Poll after poll is reporting the same basic finding: the American people are worried about the deficit, but they do not support cutting Medicare or Medicaid, nor do they back raising the Medicare eligibility age to 67.

The latest survey to confirm that finding comes from McClatchy/Marist. As you can see, the voters in the chart above oppose cutting Medicare by a 42-point margin and oppose Medicaid cuts by a similar margin. By an almost 2-1 margin, they also say it is more important to compromise than to stand on principle.
But here’s the twist: The numbers in the chart above are all from voters who self-identified as Republicans. There’s not an independent or Democrat among ‘em. And overall, the level of support or opposition among GOP voters is not that different from voters in general. On the issue of Medicare cuts, for example, just 26 percent of Republican voters support the idea, compared to 23 percent of voters in general.
So again, if Republicans in Washington want to march off the fiscal cliff for the cause of slashing entitlements, and more importantly, if they want to push the country into default by refusing to raise the debt ceiling unless entitlements are slashed, they may turn around and discover that the little parade that they’re trying to lead has very few followers.
– Jay Bookman
487 comments Add your comment
getalife
December 11th, 2012
5:52 pm
Yeah, attack the poor cons.
don is slobbering all over the wealthy again.
They don’t need your help don.
They will be fine.
Jay
December 11th, 2012
5:52 pm
Donovan, for those who care, started out sending me screeds such as those above via email back in the early days of the Iraq war, when I was instructed on how stupid and anti-American I was to question the wisdom of the Bush invasion.
In other words, this appears to be a permanent affliction.
Soothsayer
December 11th, 2012
5:52 pm
TM: how much do you think doctors make a year?
DannyX
December 11th, 2012
5:55 pm
“Now it is time to campaign for letting the wealthy carry the load for you sad sacks and not offer any form of contribution on your part. Do we have a problem with you reprehensible liberals? You’re damn right we do.”
Calm down Donovan, take a few deep breaths. Republicans gave us the socialist Medicare Part D, it should not surprise you one bit that the poll results Jay posted confirm the fact that most Republicans are indeed reprehensible liberals that want the wealthy to carry the load.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 11th, 2012
5:55 pm
In other words, this appears to be a permanent affliction.
Creepy and obsessive in a stalk-ery kind of way.
Eeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww.
TM
December 11th, 2012
5:56 pm
Sooth = A GP serving a rural community that Jay wants to cut his fees?? Not even close to what you think
Soothsayer
December 11th, 2012
5:59 pm
Jay, I’ll try to tone it down a little. I know I’m a little over the top tonight!
I know I’m a little overwrought tonight.
Donovan
December 11th, 2012
5:59 pm
Josef…people of wealth get their money from many sources. By and large wealthy people get their wealth from hard work and intelligent decisions. They tend to have a propensity to preserve their wealth and grow it. When the fruits of their labor is threatened by government, misappropriation, or out- right theft it becomes very personal.
What’s your point?
Nunna Yobinnes
December 11th, 2012
6:01 pm
30% across the board pay cuts for congress, the president, the judiciary branch and their support staff employees.
TM
December 11th, 2012
6:04 pm
How about a one time tax of 15% on every ones 401K or IRA. You are going to have to pay the tax sooner or later how about now?? That will go far to reducing the deficit.
josef
December 11th, 2012
6:05 pm
DONOVAN
But does not that wealth ultimately result from the labor of the working class…the producers of the product on which the profits are made. Without that class there would be no wealthy people. My point? You don’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg. You fatten her…
Common Sense isn't very Common
December 11th, 2012
6:06 pm
By and large wealthy people get their wealth from hard work and intelligent decisions
One word Nardelli
Nardelli was notably criticized for cutting back on knowledgeable full-time employees with experience in the trades and replacing them with part-time help with little relevant experience.
Jay
December 11th, 2012
6:06 pm
Thanks Sooth. Saves me the trouble! :>)
Welcome to the Occupation
December 11th, 2012
6:06 pm
So again, if Republicans in Washington want to march off the fiscal cliff for the cause of slashing entitlements, and more importantly, if they want to push the country into default by refusing to raise the debt ceiling unless entitlements are slashed, they may turn around and discover that the little parade that they’re trying to lead has very few followers
This statement misses the point.
