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Trump suggests he may be open to entitlement cuts in future
AP ^ | Jan 22 2020 | Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Aamer Madhani

Posted on 01/22/2020 7:58:57 PM PST by rintintin

Washington – President Donald Trump appeared to suggest in a television interview Wednesday that he’s willing to consider entitlement cuts in the future, a move that would mark a tectonic shift from his stance during his 2016 run for the White House.

Trump suggested he was open to a cut in social safety net benefits, such as Medicare and Social Security, in comments during a CNBC interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

While Trump has repeatedly talked up strong economic growth, the federal budget deficit has swollen as his administration has pressed for tax cuts and increased government spending.

Asked if entitlement cuts would ever be on his agenda, Trump responded, “At some point they will be.”

As a candidate for the White House, Trump stood apart from much of the GOP primary field as he vowed to oppose cuts to Social Security and Medicare, while also ensuring every American had health coverage.

In the CNBC interview, Trump called tackling entitlement spending “the easiest of all things” and suggested higher economic growth would make it easier to reduce spending on the programs.

“Well, we’re going – we’re going to look,” Trump said. “We also have assets that we’ve never had. I mean we’ve never had growth like this.”

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
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To: MarMema

The question is does the over 60 set care about the outcomes for the younger than 60 set.

If it does, then SS/Medicare can’t be untouchable sacred cows.

If not, then why would the latter care at all what the former thinks?


81 posted on 01/23/2020 12:06:43 AM PST by thoughtomator (... this has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.)
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To: thoughtomator

The real question is why anyone supporting Trump isn’t for Americans versus foreign aid.
My manager always says there is more than one way to skin a cat. They are still taking my money and have been since 1973. I have never taken a dime for anything from the government.
I was never given a choice either.
It’s my money. Not theirs.


82 posted on 01/23/2020 12:22:36 AM PST by MarMema (Proud co-pilot for John James)
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To: MarMema

> The real question is why anyone supporting Trump isn’t for Americans versus foreign aid.

how is this remotely relevant to the discussion at hand


83 posted on 01/23/2020 12:24:01 AM PST by thoughtomator (... this has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.)
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To: thoughtomator

We can find the money for social security. It’s just a matter of priorities.
If you read the thread foreign aid has been discussed.


84 posted on 01/23/2020 12:27:18 AM PST by MarMema (Proud co-pilot for John James)
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To: MarMema

as far as the rest of it...

if it is possible for you to do so put yourself in the shoes of someone 50 years old who has also paid in his entire working life and is guaranteed to get nothing from these programs

who watched the people who are saying now “it’s my money” vote for the people who spent their money, which is in actual fact gone

and the only way for them to get their money is for it to be taken from younger people under the blatantly fraudulent pretense that these soon-bankrupt programs will still exist when they need it

my return on SS and Medicare taxes will be zero... and I’m supposed to sympathize with someone who isn’t taking that same total loss, but doesn’t want to concede any changes that will give me a better return than nothing at all?

do y’all have any idea how this looks from the outside of the personal self-interest of boomers angle?


85 posted on 01/23/2020 12:29:34 AM PST by thoughtomator (... this has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.)
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To: MarMema

I’m happy to cut all foreign aid.

The scope and scale of SS/Medicare NPV deficits dwarfs that number though, so that’s not a solution to the problem.


86 posted on 01/23/2020 12:31:30 AM PST by thoughtomator (... this has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.)
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To: thoughtomator

We boomers will die off and the crisis will end. It’s a boomer crisis. A ton of us getting old all together. A peak on the graph.

It’s your money too.


87 posted on 01/23/2020 12:35:55 AM PST by MarMema (Proud co-pilot for John James)
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To: stars & stripes forever

President Donald Trump APPEARED to suggest...
MUCH LIKE THE IMPEACHEMENT TRIAL IS BASED ON


88 posted on 01/23/2020 3:26:50 AM PST by ronnie raygun (nick dip .com)
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To: rintintin

Gosh - you just can’t seem to help yourself....you may be awarded the “Concern Troll of the Year” - it’s just a conic hat and a stool designed to fit in a corner, but what the hey - it the award fits, wear it proudly...


89 posted on 01/23/2020 3:53:48 AM PST by trebb (Don't howl about illegal leeches, or Trump in general, while not donating to FR - it's hypocritical.)
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To: rintintin

I said the electrician was a DC Democrat, not me. I’ll keep my checks unless they want to lump sum refund me all I’ve paid in.


90 posted on 01/23/2020 4:59:08 AM PST by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
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To: thoughtomator

“This whole thread and the attitude you have expressed herein would strain to be more off-putting.”

If you’re going to tell all the people who care about Social Security to “buzz off and vote Democrat,” get ready for a Democrat president. that’s how the GOP has lost election after election.


91 posted on 01/23/2020 7:11:03 AM PST by rintintin
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To: thoughtomator

cutting foreign aid is “not a solution to the problem.”

But you have to start somewhere. And if we can’t afford Social Security for Americans, we sure as h-ll can’t support welfare for other countries.


92 posted on 01/23/2020 7:12:55 AM PST by rintintin
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To: rintintin

Entitlements? Pray tell, in which clause of the Constitution will I find this word?


93 posted on 01/23/2020 9:43:34 AM PST by Don W (When blacks riot, neighbourhoods and cities burn. When whites riot, nations and continents burn.)
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To: rintintin

So basically, nothing that anyone can say or do can get you to express even a pro forma word of support for the interests of anyone other than yourself.

Again, absolutely stunning. Sociopathic even.


94 posted on 01/23/2020 10:52:18 AM PST by thoughtomator (... this has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.)
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To: thoughtomator

“So basically, nothing that anyone can say or do can get you to express even a pro forma word of support for the interests of anyone other than yourself.”

My concern is for the seniors who need Social Security - tens of millions of them.

And also for the Republican Party. If it runs on your anti-Social Security platform, it will lose big.


95 posted on 01/23/2020 2:20:13 PM PST by rintintin
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To: rintintin

And even after being directly called out you still persist in being aggressively indifferent to the interests of anyone but yourself.

You’re a complete and total disgrace, with the heart of a thief.


96 posted on 01/23/2020 2:48:21 PM PST by thoughtomator (... this has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.)
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To: thoughtomator

“the interests of anyone but yourself.”

don’t know what you’re talking about. i’m not receiving Social Security.

I do know this: tens of millions of American seniors rely on Social Security as their main source of income, in this day of rampant age discrimination in the workplace where seniors are laid off and can’t find new work. one thing they can do (and their family members as well), is vote. the GOP will face a big backlash if they start cutting Social Security.


97 posted on 01/23/2020 4:33:14 PM PST by rintintin
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