Mike Johnson: "We Are On An Unsustainable Track With Our Debt"

[SkyChief]

A press conference 20 minutes ago (don't ask for a link - there isn't one . . . yet . . . my thoughts are in blue)

". . Getting us beyond the shutdown and making sure the government stays in operation is a matter of consciousness for all of us [Congress members]. We owe that to the American people. I believe that we can fight on principle, and do these things simultaneously.

(Mike, you should be wary of using the word 'FIGHT'. Most Dems think that you mean actual hand-to-hand combat. They don't understand the metaphorical use of the word fight)

When you have a small [House] majority, it requires some things are going to have to be bipartisan. But I think these are issues that every member of Congress should agree on.

(you would think so, but dems will fight you all the way on this. They don't care about debt - they just want to spend, spend, spend . . . This is not anything new - they've been doing this for decades. C'mon Mike.)

We are on an unsustainable track with our debt - - there's no two ways about it, and I think everybody recognizes that we've got to get down to the matter of the heart of this to change the way we do business. We have an important role to play in the world, but we have to take care of our own house first.

(Mike means that before America spends hundreds of billions of taxpayers' dollars on aid to foreign countries fighting their wars, we should take care of Americans FIRST, and then if there is money left over, then we can make charitable donations to other countries.)

And these things must be done simultaneously and even to start a generation ago - and it hasn't - and we're on the job now, and we're gonna make it happen."

 

[ataraxia]

A press conference 20 minutes ago (don't ask for a link - there isn't one)

. . Getting us beyond the shutdown and making sure the government stays in operation is a matter of consciousness for all of us [Congress members]. We owe that to the American people. I believe that we can fight on principle, and do these things simultaneously.

(Mike, you should be wary of using the word FIGHT. Dems think that you mean hand-to-hand combat. They don't understand the metaphorical use of the word fight)

When you have a small [House] majority, it requires some things are going to have to be bipartisan. But I think these are issues that every member of Congress should agree on.

(you would think so, but dems will fight you all the way on this. They don't care about debt - they just want to spend, spend, spend . . . This is not anything new - they've been doing this for decades. C'mon Mike.)

We are on an unsustainable track with our debt - - there's no two ways about it, and I think everybody recognizes that we've got to get down to the matter of the heart of this to change the way we do business. We have an important role to play in the world, but we have to take care of our own house first.

(Mike means that before America spends hundreds of billions of taxpayers' dollars on aid to foreign countries fighting their wars, we should take care of Americans FIRST, and then if there is money left over, then we can make charitable donations to other countries.)

And these things must be done simultaneously and even to start a generation ago - and it hasn't - and we're on the job now, and we're gonna make it happen."

Yes, that's why the Trump tax cuts during an economic boom were so irresponsible. Now that the economy is getting back on track, I hope Johnson does the right thing and spearheads an effort to overturn them. We need the ammo for the next time the economy has a serious downturn. It's just a matter of time.

 

[tshade]

A press conference 20 minutes ago (don't ask for a link - there isn't one . . . yet . . . my thoughts are in blue)

". . Getting us beyond the shutdown and making sure the government stays in operation is a matter of consciousness for all of us [Congress members]. We owe that to the American people. I believe that we can fight on principle, and do these things simultaneously.

(Mike, you should be wary of using the word 'FIGHT'. Most Dems think that you mean actual hand-to-hand combat. They don't understand the metaphorical use of the word fight)

When you have a small [House] majority, it requires some things are going to have to be bipartisan. But I think these are issues that every member of Congress should agree on.

(you would think so, but dems will fight you all the way on this. They don't care about debt - they just want to spend, spend, spend . . . This is not anything new - they've been doing this for decades. C'mon Mike.)

We are on an unsustainable track with our debt - - there's no two ways about it, and I think everybody recognizes that we've got to get down to the matter of the heart of this to change the way we do business. We have an important role to play in the world, but we have to take care of our own house first.

(Mike means that before America spends hundreds of billions of taxpayers' dollars on aid to foreign countries fighting their wars, we should take care of Americans FIRST, and then if there is money left over, then we can make charitable donations to other countries.)

