The US is 12+ trillion dollars in debt. Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security adds an additional 50+ trillion dollars in unfounded liabilities (towards the National Debt). The list goes on. The interest alone is 2 trillion, and we have a trade deficit! We can NEVER pay this back. This is madness, and yet Health Care reform is bashed/forced upon the American people under the guise of it being "the right thing to do." Health care reform only ensures the collapse of our country, not to mention an ad hoc health care program (that will die in a decade or less). Government regulation and bureaucratic nonsense is the reason why Health Care is so expensive to begin with! And you want more government intervention? Why do you support a government that turns their back on Americans, Symmetric Chaos?! Somewhere, somehow... you are missing the point. America is about to loose it'a AAA credit rating, and various countries want the US currency booted off the map, especially China. Our country is in way over it's head. Wake up!
Originally posted by ushomefree
Ron Paul...on Health Care Reform!
Ron Paul seems very sensible in many interviews, however he got some issues.
Originally posted by ushomefree
The US is 12+ trillion dollars in debt. Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security adds an additional 50+ trillion dollars in unfounded liabilities (towards the National Debt). The list goes on. The interest alone is 2 trillion, and we have a trade deficit! We can NEVER pay this back. This is madness, and yet Health Care reform is bashed/forced upon the American people under the guise of it being "the right thing to do." Health care reform only ensures the collapse of our country, not to mention an ad hoc health care program (that will die is in a decade or less). Government regulation and bureaucratic nonsense is the reason why Health Care is so expensive to begin with! And you want more government intervention? Why do you support a government that turns their back on Americans, Symmetric Chaos?! Somewhere, somehow... you are missing the point. America is about to loose it'a AAA credit rating, and various countries want the US currency booted off the map, especially China. Our country is in way over it's head. Wake up!
Increase inflation 😐
Originally posted by ushomefree
The US National Debt is approaching 13 trillion dollars! Entitlement programs - Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security - amount to 50+ trillion dollars. (A figure conveniently overlooked by the media and Obama Administration.) And now... we seemingly have a new entitlement program: Health Care! How are we going to pay for this?Meanwhile, the US Government continues to borrow money from China and Japan, amongst other countries, and the FED continues to print fiat money (while American citizens and businesses are taxed to oblivion). On top of that, the US has a trade deficit - meaning, the US imports more than it exports. This does not strengthen the US dollar and/or the US economy, and it certainly does not create jobs. It only ensures chaos, poverty and dependence on government. This is a mathematical fact.
Our country is in such dire shape, that countries like China, Singapore and Saudi Arabia are opting for a new world reserve currency! Reports have even circulated over the US loosing it's AAA credit score. These are screaming indicators of a major storm brewing.
Originally posted by ushomefree
The US is 12+ trillion dollars in debt. Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security adds an additional 50+ trillion dollars in unfounded liabilities (towards the National Debt). The list goes on. The interest alone is 2 trillion, and we have a trade deficit! We can NEVER pay this back. This is madness, and yet Health Care reform is bashed/forced upon the American people under the guise of it being "the right thing to do." Health care reform only ensures the collapse of our country, not to mention an ad hoc health care program (that will die in a decade or less). Government regulation and bureaucratic nonsense is the reason why Health Care is so expensive to begin with! And you want more government intervention? Why do you support a government that turns their back on Americans, Symmetric Chaos?! Somewhere, somehow... you are missing the point. America is about to loose it'a AAA credit rating, and various countries want the US currency booted off the map, especially China. Our country is in way over it's head. Wake up!
Curious
Originally posted by ushomefree
Ordo... give it a rest. The majority of Americans do not trust the government any longer, not to mention the media.
I never denied any of that 😱. However, the opinon of Americans doesn't alter fact.
Originally posted by Bardock42
I don't like how the tea party movement is now equated with libertarians, there's a lot of very sensible libertarians who don't believe in Republican propaganda either....
Meh. its a wierd movement and its hard to define (just like libertarianism has been). The tea party is an amalgam of movements, ones that don't necessarily get along. its a conservative movement...perhaps radically so, but it has a lot of libertarian ideals as well, certianly more libertarian ideas than Republican (which seem just slightly les toxic as Democrats).
There are sensible people in most groups, be they socialists, conservatives, or libertarians.
Originally posted by Moscow
Plus, the American MSM is abysmal on reporting any type of news that does not have a preconceived bias or deals with celebrities.
Yup, though I think its quite obviosu that MSM is dead/dying.
As to Iran, I must continue to disagree that the attitude has not changed. Obama wrote Ahmadenijad...personally. There is no more "war on terror," "axis of evil" junk. If you (aspiriously) doubt his motives fine, but there certainly has been a decrease in rhetoric.
