Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Plans by Warren and Sanders Neglect Logic, Math and Honesty
Townhall.com ^ | November 7, 2019 | Veronique de Rugy

Posted on 11/07/2019 6:01:16 AM PST by Kaslin

The more I follow the Democratic presidential campaign, the more I see how little I understand some people. After all, we can have differences when it comes to ideology, and we can aspire to different things in life. We can even have different understandings of what morality means. Still, there are things on which we should all agree: Because our government is $23 trillion in debt and its annual budget deficits are permanently heading north of $1 trillion, every American should agree that there isn't much space for more spending.

And yet Sen. Elizabeth Warren promises that if she becomes president, she will spend $49 trillion over the next 10 years on programs like "Medicare for All," "free" college and many new family entitlements. Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders would like to spend as much as $97.5 trillion over the next decade. That's on top of a $15.5 trillion baseline deficit, according to Brian Riedl at the Manhattan Institute. None of these politicians has a plan to pay for most of what they propose, and the tax plans they have so far are mostly a recipe for less revenue and seriously slower economic growth.

To be fair, Warren and Sanders aren't the first candidates to make promises they can't deliver. Nor are they unique in campaigning on platforms that would be disastrous for our economy. Most politicians behave this way. In fact, both parties are to blame for implementing bad policies that failed to deliver advertised benefits while adding significant sums to the national debt (think the Affordable Care Act and Medicare Part D, for example). And of course, the lack of fiscal responsibility by the current president is evidenced by the speed at which the budget deficit is rising.

But what is unique about Warren and Sanders is the scale of their schemes to grow the size of government in America without any consideration for fiscal sanity.

What truly puzzles me is that while the math doesn't add up at all -- and the worlds they want to produce won't see the light of day without serious pain for most Americans -- they have hundreds of thousands of people cheering them along the way. This is crazy. Let's be honest, the plans by Warren and Sanders almost sound like a 4-year-old's wish list to improve the country (e.g., more candy, more unicorns, more desserts, cartoons throughout the day, all of which is to be paid for by the Wicked Witch of the West and Captain Hook).

Adults, however -- such as Riedl -- aren't cheering. The amount of spending Warren wants is astronomical. She had planned to finance some of this additional spending with a wealth tax and other levies on the rich. When taken to task for having no plan for her $32 trillion Medicare for All proposal, she eventually delivered a plan. But it doesn't hold water, as Riedl spells out in brutal detail in a recent Daily Beast column.

Nor is there any word yet on how to reduce the gigantic deficit that the current Medicare system already faces. As Riedl explains, that shortfall "is projected to total $44 trillion over the next 30 years -- plus an additional $28 trillion in resulting interest costs -- that will need to be financed with general revenues." Warren's new plan would not address that math problem. In fact, says Riedl, "the large Medicare-For-All taxes would leave few remaining options to close this baseline gap."

Meanwhile, Sanders would like to spend twice what Warren proposes. This additional spending would be on a $30 trillion guaranteed-jobs program, on top of Medicare for All and "free" college. He, too, doesn't have the money to pay for most of these schemes, but at least he acknowledges that there is no way around raising taxes on the middle class. Warren is still trying to create the illusion that rich people and bad corporations will be the only ones paying for the spectacular increase in spending.

But again, they're politicians. It's difficult to live in Washington and take them seriously. What I would like to know, though, is how their followers -- many of whom are highly intelligent pundits -- can honestly justify the scale of the deception.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: berniesanders; elizabethwarren; governmentspending

1 posted on 11/07/2019 6:01:16 AM PST by Kaslin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

The divisions in modern day America become understood when you realize that Warren and Sanders supporters have no capacity for logic, math or honesty.


2 posted on 11/07/2019 6:04:32 AM PST by allendale (.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Marxism Neglects Logic, Math and Honesty. Because of this, marxism is always forced upon the people with repression and force.

See The Soviet Union.