The GOP ruling elite have the followers they truly need, and in many ways these followers overlap with the followers of the Democratic ruling elite: the financier class and the corporate power lobbies such as ALEC, etc.
They’re the ones who pay the bills, not the poor everyday voter who may identity as GOP.
Just look at who’s pulling the strings in Rick Snyder’s Michigan.
josef
December 11th, 2012
6:06 pm
Nunna Yobinnes
@ 6:01
You won’t get much of an argument from me on that one…
They BOTH suck
December 11th, 2012
6:07 pm
Donavan
And here I thought when others said you were a bs’er it meant what it usually means not Blog Stalker……
getalife
December 11th, 2012
6:08 pm
don,
w helped Iran by occupying Iraq.
A total disaster and you helped explode our deficit con.
Columbus
December 11th, 2012
6:09 pm
Leadership is not doing what is popular but necessary. That is a HUGE problem with politics today. (Unless its the 1-3% minority that wants God out and gay in forced upon the 90% of the rest of us)
Most people would like to have low interest rates forever too. Cuts MUST come and they need to hit EVERYBODY including the behemoths social security and medicaid significantly. Americans have went soft and will only get softer without some toughening up. DRASTIC cuts are needed and ANY American that doesnt want to sacrifice their part is selfish and unpatriotic….damn polls right now.
Americans also favor God IN Govt as PLACED IN OUR GOVT in the beginning by a HUGE percentage but He is being taken away more and more at every turn…..so much for that poll mattering so screw this one too
They BOTH suck
December 11th, 2012
6:09 pm
Going to have to be some cuts along with those tax increases that Repubs are probably going to fold on in the next week or so…….
barking frog
December 11th, 2012
6:10 pm
What is a crusade without a cross ? Is there a cross afloat without
a crusade to symbolize ? Has any saint emblazoned a cross that
could inspire this holy crusade?
Donovan
December 11th, 2012
6:11 pm
Ok, Jay, I am having a cocktail before dinner and you should be home doing the husband routine with the wife, but if you want to butt heads, let’s draw swords.
As you might guess by now, I am very conservative, patriotic, and a being of common sense. You come across as a liberal with crazy naive ideas that incites your liberal following to a frenzy and I am here to douce the flames of liberal lunacy.
What’s your convoluted point?
Nunna Yobinnes
December 11th, 2012
6:11 pm
I’m sure our Chinese, North Koreans, Iranians, Syrians and former “Soviet” friends would be delighted if we cut defense spending.
Grover
December 11th, 2012
6:11 pm
Hey my buddies the Koch brothers, Sheldon , Mitt ( willard ) and the gang at bain have plenty of money. They just threw away a billion on the election.
jane
December 11th, 2012
6:13 pm
the GOP IS DEAD
Nunna Yobinnes
December 11th, 2012
6:14 pm
Jane – America is dead.
Brosephus™
December 11th, 2012
6:14 pm
This poll shows me that the majority of the American population has either been brainwashed by the libs and their propaganda machine (Main stream Media), do not understand the basic fundamentals of the economy or are just plain dumb.
So, now the opinions and beliefs of Republicans are the fault of Liberals????
When will the excuse makers on the right ever own up to responsibility for anything? That’s the funniest deflection I think I’ve ever heard….
—————————
In other words, Ben, you have no rational response to the information presented here, so you sulk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6GuEswXOXo&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKm5xQyD2vE
josef
December 11th, 2012
6:15 pm
DONOVAN
A c*cktail? Psssst…rich people don’t use that word….it’s sure sign of the nouveaux riches wannabe pretenders…
Jay
December 11th, 2012
6:15 pm
“As you might guess by now, I am very conservative, patriotic, and a being of common sense.”
Actually, Donovan, that’s all news to me. Are you sure? Go look in the mirror and see if you’ve got the right guy.
Doggone/GA
December 11th, 2012
6:15 pm
“the GOP IS DEAD”
Well…like those who proclaim the death of the USA…it’s a pretty lively corpse
JamVet
December 11th, 2012
6:16 pm
Columbus, I just asked God about that, and he’s cool with it.