On Isreal, we will see how the settlement issue works out....Bibi sure as hell shut his mouth after meeting with Obama...and despite AIPAC and other political crap, the US hasn't budged, and unlike during the Clinton and Bush administrations when similar things happened (Albright was furious)...the US has thus far stood it ground.
But remeber Egypt went to war with Isreal and is continually dogged by sharia-promoting polticians themselves. Improving relations doesn't equate to accomplice.
and ah...Oil. Why not capitalize a ocountry if not to plate it with McDonlads' and Wal-Marts?
TARP only ended up costing 110B. All I can say in regards to the banks is that I hope some finnacial regulation reform with teeth passes. Soemthgin will pass I think...teeth is another issue.
I'm from Illinois (which coincidentially also has the only successful Midwestern city...though Minneapolis might count). I almost lived in Peoria...the only two places open wer the VA and Salvation army. I'm aware.
I really think Illegals will be covered as part of immigration reform. Their health issues are a two-step process. Before Medicare, being old was a sentace to poverty. Trust me, France has the best insurance model in the world and I hope we can work towards that. As someone with a pre-existing condition, I appreciate the reforms.
And I trust we will get our benefits...because congress won't touch the system.
At least Clean Coal (if it ever exists) and Nuclear Energy are better than coal and oil.
I think both sides have value, but they are also politicians. Likewise, politicains have been b*tched about by everyone in every poltiical system ever. A nihilistic approach is just as damaging to the system as absolute partisanship.[/B][/QUOTE]
Originally posted by Ordo[/B][/QUOTE]
Yup, though I think its quite obviosu that MSM is dead/dying.As to Iran, I must continue to disagree that the attitude has not changed. Obama wrote Ahmadenijad...personally. There is no more "war on terror," "axis of evil" junk. If you (aspiriously) doubt his motives fine, but there certainly has been a decrease in rhetoric.
On Isreal, we will see how the settlement issue works out....Bibi sure as hell shut his mouth after meeting with Obama...and despite AIPAC and other political crap, the US hasn't budged, and unlike during the Clinton and Bush administrations when similar things happened (Albright was furious)...the US has thus far stood it ground.
But remeber Egypt went to war with Isreal and is continually dogged by sharia-promoting polticians themselves. Improving relations doesn't equate to accomplice.
and ah...Oil. Why not capitalize a ocountry if not to plate it with McDonlads' and Wal-Marts?
TARP only ended up costing 110B. All I can say in regards to the banks is that I hope some finnacial regulation reform with teeth passes. Soemthgin will pass I think...teeth is another issue.
I'm from Illinois (which coincidentially also has the only successful Midwestern city...though Minneapolis might count). I almost lived in Peoria...the only two places open wer the VA and Salvation army. I'm aware.
I really think Illegals will be covered as part of immigration reform. Their health issues are a two-step process. Before Medicare, being old was a sentace to poverty. Trust me, France has the best insurance model in the world and I hope we can work towards that. As someone with a pre-existing condition, I appreciate the reforms.
And I trust we will get our benefits...because congress won't touch the system.
At least Clean Coal (if it ever exists) and Nuclear Energy are better than coal and oil.
I think both sides have value, but they are also politicians. Likewise, politicains have been b*tched about by everyone in every poltiical system ever. A nihilistic approach is just as damaging to the system as absolute partisanship.
Yeah, the American MSM is very much on life support. So is the BBC, but by and large European media have retained some iota of lucidity to them. I hate to lament, but we just don't have gutsy reporters anymore like we somewhat had during Vietnam. But, it would take a lot of strenuous motivation to the American public to demand more comprehensive journalism skills.
For Iran, alright, I don't want to get into a slapping match about this, but we'll probably just have to shake hands to settle this matter. The dying rhetoric as you look at it is a result of America's MSM following the wills of its masters as well as the dictates of the White House propaganda machine (paging Mr. Gibbs). Ahmadinejad can see the writing on the wall. So does Khameni.
For Israel (side note: is Netanyahu's nickname Bibi? Kinda creepy if you ask me) AIPAC is political crap, but it is the richest and most successful lobbying power on Capitol Hill. They thwarted Jimmy Carter who had the most successful attempt at establishing peace issues between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Clinton's Oslo Accords was a direct ripoff to the Palestinian people. Read Edward Said's copious essays on that subject. Biden just got publicly humiliated by Netanyahu, and Obama barely mentioned it in his addresses. I firmly believe he won't stop the Prime Minister's plans, and Benny knows this. Benny is the most defiant Israeli leader after Lieberman and Sharon and one of the most ruthless and despicable men on the planet. Leaves Cheney behind in the dust.
