Weren't you the one who pointed out how important it is to distinguish between "social" and "socialist?" Now look who's confusing the two? Tellya what... why don't you list out all the successful and economically prosperous Socialist governments in countries the size of the US, over the entire history of the world? In fact, I will make this even easier for you... just name ONE?
We’ve been over this before and I’ve itemized population, area and gave a general idea of the medical plans. It’s your turn to check them out.
Large countries and small countries, geographically speaking. Large and small countries, population-wise. The countries with government medical are as diverse as they come. Check this list of countries
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004379.html (population and area) against this list of countries with some form of “socialized medicine”. Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. While all plans are different regarding coverage it will give you an idea what’s possible.
The fact is, Socialist government consistently fails, time and time again, throughout history, it has never worked. Eventually, corruption and graft becomes widespread, as those who control power take all the pie and leave their fellow neighbors with nothing. Like a big giant ponzi scheme.
Virtually all past socialist governments were formed through violence. What would one expect from countries run by thugs. Elections would allow citizens to throw out the corrupted officials.
We look across the pond, at the socialist governments of Greece, Spain and Portugal, and what is currently happening there? Are the people HAPPY? Do they look HAPPY as they burn their cities to the ground? Are they cheering how great and wonderful it is that they are BANKRUPT? There are people who thought just like you, apple. They believed Socialism would propel them to greatness and solve all their problems.
Sweden, Finland, Norway, Australia, Belgium, Canada, United Kingdom…..but remember social policies don’t mean the country is Socialist.
So, even by your own admission, the money is no longer there. We can disagree on why that is the case, but the bottom line is, we can't spend money that isn't there. You see, it's fine to look back in history and say we should have done this or that, but we can't go back in time and change it. I wish that I had made better investment decisions and was a wealthy as Donald Trump right now... it doesn't mean I can go out spending money like Donald Trump, because I wished I had done that! The fact is, I didn't do that, I made the choices I made, now I have to live with the consequences.
We saw what happened when there was money. Remember Rummy’s words? So, what is a government supposed to do?
Perhaps an analogy will help.
Dad always buys a new car every three years while neglecting maintenance on the house. There is never enough money to fix the house. So, Mom borrows money from the bank and gets a new roof. Dad comes home from work one day and sees a new roof has been installed. So, he either cashes in some stock, sells the car and buys a cheaper one, gives up the single malt scotch (God forbid)……That was the only way mom could get a new roof. Times will be tough for a while and when dad goes shopping for his next new car in a year he knows the money that was usually earmarked for car payments is now going to reply the bank for the roof loan. If mom had waited until there was enough money she would have been wet due to the leaking roof.
That is, essentially, how Obama is operating. Social programs are going to the top of the list just as wars were always at the top of the Repub list. Just as the roof loan has to be paid the same applies to social programs. Medical care. Unemployment. And other things have to be cut.
When the Dems left a little nest egg what did the Repubs spend it on? Rummy couldn’t have been more direct in what he said. “War was an option we could afford.” What about an extra pair of shoes for all the children on welfare? Maybe a little extra for Christmas? Maybe a few dollars sent to all the cancer clinics so they could help those struggling to pay for treatments?
Here's the thing, we don't have excess money. We are currently spending $1.6 trillion MORE than we take in! We can't afford to keep doing this, because, right now, the biggest item in the budget, is the interest on the money we have already borrowed. Our choices are becoming very limited, we might still be able to salvage some social programs, if we modify the criteria and eliminate waste... but if we continue to act as if we have plenty of money and it's not an issue, we will eventually not be able to pay the interest on our debt, and America will default. Now it doesn't matter whether you realize this or not, you can stubbornly keep on arguing to the contrary, you can keep living in denial, but eventually, the reality is, we are going to go broke and our entire system of government is going to collapse. This means, there will be absolutely NO social programs.
That’s why Obama is trying to end the wars. That’s why Obama got Bin Laden with a handful of guys instead of 100,000 troops. That’s why Obama apologized for the burning of those books. That’s why Obama didn’t shoot off his mouth with “Bring it on”. Sure, bring it on while 45,000 citizens die every year from a lack of medical insurance. Bring it on while thousands and thousands of troops coming home can’t work even if there were jobs available due to their injuries, both physical and mental.
The insanity has to stop. Even if there will be a few rough spots and, maybe, temporary tax increases at least the people will see they’re heading in the right direction. Romney, the lunatic, is talking about war with Iran. The same old Republican bullsh!t. Money for war but no money for medical care or for food for the unemployed. Is that the country you want? Do you want to pay for another war?
Social benefits can be taxed back like some other governments/countries do. For example, those whose retirement benefits exceed a certain amount have to pay back a portion of their retirement pension.
