For Democrats and the Obama folks: How do you solve the debt issue?

[Pens1566]

1. Gradually raise age for SS
2. Remove cap on income taxed for SS
3. Means testing for SS
4. Let tax cuts expire for $250k and up
5. Renegotiate Medicare part D with drug companies
6. Slash defense budget by ~25% (missile defense, new sub, etc.)

Just as a start ...

 

[GuitarDaddy]

This

"Steps in the right direction; long term and short term
1. Stimulate the economy with public works projects; cut spending when times are good again
2. Slash military spending; end foreign intervention
3. End Bush era tax cuts for the rich, reinstate the estate tax and cut taxes further for middle class"


and this

"Close tax loopholes for large businesses"


and this

"Get rid of the income cap on SS taxes"

and this

"Be American, buy American. dont buy foreign products.. if corporations want tax breaks, they have to produce their products here, they have to buy from American suppliers. dont take the tax benefits from USA and Grow china/India's economy.. corporations want tax break? they have to hire people here, not in another country."

And to this I would add

1. Means test for SS

2. Kill funding for the war on drugs, legalize and tax MJ

3. Kill medicare part D and start over with a better plan for seniors meds thats not a huge handout to the pharms



And most importantly, embark on serious campaign reform with caps limits and total transparency. And severely restrict lobbists and PAC's

 

[SP33Demon]

This

"Steps in the right direction; long term and short term
1. Stimulate the economy with public works projects; cut spending when times are good again
2. Slash military spending; end foreign intervention
3. End Bush era tax cuts for the rich, reinstate the estate tax and cut taxes further for middle class"


and this

"Close tax loopholes for large businesses"


and this

"Get rid of the income cap on SS taxes"

and this

"Be American, buy American. dont buy foreign products.. if corporations want tax breaks, they have to produce their products here, they have to buy from American suppliers. dont take the tax benefits from USA and Grow china/India's economy.. corporations want tax break? they have to hire people here, not in another country."

And to this I would add

1. Means test for SS

2. Kill funding for the war on drugs, legalize and tax MJ

3. Kill medicare part D and start over with a better plan for seniors meds thats not a huge handout to the pharms



And most importantly, embark on serious campaign reform with caps limits and total transparency. And severely restrict lobbists and PAC's

Due to unlimited fiscal financing on campaign funding (thanks to the Republican Supreme Court), all of those ideas will never happen. "Walk softly and carry a big wallet" rules politics today and it's only getting worse.

 

[Ausm]

Use the GOP's method of borrow and spend...

 

[Patranus]

Use the GOP's method of borrow and spend...

Huh, under GOP control (after Clinton) "only" 3 trillion was added to the national debt over 6 years while under Democrat control 5 trillion has been added over 3 years.

 

[nobodyknows]

Seems easy enough right? Bush even sniffed at reforming SS and AARP was on his ass for tossing grandma out on the street eventhough his reform would be voluntary and for people below the age of 40.

Can we make the funding of wars voluntary too? Just tack it on to the voluntary SS bill and it should easily pass.

 

[nobodyknows]

Huh, under GOP control (after Clinton) "only" 3 trillion was added to the national debt over 6 years while under Democrat control 5 trillion has been added over 3 years.

Still in denial mode I see.

 

[Svnla]

OP, you missed #4.

Obama did ask for a "debt study/recommend" commission that will issue their findings AFTER the November election. Hope and Change indeed.

I said it before and I will say it again. Unless we tackle the big 5 and they are: SS, Medicare, Medicaid, Defense, and Interest of the debt, we can't cut enough from the rest of the budget to make up for the shortfalls.

If everyone think this (debt/deficit) is bad, wait until all the babyboomers are retired, things will be even worse.

 

[jhu]

The one thing no one has said yet: genetically engineering out diseases in the population. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and renal disease are the conditions that make up the largest chunk of Medicare spending. Let's engineer these entities out at the embryonic level. It costs more up front, but we save so much more later on. Unfortunately, those "sanctity of humanity" people will be up in arms against this sort of thing.

 

[piasabird]

Sell Marxist Bonds to pay back the debt.

 

[HomerJS]

To quote the GOP overlord Dick Cheney... "deficits don't matter"

 

[Engineer]

To quote the GOP overlord Dick Cheney... "deficits don't matter"

That's actually a Reagan quote, IIRC.

And to be honest, there is actually an additional bit that was missed in that quote....