Egypt was attacked by Israel in a preemptive war in 1967, after the Israelis believed a coalition of Arab countries was going to suppress the tiny country. The Six-Day War literally quashed the Egyptians, thanks to a copious amount of financial and military help from the Americans and the British. Sinai and Gaza were at issue then, with Israel getting Gaza in the process. In the 80s, Sinai again became an issue but Egypt did not have a Nasser then, and they very much had been coddled into Western ideologies. Is Mubarak really a tough guy? Hell no. If anything, it would be plausible to call him a dictator, but that's a whole other issue.
Oil. Yes, there are many people that call "Bush went to war for oil" people nuts and buffoons. To each their own spin, but history tells the ultimate truth. Oil and global corporatism dominates the fundamental belief system of so-called democracy. The will of the majority is supplanted by the wishes of the minority (in this case, rich property elites in the past and gigantic corporations in the present). I cannot believe this, but Dubai has a f**king McDonalds. That tells you everything you need to know. The Koran has no business there anymore. Let us remember also... for centuries (strike that) milleniums the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz have been the royal fantasies of many nations and their leaders. That stretch of watery region is the bread and butter of anyone who wants to lead the world. And everyone who was poor and destitute living around it were either enslaved or executed under the mighty fist of success, accomplishment, imperialism and power.
Half of the TARP fund went literally missing and unaccounted for. Canary Isles anyone? The most likely culprit. Bankers pocketed my tax money and your tax money and your average Burger King worker's tax money to inflate a deceiving stock market and fill the coffers of their CEOs employees. Mother Jones gave a great diagram of the TARP fiasco, in which your figure $110b ends up to be a well-formulated manipulation of data that the big banks use to tell the American people that they've "behaved". If you want good banking regulation.... don't assign Frank or Dodd to craft it for you. I mean, Frank/Dodd. 😘 It makes me sick just thinking about it.
Ah, Illinois. Yes, that's another Rust Belt state. Yes, you have indeed experienced the utter devastation automotive workers and manufacturing workers have suffered under. The Detroit restructuring last year only drove more nails into the coffin. Clinton's NAFTA BS really killed the Rust Belt bad. Manufacturing went offshore to third world countries for cheap labor, and American retirement pensions went the way of the dodo.
France, Britain, Netherlands... these are countries we should try to emulate when it comes to healthcare. And think about their situation: in the 20th century for almost 50 years they lost tens (maybe even hundreds) of millions of people through a terrible scorched-earth policy called total and destructive warfare. Single payer healthcare and its equivalents were born in this era, because leaders of these countries figured out they were pretty f**ked, and they needed to solve their problems fast. The Europeans are not perfect (the NHS has some glaring problems) but they are much better off than we Americans. About this new bill's appreciation for pre-existing conditions... well I only hope that they keep their word on it. Time will tell.
I don't know how old you are, but I'll take a gander that you're around my age: early 20s. Again here on this issue, I don't want to get into a slapping match. But I firmly believe that I will never see a dime of that unfunded liabilty: Medicare and Social Security
Clean coal is an oxymoron. Burning coal "efficiently" is a ludicrous idea. A real bigtime issue is the mountaintop removal that absolutely devastates the Appalachian mountain ecosystem in order to get hard-to-reach shale rock and coal down there. One look at West Virginia shows a side of poverty that rivals Baltimore ghettos. I agree that nuclear energy should be used instead of oil. We should take our 8000 to 10,000 warheads (convincing Moscow in the process) and reduce them all down to compatible nuclear energy. Now... before you start... I am aware that Obama and Medvedev signed an "agreement" to reduce warhead quantities. Let me clap my hands on that one. The Russians and the Americans doubt each other so much, especially after Bush threatened to install warhead capacities in Poland and Georgia. Obama backed off of that only as a pretext for Moscow helping Washington to back sanctions against Tehran. If Medvedev and Putin do not play along, Poland will again be a base for warhead facilities. Mark my words.
Yes, I am nihilistic. I am also not a Christian, and I guess that may explain it. I am trying to work at being a little more optimistic. It just doesn't seem to be in my blood, though.
Originally posted by Bardock42Increase inflation 😐
Aside from government spending, inflation is a major, major problem! Why would you want to increase it? That would only mandate more printing of US currency (via the FED) out of thin air to manage toxic debt - debt that can never be paid back! It would also force our government to borrow money from international banks and raise taxes on Americans. Believing the hype, over reducing taxes, means that you need to read more. It's a lie. Printing money - which is based on NOTHING - to cover debt will reduce the purchasing power of US currency. That's precisely the reason China wants to over throw our currency (for another). The National debt, plus entitlement programs is 60+ trillion dollars. The interest alone is 2 trillion (maybe more, not less)! We - as a Nation - are completely engulfed in debt. Completely! Government spending needs to stop, immediately in order to save the country! The Federal government is dead asleep on the issue, and we have President Obama pushing Health Care reform (which only adds to the National Debt). Again, debt the government can not pay. And so... Health Care will decline. Federal Regulations also frustrate things. What an idiot, but I'm sure Obama is a nice guy. Obama promises, that Health Care reform will reduce our National Debt; this is a crock! It's impossible, and yet... many drink the kool-aid (because he's the president). Wake up! National Health Care... only ensures the demise of the United States of America. It also jeopardizes the best Health Care system in the world (with more regulation) - regulation that makes Health Care so expensive to begin with.
