political talk

While my computer is working (for one hour or two or three days) I will get a quick post up.  Last night the President addressed the nation on raising the national debt limit and then the House Republican Leader made his comments. Just a quick reminder, this is not new spending they are talking about and to say the President wants a blank check is either stupid or a lie.  This is in order for the government to continue paying for those government programs that Congress has legislated.  The President, by our Constitution, cannot spend a dime.  Programs that cost money have to start in the House, be passed by the House, then the Senate and finally signed by the President.  He can't pass a law, can't make Congress pass a law.

Now, the biggest reasons for the deficit and debt being so large now are:  One, the so-called Bush tax cuts which the Republican controlled Congress passed and Bush signed in 2001; two, two wars that Bush started and two countries occupied, and it was the first time in our history that we went to war and didn't pass a tax increase to pay for it.  We borrowed the money to pay for those wars; three, the great recession caused outlays for the banks, car companies and another tax cut and money for States so they didn't have to lay off teachers, cops, firemen (so-called stimulus).

When Bush was elected he inherited a surplus.  In other words, we were collecting more in taxes and fees than the government was spending because of policies put in place by President Clinton and a Republican controlled Congress.  When the Bush tax cuts were enacted in 2001, the reason they were to expire in ten years was because they would balloon the deficit.  That was very publicly discussed and debated.  That is exactly what happened and then we had the other things on top of that.

Social Security has never contributed a dime to the deficit.  On the other hand, it has paid for a great deal of the government's expenses and the Social Security Trust Fund holds most of its worth in government debt, like a Treasury Bill or savings certificate.  And the only way to corral health expenses in this country is for a single payer system similar to France and other European countries where the government has the ability to control the price of services.  Shoving people into for-profit insurance companies does not control costs or improve health care.  I was against that kind of health care reform in the 1990's when the Republicans were pushing it in Congress, I was against it when Romney got it enacted into law in Massachusetts and I was against it when Obama and the Democrats in Congress passed it.

So whether the retards in Congress can get it together before we crash the world economy, I don't know.  Maybe but there are some in there that are fanatically committed to a particular philosophy and quite willing to take us all down with them.