Good start.
However I'd like to make a couple remarks to these. Mostly I cannot contend much in these comments because there are few assertions of fact and mostly just opinion. I'll not argue opinion here and now. Also, many of these items are interrelated (economy to ecology to defense etc).
The biggest point I can make here is that Social Security is not in as much trouble as stated IF the government would leave the fund alone (governmental interagency spending is what is killing SS). This is done to avoid immediate increases in taxes (which are unpopular and voters notice). Therefore a raise in taxes (or not passing all these cuts) could cover their ACTUAL spending (thus bringing it to the budget, oversight, accounting...) and leave the funds in SS to do what they are intended to do. Now understand that no matter what, the money must be replaced to maintain SS. The defense department (the overall largest borrower) will never pay the fund back (nor will the others). So that means we pay it.
This brings me to "I don't believe that the cheapest bottom dollar is always the best bet"
is at the core of this problem. Because that is exactly what is happening. The government can "hide" additional spending by taking it out of SS. This makes the appearance of "the cheapest bottom dollar" while actually costing us more. How? It's additional spending in the annual budget. Once that money is gone...it is gone, but the shortfall in SS is not.
Now let's move on to the environment. This issue also bleeds into national health which in turn bleeds into spending etc as well. The republican party has bent over backward to give every concession possible to business in the last 6 years. They have set back environmental legislation by at least a decade and in some cases several decades. Here are just a few of the issues they have screwed us all on.
Mountain Top Strip Mining (removal of the entire top of a mountain by explosives and then pushing all the debris down the mountain into the valleys and rivers below) is now legal in our search for coal (a HUGE problem...don't beleive the clean coal commercials its spin).
The reduction of arsenic in ground water was put on hold by Bush (reversing/suspending a Clean Water Act provision).
Fuel efficiency standards were put on hold. If our avg. fuel eff. grew by 10 mpg ....we wouldn't need ANY foreign oil. This leads HUGELY into defense......
Water pollution from paper production. Paper can be produced without bleach it just isn't as white (it is still white just not brilliant white). Paper is also cheaper to make once the conversion to non waste water plant is made. The pollution caused by bleaching agents dumped into rivers is major. It kills off fisheries, poisons ground water, and leads to health issues. Is super white paper that important? [This issue isn't a solely repub. problem but is a serious one]
In NO way is that a complete list. Just a little begining.
Taxes. In this country debt is almost loved. Our citizenry carries immense debt. Our state and local governments do as well. What the hell why not the Fed. Gov. too right? We as a country had fought hard for some reality in budgeting. Bush has not only spent that extra money he has put us back into deficits. Just in the sense of National Security is it wise to borrow billions of dollars from China in order to spend away?
Is it worth a couple hundred bucks (avg. tax cut for low - middle tax payers) to hock our nation to the world?
While we are on taxation...
Why is Regan "Trickle down economics" back in the form of Bush's tax cuts? It failed us in the 80's (might I say...HUGELY). Supply sided tax cuts are a farce in terms of economic recovery.
Let's start with the term economic recovery. Does this mean the price of stocks have increased? Does this mean mom and pop have more cash to pay the heating bill? Does this mean another 0 added onto a billionaires wealth? Does this mean we can afford our government without passing the buck endlessly from generation to generation?
Supply side gives tax cuts to wealthy individuals so the money can trickle down to the "peasants" in the other 80% of the population in the form of higher wages, more jobs, etc. This is so idiotic it infuriates me. The wealthy already have more money than they spend...thus they are wealthy. Increasing their assets does NOT necessarily increase their spending. Now let me be very clear. SPENDING is what makes this economy go. Investment makes stock prices go. [Not that investing is bad (or saving for that matter)...as I am an investor myself] People will argue that increased investment leads to new corps, jobs, wages, etc.
However this is also mostly falacy. Wages have been dropping steadily for decades (in terms of spending power) and actual real jobs are also decreasing alarmingly.
Now if ya gave that tax break to the lower and middle class they'd spend it. How do I know? Look at household debt data. It's what we do... we get money we spend money.
Now, all this assumes our budget is healthy enough for a tax cut. It is not. We have massive deficits while at the same time there are massive cuts to social programs(and very oddly...the creation of another massive entitlement program for future Repubs to underfund).
Now you may read that and say: B your arguing the conservative views on budgetary concerns. I am. I am fiscally quite conservative. It is the Republican party who is not but claims to be.
Lets move on. Defense. While I personally am for strong DoD spending, I am against how it is spent. Our military is undermanned (and way underwomaned). Our military is taken for granted by our government. Our wasteful spending on weapons programs of little use wastes money that could be used to grow our forces (or improve existing weapons).
No, I have never served. However my father and grandfather did. It was their influence that partially kept me from enlisting. NOT for any love lost for the military institutions BUT for the politicians who wield them without having any idea of the consequences of their actions.
My father in particular was active in the POW/MIA program in the 80s and 90s. He was appalled at our soldiers treatment at the hands of our government when they returned from Nam. The VA was a joke, support was non existant, the MIAs were left without a care, Agent Orange was ignored and refuted, and on and on.
Is this how we treat our patriots? Why? These people went when they were called by their nation. They didn't go off on some wild adventure. Boredom. Death. Terror. Futility. Disease. Wounds. This is just some of what they faced for us. FOR US. Sure as hell didn't do it for themselves (well maybe a few with political aspirations...John Kerry comes to mind)
So why aren't we funding our veteran programs?
I think we have a 1st class military and a 3rd (if we are lucky) class government. Our government does not deserve the Honor that our military truly is. Even with Iraq I am as proud as ever of our troops. Atrocities will happen it is a part of warfare. These entitlment programs go to the core of the word...these veterans are ENTITLED to better.
Ok this is starting to get rambly. (If your even still there lol.) So I'll just try to wrap it up I guess.
I touched on the economy, environment, taxes, budget, and defense. These are all important and interrelated but are not the only problems we face. I also do not blame repubs alone for all this. But I do wonder how one could claim that they are closer to ones values than the other candidates. Most voters are for a healthy environment, less corruption, more justice, more defense (in safety not $$), fiscal responsibility, government accountability, and equitable and fair taxation to name a few of the biggies. The Republicans do not share these values. Therefore I must assume that guns and abortion are the primary motivation for ignoring the obvious shortcomings in every other way.
When a party claims the moral high ground but drives the low road, I am truly saddened by the fact that they still win. Pro Life means illegal wars? It is moral to lie outright to the world? Killing the constitution makes us safer? Destroying the environment is good for the economy? Dirty election tricks are good for fair elections in a democracy? Covering up crimes is Justice? Creating terrorists at a rate unmatched in many years is making us safer?
Just something to chew on...till next time
B
http://b-political.blogspot.com/