jerseyhoya wrote:

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.

The Nightman Cometh wrote:

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)

PPP's first post election national poll finds that Republicans are taking the results pretty hard...and also declining in numbers.

49% of GOP voters nationally say they think that ACORN stole the election for President Obama. We found that 52% of Republicans thought that ACORN stole the 2008 election for Obama, so this is a modest decline, but perhaps smaller than might have been expected given that ACORN doesn't exist anymore.

Some GOP voters are so unhappy with the outcome that they no longer care to be a part of the United States. 25% of Republicans say they would like their state to secede from the union compared to 56% who want to stay and 19% who aren't sure.

Youseff wrote:http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/12/republicans-not-handling-election-results-well.html

PPP's first post election national poll finds that Republicans are taking the results pretty hard...and also declining in numbers.

49% of GOP voters nationally say they think that ACORN stole the election for President Obama. We found that 52% of Republicans thought that ACORN stole the 2008 election for Obama, so this is a modest decline, but perhaps smaller than might have been expected given that ACORN doesn't exist anymore.

Some GOP voters are so unhappy with the outcome that they no longer care to be a part of the United States. 25% of Republicans say they would like their state to secede from the union compared to 56% who want to stay and 19% who aren't sure.

p. cool

Youseff wrote:http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/12/republicans-not-handling-election-results-well.html

PPP's first post election national poll finds that Republicans are taking the results pretty hard...and also declining in numbers.

49% of GOP voters nationally say they think that ACORN stole the election for President Obama. We found that 52% of Republicans thought that ACORN stole the 2008 election for Obama, so this is a modest decline, but perhaps smaller than might have been expected given that ACORN doesn't exist anymore.

Some GOP voters are so unhappy with the outcome that they no longer care to be a part of the United States. 25% of Republicans say they would like their state to secede from the union compared to 56% who want to stay and 19% who aren't sure.

p. cool

pacino wrote:i heard a pretty good line on Up with Chris Hayes on Sunday...why do means-testing on the end of medicare/SS when you can just do it up top, i.e. taxation and obliterating the cap, since the former gets so little savings and the latter gets much more 'revenue', which seems to be the choice word around DC right now.

Youseff wrote:pretty shrewd. he's a good politician.

jerseyhoya wrote:

pacino wrote:i heard a pretty good line on Up with Chris Hayes on Sunday...why do means-testing on the end of medicare/SS when you can just do it up top, i.e. taxation and obliterating the cap, since the former gets so little savings and the latter gets much more 'revenue', which seems to be the choice word around DC right now.

Because raising the marginal tax rates on middle and upper middle class people by 12.4% is a terrible idea.

John Boehner wrote: "Any bill that reaches a Republican-led House based on Senate Democrats' heavy-handed power play would be dead on arrival."

pacino wrote:

jerseyhoya wrote:

pacino wrote:i heard a pretty good line on Up with Chris Hayes on Sunday...why do means-testing on the end of medicare/SS when you can just do it up top, i.e. taxation and obliterating the cap, since the former gets so little savings and the latter gets much more 'revenue', which seems to be the choice word around DC right now.

Because raising the marginal tax rates on middle and upper middle class people by 12.4% is a terrible idea.

why exactly should money over 110,000 be exempt from taxation?