Maher Asks Sanders THE Question. "How are we gonna pay for all that free stuff?"

[DKW 86 7,419]

IMO, that is pretty much it.

Problems that must be solved immediately:

1. Outsourcing, trade policy and, how we compete in the global economy.

2. Contain rising healthcare costs.

3. Save Social Security.

4. Balance the budget.

In short, we need to be hyper-focused on the economy and, focused on improving our fiscal condition. Restore prosperity and responsibility. Once those goals are accomplished, we can see what is leftover for the "we need to rule the world" and the, "we have to save the planet" folks. It is funny how economic prosperity seems to solve problems and, economic demise seems to magnify them.

The answers lie in fundamentals, not in the ideology and politics that obscure them.

Post of the year. 2016 might be a long shot, but a shot no less ICHY

[penguin149 391]

I agree with ICHY's list...

1) The damage has been done on outsourcing. What remains now is a barely breathing caress of manufacturing. To "fix" it will mean repealing trade agreements and/or implementing duties on imported goods, in turn driving up cost of goods which will decrease spending and cause a recession/depression. Throttling the cash flow in the econmy will hurt. There are no easy, pain-free answers. Someone will feel the pains of any corrections made. A "service" economy is not sustainable for very long. People want cars, clothes, TVs, smart phones, furniture, etc.

2) This could take a generation or two. Poor lifestyle choices and a pill for everything are big reasons why healthcare costs are soaring

3) Remove the income cap & raise the retirement age. Those that are 55 and under will pay the price for the past raiding of the SS fund. I fear at some point if one has a 401k or other retirement funds, SS eligibilty will be denied

4) Got to get people/corporations off of the government dole. Democrats nor Republicans want to do that...would cost them votes/contributions. Other option is to raise taxes...few want that; even fewer that are already paying the majority of taxes now. The very rich will find a way around taxes, the very poor will be exempt and the rest will pick up the tab.

Kinda gloomy....Just call me Mr. Sunshine!!

[icanthearyou 4,462]

I agree with ICHY's list...

1) The damage has been done on outsourcing. What remains now is a barely breathing caress of manufacturing. To "fix" it will mean repealing trade agreements and/or implementing duties on imported goods, in turn driving up cost of goods which will decrease spending and cause a recession/depression. Throttling the cash flow in the econmy will hurt. There are no easy, pain-free answers. Someone will feel the pains of any corrections made. A "service" economy is not sustainable for very long. People want cars, clothes, TVs, smart phones, furniture, etc.

2) This could take a generation or two. Poor lifestyle choices and a pill for everything are big reasons why healthcare costs are soaring

3) Remove the income cap & raise the retirement age. Those that are 55 and under will pay the price for the past raiding of the SS fund. I fear at some point if one has a 401k or other retirement funds, SS eligibilty will be denied

4) Got to get people/corporations off of the government dole. Democrats nor Republicans want to do that...would cost them votes/contributions. Other option is to raise taxes...few want that; even fewer that are already paying the majority of taxes now. The very rich will find a way around taxes, the very poor will be exempt and the rest will pick up the tab.

Kinda gloomy....Just call me Mr. Sunshine!!

I do not believe that is overly gloomy. I do believe all of those can be accomplished with much less pain and, in a much shorter period of time.

1. Easy, very easy but, not without the political will. The fear of what China might do with our debt has been grossly exaggerated.

2. Easy but, we have to stop being ideological. We have used price supports and controls in other areas and, been successful doing so. There is an incredible difference between the amount billed by healthcare providers and, the amount paid by government, insurers, and individuals. The amount paid far exceeds the amount billed. The system is inefficient and fueled by unchecked, unadulterated greed and corruption.

3. This one is the most difficult. However, the baby boomers aren't going to live forever. The problem is not as bad as it may seem but, Social Security should be removed from the the budget and, from the general accounting. The trust fund should be sacred and, at least one third should be held in gold. Of the remaining two-thirds, nothing should ever come out of the trust fund without it being a significant investment in the future of the country and, without an overwhelming majority of political support.