3 posted on 11/07/2019 6:12:08 AM PST by I want the USA back (The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it. Orwell.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
Plans by Warren and Sanders Neglect Logic, Math and Honesty

In other words they're typical political campaign promises.

4 posted on 11/07/2019 6:13:29 AM PST by DoodleDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

>>None of these politicians has a plan to pay for most of what they propose, and the tax plans they have so far are mostly a recipe for less revenue and seriously slower economic growth.

The left does not consider that a flaw. They’ve never forgiven America for surviving the Cold War.


5 posted on 11/07/2019 6:14:46 AM PST by vikingd00d (chown -R us ~you/base)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

The Democrats have always been the tax-and-spend party but the Republicans have become the don’t-tax-and-still-spend party. The increase of the US deficit to $23 trillion happened on Trump’s watch. W was also a deficit president. The GOP needs to get its act together on balancing the budget.


6 posted on 11/07/2019 6:39:30 AM PST by FormerFRLurker (Keep calm and vote your conscience.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
We have a deficit of a Trillion dollars every year and all DC wants to do is spend more? Paying it back is a joke, no wonder no one is talking about reducing our debt, no one.

You know why? Because it is impossible to pay back even one trillion. At one dollar a second, if we were able to give the fed a dollar per second to pay down the debt, it would take 33,000 years for the first Trillion.

7 posted on 11/07/2019 6:39:34 AM PST by thirst4truth (America, What difference does it make?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
Plans by Warren and Sanders Neglect Logic, Math and Honesty

Rejection of reality, logic, math, and honesty is the result of Kant, post-Kantian followers, pragmatism, and postmodernism. Statism is the final result. Statism and advocacy of reason are philosophical opposites.They cannot coexist - neither in a philosophical system or in a nation. Fundamental ideas, basic principles, and essential beliefs shape the destiny of nations.

8 posted on 11/07/2019 6:43:30 AM PST by mjp ((pro-{God, reality, reason, egoism, individualism, natural rights, limited government, capitalism}))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
More importantly, the plans of Warren and Sanders lack any kind of credibility.

In fact, less extreme versions of their plans were implemented just a few years ago by Barak Obama and they were total disasters

ObamaCare has destroyed affordable healthcare in the United States and has had a highly negative impact in quality of care as well.

Warren and Sanders proposals are nothing more than a rehash of epic socialist failures and overreaches of the past under the false premise that it will work this around if go all in and double down on all the stuff that sank us last time around

9 posted on 11/07/2019 6:57:57 AM PST by rdcbn ( Referentia)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
We need to become two countries. Progressives can get EVERYTHING they want:

FREE COLLEGE FOR ALL...open borders,

millions of new illegals from every third world hellhole in the world,

abortion up to and including after birth (if the kid is ugly),

$50 an hour minimum wage,

free health care for all - including for their new third world 'refugees'...

50 genders,

Medicare for All,

death penalty for anyone who won't bake a cake for a gay couple,

laws against practicing Christians,

progressives can disarm every citizen including those who cling to their religion and guns...

AND CIA and FBI thugs can blackmail and intimidate anyone who disagrees with 'the elites'...

Washington Bureaucrats will be their own party... and gain massive new powers

the CIA can run their half of the country through intimidation and psyops...

In short, liberals can HAVE IT ALL.

All were asking is for the right for both sides to have their own country. Why won't they stand with us? THEY CAN HAVE IT ALL... We just ask for help building a wall SO WHEN THEIR PEOPLE WANT TO ESCAPE THEY CAN'T COME INTO OUR COUNTY.

If that's too much we'll pay for the wall...

It's time to split the country. Peacefully.

Our country will have the 'old' Constitution... and free and safe elections that stop voter fraud.

Why fight when both sides can 'have it all'... Time for a divorce...

10 posted on 11/07/2019 7:39:32 AM PST by GOPJ (Every election that's statistically 'too close' to call will go to democrats. Fraud works for dems.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson