That's the point.well americas certainly got the big stick part down pat
The Chinese embassy in France has urged its citizens to comply with airport coronavirus checks after a woman from Wuhan said she had evaded screenings in order to fly to France and dine in restaurants there.
The woman told on social media how she took fever medicine to mask flu-like symptoms to bypass temperature checks. Wuhan has temporarily shut down public transport to contain the deadly virus.
She wrote: “I had a fever and a cough before I left – I was so scared. I quickly took some medicine and checked my temperature. Luckily the temperature was controlled and I had a smooth journey through the border.”
We are supposed to be. For the good that Trump has done (a quick note, this was just the largest list I've found, I don't necessarily agree with everything, but the good generally outweighs the bad), he has not been good at cutting the budget/ being fiscally responsible. Mostly because in order to keep some of his spending, like increased military spending, he had to increase stuff that Dems wanted to keep. However, most of the problems are created by Medicare and social security (44% of the budget is those 2 items) and probably even more from Medicaid, though I don't have the numbers. These programs are losing money and can not be sustained. The longer they are a part of our system in their current state, we will keep losing money and increasing the debt hand over fist.The Congressional Budget Office released a revised economic forecast yesterday. The report predicts economic growth of 2.2% this year (slowing to an average rate of 1.7% between 2021-2030) and a federal deficit exceeding $1T for the first time since 2012. Federal debt is expected to reach $31T by 2030 (up from $17T today), driven primarily by tax cuts and spending on mandatory federal programs (e.g. Social Security and Medicare).
More context: Federal debt is projected to reach 98% of GDP by 2030, the highest level since the end of World War II.
I thought Republicans were supposed to be the party of fiscal responsibility...
I completely agree with all of this, but that doesn't necessarily make it an excuse on Trump's end to keep raising our national debt. I do, funny enough, agree with MikeDawg on that front that many Republicans bar the libertarian wing haven't cared much about our ever increasing government spending, and I personally do not like that. That's something that has been a serious issue since the Bush administration, and now its only accelerating. Trump can always veto for a spending bill he wants as opposed to defending certain pointless big government programs like social security (I think that needs serious reform, but that's a discussion for another day) and curving other big government programs.We are supposed to be. For the good that Trump has done (a quick note, this was just the largest list I've found, I don't necessarily agree with everything, but the good generally outweighs the bad), he has not been good at cutting the budget/ being fiscally responsible. Mostly because in order to keep some of his spending, like increased military spending, he had to increase stuff that Dems wanted to keep. However, most of the problems are created by Medicare and social security (44% of the budget is those 2 items) and probably even more from Medicaid, though I don't have the numbers. These programs are losing money and can not be sustained. The longer they are a part of our system in their current state, we will keep losing money and increasing the debt hand over fist.
Until they are either reworked or removed, they will keep adding to the national debt until we inflate the currency to uselessness (Zimbabwe, post WW1 Germany) or someone from the libertarian party (not the general definitions of libertarians, but the anarchist versions) we can't resolve this. Was that last sentence hyperbolic, yes, but it gives the idea. We can't keep spending tons of money on things that will be ineffective/ debunk (SS) or not making enough to sustain itself (Medicare).
The military was run almost completely dry under Obama, and in addition, our vets haven't had a raise in almost a decade prior to the one Trump recently gave across the board. I believe that can explain at least part of the spending increase in that department. Other than that, sometimes funding the military during a time of peace is meant to keep the peace, which is what many conservatives stand by including myself. I mentioned this long before: speak softly and carry a big stick as a means to prevent conflicts, and keeping peace through strength. There are plenty of other programs that have overblown their spending and then some; Rand Paul even made a report of wasteful spending by the government in 2019. There are plenty of other areas to cut funding, and I would imagine that there may be certain small areas in the military where there's not a massive point in increasing funding (I can't give you specifics right now, but if you'd like to present some within the military budget, I'd gladly give you my say as to whether I'd define them as wasteful or not).ok so why dont we cut funding for our bloated military budget?
The tax cuts did exactly as they were supposed to. The decreased the federal income by billions. Talk of a booming economy and extreme growth was snake oil. We've got no more growth than we had before the plan.
