Happy New Year !!!

I came across this image on Facebook and decided it was worth stealing !!!  It came with question...

What is your New Year's Resolution?

Happy New Year !!!

For your amusement, here are some best cartoon lists...

WAPO Best of 2017

Politico Best of 2017

USA Best of 2017

Did GOP Have Their ACA Moment?

Sam at Minnpost asks a good and relevant question here.

As Republicans celebrate their win on the tax bill, Democrats wonder: Is this the GOP’s Obamacare moment?

 

 My answer as you know is probably yes.  Though only time will tell. The bill sure isn't doing anything good for my family...  That is unless it truly does trigger the stock market to rise and wages to increase.  If that miracle occurs I may change my opinion. 😀

CNN Tax Bill Calculator

Is Trump a Pathological Liar?

Why would any rationale human state lies that are so easy to fact check?

CNN Trump Claim Factcheck

"THE PRESIDENT: You know, one of the things that people don’t understand, we have signed more legislation than anybody — we broke the record of Harry Truman. And they were saying, if we get this big tax break — because that’s the legislation of all legislation, that’s the biggest there is."

This is kind of an interesting site. Trump Golf Count  I haven't yet figured out how Fiscal Conservatives tolerate Trump's wasteful travel spending.

BI Trump has Spent 1/3 of Time at His Properties

Trump Travel Costs

What to Do About Government Spending?

Now that the GOP has agreed to cut revenues and pass our bills to our children and grand children.  Hopefully they will start reducing the spend as any mature responsible adult should. 

So Laurie and Jerry have very different views on spending, and I think we should aim for the long term target 1/3 government vs 2/3 personal split...  I have provided some numbers to help.  Thoughts?

"5% of $4,000,000,000 is $200,000,000 - which is the cut to the federal budget John is proposing I used Hillary's proposals for a stand in of what I think we should do-

"Clinton’s ambitions are more moderate. She would increase taxes by roughly $1,500,000,000 over the next decade, while spending an additional $1,650,000,000."
1.65 / 10 = $160,000,000 per year - which is a smaller increase in magnitude than the $200,000,000 cut John would prefer.
I am more of a Hillary person than Bernie person in that I prefer smaller increases in federal spending mainly for healthcare, SS and education
Lastly, if Hillary was president and the DEMs were controlling things we would be making a smaller increase to the deficit than what the GOP is giving us with their irresponsible tax cut." Laurie 

"Laurie, math aside, know that I am not being facetious about cutting federal spending at least 50%. In addition to solving the deficit, I believe it can be done WITHOUT harming much of anybody, phased in gradually, of course. Entitlements MUST be curbed or no amount of taxation will be enough. We have been promised roughly $100,00,000,000 more than the government is set to take in over the rest of the century. Now if you raised the Hillary taxes by $1,650,000,000 over ten years, every ten years, you come up about $87,000,000,000 short. It won't work." Jerry

US Total Spend If you Want to Dig into Details

What Would Make Americans Happy?

The quotes below from G2A Neither Left or Right is Popular seem important to me.  And I thought the G2A Nolan diagram would be useful.

"I personally think both parties are unpopular because Americans are basically selfish and controlling in nature..." G2A 

"And your principal objection to FREEDOM is, what?" Jerry 

"Freedom is not FREE... It comes with many responsibilities to the society one lives within. It is truly the society that protects one's freedoms. And in a democratic society, we the people get to set the freedoms and the expectations. 

Needless to say some people will feel free and some will feel excessively constrained within any society created in this way. 

Please remember all the freedoms Conservatives strive to constrain:

• Women's rights to birth control and abortion
• LGBT rights to live as they wish and have their partnerships legal recognized
• Rights protecting one from another citizen's pollution
• Employees right to collective bargaining

To name a few." G2A

 Frome the diagram below, assuming the citizen distribution numbers are kind of close to reality, and that our policies, laws, taxes, etc are currently somewhat in the middle of the diagram at this time.  The logic being the Left and Right have been struggling at this game of "tug of war" for centuries. My question then is:

How many Americans think the USA is "ideal"?

