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Old 2010-11-16, 02:36   Link #1
Frenchie
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How would YOU fix the US deficit?

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Awesome new interactive app from the New York Times. It lets you select what taxes increases/spending cuts you would do to balance the budget over the short and long term.
So. Any bright ideas?
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Old 2010-11-16, 02:48   Link #2
Sumeragi
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Slap high tax raises on oil.


That in turn would force the consumers to want fuel-efficient cars, leading to Ford and GM making the cars they should have been able to make for the past 20 years.
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Old 2010-11-16, 05:12   Link #3
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Originally Posted by Sumeragi View Post
Slap high tax raises on oil.


That in turn would force the consumers to want fuel-efficient cars, leading to Ford and GM making the cars they should have been able to make for the past 20 years.
That, and tightening the tax code. Lord knows how much is being lost through that area.
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Old 2010-11-16, 07:26   Link #4
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@Sumeragi
Higher taxes means people spending less. People spending less means stores not selling goods. Stores not selling goods means them eventually going out of buisness, etc... It all goes down hill from there.

They should have taxes go by what people are making, and after a while if they chose to stay unemployed, they ether get arrested or taxes raised.
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Old 2010-11-16, 10:06   Link #5
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Even if it's unpopular:

1) Progressive tax raise to the very top. The speedup in wealth concentration at the top 5% needs to be counteracted.

2) Significant tax increase on fossil fuels

3) Capital gains tax, inheritance tax

4) Reduce taxation on personal income.

5) Reduce military spending, close a major number of military bases around the world

Naturally that wouldn't fly since the elites have bought their blockade minority of senators and congresspeople. But that's what would have to happen to balance the budget.
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Old 2010-11-16, 10:33   Link #6
bayoab
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Originally Posted by Frenchie View Post
The game



So. Any bright ideas?
If anyone thinks the NYT one is too easy, try hard mode: http://crfb.org/stabilizethedebt/
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Old 2010-11-16, 10:54   Link #7
chikorita157
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Good Question... I would...
  • Cut foreign aid
  • Reform Tax Codes and close loopoles
  • Extend the Bush Tax cuts to people who are making $300,000 ($50,000 over the $250,000) and not for the rich.
  • Pull out of Afganastan and Iraq completely
  • Reduce Military Spending
  • Taxes on oil, reduce taxes on renewable energy

Sadly some of these won't happen because the Republicans want the tax cuts for the rich and they like big oil.
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Old 2010-11-16, 12:01   Link #8
Demongod86
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1) Smack massive tariffs on China and reduce our trade deficit with them.

2) Legalize prostitution/marijuana and tax it heavily.

3) Reduce our global military presence. Cut it down, bring back the kids from overseas, and stop butting into other people's business (and let the world destroy itself as it sees fit).

4) Close the damn tax loopholes.
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Old 2010-11-16, 12:11   Link #9
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i just wish we'd stop being world police -_-
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Old 2010-11-16, 12:31   Link #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Demongod86 View Post
1) Smack massive tariffs on China and reduce our trade deficit with them.

2) Legalize prostitution/marijuana and tax it heavily.

3) Reduce our global military presence. Cut it down, bring back the kids from overseas, and stop butting into other people's business (and let the world destroy itself as it sees fit).

4) Close the damn tax loopholes.
A thousand times this! Although I have a few modifications.

1) It's not just China. We need to smack tariffs on goods coming in from countries with poor worker safety conditions or environmental policies. The reason we can't compete with their lower prices, is because we value our environment and workers more. Tariffs would prevent jobs from going overseas, thus strengthening our economy and increasing the amount of taxes that come in.

2) I wouldn't tax prostitution/marijuana heavily at first; somewhat light to encourage people to go legal, and then increase later.

3) Part of the problem is that we need oil. So we'd have to really reduce our dependence on oil first, before we can pull out from such regions, although I agree we should get our guys out of Iraq now and reduce the military budget. I'd order all branches to reduce their spending by at least 10%, and if they don't do that, I'll cut their budget by 20% instead.

