The GOP and the alternative betaverse of fiscal responsibilty.

[SemiAuto]

The idea that the GOP is the party of fiscal responsibility is bunk.
Here are two reasons why.
One: they're playing with a stacked deck.

In these John Stossel and Judge Napolitano interviews, for instance, I explain that the crooks in DC have created a system that allows them to claim they’re cutting the budget when the burden of government spending actually is rising.

This sleazy system is designed in part to deceive the American people, and the current squabbling over the fiscal cliff is a good example. The President claims he has a “balanced approach” that involves budget cuts, but look at the second chart at this link and you will see that he’s really proposing bigger government.

...

Republicans almost certainly will lose the battle over the fiscal cliff because they meekly are playing cards with a rigged deck controlled by the other side.

source It is the baseline budgeting gimmick where reductions in the rate of increase is called a cut.

Two: the rigged deck is not controlled by the other side. The GOP is more than happy to rig the deck themselves.

In December 2010, I wrote that “An indicator of the incoming House Republican majority’s seriousness about cutting spending will be which members the party selects to head the various committees.” The final roster ended up leaving a lot to be desired from a limited government perspective. For example, the House Republican leadership and its allies went with Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY), aka “The Prince of Pork,” to head up the Appropriations Committee.

Two years later, the committee situation is about to get even worse now that the House Republican leadership has decided to send a message that casting a vote according to one’s beliefs instead of one’s instructions is a punishable offense. On Monday, four congressmen were booted from “plum” committee assignments for failing to sufficiently toe the leadership line. I suspect that the purge was motivated, at least in part, by Team Boehner’s desire to have the rest of the rank and file think twice before casting a “no” vote on whatever lousy deal is struck with the White House to avoid the “fiscal cliff.”

source Talk about hypocrisy! They're sending establishment foxes to guard their hen house. Fiscal restraint be damned.

[flyboy56]

Fiscal restraint doesn't keep the representatives in a job. Blame the American voters for this mess in Washington. They want a fix but not on their shoulders. We deserve exactly what we get.

Excellent post SemiAuto!

[AttackPlanR]

Will this finally be the thread where semi proposes what we do, and how????!!!!??

[SemiAuto]

Cut spending.

Reform SS by means testing it, raising the retirement age, removing the payroll tax cap and forbidding it from lending its funds to the treasury. Better yet, get the government out of this which leads too...

The liberal idea of limited government. The federal government needs to live within its enumerated powers. Things like education, housing, healthcare and welfare are not the proper role of the federal government.

End subsidies. The oil companies make plenty of money. Farm subsidies are the work of giants like ADM (they're behind the corn ethanol subsidy). It is not the role of the federal government to prop up businesses, which leads to...

No more bailouts. If you bankrupt your company for any reason then go to the bankruptcy court. Crony capitalism is a bad idea.

Defense needs to be cut in the context of reviewing the US military's role in the world. Why are we defending NATO and from who? We can't be the world's police officer simply due to the fact that we can't afford it. Defense appropriations need to be reformed. It is less geared toward defense and more geared to whose district the stuff gets made in. It is currently an adventure in cronyism. Crony defense spending is a bad idea. Why are we maintaining a nuclear weapon stockpile that everyone and their brother knows we are not going to use. It is a relic of the cold war that needs to go away.

Anyone who has read my posts over the years knows I've gone on about these topics. I've been accused of being a broken record player over some of them. So stop pretending that I've never proposed solutions. It is a cop out. Hell, I've probably left stuff out.

[SemiAuto]

Quote of the day:

Talk about classless. These guys apparently weren’t even notified of their demotions ahead of time and had to read about it in the press. The message to the citizenry is clear. We must move away from the two-party system and fast. That way we can elect candidates that actually vote the will of the people that elected them, rather than pander to some slimy political godfather in Washington.

source

[AttackPlanR]

Finally, something more than pointing a finger and saying cut spending.

Oh, and by the way:

The expectations don't line up well with reality. They never will.

[AttackPlanR]

Quote of the day:


source

Oh, and not to be a broken record, how do they (or you for that matter) propose we move away from a two-party system?

I've got an idea! How about by voting.......

[dsummoner]

The heroic and legitimate (and continuing to be bailed out) Citibank announced over 10K job cuts today.

[SemiAuto]

Oh, and not to be a broken record, how do they (or you for that matter) propose we move away from a two-party system?

I've got an idea! How about by voting.......

How is that voting thing working out for you? I think the government is past the point of being changed from within. Unfortunately, I think it'll take some sort of external calamity to untrench the two major parties.

[kudzu]

raising the retirement age

To what ? 80 ?

Two generations have worked (and paid into) their government mandated retirement fund with the "promise" that they'd get paid once they reached 62-65.

Pretty much agree with the rest of your post, though.

[AttackPlanR]

How is that voting thing working out for you? I think the government is past the point of being changed from within. Unfortunately, I think it'll take some sort of external calamity to untrench the two major parties.

Me voting 3rd party (and I always do) means that I do something to try and change it. More than complain about it anyway.

[SemiAuto]

Me voting 3rd party (and I always do) means that I do something to try and change it. More than complain about it anyway.

How is that 3rd party thing working out for you?

[SemiAuto]

To what ? 80 ?

Two generations have worked (and paid into) their government mandated retirement fund with the "promise" that they'd get paid once they reached 62-65.

Pretty much agree with the rest of your post, though.

There is no 'retirement fund' and there never was one. You paid taxes, the money got spent. And now the government is running out of other people's money to pay the welfare checks with.

So much for promises. You get a fiscal cliff instead.

[gonzoliberal]

Social Security is NOT "welfare".

[SalisburySage]

I am sick and tired of both the Democrats and the Republicans. As far as I am concerned the Republicans are now extinct. They only played at being conservative but never actually were.

We need a new party in this country. The sooner its happens the better.

[skeemer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfvvYuO6zHM

Also, they make fun of Semi as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAT_BuJAI70

[bystander]

Social Security is NOT "welfare".

...and it's not an entitlement. It's a benefit you receive AFTER you've paid into the fund.

[SemiAuto]

Social Security is NOT "welfare".

Social Security is a two part program. A tax program and a welfare program.

[SemiAuto]

...and it's not an entitlement. It's a benefit you receive AFTER you've paid into the fund.

There is no fund. You pay taxes now and that money gets spent on current welfare recipients or anything else the government feels like spending the money on. They only promise to spend future taxes on you at a later date but there is no obligation for them to keep this promise.

[AttackPlanR]

How is that 3rd party thing working out for you?

OK semi, you've made your point. You'd rather lull around and byatch about it than do something about it, and when someone mentions that they themselves are trying to do something about it, you byatch some more.