Not until there was an extreme threat did the United States Congress and the White House take a serious look at the cost of government versus the amount of income the government is taking in each year, which has placed us at the precipice of the fiscal cliff. It’s not a new predicament.
In fact, a look back at the Jan. 10, 1993 issue of the Brainerd Daily Dispatch, Congress was dealing with cutting the cost of Medicare by raising the eligibility age from 65 to 67. That was during the William Jefferson Clinton-era, when times were good. Congress was considering increasing the age of eligibility to save some $750 billion over 30 years. Congress kicked the can down the road.
Does that sound familiar? If Congress and the Clinton White House had acted on their instincts to curb costs in 1993, we might not be facing the fiscal cliff that we’re rushing toward today.
The American people can no longer allow its elected representatives to “kick the can down the road.” Like those elected to make the tough decisions nearly 20 years ago, today’s congressional representatives in the House and Senate are in a position, along with the president, to make the tough decisions. But, they, like their 1993 counterparts, are begining to flinch.
Unlike the 1993 decision makers, however, today’s Congress and the administration are faced with sequestration. Sequestration will increase taxes on the filthy rich, the middle class and those in lower tax brackets. In addition, cuts will be made across the board — Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, EPA, CIA, FBI, FEMA, and the U.S. military.
Former senior officials from eight presidential administrations, representing both parties, and former congressional leaders paid for a full page ad in the Dec. 5 issue of The New York Times. In it, these former leaders stated: “Our fiscal goal must be to stabilize the debt as a share of the economy, and put it on a downward path for the longer term. We cannot continue to grow our national debt faster than our economy if we want to maintain our global leadership. Any solution that does not meet this simple test is insufficient.”
Ironically, some of these people were in office in 1993, when tough decisions could have been made in a brighter economic era. (Read the entire detailed message at: FiscalAndNationalSecurity.org.)
Keith Hansen
Comments (45)
Add commentThe age to receive
full social security benefits is gradually raising to 67 already.
For those born in 1960, the age will be 67 to receive full benefits. Beneficiaries may still draw reduced benefits at 62.
http://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/IncRetAge.html
Changing the age for eligibility for any benefits upwards to 64 or more, would see an increased workforce. Would the economy be able to maintain the higher paid workers over 62 and absorb new workers at the same time?
Tea Partiers...Not Mainstream Republicans...
Pooch Kick To The Future...
Why do today and let default decisions Get 'R Done...
Let the George W. Bush Tax Cuts Expire for Everyone...
Shared Pain for All...
_______
I can't think of a single
I can't think of a single thing that congress hasn't kicked the can down the road on in order to avoid taking responsibility.
Good Keith
Fish, so true, no matter what party they are from.
What is irritating is when someone does propose a fix
of sorts, they get a commercial showing them shoving Grannie off a cliff. Now, the country is being thrown off the cliff.
As for "shared pain" for all. Yes, the people that pay taxes
will have to pay more. The people that don't pay fed. taxes will feel pain somehow because the people that do will have less money to donate and hire.
Kickin' the can.
Could someone please come up with an expression to replace the cute, clever little "kicking the can Down the road"?
Kicking the can...
Hard to pay off a maxed out credit card by starting a new credit card to do so.
But still, we keep electing the can-kickers.
The most secure job in the world is congressional representative. See a lot of change in the House this year? Or the Senate. There was big change in MN but that certainly wasn't a move toward more fiscal restraint. Everybody in the North Star State is holding his breath waiting for the next state tax increase. Why should the rest of our brothers and sisters in the rest of the nation be spared? Spending cuts? Horrors! Running a government with liberty and freedom in mind? Egads, what a ridiculous notion. As long as we keep voting for increases in our personal welfare, longer unemployment benefits, Social Security cost of living increases, giving more Medicaid money to whoever strolls across the border, state or national, better salary, benefits and retirement for government workers of all sorts, new office buildings for the sheriff, city boards that spend more than they've been allocated, new football and baseball stadiums, billion-dollar transit systems that will never pay for themselves and will always lose money, we can expect to take our place in line behind Greece, Italy and Spain. Congress is not the problem; we are. When we start demanding fiscal responsibility, we might get it. Looking for the responsible party? Look in the mirror.
FYI
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/12/06/neither_party_is_se...
Purposed
You make a very good point. Quite possibly true. As a side note, something else that is out of control is unions. I just got a notice that my union dues are going up 10% starting Jan 1st. When was the last time you got a 10% payraise. Dues are jumping from $30 to $33 per month and one fourth of the members are out of work. Duh, Go Figure.
Eyolf-here's your river
I proudly and honorably served my country so I use the VA for my medical care, not the union. I earned my medical care. I'm a DAV x 3. Show me a union officer that's layed off. Never happen with a %10 dues increase. Union members, wake up.
