Worst Budget Year Ever

[Alyrium Denryle]

I notice, after posting, you added 'Congress and president' instead of just Congress. Well, get a new one. Isn't that supposed to be the cornerstone of your government, the fact you can get new ones?

That would require taking the risk that them evil liberals could get in charge and start ruining things.

And when has a liberal advocated cutting the bureacratic waste and implementing means testing for Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid? I can't very well vote for a candidate that doesn't exist.

*raises hand*

Here is anice general solution from a liberal that may actually work(what a shocker)

Toss mediare/medicaid out the fucking door, gone, dead. It doesnt work for shit.

Model a national healthcare system after the German model. Keep private insurance companies, but make insurance coverage mandatory of all businesses. Minimum standards of coverage will apply, and the companies will work wth the unions and individuals to find a policy they can agree on.

From there, the business pays half, the government pays half.

It will cost money toimplement, and businesses will be hurting a bit in the short term, but the money people save on healthcare will be injected back into the economy.

This will cost ~Double what we currently spend on medicare/medicaid, it will cover everyone(including those without jobs for a limited time period using the same plan they used at their last job, about the amount of time they are allowed to be on welfare, then their children, if any, become wards of the state until they can provide for them and benifits are cut), and you get rid of most of the beurocracy.


Now for the problem with social security... This, also needs to be completely redone... Or rather, thrown out and rebuilt. The government check needs to go... It is to large a strain on the federal budget, and it doesnt provide a whole lot to the elderly and disabled anyway. What we need, is a sort of universal pension that transfers from job to job, something either the employer pays for. Or perhaps a government mutual fund that is taken out of the persons paycheck, with decent return rates.


Sidenote: What is wrong with pork barrel spending? That shit will keep me employed... When a senator allocates 10 million for the development of a "super trout"

[Guardsman Bass]

I am in favor of the single payer system, where basically the government is just a medical insurer-it does not employ the doctors or run the hospitals.

We definitely need to get rid of that mercantilistic shit that the HMOs are pulling.

[Joe]

And the conservative plan is what? Bitch and moan and pray a miracle occours?

That sums up the Democratic campaign strategy for 2004 quite well, actually.

[Joe]

By the way, Nitram, are you a permanent resident of the United States or do you plan on going back to the UK at some point? If the former is the case, then this whole "your government" business is getting annoying.

[Iceberg]

And the conservative plan is what? Bitch and moan and pray a miracle occours?

That sums up the Democratic campaign strategy for 2004 quite well, actually.

Actually, it sums up the Republican distortion of the Democratic campaign strategy. Distort and sling mud if you can't face and defeat, eh?

[Joe]

And the conservative plan is what? Bitch and moan and pray a miracle occours?

That sums up the Democratic campaign strategy for 2004 quite well, actually.

Actually, it sums up the Republican distortion of the Democratic campaign strategy. Distort and sling mud if you can't face and defeat, eh?

Sorry, all I heard was "bitch, bitch, bitch."

[Rubberanvil]

So we should just sit waiting until the whole edifice collapses, taking, from the estimates I've seen some people bandy around here, most of the economy with it.

Actual that is the only solution to fix the problem at the moment due to political paraylsis and voter indifference.

[Stormbringer]

Ah yes, proposing any solution is 'adding to the mess'.

Except neither side has actually endorsed a solution or has shied away from doing anything. Dean wants to add a massive new national health care issue with out bothering to fix the massive problems with Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. That certainly qualifies as "adding to the mess" in my book.

Yea, we can't possibly try and fix the underlying problems. That'd be insane.

The underlying problem with those programs are that they assume a steadly increasing work force for every generation as well as a retiree only living something like eight or so years after retiring. The problem is the baby boomers will outstrip the capacity of the current generation to support them not to mention live longer and cost more than planned. In short the situation is a pyramid scam and can't possibly work as presently set up.

I didn't say scrap the system, I said something must be done to cut the money that has to paid out since it far exceeds what the baby boomers have contributed. There's only two ways to make it work, cut benefits or cut those of that don't need it. Neither party has the balls to actually carry through either option.

I'm sorry. I can't really take seriously any political party who claims it's impossible to acheive what a government primarily populated by people from Quebec have gotten working.

The present system is impossible to maintain save under ideal conditions, in the real world it doesn't work. It either needs to be reformed or scrapped, preferably scrapped so that we can get a system that does work.

[Stormbringer]

And the conservative plan is what? Bitch and moan and pray a miracle occours?

That sums up the Democratic campaign strategy for 2004 quite well, actually.

Actually, it sums up the Republican distortion of the Democratic campaign strategy. Distort and sling mud if you can't face and defeat, eh?

So what is the plan then? Because all I've seen of Dean's plan is to bump the retirement age and that's a stop gap measure that'll last a year or two at best.

[Stormbringer]

So we should just sit waiting until the whole edifice collapses, taking, from the estimates I've seen some people bandy around here, most of the economy with it.

Actual that is the only solution to fix the problem at the moment due to political paraylsis and voter indifference.

Mostly it's because the living dead actually get out and vote so no candidate will dare offend them. Personally I suggest the time tested manner for dealing with them: a wooden stake to the heart.