Re: Obama XII: The shine is off the glass slipper
Baited, bated. Either way I want the master to spin his balanced budget.
I didn't say I would.
Our SoS is blaming the rich for the budget deficit. That is my point.
They are taking the time and effort to get out in front of the public and make sure the message is being heard...you still don't have a job, you won't have money for retirement, we aren't solving any of those issues and the rich are to blame. They pay 75% of all the net taxes but they aren't paying their fair share...really? What does the administration think is their fair share? If 15% pay 100% of all the taxes is that the fair share?
My closing was how short-sighted that is...their is no way we should be spending time and effort to convince people it is the fault of the rich that we don't have more industry, less spending etc.
It is the classic "look over there" tactic. Don't blame us...we have charts showing it isn't our doing at all, it is all a guy who was a lame duck for his last two years and a party that was clearly going to lose very early in the election year. We have control of congress and the whitehouse but it is somebody else's fault...either Bush or the rich. I don't recall the campaign being "there is nothing we can do for the next few years, it is all pre-ordained".
I don't like Bush, agree he screwed things up royally, but for god's sake, when does Obama start taking responsibility for the economy?
As for the deficit itself. I've posted dozens of things I'd do, never promising they'd balance the budget nor ever get enacted. There is enough fraud and waste in the government to reduce the ddeficit significantly. I had several posts outilining the fraud in welfare and medicare (which brings the knee-jerk "so you want to pull money out of the mouths of starving children" response) No, I'd like to stop giving it to people who don't need it.
I'd never have gone into Iraq but I would suggest we get the hell out. Complicated, yes. Again, I don't remember the campaign being, we'll keep spending the money and lives and just raise taxes to cover it.
I'd increase taxes on behavior that hurts the country, like smoking...I've pointed out the billions a year spent on cigarettes, insurance, lost productivity and other health care due to smoking...I think the total is $400 billion a year at roughly $100B for each of those four items. I've pointed out that in one gov't agency, when they hired a new director, 1,700 people already making more than $170k/yr got automatic raises since their salary is linked to the salary of the top person who was paid more than the last director.
I've pointed out that government salaries are 175% of the average private salary (and that includes the fat cat execs). Google government jobs, see what comes up. And they NEVER GET FIRED...they don't get paid for performance (obviously or they'd all be starving too).
I've pointed out trivial stuff like multiple service academies. I've pointed out that we have more military bands than we probably need, specifically noting the navy steel drum band as a possible opportunity for some saving. Nothing against the Navy, nor steel drum bands but do we need to have both at the same time?
What I wouldn't do is blame the rich...I might tell people that we need to raise the rate for the good of the country but I wouldn't blame them...I wouldn't say they don't pay their fair share, they already pay multiple times their percentage of the populace...they pay way more than their fair share.
She can say she isn't speaking for the administration...because they want to watch out how they try to pit the majority against the minority. But they have found a minority they can pound and they are doing it. And the mindless masses are eating it up cause it ain't their ox. My real point is that will be a failed strategy.
