landrun
8/24/2012, 06:31 PM
Here's an article discussing the belief that we'll soon enter the greatest depression in our history.
This article does a good job making points I've tried to make when discussing health care etc... with my liberal friends (and I do mean friends)
In short, we can't afford it. Not even close. Not only can we not afford it, if we don't seriously cut spending... NOW ... we won't exist as a country much longer.
I have my own beliefs of how we got here but I'll not point that out right now because I don't want this to turn into a thread debating repubs and dems.
I will say that no one is off the hook here. Both parties are to blame.
My question to the left is do you even see any of this as real issues or is it just smoke and mirrors and you simply don't believe these are problems we need to address.
There are no consequences??
To me, it is plainly obvious. But I want a level headed opinion from some of our more liberal posters so I can understand their perception of these issues.
And finally, to the leftist who are annoyed but the right, try to over look the fact that is article is from fox news. I'm a strong conservative but I'm open minded enough to read the NYT, msnbc and watch the channel, etc... and am honest enough to admit when they make a valid point or at least present a common sense argument I've never considered. I just want an honest response rather than a narrow minded partisan answer like ... I started reading then realized this was from fox and quit ... :o)
Here's the link and some points the author makes (for those who want the brief version)
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/23/why-are-on-brink-greatest-depression-all-time/
-- $16 trillion in debt, plus facing over $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities. That’s over $360,000 in debt per citizen.
-- In 1929, most of our states were not bankrupt, insolvent and dependent on federal government handouts to survive. One county (Cook County which includes Chicago, Illinois) now owes over $108 billion in debt (the biggest part of it in unfunded government employee pensions).
-- 77,000 federal employees earn more than the governors of their states.
-- Staggering numbers of federal government employees retire at a young age with $100,000 pensions for lif
-- 21 million government employees with bloated salaries, obscene pensions, and free health care for life. In Illinois there are retired government employees making over $425,000 per year
-- one seventh of America's population would be on food stamps
-- millions of illegal immigrants and their children collecting billions of dollars in entitlements from U.S. taxpayers.
-- In one state (California) illegal aliens cost taxpayers over $10.5 billion annually just for education, health care and incarceration.
-- When income taxes started in 1913, the average American was untouched. Only the richest 350,000 Americans paid a 2% income tax. Today the average American works until April 12th just to pay his or her taxes.
The solution is actually simple: dramatically cut the size, scope and power of government; cut spending; cut entitlements; cut taxes; cut government rules and regulations that smother, damage and destroy businesses, prevent startups, and kill jobs; reform Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; reform public employee pensions; stop the wars (we can no longer afford to police the world); end or reform the Fed; end bailouts and stimulus (ask Japan about the failures of repeated stimulus); end the Democratic obsession with green energy and high speed rail (ask Spain about the waste in those two programs); encourage oil and energy exploration; encourage job creation by small business and the private sector; term limit politicians; institute school choice; and back the dollar with a gold standard.
This article does a good job making points I've tried to make when discussing health care etc... with my liberal friends (and I do mean friends)
In short, we can't afford it. Not even close. Not only can we not afford it, if we don't seriously cut spending... NOW ... we won't exist as a country much longer.
I have my own beliefs of how we got here but I'll not point that out right now because I don't want this to turn into a thread debating repubs and dems.
I will say that no one is off the hook here. Both parties are to blame.
My question to the left is do you even see any of this as real issues or is it just smoke and mirrors and you simply don't believe these are problems we need to address.
There are no consequences??
To me, it is plainly obvious. But I want a level headed opinion from some of our more liberal posters so I can understand their perception of these issues.
And finally, to the leftist who are annoyed but the right, try to over look the fact that is article is from fox news. I'm a strong conservative but I'm open minded enough to read the NYT, msnbc and watch the channel, etc... and am honest enough to admit when they make a valid point or at least present a common sense argument I've never considered. I just want an honest response rather than a narrow minded partisan answer like ... I started reading then realized this was from fox and quit ... :o)
Here's the link and some points the author makes (for those who want the brief version)
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/23/why-are-on-brink-greatest-depression-all-time/
-- $16 trillion in debt, plus facing over $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities. That’s over $360,000 in debt per citizen.
-- In 1929, most of our states were not bankrupt, insolvent and dependent on federal government handouts to survive. One county (Cook County which includes Chicago, Illinois) now owes over $108 billion in debt (the biggest part of it in unfunded government employee pensions).
-- 77,000 federal employees earn more than the governors of their states.
-- Staggering numbers of federal government employees retire at a young age with $100,000 pensions for lif
-- 21 million government employees with bloated salaries, obscene pensions, and free health care for life. In Illinois there are retired government employees making over $425,000 per year
-- one seventh of America's population would be on food stamps
-- millions of illegal immigrants and their children collecting billions of dollars in entitlements from U.S. taxpayers.
-- In one state (California) illegal aliens cost taxpayers over $10.5 billion annually just for education, health care and incarceration.
-- When income taxes started in 1913, the average American was untouched. Only the richest 350,000 Americans paid a 2% income tax. Today the average American works until April 12th just to pay his or her taxes.
The solution is actually simple: dramatically cut the size, scope and power of government; cut spending; cut entitlements; cut taxes; cut government rules and regulations that smother, damage and destroy businesses, prevent startups, and kill jobs; reform Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; reform public employee pensions; stop the wars (we can no longer afford to police the world); end or reform the Fed; end bailouts and stimulus (ask Japan about the failures of repeated stimulus); end the Democratic obsession with green energy and high speed rail (ask Spain about the waste in those two programs); encourage oil and energy exploration; encourage job creation by small business and the private sector; term limit politicians; institute school choice; and back the dollar with a gold standard.