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It was more the boiling down of the argument, then limiting the responses with the statement, we can talk about cutting spending in another discussion that I fo

by TGJ 16y ago

It was more the boiling down of the argument, then limiting the responses with the statement, we can talk about cutting spending in another discussion that I found trouble with. Since there are only two options for governments to take care of deficits, cutting spending or taxing more, assuming that you simply have not spent money that you never had, when you limited the argument by not allowing cutting spending as a response, I was troubled with the implication that taxes would have to be raised. And frankly, I don't think there is much room for conversation with someone that feels raising taxes is an acceptable solution.

jbooth 16y ago
And frankly, I don't think there is much room for conversation with someone that feels raising taxes is an acceptable solution. Glad to see you've got an open mind. Even if you think we can plug a hole this size without raising taxes (which suggests to me you don't know very much about the budget) -- cutting spending is still irrelevant. Let's say we cut the budget by the current deficit plus a little. Do you cut taxes on estates, or cut taxes on income/sales/whatever? It's still a choice about where to tax, when you're talking about revenue.
- TGJ 16y ago
  Cutting spending is never irrelevant. The entire reason we are in the this situation is because the government spent money that they did not have. Hence the deficit. If you think that cutting spending is irrelevant then how do you think raising taxes will help? Until the government stops spending and printing money, how can we ever trust them to do the right thing with more money from more taxes?
redrobot5050 16y ago
The only reason people are as concerned as they are about the federal deficit is because most people have already concluded that there will be no meaningful spending cuts. There can't be. Neither party has enough power to force anything truly distasteful to the other's ideology down their throat. The biggest drain on our country is defense spending. But the Republican Party will not allow defense spending to be cut. Medicare is off the table because it is part of health care reform recently passed by the democrats, and because the GOP's base is proportionally uninformed elderly boomers who are about to receive S.S. You can't have a conversation at a legislative level about what roles that government should and shouldn't perform. Until we agree on that, spending cuts of any meaningful kind are not going to happen. The only way out, then, is to increase government revenue, which implies more taxes.

by TGJ 16y ago

jbooth 16y ago

And frankly, I don't think there is much room for conversation with someone that feels raising taxes is an acceptable solution. Glad to see you've got an open mind. Even if you think we can plug a hole this size without raising taxes (which suggests to me you don't know very much about the budget) -- cutting spending is still irrelevant. Let's say we cut the budget by the current deficit plus a little. Do you cut taxes on estates, or cut taxes on income/sales/whatever? It's still a choice about where to tax, when you're talking about revenue.

TGJ 16y ago
Cutting spending is never irrelevant. The entire reason we are in the this situation is because the government spent money that they did not have. Hence the deficit. If you think that cutting spending is irrelevant then how do you think raising taxes will help? Until the government stops spending and printing money, how can we ever trust them to do the right thing with more money from more taxes?

redrobot5050 16y ago

The only reason people are as concerned as they are about the federal deficit is because most people have already concluded that there will be no meaningful spending cuts. There can't be. Neither party has enough power to force anything truly distasteful to the other's ideology down their throat. The biggest drain on our country is defense spending. But the Republican Party will not allow defense spending to be cut. Medicare is off the table because it is part of health care reform recently passed by the democrats, and because the GOP's base is proportionally uninformed elderly boomers who are about to receive S.S. You can't have a conversation at a legislative level about what roles that government should and shouldn't perform. Until we agree on that, spending cuts of any meaningful kind are not going to happen. The only way out, then, is to increase government revenue, which implies more taxes.