Donovan is the blog arbiter of who is stupid and anti-American?
…douce the flames…
Yet apparently the man could not pass a seventh grade spelling test.
Chuckle…
josef
December 11th, 2012
6:16 pm
oops correction
make that petit bourgeois wannabe pretenders…the nouveaux riches are more circumspect in their language…
They BOTH suck
December 11th, 2012
6:17 pm
Donavan
I bet you know Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American” by heart………
Brosephus™
December 11th, 2012
6:17 pm
Kam @ 5:55
I second the Eeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!
josef
December 11th, 2012
6:18 pm
DOGGONE
@ 6:15
Word.
JamVet
December 11th, 2012
6:18 pm
Nunna, though many of the cons apparently have written her off, America is rockin’.
Occupy that.
F. Sinkwich
December 11th, 2012
6:18 pm
Poll question:
“Would you like free stuff forever and never have to worry about paying for it?”
A: Sure.
“Would you like free stuff for you but other people have to pay for it?”
A: Sure.
Duh.
It’s over, folks.
RIP USA 1776-2012
barking frog
December 11th, 2012
6:19 pm
maybe donovan could dowse the flames or douche the flames
or just use the fire extinguisher….
Welcome to the Occupation
December 11th, 2012
6:19 pm
Donovan: “Cuts MUST come and they need to hit EVERYBODY including the behemoths social security and medicaid significantly. Americans have went soft and will only get softer without some toughening up. DRASTIC cuts are needed and ANY American that doesnt want to sacrifice their part is selfish and unpatriotic….”
Utterly wrong-headed. Dead wrong. You want to “toughen” something up? Try the wealthy elite who have enjoyed three decades of favored policy and scarcely challenged ascendancy over labor. And now they want a “balanced” approach? Try rolling back those 3 decades of class war against the people waged by the rich, for starters.
“damn polls right now”
Huh? The elites of both the parties are in Washington as we speak preparing to cut the legs out of the few feeble remainders of the social gains of the 20th C, man! What do you want? This ruling elite – and again, it includes BOTH parties — is utterly determined to ram these changes through without the slightest regard for their deep unpopularity. Wake up.
Nunna Yobinnes
December 11th, 2012
6:20 pm
Rockin huh? America will figure it out in time perhaps, but by then it will be too late to make the necessary changes. We’re following the path of the Roman Empire to a tee.
indigo
December 11th, 2012
6:20 pm
Kamachak
I guess you’re Jay’s official truth-o-meter tonight.
He did appoint you, right?
Common Sense isn't very Common
December 11th, 2012
6:21 pm
Poll question:
“Would you like free stuff forever and never have to worry about paying for it?”
A: Sure.
“Would you like free stuff for you but other people have to pay for it?”
A: Sure.
———————————————-
I didn’t see those poll questions that the Republicans took, but if you say so
td
December 11th, 2012
6:21 pm
Yes, Let us increase taxes on the those evil rich. How about we start by taxing the top 5% at 50% of their income and see what happens:
Top 5% of income earners (households making over $161,579 per year). This group made $2.7 trillion in 2011. This group also already pays $560 billion to our total budget so increasing their tax rates from 35% to 50% would bring in an additional $200 billion per year.
Oops, this could not be correct because increasing the taxes on the rich is suppose to solve all our problems and allow Obama to have more spending programs to put people back to work. $1.2 trillion deficit and if we raised everyone’s taxes to 50% that makes over $161,000 per year then we only cut the deficit by $200 billion so this means we still have a $1 trillion deficit.
Where are we going to get the rest of the money from?
http://taxfoundation.org/article/summary-latest-federal-income-tax-data-2012
JKL2
December 11th, 2012
6:22 pm
-the American people are worried about the deficit, but they do not support cutting Medicare or Medicaid
obamacare says,”What?”.
Their destruction has already been put into law. No need to worry about funding them. obamacare will save everyone.
Wilbur
December 11th, 2012
6:23 pm
No problem finding lots of people who don’t want to cut spending and who want someone else…it the evil rich…to pay for it.
And Dim Jay thinks thats new.
