Mr. Fusion says:

Voice of reason,

I was set to write a very long reply. I noticed however that tcc3 has already done an excellent job.

To add;
Universal healthcare for ALL Americans would seriously reduce costs. 18% of our GDP currently goes to healthcare. That is at least 50% more than the next most expensive country.

Reducing the profit taking portions of the healthcare industry reduces costs for all businesses. Insurance premiums are a tax even if they don’t go to the government. The high costs of healthcare premiums is a disincentive for businesses.

…

Raise taxes. I would go back to the Reagan years but would settle for 1993. For years the right wingers have told us how reducing taxes will stimulate economy. Well, with all those tax cuts our economy has tanked and employment gone way up. There comes a time when if you find the hole is too deep, QUIT DIGGING. Tax cuts didn’t work, it is time to resort back to when tax rates did work.
…

Increase tariffs on all imports from countries that do not allow free collective bargaining, fair wages, and health and safety protections consistent with United Nations standards.
…

Tax bonuses above $500,000 at 67%. Tax all corporations that give bonuses above $500,000 at the same rate in excess of regular taxes.
…

Tax all corporations that hold onto profits, at a significant rate to encourage payouts to stockholders.

Credit companies that create new jobs, invest in their communities, and give back to society.

Taxed Enough Already Dude says:

US Should Copy Canada, Puerto Rico, to Solve Debt Dilemma
Thursday, 16 Jun 2011 12:16 PM

By John Stossel

http://newsmax.com/Stossel/LuisFortuno-PuertoRico-Canada-ChrisChristie/2011/06/16/id/400293

MikeN says:

>Universal healthcare for ALL Americans would seriously reduce costs. 18% of our GDP currently goes to healthcare. That is at least 50% more than the next most expensive country.
Reducing the profit taking portions of the healthcare industry reduces costs for all businesses.

Hahaha. At least it’s better than your normal confusion, and just wrong. The total profit level of the insurance companies is small compared to what’s spent on Medicare right now. The idea that eliminating these will have any positive impact on the budget, not so bright, especially when you are now spending on health care for more people, so higher budget deficit.

tcc3 says:

#86 MikeN

I see how it might be possible. Now we have 2 government bureaucracies who manage health care for the poor and the aged. Single payer could add a third, yet it wouldn’t need to. One org could manage all of it – universal coverage may cost more to cover more people, but there are also savings in not duplicating bureaucracy, less need for enforcement for who qualifies, having a larger pool with a better distribution of sick vs well (medicaid/care is very lopsided), having a stronger bargaining position with drug companies / health care providers, and not having to please stockholders by making a profit.

The Voice says:

#80,

tcc3,

End the wars, cut the military budget. its a huge chunk of our budget and its a sacred cow few are talking about. We can be safe without subsidizing the mil/ind complex.

I agree with this.

Put taxes back at 1990′s levels. Not a huge increase, and it was working fairly well before

Now we are getting somewhere.

Here is a historical chart showing the Effective Tax Rate vs % of the GDP the Budget consumed from 1993 through 2007. I can’t get effective tax rates after that (tax extensions and things like that prevent a final number from being calculated).

This comes from the government itself so if you want to argue with these numbers, take it up with them.

Year ETR %GDP Def $T Revenue GDP $T

1993 22.0 36.31 3.83 2.42 6.6674
1994 22.3 35.38 2.87 2.51 7.0852
1995 22.6 35.54 2.21 2.64 7.4147
1996 22.7 34.69 1.37 2.72 7.8385
1997 22.9 33.77 0.26 2.81 8.3324
1998 22.6 33.24 -0.79 2.92 8.7935
1999 22.9 32.65 -1.34 3.05 9.3535
2000 23.0 32.56 -2.37 3.24 9.9515
2001 21.4 33.38 -1.24 3.43 10.2862
2002 20.7 34.75 1.48 3.70 10.6423
2003 19.8 35.28 3.39 3.93 11.1421
2004 20.1 34.82 3.48 4.13 11.8678
2005 20.6 34.79 2.52 4.40 12.6384
2006 20.7 35.06 1.86 4.70 13.3989
2007 20.4 34.98 1.14 4.92 14.0776
2008 36.94 3.19 5.33 14.4414
2009 41.76 10.01 5.90 14.119
2010 39.97 8.92 5.80 14.5082
2011 10.91

Clinton Bush II
Average %GDP for Budget 34.3 34.5
Total Revenue as %GDP 34.1 34.9

As can be seen, during the Bush years, we were bringing in MORE than we did in the Clinton years as a percentage of GDP.

If we drop back to 1993 levels, we’ll take in less, percentage-wise (inflation affects the value of the dollar), then we are now.

It is hard to admit, I know, but Tax revenues increased under Bush more than they did under Clinton.

What made Clinton look good was he spent way less than Bush.

A chunk of the deficit is lost revenue from the economic downturn

I agree with you. Job creation is in the private sector, though. The government only spends money. It doesn’t make it. It think everybody can agree on that.

Raise or eliminate the payroll tax to fix the SociSec funds we raided to pay for shit the last few decades.

And that is a major part of why we are in such dire straits. I absolutely refuse to raise my or anybody’s taxes to help fund things that were never meant to be funded. Why should we give congress a pass on this fuck-up?

There is some logic to the idea that the retirement age should be higher

Mondo-logic. I recommend increasing the retirement age two years, every year, until the retirement age is one year older than average life expentancy in this country. That was how it was originally set up. Unfortunately, we never kept it up but people kept living longer. Hell, it won’t be long and people will be drawing on SS longer than they actually worked to pay into it.

Healthcare and Mr. Fusion’s comments on it, too.