Stop the Blame and Start Cutting

sgmartin 2 years, 3 months ago

Yes so be it. Wonder what contributed to that enormous increase in spending? Let's see what did we do different? Oh yeah I think there was a war or 2. Let's start by putting foreign wars on the table.

JAP 2 years, 3 months ago

SGMartin, Are you calling Iraq and Afganistan 2 wars? I didn't think so. The (1) War on Terror has many theatres. JAP

nothingspecial 2 years, 3 months ago

Hardly.

A recent commentator rightly described Bush as a coupon clipping housewife compared with Obama and his own projections for his spending the next few years. Very little to do with wars in that projected spending.

OldSpook 2 years, 3 months ago

Thou speakest of heresy! Do you really suggest that our politicians stop sending our money and our children off to some foreign country to fight in their war and die for their cause? I will concede that in some cases, it is wiser to take the fight to the enemy before they bring it to you. In most cases however, we need to stop acting like the worlds police force.

Curious, we actually agree. Now if we can just get our troops home again and maybe start getting the mills and factories producing goods we can once again lead the world. Yea I know, pipe dream.

jimt 2 years, 3 months ago

I like to believe that I know a bit more than "average" citizens about how government works, and the history of the United States (B.A. with distinction political science, minor in U.S. history, Masters in Government from an Ivy League quality university, worked as a Congressional Staff for a time). That said, and notwithstanding several web searches, can someone try to "objectively" explain to me why payroll deductions for social security stop at about $100k in salary/year. Would not social security's solvency be increased, if not solved altogether, if payroll deductions for social security were in place for everyone, regardless of their salary and income each year? I've never hear any elected officials or talking heads suggest this as a way to increase social security's solvency. What political "fact of live" do they know and about which I feel I am completely ignorant.

Someone suggested to me that the theory for capping social security deductions from one's pay at about $100k in salary/income per year is that otherwise high income people would never be able to "take out" of social security the amount they "paid in." But this doesn't seem to make sense to me. The actuarial basis for social security is predicated on the fact that many people won't live long enough to take out what they put in. Anyone who dies before they become eligible for social security paid more than they took out. Anyone who dies in their late 60s or 70s almost certainly paid more than they took out. So I just don't "get it."

Some help please.

bigD 2 years, 3 months ago

Its not that high income people can't take out what they put in. The salary limits are there because there is a cap on benefits which means there should also be a cap on the amount contributed. If you lift the cap on benefits and lift the cap on the taxable amount then you have changed nothing.

Increasing the retirement age makes the most sense and you can start with me. Anybody under 45 should have to wait until age 70 to collect social security. This will give 25 years to plan for a delayed pmt.

jimt 2 years, 3 months ago

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

jimt 2 years, 3 months ago

bigD,

I have absolutely no idea why the Pilot staff removed my comment. I said that I was a little dense, maybe after a quick scan they thought I was saying that you were dense. So here's my follow-up question once again:

Are you saying that there is a cap on the amount of money social security will pay an individual during their lifetime?

bigD 2 years, 3 months ago

Thanks for the explanation. I thought you must have called me a bad name.

I am saying there is a max monthly benefit paid by social security.

If you increase the amount paid in there should be an increase in the maximum monthy benefit.

Indirectly, the max monthly benefit does put a soft cap on an individuals life time benefit.

byrne90 2 years, 3 months ago

Pat, I surely agree that cuts have to be made. However, the Social Security dollars that I receive each month belong to me. The government took those dollars from me over the last 46 years that I worked and then stole those dollars to finance many of the ridiculous programs that are out there. If you want me to stop collecting a portion of my SS, all that has to happen is for the government to write me a check, plus interest, for the dollars they took over the aforementioned time period and I'll go away. Then the reps in congress can start contributing to help out. Jim Byrne

DaveyNC 2 years, 3 months ago

byrne90, if you have been receiving SS benefits for more than a couple of years, you have likely already received all the money you put in, plus interest.

The SS dollars that you receive each month do not belong to you. SS is a transfer payment, not paid out of your own personal account. The money you receive each month was first taken from still-working individuals, pushed through the government's giant money-redirecting machine and dumped into your account. So get over it. You contributed, but you are likely well ahead of whatever you contributed and are now drawing against the efforts of other, younger workers. You're welcome.