Where did the money go? Exactly where it was supposed to: https://itep.org/notadime/
Why is this a problem? Should the US not incentivize workers going directly into the workforce (such as trade schools or other education or immediately into craftsman trades) rather than spending close to a decade in "peace-time" combat? It is honorable that people feel a sort of patriotism towards their country and their kinsmen however I think it is laughable the idea that they are "fighting for our freedoms" (not that you said that). It is all and good to have and keep a militia but to constantly be expanding a militia despite no active wars, no threat to american freedom I think is silly. The military currently offers a ton of benefits for underprivileged individuals (education, pension for some, health care and whatnot) but how is it any different from a welfare based subsidy? Veterans return from their tours often broken, physically and mentally. It is not a "good" thing to fight overseas, which is why people hold being a part of the military in such high regards, but the issue comes when those people return to their country without help from the VA and with traumatizing disorders. Frankly i see it as very little difference from the inflamed "school to prison pipeline."The military was run almost completely dry under Obama, and in addition, our vets haven't had a raise in almost a decade prior to the one Trump recently gave across the board.
This is an inefficient means with which to "keep the peace." Here is a good article which details the budget shortfalls that globally violence inflicts upon the world.I believe that can explain at least part of the spending increase in that department. Other than that, sometimes funding the military during a time of peace is meant to keep the peace,
Here, read this article. This type of "use it or lose it" spending is prevalent in basic finances. There are numerous stories of the american military simply eliminating "old" (re: not old) technology, dumping perfectly good aircraft and landcraft into the ocean so they can spend money to replace it for fear their budget gets cut. This is not an uncommon thing in attempting to tackle a burgeoning budget.There are plenty of other programs that have overblown their spending and then some; Rand Paul even made a report of wasteful spending by the government in 2019. There are plenty of other areas to cut funding, and I would imagine that there may be certain small areas in the military where there's not a massive point in increasing funding (I can't give you specifics right now, but if you'd like to present some within the military budget, I'd gladly give you my say as to whether I'd define them as wasteful or not).
Yes, I cut some stuff out, but I kept most of it to focus in on the main points I'd like to discuss. Anyways, you keep military (not a militia, military is full time, trained combatants, militia is local. Think army vs army reserves, there is an important difference) spending because every break through the military has will make its way down to you. I'll list off a few examples: computers, internet, gps, jet planes, duct tape, super glue, microwave, EpiPen, feminine hygiene products, digital cameras, RC vehicles, and more. I can also tell you that there is military technology that has been out for years that is leagues above what we have now, but NDA's exist, so I digress. These are vital to our current society and came about because of military spending. JKF makes this point eloquently clear when discussing space exploration, which is almost a direct corollary to military. "Why pay when we are not at war" and "why explore space, what benefit does it have" are similar logical beliefs, and both have had a huge impact on society.Why is this a problem? Should the US not incentivize workers going directly into the workforce (such as trade schools or other education or immediately into craftsman trades) rather than spending close to a decade in "peace-time" combat? It is honorable that people feel a sort of patriotism towards their country and their kinsmen however I think it is laughable the idea that they are "fighting for our freedoms" (not that you said that). It is all and good to have and keep a militia but to constantly be expanding a militia despite no active wars, no threat to american freedom I think is silly. The military currently offers a ton of benefits for underprivileged individuals (education, pension for some, health care and whatnot) but how is it any different from a welfare based subsidy? Veterans return from their tours often broken, physically and mentally. It is not a "good" thing to fight overseas, which is why people hold being a part of the military in such high regards, but the issue comes when those people return to their country without help from the VA and with traumatizing disorders. Frankly i see it as very little difference from the inflamed "school to prison pipeline."
If one wanted to really keep the peace they would focus on building up infrastructure, increasing education, and disseminating natural resources back to their host countries. Spending wasteful money on the newest jets, military technology, bullets, and tactical gear is not what's keeping the peace. Despite us trying to "keep the peace," ME violence has escalated, Russia continues to encroach upon satellite territories, China makes moves controlling the African continent. I think it's honorable that people might try to view the US military as some mediator between conflicts on the geo-political playground, but the reality is that they are much more of a bully wielding their military might to proxy occupy territory globally.
