Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : President Barack Obama -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: koan who wrote (29438)	9/1/2008 11:06:46 AM
From: Bread Upon The Water	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 149317

IMHO, neither side is a Saint in this regard. When either party controls the government the base of it always gets catered to. Clinton only got religion to the center after he had the political cover of having to work with the Neo-con Gingrichites after they won the house in 1994. LBJ, because of his huge landside in 64 (a combination of the sentimental hangover from the JFK assassination and painting Goldwater as trigger happy nuker) got a blank check. You're right about Reagan, but the one thing all that Defense buildup did is crack the foundations of the Soviet Union. Which leads us to the Q, of what, if anything can be done about this? Congress tried to implement controls by saying that any new program had to come at the expense of an old one and for a period of time (how much???) and it appeared to be working to constrain spending, but this was allowed to quietly expire (no surprise there). Unless we can come up with an institutional way to control the budget we're perennially doomed to a boom and bust cycle. One thing that may cause us some self discipline is that shortly Medicaid will implode followed by a long slow unraveling of Medicare. With Medicaid its recipients don't have enough clout to stop it its demise. Us geezers (speaking for myself) will probably be able to raise enough hell about Medicare that the government will have to rein in its profligacy. Additionally, we'll be shortly (20 years) owned by the Chinese if we don't mend our fiscal ways. Will this be enough to counter the pledged programs of the candidates? Stay tuned. I do hope these issues come up in the debates. There are so much more fundamental to are future than than what is being talked about. Maybe a third party will emerge (Ron Paul's followers?) which will force the major parties to stop what they are doing.