Comments on: Advice to Republicans from a Disheartened, Retiring House Democrat

By: 6eorge Jetson

6eorge Jetson — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 23:24:31 +0000

Glad you’re here

By: wonkish1

wonkish1 — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 22:40:44 +0000

You and I hit on the exact same things. FYI, paul ryan is my favorite congressman.

And this is the rights think tank on healthcare:

http://www.healthtransformation.net/

I also love the book, “saving lives, saving money” I recommend it to you.

By: 6eorge Jetson

6eorge Jetson — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:31:36 +0000

and that line isn't the point. Dealing with massively overpromised entitlements will involve pushback and will require courage. We can continue with our all-you-can-eat healthcare buffet/arrangements (healthcare consumers pay a marginal 13 cents out of pocket for every healthcare dollar spent) and just wait until the social contract crashes. Got a runny nose? Go see the doctor. Or the country can move toward true healthcare insurance (as opposed to a prepaid ordinary services consumption plan). In one of Frank Luntz's focus group, an audience member howled at the notion of a $2,000 deductible. The cost of my family health insurance is $18k / year! We can confront those howls with incentives that maximize consumer's utilities, or we can let our overpromised entitlements consume our nation.

By: wonkish1

wonkish1 — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 13:38:14 +0000

Don’t really appreciate the tax cuts and cutting spending line, but he’s a democrat.

Otherwise, great article.

By: renny

renny — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 12:33:40 +0000

Coolidge helped created the boom of the 20s with tax “cuts,” JFK “kick started” the 60s with tax cuts, Reagan generated almost 25 years of ec. success with tax rate cuts (and except for the CRAs, Fannie and Freddie, and the Fed.’s interest rate manipulation that helped promote the credit freeze of 2008, Reagan’s revolution would be rolling on), and George W.’s tax cut in 2003 gave us an improved economy, 4.36 unemployment, and more revenues than the previous rates had produced.
The WSJ wrote in 2006, as the Dems. took Congress, that the deficit had been cut to 2% of GNP, and if the ec. continued, by the end of Bush’ term, the deficit would be 0. Of course, it didn’t happen.
The Dems. have used tax and spend in the entire 1930s, under Johnson, under Carter, and now with little o, and they have NEVER produced long-term successful economies.
The Johnson off-budgeting of Vietnam and then his raid of the Soc. Sec. trust fund in 1968 are the forerunners of entitlement bankrupting and stupendous public debt while setting the stage for the stagflation and doldrums of the 70s and early 80s.