What is new is that a major political party has embraced a philosophy that no serious person can believe will work. Our result is economic decline, class warfare and eventual failure as a society. But it was popular. Well done, Jay!
Donovan
December 11th, 2012
6:24 pm
Josef…I don’t fatten, for that is exploitation. Commies and reprehensible people do that. Through my investments, all enjoy the fruits of my labor. The more money I make I give back through consumption tax and contribution. Everyone should struggle to become more financially secure and be rewarded for their efforts. Is this not the American dream?
Why punish those that have more than you do? A worthy cause should be rewarded and not looked upon with jealousy. Earn it.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 11th, 2012
6:24 pm
Kamachak
I guess you’re Jay’s official truth-o-meter tonight.
indigo
You guessed wrong, sport.
Doggone/GA
December 11th, 2012
6:25 pm
“Yes, Let us increase taxes on the those evil rich”
Curious people would like to know…why do you call the rich evil?
indigo
December 11th, 2012
6:25 pm
Nunna Yobinnes – 6:11
Yes, they would be delighted becuase it would mean they could make correstponding cuts in their defence budgets. That never crossed your mind, did it?
And, the middle class and poor here would really be delighted if those billions saved would be put into healthcare.
barking frog
December 11th, 2012
6:26 pm
Nothing wrong with giving tax cuts to job creators but the job creators
should have to show their work. No jobs-No cuts.
josef
December 11th, 2012
6:26 pm
Why tax the rich? They’re the ones with the money…duh.
Nunna Yobinnes
December 11th, 2012
6:26 pm
Doggone – surely you don’t have to ask that question. Everyone who reads this blog knows that the evil, selfish rich people are to blame for all our country’s ills.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
December 11th, 2012
6:26 pm
indigo: Kamachak I guess you’re Jay’s official truth-o-meter tonight. He did appoint you, right?
Well we could have an election. I am running a super secrety PAC. How about you send a $1 million or two and I will use my Rovian skills to have you appointed.
Nunna Yobinnes
December 11th, 2012
6:28 pm
I’m sure that the Chinese, North Koreans, Iranians, Russians, et al are just waiting to cut their defense budgets. I’ve got some ocean front property in South Dakota I’d like to sell you too.
F. Sinkwich
December 11th, 2012
6:29 pm
“Curious people would like to know…why do you call the rich evil?”
I dunno, ask the Occutard. He hates them big time like every other lib ilk on Jay’s blog.
Nunna Yobinnes
December 11th, 2012
6:30 pm
indigo – it never crossed my mind because it will never happen. “Everybody wants to rule the world.”
Doggone/GA
December 11th, 2012
6:30 pm
“Everyone who reads this blog knows that the evil, selfish rich people are to blame for all our country’s ills.”
Well, there certainly seem to be a LOT of the conned here that think that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a lib say that.
JamVet
December 11th, 2012
6:30 pm
Nunna, are you one of those domino theory guys? (It was all military industrial complex b*llsh*t)
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 11th, 2012
6:31 pm
Keep
If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve.
Soothsayer
December 11th, 2012
6:31 pm
Now let me ask you this: RIGHT OR LEFT, where would you — as a sane, rational person — suggest that we, as a country, make some cuts in our spending?
Don’t forget that Social Security and Medicare are self-funding and do not contribute one thin dime to our deficit.
Paul
December 11th, 2012
6:31 pm
So no only is there a disconnect between the party leadership and the party members, there is also a disconnect between what party regulars say in general terms and what they say when things get specific.
No wonder Republicans have such a difficult time with data.
There’s another meaning behind this: Take out of the rants and reasons the ’socialist Kenyan Marxist Obummer” lines and they really, really don’t have anything of substance to offer.
Then again, regulars on this blog have known that for a long, long time.
Doggone/GA
December 11th, 2012
6:32 pm
“I dunno, ask the Occutard. He hates them big time like every other lib ilk on Jay’s blog”
And yet it always seems to be a con who calls them evil. Curious for sure.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
December 11th, 2012
6:32 pm
No matter how many times you point out things, like our defense spending compared to the next 10 biggest spenders, some nimnod still has to cry “fear” and whine that nothing can be cut and we must spend more. I guess its all part of being part of the secessionist GOP fake patriots fake human caring fake Country First conned.