There are a number of ways to adjust entitlement programs but, like with medical care, the Repubs refuse to work with the Dems. Surely you realize there are some people who can afford to pay more tax which would enable the truly needy to be helped.
Uhmm... No they don't, apple. Other countries implement feel good socialist policies, only to find out they can't afford them, and eventually collapse in chaos (like Greece) until the US comes along and bails them out.
Greece. One country. Check the list at the top of this post. How many countries are still supplying medical care after 50 or more years. Not bad for a failed program.
FUCK YOU! OBAMA RAN ON THE PROMISE HE COULD FIX THE GODDAMN MESS!
He’s working on it. A handful of men compared to 100,000 troops. Bringing the troops home. Repairing the damage big mouth Bush did over eight years. Ensuring people have medical coverage. And a few more right here.
http://obamaachievements.org/list Check it out.
Yes I have! He makes a speech and says how disappointed he is, and how much he hopes things will change, and then he ignores the conflict and lets the rest of the world figure out what to do, while he entertains rap stars and celebrities at the white house, with Michelle and the kids.
So now you’re knocking the guy because he knows how to throw a party. Envious much?
And as for “lets the rest of the world figure out what to do”, YES!!!! Great idea! Super! Bring the troops home. Get the hell out of other people’s countries. Get out of the fray and if something requires doing, just do it! Like he did getting Bin Laden. No speeches. No standing on a ship’s deck or, in this case, hanging out of a chopper.
When I think back to Bush it was almost an embarrassment watching him. He acted like he was some General, like he was on the battle field. A wanna-be soldier. What a doofus.
Operation Geronimo was planned out long before Obama had even announced he was running for president, you moron.
As I said Obama wasn’t pictured hanging out of a chopper. Can you imagine if that had happened with Bush in office? We'd have probably seen him tied to a rope ladder swinging under a black hawk.
Let's be clear, Iran can NOT get a nuclear weapon! That is an option we can't have. If Obama can figure out a way to keep that from happening without involving troops, I am all for it, but the option of turning a blind eye and ignoring the problem while the Obama's entertain celebs, isn't a very good plan, in my opinion.
I agree. However, he doesn’t have to make a weekly show about it like Bush used to do. I’m sure Obama is working on things just like the taking out of Bin Laden. Let the man do his job, quietly! He doesn’t have to go on TV every week ranting and raving and cranking everyone up. Those continuous rants of Bush were bullsh!t, anyway. He wasn’t telling us what plans the military made or what was going on behind the scenes. It was nothing but ego TV starring a big mouth idiot.
Again, moron... you are trying to spend money that has already been spent! Things don't work that way in reality! We spend money then it's gone, we don't get to spend it again on something else. I should have spent my money on paying off my mortgage instead of liquor and whores, but I didn't.... does that mean I can now stop making my house payments? Are you so fucking retarded you don't realize how stupid this sounded, or what?
Of course I realize how stupid you sounded but, hey, you’re Dixie.
(Sorry, couldn't resist.)
The country has the money. A country is composed of citizens and the citizens of the US have money, therefore, the country has money. Do you have children? If so, when the children were young were they poor because they weren’t earning money cleaning toilets? (Tribute to Gingrich.) Why do you think places that offer credit ask for “household income”? They know the money is there even if you, personally, do not have it. If you earned minimum wage but your wife earned $200,000/yr. you would get a credit card.
Again (and again and again).... The total cost of Afghanistan AND Iraq, for the military conflict, the soldiers salaries, the cost of equipment, and the cost to rebuild the countries, is CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN THE COMBINED BUDGET DEFICITS for the past 3 years of Obama's administration! If we had saved the money an never went to Iraq or Afghanistan, and IF we had completely dismantled the military for the past three years, it still wouldn't have saved us enough money to eliminate the deficit..
Look, take out the bailout and the wars and there’s a very different picture. In any case, the richest country in the world can afford to look after it’s ill and poor. I don’t give a damn what numbers are thrown around. The citizens of the US have money. It’s as simple as that.
We’re not talking Somalia here. There are no refugee camps nor a shortage of food and water. The majority of citizens are relatively wealthy compared to other countries. The debt can be handled IF Obama is given a chance to implement his programs. It’s been proven government medical saves money. Every country, without exception, spends considerably less than the US and the life span in the majority of those countries is equal to or greater than the US so just let him implement ObamaCare and get on with it.
There are ways to lower the deficit and still look after the needy. Other countries do it but there has to be changes made in the US and a majority for Obama will offer that opportunity. He has had to fight every step of the way. Before you condemn him for not fixing things let him try to fix it instead of supporting the Repubs who continually hamper his efforts.
