12 Ways to Reduce the Federal Deficit

The audio will play automatically - if you don't hear it you may need to adjust your computer's volume. It is from a speech that Sen. Sanders' gave in the US Senate chambers on July 19th, 2011.


sanders.senate.gov...

1. Repeal Bush tax cuts for the rich.
2. Establish Millionaires Surtax.
3. End tax breaks for Overseas.
4. End Big oil and Gas tax breaks.
5. End abusive offshore tax shelters.
6. Establish Wall Street Speculation fee.
7. Tax capital gains and dividends like work.
8. Create Progressive estate tax.
9. End wasteful Pentagon spending.
10. Require Medicare drug price negotiations.
11. Enact ROBUST public health insurance option.
12. End government waste, fraud, and abuse.

That makes too much sense.

Not a chance in Hell of it ever happening.

Peace

Originally posted by David9176
The audio will play automatically - if you don't hear it you may need to adjust your computer's volume. It is from a speech that Sen. Sanders' gave in the US Senate chambers on July 19th, 2011.


sanders.senate.gov...

1. Repeal Bush tax cuts for the rich.
2. Establish Millionaires Surtax.

Please look at what happened in Illinois and California when they adopted such short sighted policies.

Originally posted by David91763. End tax breaks for Overseas.
4. End Big oil and Gas tax breaks.
5. End abusive offshore tax shelters.

All good ideas. However, you do realize that WE the people will pay those "taxes" as increased prices, right?

Originally posted by David91766. Establish Wall Street Speculation fee.

Isn't that the same as capital gains tax?

Originally posted by David91767. Tax capital gains and dividends like work.

Why tax work? Why tax productivity? Don't you liberals see how bad it is for the economy to PUNISH WORK? You encourage laziness and sloth when you punish work.

Originally posted by David91768. Create Progressive estate tax.

Yeah, because progressive tax rates work so well for the economy.

Originally posted by David91769. End wasteful Pentagon spending.

Sure, bring home all the troops and close all overseas bases. All for it.

Originally posted by David917610. Require Medicare drug price negotiations.

Even better, end medicare and all other socialistic entitlement programs. Think of all the money we could save.

Originally posted by David917611. Enact ROBUST public health insurance option.

NO! End all socialist entitlements. Do not add more.

Originally posted by David917612. End government waste, fraud, and abuse.

First you must fire all the existing politicians, then enact term limits and possibly end elections altogether. Maybe we should draft our politicians for 4 year terms, after which they go back home to their regular jobs.

reply to post by sonofliberty1776


Even for all you are against.

THERE IS SOME COMMON GROUND based on your posts.

So why can't we fix some things?

What do yo want your country to be?

Originally posted by David9176
reply to post by sonofliberty1776

 

Even for all you are against.

THERE IS SOME COMMON GROUND based on your posts.

So why can't we fix some things?

What do yo want your country to be?

We do have some common ground, but I am as anti-socialist as you will find anywhere in the world. I am a firm libertarian and socialism/communism is the complete antithesis.

reply to post by sonofliberty1776


I look at what worked best in the past. I don't really care what names I am called...it doesn't matter to me. Go ahead and beat me up all you want...I simply don't care.

that being stated.....there is still common ground as reflected by your post.

So why not work with things we can all agree with first and foremost???

S+F

Something Sanders should also include - end ALL corporate lobbying. Lobbying is just another name for Influence peddling, and the number one reason why we can't end the military-industrial complex or the big pharma/insurance industry. The MIC fights to keep the grotesque defense budget in place just as the pharma/insurance fight to keep the medicare/medicaid coverage in place.

In fact lobbying should be made illegal. Do that and you might see some sanity return to Washington.


ETA:
Sanders is someone a lot of people should start listening to, especially those self-avowed tea-partiers and Ron Paul fans. Sanders has been talking a whole lot of sense on budgetary matters. He recently gave made some comments about the Wall Street speculators who have been keeping the cost of gas firmly in the stratosphere (Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan), well worth listening too. He's independent, so he's neither "here nor there".