Meaning the right amount of freedom, taxes, regulations, etc.  My argument is that there are very few and they look a lot like me...  The folks on the Left think we are not Socialistic enough...  The folks on the Right think we are not Capitalistic enough...

If this is true, how can our politicians be successful and Americans happier overall?

Neither Left or Right is Popular

MP DEMs and GOP are Unpopular

Both the GOP and Dems have done damage to themselves for the past 45 years since Nixon got caught up in Watergate. Lying to the voters used to have consequences, you were voted out, now it is accepted behavior. Regular folks don’t trust politicians at all, yet the politicians demand more of your paycheck with increases in property taxes, higher gas taxes, taxes on cigarettes, booze and every other little item they can tax. Neither party will talk about the projected 10 Trillion more being added to our National debt by over spending on the budget the next 10 years. That is happening even with record high amounts of hard earned tax dollars being sent to DC every year. Dems however will howl about the new tax law adding 1.5 Trillion over that same 10 year period. Hypocrisy, dishonesty, wasting tax payer money has turned off 70% of Americans. Who can blame them?" Joe

"Based on the comments I have received, I certainly know that I am in the minority...
I would have preferred if the tax bill had not been passed and that the GOP would instead have focused on cutting Federal government spending, programs and services until we were running a surplus again. 

And we really should be increasing the payroll tax rate (ie premiums) and/or cutting SS, SSD and Medicare (ie benefits) until they are balanced. No other pension or insurance plan is allowed to be that unbalanced. 

And yet it seems that one thing both the Left and Right can agree on is that they are okay letting the current voters live large, while passing additional debt and other obligations on to our children and grand children. 

We are in probably nearing the end of a long up cycle during which we should be paying down debt in preparation for the next recession, and here we are still adding to the debt. How did American's get so irresponsible and self centered? 

Maybe it is that old saying... When people learn they can vote themselves money... It foreshadows the end of the republic..." G2A

MP Not Just the Money

"Confusing. The above discussions are definitely interesting and confusing. 

We have Liberals complaining about wealthy people having to pay more taxes in high tax states. And complaining that the rich States are not getting back as much as they pay in. Where as usually they want the rich to "pay more than they get back". And they want the excess to be given to the less fortunate. 

As for the GOP desire to reduce the spending of the Federal government. I am assuming they are trying to do the usual... Squeeze the money and then follow up with trying to cut the spending. Unfortunately history has shown that they fail at step 2 and our National Debt keeps going up. 

Personally I was against the tax bill, I just wanted to start cutting Fed spending to get back to having a surplus. Unfortunately both Liberals and Conservatives seem to be against something so logical." G2A

Trump Thinks He Repealed ACA

This man certainly is delusional, he seems to think that eliminating a "little itty bitty" tax is the same as Repealing Obamacare.  Does he really think his True Believers are that STUPID?
CNN Trump Thinks He Tricked Everyone Into Repealing Obamacare

I mean that was one of the biggest problems with ACA, many people were okay paying the "itty bitty" tax penalty.  So many healthy people did not get insurance and the pools suffered.
G2A Sean's Healthcare Improvement Plan

And though Trump's actions are weakening the plan and raising premiums, many of the protections are still in place.  And ironically because of the GOP's efforts to kill ACA...  It is getting more and more popular by the month.

Maybe the GOP is trying to commit suicide in a grand fashion.  I mean they passed a relatively  unpopular tax cut bill and are trying kill a very popular healthcare law. The DEMs have to be loving this...

Politico Wounding ACA
PBS Impact of Tax Bill
NPR Impact of Tax Bill
RCP Impact of Tax Bill

Trump is in a League of His Own

I had to steal a copy of this graphic, it is so surreal how unpopular he is...  And he just keeps working to alienate more people every day.  I wonder if he will ever learn humility and professionalism?


To me it seems the only people who like him are the hard core Republicans, and he has alienated all DEMs and Moderates.


CNN Trumps Approval Rating