03-11-2017, 03:35 PM
(03-10-2017, 06:19 PM)Kinser79 Wrote:(03-10-2017, 04:22 PM)Galen Wrote:(03-10-2017, 03:50 PM)Kinser79 Wrote:(03-10-2017, 04:22 AM)Galen Wrote: I mark the start of the fourth turning at 2008. While 2024 is a good date my own suspicion is that you will know the fourth turning is ending when it becomes obvious the American Empire is over. Whether that end looks the the end of the British or Roman empires remains to be seen.
Judging from Ryan's Obozocare light bill it is clear that the GOP elites also plan on business as usual. The problem with a fourth turning is that the business as usual is what got you here. It doesn't sound like the GOP base agrees with that plan. This rejection of business as usual is how they ended up with Trump.
As for Ryan I have a feeling that he won't pass his Obamacare 2.0 bill. It's already DOA in the Senate according to such persons as Paul, Cruz and Suzanne Collins. A Libertarian, a Evangelical and a Milquetoast Conservative respectively. In the House the Freedom Caucus won't vote for it, the Democrats are unlikely to (they like Obamacare 1.0 thanks) and there are some 30 other reps saying that they oppose it outside the Freedom Caucus.
When those three groups agree that something is a bad idea your bill is toast. The only thing all of them agree on is that Obozocare has to go so it seems most likely that is precisely what will happen. Indeed, Rand Paul reintroduced the same repeal that already passed last year. I like Rand better when he isn't running for President.
(03-10-2017, 03:50 PM)Kinser79 Wrote: As such he's down 70 votes from the 218 he needs to pass. Since it is such a major policy item for his agenda I suspect that he will likely be forced to resigned if he can't pass the bill out of the House. I honestly believe it is DOA in the Senate for various reasons (and would likely be vetoed if it by some miracle ended up on Daddy's desk).
I very much doubt Trump is going to get the debt ceiling increase he has hinted that he wants without some major spending cuts to go with it. The Liberty Caucus not to mention the fiscal and social conservatives really don't like Ryan because he is seen as being as spineless as Boehner was.
1. Well not only are those three disparate groups of the GOP against Obamacare 2.0 but so is the expanded base. The GOP establishment may not like it but the Democrats are collapsing and will be relegated to a fringe party soon. There is talk in some circles already that primaries are being planned based on how the votes line up on Obamacare 2.0.
2. I'd be fine with spending cuts. I'm sure there are plenty of things that can and should be cut. We can start with the CIA, NSA, and work our way down to the old New Deal infrastructure. When the water stinks the dam must be broken.
1. How would y'all handle health care, not health insurance? I think the employer based model is really broken. I think health care does not follow the free market model. There's a mismatch between the demand and ability to pay. I'd put the bans on drug imports/inability to get health insurance across state lines at the very top. I think Medicare works just fine, thank you very much. I'd just pull the plug, implement single payer, with Medicare starting at age 0, and repeal Medicare payroll taxes, abolish duplicate stuff like VA care, Medicaid, and CHIP. I'd also ding corporate money grubbing by setting copyrights way back to 20 years, and no special patent extensions for Big Pharma.
2. I agree that the Deep State/MIC/empire project needs to be trimmed way back. There's no reason the US military budget should be larger than the rest of the world's.
3. I'd get rid of corporate welfare like tax breaks and taxing rentier income at a lower rate than earned income.
4. What would y'all free marketers do about automation/outsourced induced unemployment? Moi? I think there's a happy medium between all out "free market" stuff and shit holes like Zimbabwe/Venezuela/former USSR. Growth for growth sake isn't a end all to be all. Economic growth can be high, but at what cost? Should we accept pollution, wealth disparity, and crony capitalism as the trade offs?
5. How would infrastructure be maintained? I don't think a nation of toll roads sounds nice.
6. Should old people work till they drop? I think the IRA/401K model is broken. There aren't very many stock/bond market experts out there.
7. I'd abolish all house buying subsidies like VA,Freddie MAC,Fannie MAE, and whatever other house buying subsidies are out there.
8. In short, I think a base living standard folks should have so folks that fall on hard times don't go stealing, become infectious disease vectors due to hunger, and yeah, just me trying to be a decent human as it pertains to US citizens. As long as citizens are fed, housed, and health is maintained, I'm OK. No a bought house, Ishits , pay TeeVee, aren't part of the package. I have no pay TeeVee and a cheap 25$/month flip phone work OK for me.
---Value Added 