I dont understand how it remains a problem if you have enough revenue to cover it. So called "entitlement problem" is the problem only if you don't have money to pay for it. Otherwise, it's not a problem.
Even if you suppose you can raise tax revenue by cutting loopholes and forcing large companies to pay more taxes - whether that'll work or have the desired effect is another question, and one I don't feel particularly qualified to answer - it would only give you a little bit of respite. Social Security and Medicare are set on a growth path that will rapidly make them take up such huge parts of the budget that adjustments in other parts of the budget will make little difference. One way or another, the growth of those two programs has to be radically slowed down - or else the government will rapidly find itself unable to fund other important services. And frankly, I'm not sure merely cutting back waste and fraud will be enough.
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/87xx/doc8758/MainText.3.1.shtml
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/102xx/doc10297/Chapter2.5.1.shtml
As you can see, the projected grows in Medicaid and Medicare spending are in line with total health care spending. No jumps, no rapid changes. Will we see increase? Yes. Will we see increase in revenue? Yes. Will percentage of participants of both programs grow? Unsure. Remember that under these programs we are covering children, retired, poor and less fortunate as well. If we cut the programs, they poor will remain poor and less fortunate will remain less fortunate. The children won't be covered so that means more sick adults will eventually join the ranks of working force. Since we are cutting (under GOP proposals) environmental regulations, working conditions regulations, etc, it's likely that we'll get more sick and injured people as well. So yes, if we do this, the percentage of both programs participants may grow substantially and we will face the crisis.
Several basics facts about US Debt and Spending.....
16/04/2011 04:41:55 AM
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Guess we should have okay'd those death panels for old people then. Big money saver. *NM*
16/04/2011 03:38:00 PM
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Balancing our budget would be easy.
16/04/2011 06:46:32 PM
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Several of those aren't as easy as you make it sound, but the import tax is a big no-no.
16/04/2011 07:34:30 PM
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Also on the buying drugs from Canada idea
16/04/2011 08:17:26 PM
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Funny you mentioned WWII and 1968. Can you put tax rates at these times as well?
16/04/2011 07:50:09 PM
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Not really. Even if you can substantially raise tax revenue, the entitlement problem remains. *NM*
16/04/2011 08:25:26 PM
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Re: Not really. Even if you can substantially raise tax revenue, the entitlement problem remains.
16/04/2011 09:19:40 PM
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Have you ever looked at those projections for a decade or two hence?
16/04/2011 10:13:12 PM
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Yes I have
16/04/2011 10:44:50 PM
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Erm, and you think total health care spending is not getting out of control? I'm a little confused.
16/04/2011 11:02:52 PM
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Exactly. Cutting back on fraud and waste doesn't really put much of a dent in those projections. *NM*
17/04/2011 02:31:13 AM
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Sorry, but that is a stupid opinion.....
16/04/2011 08:38:35 PM
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Sounds like another bull.
16/04/2011 09:31:05 PM
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Dude, the data is the data.....tax revenue increased all three times.
16/04/2011 09:47:37 PM
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As I suspected, it's a bull.
16/04/2011 10:02:05 PM
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Stop being a fool - read and react to the data provided, posting something.....
16/04/2011 10:14:11 PM
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Response is
16/04/2011 10:19:00 PM
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Good lord.....it's like talking to a brick. I really hope you are 12 or 13.
16/04/2011 10:28:44 PM
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Re: Good lord.....it's like talking to a brick. I really hope you are 12 or 13.
16/04/2011 10:47:24 PM
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I take it you mean "rate of revenue growth decreases".
16/04/2011 11:11:19 PM
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It's not remarkable that revenue increased after the Reagan cuts.
17/04/2011 07:21:47 PM
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I've just noticed that you've provided charts from Heritage Foundation! Are you f.. kidding me?
16/04/2011 10:13:46 PM
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All the data is via CBO - do you know that the CBO is?
16/04/2011 10:16:08 PM
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Re: All the data is via CBO - do you know that the CBO is?
16/04/2011 10:27:01 PM
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Nice try.....care to explain why the same exact thing happened.....
16/04/2011 10:35:44 PM
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Re: Nice try.....care to explain why the same exact thing happened.....
16/04/2011 10:49:33 PM
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Krugman is a shill for the Obama administration.
17/04/2011 02:34:50 AM
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Re: Krugman is a shill for the Obama administration.
17/04/2011 03:50:24 AM
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Some obesrvations by Republican economists
18/04/2011 12:27:04 AM
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You mean the Keynesian economist who wrote The Failure of Reaganomics
18/04/2011 04:00:52 PM
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Re: You mean the Keynesian economist who wrote The Failure of Reaganomics
18/04/2011 05:36:44 PM
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You use Krugman and then complain about the Heritage Foundation! Are you f.. kidding me? *NM*
18/04/2011 02:46:47 AM
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