And these things must be done simultaneously and even to start a generation ago - and it hasn't - and we're on the job now, and we're gonna make it happen."

GOP has said this for over a century------------------------ho hum

 

[ataraxia]

GOP has said this for over a century------------------------ho hum

Talk is cheap. They have been the most guilty of it.

How the past five presidents affected the deficit

This article was updated Aug. 2 to include a graph with the annual federal deficit in constant dollars. A viral post por

www.politifact.com

 

[dmpi]

Yes, that's why the Trump tax cuts during an economic boom were so irresponsible. Now that the economy is getting back on track, I hope Johnson does the right thing and spearheads an effort to overturn them. We need the ammo for the next time the economy has a serious downturn. It's just a matter of time.

More tax revenue will just encourage Democrats to spend even more. You got to attack the root problem which is this mentality of free everything.

 

[Slartibartfast]

Yes, that's why the Trump tax cuts during an economic boom were so irresponsible. Now that the economy is getting back on track, I hope Johnson does the right thing and spearheads an effort to overturn them. We need the ammo for the next time the economy has a serious downturn. It's just a matter of time.

We were on a good track before both the Trump and bush tax cuts.

 

[Mr Natural]

Another round of tax cuts for the billionaires will increase tax revenues and help cure the debt problem.

 

[jonny5]

Another round of tax cuts for the billionaires will increase tax revenues and help cure the debt problem.

Not just billionaires, but certainly for everyone who pays taxes. Since the last one, revenue has increased by over a trillion a year. Had we simply returned spending to pre pandemic levels we would have a balanced budget. Instead, that revenue is going to interest on the debt.

2023 revenue 4.4T
2019 spending 4.4T

 

[jonny5]

A press conference 20 minutes ago (don't ask for a link - there isn't one . . . yet . . . my thoughts are in blue)

". . Getting us beyond the shutdown and making sure the government stays in operation is a matter of consciousness for all of us [Congress members]. We owe that to the American people. I believe that we can fight on principle, and do these things simultaneously.

(Mike, you should be wary of using the word 'FIGHT'. Most Dems think that you mean actual hand-to-hand combat. They don't understand the metaphorical use of the word fight)

When you have a small [House] majority, it requires some things are going to have to be bipartisan. But I think these are issues that every member of Congress should agree on.

(you would think so, but dems will fight you all the way on this. They don't care about debt - they just want to spend, spend, spend . . . This is not anything new - they've been doing this for decades. C'mon Mike.)

We are on an unsustainable track with our debt - - there's no two ways about it, and I think everybody recognizes that we've got to get down to the matter of the heart of this to change the way we do business. We have an important role to play in the world, but we have to take care of our own house first.

(Mike means that before America spends hundreds of billions of taxpayers' dollars on aid to foreign countries fighting their wars, we should take care of Americans FIRST, and then if there is money left over, then we can make charitable donations to other countries.)

And these things must be done simultaneously and even to start a generation ago - and it hasn't - and we're on the job now, and we're gonna make it happen."

This format is difficult to follow. Just use quotes and normal fonts.

 

[VanceMack]

The answer to out of control spending is not tax cuts, nor is it tax increases...its responsible spending. How the **** can people be so stupid as to not understand that?

 

[SkyChief]

The answer to out of control spending is not tax cuts, nor is it tax increases...its responsible spending. How the **** can people be so stupid as to not understand that?

The best remedy for out-of-control spending is actually a combination of both Tax cuts AND Spending cuts.

Spending cuts and Tax cuts must always go hand-in-hand.

"Most of the energy of political work is devoted to correcting the effects of mismanagement of government." - Milton Friedman

 

[Helix]

Get rid of the 2017 tax cuts for the rich.

 

[SkyChief]

Get rid of the 2017 tax cuts for the rich.

A better idea would be to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts to all taxpayers.

Then Americans would keep more of the money they earned, so they could purchase products and services which they need, and government wouldn't need to print idiotic stimulus checks and cause debt.

