Sanders on the Fiscal Cliff

[IMPress Polly]

Independent socialist U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of my native Vermont weighs in on the upcoming 'fiscal cliff' issue and on how the president SHOULD handle the matter. I agree fully with his (Sanders') solidly anti-austerity position, incidentally. I fear the president will seriously consider cuts to the main three entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid). He should be aware that the last fiscal compact he reached last year was in no small part responsible for alienating his base and touching off the Occupy movement.

[Peter1469]

How do we afford ~$1.3T annual deficits?

I say elections have consequences. Let the silly hard left crash the economy. What are you going to do when the USD is worthless?

[KC]

Independent socialist U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of my native Vermont weighs in on the upcoming 'fiscal cliff' issue and on how the president SHOULD handle the matter. I agree fully with his (Sanders') solidly anti-austerity position, incidentally. I fear the president will seriously consider cuts to the main three entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid). He should be aware that the last fiscal compact he reached last year was in no small part responsible for alienating his base and touching off the Occupy movement.

Ok, so I watched the video and Bernie makes a few good points. The American people, by and large, do not want entitlements cut. I think he's right about that.

But the only thing I heard him propose, instead of cutting entitlements, was to raise corporate and high earner individual income taxes. I don't think you can squeeze another $1.3 trillion out of corporations or the wealthiest Americans, and you definitely can't without seeing a decline in economic growth, which would then lead to even lower tax revenues.

Alternatively, here's a video that explains why we simply can't tax our way to a balanced budget:

[Mainecoons]

That's the problem the libs are in denial about--soak the rich only raises about 10 percent of the ObamaDeficit.

I think we should let them do it to take it off the table and show everyone what a hollow fiction it is as any meaningful solution to ObamaDeficits. This falls under the category of "be careful what you ask for, you might get it." Let's give it to them and watch them try and explain the failure of soak the rich.

[Bane]

It's amazing to me that these socialists c which Sanders is mind you, along with the Democrats who are also socialists, want to try and save welfare knowing they can't....lol.

and the real sad part is, people think just like they do.

in order to save this country, your going to have to give up your freebees. That means getting rid of social security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Yes I said it. YOU, yes YOU, have to be willing to gives them up, or it's over.

That is where we are at.

pick one, but choose wisely.

[Chris]

Go to http://thepoliticalforums.com/threads/8439-Eat-the-rich!

An "solidly anti-austerity position" is absurdly unsustainable. Only those in denial, as Maine says, could believe in it.

[roadmaster]

I don't want to see SS, medicare and Medicaid cut either to the people who worked all their lives and paid in to have them bankrupt the system by illegals who didn't pay in or the ones who have never worked and lived off the government. We have been raped by banks and now the government.

[roadmaster]

You can't tax enough rich people to balance the budget. The middle class is going to get hit hard.

[Mainecoons]

You can't even tax the middle class enough to balance the budget. Entitlements have to be cut, not eliminated, and a lot of the BS the government wastes money on, like the Department of MalEducation, simply need to go.

Or you can go right on borrowiing a trillion per year until the final crash. Tell me boys and girls, what do you think Barry will do?

[Chris]

Dept of Offense as well.