Nunna Yobinnes
December 11th, 2012
6:32 pm
No, I’m just not naive enough to think that nations that have continually demonstrated aggressiveness towards our country will ever reduce their military spending.
josef
December 11th, 2012
6:32 pm
DONOVAN
That I earned it by working for it is the working/salaried class line. They sell their labor for a wage. The rich/wealthy buy that labor to produce the product which they in turn market for a profit. That may be done directly by contract with the worker or it may be done through investment in enterprises which do the contracting. Ultimately, wealth is derived from purchased labor. The happier those workers (i.e. the fatter the goose) the more valuable the return (i.e. golden egg).
getalife
December 11th, 2012
6:33 pm
“Why tax the rich? They’re the ones with the money…duh.”
The “evil” rich?
Doggone/GA
December 11th, 2012
6:33 pm
Enter your comments here”Don’t forget that Social Security and Medicare are self-funding and do not contribute one thin dime to our deficit”
True, but given that the SS funds are borrowed…it certainly enables it.
Paul
December 11th, 2012
6:36 pm
td
The only ones making the points you do (increasing taxes will solve all our problems and will solve the deficit) are nonthinking conservatives.
So why don’t you just admit it’s a conservative idea, not a liberal idea?
F. Sinkwich
December 11th, 2012
6:36 pm
“Why punish those that have more than you do? A worthy cause should be rewarded and not looked upon with jealousy. Earn it.”
Unfortunately Dono, that’s old time thinking.
Success used to be celebrated. People who studied hard, worked hard, provided employment, etc., are now the bad guys. The majority in America now think they’re entitled to a free ride, funded by others.
It’s pathetic and will certainly lead to ruin, but lib ilks don’t care. They hate the fact they made bad decisions in their lives, but want others to pay for it.
Nunna Yobinnes
December 11th, 2012
6:36 pm
On second thought, let’s cut our defense spending. We can count on our abilities to reason and negotiate with our adversaries.
banner123
December 11th, 2012
6:37 pm
Jay,
thanks for the response. do you have numbers to back up all of your proposals and how much at the end of the day would our deficit be or what kind of surplus you think we would have.
Just curious on what your numbers would look like.
Thulsa Doom
December 11th, 2012
6:37 pm
“$1.2 trillion deficit and if we raised everyone’s taxes to 50% that makes over $161,000 per year then we only cut the deficit by $200 billion so this means we still have a $1 trillion deficit.
Where are we going to get the rest of the money from?”
Math- the hobgobblin of little liberal noggins
Keep Up the Good Fight!
December 11th, 2012
6:38 pm
If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve
Okay, but your share of the non-coordinated PAC [wink wink nudge nudge] goes to my pocket. Now I am just going to have to ask for more money to help “Draft Kam and help keep our campaign to have Jay act” alive. Won’t you send in your contribution,
SuckerHuckabee style. For $250k we’ll let you come to our Mickey dinner with surprise speaker.Soothsayer
December 11th, 2012
6:39 pm
I want to post this again and I want you to cursor down to the Chart captioned “U.S. Department of Defense 1965 – 2020 (est) billions of constant 2010 dollars.” Notice anything unusual around 2000? Yes, that’s when George W. Bush took office. How many trillions of dollars do we need to chase a few “terrorists” around Pakistan? How did we ever make do on that paltry sum in 2000?
Paul
December 11th, 2012
6:40 pm
Nunna
You might want to look at the effectiveness of the Air Force before and after a Chief of Staff by the name of Merrill McPeak implemented his changes. He did them not in response to budget cuts, but in anticipation of them, saying they also presented a great opportunity for streamlining leading to greater force effectiveness.
Welcome to the Occupation
December 11th, 2012
6:40 pm
Thulsa Doom: “Math- the hobgobblin of little liberal noggins”
Growth. The streak of the counter-intuitive that makes delicate little conservative heads explode. They just can’t part with the little shopkeeper’s ways and face the fact that while austerity might be good for the shopkeeper, or the household, it’s death for the nation.