"Deficits don't matter....if my side is in power"! :sneaky:

 

[Fear No Evil]

To quote the GOP overlord Dick Cheney... "deficits don't matter"

Dick Cheney is not in office. What does the current President and his party think since they control the house, the senate, and the POTUS? The left is demanding answers from a few dozen Tea Party candidates. Why is it unreasonable to expect the same from hundreds of elected Democrat officials who have had complete control of government since 2008?

 

[Genx87]

Can we make the funding of wars voluntary too? Just tack it on to the voluntary SS bill and it should easily pass.

That doesnt even make sense. Bush's reform would still have you pay SS taxes. But you would give up future claims on the system in return for a portion of the tax going into a privatized account. Paying SS was not voluntary under Bush's reform. Only where a portion of it ended up.

 

[Genx87]

The one thing no one has said yet: genetically engineering out diseases in the population. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and renal disease are the conditions that make up the largest chunk of Medicare spending. Let's engineer these entities out at the embryonic level. It costs more up front, but we save so much more later on. Unfortunately, those "sanctity of humanity" people will be up in arms against this sort of thing.

We tried Eugenics 80+ years ago. The results were a damned disaster.

 

[HomerJS]

Dick Cheney is not in office. What does the current President and his party think since they control the house, the senate, and the POTUS? The left is demanding answers from a few dozen Tea Party candidates. Why is it unreasonable to expect the same from hundreds of elected Democrat officials who have had complete control of government since 2008?

Just curious, how many self inflicted problems has President Obama failed to solve yet??

 

[Greenman]

Be American, buy American. dont buy foreign products.. if corporations want tax breaks, they have to produce their products here, they have to buy from American suppliers. dont take the tax benefits from USA and Grow china/India's economy.. corporations want tax break? they have to hire people here, not in another country.

everybody pays certain % of their income as tax.. no finding loop holes to not pay taxes or pay less.

if healthcare is socialism, then medicare and medicaid is also socialism.. as we repeal healthcare, lets repeal medicare and medicaid.

I like the buy American or no tax cuts idea, I like it a lot. Bringing home most of our outsourced jobs is an excellent idea.

 

[jhu]

We tried Eugenics 80+ years ago. The results were a damned disaster.

The eugenics of 80 years ago is completely different from current genetic engineering today. However, the real ultimate solution is to replace all humans with sentient robots.

 

[Greenman]

The one thing no one has said yet: genetically engineering out diseases in the population. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and renal disease are the conditions that make up the largest chunk of Medicare spending. Let's engineer these entities out at the embryonic level. It costs more up front, but we save so much more later on. Unfortunately, those "sanctity of humanity" people will be up in arms against this sort of thing.

So you're proposing the state test every embryo and abort any that are found to be at risk? You would allow this to happen in your own family?

 

[Fear No Evil]

Just curious, how many self inflicted problems has President Obama failed to solve yet??

Not sure what your point is? The President doesn't need to solve problems that were caused before he took office?

 

[Lemon law]

Hey, since we outsource jobs overseas, why not out sources unemployed American overseas too. And since Money is free speech and corporations have the same rights as actual people, why not let corporations have the vote.

This message is brought to you and approved by the GOP, coming to public policy post 11/2/2010.

Your vote can make it happen tomorrow, all hail our new GOP corporate overlords. The best government money can buy. One giant Corporation, under God, indivisable, with tyranny and injustice for us all.

 

[Carmen813]

Much of the increase in deficit has been due to lost tax revenues...

aww fuck it, no one is going to listen anyway.

 

[sMiLeYz]

Much of the increase in deficit has been due to lost tax revenues...

aww fuck it, no one is going to listen anyway.

I get it

Heres the deal, to balance the budget you have to make cuts to entitlements (political suicide no matter what your Party is), or raise taxes (conservatives hate this). Republicans in congress will pay lip service to the former, and never do the latter so the deficit will only to continue to increase.

The problem long term is wasn't ever the deficit anyway, but that's another story.

 

[Carmen813]

I get it

Heres the deal, to balance the budget you have to make cuts to entitlements (political suicide no matter what your Party is), or raise taxes (conservatives hate this). Republicans in congress will pay lip service to the former, and never do the latter so the deficit will only to continue to increase.

The problem long term is wasn't ever the deficit anyway, but that's another story.

You need to both cut spending and raise taxes, at least in order to address long term deficits. Our military cost is absolutely insane. Medicare and Social Security are going to bury us. Getting the economy back on track makes some of this more palatable.

 

[caddlad]

Eliminate the Bush tax cuts. All of them.

Deficit gone in less than 10 years.

It's time this country manned up and paid it's bills.