Jared, I wish I were as optimistic as you are. You write that we will have to suffer more pain before we are willing to make the changes necessary. It looks to me like we are already past the point of no return. The budget deficit is running about 7% of GDP, and climbing, especially as the interest portion is growing rapidly. We may hope that interest rates will soon decline, but I don't see them staying down a lot or for long. Increasing actual tax income enough to cover the deficit is not going to happen, and cutting federal spending by a like amount is a fantasy.
Even getting the growth in the federal deficit down to equal or less than growth in GDP would require reductions in spending that we can't conceive of. Reduce social security and Medicare spending by 10% immediately? Reduce the military budget by 50%? Default on the interest on the federal debt?
When we look at the actual sources of income and spending in the federal budget, we are on a course that cannot be sustained, and the changes that would be necessary to bring it back to sustainability are simply not going to be enacted. I wish I could see some prospect for something better than a catastrophic collapse of the entire system, but I think that is where we are headed. How and when we get there, I have no idea, but to follow the Hemingway meme, I think we are well into the gradual part now, and the sudden part is no more than perhaps a decade away. I would have thought less, but I am amazed that we have lasted this long.
Mitt Romney competent? I suggest you dig a little deeper. He did the same thing as Obama in that Romneycare was implemented before the taxes to pay for it and the finances of the state were destroyed right after he left. He was questionable about saving the Olympics and is famous for not listening to anyone he doesn't view as important, which is most people. He is patronizing, smug, and will say anything to get elected. The others I don't know about, Youngkin seems to be doing well.
Jared, it's a culture war. Politics is how it gets played out...not sure how you missed that one. Insofar as the Libertarian Party, I was a dues paying member for most of the 90's until I realized by protest vote was just helping the lefties win.
Live member here, they lost me with their impractical nuttery. One must compromise and get along with people of other views. People who brag about Mensa memberships are very unpleasant.
"while the rest of the boarding team did a safety inspection"
yeah...being an enforcer in open waters writing tix and doing "safety inspections" while strapped...I'm glad that caused you reflect and look deep within.
Society as a whole has devolved to the point where too many people have concluded that “the other side” is 100% wrong, and “their side” is defending the country against the evils of those bad people. Incredibly, these divisions are driven by a very few hot button topics, with abortion rights the hottest button du jour. Ask an extreme partisan for an opinion about a topic outside of the hot buttons though, and you’re likely to get a blank stare and maybe a few mumbles.
We’ve gotten to the point where many people don’t think, they just reflexively parrot a few one-liners and outsource any thinking to a mob led by influencers.
Jared - I’d be interested to know if you feel the current situation will lead to new parties being launched prior to Nov 24 or whether it will just be a case of a centrist presidential candidate (independent or not) coming through (though maybe that’s for Nov 28 and more pain required).
Jared, I wish I were as optimistic as you are. You write that we will have to suffer more pain before we are willing to make the changes necessary. It looks to me like we are already past the point of no return. The budget deficit is running about 7% of GDP, and climbing, especially as the interest portion is growing rapidly. We may hope that interest rates will soon decline, but I don't see them staying down a lot or for long. Increasing actual tax income enough to cover the deficit is not going to happen, and cutting federal spending by a like amount is a fantasy.
Even getting the growth in the federal deficit down to equal or less than growth in GDP would require reductions in spending that we can't conceive of. Reduce social security and Medicare spending by 10% immediately? Reduce the military budget by 50%? Default on the interest on the federal debt?
When we look at the actual sources of income and spending in the federal budget, we are on a course that cannot be sustained, and the changes that would be necessary to bring it back to sustainability are simply not going to be enacted. I wish I could see some prospect for something better than a catastrophic collapse of the entire system, but I think that is where we are headed. How and when we get there, I have no idea, but to follow the Hemingway meme, I think we are well into the gradual part now, and the sudden part is no more than perhaps a decade away. I would have thought less, but I am amazed that we have lasted this long.
Mitt Romney competent? I suggest you dig a little deeper. He did the same thing as Obama in that Romneycare was implemented before the taxes to pay for it and the finances of the state were destroyed right after he left. He was questionable about saving the Olympics and is famous for not listening to anyone he doesn't view as important, which is most people. He is patronizing, smug, and will say anything to get elected. The others I don't know about, Youngkin seems to be doing well.
Jared, it's a culture war. Politics is how it gets played out...not sure how you missed that one. Insofar as the Libertarian Party, I was a dues paying member for most of the 90's until I realized by protest vote was just helping the lefties win.
Live member here, they lost me with their impractical nuttery. One must compromise and get along with people of other views. People who brag about Mensa memberships are very unpleasant.
"while the rest of the boarding team did a safety inspection"
yeah...being an enforcer in open waters writing tix and doing "safety inspections" while strapped...I'm glad that caused you reflect and look deep within.
Society as a whole has devolved to the point where too many people have concluded that “the other side” is 100% wrong, and “their side” is defending the country against the evils of those bad people. Incredibly, these divisions are driven by a very few hot button topics, with abortion rights the hottest button du jour. Ask an extreme partisan for an opinion about a topic outside of the hot buttons though, and you’re likely to get a blank stare and maybe a few mumbles.
We’ve gotten to the point where many people don’t think, they just reflexively parrot a few one-liners and outsource any thinking to a mob led by influencers.
Jared - I’d be interested to know if you feel the current situation will lead to new parties being launched prior to Nov 24 or whether it will just be a case of a centrist presidential candidate (independent or not) coming through (though maybe that’s for Nov 28 and more pain required).
No labels is a marketing campaign to elect trump.