How would you fix the United States' budget problem?

[Unicario]

I would start a campaign immediately to pay China their $14trillion, to rid the national debt, and also, I would put more money on education and medicare, but I would leave tons of money for defense, since I do not believe isolation is sufficient enough for our nation. I would however, withdraw from Afghanistan and Iraq and turn over the operation to locals, with some NATO soldiers staying behind to help out.

[Laissez-Faire]

Bad idea, particularly with R&D.

Invest half of the saved money on real R&D, spread between fundamental research, new materials, computers, biology and space conquest. That'll be much more efficient than the few technological side-effects of the military. And without the death.

Some personnel will still be necessary in the future for any military. And the maintenance of the United States Naval fleet is strategically vital at this point. I'd agree with plans to merge agencies and reduce administrative crap, but not to dramatically reduce the defense structure of the United States.

The beneifts of those sectors are that they, in some manner, are controlled by the private market

They are "too big to fail", so they play risky games, and when things go badly, they are bailed out by the government because not bailing them would mean a total collapse. So they must be public from start, not private when they are lucky, but bailed out by the government when they aren't.

And which power makes them "too big to fail"? Government. Government gives them bailouts and the cycle repeats. They exist solely in a free market and have inherent consequences on that sort of risk-taking.

Would not work in America.

Why, they aren't humans ? It will work everywhere.

The only problem will forever be that the private market is the better provider of resources, and healthcare is no different when talking about raising health costs, etc.

[Divair]

I would start a campaign immediately to pay China their $14trillion, to rid the national debt, and also, I would put more money on education and medicare, but I would leave tons of money for defense, since I do not believe isolation is sufficient enough for our nation. I would however, withdraw from Afghanistan and Iraq and turn over the operation to locals, with some NATO soldiers staying behind to help out.

You know China doesn't hold most of the debt, right?

[Kilobugya]

They are "too big to fail", so they play risky games, and when things go badly, they are bailed out by the government because not bailing them would mean a total collapse. So they must be public from start, not private when they are lucky, but bailed out by the government when they aren't.

And which power makes them "too big to fail"? Government. Government gives them bailouts and the cycle repeats. They exist solely in a free market and have inherent consequences on that sort of risk-taking.

No, the market makes them "too big to fail". The market, inherently, drives for concentration and the domination of a few big players. And then, the state is **forced** to bail them out, because letting a bank that has the deposit of 25% of your population to collapse would lead to a chain reaction of such a magnitude that the whole economy will collapse.

There are only two options : massive regulation and anti-trust policies to ensure no bank ever grows too big (but that's very hard to implement, and will likely have a very high overhead), or just plainly nationalizing the whole sector.

The only problem will forever be that the private market is the better provider of resources, and healthcare is no different when talking about raising health costs, etc.

That's just false. USA spends much more than France in healthcare, and the result is much worse. Don't take your dogma for facts.

[Wamitoria]

I would start a campaign immediately to pay China their $14trillion, to rid the national debt, and also, I would put more money on education and medicare, but I would leave tons of money for defense, since I do not believe isolation is sufficient enough for our nation. I would however, withdraw from Afghanistan and Iraq and turn over the operation to locals, with some NATO soldiers staying behind to help out.

You know China doesn't hold most of the debt, right?

They have what, like $900 billion of it?

Most of ours is internal, IIRC.

[Laissez-Faire]

No, the market makes them "too big to fail". The market, inherently, drives for concentration and the domination of a few big players.

The entire point of a market is that wealth is moved freely. It's stagnation is largely the result of government trying to make the issue separate.

And then, the state is **forced** to bail them out, because letting a bank that has the deposit of 25% of your population to collapse would lead to a chain reaction of such a magnitude that the whole economy will collapse.

And that only makes them bigger. It's this policy that creates abusive monopolies, not any bit of the free market. The free market rules would see a monopoly dismantled by essential demand.

WHen government constantly runs to a particular set of business's special interests in it's own policy, that is when these businesses grow into monopolies. It's a predisposition of economic regulation that leads the economy to large, fluctuating cycles and grows income disparity.

Give the CEOs a taste of the real free market. I daresay the more political of them will find it very, very sour.

