re: #128 TNChuckster

The U.S. has three options. Cut spending, raise taxes, or go bankrupt. If we raise taxes it will have to come from the middle class. The rich can’t cover the governments spending, even if they take all of it. The poor don’t have any money to tax either.

Why do you see “cutting spending” and “raising taxes” as mutually exclusive? There are plenty of cuts in the budget, particularly in the defense budget, that can be done in addition to modest tax increases. Hell, raising taxes back to Clinton-era levels would do plenty to fix our current revenue problems.

For a politician to say “We’re going to raise everyone’s taxes” is death (just ask Walter Mondale) , hence Bachmann’s “spread the base” and the president’s “spending reductions in the tax code” doublespeak.

Bachmann’s “spread the base” BS runs on the idea that we can’t ask the rich to pay more, so we have to ask the poor and middle class to “chip in.” Before we start talking about “spreading,” how ‘bout we first start talking about ending all the tax loopholes and deducations that the rich enjoy, as well as taking a lot of the caps on various taxes that keep them from paying as much as a guy making a fraction of their yearly income?

The Tea Party has been completely demonized at this site, discussion about cutting spending is beyond me.

You can’t tarnish a rusted blade. The Tea Party’s a joke and our pointing that out is not in any way “demonizing” them.

In my opinion though, a school spending over $10K per student and the student is not receiving and education, seems like continuing to spend money repairing an old Fiat. There has to be a cheaper way to find transportation to work.

The problems with our education system are many and complex, but “overspending” is not even close to the top.

Go bankrupt? I have no idea what effect that would have on the individuals of this country, but it can’t be good.

Economic apocalypse, to say the least. But you’re not gonna hear that from the GOP anytime soon.

I think we’re all boned, no matter who is going to be running the place in a couple of years.

We are if we keep trying to look at the problem in simplistic terms. Or looking for a “pain free” solution. We spent decades getting ourselves into this problem, it’s not one that’s going to be fixed overnight, nor is it going to be easy.