Ryan budget/Tea Party toxic for GOP

How would you go about balancing the budget and saving Medicare?

And no, increasing the FICA tax isn't the answer. If you have to raise taxes every time a program is in trouble, that only proves the program is unsustainable. Thus far, Democrats have provided no solutions, just bitching and moaning.
 
Cut defense spending, stop corporate welfare, end tax cuts for the rich.
 
Saint Tomato said:
How would you go about balancing the budget and saving Medicare?

And no, increasing the FICA tax isn't the answer. If you have to raise taxes every time a program is in trouble, that only proves the program is unsustainable. Thus far, Democrats have provided no solutions, just bitching and moaning.
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#1. I'd complete reforming health care to modernize our systems to resemble the rest of the Industrialized nations to include not only the universal coverage mandate but to also include a single payer system and price controls. (and it would reduce HC costs to around 10% or less of GDP which would be a huge economic stimulus.)
#2. I'd raise the cap on Social Security Payroll taxes to $250,000/year (not a budgetary issue at present but will be in the future and needs to be done anyways.)
#3. End the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and reduce military spending to 1999 levels (adjusted for inflation).
#4. Allow the Bush era tax cuts to expire and consider modest additional progressive tax increases, if required, to balance the budget and pay down the debt.
#5. Obviously make other unpopular discretionary spending cuts for obsolete or superanuated programs not only for cost/budgetary savings but to limit the scope of government. Primarily subsidies. Government subsidies are something all free market advocates should oppose.

Step #1 would save about $300 billion per year on medicare/medicaid payments.
Step #3 would save an additional $300 billion annually.
Step #4 would generate about 700 billion annually in additional revenue.

That would create a surplus of around $200 billion annually that I would use to pay down the national debt.
 
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Saint Tomato said:
And no, increasing the FICA tax isn't the answer. If you have to raise taxes every time a program is in trouble, that only proves the program is unsustainable. Thus far, Democrats have provided no solutions, just bitching and moaning.
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What an incredibly ignorant comment. The biggest spending and corporate welfare program of them all is national defense in which we spend far in excess of what we need to, to defend our shores, our sovereignty and our interests abroad.

You love to sit back and throw these groundless hand grenades with less then a half assed grasp of the issues based solely on ideology. The only thing that's unsustainable here is your ability to think.

Look pal, unless you are willing to address the revenue side of the budgetary issue, not just spending, then you're a fucking pouting little child who is unwilling to have an adult conversation. Please come back when you grow up and want to have an adult conversation.
 
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Saint Tomato said:
How would you go about balancing the budget and saving Medicare?
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We're doomed.

Saint Tomato said:
And no, increasing the FICA tax isn't the answer. If you have to raise taxes every time a program is in trouble, that only proves the program is unsustainable.
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Then medical care for the elderly is unsustainable. We will have fun telling our grandchildren about the time in the distant past when grandpa wouldn't have had to die of a treatable disease.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
#1. I'd complete reforming health care to modernize our systems to resemble the rest of the Industrialized nations to include not only the universal coverage mandate but to also include a single payer system and price controls. (and it would reduce HC costs to around 10% or less of GDP which would be a huge economic stimulus.)
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I don't really think it's an accurate analysis to take the % of GDP Singapore or France pays on healthcare and say that if we adopt something similar to that our numbers will suddenly drop to exactly that low.
 
How to balance the budget:





Cut foreign aid in half


Eliminate earmarks


Eliminate farm subsidies


Reduce nuclear arsenal and space spending


Reduce military to pre-Iraq War size and further reduce troops in Asia and Europe


Reduce Navy and Air Force fleets


Cancel or delay some weapons programs


Reduce noncombat military compensation and overhead


Reduce the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to 30,000 by 2013


Enact medical malpractice reform


Reduce the tax break for employer-provided health insurance


Reduce Social Security benefits for those with high incomes


Tighten eligibility for disability


Use an alternate measure for inflation


Return the estate tax to Clinton-era levels


Return investment tax rates to Clinton-era levels


Allow expiration of the Bush tax cuts for income above $250,000 a year


Payroll tax: Subject some incomes above $106,000 to tax


Millionaire's tax on income above $1 million


Eliminate loopholes, but keep taxes slightly higher


Reduce mortgage deduction and others for high-income households


Bank Tax



http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/13/weekinreview/deficits-graphic.html
 
SmarterThanYou said:
you completely misunderstand my point. i'm not about BALANCING the budget. I want to reduce it, tremendously.
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You completely misunderstand the thread topic. Go back and read it again.


BTW, the cuts I proposed do reduce the budget.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
#1. I'd complete reforming health care to modernize our systems to resemble the rest of the Industrialized nations to include not only the universal coverage mandate but to also include a single payer system and price controls. (and it would reduce HC costs to around 10% or less of GDP which would be a huge economic stimulus.)
#2. I'd raise the cap on Social Security Payroll taxes to $250,000/year (not a budgetary issue at present but will be in the future and needs to be done anyways.)
#3. End the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and reduce military spending to 1999 levels (adjusted for inflation).
#4. Allow the Bush era tax cuts to expire and consider modest additional progressive tax increases, if required, to balance the budget and pay down the debt.
#5. Obviously make other unpopular discretionary spending cuts for obsolete or superanuated programs not only for cost/budgetary savings but to limit the scope of government. Primarily subsidies. Government subsidies are something all free market advocates should oppose.

Step #1 would save about $300 billion per year on medicare/medicaid payments.
Step #3 would save an additional $300 billion annually.
Step #4 would generate about 700 billion annually in additional revenue.

That would create a surplus of around $200 billion annually that I would use to pay down the national debt.
Click to expand...

Care to back up those figures with actual data?

First off, there's no way in hell creating a giant new entitlement (single-payer) would save money.

Secondly, when the renewal of the Bush tax cuts was being debated, it was estimated that allowing the cuts to expire on the wealthy would generate about $70 in additional revenue -- plus about $200 billion if middle class tax cuts were allowed to expired. Are you in favor of raising taxes on the middle class? Furthermore, where do you get the $700 billion figure? Please explain "additional progressive tax increases."

You're very obviously making up this shit as you go along. No real solutions, just bigger government and higher taxes. No thanks.
 
I guess Doltaire was scared to take the NYT budget challenge.
 
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