tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536140049505603887.post1031344005390998686..comments2024-01-26T03:26:54.060-05:00Comments on O-pinion: A budget that ignores a harsh bottom lineUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536140049505603887.post-91565419884320690782012-02-14T17:05:04.906-05:002012-02-14T17:05:04.906-05:00President Obama stated during his innagural addres...President Obama stated during his innagural address that the financial mess he was walking into was caused by "the greed and irrisponsibility of some, and also by the refusal of the government to make hard choices." He has since chosen to blame everything on those "some" and create as much class- and wealth-envy as humanly possible. Here are some of the "hard choices" that someone is going to have to make:<br /><br />1) At some point in the very near future, whoever our President is will need to get in front of the camera and state, "unfortunately, we have no choice but to declare that everyone born after the year ___ will not receive any Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits upon retirement, and yet everyone born between (first date quoted) through (whatever year the current 18-year-olds were born) must pay FICA taxes for the rest of their working lives, because the vaunted Social Security Trust Fund has never existed, as every dollar from the fund every year has been used to pay for other government programs. Yes, this is 100% unfair, but it is the price we must pay for runaway government spending the past 4 decades. Everyone born after (first date quoted) should expect to receive no government monies for their retirement and must make their own preparations, such as maintaining a 401(k), IRAs or other such avenues."<br /><br />2) Some President will also need to announce, "From this day forward, there will be 5-year term limits on Welfare, ADC, Section 8 vouchers, and food stamps. Once your 5 years are up, you are ineligible to receive any of these benefits for 5 years from the date of expiration. The only exception is for people who have been medically declared 100% disabled and completely unable to maintain a regular job."<br /><br />3) This same President must also state, "I must insist that Congress pass legislation that reduces every tax rate for every type of income - employment, capital gains, inheritence, everything. I understand, as Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Ronald Reagan did, that if you reduce income tax rates, this will encourage people to earn more income and thus bring in more tax revenue. Increasing income tax rates, while appealing to the emotions of people who have less than others, creates an environment that encourages people to stop reaching those levels of income and thus decreasing tax revenue."<br /><br />4) Next, that President must state, "As politicians, we never admit mistakes for fear of not getting re-elected. However, we must admit that the 2010 healthcare act was a grave mistake. We must acknowledge that the vast majority of our constituents opposed this legislation, and we must act as they request and repeal it. We must also roll back many of the combersome regulations instituted between 2009-2011 that have made the cost of doing business so much higher that many businesses slowed hiring because of them."<br /><br />Then we'll be headed in the right direction.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536140049505603887.post-68538445615976737412012-02-13T20:40:33.232-05:002012-02-13T20:40:33.232-05:00I can remember when Jimmy Carter signed the author...I can remember when Jimmy Carter signed the authorization to break through the first trillion dollar debt ceiling and the political flack he caught for it then. Decades have slipped by since and very little has ever been paid down. This is not in dispute <br /><br />Rather than appropriately increase taxes, or responsibly cut spending, or sanely do both - it has been an assumption by both economists and whatever party has been in power that given enough time - the total US economic growth would out pace the national debt. This should not be in dispute.<br /><br />The baby boomers are now starting to go off into the sunset of their retirements having enjoyed tax cuts AND big government while not paying the bill incurred on their watch. I cannot think of enough despicable terms that this deserves.Philip Andolinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12137597086751980389noreply@blogger.com