Nubby Tony Wells Mod Moderator Location: Omaha, NE Join Date: 07/08/2008 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 191 Rally Car: SP Evo IX #112 |
Actually Obama stands a much better chance of fixing the problem: http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2012/10/whats-driving-projected-deficits.html See that big fat orange part of the graph, the part that slopes steeply upward on the right? That's what Romney wants to make permanent. Okay, that's not exactly true, he wants to make those permanent and then lower the rates by another 20%. And he's going to eliminate the estate tax. And he's going to eliminate capital gains taxes on anyone making less than $200K AGI. And he's going to repeal the alternative minimum tax. What does that add up to per year? $500B. And how is he going to keep this massive tax cut that mainly favors the very very very rich deficit neutral? Magic.* So, if we let the Bush tax cuts expire which is a modest increase in rates, debt-to-GDP stabilizes. Or you can go Obama's route which is raise rates on brackets over $250K keeping the brackets the same below that and get to the same place. But yeah, fuck Occam's Razor, slashing taxes seems so much more logical. * Okay, not magic but balancing the budget on the backs of the poor through deep cuts in discretionary spending (non-military of course) the likes we've never seen. And he still can't get his budget deficit neutral without ending tax expenditures enjoyed by the middle class like the mortgage interest and state tax deductions, etc... which will essentially raise your taxes by around $2000/year. And even if he does that, he still doesn't make a dent in the debt** because he reduced revenues to a trickle. ** Actually the way he gets around this is to pick a growth target that makes his numbers work, but offers no elucidation on why we would expect to see his growth numbers. So this really is a case of "insert magic here". |
NoCoast Grant Hughes Mod Moderator Location: Whitefish, MT Join Date: 01/11/2006 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 6,818 Rally Car: BMW |
Why do you care? How did we pay for World War II? Wasn't that a time of MASSIVE government spending and debt followed by one of the largest periods of economic growth in the US? Why don't we follow the same model now to pay for current wars as we did then? Medicare and health care costs are THE only place where we should be focusing efforts. Unregulate pharmaceuticals and take away the government mandated competitive edge and price gouging occurring and the Medicare budget would shrink. Pass legislation limiting the dollar amount of malpractice settlements, implement protection and quality scoring regulations including national oversight, electronic medical records, etc. There's a drug, I can't recall it's name, but it's been in use since the 1800s. A few years back the FDA decided that it's efficacy needed to be really examined so they required all manufacturers but one to stop using it and gave the other exclusive rights to the marketing of the drug. The cost went from 0.70 per dose to $50 per dose nearly overnight. This cost Medicare around $50 million per year... Compounding pharmacies can make just about any drug for less. My wife got prescribed an estrogen cream that would have cost $70 from a pharmacy. We made it for around $10. And it's not derived from horse urine like the pharmaceutical one. But the regulations are so against small pharmacies and so for the big manufacturers that they have a strangle hold. I won't even get into medical research and Universities. DMIST is my favorite example of how to waste $26 million. Fun fact, if you look at a nice cancer that hasn't gotten a ton of survival increase thanks to earlier detection, let's say lung cancer for example, there has been almost no improvement in survival or quality of life thanks to the past 40 years of research. Now they are spending millions looking for genetic risk factors for cancer. Face-palm. Genetics in theory should either be a slam dunk or a wiff. Huntington's Disease. Definitely genetic. Breast cancer. Definitely ENVIRONMENTAL. Grant Hughes |
derek Derek Bottles Professional Moderator Location: Lopez Island/ Seattle WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 853 Rally Car: Past: 323, RX2, GTI. Next up M3 ? |
I do not think Obama or Romney will solve the problem; back to my original post - the problem will be solved by the economy as a whole not by elected officials. Future Option 1) Growth gets going so well because of some new thing, such that tax revenue goes up, inflation picks up a bit and the tax base grows faster than government can spend the revenue. Think of the surplus while Clinton happened to be in office. Option 2) debt get so high T-bills are no longer attractive to buyers and government spending gets cut across the board because there is no more money - think several small European countries - but a little different due to scale.
On this issue - there is little real difference between the candidates as nigher has put forward a realistic plan that will address core issues that has even a remote chance of getting approved by all branches of government or working. Everything in that graph past 2014 is full of big assumptions. In the long run reality always wins. |
john vanlandingham John Vanlandingham Senior Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
'Merikuh, fawk yeah!
Read a interesting thing* about how the hedge funds of Mr Willard Robme made "between 15 million and 115 million" on the Gubbymint bail out of Delphi, which was promtly closed, and the workers laid off, and production moved to.......... to...... (come on, try and guess!) to.................
Romnesia reigns. John Vanlandingham Sleezattle, WA, USA Vive le Prole-le-ralliat www.rallyrace.net/jvab CALL +1 206 431-9696 Remember! Pacific Standard Time is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time. |
FunctionAuto Tyler Patik Infallible Moderator Location: Casper, Wy Join Date: 12/13/2009 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 131 Rally Car: 1995 IMpreza |
I saw this and thought of our phone conversation the other day John with reference to Ben Stein. Those who quoted him then won't do so now.