Darkwing 2 years, 3 months ago

SS is a giant ponzi scheme. As the boomers begin collecting, we will eventually use it up, unles we do something drastic to increase it's revenue. I say we set a date: Anyone filing after Oct 1 this year (the new fiscal year) takes a 1% cut. increas it by 1% each year, so those filing after October 1 of 2012 take a 2% cut. Keep this up until the income balances the outflow. For those who will be too seriously affected, we allow a review panel to examine their circumstances, and exempt up to 5 or 10% of those filers. By this logic, when I file for SS, it'll be about a 20% cut in the projected benefits.

Darkwing 2 years, 3 months ago

On other cuts: PBS is on the chopping block. Americorps and Seniorcorps is, too. Is the savings worth what we will lose if these programs are ended? I'm undecided on that one. Nat'l Endowment for the Arts and Nat'l Endowment for Humanities, though, I could see cutting. NEA and NEH could be picked up by incentives to corporations. Maybe we could manage that same feat with PBS, Americorps and Seniorcorps. Tax breaks for up to half their spending on such projects, while permitting them to advertise their sponsorship of the individual events AND the NEA/NEH/etc.

Darkwing 2 years, 3 months ago

Welfare: lot's of folks object to welfare farmers and lazy bums who refuse to work. There are no reliable statistics on those problems, because everyone who actually looks at it has an axe to grind. Liberals want to deny it occurs, and miraculously find 'almost no fraud'. Conservatives see it everywhere. Well, my experience is that it does occur. While jobhunting, I have met people who deliberately show up late, filthy, and sometimes reeking of alcohol, and who have said that they don't want a job; they want to fill out just enough of as many applications as they have to to qualify for their check. Noiw, if I were an employer receiving an incomplete aplication from someone who obviously doesn't want the job or take it seriously, I would file their application in the trash can, and when the welfare office called, I'd just say "I don't have any application from a person by that name".

But I digress. I suggest that we ensure that there are no welfare farmers by requiring norplant (including development of a male version), at the government's cost for all welfare recipients while they are on welfare. It's not a violation of their civil rights to put that condition on assistance, since they can decline the aid if they dislike the condition. It will, however, end the argument over whether there are multi-generational welfare farmer clans. Instead of saying "we see no evidence of fraud", liberals can say "they're on birth control. They can't form those 'farms'." We would have to penalize tampering with the norplant to avoid counterclaims that "they just cut it out and have kids".

Darkwing 2 years, 3 months ago

Next, turn welfare into workfare. If you are not disabled or injured too severely to work, we have work for you. Some of you will be evaluated for childcare, so the workfare program can provide cost-neutral childcare to other welfare parents. That childcare is what you receive your check for. Others will be sent to the landfill and issued protective clothing, where they will sort the trash into various recyclables. There are fields, vacant lots, and medians that cities can't afford to mow. There are fields and vacant lots used as dump sites. You can clean them up. You show up and check in, check in at lunch, and again before clocking out. In return, half of your current benefit is paid up front, the other half is pro-rated based on a 40-hour work week. If you can't show that you were there, you lose that portion of the check, so no-one can just show up at 8, meander around, slide home, and then show back up at 4 to claim they were there and should be paid. Not everyone will try that, true, but enough will that it would be a drain on the honest workfarers, and create anger from both the honest recipients and from taxpayers. So we need to have a positive-accountability system. If you don't show up for work, you get half the current benefit for the time you miss, unless excused by illness or injury. Worker's comp applies.

Now, if you find a temp job or permanent job, hours worked there do not count against you, so you can double dip for a transition period of a couple of months (assuming full time work). Outside work simply reduces your check by 25%, so getting a job means getting 75% of your benefit plus the income from the job. Temporary or part-time work will do the same, but not trigger transitioning you off the welfare rolls.

eastern65 2 years, 3 months ago

I'm not a Clinton fan, but he did a good job of moving welfare to workfare. Unfortunately, over the years his efforts have been undone and we are back to "living off of the welfare system". I don't mind helping the truly disable and needy, but the just don't want to work "clueless".

