Sequestration

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Now youre talking investments, where the current admin wants to remove tax breaks and loopholes for investing.
Why?
Because of revenues thru taxation.
Like I said, not so simple, can be done, but the current climate in Washington isnt going to get those investments, they wont even pay down the debt with the "revenues", but simply want to spend it.
I would really like to know where all the money for the shovel ready jobs went to, and why no one, not even repubs really are talking about it?
I think it did some good, repubs wont talk, not all made it to where it was supposed to go, dems wont talk, and both dems and repubs got monies from there, thus no ones talking about it.
Changing policy abroad wont help if our policies here at home are detrimental to make the process a success .
 
I'm not really talking about investments, and the money that is collected thru tariffs would be a small tertiary benefit. The main benefit of the tariffs, would be the higher prices for those imported goods, encouraging consumers to buy domestically produced goods, and thereby, encouraging businesses to then produce more domestically.

The income generated from the tariffs would be a small benefit to the government, but the bigger benefit, would be the stronger middle class created by the jobs created.
 
Tariffs? Import taxes? You guys do realize just how little we actually produce in the US, right? How long would it take for US companies to ramp up (all would want some sort of govt hand-out) production to make a HDTV, for example?

Also, how do you think the rest of the globalized economy (and govts) would react?
 
That's right, very little is produced here. That's one reason for the lack of jobs, smaller tax base, higher healthcare costs, welfare, medicaid, etc...It wouldn't be an overnight change, and businesses would have to adapt, just as they do in the everyday changing environment. The companies move out of the US easy enough. They can move back.

I would expect most of the global economy would impose similar tariffs. However, the US is one of the, if not the largest consumer base. So companies that build here, would have that incentive.
 
Thats exactly what I mean.
With a smaller base, we would have to ramp it up, needing investment to do so.
If the government takes away the incentives to do so, much like, if you have under x amount of employees, your health care, minimum wage etc are x amount or responsibilities, exceed those numbers, and you enter a whole new catagory.
If someone with money wants to invest into your expansion, the taxation or lack of loopholes will prevent them from doing o, and theyll just keep their monies off shore.
Going from 80 cents an hour from someone getting paid in whoflingpooh china to someone getting 10 bucks an hour from hometown usa is going to incur cost spikes in those goods, and Joe Everybody here at home wont be able to buy as much.
It would be a slow process, and have to be done wisely, in markets where growth wouldnt be swallowed up by government revenues, where depending on the competition, it would simply allow the next competitor from overseas to still wedge their way in.
Japan did this with TVs, as their government reduced the prices of exported TVs, costing little here in the states, while Japanese citizens paid dearly for the same product, thus seeding the market for a more global approach.
Its not so easy, and government intervention only muddies it, and having greedy leaders wanting those revenues as well, if the monies ever reach their intended targets.
By intended targets, where often you have tax incentives, it comes thru programs such as this, for various reasons, not evil, not greedy, so much as for the corporations, but for commerce, much like no taxes on new companies for the first 10 years if they come to my state.
Problem is, some leaders start saying these companies are greedy, they dont need it, they are evil etc etc.
The other problem is, some companies have outgrown the needs for tax incentives.
Often, those that have out grown their needs for tax incentives are used to point out other tax incentives that are still needed by leaders who have a mantra, and not a clue, as to whats needed and isnt.
I will let you figure out whos who here in all this, but agin, not so easy to do
 
No hypocrisy here in terms of government "handouts". BTW, I certainly understand the points being made and I tend to agree. However, in the highly polarized press/media today, "investments" made by the government are frowned upon by the right unless it is for big business. Seems a bit skewed, does it not?

What about investments in infrastructure and education? Are those worthy of tax dollars to stimulate growth?
 
I believe from the rights POV they are.
Considered sound investments, economic spurts etc.
I also believe, since itll be here tomorrow, like the roads, and its needed,its seen as tangible as opposed to wasted away on people or whims, like statues, or why and how snails multiply etc and people who dont better themselves.
So, government investments thru the government, since they have no real skin in the game, other than getting reelected, often has negative effects, such as cronyism, splitting the country up in shades of skin color, sexual prefrences etc, where many think its wrong for government to be so concerned anyways, or of course shouldnt be championed to begin with.
They all champion things nowadays, instead of just doing it, then receive recognition for doing it .
Thats where the corruption comes in, and the MSM are just corrupt, have no skin in the game whatsoever, as long as people watch their spew.
It would be interesting if the MSM said from this day forwards:
Same sex couples have rights as do any couples, and end it there.
There are no skin colors, only common sense, and end it there.
I could go on with their agenda, but the point is, they wont because theyre afraid people wont watch.
What is sad is, when even the MSM disagrees with certain political factions theyre in bed with, its softened or underreported or even ignored.