4. I agree. Some of the burden of taxation needs to shift from the upper middle class to the idle rich. I like Homer's plan of ending all corporate taxation and, taxing the hell out of capital gains (if I understand him correctly).

Gloomy is the conspiracy theory I hold as to why none of this will ever happen. We may see incremental improvement but, the problems will never be solved, not without a unified demand from the people. There is no way the government can be restored to a government of the people in this political environment. And, I will ask everyone again, is the political divide contrived?

No matter though. From here on out, you will be "Mr. Sunshine". There is no more penguin, only Mr. Sunshine!

[alexava 6,973]

I agree with ICHY's list...

1) The damage has been done on outsourcing. What remains now is a barely breathing caress of manufacturing. To "fix" it will mean repealing trade agreements and/or implementing duties on imported goods, in turn driving up cost of goods which will decrease spending and cause a recession/depression. Throttling the cash flow in the econmy will hurt. There are no easy, pain-free answers. Someone will feel the pains of any corrections made. A "service" economy is not sustainable for very long. People want cars, clothes, TVs, smart phones, furniture, etc.

2) This could take a generation or two. Poor lifestyle choices and a pill for everything are big reasons why healthcare costs are soaring

3) Remove the income cap & raise the retirement age. Those that are 55 and under will pay the price for the past raiding of the SS fund. I fear at some point if one has a 401k or other retirement funds, SS eligibilty will be denied

4) Got to get people/corporations off of the government dole. Democrats nor Republicans want to do that...would cost them votes/contributions. Other option is to raise taxes...few want that; even fewer that are already paying the majority of taxes now. The very rich will find a way around taxes, the very poor will be exempt and the rest will pick up the tab.

Kinda gloomy....Just call me Mr. Sunshine!!

i am afraid you are correct but i must be dealt with somehow. we have to do something to discourage it, maybe tax the hell out of companies.

[JoeBags7277 734]

Don't think for a moment that I have. However, I am not going to live in the world of gross exaggerations, or generalizations, from either side. We can, and we must, do a better job. We need to work on the entire picture. It is not all about taxes but, as I have mentioned countless times, there are people in this country not paying enough, for the most part, those who pay the capital gains rate. There are those who pay too much, for the most part entrepreneurs. We need to end the trend of outsourcing. This will increase the tax base. We need to reform healthcare for the sake citizens and the government. It is as much an economic issue as an humanitarian one.

We have to begin to have practical discussions on specific measures. We have to stop having political/ideological discussions. We are not pure capitalists. We are not socialists. We have been something in between for a long, long time. We need to think in terms of what is best for all, not what is best for a few or even, what is ideologically pleasing to us. All of the generalized political narratives are stupid, IMO.

Progress will only be made when we begin to think in real terms, when we look for practical solutions, when we learn to have genuine discussion that is not limited by politics and ideology.

:hellyeah:/>

im voting for ichy! The outsourcing probably hurts us more than anything else. It compounds other problems and the consequences for those that win are so far into the future they lie to themselves about it.

IMO, that is pretty much it.

Problems that must be solved immediately:

1. Outsourcing, trade policy and, how we compete in the global economy.

2. Contain rising healthcare costs.

3. Save Social Security.

4. Balance the budget.

In short, we need to be hyper-focused on the economy and, focused on improving our fiscal condition. Restore prosperity and responsibility. Once those goals are accomplished, we can see what is leftover for the "we need to rule the world" and the, "we have to save the planet" folks. It is funny how economic prosperity seems to solve problems and, economic demise seems to magnify them.

The answers lie in fundamentals, not in the ideology and politics that obscure them.

Almost had me, but for the part about saving the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on the American people. Save SS by letting us opt out and take care of our own retirement, rather than stealing from younger generations. Ask anyone 30 or under if they think they'll ever see anything out of it. Put that sick old dog out of its misery.

[DKW 86 7,419]

I agree with ICHY's list...

