2016 Elections

[billy.pilgrim]

do you think the high cost of government could have anything to do with repug policies to privatize and profit off of everything

remember how hard they fought to prevent Americans to buy drugs at the same price as other countries
I believe lil bush's drug plan cost some trillion or so dollars over 10 years.

or KB&'s war profits

one of my favorites
I think it was bird flu that the CDC and the dems were worried would cause some big epidemic
lil bush strutted around for months with a we ain's afraid of no bird flu attitude
and then out of the blue he bought 20,000,000 does at the full single dose price of $100 per

turns out that Rummy was a top stock holder in Gilead (or some such). The Gilead's website boasted that they match products with buyers - that's it - they don't make anything or do anything - just match
and wonder of wonders - they had just purchased the vaccine
and Rummy made a 2 billion dollar sale

the repugs always run up the debt
it is what they do

[rstrong]

† Social programs include income security, healthcare, education, housing, and recreation.

To be clear: It's right-wing policy that's led to the dramatic increase in these costs.

Americans pay more TAXES per capita for healthcare than people in Canada and elsewhere who have single-payer health care. That's before having to pay a second time to actually get that healthcare. Bernie's alternative would lower costs, not raise them.

Likewise, Americans pay the highest fees in the world for prescription drugs. (And Canadians have to pay the second highest fees, because of massive pressure from the US next door.) And yes, the rest of the world does its share of new drug development. America's Medicare and Medicaid programs are forbidden by the pharmaceutical industry (via owned and operated Congressmen) to negotiate bulk purchases at lower cost.

Canada's healthcare system is in the business of providing healthcare. America's healthcare companies are INVESTMENT companies. The investors, not the patients, are the customers. And they want a return on their investment.

The same thing has happened with education: 50 years ago an average auto worker afford college tuition on just four weeks' work. (Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley claimed two weeks. Politifact checked out the claim and found that it was closer to four.) A college student on their summer job could save enough for tuition and board for the entire school year.

Today most college student would consider this crack-addled fantasy. Tuition, books and other costs have risen at an order of magnitude greater than inflation for decades, while have the degrees earned are useless. Because again, the investors are the customers now, not the students.

As for income security, the wealthy pay a small fraction of the rates they had in the 60's. The same goes for corporations - when they pay taxes at all. (I just watched a show on how Starbucks, Google and others use tax havens. Want to avoid paying taxes on a 20% profit? Transfer ownership of your company name and your software to a subsidiary in a tax haven country. Have them charge you the same dollar amount to use it. Ta-da! No profit, no taxes. And you can "borrow" the money back from your subsidiary, charge yourself high interest, and deduct it from our taxes.)

And so the middle class and the poor have had to make up for this. Which make for a lot less middle class, and a lot more income security needed.

[billy.pilgrim]

not to mention that the rich (who luvs them flat taxes) barely even pay a percent of their income toward ss and medicare

[rstrong]

do you think the high cost of government could have anything to do with repug policies to privatize and profit off of everything
[...]
or KB&'s war profits

Just so. Back in when Mike Harris and the Conservatives got back into power in Ontario, they made a big show of keeping their promise to cut lots of government staff. Which often meant that they had to hire Deloitte & Touche to do the same jobs, at FAR more cost than when government employees did it.

Likewise, having Haliburton/KBR do all that work in Iraq cost the taxpayers far more than the traditional way of having the military do it.

Popular history tells us that Britain looted India. But in reality Britain *lost* money on India, and all her possessions. What was happening was the East India Company was looting the British treasury with the help of a few paid politicians.

This of course is what Haliburton/KBR and friends were doing. Dick Cheney is the former CEO of Haliburton/KBR, and still owns considerable stock in it. Cheney's war made him and his friends very rich indeed.

[Vrede too]

Wneglia, your new chart minimizes the impact of the your debt service chart that began this tangent. I do appreciate that VA programs are included in "defense" spending, as they should be. A lot of folks don't do that.

