The New Budget Battle… Same as the Old Budget Battle
By CFS
The fight over the budget and debt continues in D.C. and I’m sure that Republicans will be making sacrifices and praying to the patron-saint of B-list Celebrities Turned Politician Ronald “The Gipper” Reagan for strength and guidance. I suggest that we on the left use the memory of Reagan to illustrate just how far right the party of Tea has moved since the golden age of fighting tyranny. Because even Saint Ronnie raised taxes.
Same shit… different day. Just a week after a compromise was reached to forestall shutting down the government the circus clowns are once again piling out of the VW to debate the debt ceiling. And one again nothing will actually change that makes a difference in our country’s fiscal solvency.
Will anything constructive take shape on the revenue side… doubt it. Instead budget cuts will come at the expense of those that don’t have a voice at the table. If you can’t afford a six figure lobbyist you don’t deserve to be at the table. Fuck I’m being pessimistic today.
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April 21, 2011 at 5:25 pm
I like the use of propaganda posters. It’s a new interest of mine. I have one book of North Korean propaganda art and another book on Soviet propaganda art. I know this isn’t the point of the post, but the propaganda poster with Reagan is priceless! :-)
April 21, 2011 at 5:26 pm
P.S. It’s my new PC wallpaper. Win!
April 21, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Under Ronnie employment and revenue doubled, even with a hostile congress.
But that was when people cared about such things.
April 21, 2011 at 7:43 pm
True… and he did while raising taxes. My point exactly. Thank you Ingy
April 21, 2011 at 7:48 pm
You could say that every President in the last 100 years has raised taxes to some degree or another.
Would the key be cuts vs. raises and the net effect of the difference?
April 21, 2011 at 7:56 pm
Reagan raised taxes “rates,” specifically in the area of the social security insurance rate, to fund the highway trust fund, and other programs. Yes, in total he cut taxes, but raised specific taxes to raise revenue for specific programs.
That is more fiscal sense and responsibility than any current Republican seems capable to display.
April 21, 2011 at 8:07 pm
I know facts sometimes scare you guys but RR’s timely tax cuts amounted to $275.3B. The tax increases toward the end of his terms were $132.7B. A difference of $142.6B.
Reagan was following an economic theory. Temporarily run large counter-cyclic deficit spending and tax cuts to goose the economy during a recession. After the recession, when we where flush, taxes were raised to bring down the deficit.
The problem today is we are running secular mega-deficits with no end in sight.
April 21, 2011 at 8:12 pm
BTW I’m hoping for large tax increases, the bigger the better. The main reason would be to prove beyond a doubt that they would smother the economy.
Smother so soundly that the middle and lower classes would never vote for a tax raiser again.
April 21, 2011 at 8:26 pm
I think we all know neither will happen… of course that is until we default on our debt and China forces us to raise revenue through taxes.
April 21, 2011 at 9:11 pm
Debt to GDP ration under Reagan went from 32.5% to 53.1% for a total of a 20.1% raise. Compare that to a 9.7% drop in the ratio under Clinton. Fwiw, under Bush II it was 27% increase.
Reagan doubled the national debt in his 8 years. I’d call the republican theory on deficits “secular mega-deficits with no end in sight”. You got the idea right, Ingy, just wrong party.
And as to why there is no end in sight today, it’s because the depth of the great recession far outstrips anything that happened under reagan. And it is politically advantageous for republicans to keep the economy buried until they can win the WH back.
Them facts scare you?
April 21, 2011 at 9:41 pm
So RR did it all? He wrote the budget and allocated the expenses? Him and his party?
April 21, 2011 at 9:56 pm
Much be nice to be you guys.
When a Dem controlled congress writes budgets swallowing immense amounts of newly acquired revenue its the opposing Presidents fault.
Tables turned, now a Rep controlled congress wants to cut expenses, rein in governmental expanse and the “buck” stops in the HOR.
April 21, 2011 at 10:05 pm
I would like budget cuts and tax reforms… including cutting the defense spending and getting rid of corporate welfare.
Seems much more reasonable than bitching about planned parenthood
April 21, 2011 at 10:29 pm
amen!
April 22, 2011 at 10:30 am
Children are always willing to point blame to others. Unfortuantly the adults in the GOP will have to deal with the DNC children and do what needs to be done no matter what the kids say.
April 22, 2011 at 11:14 am
Yes. Thank god we have the GOP to parent us… like a Big Brother.
April 22, 2011 at 8:10 am
One fact I remember was just how miserable inflation and interest rates were under Jimmy Carter.
April 22, 2011 at 9:54 am
Da ja view is about to hit us all upside the head.
April 22, 2011 at 11:12 am
deja vu? Or did you just smoke a hooter?
April 22, 2011 at 11:16 am
Spell checker doesn’t do French.
April 21, 2011 at 10:03 pm
Yes… he did it all… including:
Radio show host
an alcoholic
a secret service agent
a football player
a musician
a doctor
an RAF officer
an attorney
And his biggest acting role… a politician
April 22, 2011 at 7:54 am
The fact you like to ignore is that the tax increases under Reagan where the ideas of the Democrat majority. They lied to Reagan that if he allowed the tax increases they would cut spending.
More proof of why todays Republicans should not compromise with the lying left. Progressives say whatever they need to say to get what they want, no matter what the majority of Americans want.
April 22, 2011 at 10:30 am
It was easy to fool Reagan because he was suffering from Alzheimer’s for most of his time in office.
My advice to Republicans is to quit electing candidates with mental impairments. It just leads to lots of vacation time, they are always gone off somewhere not minding the store.
Just look at the Montana State Legislature and you will get my point.
One of your guys, Knox I think, said he can’t remember if he used to sell cannabis or not. That would be a clue, I think.