There are only two options : massive regulation and anti-trust policies to ensure no bank ever grows too big (but that's very hard to implement, and will likely have a very high overhead)

Not to mention it will, again, only result in more monopolies and special interests.

, or just plainly nationalizing the whole sector.

Perhaps even worse. Granted, a corporatist economy is dangerous because it masks as a fully capitalist system. However, government mismanagement of sectors of an economy would only grow. Nationalization is perhaps the worst move a government can make during a recession.

A market keeps the exchange of capital free, and lowers and mitigates costs to other parties. A government would only see them rise when it benefits them. A private market is still the best distributor of resources. When it's lead by individual interest rather than collective interest, faults are not dealt with lightly- they are deep consequences which would prevent the mismanagement that defines a corproatist/nationalized economy.

Not to mention, nationalized industry would never fly in America, not to mention it is blatantly unconstitutional.

The only problem will forever be that the private market is the better provider of resources, and healthcare is no different when talking about raising health costs, etc.

That's just false. USA spends much more than France in healthcare, and the result is much worse. Don't take your dogma for facts.

Largely because the USA does not operate a private system. If we got rid of these mandates on private insurance companies, costs would follow suit in a market and healthcare resources could be best distributed. The current system is faulty, and government is the perpetrator.

[Katganistan]

Well, the way you fix any budget problem.

You raise taxes and reduce spending.

Get the troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, stop being the world police, cut back aid, stop giving money away to illegal immigrants (remember the Dream Act? Great -- except American citizens don't get access to free college, do they?) stop bailing out companies and giving subsidies to oil companies, and raise taxes.

That's it.

[Laissez-Faire]

I would start a campaign immediately to pay China their $14trillion, to rid the national debt, and also, I would put more money on education and medicare, but I would leave tons of money for defense, since I do not believe isolation is sufficient enough for our nation. I would however, withdraw from Afghanistan and Iraq and turn over the operation to locals, with some NATO soldiers staying behind to help out.

You know China doesn't hold most of the debt, right?

Neither does China hold any form of economic supremacy, nor will they in the near future.

[Vestr-Norig]

1. Raise taxes for the wealthy.
2. Let the South succede.
3. Raise the tariffs.
4. Stop immigration.
5. Regionalize production (The different regions/states are in power of the industry and certain buisnesses).
6. Withdraw soldiers from Afghanistan.

[Prolusio Acies Sigillium]

there is no solving the budget.

our debts are too large. There are simply not enough actual, physical dollars in circulation across the entire world to pay off our debts. All that needs to happen is for one nation (Greece) to fall, and the dominos would come crashing down.

All we can do is brace for impact. In doing so, I'd encourage every family to buy an assult rifle and a couple day's worth of food/water, along with securing what valuables they have.

[Wamitoria]

there is no solving the budget.

our debts are too large. There are simply not enough actual, physical dollars in circulation across the entire world to pay off our debts.

You don't pay off all of your debts at once...

[Divair]

You know China doesn't hold most of the debt, right?

Neither does China hold any form of economic supremacy, nor will they in the near future.

Wrong.

[Divair]

there is no solving the budget.

our debts are too large. There are simply not enough actual, physical dollars in circulation across the entire world to pay off our debts. All that needs to happen is for one nation (Greece) to fall, and the dominos would come crashing down.

All we can do is brace for impact. In doing so, I'd encourage every family to buy an assult rifle and a couple day's worth of food/water, along with securing what valuables they have.

Very wrong.

[Prolusio Acies Sigillium]

there is no solving the budget.

our debts are too large. There are simply not enough actual, physical dollars in circulation across the entire world to pay off our debts. All that needs to happen is for one nation (Greece) to fall, and the dominos would come crashing down.

All we can do is brace for impact. In doing so, I'd encourage every family to buy an assult rifle and a couple day's worth of food/water, along with securing what valuables they have.

Very wrong.

mind explaining?

[Ifreann]

there is no solving the budget.

our debts are too large. There are simply not enough actual, physical dollars in circulation across the entire world to pay off our debts. All that needs to happen is for one nation (Greece) to fall, and the dominos would come crashing down.

