Ashley Judd needs to run for US Senate because "Tap dat Ash" is an inevitable Senatorial campaign slogan for SOMEone; may as well be her

no congressional republican has voted for an income tax increase since 1990

why is the answer to the budget not just do what Clinton (and the congress at the time) did?

Because our economy is still in a fragile state so raising taxes on people whose income has been stagnant or shrinking since Clinton left office is a bad idea.

And Clinton oversaw the biggest technology boom since the industrial revolution. Hard to compare our present situation to that.

technology is doing pretty good

Youseff wrote:why is the answer to the budget not just do what Clinton (and the congress at the time) did?

Do we get to cut federal spending to below 20% of GDP? Lopping $800 billion off the budget would go a long way toward balancing it.

Dropping spending is utterly fucking stupid. Like the deficit has anything to do with jobs

from the war part of the budget?

The Nightman Cometh wrote:Because our economy is still in a fragile state so raising taxes on people whose income has been stagnant or shrinking since Clinton left office is a bad idea.

your remarks indicate you have not been following this matter closely enough

pacino wrote:Dropping spending is utterly fucking stupid. Like the deficit has anything to do with jobs

We can save 25 billion a year by ending farm subsidies that hurt third world countries. (and is mostly taken advantage of to make Fritos)

There is clearly spending that can be cut, although I understand your attitude.

drsmooth wrote:

The Nightman Cometh wrote:Because our economy is still in a fragile state so raising taxes on people whose income has been stagnant or shrinking since Clinton left office is a bad idea.

your remarks indicate you have not been following this matter closely enough

I meant going back to the Clinton tax rates for the middle class. I assumed he meant going over the fiscal cliff. Do you think rates going up for everyone in 2013 is a good idea? Otherwise we are in agreement on the top tax rate and capital gains.

Youseff wrote:from the wart part of the budget?

We aren't spending anything close to $800 bil annually on wars.

To cut that much is probably not wise (and certainly politically impossible) in the short term, but defense would have to take a hit like everything else if we were going to rein in federal spending that dramatically.

When Clinton left office the federal government raised $2 trillion in revenue and spent $1.8 trillion. Next year's budget is expected to raise $2.9 trillion and spend $3.8 trillion. 12 years later revenue is up almost 50% (a touch better than inflation & population growth, I think, but not quite the same share of GDP), while spending has more than doubled in nominal terms.

Actually that isn't fair about revenue because it is Obama's budget so it assumes the tax rates go back up. But 2007 before shit imploded revenue was $2.6 trillion. It fell off from there (not due to tax rates, obviously) and is just now recovering back to that level.

td11 wrote:no congressional republican has voted for an income tax increase since 1990

We just saw what happens to republicans who don't toe the line. They lose their committee assignments. And that was just for suggesting that we should cut defense.

For voting to raise income tax, I believe the penalty is public lynching.

Since 2008 over 700,000 jobs have been cut. If we cliff dive it will add 277,000 more logs to that fire. Although bloated, it is extremely reasonable to say that 2 contractor jobs have been lost per government employee. One terrifying area I have seen cuts is program management, COTRs and COs, where tens and hundreds of millions of dollars are being managed by young GS employees (to guess I would say GS10) who simply do not have the skills or experience for the job. Because they are under skilled and not particularly well paid, there are decisions being made that are illogical and irresponsible creating risk. Essentially, by destroying level of expertise in Government service the decision process is creating a self fulfilling prophesy about government incompetency. Much of the money saved will be blown out in failed projects, law suits due to illegalities in thier contract descions, and rework to actually deliver the contracted capabilities.

In other news there are plenty of unfilled slots, preemptive layoffs and decision to not invest in bidding contracts that might never be awarded.

drsmooth wrote:crazy-ass conservative Republican Senators defeat ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Santorum leads the charge in opposition (take that, Santorum's disabled daughter). Naturally, looney Toomey also voted against.

It's ratification of a non-binding UN treaty, ffs. Why are you incompetents always kicking yourself in your own crotch alla time?

One of the sources of the language apparently was the ADA, that is correct... The US law. There is fear mongering that the Swiss will somehow be ruling over US citizens?!? How dumb has the citizenry become? Not just gulable, but flat out stupid.

Perhaps we need to teach this basic premise: no treaty trumps US law. Maybe one of the constitutional law groups could grasp this: This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land. Article VI. Dissecting that it is not legal for treaties to invalidate or override the constitution, and if something were to slip through that gave up our self rule, the Supreme Court would be obligated to crush it.

unless you get rid of social safety net programs, of course the budget will increase. unless you deal with actual healthcare costs, of course the budget will increase. the deficit goes away during times of prosperity. cutting spending helps nothing, and never has. this is some weird fallacy that if you cut federal spending somehow jobs will appear and unicorns will start jizzing rainbows.

thephan wrote:One terrifying area I have seen cuts is program management, COTRs and COs, where tens and hundreds of millions of dollars are being managed by young GS employees (to guess I would say GS10) who simply do not have the skills or experience for the job. Because they are under skilled and not particularly well paid, there are decisions being made that are illogical and irresponsible creating risk. Essentially, by destroying level of expertise in Government service the decision process is creating a self fulfilling prophesy about government incompetency.

right on. and we're seeing this stuff not just in gov't jobs, but all over private industries, too. cost-cutting in the name of austerity (in this economy!?!?) is gutting a lot of core talent and competency

jerseyhoya wrote:Actually that isn't fair about revenue because it is Obama's budget so it assumes the tax rates go back up. But 2007 before shit imploded revenue was $2.6 trillion. It fell off from there (not due to tax rates, obviously) and is just now recovering back to that level.

I haven't looked at the potential revenue from changes in treatment of covered interest. Increasing numbers of businesses, worried about debt ceiling nonsense, are already asserting a la Buffett that raising cap gains taxes as well as top income tax rates is ok with them.

It's only the glassy-eyed imbeciles in boehner's caucus - who he's already begun kneecapping, with the committee leadership assignment changes - that are stamping their feet about raising taxes.