Ben Stein says raise taxes |
Vorpal_Rally Stinkfinger Lipschitz Mega Moderator Location: Uranus Join Date: 02/17/2008 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 325 |
Sorry folks,
We are not voting our way out of this mess. All we are picking is how fast over the cliff we're going to be going. Deficit spending has both R's and D's behind it. It isn't a Bush thing or an Obama thing. IT goes back a looooooong way. A long time ago, the government was funded by modest import taxes. That was all the income the government had. It worked pretty darn well too. just my $0.02 It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favour of vegetarianism, while the wolf remains of a different opinion. William Ralph Inge TANSTAAFL |
john vanlandingham John Vanlandingham Senior Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
This about sums it up, this one subject shows the fools for what they are: sick fucks no different from the Taliban: http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/8869/large/gop_rape_advisory.gif With thanks to the few good people at Turbobricks. John Vanlandingham Sleezattle, WA, USA Vive le Prole-le-ralliat www.rallyrace.net/jvab CALL +1 206 431-9696 Remember! Pacific Standard Time is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time. |
Wannabe Anne Francis Senior Moderator Location: Seattle, WA Join Date: 09/04/2011 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 235 |
Only back for a bit and with the big day nearing and John since you gave me a blow by blow on your logical ballot selections. I thought I would share my Sunday morning.....
Over a cup of coffee I opened my ballot and scanned right to the most juicy topics: Obama (check), it's a tough job and he's done well for science, education and the environment my favorite topics(check) Sea Wall Repair on Alaska Way Prop (check), I'd like to make sure if I walk along the piers of the Puget Sound I'm not going to suddenly fall in (check) Legalized Marywanna: (check) it just saves lives!!! Gay marriage (Gong): Man/Woman=marriage anything else is just too trendy for this old fashioned thinker. Increase tax for small businesses: (Check) Apparently a huge tax break was given without voters approval that cost our city dearly. People abusing it, businesses for this or that, that likely should have never been operating to begin with failing etc. The rest...boring but signed sealed and ready to drop in the box on Tuesday. I didn't get to vote John on some of your good topics but my ballot was pretty fun too! Talk to you in December! Take care everyone |
12xalt "oh! you're the one!" Infallible Moderator Location: Hazel Dell, WA Join Date: 02/22/2008 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 1,390 Rally Car: 1974 Dodge Colt, under construction |
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Mike Mc Mike McCarty Junior Moderator Location: Hannibals Crossing, Maine Join Date: 01/05/2008 Posts: 20 |
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12xalt "oh! you're the one!" Infallible Moderator Location: Hazel Dell, WA Join Date: 02/22/2008 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 1,390 Rally Car: 1974 Dodge Colt, under construction |
hahahahaha, so true! equal suffering for all, no reason gays can't be as unhappily married as straight people after all, gays have been getting married for years, just not to each other |
Wannabe Anne Francis Senior Moderator Location: Seattle, WA Join Date: 09/04/2011 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 235 |
Hey there...Was out for a Sunday drive looking for just the perfect little Charlie Brown tree and saw this really awesome sight today ... Thought I'd share....just for you..... If you decide to make it a destination wedding just make sure you appreciate Mother Nautre Meanwhile all of Washington's marijuana drug dealers are now scratching their heads with bus tickets to Portland...Thanks OR!!! Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/05/2012 12:30AM by Wannabe. |
12xalt "oh! you're the one!" Infallible Moderator Location: Hazel Dell, WA Join Date: 02/22/2008 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 1,390 Rally Car: 1974 Dodge Colt, under construction |
That's a tall rainbow!
I already live where I'd consider it to be a destination Did you find your tree? I haven't decided yet if I'm going to get a real one or let the roommate put up his fake one. I think I'm with my coworker on fake trees though, if it's going to be a fake tree it should be really really obvious it's fake, like bright pink or red or purple or lime green or turquoise, etc. The roommate's tree is green and tries to look like a real one but fails imo. |
Wannabe Anne Francis Senior Moderator Location: Seattle, WA Join Date: 09/04/2011 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 235 |
I did find one....Rescued it from the side of short cliff as it was nearly falling into the creek I'll share some pics later.
Here's my 2 cents on trees. Oregon has the best! You have us beat here, your trees are like huge magical creatures. I would go out and find a much smaller one and chop it down (in an approved spot of course). It's better for the environment and the smell is awesome! Trees are like flowers in our part of the world....we can pick them knowing Mother Nature will give them back again. But if you want funky....go to your nearby Salvation Army or Goodwill and pick up a used one and a couple cans of spray pain |
Wannabe Anne Francis Senior Moderator Location: Seattle, WA Join Date: 09/04/2011 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 235 |
OK....here ya go....
From the base of Mt. Si to downtown Seattle. My tribute to Mother Nature (God's right hand-gal), white-winged doves (which are beautiful) and Stevie Nicks (who I'm just now realizing totally rocks). Something different with deep personal meaning I'll have to share over a beer with you sometime! Have fun with your tree...and mine Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2012 01:33AM by Wannabe. |