tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post7898362311660799149..comments2024-03-25T07:29:08.216-04:00Comments on 2 Political Junkies: Senator Toomey Votes To Phase Out MedicareMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439330154875628083noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-75719082880394564242011-05-26T21:19:42.122-04:002011-05-26T21:19:42.122-04:00You know, CM, it is funny how last summer running ...You know, CM, it is funny how last summer running up to the midterms all conservatives could talk about was how the government had to address unemployment. By January all talk of unemployment from conservatives had disappeared, and the talk of deficit reduction through spending reductions appeared. Of course, instead of suggesting that taxes could be raised, instead Paul Ryan suggested reducing taxes for the wealthy. His revenue estimates depend on the US economy reaching an unemployment rate of 2.8%, a number it has not reached in the last sixty years (it did hit 2.9% in 1953). <br /><br />You really don't believe in investing in the future, in repairing infrastructure and apparently you believe the world's oil is unlimited, and we can burn it all without consequence. You really believe you are smarter than people who have doctorates in physics and geology. You apparently believe that teachers are greedy lay-abouts who do nothing all. <br /><br />We clearly don’t agree on basic economic theory (I assume you did not have a straight face when you typed your comment). I learned economics from texts written by Paul Samuelson, William Baumol and Alan Blinder. I don’t know where you learned economics from. I wonder how you explain the economic recovery in the Great Depression (or perhaps you claim it didn’t recover). I choose to believe that the national health insurance programs of Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, which have better aggregate health outcomes and lower costs per capita are better programs than our free market health care program (which has now been reformed to a program similar to Switerland’s). <br /><br />But keep repeating the Republican line (of the moment). If you say it loud enough, use simplistic language and made up “facts”, people who get all their news from Fox News will believe you. And no one else matters.EdHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09109361235271107574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-32713572429431643892011-05-26T18:15:44.547-04:002011-05-26T18:15:44.547-04:00@Ed.. You said "I think it is reasonable to p...@Ed.. You said "I think it is reasonable to put almost anything on the table, although I think funding public education and infrastructure such as highways, new rail and also green energy programs are wise policies."<br /><br />You forgot the ponies! Ponies for everyone!<br /><br />Hmmm, what do two of your priorities have in common? Propping up public sector Unions... only delaying the day of reckoning. High-speed rail is a boondoggle.. capital costs are typically grossly underestimated and rider subsidies are typically grossly understimated. As for green energy programs, I believe most are an abject failure and do not have an economic benefit.<br /><br />It cannot be argued (with a straight face) that the economic priorities of this Administration have been beneficial. Only now are we seeing the folly with the public sector here in PA and throughout the Country.<br /><br />Unless the Federal and State governments <b>reduce</b> spending in absolute terms (not simply slow the rate of growth), we're looking at even more serious problems even in the near term.<br /><br />Where are the Democrats and their budget proposals? Harry Reid refuses to even pass something. The Administration wants to spend, spend, spend. The Administration has maxed out their credit card and wants Congress to raise the Administration's credit limit without agreeing to reduce it's spending.<br /><br />Guess what? We don't have the money!<br /><br />The can has been kicked down the road for too long. Drastic actions are required.Conservative Mountaineerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00682687892115059220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-24291358909007388692011-05-26T12:01:53.597-04:002011-05-26T12:01:53.597-04:00Back in 1979 when I took my first college level po...Back in 1979 when I took my first college level political science class, I learned about how Congress was raiding the Social Security trust fund to keep from raising taxes while they started new projects (small district and large national). As far as I know, they never put any money back in there, but back in ’79 it was not a crisis, merely an indication of how lousy Congress was(/is). By the way, I don’t know if the Medicare trust fund was raided, but it doesn’t really matter. <br /><br />These days, we do know that Social Security and Medicare are facing looming, somewhat distant but still rapidly approaching funding crises. Sober, rational people have to admit that something needs to be done. <br /><br />But given the current state of the economy, I think that unemployment and economic recovery should be higher priorities until unemployment comes down. When unemployment does come down then revenues will increase, so we can see what the state of Social Security and Medicare is then. Should we eliminate deficit spending? Well, until the economy recovers, deficit spending is the proven Keynesian recommendation. Once the economy recovers, I think it is reasonable to put almost anything on the table, although I think funding public education and infrastructure such as highways, new rail and also green energy programs are wise policies. <br /><br />But of course instead we have ideologically (as opposed to academically) driven policies designed to, as you say, shift the tax burden from rich to poor, and strip out government programs that benefit the poor.EdHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09109361235271107574noreply@blogger.com