IMO peacekeeping through a show of strength is a very similar tactic to our current drug war; people aren't just naturally pre-disposed to violence and conflict, the first step to eliminating conflict globally is to address global inflictions. I'd wager a guess that attempting to tackle poverty in disenfranchised areas would decrease global conflict by an exponentially larger percentage than attempting to be reactive by responding to already devastating attacks.
One might argue that the highest earners, multibillionaires of various sorts, aren't "hard working" at all. One could easily argue that people at the top are already making so much more money than they ever need to live comfortably, if not lavishly, that no amount of additional tax is going to seriously curtail attempts to make more. You mention the Laffer Curve, of which we can only guess about to begin with, but how about the marginal value of money? Your first ten thousand (yearly) is essential to support yourself at the most basic level in modern society, your first 100k might allow you to live relatively posh. Your second billion effectively has ZERO value.Yea, the tax cuts did do what they were supposed to do: 1. Keep more of the hard earned money made by Americans in their pockets (although Trump hasn't done much on the estate tax, I'm still holding out for that one and I'd be disappointed if he didn't deliver on that promise), and 2. To get the tax rate much closer to the hump of the Laffer Curve, which is estimated to be at around 33%. Anything higher and the government loses out on revenue due to less job creation and less incentive to work.
I'll avoid the text wall (this time, hopefully) and give three simple arguments. The first is that money can go to charity/ other philanthropic organizations. Those organizations will do a better job than the government. Governments throw money at problems, charities use people to solve them. I would rather those billionaires send those millions of dollars to charity where they know where it will be spent, how it will be spent, and knowing that it will actually have an impact. You can't do that with the government, you can do that with charity. Want proof, look at Warren Buffet, one of the richest people in the world, donating about 99% of his wealth to charity in his inheritance. Charity helps the destitute in a more helpful way than throwing money at it. Yes, they use the money, but they also help give them job skills, help them find employment, find cheap housing, and can do it much more personally than a massive government can. A charity can do more to help those 100 destitute people with less money than government can.One might argue that the highest earners, multibillionaires of various sorts, aren't "hard working" at all. One could easily argue that people at the top are already making so much more money than they ever need to live comfortably, if not lavishly, that no amount of additional tax is going to seriously curtail attempts to make more. You mention the Laffer Curve, of which we can only guess about to begin with, but how about the marginal value of money? Your first ten thousand (yearly) is essential to support yourself at the most basic level in modern society, your first 100k might allow you to live relatively posh. Your second billion effectively has ZERO value.
As long as you're not taxing literally 100%, it doesn't matter what the tax is because at that point those people are only using it for high score anyway, a dick-measuring contest versus their fellow multibillionaires. There's no practical purpose to gathering that much money, all that matters is how much you're getting back compared to others who are all bound by the same tax rate whether it's 40% or 90%. However, the higher tax rate generates more revenue for the government, allowing for more benefits to greater society and directed help to individuals most in need. Take an extra million from the multibillionare and their life is literally not impacted at all, yet it feeds/houses another 100 destitute people.
Some big businessmen might entertain moving to another country, but there's a certain level of prestige and outsized political influence to be gained from staying within the U.S. that money can't buy. What good is earning an extra 40% in Zimbabwe if you can't influence the society around you with it? Besides, whichever markets are left by ginormo multinationals, if any, smaller businesses will necessarily begin to fill in the gaps and flourish.
This thread isn't going to be a political quarantine from the rest of Cong. Now at the same time arguments can and should exist here, but be reasonable about them. Know your audience! Grand debate shouldn't be the focus of your posts, and people should be comfortable sharing their opinions. If you think somebody's opinion is wrong, then ask questions
This was absolutely the case for Murkowski and Collins on the witness vote (definitely a political decision to try to keep the Maine senate seat at a minimum). But I don’t agree that this was a point scoring thing for Romney to vote guilty. Trump cancelled the scheduled press conference he had after it was reported Romney would vote convict (he was having a tantrum cause he was blindsided, if it were a purely political maneuver he would have had the heads up). It also makes no sense to let the political points go to a senator from Utah. While Trump is unpopular there compared to other republicans, theI think Moscow Mitch gave Romney and one other "defector" the go-ahead to vote against the Republican grain to score political points knowing the No vote was secure without them, that's all.