National Debt-This is how the deal will work be prepared...!

7/7/2011


This is how I believe they will deal with the National Debt..

1. Medicare - Slashed by 700 Billion Dollars

2. Medicaid - Slashed by 500 Billion Dollars

3. Social Security

A. Early retirement Age uped to 65

B. Full retirement age uped to 70

C. Those who make 107,000- will pay more Social Security Taxes

D. The wealthy will be dropped from Social Security

E. Welfare- Slashed by 50%

F. Food Stamps - Slashed by 25%


Now how come they don't slash the war budget ? I would slash this by 50% !

Now how come they don't slash Foreign aide ? I would slash this by 75%

All Congressman, Senators, President salaries slashed by 50% , No more perks..

What is your opinion ?..........


Joe

I think they should look at the reasons/cause that created the debt and start slashing there. The top of that list are costs for war and war materials.
Secondly, the financial markets and windfall profits by the greedy that didn't pay taxes or their fair share.

No slashing of money that flows to and is spent by the consumer.

All you need to do is listen to a Fox channel for a week and you will know that the wealth will remain so and the middle class is in deep trouble. The banks, corporations and lobbists are the power brokers. If it does not suit them, the rest of the country will not benefit.

The mantra on Fox is that the wealthy and corporate entities create jobs. Therefore do not provide any regulations or force them to pay their fair share of taxes of no more jobs will be created.

The reality is that it was those very thoughts combined with the war debt that took us downhill for eight years. President Obama has been thwarted at every turn to improve the situation with a constant mantra of taunts and rants no matter what he does. I admire his consistent attempts to deliver on his hopes at the time of his election in spite of the dogs biting at his ... at at every turn.

As for cutting the debt, the reduction in the number of government employees (Republican governors financed by big money) has hurt the employment rate and President Obama is blamed for that!!!

I believe that there should be no limit on income regarding payments into the social security system. I would agree with such a measure.

I also believe that social security is insurance, not a right. It's insurance against the poor house. I believe in a means test, but one that is generous. That would be better than none.

Medicare should not be a separate system but should be part of universal health care that includes all public servants at the same levels as the rest of the U.S. citizens.

U.S. citizens already have fewer vacation days, work longer work days and are more productive than any other developed country. Leave the retirement age alone; continue to make it more attractive for those who work longer but don't force people into working forever. I already worked 51 years. That's enough unless I choose to work more.

Slashing programs by percentages ignores the real needs of people during this horrid economy. No one in this country should be without food. I read an expose on food stamps - the fraud is so small that attempting to institute more controls is more expensive than any losses. Recipients of food stamps need them.

Medicaid main benefits children. Healthy children save money and build a stronger economy. Medicaid should be rolled into universal healthcare and phased out as a separate system. There are too many layers.

Farm subsidies need to be cancelled. Period. Oil and gas subsidies need to be cancelled. Period. Corporate windfall profits at the expense of the U.S. Citizens need to be taxed at 35% not the typical 15%. All exemptions need to be cancelled and penalties applied to those corporations outsourcing U.S. jobs.

Oh well. The only way any logic will apply is if we fire the entire Congress and a bunch of governors. That won't happen; we're stuck with whatever political, self-serving deal they come up with. It won't benefit you and me. We'll be harmed. We do not have the power.

I think they should slash war money and start collecting taxes owed and not paid. How on earth can they forego 400 billion per yeear?

If they rolled also back the Bush taxcuts we'd probalby be alright in a few years.

They need money to rebuild infrastructure that could come from the tax increase.
They are just trying to make life difficult for the have-nots.

7/7/2011


Abe...Alice...DK:

I believe we're the small fish in the pond and we don't
mean a hill of beans to the politicians, their self serving,
they do what they want to do, screw the public, that's
their attitude ! I wish people would stop calling Social
Security an entitlement , it's a retirement you paid into
and it belongs to you, even though the politicians have
lied, cheated and have stolen from it to pay for their
stupid war plans 3 Trillion dollars ! For what ? Where has
it gotten us ? I believe what Alice says: We should mind
our own dam business, this country is falling faster than
a walnut from a tree and the politicians are using the middle
class as pawns !

