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 : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (59893)	2/23/2009 12:30:46 PM
From: TimF	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224749

"Running a surplus" doesn't mean its "not a problem". One vote of congress can make any program "run a surplus", without decreasing its costs, or increasing overall tax income. If you dedicate a tax, or a portion of a tax to some program, than it runs a surplus, but surpluses or deficits in individual programs are pretty much meaningless. You pay taxes for the program, that's a cost that doesn't disappear because the program runs a surplus. SS won't be running a surplus forever, but even if it did, it doesn't really matter. We have one federal government. It has a bunch of sources of revenue, and an even larger number of ways its spends money. Any very large area of spending that's growing noticeably faster than the economy for the long run is a problem. Its gobbling up more and more of our resources, leaving less for other government programs, or for individuals to keep for themselves. Medicare is a huge problem. That much is true.