Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government could probably run a 1-2% deficit in perpetuity.

My cat could probably fly in perpetuity, after one good jump.

If the economy grows at a 3-5% clip and the deficit is 1-2% of GDP ... the debt/GDP ratio will constantly be shrinking.

Now running deficits to fund operating costs is foolishness -- too many people want the goodies government provides but are unwilling to pay the taxes.

The people who want the goodies are not the ones paying taxes.

You're right, I'm pretty pissed that I pay 35%+ in tax while Mitt Romney pays an effective rate of around 10%.

Too bad I didn't buy a yacht or some dressage horses - I could really use the tax break.

yup--taxes are no problem as lng as someone else is paying them or paying more, and of course obly rich republicans tax advantage of current tax laws...

The united states of America is not a theoretical entity. It is a nation of people. A small number of exceeeeeeedingly rich people, and a growing number of poor and barely-holding on people.

When the US is identified as "the richest nation in the world" that paradoxically has one of the highest child poverty rates, lowest performing schools, ballooning unemployment, underinsurance, and falling health statistics, something is going on. And you can find out what is going on by examining historical trends within our own country, as well as what's going on in our peer developed countries. This gives us enough of a natural experiment, if you will, to extrapolate some important truths upon which to base our upcoming policy decisions.

What seems quite evident from examining these data is that the rich are drinking all the milkshake. And we have a LOT of milkshake. When it goes in a very small number of people's bank accounts, rather than go to the rest of Americans (via higher employment *and* wages, primarily--that's one of the best ways--but also via Social Security, health care subsidies and cost-cutting measures, child care subsidies, education supports, and so on) American suffers. In fact, in a few more generations of this nonsense, the big fat corporations are at some point going to find that they've destroyed their own best consumer market by squeezing us all dry. Small business will have even less opportunity to thrive. Who will buy their goods (unless it's Walmart prices and quality)? How will we get things from A to B without roads? Who will be the innovators without sufficient education?

I've lived in countries with a wide gap between a lot of very poor people and some much small number of very rich people and a few folks in between. These are not nice places to live. Even if you're one of the very rich. It involves fear, living behind bars and barbed wire, driving cars with protection, seeing swaths of poverty on what otherwise could be nice middle income homes... I really do feel like we're heading in this direction.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government could probably run a 1-2% deficit in perpetuity.

My cat could probably fly in perpetuity, after one good jump.

If the economy grows at a 3-5% clip and the deficit is 1-2% of GDP ... the debt/GDP ratio will constantly be shrinking.

Now running deficits to fund operating costs is foolishness -- too many people want the goodies government provides but are unwilling to pay the taxes.

The people who want the goodies are not the ones paying taxes.

You're right, I'm pretty pissed that I pay 35%+ in tax while Mitt Romney pays an effective rate of around 10%.

Too bad I didn't buy a yacht or some dressage horses - I could really use the tax break.

yup--taxes are no problem as lng as someone else is paying them or paying more, and of course obly rich republicans tax advantage of current tax laws...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government could probably run a 1-2% deficit in perpetuity.

My cat could probably fly in perpetuity, after one good jump.

If the economy grows at a 3-5% clip and the deficit is 1-2% of GDP ... the debt/GDP ratio will constantly be shrinking.

Now running deficits to fund operating costs is foolishness -- too many people want the goodies government provides but are unwilling to pay the taxes.

The people who want the goodies are not the ones paying taxes.

You're right, I'm pretty pissed that I pay 35%+ in tax while Mitt Romney pays an effective rate of around 10%.

Too bad I didn't buy a yacht or some dressage horses - I could really use the tax break.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government could probably run a 1-2% deficit in perpetuity.

My cat could probably fly in perpetuity, after one good jump.

If the economy grows at a 3-5% clip and the deficit is 1-2% of GDP ... the debt/GDP ratio will constantly be shrinking.

Now running deficits to fund operating costs is foolishness -- too many people want the goodies government provides but are unwilling to pay the taxes.

The people who want the goodies are not the ones paying taxes.

Amazon is profitable, now. Due to Bezos' strategy, not for long, but it is now. The analogy is as dumb as the family balanced budget analogy, though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government could probably run a 1-2% deficit in perpetuity.

My cat could probably fly in perpetuity, after one good jump.

If the economy grows at a 3-5% clip and the deficit is 1-2% of GDP ... the debt/GDP ratio will constantly be shrinking.

Now running deficits to fund operating costs is foolishness -- too many people want the goodies government provides but are unwilling to pay the taxes.

If my cat simply keeps jumping, in mid air, from one jump into the next, he could probably fly in perpetuity (if he hits a planet, let's assume he can break it open with his claws)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government could probably run a 1-2% deficit in perpetuity.

My cat could probably fly in perpetuity, after one good jump.

If the economy grows at a 3-5% clip and the deficit is 1-2% of GDP ... the debt/GDP ratio will constantly be shrinking.

Now running deficits to fund operating costs is foolishness -- too many people want the goodies government provides but are unwilling to pay the taxes.

Maybe they meant 102% ratio? Regardless, as Cheney accurately said: "Deficits don't matter."

The Deficit is a wedge issue for Republicans to help convince the middle class to vote against it's own interests. Austerity never hits the wealthy or the MIC, only the middle class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government could probably run a 1-2% deficit in perpetuity.

My cat could probably fly in perpetuity, after one good jump.

If the economy grows at a 3-5% clip and the deficit is 1-2% of GDP ... the debt/GDP ratio will constantly be shrinking.

Now running deficits to fund operating costs is foolishness -- too many people want the goodies government provides but are unwilling to pay the taxes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Really interesting perspective on deficits and investments. She's crass, but makes a compelling argument.



https://medium.com/@girlziplocked/why-amazon-isn-t-a-fucking-idiot-and-runs-a-deficit-f9d5734b68ec

That's clueless. Ask Greece or Argentina, for a more relevant analogy. Countries are not companies.

Germany runs a deficit. Can I ask them, too? In the last 40 years, they have balanced their budget exactly once, and they do not seem to have turned into Greece or Argentina.

Sure, ask Germany for their budget accounts over the last 40 years -- they have had superavits many more times than once. And if they have super low rates now is because they behave like Berkshire Hathaway, paying attention to the fundamentals and to cash flow, not like Amazon.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Really interesting perspective on deficits and investments. She's crass, but makes a compelling argument.



https://medium.com/@girlziplocked/why-amazon-isn-t-a-fucking-idiot-and-runs-a-deficit-f9d5734b68ec

That's clueless. Ask Greece or Argentina, for a more relevant analogy. Countries are not companies.

Germany runs a deficit. Can I ask them, too? In the last 40 years, they have balanced their budget exactly once, and they do not seem to have turned into Greece or Argentina.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government could probably run a 1-2% deficit in perpetuity.

My cat could probably fly in perpetuity, after one good jump.

Your cat does not issue the preeminent global reserve currency for which their is endless demand.

True.

Neither does the US, because no country ever, past or future, can issue currency "for which there is endless demand."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government could probably run a 1-2% deficit in perpetuity.

My cat could probably fly in perpetuity, after one good jump.

Your cat does not issue the preeminent global reserve currency for which their is endless demand.

Edit - "there"
Fat finger mistake

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government could probably run a 1-2% deficit in perpetuity.

My cat could probably fly in perpetuity, after one good jump.

Your cat does not issue the preeminent global reserve currency for which their is endless demand.

Anonymous wrote:Government could probably run a 1-2% deficit in perpetuity.

My cat could probably fly in perpetuity, after one good jump.

Government could probably run a 1-2% deficit in perpetuity.