Cheers..Joe

Joe,


The fix is easy--they don't want it fixed. What a bunch of hocus pocus. They love the fight.

They love to call themselves patriotic--INDEED!

Why slash more from Medicare than Medicaid?

Why raise the reitrement age? That will just mean more unemployed folks.

7/7/2011


Here's another great article on wages...

http://money.cnn.com/2011/07/08/news/economy/wages_jobs/index.htm?iid=Lead

I say make a FLAT TAX ! 20% no one will get away with
anything, no loopholes, no deductions period...


Cheers..Joe

The article, "Insolvency Looms as States Drain US Disability Fund in the 3/22/11 WSJ should be required reading for anyone who thinks Social Security and Medicaid are such lifelines for the poor. There's so much fraud, waste and abuse in it that it could be halved and still be generous.

A snippet from the article:

"CAGUAS, Puerto Rico - This mountainside town is home to a picturesque cathedraL, a tobacco museum and a Walmart Supercenter. Another defining feature: Caguas's 00725 zip code has more people who received a disability check than any other in the US.

Puerto Rico has emerged in recent years as one of the easiest places in the US to get payments from the SSDI program, created during the Eisenhower administration to help people who can't work because of a health problem. In 2010, 65% of applicants there won approval, four percentage points higher than New Jersey and Wyoming, the most-generous US states. In fact, nine of the top 10 US zip codes for disabled workers receiving benefits can be found on Puerto Rico.

The SSDI is set to soon become the first big federal benefit program to run out of cash -and one of the main reasons is US states and territories have a large say in who qualifies for the federally funded program.

To some it's mainly a matter of abuse. "The mentality is that it's 'big, rich Uncle's Sam' money," said Ivan Gonzalez-Cancel, a prominent Democrat and cardiac surgeon in San Juan ...

Because someone else pays the bills, local officials have little incentive to keep the numbers low. The feds have tried to enforce consistency, but the process relies heavily on the judgment of doctors and administrative law judges who hear appeals...

...Benefits can be modest: In 2009, they averaged $1,064 a month. But program opens up access for recipients to other government programs, multiplying the ultimate cost to taxpayers. ...In Puerto Rico, this sum is almost as much as a low-wage job and comes with access to health care.

DK, good post. You covered much of what we've been discussing and are on target in my view.
Joe and Alice. You hit directly on many of the problems and offer solutions.

LC, you make valid points.

What I find disturbing, is the tendancy of those opposed to a program to take isolated incidents and make them out to be the norm. There is abuse in many areas, to use that as an excuse to deprive those in need to suffer, is not right.
As for social security, Joe is right. We paid into the system. We are not getting money that does not rightfully belong to us. As for calling it an entitlement, they got that right. We are entltled to receive the money we paid in to the system. When one considers the interest one would enjoy if that money had been placed in a savings account over the life of employment (30, 40 or more years), there would be a nice nest egg. If they take and hold our money, the money should be available to us. If they use (take) money from the fund, it must be returned with interest.

When one signs up for social security, they have a complete record of what was paid in, and based on that record, they calculate what you will receive monthly. So if there is no money in the account, where did it go?

To think of cutting SS benefits is theft of our money. They must not be allowed to get away with this!

Yes, there's theft involved. Your money is being stolen to keep over half the island of Puerto Rico on welfare. This has been documented in a lot of articles over the years.

LC, that's the point. Stop the theft and abuse where it exists. Don't punish the innocent.

Abe wrote:

Quote :

What I find disturbing, is the tendency of those opposed to a program to
take isolated incidents and make them out to be the norm. There is
abuse in many areas, to use that as an excuse to deprive those in need
to suffer, is not right.

This is the essence of the matter. It's a point that both sides can agree on, I would think.