Darkwing 2 years, 3 months ago

I would also like to see the end of the WAR ON CIVIL LIBERTIES, uhm DRUGS. Delete the DEA, decriminalize possession of small amounts, and stop spending money to incarcerate folks for simple possession. Eventually, I'd like to legalize, regulate, and tax, but until then, let's just defund DEA entirely and stop sending folks to jail for a petty offense like possession.

Offer a retirement buyout to most high-ranking civil servants, and then rewrite the pay tables downward, and promote. If we retire 1,000 GS-15s, for example, then change GS-15 pay to be halfway between the current GS-14 pay and the old GS-15 pay, then promote 500 GS-14s to those vacated positions at the new GS-15 pay. The difference helps pay the cost of retirements. While we're at it, also review the required paygrades for jobs, and see if we really need those positions to be held by someone that senior. Where possible, reduce the required seniority, and also use the attrition rate to help reduce the employee pool.

moonchild7 2 years, 3 months ago

It really astounds me how after the Banks, Wall Street, and Huge Defense Dept., Contractors have stolen soooooooooooooo much money from the American taxpayers(most of whom only make average or just above average income)that now the "little people" have to SACRIFICE AGAIN! Now they need to have their incomes decreased, their Unions taken away and their benefits reduced. WOW, takin' for a ride again and also that they have really DUPED a lot of people into believing that they are the VICTIMS of all of this Economic Downturn! What foooooey! Darkwing, you don't understand. WELFARE REFORM? That was done in the '90's and it's called WORKFIRST. It does very well as long as Employers understand that they need to give these people a chance to work! Also that the "BIGGEST FRAUDERS" are again NOT the little people but the DOCTORS, HOSPITALS, PHARMACIES, HEALTH INSURERS, ETC! We must have NOT-FOR-PROFIT Health Care. Don't any of you guys get this? We need to raise taxes and take over the banks, but I don't see that happening as they seem to OWN the politicians in D.C. maybe even President Obama. There are also too many people in jail and prison who have committed NON-VIOLENT FIRST TIME crimes and they need probation Not jail but here we go again with all the "FOR PROFIT" Prisons!

carlj1161 2 years, 3 months ago

As a moderate, I have no problem with cuts. Everything should be on the table. However, I'd like to see some drastic cuts to foreign aid, bring our military back home, and maybe have some of the people who are on welfare do some work in return for their welfare compensation. If you want welfare, get off your tail and clean a public toilet, pick up the trash in a park, mop the floor of a government building....etc... I'm sure there are millions of dollars in fraud too, medicare, medicaid, and otherwise. We need to support ourselves adequately before expecting to support the world. Don't think it's realistically going to happen, but it's a nice idea.

moonchild7 2 years, 3 months ago

Again, what fooooooey. Mauiman, read the NYT article of 2-15-11 about the prisons in Louisiana. They have "the highest incarceration rate in the U.S. and in the WORLD!" They have a "tendency to throw in jail just about everyone who appears before a judge.....every person in New Orleans is sent to jail and held for bond." Now, I've never been arrested or been in jail but I have bailed people out and have "signed" people out(I'm a property owner). I know people who've signed themselves out but apparently in Louisiana it seems ANY crime is punished by being put in jail. Speeding? Littering? JayWalking? Smoking a joint? on and on and on... We have a crisis about crime in that defining TRUE CRIME seems difficult. Have any of you gotten a ticket for speeding? YOU'RE a CRIMINAL!!!!!! It's that simple I guess in Louisiana. Indiana is also supposed to be having budget problems because they also put everyone in jail. I have an idea....Maybe ALL of us should be in jail and only those who know how to be "GOOD" can get out. The jails will be very, very, very busy. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.

JER 2 years, 3 months ago

Hey jimmie, I thought you liked me and Ross best?