4) agree on this. I'd make the tax on corporations simple: they get taxed on the goods and services they bring into this country. Doesn't matter where they make them or house them; if they do business here, they get taxed here. This also kinda goes hand-in-hand with tariffs.

5) Eliminate the Department of Homeland Security; it's useless bureaucracy that has only ever given us one thing: color alerts! The FBI and CIA should be more than sufficient; it was only the fact that they didn't really talk to each other very well that resulted in 9/11, so I'd force them to get along.

6) Downsize the TSA. We're spending millions on useless security theater. They just need the metal detectors and x-raying luggage. That's it.

7) As others have said, increase the gas tax and/or reduce or eliminate oil subsidies. This will bring gas prices up, and make other forms of energy more competitive. I'd cut the red tape for nuclear plants and get some newer designs approved ASAP, and perhaps use some limited subsidies to get new plants into operation.

8) Reduce farm subsidies; we don't need to pay farmers to grow corn crops that they then toss as garbage.

9) Eliminate earmarks and most of our foreign aid.

Just for fun, here's my ny times budget changes for the government. Not only fixes the deficit, but gives us a surplus, with taxes wisely chosen to curb bad behavior and thus increase prosperity.

Last edited by Kaijo; 2010-11-16 at 12:43.
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Old 2010-11-16, 12:35   Link #11
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Get rid of foreign aid, close military bases around the world, and get rid of all social entitlement programs. Also close 90% of the Federal Departments.
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Old 2010-11-16, 13:40   Link #12
Kamui4356
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To anyone suggesting closing bases around the world, it's in the US interest to keep them open. As a nation heavily reliant on foreign trade, which there is nothing you can do to reduce, as the US lacks many of the resources a modern technological power needs, the US needs to enforce peace. Do you really think we have these bases because we like interfering with other nation's affairs? Having China and Japan not focusing on killing each other is in the US interest. Not having dictators invading their oil rich neighbor in the middle East is in the US interest. Sure, you could argue for reducing US military presence overseas, but eliminating it completely will hurt the US economy, not help it.
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Old 2010-11-16, 13:47   Link #13
synaesthetic
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Screw fixing the deficit, the entire system needs an overhaul.

Just kill every politician in America. That'd be a good start.
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Old 2010-11-16, 14:19   Link #14
Mentar
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Originally Posted by justinstrife View Post
Get rid of foreign aid, close military bases around the world, and get rid of all social entitlement programs. Also close 90% of the Federal Departments.
Oh, that's an interesting approach.

Based on the latest Census Bureau numbers (from 2007), you spend around 42 billion US$ total, ~29 in economic and ~13 in military aid. The biggest recipients are Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and Egypt. The various "bribe your own dictator" programs don't amount for much. Cut it all? Wow, that's gonna be fun! Cutting military help immediately harms American arms companies. And cutting aid to Israel is borderline heretical for conservatives. I salute you for your audacity!

Closing military bases lessens your ability to project power. I'd be all for it, but that's another unusual position for a conservative.

Get rid of all social entitlement programs. Awesome! Let the unemployed and sick die and rot on the street! Who needs them anyway.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kamui4356 View Post
To anyone suggesting closing bases around the world, it's in the US interest to keep them open. As a nation heavily reliant on foreign trade, which there is nothing you can do to reduce, as the US lacks many of the resources a modern technological power needs, the US needs to enforce peace. Do you really think we have these bases because we like interfering with other nation's affairs?
Yes, of course. You're not naive enough to deny that? The ability to project power depends on these bases, and they're key logistic centers you can't afford NOT to have - unless you are okay with losing your ability to wage war. What do you think these bases are for?
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Old 2010-11-16, 14:36   Link #15
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Originally Posted by Mentar View Post
Yes, of course. You're not naive enough to deny that? The ability to project power depends on these bases, and they're key logistic centers you can't afford NOT to have - unless you are okay with losing your ability to wage war. What do you think these bases are for?
Did you understand what I wrote? Because you're largely agreeing with me. You just seem to be contesting the point of the US liking it, as that's the only thing you can possibly say I'm denying there. I'm not even sure why you'd contest that unless you think the US is run by moustache twirling evil overlords. You don't have to enjoy doing something to recognize it's in your best interest.
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Old 2010-11-16, 14:37   Link #16
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Originally Posted by Kaijo View Post
A thousand times this! Although I have a few modifications.

