Of course it is. If they can't borrow more money, "non-essential" portions of the government will have to shut down. Yahoo.
a lot more than non-essential operations will shut down - unless you don't consider things like the FAA, border security, food inspections, and so on "essential"
#101. To: Skip Intro, go65, capitalist eric (#96)(Edited)
unless you don't consider things like the FAA, border security, food inspections, and so on "essential"
He doesn't. You could also add the air traffic controllers, FDA, OSHA, the EPA, National Parks, Post Office, and on and on.
The government will collect $179 billion in taxes in August. Interest on the debt, Social Security, Medicare, and military salaries add up to $143 billion. That's $36 left for other things.
Here's how to make that $36 billion larger: 25% of people over 65 have pensions or incomes from annuities or property that classifies them as "wealthy". Remove these freeloaders from Social Security and Medicare and you'd have more more to spend on "essential" things.
Then get rid of all government subsidies for energy, agriculture, NPR, NEA, etc. and crazy "research" programs like studying hookers in China and the size of gay men's penises and you'd have a bunch of additional money.
Then sell the Post Office, Amtrak, and other services that could be better provided by business and you'd have even more money.
It's pretty darn simple to cut enough spending to close the deficit.
Remove these freeloaders from Social Security and Medicare and you'd have more more to spend on "essential" things.
Those "wealthy" people had their money stolen from them during their working years for these programs just like everyone else, with the same promise that they would start getting their money back when they turned 65. Why should they have their assets stolen? They did nothing wrong.
It's bad enough that they're being taxed on money that was already taxed once before it was collected from them.
I thought it was only the evil left that branded people as "wealthy" so as to confiscate their wealth. I see that rock-ribbed conservatives are no different.