JER 2 years, 3 months ago

This simpleton may be on to something. Companies manufacturing lethal injections could go to three shifts to keep up with demand, casket makers, grave diggers, funeral homes all running at full tilt. The trickle down into the economy should be enough to balance the budget and maybe have enough surplus so we can buy China and make it our next state. I think the "Hammer" should be placed in charge of this immediately. He can use his vast arsenal to start carrying out the executions until the injections are in ample supply. As a bonus, our prisons will then be freed up to hold all the Muslims that threaten our idyllic existence.

moonchild7 2 years, 3 months ago

Chiefhammer, who exactly DIES under your "rules"? Pot Smokers? Litterers? Rapists? Those who are on death row but SHOULDN'T be because they didn't do the crime(DNA)but have been doing the time? We have a problem it seems with Insane Ideas that are producing nothing but Insane Problems.

moonchild7 2 years, 3 months ago

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

JER 2 years, 3 months ago

Who said we could never agree on anything.

moonchild7 2 years, 3 months ago

This was supposed to be about Budgets and cost cutting ideas for States, Counties, the Feds, etc. We have got to stop and come to our senses about the truth regarding money, people, harm, non-harm, and the duty of our governments to not only protect us from outside armies but to responsibly act in our domestic defense. The Prison and WAR mentalities running so many governments these days are also bankrupting states. Not the so-called Welfare systems. What are TRUE CRIMES? MURDER, RAPE, CHILD ABUSE, ARSON, ASSAULT, KIDNAPPING, for example. NON-VIOLENT CRIMES? STEALING without the use of a weapon, PERSONAL DRUG USE(almost half of our prisons are filled with non-violent drug users...they need mental health support), simple traffic violations, Perjury, Prostitution, Gambling, etc. Learning one's lesson about Good and Bad behavior doesn't have to always be punished with JAIL TIME. JAILING people who commit non-violent crimes is DEMONIZING them perhaps to the point of no return where crime becomes their only alternative. LIFE "has consequences beyond the immediate act", mauiman but JAIL TIME is NOT the one and only answer for some of HUMANITIES transgressions. I do not defend those on death row but it's now obvious that innocent people have been put to death instead of the real criminal. How much have those 10, 20 and 30 yr wrongful incarcerations cost those states, mauiman? Not just in money terms but in terms of those States themselves having now committed MURDER? Our priorities are so messed up in this country!

moonchild7 2 years, 3 months ago

Bernie DID NOT commit a NON-VIOLENT Crime! His GREED filled life of violent money and/or white-collar robberies; abused, killed(his own son among others), maimed, and bankrupted, many, many people. You are looking at a very small picture. Bernie's crimes were Non-Violent in one sense but in the true sense of defining violence and crimes were VERY VIOLENT because of how many people he HURT!

moonchild7 2 years, 3 months ago

Oh, I forgot. Bernies weapon? Wall Street, the SEC and his enablers.

nothingspecial 2 years, 3 months ago

MC7: "JAILING people who commit non-violent crimes is DEMONIZING them perhaps to the point of no return where crime becomes their only alternative." What happens to rich people if you demonize them? Just a question.

None 2 years, 3 months ago

Moonchild, so you think we the NC taxpayers should have to pay for those hoods who killed that young girl in Vass, how about Robert Stewart.

Here's what needs to happen, those who oppose the death penalty should have there taxes increased to support these demons, and those who support the death penalty get a decrease in taxes.

None 2 years, 3 months ago

Perhaps if the laws that are in place could be enforced without years, or should I say decades, of trying to find something wrong at trial where the evil elements in our society live another day, we could save billions. I am of the opinion when someone who commits murder in the first degree should be taken from the courthouse and hung. Now if the bleeding heart attorneys who want to suck the money from taxpayers wants to represent their clients rights, they should do it for free. Problem solved!

None 2 years, 3 months ago

I think the 3% of the most wealthy Americans should pay their fair share and stop getting all the line item tax breaks that the paid politicians have introduced into the 68 thousand pages of tax code that no one understands nor has ever read...except when the corporations are looking for another loophole to avoid corporate taxes. I paid into Social Security since I bagged groceries at the Winn Dixie Store at the age of 15. What about a Fair Tax where everybody pays his or her fair share? Then the politicians do not have advantage when it comes to the lives of American Citizens. http://www.fairtax.org

How selective the memories we had when it is convenient. Washington and lobbyists have created this mess - $1500.00 toilet seats, $500.00 hammers, a million dollars for an ink pen that writes upside down in space; the Russians used a pencil. Everyone should stop blaming POTUS'O for this nations mess when Ronnie Ray-gun spent billions on his Star Wars initiative and where is it today? Never needed it - just shut down our ability to communicate electronically and problem solved. No nukes needed justbuggy software: a worm, Trojan horse, malware...and whalla, shut down Iran’s centrifuges’ so that yellow cake becomes angel food cake. Yet we continue to spend billions on national defense that is worthless in an age of in-your-house electronics. China has the capability to shut this country down at anytime by destroying our ability to conduct business using computer technology. Think about it!