If the MSM wanted ratings and really had no agenda, going against the flow would certainly get them ratings, as Fox News can attest to this.
The MSM used to be the arbiter for us, which is no longer the case, and the common will has desolved into what the very MSM has become and accuses today, polarization, and it makes it difficult for us to have to track down as to the best solutions for all
Just as the senate hasnt voted on a budget in years, neither has the MSM given middle of the road fact finding on important issues
 
So, the MSM wants ratings. What does the "right" want? And, the "left"? I think, JDJ, that both sides of the argument have done their share of the negatives you point out. To the point that neither side gets anything done except for finger pointing at the other side.
 

The finger pointing method worked for the previous administration as well, my friend. It is an especially effective method when the other side produces weak candidates. Think about it.
 
Im not saying your wrong Col, its more than that.
Those who can make a difference are often criticized by the MSM to the point of neutralizing them.
I will say, as I said above, you need only to look at those who get slight stabs from their own party, or the MSM goes on search and destroy.
What comes to mind is, those people elected in 2010, who were elected solely to not spend money, many of them tea party people.
They were left by the supposed right, they were destroyed by the MSM, and were used as excuses all along from the dems.
Take 1 elected group that met with such a complete or nearly so attempt at doing what its constituents wanted, and see what happened.
Now, was it the left? Yes
Was it the right? yes
Was it the MSM? Of course, they were part of the right, and furthest from the MSMs ideology
We all know, the left likes to spend, we all know the right wants to give business a break.
Great offsets until the right starts spending close to what the left does, excluding wars.
But now we face fiscal crisis after fiscal crisis, and as I said above, the right has had their fingers in the cookie jar too, the unspoken compromises have been writ, as well as the left, and the left wants more as always, and finds victims and eviuldoers, backed by the MSM, and they too have their fingers in the cookie jar, just as I said above, in regards to the infrastructure monies.
Now, you, I or anyone else here may not agree with the tea party reps that were elected, but so far, theyre the closest thing Ive seen as to how our government is supposed to run, and yes there are exceptions on the repubs side as well as the dems side, but not near the conformity amongst how they are identified as a group. Sad days these are
 
 
As Obama does his best to make Americans feel the pain of sequestration by closing the White House to tours for school children, pulling the funding for the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds, TSA cuts causing longer lines at airports, cutting the hours for Border Patrol, etc...we find a report from the GAO (Government Accountability Office) that details federal programs that are duplicated, overlapping, and fragmented (where more than on program/agency is providing some of the same services). The report details how these programs and agencies are wasting Millions and Billions of dollars individually. In total, these programs represent 2.1 Trillion dollars of tax dollars wasted by the federal government.

You can read the report here; 2013 Annual Report: Actions Needed to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication and Achieve Other Financial Benefits

Ironically, it was Obama who stumped and campaigned to "shed the spending we don't need."
"In these challenging times, when we are facing both rising deficits and a sinking economy, budget reform is not an option. It is an imperative. We cannot sustain a system that bleeds billions of taxpayer dollars on programs that have outlived their usefulness, or exist solely because of the power of a politicians, lobbyists, or interest groups. We simply cannot afford it. This isn't about big government or small government. It’s about building a smarter government that focuses on what works. That is why I will ask my new team to think anew and act anew to meet our new challenges.... We will go through our federal budget – page by page, line by line – eliminating those programs we don’t need, and insisting that those we do operate in a sensible cost-effective way."
Click to expand...
And, here we are after in the 5th year of his Administration and the GAO has released two reports (March 2011 and February 2013) that recommends over 300 actions the Executive Branch can take to do exactly what Obama said he would do. Sadly, the Liar-in-Chief has utterly failed to move on any of the 300 recommendations. The best Obama has done was to appoint another czar, Peter Orszag, as Director of the Office of Management and Budget to take on this task; and there it has died.

Meanwhile, this is the same Obama and Administration who has seen the number of people of food stamps rise to 50 Million people, an average 1.3% GPD growth, wasted billions on a false green initiatives, wasted billions in failed stimulus, systematically took control over industry, shows complete disregard for due process, and has maintained record high unemployment.

Also, this is the same Obama who, last night 4/9/2013, hosted a tax payer funded "Memphis Soul" music party complete with Justin Timberlake, Queen Latifah, Cindy Lauper, and many others to provide the President, his family, and a select group of guests with an evening of entertainment and regalia.

I do not begrudge the President a good time, vacation, and the perks inherent to America's highest elected office. But, when such perks are done at tax payer expense and in such contrast to the spending reduction the average American has had to make, I can find no excuse that Obama or his sympathizers can use to justify such a garish display of elitism and wasted money.

Let them eat cake!
 
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