"Most of the energy of political work is devoted to correcting the effects of mismanagement of government." - Milton Friedman

 

[VanceMack]

The best remedy for out-of-control spending is actually a combination of both Tax cuts AND Spending cuts.

Spending cuts and Tax cuts must always go hand-in-hand.

"Most of the energy of political work is devoted to correcting the effects of mismanagement of government." - Milton Friedman

Taxes are needed...but arent the problem. Its ****ing idiotic for people to be complaining that there arent enough taxes when the government has proved time and again that they will spend like drugged out frat boys without regard to whatever the taxes are because they figure they can run up whatever debt they want and it wont matter because regardless...it will be future generations that will be stuck with the bill.

 

[SkyChief]

Taxes are needed...but arent the problem. Its ****ing idiotic for people to be complaining that there arent enough taxes when the government has proved time and again that they will spend like drugged out frat boys without regard to whatever the taxes are because they figure they can run up whatever debt they want and it wont matter because regardless...it will be future generations that will be stuck with the bill.

Your statement reminded me of a quote about giving blank checks to irresponsible lawmakers:

"Giving money and power to the government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys." - P.J. O'Rourke

You are right, though. These incompetent lawmakers who spend taxpayers' money foolishly do so because they know they'll never be held accountable. They just kick-the-can down the road and say 'Let our kids and grandkids fix the mess we made'. Intellectually, these lawmakers are very childlike in the way they think and act.

 

[Pippi Longstock]

Yesterday I was listening to someone talk about how they saved a billion dollars by not paying for office space for government workers who are not going to go back to the office to work. Then she said "we just put a billion dollars back into the pockets of Americans" Yeah sure.

 

[VanceMack]

Your statement reminded me of a quote about giving blank checks to irresponsible lawmakers:

"Giving money and power to the government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys." - P.J. O'Rourke

You are right, though. These incompetent lawmakers who spend taxpayers' money foolishly do so because they know they'll never be held accountable. They just kick-the-can down the road and say 'Let our kids and grandkids fix the mess we made'. Intellectually, these lawmakers are very childlike in the way they think and act.

And both sides do it, but the rats are far more pathetic because they know that the mindless muppets they pander to WANT more spending and will then just bitch and whine and cry because the government wont take away more from those that earn their income and give it to them.

We should gut spending...and we should impose a flat tax across the board with no deductions and no exemptions and pay our debts. And we should stop letting retards bankrupt future generations.

 

[watsup]

Another round of tax cuts for the billionaires will increase tax revenues and help cure the debt problem.

Love your sarcasm. I note that a couple of “conservatives” actually thought that you were serious and gave you a “like”. It continues to amaze as to just how stupid right wingers truly are. All that previous huge tax cuts for the wealthy elite have done is to increase the debt. Imagine how prosperous the nation would be if all those trillions of dollars had been given to the lower end of the economic classes instead.

 

[Absentglare]

A press conference 20 minutes ago (don't ask for a link - there isn't one . . . yet . . . my thoughts are in blue)

". . Getting us beyond the shutdown and making sure the government stays in operation is a matter of consciousness for all of us [Congress members]. We owe that to the American people. I believe that we can fight on principle, and do these things simultaneously.

(Mike, you should be wary of using the word 'FIGHT'. Most Dems think that you mean actual hand-to-hand combat. They don't understand the metaphorical use of the word fight)

When you have a small [House] majority, it requires some things are going to have to be bipartisan. But I think these are issues that every member of Congress should agree on.

(you would think so, but dems will fight you all the way on this. They don't care about debt - they just want to spend, spend, spend . . . This is not anything new - they've been doing this for decades. C'mon Mike.)

We are on an unsustainable track with our debt - - there's no two ways about it, and I think everybody recognizes that we've got to get down to the matter of the heart of this to change the way we do business. We have an important role to play in the world, but we have to take care of our own house first.

(Mike means that before America spends hundreds of billions of taxpayers' dollars on aid to foreign countries fighting their wars, we should take care of Americans FIRST, and then if there is money left over, then we can make charitable donations to other countries.)

And these things must be done simultaneously and even to start a generation ago - and it hasn't - and we're on the job now, and we're gonna make it happen."