None 2 years, 3 months ago

Toda, along with that toilet seat don't forget Jared Bernstein's claim that the stimulus saved jobs a cost of $92,000 per job.

None 2 years, 3 months ago

ChiefHammer February 19, 2011 at 11:19 a.m.

I'm not sure if you remember or lived here when David Junior Brown murdered Diane and Christy Chalfinch? He was found guilty and there never was any question about the evidence to convict him. It took twenty years to stick him and end his life. The murder scene was one of Moore County's worst in the history of this county, and still is one of the most brutal. However, his lawyers worked tirelessly to keep him alive all of the money coming out of our pockets. From day one, there was never any doubt about his being guilty. He should not have ever reached Central Prison, but taken out an hung the next day after his conviction.

moonchild7 2 years, 3 months ago

Of course no "SERIOUS" person believes this NONSENSE James, and that's why this country is failing. REAL solutions to REAL problems are being ignored, laughed about or DEMONIZED, so here we are going backwards in the 21st Century. Our Jails and Prisons are overflowing with people who shouldn't be there and it's costing Bizillions! We're spending sooooooo much money on the wrong things. Simple Non-Violent crimes such as stealing need to be "cured" with fines and Community Service. In fact every criminal conviction needs a Community Service component attached to it. I hope Bernie is at least making license plates or cleaning toilets....it would even be better if he's out on the roads picking up trash or washing fire engine trucks. And again mauiman you're wrong that what's going on in Mexico has to do with the simple fact that it involves DRUGS. It's the fact that Marijuana is ILLEGAL. Prohibition in the U.S. proved those facts substantially and GANGLAND crime went thru the roof back then. This insanity needs to stop because the violence in Mexico is so very horrible and preventable....but I guess the "Motto" is to keep people in fear. Better to be in FEAR I guess than in being HIGH. Prostitution if legalized, taxed and controlled would be much less if violent if not totally non-violent. I was a social worker and I could have been impacted by violent clients but luckily wasn't, Being a social worker was a "legal" profession but it also can be very dangerous. In fact, sorta funny, in that at times in the middle of the night when I was doing investigations "the sheriff's deputies" protecting me always made me go FIRST into the homes and I didn't have a gun. Thanks.

moonchild7 2 years, 3 months ago

I am NOT against anyone wanting to work a job. I am against the Employers who hire so many illegal aliens because if they wouldn't hire them, they wouldn't be here. Again it's simple but our "Governments" are allowing so much of this to happen either because BIG Business is paying them off or because they just don't have the manpower to stop it. Again, as a social worker in certain programs where those who had "Green Cards" might be eligible, we had to send INS a copy of their cards and INS had to determine if they were here legally. It was out of our hands. I cared about helping people because that was my job. Being here legally or illegally was none of my business.

MikeNC 2 years, 3 months ago

Back to the topic Pat McLaughlin wrote: Our Country is on the brink of a financial disaster, whether you're Left, Right or Riding the Fence. AND both the Party on the Left and the Party on the Right were responsible for this disaster. PERIOD ! And it won't matter if you are Left, Right or Riding the Fence, when inflation hits us, which it has, but no one in Washington is admitting to it. If any one has been grocery shopping or buying gas the last couple months, they may of noticed some significant price increases. Clothing is next. 10% overall jump on that. Now it's a crying shame that the Social Security lock box was busted open back in the 70s, but it happened, and WE all let Washington do it ! It's a crying shame that Billions of tax payer dollars have been hijacked by Medicare frauds and Defense abuse, BUT again, we all let it happen. NOW we all have to pony up to dig out of something we all sat back and watched happen for years. It's a hard pill to swallow, but Pat is right, we're at the cross roads and must. IF one good thing has come out of this disaster, it is that Americans are no longer content with just electing their officials and then letting them run through the halls of congress with no leash. Diane

