So, it appears we’re close to an agreement on the debt limit. I’m confused how the Republicans allowed themselves to get beat so badly. Near as I can tell we are not going to reduce spending but we are going to raise revenue.
Democrat’s dream.
How pathetic.
Posted in Government, Politics: National, Republicans Can Be Leftists Too
Tagged Debt Limit, Deficit
So, I’m sittin’ here looking at old articles regarding the Tea Party and how racist they are. Right?
After all, we’ve seen the pictures that show how the Tea Party protests lack a certain…a certain, shall we say, touch of color.
And who can argue?
But what is your reaction when I tell you that those protests weren’t Tea Party protests? Rather, they were Union protestors opposing Scott Walker.
Racists!
Nancy Pelosi:
“This is an excuse. The budget deficit is an excuse for the Republicans to undermine government plain and simple. They don’t just want to make cuts, they want to destroy. They want to destroy food safety, clean air, clean water, the department of education. They want to destroy your rights.”
Milton Friedman:
The federal government has spent years considering whether to take steps to help keep dangerous strains of E. coli bacteria out of the food supply, a question that has become even more urgent in the face of a deadly wave of E. coli sickness that swept through Europe and raised alarms on both sides of the Atlantic.
Now, two major American companies, Costco Wholesale and Beef Products Inc., have gotten tired of waiting for regulators to act. They are proceeding with their own plans to protect customers.
Last month, Costco, one of the nation’s largest food retailers, quietly began requiring its suppliers of bagged produce, including salad greens and mixes, apple slices and baby carrots, to test for a broad range of toxic E. coli.
“We know this is where we have to go and there’s no reason to wait,” said Craig Wilson, the food safety director of Costco. In the last two weeks, he said, most produce suppliers have added a test that can detect the strain from the European outbreak as well.
We don’t need government to test our food.
Milton Friedman in a knockout.
Posted in Government, Politics: National
Tagged Abuse of Pow, Costco, Food Testing, Leftists, Milton Friedman, Nancy Pelosi
I think that I am consistent with the Republican party’s claim that one Mr. Barack Obama spends too much. Further, I think that I am consistent with the same Republican party in their view that it’s spending, not revenue that’s the problem. After all, I’ve demonstrated that receipts increase year over year at a 7.2%. And by simply slowing the growth of government, we can balance the budget in as little as 19 years. God forbid what happens if we actually REDUCE the year over year of the government spend.
To that end, there has been much talk in the nation about that government spending. Where it came from and who is actually spending it.
Remember, the subject is spending. And that Barack is doing more of it than anyone else.
The context is “who is contributing to the massive increase in government spending we are seeing?”
And the answer to that question is being answered by this graph:
Posted in Diplomacy, Economy, Government, Politics: National
Tagged Barack Obama, Debt Limit, George Bush, Spending
For a long time I have railed on the current policy of providing long-term unemployment benefits to people out of work. I’ve gone further and documented available jobs in my area. Granted, the jobs are rather unattractive and have, in some cases, offended friends and family who maybe themselves or know someone who has been or is currently, unemployed.
I’ve suspended that series.
However, my point all along is not that people who aren’t taking those jobs but relying on benefits are lazy, it’s that they are rational. The incentives are all wrong.
For example, if I’m unemployed and collecting $350.00 a week what is the marginal value of me taking a job that pays, say $8 an hour for 40 hours? Well, it works out like this:
And THAT is why our unemployment rate is so high.
Anyway, that’s not my point. This is:
Posted in Economics, Economy, Liberty, Politics: National
Tagged Incentives, Unemployment
So, yesterday I posted about a possible solution to the deficit and the debt. In those plans I accommodated those on the right who insist on a plan that includes no new revenues due to tax increases. Further, I accommodated those on the left who insist on a plan that doesn’t cut; in fact my plan GROWS government each and every single year.
As I ended my analysis I demonstrated a method by which both of those targets were met AND we backed away from the debt limit that we are struggling with today. The solution began to reduce the the deficit in year 1. And it balanced the budget in year 19. It’s the perfect trifecta.
But what if we can do better? What if we can reduce the amount of time in which we are free of the deficit?
I think we can:
Posted in Economy, Government, Politics: National, Rocket Surgery
Tagged Budget, Debt Ceiling, Debt Limit, Politics, Tax Policy Center
The talk of the town is the debt limit. Raise it or not raise it; and what it would take TO raise it.
Reasonable people can agree on a couple of things:
I honestly feel that if you were to ask this question, hidden in such a way as to bypass the normal political partisanship, every single American would agree. If the checking account is overdrawn, a second job becomes something to consider and a review of the household spending becomes a priority.
But, how do we agree on such a combination when the discussion changes from the household budget to the federal budget? How can we get folks who demand that we raises taxes together with folks who demand we don’t? How do we get people who refuse to cut spending to shake hands with those who feel we HAVE to cut spending?
I propose that we do it by doing neither.
Watch:
Posted in Economy, Government, Politics: National, Rocket Surgery
Tagged Budget, Debt Ceiling, Debt Limit, Deficit, Politics, Tax Policy Center