1) It's not just China. We need to smack tariffs on goods coming in from countries with poor worker safety conditions or environmental policies. The reason we can't compete with their lower prices, is because we value our environment and workers more. Tariffs would prevent jobs from going overseas, thus strengthening our economy and increasing the amount of taxes that come in.
uh... WHAT.... the US economy is based on trade and consumption, your asking for the United States to become an isolationist much like the lead up to world war II where congress desperately tried to prevent Roosevelt from opening up to the European nations. Protectionism in a modern "global" commerce is a surefire way to start another war. Protectionism would be the "nuclear" option in economic warfare and you would be ushering a mad max style life style, instead of tribes you have nations, but the same principles magnified into a terrifying devolution of order and a growth in chaos and destability, which would also spell doom for business in general.
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Old 2010-11-16, 14:44   Link #17
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I'll say many of the posters really have not thought the ramifications of their ideas and why "simple answers" don't really work. Simple answers only work in imaginary simple systems like the ones they make up for tests.
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Old 2010-11-16, 14:45   Link #18
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A lot of Europeans do think the US is run a bunch of moustache-twirling Saturday morning cartoon villains... but Mentar isn't one of them. We may disagree on a lot, but we certainly do not disagree on the fact that America's leaders are morons.
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Old 2010-11-16, 14:54   Link #19
Kamui4356
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Originally Posted by synaesthetic View Post
A lot of Europeans do think the US is run a bunch of moustache-twirling Saturday morning cartoon villains... but Mentar isn't one of them. We may disagree on a lot, but we certainly do not disagree on the fact that America's leaders are morons.
Then what exactly is he accusing me of denying? Seems to be the US doesn't enjoy doing it but does anyway it out of self interest part. To think the US enjoys fighting wars does require the leaders to be moustashe twirling villains.
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Old 2010-11-16, 15:05   Link #20
Mentar
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Originally Posted by Kamui4356 View Post
Did you understand what I wrote? Because you're largely agreeing with me. You just seem to be contesting the point of the US liking it, as that's the only thing you can possibly say I'm denying there. I'm not even sure why you'd contest that unless you think the US is run by moustache twirling evil overlords. You don't have to enjoy doing something to recognize it's in your best interest.
I suspect we've been somehow passing each other while talking ^_^; ... so I guess I must have taken you wrong. Let's try again.

I was reacting to your statement "Do you really think we have these bases because we like interfering with other nation's affairs?", which looked very much like a rhetorical question to me expecting "No" as the answer. However, I don't think that this is the case. A very significant part of the people involved in your foreign policy DOES like interfering with other nation's affairs.

You might really want to read up on the cabal surrounding the Bush clan, particularly our friends from PNAC, or the "neocons", as they were also dubbed. They were the brainiacs which engineered the Iraq war, and while they were largely discredited in the aftermath, they're regaining power. For them, American preeminence (to avoid the more stringent word "imperialism") is the logical form of foreign policy, and projection of American military power is their major means of coercion. And this is no group of loony closet Machiavellis. These guys are used to be on the helm.

Now don't get me wrong: I do believe that you are more of the unwilling type who sees American involvement more as some kind of policing action, a necessary evil for the Greater Good[tm] of the world. But those people who shape American foreign policy tend to be unscrupulous disciples of realpolitik, and that's a dirty business. Closing bases means closing shop for trouble spots. So, I don't see that happen.
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