James D. Agresti, the president and primary researcher, holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Brown University and has worked as a designer of jet engine components and systems, a technical sales professional, and chief engineer of a firm that customizes helicopters. He is also the author of Rational Conclusions, a meticulously researched book evidencing factual support for the Bible across a broad array of academic disciplines.

Nice, but not much in the way of fiscal credentials.

SSI, SSDI, Medicare and Medicaid, the entitlements, are taxed for separately, are very popular and would be very difficult for any POTUS to substantially reduce without a big and unlikely shakeup in our politics. This is why billy.pilgrim's mention of the author's rightwing bias is relevant. So, when choosing among pols it makes more sense to look at the discretionary budget that the POTUS and Congress can much more easily impact. When doing so we get:

WRL Pie Chart Flyers - Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes



larger version

That's a quite different picture from the one James D. Agresti presents.

[rstrong]

The right still considers Hillary to be an extension of Bill. Just look at the steady stream of declarations that she shouldn't be President because *Bill* sexually harassed someone.

Reagan, Bush I and Bush II spent like drunken sailors and ran up the deficit. Bill on the other hand is the most fiscally conservative and responsible President in several decades, even managing to balance the budget a couple times. By right-wing thinking, one can only conclude that Hillary will be the same.

[Vrede too]

To be fair, it won't really bother me if POTUS Hillary has an Oval Office fling involving a cigar with Monica Lewinsky. In fact, I might like her a little bit more because of it.

[Wneglia]

not to mention that the rich (who luvs them flat taxes) barely even pay a percent of their income toward ss and medicare

I'll buy the ss part of your argument but not medicare which has no cap, and actually tacks on a higher rate for us "rich"

[billy.pilgrim]

my bad

[Seth Milner]

I was talking with a friend earlier today; we got on the subject of the race for POTUS. He pointed out that when Obama was running the first time, and he was leading the field of contenders, the Republican voters were biting their fingernails hoping he would be defeated; fearing his liberalism. Now the tables are turned; the Democratic voters are in the same boat hoping that Trump will be defeated, fearing his idiocy, despite their not having a solid Democratic contender that they can put their solid trust in!

[O Really]

The fact that the cartoon's author would see the list as desirable "menu" items vs. "leftovers" expresses more of an anti-Hillary opinion than an analysis. Some pretty big names in past Presidents, and particularly on the Republican side were "leftovers" before being elected. Hillary has no more baggage than anybody else in public life for more than 25 years, and a lot of that has been created out of whole cloth. Not that she doesn't have real issues, but if she does become the nominee, there will be enthusiastic support. Why? Like her or not, she's got a good chance to win, and everybody likes to win even if they take that win holding their nose.

Besides, there isn't any credible analyst who would not say the large "menu" and particularly some of the more exotic offerings is detrimental to overall success of the meal.

[JTA]

I saw a comment on the internet the other day that stated that Ben Carson is the human embodiment of Nyquil.

[Vrede too]

. . . with really crazy dreams.

[JTA]

. . . with really crazy dreams.

Ben Carson is what happens when you drink too much Nyquil and start tripping.

[Vrede too]

It would only take one trip like that for me to quit tripping forever.

[JTA]

I miss Herman Cain as the token black GOP presidential candidate.

[rstrong]

Our loss is Ubeki-beki-beki-stan's gain.

[homerfobe]

Ben Carson is what happens when you drink too much---and start tripping.

. . . with really crazy dreams. It would only take one trip like that for me to quit tripping forever.

That means your proof positive that once you've tried a black man? The truth comes out. (no pun intended)

[rstrong]

That means your proof positive that once you've tried a black man? The truth comes out. (no pun intended)

Obsessed.

[homerfobe]

That means your proof positive that once you've tried a black man? The truth comes out. (no pun intended)

Obsessed.

Like your obsessed with me and what I post? My interest is fags dropping like flies. What's your?