Originally posted by David9176

What do you want your country to be?

I want a government that is small and lean and starving for funds. I want a government that does not interfere or intrude in any manner into my private life. I want a government that does not see the Constitution as "an obstacle to overcome". I want a government that stops signing treaties that are bad for us. I want a government composed of people that actually WORK, that have jobs or own small businesses. I want more justice and less legalism. I want fewer stupid laws. I want the federal government to stay out of the state's business. I want a government that recognizes that I spend part of my life making the money they waste. Less government, more freedom.

reply to post by David9176


I am a libertarian and I agree with you on many points. I also see the common ground you have with those that differ in ideology. I think that it ridiculous people cannot set aside their individual ideology to discuss how to work within both ideologies for a solution. As a libertarian I believe that socialism is freedom, and I have taken heat for this. Our founding fathers instructed us that we the people have an absolute right to alter and change government whenever we need to so that it serves all of us in the best possible way. So this means Freedom under the constitution is not an economic system, it is the ability to alter the economic system when our collective needs demand it. This also means we should entertain local social programs as an alternative to federally mandated programs.

Such solutions are within our reach. But many that believe in Freedom, believe Freedom should be their way or no way. Freedom is a joint effort. You cannot have freedom when 10% own 90% of everything. You cannot have freedom when 60% of the population work all day long just to feed themselves and keep a roof over their heads. Something needs to change, and we have big problems in this country. But solutions start by merging ideas. Unfortunately, you and I could probably draft plans for 30 ways to fix the economy that merge ideas of all ideologies, and still someone would find some problem with it. I say we must start fixing what is broken and constantly reevaluating a better way even after we find our solution.

We could drive down the deficit by taxation, tarriffs, and an number of other fund raising activities. We could stop wars of aggression and significantly reduce spending, all while never touching domestic spending. However, some place more focus on more wars, more government contracts and less for the people. Then those same people complain if their taxes are raised, and cry socialism. They want to fix it by cutting off the people first.

reply to post by ExPostFacto


I used to consider myself a libertarian/conservative. As time went on, i realized that holding dear to one particular ideology is nothing but destructive.

All ideologies are flawed. Taking the best ideas and meshing them together is the best option in my opinion.

Mr. Sanders' solution is to raise taxes 10 different ways and reduce spending 2? Interesting way to make us poor.

/TOA

reply to post by David9176

As time went on, i realized that holding dear to one particular ideology is nothing but destructive. All ideologies are flawed. Taking the best ideas and meshing them together is the best option in my opinion.

THIS.

I was called socialist/communist by libertarians and right-wing. Then I was called capitalist bourgeoisie by socialists.

Radicalisation of political thought, and people relying on predefined instant ideologies instead of thinking for themselves and pragmatically is why the politics is where it is.

Originally posted by David9176
The audio will play automatically - if you don't hear it you may need to adjust your computer's volume. It is from a speech that Sen. Sanders' gave in the US Senate chambers on July 19th, 2011.


sanders.senate.gov...

1. Repeal Bush tax cuts for the rich.
2. Establish Millionaires Surtax.
3. End tax breaks for Overseas.
4. End Big oil and Gas tax breaks.
5. End abusive offshore tax shelters.
6. Establish Wall Street Speculation fee.
7. Tax capital gains and dividends like work.
8. Create Progressive estate tax.
9. End wasteful Pentagon spending.
10. Require Medicare drug price negotiations.
11. Enact ROBUST public health insurance option.
12. End government waste, fraud, and abuse.

Now how many of those will get you suicided or branded a terrorist and thrown into a secret prison.

You really think messing up the big Corp-thugs money is going to not get you killed/"disappeared-ed "?

Come now you know how insane these power addicts/god complexes are. They won't let that fly without a fight.