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Re: USA debt not that bad..
Well said and entirely correct. The problem with the 50T is not the number so much as what it represents: beneficiaries who, in a democracy, will now come to believe that the promise is real and, therefore, demand it be kept. Hence, deficits DO matter, even those that are symbolic of future deficits.
Of course, Democrats only trotted out these charts during the Bush tax cut and military budget negotiations, and Republicans only since 2006. My sense is that the time for a third party may be near, although I've been very wrong about that my entire life. With only about 1/3 of the voting age participating, a record number of independents, almost universal disillusionment over the present Congress (from progressives and conservatives alike), and the power of networking just coming into play, it seems a true party of the "general interests" is now possible. Party members would have to agree to avoid taking positions on "hot button" topics like gay marriage, abortion, etc., because you're never going to interest those people anyway and the more you leave the other two parties to "true believers" the less attractive their candidates will become. Instead, our candidates would vow to accept no campaign money except a maximum of "X", would promise in writing to leave after say, three terms in the house and two in the Senate, would communicate with the public only through video conference, email and websites, would use technology to allow their constituents (both those who voted for them and those who did not) to be heard on major issues of pending legislation, and would vote for a freeze on all federal spending across the board until our annual deficit fell below 5% of GDP and our total debt to GDP fell below 60%.
Okay, time to wake up now and get back to work...
Well said and entirely correct. The problem with the 50T is not the number so much as what it represents: beneficiaries who, in a democracy, will now come to believe that the promise is real and, therefore, demand it be kept. Hence, deficits DO matter, even those that are symbolic of future deficits.
Of course, Democrats only trotted out these charts during the Bush tax cut and military budget negotiations, and Republicans only since 2006. My sense is that the time for a third party may be near, although I've been very wrong about that my entire life. With only about 1/3 of the voting age participating, a record number of independents, almost universal disillusionment over the present Congress (from progressives and conservatives alike), and the power of networking just coming into play, it seems a true party of the "general interests" is now possible. Party members would have to agree to avoid taking positions on "hot button" topics like gay marriage, abortion, etc., because you're never going to interest those people anyway and the more you leave the other two parties to "true believers" the less attractive their candidates will become. Instead, our candidates would vow to accept no campaign money except a maximum of "X", would promise in writing to leave after say, three terms in the house and two in the Senate, would communicate with the public only through video conference, email and websites, would use technology to allow their constituents (both those who voted for them and those who did not) to be heard on major issues of pending legislation, and would vote for a freeze on all federal spending across the board until our annual deficit fell below 5% of GDP and our total debt to GDP fell below 60%.
Okay, time to wake up now and get back to work...
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