The GOP is continuing to make excuses for redistributing trillions of dollars of public wealth to a handful of billionaires.

Apparently, it’s not enough to take gobsmacking sums of our public money and give it away to billionaires. We also need to take away the meager scraps of public funds that actually go to average Americans.

This really illuminates the divide here. There are true republicans, billionaires and multi-millionaires who benefit greatly from crooked GOP politicians. Then there are the GOP politicians and pundits, they are paid actors/puppets who make excuses for, what essentially amounts to, robbing us blind. The last group is the largest and most depressing: republican voters. These are the rubes, the lynchpins, the captive fools who continue to wildly contort their thoughts into pretzels to make excuses for it all.

 

[What if...?]

More tax revenue will just encourage Democrats to spend even more. You got to attack the root problem which is this mentality of free everything.

Free profits would seem to be the problem. Can we raise taxes to address that?

They have so much extra money they’re buying all the houses so they can make us all pay rent for our entire lives. Like a ****ing feudal peasant.

 

[SkyChief]

The GOP is continuing to make excuses for redistributing trillions of dollars of public wealth to a handful of billionaires.

Apparently, it’s not enough to take gobsmacking sums of our public money and give it away to billionaires. We also need to take away the meager scraps of public funds that actually go to average Americans.

This really illuminates the divide here. There are true republicans, billionaires and multi-millionaires who benefit greatly from crooked GOP politicians. Then there are the GOP politicians and pundits, they are paid actors/puppets who make excuses for, what essentially amounts to, robbing us blind. The last group is the largest and most depressing: republican voters. These are the rubes, the lynchpins, the captive fools who continue to wildly contort their thoughts into pretzels to make excuses for it all.

Both political parties are responsible for reckless spending and borrowing, so it doesn't make sense to pretend that only Republicans caused this mess.

Both Parties like to tax, borrow, spend and redistribute wealth. The only difference is how the helicopter money is redistributed:

Democrats like to redistribute wealth to individuals - they devise complicated entitlement requirements - hoops that the recipient must jump through to get the hand-outs.

Republicans like to redistribute wealth to corporations, banks, lending institutions, and corn farmers in the form of defense contracts, bail-outs, and subsidies for ethanol production.

"What produces [inflation] is too much government spending, and too much government creation of money, and nothing else." - Milton Friedman

 

[ataraxia]

More tax revenue will just encourage Democrats to spend even more. You got to attack the root problem which is this mentality of free everything.

The time when the deficits have been highest has always been under Republican administrations.

There goes that theory. You need to use your imagination to come up with something else. This one makes no sense. If you can't come up with something, listen to more Fox. If they are not being helpful either call and demand that they make something else up soon. They're usually pretty creative.

 

[tshade]

More tax revenue will just encourage Democrats to spend even more. You got to attack the root problem which is this mentality of free everything.

Everybody wants to curb Gov. spending-----until they need something. Give us a break......

 

[j brown's body]

Both political parties are responsible for reckless spending and borrowing, so it doesn't make sense to pretend that only Republicans caused this mess.

Both Parties like to tax, borrow, spend and redistribute wealth. The only difference is how the helicopter money is redistributed:

Democrats like to redistribute wealth to individuals - they devise complicated entitlement requirements - hoops that the recipient must jump through to get the hand-outs.

Republicans like to redistribute wealth to corporations, banks, lending institutions, and corn farmers in the form of defense contracts, bail-outs, and subsidies for ethanol production.

"What produces [inflation] is too much government spending, and too much government creation of money, and nothing else." - Milton Friedman

I'll go with "individuals." They need the money.

 

[BabaVoss]

How we handle money as a nation ups bizarrely stupid. These giant spending bills authorize spending we have already decided on. Why? Once we approve spending, it should automatically be authorized. This political football is unnecessary and a waste of time.

Now, we have too much debt, and yes it is unsustainable. You solve that like you do your household budget. Get more income and/or reduce spending. Preferably both. Instead, we routinely reduce taxes on the wealthy - reducing our income. Then we spend more.

Stupid.