Posted on 10/16/2015 7:54:03 AM PDT by HomerBohn
The Democrats plan to offer Americans a whole lot of new "free stuff" if one of them is elected president. This is one of the problems Republicans have to contend with: it's hard to out free-stuff the Democrats.
So I watched most of the debate Tuesday night between the five candidates who want to be the Democrats' presidential nominee. I won't be voting for any of them, but being sort of a political junkie I was interested to hear what they had to say. And it's a healthy exercise at times to just listen to those you disagree with to see if you can understand why they think the way they do.
Anderson Cooper of CNN was the moderator, and his questioning was tougher than I thought it would be. Getting direct answers to questions from politicians of any stripe is a difficult task. An artful and experienced candidate will take a question that he or she doesn't particularly want to answer and quickly pivot to talking about whatever it is they want to say on whatever topic they want to talk about. It often goes something like this:
Moderator: "Senator, what is your plan to make Social Security solvent?"
Senator: "Anderson, I'm for making Social Security solvent and my plan is rock solid but is conditional on our commitment to getting global warming under control which leads me to the rise in shark attacks off the coast of North Carolina this past summer. This is a direct result of climate change caused by carbon emissions due to the reckless activities of big oil companies, and I plan to hold these corporations responsible for the loss of limbs these people suffered. No American should have to lose an arm or a leg because of the greed of Big Oil. That's why I have introduced the 'Don't Be Shark Bait Act' which could by some estimates save millions of lives in the next two years."
The candidates on stage Tuesday evening were Lincoln Chafee (former Republican senator from Rhode Island), Hillary Clinton (former Secretary of State), Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Martin O'Malley (former governor of Maryland) and Jim Webb (former senator from Virginia).
What I learned from the debate is that the Democrats plan to offer the American people a whole lot of new "free stuff" if one of them is elected president. This is one of the problems Republicans have to contend with. It's hard to out free-stuff the Democrats.
One of the ideas talked about Tuesday evening was Sanders' plan to provide a "free" college education for all Americans and even for people who are in our country illegally. You read that right. Think he said he would pay for it with garnished wages from the excesses of Wall Street.
The rest of the candidates quickly jumped in with "me too" endorsements. Clinton said she would make low-interest rates available for college students who had racked up debt from going to school but require them to work 10 hours a week. Oh yes, Sanders also says he will take care of America's children by: "Enacting a universal childcare and prekindergarten program" funded and run by the federal government.
I have to give the True Believer Award to Sanders. He proudly refers to himself as a "democratic socialist." On his website he says: "Wealth and income inequality is the great moral issue of our time, it is the great economic issue of our time, and it is the great political issue of our time."
Most will say Sanders' brand of "cradle to grave" socialism is a bridge too far for a country built on the free-enterprise system, but I'm not so sure his day is not coming. Socialistic populism is playing better and better across the country. And people who would benefit most from all these new government programs vote just like the guy whose taxes pay for the "free stuff."
According to The Washington Post: "In 2011, about 49 percent of the population lived in a household where at least one member received a direct benefit from the federal government."
The late Lady Margaret Thatcher once warned about taking this path of government when she quipped: "Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They always run out of other people's money."
Are we there yet?
Does that 49% statistic include Social Security, which is ostensibly a repayment of invested funds?
I have to say ostensibly, because Social Security is a pay as you go Ponzi scheme, even though it didn’t start out that way.
“Free stuff” is a relative term. For someone to get something for nothing, then somebody, somewhere, somehow, is getting nothing in exchange for something of value.
The “five-finger discount” at a retail store might be seen as “free”, but somebody is going to be on the hook for that transaction.
Maybe not a dictator — we already have one now — but a real conservative strong enough to slap congress around and make them do what is right FOR THE PEOPLE instead of themselves and their friends.
It’s time to stop letting Big Government ratchet only in one direction. We have to kill the “free stuff” programs once we have a real president again.
Kill the Obamaphone.
Kill Obamacare.
Kill every “free stuff” program other than a single welfare program in each state, plus Medicaid. Limit Medicaid to real needs rather than what liberals pretend is a sex change and similar recreational medicine abuses.
Let America’s enemies fight to retake that lost ground rather than continually eroding new aspects of our freedom. I suspect the poor will be both happier and better off when they are responsible for themselves than they are being kept as pets of their liberal ruling class.
I think the 49% does include SSWP (Social Security Welfare Payments). I first heard it as the number of people who get a check from the government (at any level).
I get flamed, quite regularly, on this forum for calling SS welfare. But any government pension is welfare. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t promised or earned or deserved. It just means the government takes money from one person and gives it to another. It also makes the recipient dependent on the government.
The government could pay people enough so that they could save and invest in a pension they own but they do not. Instead the workers are paid with political promises to make payments at some later date funded by people who in some cases do not even exist.
All such claims to the false right to free stuff consisting of manmade goods and services involves a contradiction.It violates the natural rights of the producers of the free stuff and enslaves them and turns them into victims and prey.
There WILL be a Tobin Tax imposed to finance Social Security.
Payroll taxes WILL be extended to the very wealthy.
Economic sophistry. Undeniably popular.
Many Republicans will vote for it.
No other fix to the SS mess is politically palatable.
Free up money by elimination of the DOE and EPA, et al.
Why duplicate the efforts of the states?
Then put the freed up funds (bankrupt nation: money is worthless) in a lock box as was the plan of that great statesman and Gorebal Warming czar, Albert E.(for Einstein) Gore.
There's dictatorships around the world - it's been tried. Anyone want to live in North Korea?
Is that what you want Homer? With Trump in charge? Or were you thinking more like Hillary?
Or maybe countries run by so called elites - like every banana republic in South America or Africa. Turns out the ‘elites’ feather their own nest after a while - and give to ‘the poor’ to justify their criminality. Just like democrat elites do... ever wonder why they like blacks so much? It ain't white guilt... sugar...
What we have is a tyrant, one who exercises powers not granted.
Dictators were historically, legally empowered for specific purposes for limited times to deal with national emergencies.
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