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Not laughable: the ridiculous deficit/debt. > The spending is systemic and has built up over decades of various policy changes throughout many administrations

Not laughable: the ridiculous deficit/debt. > The spending is systemic and has built up over decades of various policy changes throughout many administrations of both colours. Strong concur. Time for reform.

watwut 1y ago
Except that the administration is about to create biggest deficit ever. And they were unabke to find waste. It is funny ... employment by goverment was actually going down for years. America has low taxes so it could pay its debt, but it is choosing to lower them for richests and put more debt in.
- smitty1e 1y ago
  > America has low taxes For whom, pray tell? Look at your combined burden, top to bottom, at all levels.
  - BLKNSLVR 1y ago
    The United States is generally considered a low-tax country compared to other high-income developed nations. In 2021, total taxes at all government levels in the US represented about 27% of GDP, which is significantly lower than the OECD average of around 34% and well below the 40% or more seen in several European countries like Denmark. The US ranks near the bottom among OECD countries in tax-to-GDP ratio, around 31st or 32nd out of 38 countries. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/is-the-us-a-low-taxing-country-_4DVtObtTt6HYjnU6ge0Xw https://www.perplexity.ai/search/is-the-us-a-low-taxing-coun... The problem is what "tax" means to US citizens as opposed to what taxes actually are. It's a communication / understanding issue.
    - smitty1e 1y ago
      If one earns X currency, and X/2 of the earnings are absorbed by government in various forms, then the tax burden is high, no matter the pettifoggery offered by those arguing against what is in front of one's lying eyes.
      - watwut 1y ago
        Otherwise said, I will complain about any tax no matter how low or high it is, either historically or in comparison to other countries. Yes, America is low taxes country. That is one of reasons why its debt was not seen as an issue by serious investors - there was an assumption it can pay it back any time via making taxes slightly larger. Oh, and while I am doing it, I am also complaining about deficits, while making them larger by refusal to tax. And any program that helps someone not me is a waste of money, no matter how much money it actually saves via having functional country and society. I prefer things dysfunctional.
        smitty1e 1y ago
        So, in summary, our federal government amounts to a vast pile of debt, technical or financial, and the Pollyanna[1] response brings scant comfort. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollyanna https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollyanna
        watwut 1y ago
        Right now, the debt is about to become much bigger, because Republicans want to cut taxes while making USA less trustworthy for bond buyers. (And no, they were not able to save money with their random cuts). Newsflash: most of that debt is because of republicans who slash taxes each time the democrats stabilize the situation. Federal government actually has quite a lot of useful and effective services. And then one party (republicans) that is intentionally trying to make it innefective and bad.
        smitty1e 1y ago
        > Newsflash: most of that debt is because of republicans who slash taxes each time the democrats stabilize the situation. Please.

watwut 1y ago

Except that the administration is about to create biggest deficit ever. And they were unabke to find waste. It is funny ... employment by goverment was actually going down for years. America has low taxes so it could pay its debt, but it is choosing to lower them for richests and put more debt in.

smitty1e 1y ago
> America has low taxes For whom, pray tell? Look at your combined burden, top to bottom, at all levels.
- BLKNSLVR 1y ago
  The United States is generally considered a low-tax country compared to other high-income developed nations. In 2021, total taxes at all government levels in the US represented about 27% of GDP, which is significantly lower than the OECD average of around 34% and well below the 40% or more seen in several European countries like Denmark. The US ranks near the bottom among OECD countries in tax-to-GDP ratio, around 31st or 32nd out of 38 countries. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/is-the-us-a-low-taxing-country-_4DVtObtTt6HYjnU6ge0Xw https://www.perplexity.ai/search/is-the-us-a-low-taxing-coun... The problem is what "tax" means to US citizens as opposed to what taxes actually are. It's a communication / understanding issue.
  - smitty1e 1y ago
    If one earns X currency, and X/2 of the earnings are absorbed by government in various forms, then the tax burden is high, no matter the pettifoggery offered by those arguing against what is in front of one's lying eyes.
    - watwut 1y ago
      Otherwise said, I will complain about any tax no matter how low or high it is, either historically or in comparison to other countries. Yes, America is low taxes country. That is one of reasons why its debt was not seen as an issue by serious investors - there was an assumption it can pay it back any time via making taxes slightly larger. Oh, and while I am doing it, I am also complaining about deficits, while making them larger by refusal to tax. And any program that helps someone not me is a waste of money, no matter how much money it actually saves via having functional country and society. I prefer things dysfunctional.
      - smitty1e 1y ago
        So, in summary, our federal government amounts to a vast pile of debt, technical or financial, and the Pollyanna[1] response brings scant comfort. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollyanna https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollyanna
        watwut 1y ago
        Right now, the debt is about to become much bigger, because Republicans want to cut taxes while making USA less trustworthy for bond buyers. (And no, they were not able to save money with their random cuts). Newsflash: most of that debt is because of republicans who slash taxes each time the democrats stabilize the situation. Federal government actually has quite a lot of useful and effective services. And then one party (republicans) that is intentionally trying to make it innefective and bad.
        smitty1e 1y ago
        > Newsflash: most of that debt is because of republicans who slash taxes each time the democrats stabilize the situation. Please.