Andrew Sullivan: Republicans ‘Quibbling’ Over $400 Billion

FinkelBlog ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[jackmercer]

Hehe, that chart...damn. If that were real we would be in deep shit. Fortunately, it’s utter BS.

Where did you get that? Our currently debt is around 10 trillion with a 14 trillion GDP, roughly 70%. The worst of the major industrial countries is Japan at 180%. You should check your sources before posting cartoons like that.

[jackmercer]

And for the record, the worst year in the US was 1946 when our debt as percentage of GDP was 108%. We are still below debt levels that we saw from 1943 to 1950 and the US didn’t collapse after those debt years and the rest of the world was a lot worse off in 1946 than they are now....so armageddon talk should be tempered.

[Right Wing Assault]

What a nass. The IRS sure quibbled about the $8.46 I was short on my income tax!

[SteamShovel]

We are still below debt levels that we saw from 1943 to 1950 and the US didn’t collapse after those debt years and the rest of the world was a lot worse off in 1946 than they are now....so armageddon talk should be tempered.

True.....

.....But then again, post WWII was not staring down the barrel of a WH/House/Senate/Court-System Kommunist Kabal willingly dismantling free enterprise and personal freedom for the Kommon good.

Back then, we were actively FIGHTING communism, not embracing it.

Back then, the world being in bad shape from being bombed or oppressed into oblivion presented Capitalist opportunity for our manufacturing base.

Both of these are not true today.

Today we openly talk about paralyzing our economy not only with debt and socialism, but also by strangling our energy supply to "save the planet" while our economic opponents in the third world do not plan to be limited.

I believe an ill wind is beginning to blow. Maybe it isn't public debt, but it is bad nevertheless and it will take us under if we don't put a stop to the maddness.

But I fear we are too late for that. These hippie retreads learned from Clinton's failure to "get things done" in 1994 when Newt Gingrich stopped him. They have learned from that and plan to go into legislative hyper-drive. They also plan to keep power by controling the census, enabling more voter fraud than ever through this "stimulus" bill and ACORN.....

.....and possibly calling a Constitutional Convention to rewrite the Constitution to their advantage.....

.....see http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=83364

[NickFlooding]

Republicans aren't the only ones quibbling about it. Conservatives are upset too.

[EDINVA]

The Matthews Sunday morning show seems to be a vehicle for various ‘journalists’ to sit around and pat each other on the back. I used to try to watch it. Gave up.

[jackmercer]

“.....But then again, post WWII was not staring down the barrel of a WH/House/Senate/Court-System Kommunist Kabal willingly dismantling free enterprise and personal freedom for the Kommon good.”

Many of your points are well taken. But I have to point out that 1933 to 1950 was the peak of socialism in the US and we have quite a ways to go before we get to that point again. I’m not saying we won’t but rather that we are still quite a distance from it.

Remember we were still in the midst of major New Deal programs at the end of the war and things still existed like top marginal tax rates were 94%, Agriculture subsidies were in full swing, the Wagner Act led to an explosion in union participation and power (though Taft-harley blunted it a bit), United States Housing Authority nationalising chunks of the private housing industry, the Connally Hot Oil Act put the government finger on oil flows (even before the war and after), the Reconstruction Finance Corporation where tax dollars backed huge loans to big business and lastly, the deficit spending dwarfed our current spending.

We would have to have a $2 trillion dollar stimulus plan each year for the next three years to match 1945 deficits of 110% of GDP. Not equity stakes in banks, not treasury loans, not federal reserve loans and guarantees, etc. Actual tax funded stimulus legislation like the one being signed on Tuesday.

I am not denying recent socialistic moves over the last year and a half in our country, those are real and will certainly get worse over the next few years. But we are currently no where near the socilaism of 1933 to 1950.

[Enchante]

Sullivan doesn’t care about anything unless he can snort it or take it up his butt.

What’s $400 billion between consenting adults?

[RedMonqey]

Yeah. Sullivan, like that David Brook fellow were “fair weather “GOPers and “camp followers” combined.

[SteamShovel]

I am not denying recent socialistic moves over the last year and a half in our country, those are real and will certainly get worse over the next few years. But we are currently no where near the socilaism of 1933 to 1950.

You are probably correct on this now, but I think the nail in the coffin will be the anti-growth initiatives to "save the planet" from global warming. This will effectively be a progressively punitive tax on othe economy.

Energy is the lifeblood of the economy. Taxing it punitively will strangle the economy. The socialism we have discused will increase as the economy sinks because of the energy tax.

"Renewable Engergy" is not anywhere near capable of filling the gap anytime soon.

Nuclear power, which is our only real alternative is not going to be a major force for replacing coal anytime soon, mostly because of greenie fear and obstruction. It has been choking at the end of the greenie hang-noose for 30 years now. Although not dead, it will take a miracle to revive it. I believe the revival is coming, but not in the short term.

Coal, which IS our best energy source right now is being walked up the scaffold and the hang-noose is being fitted around it's neck.

In the least, this is not a recipe for economic success. I think it is a recipe for severe economic and lifestyle decline.