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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (82741)	9/7/2008 2:27:38 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 541604

if debt is what you are actually concerned about. It's escalating, long-term debt that concerns me. All spending mistakes are not created equal. If you throw a war, it costs a lot of money. But it's sunk money and when the war is over, you quit incurring further debt. You still have the debt but it's a fixed amount, however exorbitant. Same if you cut tax rates or offer tax incentives. You can change the law at any time and stop the bleeding. You're only stuck with the debt incurred to date. those "mistakes" are painful but recoverable. When you create entitlements, you can't stop the train. You can't stop Medicare, for example. Ever. No matter how much inflation grows or the number or enrollees grows, you can't stop paying because the recipients are the voters and they won't give up their benefits. Instead, they lobby to increase their benefits. Not only can't the bleeding be stopped, it tends to escalate. As a practical matter, that is not recoverable. The R's, while profligate, are not likely to create entitlements, the debt that keeps on debiting.

To: epicure who wrote (82741)	9/7/2008 2:40:10 PM
From: slacker711	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541604

Considering the budget history of the reps, I don't see how any economic considerations could make you vote aginst the dems- While the deficit over the last few years has dramatically worsened, the underlying factors can and will be reversed. Spending in Iraq is going to fall drastically and taxes are going to go up (the only question is by how much). It really doesnt matter who is President when we are talking about the direction for these two issues. OTOH, things like universal healthcare are irreversible. If the programs are more expensive than envisioned, there is very little chance of it getting reversed. We would either raise taxes or live with worsening deficits. National healthcare might be a good thing, but it needs to be noted that it is basically a one-way street and must be approached with that in mind. Slacker