Originally posted by ushomefree
Aside from government spending, inflation is a major, major problem! Why would you want to increase it? That would only mandate more printing of US currency (via the FED) out of thin air to manage toxic debt - debt that can never be paid back! It would also force our government to borrow money from international banks and raise taxes on Americans. Believing the hype, over reducing taxes, means that you need to read more. It's a lie. Printing money - which is based on NOTHING - to cover debt will reduce the purchasing power of US currency. That's precisely the reason China wants to over throw our currency (for another). The National debt, plus entitlement programs is 60+ trillion dollars. The interest alone is 2 trillion (maybe more, not less)! We - as a Nation - are completely engulfed in debt. Completely! Government spending needs to stop, immediately in order to save the country! The Federal government is dead asleep on the issue, and we have President Obama pushing Health Care reform (which only adds to the National Debt). Again, debt the government can not pay. And so... Health Care will decline. Federal Regulations also frustrate things. What an idiot, but I'm sure Obama is a nice guy. Obama promises, that Health Care reform will reduce our National Debt; this is a crock! It's impossible, and yet... many drink the kool-aid (because he's the president). Oh... he must care about the American people. Wake up! National Health Care... only ensures the demise of the United States of America. It also jeopardizes the best Health Care system in the world (with more regulation) - government regulation that makes Health Care so expensive to being with.
I don't want to increase inflation, it was a suggestion in jest how that would get rid of the debt...w-which it obviously would.
However I read a paper a few weeks ago that did suggest that in earnest.
Besides, you know that most of your government's debt is held by your people, yes?
No, no, no... the debt is owed to China - we (as a Country) borrowed the money at interest. And so... we owe that debt to China (or whatever country/or countries lent us the money)! When the US becomes a risk, countries will refrain from lending us their money... because their not going to get a return. In other words, it's waisted investment. Don't you see? In the near future, the US credit card - so to speak - will be snatched away. What will we do then? Since we are no longer a lending Nation (or a producing Nation), we are screwed! Expect more tax hikes to cover the difference. Go Obama!
Originally posted by ushomefree
No, no, no... the debt is owed to China - we (as a Country) borrowed the money at interest. And so... we owe that debt to China (or whatever country/or countries lent us the money)! When the US becomes a risk, countries will refrain from lending us their money... because their not going to get a return. In other words, it's waisted investment. Don't you see? In the near future, the US credit card - so to speak - will be snatched away. What will we do then? Since we are no longer a lending Nation (or a producing Nation), we are screwed! Expect more tax hikes to cover the difference. Go Obama!
...no, really, what I said.
Don't be silly, China is as dependent on the US as you are on it anyways, there's no way they "snatch" the credit card away....how would they even do that, ask nicely?
Originally posted by ushomefree
No, no, no... the debt is owed to China - we (as a Country) borrowed the money at interest.
Even if you only count debt owed by the US to other countries China doesn't hold even half of the debt.
In fact: http://www.treas.gov/tic/mfh.txt
That means China owns less than 1/4 of the debt owed to other countries. Since the US owes itself about 30% of it's debt that means that the percentage of the US debt owed to China is less than 18%.
Pal... your reaching (hardcore)!
Except the truth!
First off, China is a lending/producing country! Second, China actually has national savings. The US has neither - no source of income and zero savings, other than to borrow or print money (via the FED) to compensate our debt! China can afford to take a hit - the US can not. All China needs to do is manage their money properly, and they'll be okay, aside from taking an initial hit. China will not go under; their currency will remain strong, since it's not inflated. They are currently doing this now - preparing for the collapse of the US dollar. In fact, China is encouraging their citizens to purchase Gold and Silver to off set the lose. This is a slap in the face to America, but I can't blame them. They want to protect their investment (and take the smallest lose possible lent to the US). In any case, China currently owns most of our US Treasury Bonds, second to Japan (if my memory is correct). If China decides to cash them out, the US economy would crash overnight! China is beginning to see America as a RISK, thanks to inflation. Our money is not backed by anything - no goods, and no services. We - as a nation - can not pay back the debt they loaned to us, thanks to government spending. Yes, Health Care is a problem - a step in the opposite direction of where we need to be. China sees this; and you better believe they are pissed! The US is running on fumes! Go Obama!