It would probably cost less in the long run to spend the money and time required to see to it that the abuses and mistakes were eliminated than it would to cut back on the services.

There is a basic situation here, that, IMO, boils down to whether or not we realize that what is good for the whole is good for every part of that whole, and whatever harms a single part, harms the whole.

It just comes down to that reality.

Ann

Ann, Abe,

7/10/2011


It was just reported talks have broken off !
There is no end in sight...


Cheers..Joe

View this video.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/09/bill-maher-casey-anthony-republican_n_893926.html?ref=fb&src=sp#sb=782856,b=facebook

A lot of things make sense when you realize who owns the media - the biggest rag mag in Great Britain known for its slanderous reporting, has been shut down. Of course the "owner," Rupert Murdock, who also owns FOX news and the Wall Street Journal remains untouched by his failed newspaper that tapped into cell phones of the famous, even royalty and a missing girl who was found murdered. A few execs at the newspaper were arrested briefly.

When the media is in the hands of the few, people must find other sources for information - and there are no reliable sources. Before a media source is deemed reliable, you need to track back to the owner.

Since Rupert Murdock has no qualms about lies and fabrications to sell newspapers, it's no wonder FOX news channels and affiliates have a field day with their lying sound bites and ratings whores. Obviously, he knows the way to maintain his wealth and eliminate regulation of his business practices is to press for less government and to interfere with what's good for ordinary citizens of this country. I believe he lives in Great Britain - although the super rich live wherever benefits them.

Control of the media controls the minds of the citizens. Some of us seek news elsewhere, but every business I enter has their tv on FOX news. Talk about a brain wash! People actually believe FOX is pro-business. FOX is pro-profit for FOX, its commentators and its affiliates. The country does not matter.

DK, here is an article about the Murdock paper & scandal. It was on my morning news when I logged in.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/07/10/uk.phonehacking/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

Ann

Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. He closed to paper to push the scandal away from him. This country is in trouble because those at the top of the money chain left their ethics behind.

Unfortuately the Republicans have bought into his lies.
We now have a one party system with the opposition a bunch of liars.
Sad situation.

There is one ray of hope. They, the Republicans, want to bring the gov't down, but when they realiize they will lose more than a few bucks in taxes, they might wake up and do something.

They are cutting off their noses to spite their faces.

Not really, Alice. They are still keeping their wealth and not paying their fair share of taxes. Their wealth is spread global. Their income is fixed, they are among those who will be paid first. Note that none of the reduction schemes impact their salaries, perks or personal benefits.

Reducing the size of government is eliminating jobs of middle class people paying taxes into the system. Many of those workers are needed to - guess what - regulate government programs to keep the fraud at bay. Of course, that includes regulation of pollution, industry, investments, mortgages,subsidies, tax loopholes, IRS, etc. No person without ethics wants to see a government inspector coming around....so let's eliminate government and protect fraud.

The jobs report is dismal - looks bad for President Obama. Of course, it's the Republican state houses and governors who are firing government workers and that makes the lost jobs greater than the gains. Figures. It doesn't matter what's good for the country. The goal is to destroy this country under this president and get elected to "save" it. The people of this country have poor memories. Remember who got us here in the first place?

DK,

You are right.

But this is not a time to be a victum. We are talking here, How many congressmen are here? None.
How many of us have told our congressmen how we feel? It is past time to do so.
They are not mind readers.

DK, Write to them, I will sign it too.

Good post Diane.

Just heard on the news that the US government, unless they reach an agreement, will be unable to pay its bills. They didn't use the word bankrupt, but it had the same meaning.
Hard to imagine the hundreds of thousands of people who will suffer if they don't receive their monthly checks. Those with all the money, would be well advised to go into hiding.

Abe,

Have you contacted any members of Congress?
There are many folks with money who got it honestly and would gladly pay more taxes to help out the gov't if given the opportunity.

I don't think violence is the way to go.
Not all well to do folks are greedy or wrong.