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YouTubeVoter Ignorance Threatens Deficit Reduction
By BRUCE BARTLETT, The Fiscal TimesIt is a well-known fact among budget analysts that Americans have long had cognitive dissonance about government spending. They say they want it cut and for government to be smaller. But when questioned about specific programs, people mostly oppose cutting just about anything and often favor increases. Foreign aid is the only program that they consistently favor cutting, perhaps because they grossly overestimate its share of the budget. Recent polls confirm these observations and raise serious questions about whether there is any possible way of getting the political support for reducing the deficit and stabilizing the debt.
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Biggest obstacle to deficit reduction: Voters?
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Bear
The woods
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Posted 1 year ago # -
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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Nice graph!
ETA...that didn't show up.
Here's a link to the blog:
http://www.themonkeycage.org/2011/02/party_identification_and_attit.html
Posted 1 year ago # -
lazyfish
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blaming the voters seems too easy, lets blame the folks who actually vote on the spending bills, or if we need a scapegoat how about corporate cash and special interest.
Why not tax all income for social security and medicaid/care..get rid of the 100 K threshold.
Cut defense and all ag. support and we are a lot closer to solving the budget issues.
Posted 1 year ago # -
rus
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Bear wrote >>
Hysterical... I actually assumed that was one of Gelman's graphs until I read the full post. Well done :-)Gives me a bit of a chuckle as well. After all, if voters are the problem, and democrats are more resistant to budget cuts than republicans, then democrats are more of a problem than republicans. ;-)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Bear
The woods
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rus wrote >>
if voters are the problem, and democrats are more resistant to budget cuts than republicans, then democrats are more of a problem than republicans. ;-)I'd think less so, actually, at least from the point of view of balance, because they're not trying as hard to cut the taxes that support the programs that they refuse to curtail.
Regardless, it's like distinguishing between drowning 10 feet underwater and drowning 5 feet underwater. Neither of them supports any serious budget cuts.
Posted 1 year ago # -
gramarye
In Exile
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lazyfish wrote >>
maybe the problem is the greed and selfishness that many in our culture embrace, what happened to compassion and helping those in need? I'm still trying to figure out what Paris Hilton et al did to deserve a tax break.Maybe the problem is the greed and selfishness that many in our culture embrace, indeed. I'm still trying to figure out what most people on welfare did to earn a piece of my paycheck.
Posted 1 year ago # -
lazyfish
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welfare is mainly kids who did not ask to be born to slacker parents.maybe those family planning clinics are not so bad afterall. The actual $ amounts are pretty paltry. The state got rid of General Assistance (GA) welfare years ago. Medicaid is mainly for the physically and mentally impaired.
Posted 1 year ago # -
rus
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lazyfish wrote >>
welfare is mainly kids who did not ask to be born to slacker parents.maybe those family planning clinics are not so bad afterall. The actual $ amounts are pretty paltry. The state got rid of General Assistance (GA) welfare years ago. Medicaid is mainly for the physically and mentally impaired.*scratch head*
You know we're talking about the US Federal budget, not the state budget, right?
Maybe this will help:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/02/01/us/budget.html
Posted 1 year ago # -
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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gramarye wrote >>
lazyfish wrote >>
maybe the problem is the greed and selfishness that many in our culture embrace, what happened to compassion and helping those in need? I'm still trying to figure out what Paris Hilton et al did to deserve a tax break.Maybe the problem is the greed and selfishness that many in our culture embrace, indeed. I'm still trying to figure out what most people on welfare did to earn a piece of my paycheck.
get born and later, not die.
Posted 1 year ago # -
rus
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berdawn wrote >>
gramarye wrote >>
lazyfish wrote >>
maybe the problem is the greed and selfishness that many in our culture embrace, what happened to compassion and helping those in need? I'm still trying to figure out what Paris Hilton et al did to deserve a tax break.Maybe the problem is the greed and selfishness that many in our culture embrace, indeed. I'm still trying to figure out what most people on welfare did to earn a piece of my paycheck.
get born and later, not die.
I realize you're probably just being berdawn, but you actually believe people have a right to the goods and services of someone else just because they were born?
Might as well say rapists have a right to have sex with their victims. They were born, after all.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Cookie
Flyntonville
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lazyfish
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rus wrote >>
berdawn wrote >>
gramarye wrote >>
lazyfish wrote >>
maybe the problem is the greed and selfishness that many in our culture embrace, what happened to compassion and helping those in need? I'm still trying to figure out what Paris Hilton et al did to deserve a tax break.Maybe the problem is the greed and selfishness that many in our culture embrace, indeed. I'm still trying to figure out what most people on welfare did to earn a piece of my paycheck.
get born and later, not die.
I realize you're probably just being berdawn, but you actually believe people have a right to the goods and services of someone else just because they were born?
Might as well say rapists have a right to have sex with their victims. They were born, after all.life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness????
why should newborns and children not be protected from the ignorance and malaise of adults. BTW I think we are witnessing what a lack of the social safety net has wrought in the Arab world. Population explosion, lack of educational opportunities and jobs.
Posted 1 year ago # -
rus
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Cookie wrote >>
rus wrote >>
Might as well say rapists have a right to have sex with their victims. They were born, after all.No, you might not as well say that, because comparing an individual's miniscule financial contributions to welfare to being raped is asinine.
Same principal. Someone else has something you want so you're "entitled" to it.
Posted 1 year ago # -
lazyfish
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rus wrote >>
Cookie wrote >>
rus wrote >>
Might as well say rapists have a right to have sex with their victims. They were born, after all.No, you might not as well say that, because comparing an individual's miniscule financial contributions to welfare to being raped is asinine.
Same principal. Someone else has something you want so you're "entitled" to it.
welcome to the end of your future political career.
Posted 1 year ago # -
rus
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lazyfish wrote >>
rus wrote >>
Cookie wrote >>
rus wrote >>
Might as well say rapists have a right to have sex with their victims. They were born, after all.No, you might not as well say that, because comparing an individual's miniscule financial contributions to welfare to being raped is asinine.
Same principal. Someone else has something you want so you're "entitled" to it.
welcome to the end of your future political career.
As if I cared what a libtard like you "thinks".
"Rethuglicans", indeed.
Posted 1 year ago #
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