All we can do is brace for impact. In doing so, I'd encourage every family to buy an assult rifle and a couple day's worth of food/water, along with securing what valuables they have.

The money you would spend on preparing for the collapse of society would be better spent on just about anything else. Magic beans would be a more worthwhile expenditure.

[Prolusio Acies Sigillium]

there is no solving the budget.

our debts are too large. There are simply not enough actual, physical dollars in circulation across the entire world to pay off our debts.

You don't pay off all of your debts at once...

>implying our debts won't continue growing, and playing catch up by printing more money/taking it from everyone with a dollar to their name wouldn't demolish the economy

[Divair]

Very wrong.

mind explaining?

There are a lot more than 15 trillion dollars in circulation in the world. From what I can recall it is about 67 trillion or so.

Not to mention that you don't pay off debt at once. No one does that. Ever. You pay it off in chunks.

[Wamitoria]

Neither does China hold any form of economic supremacy, nor will they in the near future.

Wrong.

No, he's pretty much right. They're current structure is unsustainable (like Japan in the early '80s, but like 8000x worse) and there is a profound lack of political will in the upper echelons of the CPC to fix anything.

[Laissez-Faire]

1. Raise taxes for the wealthy.
2. Let the South succede.

Who says the South wants to secede or succede? Or was that sarcasm?

3. Raise the tariffs.

I rest my case with the Smoot and Hawley Tariffs. It would be entirely against the international market structure of the American economy, and it's hope to emerge, to pass any sort of limitations on free trade. In fact, they should entirely be eliminated.

4. Stop immigration.

Immigration done properly has driven many sectors of the American economy and kept sectors going for a long time. Stopping legal immigration or immigration at all would be a bad idea. Curbing illegal immigration, of course, is straightforward.

5. Regionalize production (The different regions/states are in power of the industry and certain buisnesses).

Industry works because it is fluid in a multiplicity of regions. This would be an extremely devastating idea.

6. Withdraw soldiers from Afghanistan.

When we can, sure.

[The Allied Powers]

War against Japan and Germany.

[Saint Alexander]

I would bring back the Gold and Silver standard then annex other nations, most likely the Caribbean nations and/or Mexico, thus rebuilding the old American Empire. With those countries annexed as US Territories, we wouldn't have to spend money trading with them when we could just use their resources for free. Though thanks to the incompetence of our Government, none of that is going to happen under their regime.

[Prolusio Acies Sigillium]

mind explaining?

There are a lot more than 15 trillion dollars in circulation in the world. From what I can recall it is about 67 trillion or so.

Not to mention that you don't pay off debt at once. No one does that. Ever. You pay it off in chunks.

>implying our debts won't continue growing, and playing catch up by printing more money/taking it from everyone with a dollar to their name wouldn't demolish the economy (reposting this from a comment to another user with a similar stance)

[Divair]

Wrong.

No, he's pretty much right. They're current structure is unsustainable (like Japan in the early '80s, but like 8000x worse) and there is a profound lack of political will in the upper echelons of the CPC to fix anything.

They are unsustainable, yes, but they do have economic power. Lots of it. They control most of the manufacturing sector and hold vast quantities of rare earth materials.

[Divair]

There are a lot more than 15 trillion dollars in circulation in the world. From what I can recall it is about 67 trillion or so.

Not to mention that you don't pay off debt at once. No one does that. Ever. You pay it off in chunks.

>implying our debts won't continue growing, and playing catch up by printing more money/taking it from everyone with a dollar to their name wouldn't demolish the economy (reposting this from a comment to another user with a similar stance)

If you cut back on spending and raise taxes on the wealthy, no, your debt won't keep growing.

[Laissez-Faire]

Wrong.

No, he's pretty much right. They're current structure is unsustainable (like Japan in the early '80s, but like 8000x worse) and there is a profound lack of political will in the upper echelons of the CPC to fix anything.

They've focused their government only on promoting GDP growth. GDP doesn't grow forever without significantly unsustainable political structures, which are only exacerbated in China's awkward mixture of authoritarianism and new market capitalism, and the system's present and well-noted corruption.

Not to mention all the demographic troubles they are going to have with their One-child policy past, and still, to a more limited extent, present.