Posted on 08/06/2011 4:04:09 AM PDT by SkyPilot
As I was watching the "spin" on MSNBC, CNN, and almost every other cable show last night regarding S&Ps decision to downgrade the soverign US credit rating for the first time in our nation's history, it was amazing to me that every liberal commentator and every Democrat appearing on the shows avoided the monster in the room at all costs:
ENTITLEMENTS
Entitlements are breaking the back of this nation. During the debt deal and its aftermath, Democrats made it clear they would not budge (or even address) the crippling effects of Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security.
S&P's report did - right up front. In fact, it mentions Entitlements as the biggest problem.
Funny how the Lamestream Media missed that language, considering it is on the front page of the PDF document that S&P released on Friday night.
_____________________________________________________________________
Rationale
We lowered our long-term rating on the U.S. because we believe that the prolonged controversy over raising the statutory debt ceiling and the related fiscal policy debate indicate that further near-term progress containing the growth in public spending, especially on entitlements, or on reaching an agreement on raising revenues is less likely than we previously assumed and will remain a contentious and fitful process. We also believe that the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the Administration agreed to this week falls short of the amount that we believe is necessary to stabilize the general government debt burden by the middle of the decade. ...Despite this year's wide-ranging debate, in our view, the differences between political parties have proven to be extraordinarily difficult to bridge, and, as we see it, the resulting agreement fell well short of the comprehensive fiscal consolidation program that some proponents had envisaged until quite recently. Republicans and Democrats have only been able to agree to relatively modest savings on discretionary spending while delegating to the Select Committee decisions on more comprehensive measures. It appears that for now, new revenues have dropped down on the menu of policy options. In addition, the plan envisions only minor policy changes on Medicare and little change in other entitlements, the containment of which we and most other independent observers regard as key to long-term fiscal sustainability. Our opinion is that elected officials remain wary of tackling the structural issues required to effectively address the rising U.S. public debt burden.
They could expand that “other” category that increased nearly 60%. We’d like to know what’s included there...but that may be too ‘transparent’.
Zuckerberg and Gates and other people like them will do a better job at improving education than the government. Let’s foster that philanthropic movement, even if we may not agree with the philanthropists on all points, and we could make the Education Department a useless fossil.
Read it and weap...
Or even better, weep !
Well, it’s really the Tea Party movement, not the Tea Party Party. I’m not sure I get your point.
There is an Independence Party in New York State, and it has two functions: to allow Democrats to vote for the Republican running on both the Republican and Independence lines without having to touch the Republican lever, and to confuse the voters who would like to be unaffiliated so that they pick the Independence Party in ignorance.
It is not an “Entitlement” when youu paid for it. It is only an “Entitlement” if you are getting the benefits for nothing. I PAID. I want what is rightfully mine.
Childhood education is the responsibility of parents.
Public schools started being formed in large numbers in America in the 1800’s in yet another misguided attempt at government to “help” citizens.
Every State regulates education with some sort of State Board of Education and is staffed by countless goofball PhD’s on the State payroll who profess to know how best to educate children.
The Federal Department of Education is also staffed with countless goofball PhD’s who profess to know how best to educate children.
It’s the redundancy of goofball PhD’s that provides the opportunity to LET THE STATES RUN THEIR OWN EDUCATION SYSTEMS. How can Federal goofballs know any more than State goofballs ?
As far as letting filthy rich psychopaths dictate how children are educated - I would not recommend that for anyone.
The rest of the problem is that the folks who really got ripped off are unlikely to march on Washington - it is those who haven't been paying, but have been collecting anyway that will pillage and burn the country.
Coming soon - uncontrolled inflation. SS checks won’t be much use even if they are tied to inflation.
there will be a call out for body bags, and they will be filled with bodies that are 2 generations apart
My point is that the Democrats, RINOs and the MSM can use the term: TEA PARTY - as if it is an organized entity with State, local and national leadership with power players in DC.
The TEA movement is comprised of citizens who adhere to the Constitution. Many Americans don’t even know they are TEA people and the MSM is determined to keep it so.
The answer is the freeze spending solution. No one get’s more dollars than they got this year...a real freeze, not a “this year + 7.5% increase” fake freeze. 2012 they get the same amount. Period. They will find efficiencies or struggle at the end of the year.
Reduce spending each year 1 or 2 percent (dollar amount and not baseline 7.5% fantasy). The money is there.
In one year we’d control spending; in 2 years we’d have real cuts; and in 2 quadrennia, we’d have a balanced budget.
8 years to get out of the hole.
ObamaCare must be rescinded...there is no money for it. Entitlements would have to be reformed. (Increase retirement age to 70 or 72). Welfare and Medicaid would have to be based on “work for money.” with WPA type projects. Medicare would have to have annual minor medical caps....routine doctor visits, medicine, end non-MD therapy treatments (chiro, massage, “natural”, etc),
I agree, everyone should be issued a check equal to exactly what they paid into the system, then social security and medicare should be shut down.
SOCIAL SECURITY/MEDICARE ARE NOT ‘ENTITLEMENT’ PROGRAMS.
It is a program that people PRE-pay into for 50 years before they can use it.
And Medicare: health insurance PRE-paid for for 50 years and THEN, over $100 a month premium, a yearly deductible, 20% co-pay and office visits are not covered.
The program would be solvent had the gov’t not EMBEZZLED trillions from it for other purposes - and did not the gov’t now rob from it to give to millions of young people who have paid little to nothing into it - people perfectly capable of working, but who sit on their lazy arsess collecting a monthly check, food stamps and ONE HUNDRED % medical. NO premium, NO deductible, NO co-pay, office visits covered - AND free counseling (not covered for seniors.) All these people need to be - or claim to be - are current/past alcoholic/druggies/”bi-polar” etc.
These people's largess should not be robbed from Social Security/medicare funds.
GET IT?
Gov’t should be made to repay it's notes to Social Security and the interest built in would keep it solid. Remember, not everyone lives to collect SS, and many not for long.
Separate the SS/med. funds, pull the mooches funds from general and start cutting out the fraud and waste.
But SOCIAL SECURITY is NOT a ‘freebie’ program for seniors. They've paid the dues ahead and are still paying into medicare.
SS is a tax, plain and simple. The SCOTUS has already ruled (Flemming v. Nestor) that we are NOT entitled to payments and that Congress can repeal the Act, anytime it wants.
That said, why then are payments taxable? We are being taxed TWICE. The solution is simple:
1. Eliminate Depts of Energy, Education, HHS and HUD. Also EPA, BATF, OSHA, FannieMae, FreddieMac.
2. Cap all federal employees, elected or appointed, to $100K/yr.
3. Cut 25% of all Versailles employees.
4. Reduce Congressional staffers to 3 per member.
5. True up Medicare to SS eligibilty and eliminate Medicaid.
6. Repeal DeathCare, Davis-Bacon, Baseline Budget and Sarbanes-Oxley.
7. Cut personal Federal income tax to 10%, with only deductions for dependants. Corporate rate cut to 25%.
8. Eliminate all Foreign Aid, including UN contributions.
9. Elect Sarah Palin the next President of the US.
10. DRILL, BABY, DRILL.
THEN we can talk about more serious cuts.
Damned excellent suggestions!
Interesting attitude.
"exactly" - So, if you had put away money every paycheck for 50 yrs into a private savings account at your bank, you'd be fine if the bank then kept all the interest accrued over the years as they got to use that money and make a fine profit on it - and THEN also kept the interest that should be yours? and all YOU get is the money you put it?
Somehow, I think you'd scream bloody murder.
DIITO THAT
Thanks!! Bookmarked the site..
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