How stupid is the government?

[Cripton805]

Why would the government even think about stopping social security... Thats F'n stupid. Why doesn't the government just raise taxes back to what we had in the 90's. I don't care what people say. I think Clinton was a great president. When Bush was elected there was a bunch of tax cuts, blah blah. Then the war = more spending. I wouldn't mind paying more taxes by raising it very slightly over just about everything except gas. Enough so we have a choice on what we want to buy. I hate it when they just raise taxes over one thing because we would be forced to buy that (one) thing at a higher price and usually is a price hike. Take the poll and your opinion.

ON AOL I READ...

NEW YORK -- As the Treasury Department prepares to hit the swiftly-approaching debt limit with no agreement to lift it in sight, fears are growing that the government might opt to skip the next round of Social Security payments.

Experts warn that the program is such a vital source of support for so many low-income and elderly Americans that even one delayed payment could trigger a domino effect, sending millions of households into delinquency on a broad range of bills.

"What we are talking about here," said Joan Entmacher, vice president for family economic security at the National Women's Law Center, "is not the financial markets -- not that they are not important -- but the very ability of millions of Americans to buy food, pay their utility bills, their rent or mortgage and to generally function."

If Social Security payments don't come, Entmacher said, "there are a whole series of very serious, deeply frightening consequences that could, and very likely would, follow."

There are about 54.8 million Americans who receive some form of Social Security benefits each month, according to government data (see Table 2). Most payments are made to retirees, disabled individuals and certain dependent children and adults. The next monthly payment is due Aug. 3. Another 15 million Americans are also due veterans' benefits, federal or postal employee retirement benefits and other payments on that date.

For a substantial share of the people who receive Social Security benefits, that income is essential. About 40 percent of all unmarried individuals who receive social security benefits rely on the program for at least 90 percent of their income, the Social Security Administration's inspector general found in a November 2010 report. About 90 percent of women over age 80 derive nearly all of their income from Social Security benefits.

Losing that income could prove disastrous. Households that don't pay utility bills eventually face shut off. Banks can charge account overdraft fees. And creditors also generally charge late fees for overdue payments. Credit card companies can raise a customer's interest rate due to overdue bills.

 

[FMelo718]

I agree, what the fuck are they even thinking considering stopping social security? That will ruin so many lives and people depending on that to pay their bills and feed themselves. Of course politicians want to stop it because it won't affect them personally. They're set with nice houses and shit and won't go a day hungry. All they do is bitch about problems that they themselves have created. We should have all those fucks who think cutting social security is a good idea come live in the hood for a while. Have them live here for a month and have them depend on that social security check to last them. Let's see how they like going to bed hungry. Let's see how they like not having enough money to pay all our bills. Let's see how they like having to depend on a single source of income. Let's see how they like seeing their own kids suffer every day. Then they wonder why people out here on the streets hustlin and doing what they gotta do to feed their family and keep the lights on. Fuck them. How about we get some people who are actually gonna make a difference and make something work instead of cutting funding for the people who cant provide for themselves. How will they survive? But as long as it doesn't affect the politicians directly, they don't care what happens to the people at the bottom. They won't understand until they experience it, so I say bring them to the hood and have them live here for a while. Then I'll live in their house and have everything made.

 

[Cripton805]

I mean I understand that we need programs, but people bitch about taxes, but that money has to come from somewhere. If they cut taxes then the bank account goes dry.

It's like pulling money out of the piggy bank more than what you put in.
We need to start putting money in that piggy

 

[TegSox]

Social Security checks are not going to stop unless the President himself orders them not to be paid, period.
There is law in place that ensures SSI payments go out.
Even if we hit the debt ceiling, the Gov't brings in enough revenue to pay all Social Security checks, interest on our debt, military operations/pay which all equals $81B. We'll bring in at least $175B in tax money. Hitting the ceiling simply limits our ability to borrow.
This is a scare tactic talking point created by the President, repeated by his fellow Democrats and their minions in the media (like AOL), to motivate people behind his plan to raise the debt ceiling. He's scaring the public in an attempt to demonize and place public blame on the Republicans if a deal doesn't get done. He wants a debt ceiling deal done quickly, because he knows that hitting the debt ceiling will be politically devastating to him.
We will not default as a nation either, that's another scare tactic.

We don't have a revenue problem guys, we have a spending problem.

 

[jbrown97ls]

^this

 

[Cripton805]

The more the people spend, the better then economy will get. The more money we make, the more we spend, the more we pay taxes, etc... By scaring us they would hurt the economy.

Kinda stupid if you ask me if what you're saying is true.

 

[jbrown97ls]

The problem is that neither party work together for the common good. Its always one of the others way or the highway.

 

[miloiii123]

Obamacare.
How about we give everyone 1 million dollars? They say that just the administrative cost over the next ten years for Obamacare is going to be 900 million, so how about we just give all 310 million people 1 million dollars and let them use that solely for their health insurance each month. Average life expectancy is about 80 years so that would be about one thousand dollars every month for health insurance. So for me, my dad, and brother our insurance is about 400 a month which means the other 600 dollars that is not being used would be put back into the account so that when older and health insurance is higher due to illnesses, you will have enough money. This would mean that we would have an extra 400 dollars every month that we don't have to pay for health insurance which could be spent and put into the eonomy.

By doing this, the government would pay for us to have health insurance from private businesses and would still save the government 600 million in administrative costs and would also help stimulate our economy by giving everyone spending money.

I'm 17 so maybe I'm dumb and this wouldn't work, but it sounds like an alright plan as long as money is NOT borrowed out of like social security.

