Tom Toles for January 27, 2013

Getting close to game over; wish we could have elected someone who knew how to make it work.

I posted a few other boards with this question. Other than insane levels of blaming others, what is proposed (in real terms) to reduce the deficit and balance the budget? Please give real numbers and programs, like cut this program, raise taxes more etc. Thank you.

I’d also like to see some very tight limits on how much money is gifted to foreign nations, especially Afghanistan. Including bringing our troops home today.

we need to have tax incentives for multi-national companies (american and foreign) to operate factories here. We need to have tax penalties for companies that send jobs abroad and profit here.

Since Tetris was developed in Russia during the Soviet era, I’m waiting for some right-winger to show up and cite this cartoon as proof that Toles is a Commie

I wrote my original comment/question last night and now the world has had 10 hours to respond, and I thank you one and all for addressing the issue as you see it. Without too much surprise, the military really came out as a number one factor, although a couple of vary salient points were made about other expenditures.*“When the boat is sinking (if that is not too alarmist a metaphor) it won’t help to patch the pinholes when you are ignoring the two large gaping ones!” (Doughfoot)*“Perhaps, Sir, you are unaware that the USA, and indeed the world, is balanced on a razor’s edge. The only way we will survive this is through a slow and measured stepping back from the brink, which is what Obama and his financial people are doing.” (Dr. C. quoting two separate sentences). “The trusted Mechanic” shares the Dr.‘s sentiment with some very relevant points.

“Defense/Security/Intelligence spending and Health Care (Medicare/Medicaid/Etc.) spending.” Those are the gaping holes in the sinking ship Doughfoot alludes to, and I agree. Dr. C brings up (and I am aware and agree) a significant issue that wanton cutting, austerity, radical fiscal moves, can cause more harm than good. We are on a razor’s edge and I wish our political leaders saw it that way and didn’t address it so casually. C. Downs has repeatedly suggested (and again I agree) that before we do wholesale changes in Defense and Medical spending we send out an army of auditors and investigators who have the authority to root out real waste, duplicity, fraud, and redundancy on state and federal levels.

What I would like to see as a “sincere” effort on the part of the government, An important start would be a spending cap put in place and enforced. A real budget that has transparency is necessary. Obama convened the Simpson – Bowles commission and I applauded him for that, right up to the point when he ignored their findings (as did others of both parties) because there were so many dreaded politically unpopular measures included. These are not a panacea for all our problems, but we have to start the process!

Oh yes, my standard disclaimer, I am a Libertarian and voted for Gary Johnson in the last election. Very interesting reading by and large from all participants, with a few mud slinging exceptions. Thanks for letting me share.*http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxtopics/Bowles_Simpson_Brief.cfm

Taxing “the rich” is just a right wing euphemism. What is needed is a recognition that hedge fund managers, and those who back them, only create paper wealth. Since no jobs are created, they should be taxed on a higher basis, i.e., UNearned income. It’s also interesting, and sad, that those who claim to be for “small” business usually mean Lockheed, Boeing, etc., until they need someone for a photo-op.

The deficit is actually going down as the economy improves. Jobs are the problem, and what the government should be working on. The GOP’s insistance on never hiring people, only firing people, is counter-productive.

I think many conservatives have a right to be angry. However, I think their anger is often misplaced. Here’s a recent example, a situation a close friend has had to deal with recently:*He owns a small electronics factory that he started in the 80s. He was able to compete against the Japanese in the 80s and the Koreans in the 90s, but has had much more difficulty competing with the Chinese during the last 10 years. He claimed a few months ago that he will have to lay off more workers due to Obamacare, and is very angry about that.*But in reality, his business was slowly failing anyway. The real problem is that he wasn’t cost-competitive even without considering his higher labor costs. The real problem is that we have non-reciprocal import/export tariffs, and the US is not requiring reasonable working and environmental conditions in China for their products we import. Add several percent to their import tariffs, and refuse to allow imports from sweat shop and polluters, and the number of manufacturing jobs in the US would grow dramatically. (From what I’ve been reading, this is not only an electronics manufacturing problem, and there are other businesses with similar complaints.)*One would think that Rs and Ds, conservatives and liberals, could agree on things as fundamental as this. I hope I’m right in asserting that a broad cross-section of Americans would agree. The problem is that our political leaders are fighting over the wrong things.*And then we listen to them fight, take sides, fight among ourselves, and the real economic problems are ignored.

But it’s no game.

something I can’t figure out…how come prices go up, but thelabor which produces the raw materials and the finishedgoods don’t make more for their work? Somebody is makinga lot more money,but it sure ain’t the workers who producethe product…who is getting the extra money?

Please don’t confuse my use of the words “conservatives” and “Republicans”. True conservatives have a right to be angry. Today’s Republican leaders- not so much.

“That’s two wars that would not be if Democrats had not voted “YES””-Haven’t you heard of duress? The threat of being unpatriotic? The threat of being Anti-American? Bottom line; shrubster and cheney lied, their minions lied. The r/w stood there in front of America and lied. The Democrats voted in favor of the war based upon lies fed to them by the shrubster and cheney dministration, who still are not in jail for their war crimes.

You lose.