Posted on 12/11/2013 10:10:15 AM PST by SeekAndFind
While I agree that a user tax is preferable to an income tax, let's not kid outselves that both aren't equally taxes and both generate "general revenue". The plan calls for spending increases now, tax increases now and promised "savings" to occur somewhere down the road. I've seen this movie before.
Looking at the graph, it restores growth in spending to the same slope as before the sequester cut in, with the proposed offsets kicked down the road to a future Congress to implement.
Honestly, five years without a budget and Yuval Levin
thinks there is ever going to be one with Obama in office.
It will be a long stream of continuing resolutions until
a republican is president again. Then it will be demanded
by the same people who are keeping one from passing now.
Its 10 years to break even spending money we don’t have and promising not to spend money we don’t have down the road. Of course the dumbles agree. They get their increased spending and only have to promise to cut later.
What a GREAT plan....after 10 years we end up back where we are...
Spending increases in 2014 and 2015 and cuts over ten years, most of which will never happen. It is just a smokescreen for increased spending.
Also, no income tax hikes. Surprised the Dems didn't push for that.
No Gov't shutdown possibility before elections...also a good thing.
The minute they took over in 2011, they should have passed a real budget with specific, deep cuts in spending, total tax reform, repealing Obamacare, and putting SS, Medicare, and Medicaid on a fast track to privatization.
They should have refused to pass ANY legislation unless those criteria were met.
I like it because a government shutdown would only hurt Republicans more and make Obama and Democrats come out smelling like roses.
Under current political circumstances, this is the best deal conservatives could get - modestly smaller government or least putting the country on that road.
Without their having to commit political suicide and that’s a meaningful victory! In the meantime, Obamacare remains the political albatross around the Democrats’ necks in 2014.
It only offsets it if the savings are used to reduce taxes in a commensurate amount. As it is the savings by having the federal employees pay more are just being spent somewhere else.
Anyone who believes the budget deal will increase the spending TEMPORARILY has failed to learn Santayana’s dictum.
What I meant was that Federal employees having to pay more of their pension is WORTH a hike in user fees (IMO).
It's entitlement reform...a very small one...but reform nonetheless.
What I see in that graph is the Dems get a bump in discretionary spending that just happens to coincide with the 2014 Election.
the idiotic GOP appears desparate to strike a deal, any deal just to show they are “doing something”.
The fools have already gotten into place Sequester budgeting which forces decreases to spending. They do not need to do anything but let it play out.
instead, they are increasing spending.
Don’t they know that Americans realize more prosperity when Congress is a do-nothing Congress?
Author has a point, another shutdown is a loser.
Be glad Dems didnt demand even more.
Not all user fees are the same. If you are paying for a fee for a service that actually provides you some value, maybe. If it’s a fee for a “service” you are required by law to purchase whether you want to or not, this is surtax.
Isn't that what I'm supposedly paying taxes for?
As Levin points out, the cuts to come later are through entitlement reform. It will take a positive act to reverse them. Usually, cuts to come later are in discretionary spending, which takes a positive act in the future.
And I have no doubt that both sides would take the positive acts necessary to do this. They are doing it now with the sequester cuts, why wouldn't they do it in the future?
“I like it because a government shutdown would only hurt Republicans more and make Obama and Democrats come out smelling like roses.”
I don’t understand this mentality that the GOP MUST avoid a shutdown at all costs. By definition, this puts us in a weakened position with any negotiation, which is why we end up with such a horrible deal.
With the president’s poll numbers at their lowest point ever, and his credibility all but lost with the American people, Repubs are not the ones that should be cowering in the corner trying to avoid a fight. If they’re not willing to fight under these conditions, when will they ever?
No, the House leadership promised only 6 weeks ago not to worry about abandoning the Obamacare fight, because they would ABSOLUTELY hold the line on sequester-level cuts. Now, they are all too willing to break these promises and throw away the one bit of fiscal restraint we’ve had in recent years.
With trillion dollar annual deficits, we should be fighting for DEEPER cuts than the sequester levels, and should never even consider accepting a dollar more. But of course, that would require a leadership that actually believed in reducing spending. And we haven’t had that since Newt was in charge.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.