Rightwing Troll
December 11th, 2012
6:40 pm
Somebody get the poor overwrought sissies a binky or something quick… you’d think after 4 years of being wrong about everything and then getting their asses wupped, they’d learn some humility…
Keep Up the Good Fight!
December 11th, 2012
6:41 pm
hmmm… I think we can get the additional savings out of the Romney plan. You know how great that GOP math was there.
Oh wait, that was garbage.
td
December 11th, 2012
6:41 pm
Paul
December 11th, 2012
6:36 pm
td
The only ones making the points you do (increasing taxes will solve all our problems and will solve the deficit) are nonthinking conservatives.
So why don’t you just admit it’s a conservative idea, not a liberal idea?
Sorry Paul, but I have heard this over and over again on stations like MSNBC and even from Obama.
Please do not deny that Obama is selling the idea that (during the campaign as well as now) that if we can only increase taxes on the people that make over $250,000 a year back to the Clinton rates then all of our problems would be resolved.
That is a big fat lie and until the American people actually realize that we have a spending problem instead of a revenue problem then we are not going to improve the situation.
Paul
December 11th, 2012
6:42 pm
Soothsayer
Kinda makes you wonder what the Defense budget would have been in WWII, fighting millions of Nazis and Japanese and Italians, if today’s conservatives had their say -
Welcome to the Occupation
December 11th, 2012
6:43 pm
td: “That is a big fat lie and until the American people actually realize that we have a spending problem instead of a revenue problem then we are not going to improve the situation.”
You’re talking like a shopkeeper. See my 6:40.
Paul
December 11th, 2012
6:43 pm
td
You’ve heard this ( (increasing taxes will solve all our problems and will solve the deficit) on MSNBC and from Pres Obama?
I do occasionally print something I heard but do not have a source for when it comes to a cable station, but I should think those two items would be very, very easy to cite to attribute to Pres Obama.
SO…. cite for either of those from Pres Obama?
Thulsa Doom
December 11th, 2012
6:44 pm
Brocephus,
Just heard something interesting from an economist on the news regarding growth and right to work states. Of the top 10 growth states over the last 10 years 9 of them were right to work states. The lone exception? Washington state where there is no state income tax or corporate income tax. In other words a low tax burden. Interesting.
6.9% vs 8.7%- those are the unemployment rates in right to work states vs no right to work states today. Interesting.
josef
December 11th, 2012
6:44 pm
getalife
Evil rich, magnanimous rich…they’re still the ones with the money!
Ask a liberal, the evil rich are the likes of Sheldon Adelson, ask a conservative, and it’s the likes of George Soros…
JamVet
December 11th, 2012
6:46 pm
Evil is the word preferred by those with junior high school vocabularies…
Soothsayer
December 11th, 2012
6:46 pm
If all of the Bush tax cuts expire ON EVERYONE that would amount to around $268 billion in revenue. Letting the Bush tax cuts expire on those making above $250K a year isn’t really worth the effort in terms of revenue generation.
No, the truth is we have a bloated, out of control military/security (to encompass Homeland Security) complex that is literally bleeding this country dry. But, like most parasites, the health of the host is of little concern.
If we let all of the Bush tax cuts expire and reduced military/security spending by half, we could make a real dent in the budget deficit and debt.
But, since this would involve some considerable pain, I doubt seriously if this will ever happen.
Jackie
December 11th, 2012
6:47 pm
It is well documented that the USA spends more on its military than the next 13 largest defense budgets of the world.
http://www.pgpf.org/Chart-Archive/0053_defense-comparison.aspx
getalife
December 11th, 2012
6:47 pm
“EXCLUSIVE: President Obama Predicts GOP Will Cave on Taxes” ABC.
Also, confident middle class tax cut will pass and recognizing Syrian rebels as Syria’s government.
Common Sense isn't very Common
December 11th, 2012
6:47 pm
josef
just for you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBRrCY5uhWY
td
December 11th, 2012
6:47 pm
Welcome to the Occupation
December 11th, 2012
6:43 pm
OK, I will bite. How do you have growth when every policy (Obamacare to environmental regulations to tax policies) are all anti growth?