The can's been kicked for a lot longer than that
We've known for decades that the baby boomer generation retiring has going to cause fiscal problems for Social Security and Medicare. There were talks about the looming problem in the 1980's if not earlier, yet the boomers have repeatedly elected officials who refused to deal with it. Instead of fixing things then, when a small adjustment would've taken care of the problem, they waited and waited. It's nice that people are living longer, but there is a cost to that and the Boomers didn't pay in enough to compensate for their longer life expectancy. Now the boomers are "too close to retirement" and most politicians don't want to deny them benefits they've "earned", so the pain will fall to younger generations. Not only did politicians fail to plan ahead well enough to fund social security for the Boomer's retirement, but they "borrowed" from the "trust fund" to finance tax cuts and and other spending that should've been covered by then current generations general tax revenue. That borrowed money must now be paid back by current and future tax payers.
Charlie
are you a vet? You have never mentioned that before. What a revolting development that is. Why don't you tell the union to get lost, you don't need them. Or you could quit and look for a non union job.
motley
Charlie has mentioned before that he was a vet.
Thanks SML
Hey Motley and Eyolf, since when did you have to be a Dumbocrat to belong to a union. However you do have to be a union member if you want to work in the trades in the metro area. Thus there are a lot of conservatives working in the trades. Lest you forget, 45% of the union members in Minnesota voted for Jesse Ventura and he was far from a dumbocrat. And another thing to both of you. Don't try and take shots at me until your brain is at least half developed. You'll lose every time. And I'm only running on 1/4 throttle today. I wish the BDD would have a separate website for the illiterate so we wouldn't have to read the garbage put out by people like these two or we could always go to their website for some humor.
So Charlie
Wounded 3 times and still going. You're a lucky man..Good for you..
Eyolf & his unions
I don't operate on ifs, ands or buts and I live in Minnesota, not Wisconsin. Also, I joined a Union 45 years ago and had no problems. No pull, no inside connection, no money changing hands except union dues after I got hired etc. Besides, there was a time when unions were needed. However they overstepped their bounds about 20-30 years ago and have been taking this country downhill ever since. If you couldn't get a union job 40 years ago, there was something definitely wrong with you. If you make twice the money now as any union member, you are either a private business owner (congratulations) or on welfare or some other government subsidy. I have been in unions all my life, only because you can't work in this God forsaken state otherwise. I have also been a republicon all my life until 4 years ago when I left the party and became a conservative instead. There is a difference.
Suicide is painless.
Thank you for the recognition. Please feel the same of all Veterans. "ALL GAVE SOME-SOME GAVE ALL.
PS: Please come and visit the Traveling Wall when it comes to the CWC Fairgrounds this summer-May 31, June 1and 2. There will also be tens of thousands of motorcycles and classic cars,and celebrities, multiple military flyovers etc. For more details go to www.rideforhealing.com. If you ride, your welcome to join in. This will be the event of the year in Minnesota 2013. It starts on Memorial day, 27 May,at the state capitol and ends up in Brainerd/Baxter. I will be giving periodic updates on this site. The BDD should have it also later on.
I see that eyolf
has brought a snarling and surly attitude to the daytime drama, now. Nice work, picking on a vet like that.
Charlie
Thank-You. I did not know that. I will be there. I went to it in Crosby when it was there.
FNB
Two thumbs up. Thanks
I'm sure
what you said about where his money comes from is right. (Not about being a business owner, though!)
Instead of "kicking the can down the road",
let's save the poor can and replace it with Obama!
Hot Damn FNB
You're hot today. 2 more thumbs up.
business owners
We were business owners for many years. It is work,
long hours, sweat and tears. Yes, tears (from me) when
we were short of money and people didn't pay their bills.
Of course, I didn't cry in front of customers. We had our
whole financial future on the line and this is one thing non owners do not understand. When we sold the business,
we got to pay about 36% capital gains even though this was
our retirement in lieu of 401K and IRA's. no pension.
When I was in a room with Mr.Oberstar and mentioned how the capital gains was quite high, as a typical liberal, he said that we should be grateful that we were able to have our own business.
Thanks to you guys for your military service. I too saw the
Crosby display, but will make the fair one, God willing.
I would like the Liberal take on this,
because I just don't understand this.
"Residents in a Newhall senior apartment complex are protesting an order from management to remove their beloved Christmas tree from the community room because, they were told, it's a religious symbol."
Is this what we really want to become?
Christmas Tree
Then put up an aspen tree in the other corner of the room. Just make sure you rake the leaves.
Actually
I know Charlie is a vet. I was being sarcastic because he plays the vet card at every opportunity. I am too, but I don't feel the need to mention it on here all the time.
Actually
I wish you didn't feel the need to ever spew your sarcastic hatred of your betters on here, muttley.
Also, there are vets and then there are Vets. Being a clerk at Fort Lewis during the war and being a grunt at Da Nang aren't in the same class.
That is stupid,
The management will change their minds or face Occupy the Nursing Homes protestors. Did anyone complain about the Menorahs in the common area alongside the tree? Leave it to California.
You don't have
to confess on here eyolf. I'm sure some church will let you do it there. Peace be with you.