You solve the budget

[Matt J]

Did not like the proposal to only have veterans who were injured in battle be covered - IMO if you serve you should get health care - especially with all of the mental health and later issues soldiers frequently have.

Better yet Universal health care so it's a moot point.

One thing I would like to see - make the mortgage interest credit only apply to primary residences and only after 25% of it has been paid off.

Regardless of how you see the mortgage tax credit, those paying an interest only portion of their mortgage shouldn't be eligible. Of course I also feel that those types of loans should be illegal, if it's Guido then it's called usury.

 

[Lynnie]

Better yet Universal health care so it's a moot point.



Regardless of how you see the mortgage tax credit, those paying an interest only portion of their mortgage shouldn't be eligible. Of course I also feel that those types of loans should be illegal, if it's Guido then it's called usury.

I don't think Fannie, Freddie or FHA has interest only loans any longer.

 

[beachFool]

I don't see how you can claim that.

Jack pays A, gets B, Jill pays C, gets D, where A > C and D > B, that's a progressive tax.

Easy-peasy.

A makes 106K per year and pays $6572 (6.2% of 106K)
B makes 1.6M per year and pays $6572. (6.2% of 106K but .41% of 1.6M)

A progessive tax increases as income rises.

The SS levy is not a progressive tax because it stays the same regardless of income.

We can debate, good,bad or indifferent but there is no doubt the SS levy in not progressive.

I gave you partial credit...don't be obtuse

 

[idlewind]

I looked through SWGB's proposed plan, and while I have disagreements with him, I was struck by the points of agreement. Because SWGB is a self-professed liberal and I am a self-professed conservative one would think at first glance that we would not agree on much of anything. So I ran the NYT activity again counting only those things we agree on. On those items we agree in principle on but disagree on the extent, such as Social Security age requirements being raised to either 68 or 70, I figured in the lowest common denominator. When everything was computed, we AGREED on items that would represent reducing the deficit to 18 billion in 2015 and running a surplus of 184 billion in 2030. 71% came from spending cuts. Below are the results.

Budget Puzzle: You Fix the Budget - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com

If SWGB and I can agree on this much maybe there is hope that dispite the rhetoric we are not as far apart as we think.

 

[idlewind]

Easy-peasy.

A makes 106K per year and pays $6572 (6.2% of 106K)
B makes 1.6M per year and pays $6572. (6.2% of 106K but .41% of 1.6M)

A progessive tax increases as income rises.

The SS levy is not a progressive tax because it stays the same regardless of income.

We can debate, good,bad or indifferent but there is no doubt the SS levy in not progressive.

I gave you partial credit...don't be obtuse

One reason that Social Security is in trouble is that we have not adjusted the income and payments as time goes by to continue to reflect the parameters that the program was founded on.

 

[Matt J]

I looked through SWGB's proposed plan, and while I have disagreements with him, I was struck by the points of agreement. Because SWGB is a self-professed liberal and I am a self-professed conservative one would think at first glance that we would not agree on much of anything. So I ran the NYT activity again counting only those things we agree on. On those items we agree in principle on but disagree on the extent, such as Social Security age requirements being raised to either 68 or 70, I figured in the lowest common denominator. When everything was computed, we AGREED on items that would represent reducing the deficit to 18 billion in 2015 and running a surplus of 184 billion in 2030. 71% came from spending cuts. Below are the results.

Budget Puzzle: You Fix the Budget - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com

If SWGB and I can agree on this much maybe there is hope that dispite the rhetoric we are not as far apart as we think.

Perhaps we can compromise on certain things and not cut fully, but partially and get a surplus by 2015.

 

[idlewind]

Perhaps we can compromise on certain things and not cut fully, but partially and get a surplus by 2015.

You can take Nelson's place and I can take Rubio's place in Washington and we will give it a shot But working together makes too much sense for the Beltway.

 

[Geo]

I finally got around to playing with this. Ya know what? I am p-i-s-s-e-d!

It was easy. Really easy. I'm so fed up with our politicos who can't find common ground and who waste our time and money pandering, fighting, justifying their own existence, etc.

Get it done, jerks.

 

[scooterbug44]

Ditto - obviously we don't all agree on everything, but like Idlewild and SWGB showed, we agree on a lot.

And the politicians need to all grow a pair and stop acting like all Seniors are carrying grenades that will detonate if any changes are made to Social Security or Medicare. :roll:

Yes, more seniors vote, but my generation will be voting longer and can use the internet to thwart you.

 

[Matt J]

Ditto - obviously we don't all agree on everything, but like Idlewild and SWGB showed, we agree on a lot.

And the politicians need to all grow a pair and stop acting like all Seniors are carrying grenades that will detonate if any changes are made to Social Security or Medicare. :roll:

Yes, more seniors vote, but my generation will be voting longer and can use the internet to thwart you.

Except that we don't usually turn out in number that are in the double digits so that's why we are ignored.