MikeNC 2 years, 3 months ago

Moon Child, I would love to see your statistics on the number of people who speed in LA and Jaywalk, who are serving time. Also you address a desire to see Not for Profit Healthcare? So in other words a doctor should say perform brain surgery for the same wage as some one working at a fast food restaurant? If you believe in Not for Profit Healthcare, it makes me wonder if you think anyone should work and make a profit. Diane

moonchild7 2 years, 3 months ago

Not-For-Profit HealthCare in the U.S. would take The Veterans Administration Model(with a lot of improvements). Doctors and Nurses would still be paid well....they are there to HELP PEOPLE, not to make a lot of money. I was a social worker who worked for the Government. I could have worked in the private sector and could have made TWICE the income. I didn't because I didn't do it just for the money. For Profit companies are of course needed and I have nothing against them except when they rip people off, cheat on their taxes, send needed jobs over seas(to keep their profits high and their lifestyles rich), blackmail the government, etc. What are America's private industry's profits for? Only for them to line their own pockets so they can live beyond their wildest dreams or maybe rather to live well and also provide good businesses with good business practices?

MikeNC 2 years, 3 months ago

So you worked for the government, Moonchild, as a social worker. You are therefore saying, nurses and doctors should all work for the government, and only work to "help People". If they work in private sector, they are therefore only in it for PROFIT, right? I seriously doubt you are going to convince all the doctors and nurses in the private sector to become "VA oriented.

I would like to also add a Post Script to my response to your penial system thoughts and government cut backs. My husband, after retiring from the service, went to work for the N C Corrections. He seen first hand the amount of abuse on our judicial system by men who raped two year old girls, who were screaming they did not receive a fair trial. Our state government has to spend millions on reviewing their frugile cases. Then we have the people who scam the food stamps and welfare system. I'm sure we could find a few billion in cuts there also. A doctor lives across the street from us. It's a gorgeous laid out 7,000 sq ft. mansion. I walked through the house with my mouth open. But you know what, that doctor graduated from high school. Did four years of College. Then did another four Years of Med. Then did two years of Internship and onto residency,and God knows what else. He racked up several hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans to do it and pay back. I'm not about to judge him or his mansion, because I didn't have the guts to do what he did.

Utopia has been tried, and it failed, and will always fail.

moonchild7 2 years, 3 months ago

I doubt that it would be Utopia. Doctors who want to still be in private practice could still be out there and I'm sure they'd have lots of rich people going to them(like they do now to get Tummy Tucks and Face Lifts). I read recently that more and more Doctors are closing up their Private Practice's in and around Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill and going to work for the Hospitals. The writing is on the walls. Also that UNC and Blue Cross Blue Shield in a joint venture will be opening more and more smaller Health Clinics. Billions in Welfare Fraud? Not sure about that. More like Bizillions of dollars of fraud in Medicare, Medicaid, Military Industrial Complex, Wall Street, etc. You don't have to tell me about the kinds of people who abused children because I was one of those who helped to get them arrested. I do agree that the Judicial System is a mess but again it spends too much time punishing too many people who really have done little to nothing wrong that deserves a court appearance. Then again that's the lawyers Bread&Butter. I've sat for hours in court at times waiting for the case to be heard and I have witnessed a complete failure of our courts in trying these little crimes. It seems that most of the people are poor with mental health issues. They need to be seeing a doctor NOT a judge. Oh, the cost of getting a college education in this country is also outrageous, I agree.

teufelhunden 2 years, 3 months ago

Problem is most of these people DON'T want to work as long as Uncle Sam (me and you) are paying them not to work. They should also need to pass a piss test to get there money. -ChiefHammer

Amen to that!

teufelhunden 2 years, 3 months ago

MC7-your comments on prostitution are ridiculous.

moonchild7 2 years, 3 months ago

I was a Social Worker in the WORKFIRST Program and it's another lie that "these" people don't want to work. Maybe a few but absolutely not a majority. With the teaching of many new "Skills" and setting of "Goals" these clients learned the "ins and outs" of getting and keeping a job. Getting a job for someone who has NEVER had a job is not an easy thing to do(not sure many of know that)but we did our best to get clients there and also taught them how to cope and keep those jobs. How about all of you negative minded people out there try to do some of the jobs I did to help people "GET ALONG" in this world....Good Luck, and I was more successful than most. Why are my comments on Prostitution ridiculous? Teufhunden, have you ever "KNOWN" a Prostitute and what their work life is like?