 

[BrokenTalon27]

Social security will not cease to be paid, even though it will eventually run. If the government wasn't backing it it would have been illegal, lol, being that it is by definition a Ponzi scheme.
Raising the debt ceiling isn't the answer. We need to balance our budget, start drilling for domestic oil and continue to look for ways to use that gigantic deposit of natural gas up in Pennsylvania. Our government is being led by a moron and his half-wit minions. Also, months before he was elected, Obama was quoted saying that raising the debt ceiling ( when proposed by the previous administration) was a "lack of leadership", but it's totally cool when he wants to do it.
Another thing...It took us just over 200 years as a country to accumulate $2.5 trillion of debt. After 19 months in office Obama doubled that number. If his administration is allowed to raise the debt ceiling they will increase that debt to the mid teen trillions(15-17). I'm tired of people being so scared to question his leadership for fear of being called racist. He was unqualified to be President, and is now flushing our country down the drain, and so many people are going along with it for fear of being a bigot. Sad, sad days we live in when a country founded on freedom of speech and liberty is falling apart due to a lack both.

 

[Cripton805]

He was unqualified to be President, and is now flushing our country down the draiN.

This economy was failing when he took office. Bush caused it to fail. Obama has been trying to keep it from failing.

It's a two sided debate. Most people who cannot afford healthcare want it. People who can afford it say they don't want it. (Kinda funny isn't it)
So it's hard to choose.

I agree with healthcare for everyone, but this is NOT the right time.
We need to recover and stabilize first and figure out a way for healthcare insurance to be affordable for employers. It is too expensive for small business.

 

[klutchDb7]

You should put up the option "Place finances under control of Apple" :lol:
http://www.bizjournals.com/mobile/atlanta/news/2011/07/29/apple-has-more-cash-than-us-treasury.html?ana=yfcpc

Found that funny.... I'm not really one to discuss politics, too messy IMO. Sounds like no matter what we as a nation are pretty much guaranteed to lose our place as a AAA nation though because of this all

 

[Spawne32]

This economy was failing when he took office. Bush caused it to fail. Obama has been trying to keep it from failing.

It's a two sided debate. Most people who cannot afford healthcare want it. People who can afford it say they don't want it. (Kinda funny isn't it)
So it's hard to choose.

I agree with healthcare for everyone, but this is NOT the right time.
We need to recover and stabilize first and figure out a way for healthcare insurance to be affordable for employers. It is too expensive for small business.

Thank you, at least someone on here has the balls to post this. Bush took our country and flushed it down the drain with personal wars stemming over from his fathers reign in office. He is single handily the worst president in american history. People who love bush love to forget the 8 years he spent in office driving this country into the ground by using the comment that its obama's problem now. I dont like obama personally, hes under experienced and naive when it comes to political negotiation, and he wasnt qualified to be president. But he has done a damn good job holding this country intact for another 4 years.

People who complain about not wanting a national healthcare system are greedy and generally uneducated, most of them dont know what the medicare and medicaid system is that poor folks and disabled folks (like myself) depend on for medical coverage, fully paid for by you, the taxpayer. You just arent afforded the right to use it because you are making money, that doesnt mean you arent paying for a national healthcare system that is already in place.

Healthcare for everyone should be a fundamental right in this day and age, it is the year 2011 not the year 1583. If 90% of the rest of the civilized world can provide a government backed free healthcare system for their citizens, why cant we? Ill tell you why, the same reason why we cant get s*** done now, corporations. The capitalist system that provided us the growth during the industrial revolution to become a super power in the first place, has completely backfired on this country. Corporations are entity's on their own, they are afforded rights like a regular citizen, yet they answer to no one, no where. They can consume other businesses around them, buy out political affiliations, and nothing is there to stop them anymore because of regulations put in place many years before to help the country expand our capitalist ways, now it has come back to bite us in the ass, and theres nothing we can do about it by continuing to use the same methods as before to create jobs, and revenue. It simply will just not work.

 

[TegSox]

The genesis of the financial collapse was the Community Reinvestment Act passed back the late 70's, which forced banks to lend money to unqualified applicants to buy homes. Liberal Democrat plan through and through, Jimmy Carter and company. Clinton loosened lending rules even further in the 90's. Bush tried to reign it in 3 times in the 2000's, Democrats blocked him. Bush didn't cause the collapse, he just happened to be in office when it finally did.

Healthcare is not a right, a right isn't something you have to pay someone else to perform a service to attain. Rights come from God, laws come from Government. Government does not create Rights. That is absolutley fundamental to understand how this Government was constructed.
We haven't had Government health care all these years, yet we have the best HC system on the planet. The best surgeons are here, the best drugs are developed here, the best technology is here. Billionaire Middle East princes come to the United States for care, when they could go anywhere in the world. Capitalism created this, it works.
Government run health care systems are bankrupting countries because, suprise, when something is free (not actually free, its part of the reason gas is $8/liter in Europe) people use more of it. It's "free" if you live on the waiting list long enough to see a doctor about your problem and still can live long enough to make it to your surgery date. "No, you heart surgery is not more important that this guys ingrown toenail." Government run healthcare, so compassionate. England's Government Health Care Rationing Body, so compassionate.

The folly of Gov't run healthcare explained here.

 

[nathan_carmona]

option d, cut politicians wages. If I didnt meet a deadline for school or work Id be fired/fail. Politicians are a lot like weather men: they can make any decision they want, continuously get it wrong, and still be employed for the same pay

 

[TegSox]

Right on. And cutting wages would get people into Government who really want to be there to do the right thing, not as a career choice.
Term limits > cutting wages, though.