Well the gloves have been thrown down by the GOP – the next fight is over the debt and deficit spending. shocked !!

reminded me of this exercise to balance hte budget from 2 years ago... might be time too break it out again !!

Budget Balancing Exercise

You'll find it's NOT that hard. But unfortunately in DC, politics and partisanship get in the way !!


Also keep in mind that this exercise is an "all or nothing" choice on many budget items... in reality, Congress could also cut expenses by partial funding in specific areas of many budget items. So they can be much more precise than in the exercise.

I want to see if the GOP is really serious about cutting or just want to destroy certain programs they disagree with. (course we already know the answer) I want to see their hypocrisy exposed... well re-exposed !!

OK.. this may start some howling from some... but these are my Fantasy picks...


http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/13/weekinreview/deficits-graphic.html?choices=k3fk65qc

If you look at the rhetoric already coming from the right, the disinformation tap is wide open. Those who follow politics or are marginally conversant in Congressional process and fiscal management will spot the lies right away. But the less informed (read: majority of citizens) don't know that the POTUS has, by law, no control over the national charge account — and the right wing and its media mouthpieces are stating the opposite at every opportunity.

Groundhog Day, anyone?

Here's my solution: My debt solution

We have a lot of common themes !

I would allow SS and Medicare to slowly increase the age requirement over the next 8-10 years. We ARE living much longer... so I don't see a problem with a 1-2 year age increase over the next decade. Point 1.- it's slowly adjusted, and 2. the age increase is small.

Except, SS and Medicare are not part of the debt or deficit.

No but they're factored into the cost of the budget... there's savings...

but there's other things I'd cut and deeply... before going there !!

But, they shouldn't even be discussed as part of the debt or deficit. Both SS and Medicare are self-funded by payroll taxes, aren't they? The Republicans are still just trying to eliminate them altogether. They haven't liked SS since FDR.

My understanding is that the Gov, steals from SS and Medicare , to pay for other slicks.

No matter what the Gov pays out. We may think we paid into it.

Hence I would have rather be giving the option of - investing my SS money into a 401K and bought into AFLAC or something similar.

Your understanding is incorrect (unless you subscribe exclusively to the right wing blogosphere). The article is a few years old, but still completely relevant — and the last two paragraphs pretty well sum up the facts.