Nunna Yobinnes
December 11th, 2012
6:47 pm
Paul, I’m sure that we would fare just as well if we brought back our Vietnam war era fighter planes, rather than improving on them to maintain superiority. No more F-22s, and F-35s. Bring out the F-4s and A-6s. If all else fails, we can start flying our passenger jets into their infrastructures.
Paul
December 11th, 2012
6:48 pm
” we have a spending problem instead of a revenue problem”
td, please to not let this preempt the earlier request for credibility from your post. Please provide that and do not let this followup question let you avoid it.
IF we have a spending problem, not a revenue problem, we have adequate revenue for our need.
We borrow about 40 cents (some say 46 cents) of every dollar in the budget.
So… tell us all, please (you’ll be the first, not just here but you’ll even be ahead of any Republican politician)….
Look at the budget and tell us how to cut 40 percent to balance it.
Doggone/GA
December 11th, 2012
6:48 pm
“Ask a liberal, the evil rich are the likes of Sheldon Adelson”
That’s not the name that comes to THIS lib’s mind. I think of people like Ken Lay or Bernie Madoff
Jack ®
December 11th, 2012
6:49 pm
Bookman ain’t serious. Oh he may be serious about wanting that lady’s phone number: But this bashing the haves and claiming kinship with the have-nots is just pure unadulterated liberal drivel and he’s having a ball knowing that some take him seriously. And he’s laughing all the way to the bank.
indigo
December 11th, 2012
6:49 pm
Nunna
When The Soviet Union collapsed, Russia was, for a time, in a terrible economic fix. They were essentially a third world country. And yet, they were never in any military danger because of their huge nuclear arsenal.
We could easily cut our military budget by at least 30% and be in no danger whatsoever for the same reason. We would still retain our nukes and have enough firepower to level any and every country on Earth.
What we wouldn’t have is the luxury of cowboy wars like Iraq and Afghanistan, wars which, in the end, give every indication of only benefiting the Military-Industrial Complex.
We are not God’s military gift to the world. We are not the world’s police. It is no longer necessary for us to feel we’re the “savior” of the free world. It makes no sense to be spending billions defending other countries, who can easily defend themselves, while watching our healthcare system slowly fall apart.
Donovan
December 11th, 2012
6:49 pm
Ok, boys and girls…I took the good time to play with you well after I should. I get the lame insults and the vitriol come-backs, but I want to leave you with a bedtime thought.
Even though I sometimes don’t check my spelling, you obviously get my message. You guys live in a childish environment of liberal Disney World. You guys hang out in this liberal club of delusion for your own personal comfort. I tend to enjoy sticking you with common sense that drives you crazy. I am grounded in the common sense pragmatism of life and you guys prefer to vote for community organizing activists that mean something to your core beliefs. I find it sad and perplexing, but you are who you are.
Your way in life is wrong and my way is right. What you believe is fundamentally corrosive to a better way of life and destructive in its essence. I used to be a liberal hippie in my youth, but as an adult I grew out of such folly.
See you weird people tomorrow .
Paul
December 11th, 2012
6:50 pm
Nunna
Okay, thanks. You really aren’t conversant in 21st century defense matters, are you?
Thulsa Doom
December 11th, 2012
6:51 pm
“Growth. The streak of the counter-intuitive that makes delicate little conservative heads explode.”
Welcome to the occupation,
You can’t possibly be referencing the anemic 2% or so economic growth we’ve had under Obama. Just like some other liberal talking points- garbage in. garbage out.
josef
December 11th, 2012
6:52 pm
Common Sense
Welcome to the Occupation
December 11th, 2012
6:52 pm
Donovan: “You guys live in a childish environment of liberal Disney World”
Sure, don’t mention it. But just to correct you on one little thing: it’s the conservative “free market” fantasy that’s the true “Disney World’”, world of childish make-believe.
You’re welcome! Nightey night.
Nunna Yobinnes
December 11th, 2012
6:54 pm
Jackie, yes but all our “allies” such as the UK, France, Canada, et al, who have lower defense spending always expect us to come and protect them from the big bad terrorists, Chinese, Russians, etc. I suppose we could go back to isolationism (might not be a bad idea).