Off-Topic :
Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
President Eisenhower Wrote:
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> What a real Republican, American Hero, and
> Christian thought about Defense Spending vs.
> Spending on Social Services.
Well of course back then 1 person living off SS and Medicare was being supported by 250 people paying into the system. 10 Years ago it might have been something like 1:10 now its probably 2:1. We're also barrowing something like 40% of every dollar spent.
What good are these programs when the economy collapses because the Federal government spending more then it brings in?
Nevermind that defense of the country and protecting the borders are Constitutionally required and welfare system is not.
I have no problem with a Government that provides a saftey net for people, but we are way beyond that. The welfore system now provides people with the means to live an existance in some inner city shithole from cradle to grave. Able bodied people who enter into this world with the capabalility to learn how to take care of themselvs but either choose not to or are told by a politician that they dont have to.
We have all sorts of resources located in Federal lands just waiting to be extracted. It would be totally reasonable if the Federal gov't open these lands up and used the royalties to fund welfare programs.
The defense of the country is paramount. But it isn't either or. We can do both.
But you can't do both without tax revenues. The Tea Party faction seems to think "No taxation what-so-ever" was our battle cry. It wasn't.
Look at the tax rates under Ike. Way too high for my business owning ass but tax rates now are too low given what the country faces in terms of debt and deficits. I am willing to pay more to help solve the debt and the deficit issues. But Defense spending needs to be cut significantly - over time. Not a radical cut - just a slow draw down.
The Tea Party also seems to think the Constitution was written to prevent a strong central Government. It wasn't. Quite the opposite. We fought a Civil War over this one and what are today's Tea Baggers lost.
Exploiting our resources to cover social programs is fine with me so long as it is done safely and rationally and with minimal impact. Look at what the Norwegians have done with their vast oil wealth and it is a good model. They have exploited their natural resources in an environmentally friendly and rational way. They have used the proceeds to cover social services. But they have also protected the bulk of the wealth gained from those resources for posterity - instead of blowing the whole wad on a spending spree.
But let's get that term welfare into a box. There are 4.4 million people on actual welfare and the requirements to get it were reformed seriously through bipartisan compromise. The number remains constant regardless of which party controls the White House, the Senate, or the Congress.
I Like Ike Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The defense of the country is paramount. But it
> isn't either or. We can do both.
> But you can't do both without tax revenues. The
> Tea Party faction seems to think "No taxation
> what-so-ever" was our battle cry. It wasn't.
>
> Look at the tax rates under Ike. Way too high for
> my business owning ass but tax rates now are too
> low given what the country faces in terms of debt
> and deficits. I am willing to pay more to help
> solve the debt and the deficit issues. But
> Defense spending needs to be cut significantly -
> over time. Not a radical cut - just a slow draw
> down.
>
> The Tea Party also seems to think the Constitution
> was written to prevent a strong central
> Government. It wasn't. Quite the opposite. We
> fought a Civil War over this one and what are
> today's Tea Baggers lost.
>
> Exploiting our resources to cover social programs
> is fine with me so long as it is done safely and
> rationally and with minimal impact. Look at what
> the Norwegians have done with their vast oil
> wealth and it is a good model. They have
> exploited their natural resources in an
> environmentally friendly and rational way. They
> have used the proceeds to cover social services.
> But they have also protected the bulk of the
> wealth gained from those resources for posterity -
> instead of blowing the whole wad on a spending
> spree.
>
> But let's get that term welfare into a box. There
> are 4.4 million people on actual welfare and the
> requirements to get it were reformed seriously
> through bipartisan compromise. The number remains
> constant regardless of which party controls the
> White House, the Senate, or the Congress.
Yeah, we got it. You're a lib who thinks the GOP should compromise more. Not the democrats, just the GOP. You're an uniformed useful idiot of the state. Good job. Did you know that senators were appointed by state legislatures until 1913? Know why? Because the guys who wrote the US Constitution wanted to make sure that the states had equal representation in Congress. A relatively weak President with a bicameral Congress elected by the people and the states to control spending, approve treaties, declare war and basically being in charge of all the other things that were important to a nascent country. And Senators served longer than either the people's represenatives (the House) or the chief beaurocrat (president) so insure the States representatives provided a louder voice in matters of government. No comrade, you need to educate yourself.
I Like Ike Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The defense of the country is paramount. But it
> isn't either or. We can do both.
> But you can't do both without tax revenues. The
> Tea Party faction seems to think "No taxation
> what-so-ever" was our battle cry. It wasn't.
There is waste in every department and Defense is not immune. Every time i drive around NoVa i am constantly reminded of this. I believe you are making the mistake of letting traditional media characterize the Tea Party. However, at least something somewhat productive comes out Defense spending. Maybe its not the best ROI but its better then hanging out welfare checks to people who play the system.
>
> Look at the tax rates under Ike. Way too high for
> my business owning ass but tax rates now are too
> low given what the country faces in terms of debt
> and deficits. I am willing to pay more to help
> solve the debt and the deficit issues. But
> Defense spending needs to be cut significantly -
> over time. Not a radical cut - just a slow draw
> down.
1) I agree that taxes need to be fair. A low flat tax across the board that everyone pays into, which is written in plain english, along with national sales/consumption tax which requires a super majority from both houses to raise is a reasonable starting point.
Our current tax code is complex and full of carve outs.
>
> The Tea Party also seems to think the Constitution
> was written to prevent a strong central
> Government. It wasn't. Quite the opposite. We
> fought a Civil War over this one and what are
> today's Tea Baggers lost.
I could not not disagree more. Does it not seem like the founders went through a lot of painstaking trouble breaking up government into different branches, limiting its powers an, reserving all other powers for the states?
>
> Exploiting our resources to cover social programs
> is fine with me so long as it is done safely and
> rationally and with minimal impact. Look at what
> the Norwegians have done with their vast oil
> wealth and it is a good model. They have
> exploited their natural resources in an
> environmentally friendly and rational way. They
> have used the proceeds to cover social services.
> But they have also protected the bulk of the
> wealth gained from those resources for posterity -
> instead of blowing the whole wad on a spending
> spree.
>
> But let's get that term welfare into a box. There
> are 4.4 million people on actual welfare and the
> requirements to get it were reformed seriously
> through bipartisan compromise. The number remains
> constant regardless of which party controls the
> White House, the Senate, or the Congress.