If I were in charge
It's probably a good thing I'm not in charge of the country. I played a little game online where I got to put my own solution to our country's budgeting problems to the test and according to the game I did better than most of the other people that played it, but we still went back to broke in 2036. The average for the same people that picked my agenda was 2035.
But more than that, if I were President, I'd be on TV, doing my Ross Perot impression and I for sure would be telling Americans just exactly how we got into this mess in the first place and I'd be putting the blame squarely where it goes: on the Republicans.
It seems ironic to me these idiots who ran this country under the tutelage of our former President are now running away from the bills they ran up. They're seriously talking about not raising the debt ceiling and just going to let us default on our bills. Why not? Look at what their policies got us into? The mortgage crisis, the worst recession since the great depression, you name it.
OK, it's time to take these folks to task. They keep telling us raising taxes on the wealthy is a bad idea but we've had these tax cuts for the last ten years and since we've had them, we've doubled the debt. When "W" came into office, we were running in the black and actually paying OFF our debt. Things were pretty good.
I realize the dynamic changed with the wars, but we put the wars on our credit card. We didn't share sacrifice to pay for them and now, we're gonna.
In my budget, everyone sacrificed. We all paid more in taxes. I cut programs that are important to me because we just can't afford them. I did add the single payer healthcare option and that's money well spent. I think means testing medicare is a good idea. I think means testing social security is a good one as well. I'd uncap the salary limit for social security.
I think it's OK to pay 39% of what you make if you're rich because of one simple principle: Where much is given, much is expected in return. I raised my taxes in the game, and yours, too. I put some pretty draconian cuts into things like the arts. I think these are important programs, but not necessary programs. There's a difference. However, when I have to choose between food and a movie, so does the country.
You should be paying attention to what's being said in Washington, especially when Senators are seriously trying to lay the responsibility to raise the debt ceiling at the President's feet. It's a cop-out and if your Senator does this and is up for re-election you ought to think long and hard about where you're vote goes next time. Same thing for the tea party idiots who are wanting this country to default on its obligations. Somehow, these folks think that freedom means less government.
They forget there's a reason we have more government. Anybody remember how bad things were in the 60's and 70's with the environment? Remember Love Canal? Remember rivers catching fire because they were so polluted? Remember why the Bald Eagle became an endangered species because of DDT among other things?
Remember the Savings & Loan crisis of the '80s? There's a reason for almost every regulatory agency in the Federal Government. Are we so forgetful that we don't talk about these things to explain why we have regulation in Government? It's to protect us from the rich and powerful doing anything they want, damn the consequences, in the name of the all-mighty dollar.
We're all supposed to be Americans and in our politics and policies, we should expect cooperation and shared sacrifice. I don't buy the same Republicans who voted time and again when their party was in power to raise the debt limit all of a sudden saying it's enough of a sacrifice on their part to do this again and that's their only compromise. Sorry, in my book, you don't get away with that and I'm disappointed that the Democrats aren't pointing this out loudly.
Our President gets grief for not leading because he won't capitulate to the Republicans. He actually wants to do something big to solve the problem. He wants us all to share in the sacrifices necessary.
That's called leadership. That's why we send our congressmen and senators to Washington and if they don't start cooperating, then those of you who elected them should be prepared to pay the consequences for their inaction.
But more than that, if I were President, I'd be on TV, doing my Ross Perot impression and I for sure would be telling Americans just exactly how we got into this mess in the first place and I'd be putting the blame squarely where it goes: on the Republicans.
It seems ironic to me these idiots who ran this country under the tutelage of our former President are now running away from the bills they ran up. They're seriously talking about not raising the debt ceiling and just going to let us default on our bills. Why not? Look at what their policies got us into? The mortgage crisis, the worst recession since the great depression, you name it.
OK, it's time to take these folks to task. They keep telling us raising taxes on the wealthy is a bad idea but we've had these tax cuts for the last ten years and since we've had them, we've doubled the debt. When "W" came into office, we were running in the black and actually paying OFF our debt. Things were pretty good.
I realize the dynamic changed with the wars, but we put the wars on our credit card. We didn't share sacrifice to pay for them and now, we're gonna.
In my budget, everyone sacrificed. We all paid more in taxes. I cut programs that are important to me because we just can't afford them. I did add the single payer healthcare option and that's money well spent. I think means testing medicare is a good idea. I think means testing social security is a good one as well. I'd uncap the salary limit for social security.
I think it's OK to pay 39% of what you make if you're rich because of one simple principle: Where much is given, much is expected in return. I raised my taxes in the game, and yours, too. I put some pretty draconian cuts into things like the arts. I think these are important programs, but not necessary programs. There's a difference. However, when I have to choose between food and a movie, so does the country.
You should be paying attention to what's being said in Washington, especially when Senators are seriously trying to lay the responsibility to raise the debt ceiling at the President's feet. It's a cop-out and if your Senator does this and is up for re-election you ought to think long and hard about where you're vote goes next time. Same thing for the tea party idiots who are wanting this country to default on its obligations. Somehow, these folks think that freedom means less government.
They forget there's a reason we have more government. Anybody remember how bad things were in the 60's and 70's with the environment? Remember Love Canal? Remember rivers catching fire because they were so polluted? Remember why the Bald Eagle became an endangered species because of DDT among other things?
Remember the Savings & Loan crisis of the '80s? There's a reason for almost every regulatory agency in the Federal Government. Are we so forgetful that we don't talk about these things to explain why we have regulation in Government? It's to protect us from the rich and powerful doing anything they want, damn the consequences, in the name of the all-mighty dollar.
We're all supposed to be Americans and in our politics and policies, we should expect cooperation and shared sacrifice. I don't buy the same Republicans who voted time and again when their party was in power to raise the debt limit all of a sudden saying it's enough of a sacrifice on their part to do this again and that's their only compromise. Sorry, in my book, you don't get away with that and I'm disappointed that the Democrats aren't pointing this out loudly.
Our President gets grief for not leading because he won't capitulate to the Republicans. He actually wants to do something big to solve the problem. He wants us all to share in the sacrifices necessary.
That's called leadership. That's why we send our congressmen and senators to Washington and if they don't start cooperating, then those of you who elected them should be prepared to pay the consequences for their inaction.
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