Posted on 10/03/2013 10:26:52 AM PDT by illiac
I’ve been reading that if the limit is raised without cuts we’ll probably get another downgrade PLUS hyper inflation could set in just in time for next year’s elections.
Federal debt interest payments are 6% of the federal budget and 9% of tax receipts. So a refusal to increase the debt ceiling does not require a default on the debt.
Social Security payments are 22% of the federal budget and 31% of tax receipts.
Defense, national security, veterans benefits and federal retirees take up something like 30% of the budget and 42% of tax receipts.
So with just over 80% of the taxes that the government actually takes in, we should be able to pay for debt service, national security, social security and federal retirees.
To accept the Obama’s sky is falling default scenario, one has to assume that the President has no authority to prioritize among authorized federal spending in the event of a shortfall, so that if the government ran even one penny short, they would have no ability to pay anyone anything. I think the reality is that the President would have to decide on his own, pending a law being enacted giving him direction, what to spend money and what not to.
Boehner flexible?
Why, he’s more flexible than a Roumanian girl gymnast.
Jellyfish look upon his flexibility with great awe and envy.
Silly Putty hangs its head in defeat after witnessing the inhuman elasticity of Speaker Boehner.
Slinky hides under the bed with the dust bunnies, whimpering in shame.
Plastic Man concedes his crown to Speaker Boehner, stating, “That Speaker Dude, I don’t know, he’s like more slippery than that thing in Terminator Two you know. It’s like he doesn’t have any spine at all. He’s like... like, like a puddle or something. Yeah, like a puddle of Scotch.”
Agreed, you don’t need to convince me the trajectory is Single Payer, and we need to shoot it down. But is now the right time, and the Debt Ceiling the right way? Or is it better to hold the House and pick up the Senate, then really assail the President?
I say “probably better” to picking up the Senate first. I doubt we can win the battle at this time, but if we use Shutdown as leverage the consequences of failure are limited; if we use the Debt Ceiling, we may lose the battle and the war, and get wiped off the map.
To use Patton’s words, is this where us poor dumb bastards die for our Country?
Does anyone even know what our game plan is? Just fold our arms and wait until the President capitulates and agrees to wait a year with the Individual Mandate? That’s our plan? What if he doesn’t? We’re not Syria, with us his Red Lines might actually be for real...
It’s easy to be flexible when you have no spine.
Does anyone even know what our game plan is?
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I believe the plan is to submit small funding bills one at a time. It is a potential winner and Dems hate/fear that approach. Everyday submit three more bills. Shows the Republicans are trying to fund essential government operations.
Congress has the power of the purse. The president and Senate need to be reminded of that simple fact. If congress abdicates that responsibility, all is lost.
If they cave on this why not simply merge parties and have a 1 party system?
From the NY times...sounds like they’re trying to divide and conquer...hold the line!
DO NOT TRUST THE NEW YORK TIMES. That is all.
Thomas Sowell wrote an excellent piece on congress’ power of the purse. (I didn’t see this prior to my earlier reply to you.) In typical Sowell style, its a good and clear read.
Even though the congress is right about its authority to determine what to spend money on, the battle is largely one of perception. As Sowell points out, managing the message is not exactly a Republican strong suit. So I recognize the problematic aspects of being right versus winning the PR battle.
In some respects the debt ceiling may be a tougher battle to win as the Demogogues will raise the false spectre of default. But I do like your “tiered” approach to tying the debt and funding battle together. That seems to have the potential to fix everything at the same time.
I doubt it. If Boehner intended to fold, he would have done so by now.
I think Cruz is telling him to let it shake out. People are waking up.
The old plan with Reagan was 3 dollars in cuts for every 1 dollar in increase. But Reagan never got the cuts. The idea is still good but we gotta have more cuts than increases or we’ll never get the titanic turned around. Iceberg!
Caving like a bat.
Folding like a cheap accordion.
Caving maybe, but the devil’s in the details.
If that gets Hussein and Hairy to negotiate, with Obamacare on the table, that sounds workable.
Betraying Boozing Brain-less Ball-less Bawling Bronzed Butt-head Bone-less Bohner...
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