America could do something bold with our "reset."

[RB TexLa]

Everyone from the president to the speaker to all governors to idiots on the street keep saying "it wasn't anyone's fault we have to make sure everyone who had a business still has a business. Everyone who had a job still has a job." And we are doing that with massive amounts of debt. We have this idea that we should not lose anything. But at the same time we should not pay to keep anything. But someone has to pay for it.

Your children and grandchildren will pay for it. Yes, the ones you claim to love so very much. They will pay billions for our selfishness. Instead of being so quick to sacrifice them, two trillion dollars of debt at at time we could actually sacrifice ourselves. I know in today's America self sacrifice is a very, very bad concept. We've been taught we are to do better and better each generation and one way to guarantee that for the future would be to give up on a generation or two right now.

A stringent policy of deep austerity. Massive tax increases along with huge budget cuts across every aspect of the government. YES cuts to medicare, medicaid, social security and the military. Actual cuts, not reducing increases of spending. You want your children and grandchildren to have futures, better futures? That means grandma eats the cat food. It means actual sacrifice.

And I know everyone reading this has already dismissed it as something that could never happen here. Meaning something none of you would want to do. And what's sad about that is 79 years ago we as a country were willing to fight a war for almost 5 years in which 400,000 Americans died and another 600,000 were wounded. Hitler was way before his time, America today would never accept that kind of sacrifice, we've become too good for it.

[marybourg]

1. And after the "cuts to medicare, medicaid, social security and the military",

how do we know that the benefits are actually going to go to our children and grandchildren
( mine are doing quite well thank you, but I get the idea) and not to Jared Kutchners children and grandchildren? Which is where our treasure usually goes. I find your plan monstrous, actually.

And the soldiers who fought in WWll did so in order to maintain “ the American Way of Life”’ a phrase I am old enough to remember. And they came home to, and expected, and got, a comfortable way of life. Not the kind of misery you’re espousing. I hope you wrote this in the spirit of Jonathan Swift’ s A Modest Proposal, and not in all seriousness.

[RB TexLa]

2. The goal of the austerity plan would be to rapidly pay the debt to 0

To give future generations "the American Way of Life," as you put it.

[marybourg]

3. This would need more than a "goal".

[RB TexLa]

6. We gut the budget raise taxes

and move to an economy that is based on providing products and services that people outside of the US buy we would pay it down. The question would be how long we have to sacrifice to do it.

[DonCoquixote]

13. and you think

that the wealthy are not going to simply eat whatever you save? Austerity failed Europe, and put allies of Trump in power.

[marybourg]

5. And it isn't me who "put it" It's a phrase that was on every

tongue during and after the war.

[RB TexLa]

7. And it can be again through austerity

[marybourg]

10. Well, then I suggest

you set an example by giving up your social security and Medicare when you qualify. I certainly don’t intend to give up mine, which I have been enjoying for 13 years now.

Those programs mean the difference between a secure old age and misery. And my late spouse didn’t willingly go off to fight in WWII so that his future widow would live in misery in her old age, no matter how much you may enjoy distorting the ideas and ideals of that era.

[RB TexLa]

11. Everyone would be giving a portion of that up

[rampartc]

14. those soldiers landed at d day to fight for the new deal. the 4 freedoms, and the gi bill

things that modern conservatives call "free shit"

[Hoyt]

4. I'm afraid you are right. Yet, most think their giving up something isn't a solution.

We are in for a chitload of hurt. The solution is not as apparent as any of us want/think. Hope to heck someone(s) elected in November help lead us through this.

[global1]

8. Trump Still Has A Chance To Do What He Does Best And What He's Noted For Before November.....

He can declare 'bankruptcy' for the United States.

Isn't that how he gets out of all his failures?

[DonCoquixote]

12. here is what would happen

"A stringent policy of deep austerity. Massive tax increases along with huge budget cuts across every aspect of the government. YES cuts to medicare, medicaid, social security and the military. Actual cuts, not reducing increases of spending. You want your children and grandchildren to have futures, better futures? That means grandma eats the cat food. It means actual sacrifice."

What wouyld happen is that the corporate types would make sure there was no food except the catfood, and that those kids, who would already be ruined by austerity, translated cut the schools, cut the lunches, cut everything that helps them grow in the first place) would end up being useful and indebted cogs to wall street, after all, it was good enough for grandma, she even had cat food.

The thing that is being overlooked is the fact that once the billionaires see that people are poor, they will want MORE MORE, especially now that the economy can be sifted towards them instead of even pretending we have a stake in it. Once you cut government, who is going to stop the wealthy from going completely beserk with our economy. beserk to the point where even if somehow people could save ten times what they could, the rich demand to eat 12 times as much.

It is one thing to say we need to sacrifice, but all that sacrifice will be worthless as long as our wealthy are able to use their brawn to east whatever we offer. It does take GOVERNMENT to keep them from eating us.

[DFW]

15. The one sure thing is that we don't know how is this will (or would) play out

The devil is ALWAYS is the details, and we don't yet have any.

We'll have to raise taxes. So, how much, how soon, and on whom? We could always take a hint from the Nazis/Soviets and go for full "Enteignung (de-ownership)," the famous term used in Germany in the 1930s, applied then only to Jews. Just apply it to everybody. That should go far, right? Well, let's see. Confiscate every cent Bll Gates has, re-distribute it evenly, and every man,woman and child in the USA will get--$358. Whoops. Not too far. Need a few more ultra billionaires, there. Not enough? Well, we have museums and natural resources we could sell off. To whom? Oops. No more billionaires out there. Well, then, to "corporatists." When in doubt, scream "corporate!" That usually does the trick. Doesn't it? Well, it feels good, anyway.

Once everything has been confiscated from the "rich," then it will be turned into liquid wealth to be equitably distributed---to whom? BY whom? Animal Farm was only a fantasy in that the animals spoke. Once the state owns everything, civil war always breaks out, because some animals ALWAYS think they're "more equal than others."

If we are to avoid self-induced annihilation, some serious deliberation will have to take place before our society decides who gets the short end of the stick, or even figures out how long that stick is to begin with. It won't be done overnight, even if we win the White House, the Senate, The House, the SCOTUS, the Michigan State Legislature, and re-elect the Iowa State Auditor.

There will be a lot of impatience even if we win everything and do everything "right," because people forget that it only takes a second to blow a building up, but takes years to build it back.

[7wo7rees]

16. Thank heavens, a voice of reason. Hi DFW!!

You guys doing ok? Thanks for contributing to this thread. Did you happen to see this OP's rec for restaurant industry?

[DFW]

17. We'res still hanging in there, thanks!

Last edited Mon May 4, 2020, 04:54 AM - Edit history (4)

Just talked to our best friends/housemates back in Dallas yesterday. They're hanging in there, too but concerned for the future. They have 500 employees to feed and insure, and while thing are going OK for now, travel is essential to keep things moving, and that is a BIG problem.

As for cat food provençale, it won't be on the menu any time soon here, anyway, unless they were referring to Garfield's preference for tuna.