1) The damage has been done on outsourcing. What remains now is a barely breathing caress of manufacturing. To "fix" it will mean repealing trade agreements and/or implementing duties on imported goods, in turn driving up cost of goods which will decrease spending and cause a recession/depression. Throttling the cash flow in the econmy will hurt. There are no easy, pain-free answers. Someone will feel the pains of any corrections made. A "service" economy is not sustainable for very long. People want cars, clothes, TVs, smart phones, furniture, etc.

2) This could take a generation or two. Poor lifestyle choices and a pill for everything are big reasons why healthcare costs are soaring

3) Remove the income cap & raise the retirement age. Those that are 55 and under will pay the price for the past raiding of the SS fund. I fear at some point if one has a 401k or other retirement funds, SS eligibilty will be denied

4) Got to get people/corporations off of the government dole. Democrats nor Republicans want to do that...would cost them votes/contributions. Other option is to raise taxes...few want that; even fewer that are already paying the majority of taxes now. The very rich will find a way around taxes, the very poor will be exempt and the rest will pick up the tab.

Kinda gloomy....Just call me Mr. Sunshine!!

I do not believe that is overly gloomy. I do believe all of those can be accomplished with much less pain and, in a much shorter period of time.

1. Easy, very easy but, not without the political will. The fear of what China might do with our debt has been grossly exaggerated.

2. Easy but, we have to stop being ideological. We have used price supports and controls in other areas and, been successful doing so. There is an incredible difference between the amount billed by healthcare providers and, the amount paid by government, insurers, and individuals. The amount paid far exceeds the amount billed. The system is inefficient and fueled by unchecked, unadulterated greed and corruption.

3. This one is the most difficult. However, the baby boomers aren't going to live forever. The problem is not as bad as it may seem but, Social Security should be removed from the the budget and, from the general accounting. The trust fund should be sacred and, at least one third should be held in gold. Of the remaining two-thirds, nothing should ever come out of the trust fund without it being a significant investment in the future of the country and, without an overwhelming majority of political support.

4. I agree. Some of the burden of taxation needs to shift from the upper middle class to the idle rich. I like Homer's plan of ending all corporate taxation and, taxing the hell out of capital gains (if I understand him correctly).

Gloomy is the conspiracy theory I hold as to why none of this will ever happen. We may see incremental improvement but, the problems will never be solved, not without a unified demand from the people. There is no way the government can be restored to a government of the people in this political environment. And, I will ask everyone again, is the political divide contrived?

No matter though. From here on out, you will be "Mr. Sunshine". There is no more penguin, only Mr. Sunshine!

I agree with ICHY's list...

1) The damage has been done on outsourcing. What remains now is a barely breathing caress of manufacturing. To "fix" it will mean repealing trade agreements and/or implementing duties on imported goods, in turn driving up cost of goods which will decrease spending and cause a recession/depression. Throttling the cash flow in the econmy will hurt. There are no easy, pain-free answers. Someone will feel the pains of any corrections made. A "service" economy is not sustainable for very long. People want cars, clothes, TVs, smart phones, furniture, etc.

2) This could take a generation or two. Poor lifestyle choices and a pill for everything are big reasons why healthcare costs are soaring.

3) Remove the income cap & raise the retirement age. Those that are 55 and under will pay the price for the past raiding of the SS fund. I fear at some point if one has a 401k or other retirement funds, SS eligibility will be denied.

I truly feel that we will just flat-out raid pensions and 401Ks in the future. Greece did it and basically stole X% of the cash holdings of some folks. Those under 55 will likely see 70+ retirement ages. We have milked the SS cow too long. There is nothing that can replace what having that money there would have meant. We have for fear too long voted to spend money we do not have and have screwed our kids and ourselves over for it. Pathetically weak people have simple denied the financial truth for way too long.

4) Got to get people/corporations off of the government dole. Democrats nor Republicans want to do that...would cost them votes/contributions. Other option is to raise taxes...few want that; even fewer that are already paying the majority of taxes now. The very rich will find a way around taxes, the very poor will be exempt and the rest will pick up the tab.

The sad truth of American Politics. We have corps and people so tied to the dole that they cant ever see not being there.