For years and years republicans have been giving away the store, bending a little here, dealing there, giving something back there. Next thing you know, $16Tri in debt and can’t balance a budget! We’re growing the size of government beyond all imaginings!
The Purple Gang {Rinos} let this happen. They thought they were dealing in good faith, being moderate & bipartisan, but look what happened? We moved progressively left, taking the country to a new level of statism that’s becoming impossible to reverse!
Entitlements are so entrenched in our psyche, embedded so deep, it will be like pulling teeth to get them out. Giving something for nothing can always be counted on to bring bad things: destroy incentive, encourage laziness, promote lack of responsibility/accountability.
Democrats are already saying it will be up to republicans to break the logjam, get a budget deal going, but nothing has changed! We’re in the same predicament as before. They want to raise taxes on the rich; we want to revise and reduce entitlements, along with a lot of other nonproductive programs and spending we simply can’t afford.
Everyone knows to make a dent, we need to cut at least $10 of spending for every $1 of tax increase & even this won’t solve our problem. Medicare, Medicaid and social security need a complete overhaul. Also welfare programs offering numerous benefits and services based on means testing.
We can’t afford 47 million on food stamps, nor having half our people paying no tax. This is completely unacceptable for the continued growth & prosperity of our country. It’s the same old story: squeeze ever more tax from ever fewer people, shrink the middle class, create a class-warfare mentality of haves & have nots!
The ninety-eight percent (98%) they talk about, who make under $250,000yr, must be pushed to ninety-nine percent (99%) if they want a deal. That would take the threshold to about $750,000 which is a hell of a lot closer to being rich than $250,000.
They should also consider allowing the Bush Tax Cuts to expire on everyone down to about $75,000 if they really want to raise some revenues. Just don’t increase these folks with a bunch of tax rule changes and don’t take away their deductions. The one percent (1%) can pay more. I’ve got a hunch most of them won’t care, because they really are rich you see, not just being called rich.
One string, to keep this a right sided compromise: we need real, verifiable spending cuts of at least $10 for every $1 of tax increase. Now everybody has skin in the game, the rich, the upper middle class, the lower middle class and the poor. It’s time to accept we’re all in this together, sink or swim. No more free rides, without full accountability. No more unlimited welfare, without means testing, fully verified. Social security can be tweaked by a variety of approaches.
We can raise retirement age, eliminate early payouts, stop these games with wife taking husband’s benefit until she decides to take her’s or vice versa, pay a slightly higher rate on earnings, and raise the earnings cap by double.
Also reduce/slow COLA adjustments and make them tie into local statistics reflecting county or state inflation, not just the national average. Finally, those retired folks over the social security age making more than some designated amount {$500,000?} should lose $150mo or 10% of their benefits for every $50,000 over the limit, reducing it down to half for the very rich.
Medicare can kick in at a higher age, matching social security. Benefits paid can be means tested and reduced for higher incomers. Medigap or other supplements can be made mandatory, and a higher rate can be levied on all earnings.
Medicaid should be completely overhauled, with an eye to fixing the wide-spread abuse. Means tests must be adequate, effective & fully enforced to get rid of last-minute strategizing by people who hide their assets. Long Term Care insurance should be mandatory starting at age 30 > 40, so premiums are low and paid over a long period, helping insurance companies to offer comprehensive benefits while maintaining a fair amount of profits. Tax deductions/incentives should be offered to taxpayers who pay premiums on all varieties of health insurance, no matter their age. The benefit to society far exceeds any tax revenues lost.
Do all this, and these programs will get back on track and be sustainable far into the future. There are more things that need to be done, including reducing the size of government and decentralizing many of Washington’s jobs to the states, but we can do this a little at a time.
The important thing is to insist that things must change, and the time to start is now. No more excuses, and no talk of mandates or egalitarianism. We are running a country, not a charity! We are great because of limited government, individual responsibility, fairness in taxation and freedom/liberty to pursue our dreams.
Nobody ever became great without risk, responsibility, or by getting all their stuff for free. Nations reflect the attitudes and industriousness of their people, and rise to greatness only through their hard work, sweat, skill, sacrifice and dreams. America has all of this and more, if we will simply employ it.
You’ve been reading Shaneview
I’m Al Shane
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