MikeNC 2 years, 3 months ago

Moonchild, There are a number of reasons doctors are closing private practice. Up until recently the now illegal Obama Care, is one. The amount of malpractice insurance doctors have to pay, is two. Thirdly, reimbursement from Medicare/ Medicaid, not being ample payment to cover doctors' overhead. Not to mention the current climate of our economy. If our country ever went to single payer system, there would be NO MORE private sector doctors because the government would then make it harder and harder for those few to stay afloat.

I googled food stamp/ welfare fraud and IN PHILADELPHIA, alone: 2010- 1,199 cases of fraud were reported to State Attorney office equaling $4.9 Million dollars of waste and fraud. 2008-09, 1,411 fraud cases reported, equaling $4.5 Million dollars of waste and fraud. IN ONE CITY ALONE.

Legalizing Prostitution, would be interesting to say the least. I guess we could unionize them and have their pimps do the collective bargaining for the prostitutes. They could bargain for tenure, retirement benefits for the girls after age 40-45 and health insurance to cover planned parenthood visits. Diane

moonchild7 2 years, 3 months ago

MikeNC, did you also GOOGLE the recent(2/17/11) Gov. takedown of over $225 Million dollars of False billing by DOCTORS, NURSES, and HEALTH CARE CO. to the Medicare program? I think a lot of you guys would have been against poor Jean Valjean for stealing a loaf of bread in France during the French monharchy's rule and you would have been part of their POLICE STATE! Once Prostitution is legalized there would be NO MORE PIMPS! Wow, you're finally getting it! Union's for Prostitutes..I say YES!

buddysmith 2 years, 3 months ago

why dont we tax public assistance benefits?

buddysmith 2 years, 3 months ago

seriously, if a person with multiple children from different parents receive 800 a month in food stamps, what is wrong with asking them to pay 50 in cash to pick them up? as it is now all we get for our investment in these families is more dependents for us to take care of! medicaid should have a co-pay when used, as housing assistance also. at least this way we could get some kind of return on what is being taken from the taxpayer. if you havent noticed we now have a sub-culture of folks that have made public assistance an occupation and a right in their eyes.

moonchild7 2 years, 3 months ago

Tax the poor of the poor? Why not the RICH of the RICH? So misinformed. Welfare Reform in the 90's helped to reduce overall TANF benefits from 14 million to about 4 million people as of 2009. No one can receive unlimited TANF benefits anymore. The numbers are going up though because of this "Recession". The majority of "welfare benefits" given out now are for food stamps. Over 37 million now...or would you prefer 37 million people out on the streets with their "WILL WORK FOR FOOD" signs? Medicaid recipients have to pay co-pays. You all are really looking way too low for the answers to many of the problems in the U.S. With problems like these, it's at the TOP that the answers will be found. President Obama has been doing a great job with what he has to work with. Now all he needs to do is to make the rich pay more taxes.

MikeNC 2 years, 3 months ago

Just a refresher course in why our country became great: Our forefathers fled the countries of France, England and else where because of their UNFAIR monarchy laws and rules i.e. being thrown into prison for years for stealing a loaf of bread, with no due process, or fair trial. MC, you never did answer a question I asked on another posting some time ago: What would be a fair percentage of the rich to pay in federal taxes, not this would not include what their state level would then be, as it naturally varies.

buddysmith 2 years, 3 months ago

well if people out on the streets were holding a sign "work for food" at least they would be givng some effort to help themselves intsead of waiting on the taxpayers to hand them pretty much everything they need! I am not rich by any means, but attitudes like yours moonchild is nothing more than redistribution of wealth, or socialism. am i right comrade? i think you were the one that told me, a few months ago, that illegal immigrants couldnt receive food stamps? then later you told me they could if it was an emergency. what is the emergency? walking into a dss office and saying we are hungry?

Stop the Blame and Start Cutting

More like this story

Comments

May events