When you read "deficit reduction", think "austerity"

[MannyGoldstein]

They are, by and large, the same thing.

Now I absolutely understand that there is some political capital to be gained by telling the unlearned that we're reducing deficits.

But I think that the preferred situation is to help folks understand that deficit reduction austerity during a depression (for the 99%) helps only the wealthiest, and is a large part of why most Americans continue to struggle six years after the not-guilty-of-anything-whatsoever bankers crashed the world economy while getting the biggest bonuses ever.

Austerity not only inherently starves the economy at the time when it most needs the help, it also reduces the demand for workers at the time when demand is already at its lowest. It all results in the vulnerable becoming roadkill.

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Are you talking about the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005? n/t

[MannyGoldstein]

4. Nothing in particular.

Just all of it.

[2naSalit]

2. Already do! K&R

[unblock]

3. there are two main components; austerity is one; growing economy is the other

[kelliekat44]

20. A third component is revenue. nt

[liberal_at_heart]

5. K&R

[pa28]

6. We had our chance to balance the budget without austerity.

Anybody remember the so called "fiscal cliff"? The combination of military spending reductions and tax cut expirations which were supposed to result in scary scary things happening? Well, we went over the cliff and nothing happened.

Nothing except a balanced budget that is. A bipartisan deal extended most of the tax cuts and restored military spending but under that particular set of laws we would have had a balanced budget or damn close to it with 4% growth by 2015.

We're coming up on 2015 now and the economy is currently churning along with a 4.6% rate of growth.

So, just to sum it up. The 2012 deficit scolds and hysterics from both parties actually had a balanced budget in their grasp but I'm left to believe that's not what they really wanted. What they really wanted was to cut Social Security, Medicare, food stamps and anything else that smacked of social benefit to ordinary Americans.

When they talk about deficit reduction austerity is exactly what they really mean.

[liberal_at_heart]

7. It's a way for republicans to get what they want and for democrats to be blameless in

letting them have it. They are not blameless in my eyes. I can guarantee you that.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

10. Funny how WE always have to compromise.

[zeemike]

19. Yep you got it.

It always boils down to good cop-bad cop.
And they run this game on us over and over and we never catch on...because Bad Cop says thinks that frighten and anger us.

[Dustlawyer]

12. The1% should be happy that that they didn't get cuts to SS, Medicare, Medicaid and Food Stamps

all together or they would be staring down pitch forks at this point.

[MisterP]

13. whenever we're threatened with a Peace Dividend, a new war just happens to pop up

there was some rightsizing 1993-4, but David Beers said that there's no way the MIC would've even thought to retooling itself for peace--Grumman and Lockheed's execs preferred to see their companies become subsidiaries than start making solar cells or bullet trains: the SST and then the SSC were shut down, but the money kept rolling to the top so what'd they care

[rustbeltvoice]

8. Yes, exactly.

John Maynard Keynes
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
history
logic
oh, never mind.....

[FlatStanley]

11. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good (TM)

This is why FDR, Keynes, History, logic, ... Oh never mind.

Democrats Frank Lunz themselves with clever phrases to cover their cowardice in standing for ideals.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

9. "Austerity" is supposed to include tax hikes but they only use the word for budget cuts.

[sabrina 1]

14. We don't need 'deficit reduction'. It is merely an excuse to falsely tie SS to a deficit it COULD

NOT have anything to do with being it is a totally separate fund from the Federal Budget. It is an excuse to 'put SS on the deficit table' even though it doesn't belong there at ALL.

They think we are stupid, they think it is all 'too complicated' for the people to understand. They are WRONG.

I notice all the talk of the Chained CPI (SS cuts) has simply gone away in this election season.

But watch what happens after November.

[rhett o rick]

15. I think the Democratic National Platform includes "reducing the deficit". Just sayin"

But the Platform also includes some scary rhetoric like:

Preventing the Spread and Use of Nuclear Weapons [could be code for invading Iran]

Countering Emerging Threats [code for continuing the middle east war indefinitely]

Strengthening Alliances, Expanding Partnerships, and Reinvigorating International Institutions [code for more disastrous "free trade" alliances like NAFTA and the TPP]

Promoting Global Prosperity and Development [code for allowing corporations to hide their money overseas]

Maintaining the Strongest Military in the World [code for maintaining or increasing the disastrous defense budget]

Advancing Universal Values [code for spreading our values via wars. By-the-way there are no "universal values"]

[Gore1FL]

16. No they aren't the same thing.

You can just as easily (and more effectively) reduce the deficit through the increase of revenues.

[BuelahWitch]

17. But we always seem to find the money to fight another war n/t

[xchrom]

18. du rec.

[kelliekat44]

21. Why not do like the opposition and just claim victory??? That's why Dems lose so much. nt

[hvn_nbr_2]

22. When I read "deficit reduction", I think something else

When I read "deficit reduction", I think "fuck the poor, fuck the weak, fuck the old, fuck the sick, fuck society's infrastructure. But don't you dare ever ever ever think about cutting into trillions for war and torture, tens of billions for oil companies, or trillion dollar bailouts for Wall Street criminals."

[TampaAnimusVortex]

23. I actually look at the context of whatever it is being discussed.

Just tossing the word austerity around doesn’t imply really anything per se.

If I'm on a 5000 calorie a day diet, and say that I'm going on an austerity diet of only 4000 calories, it doesn't meant I'm starving.

Context is everything. Usually people use euphemisms to color the subject of the debate in a way they want. Anyone over the age of 10 should be able to see through this stuff, but sadly it goes on anyway. I'm not speaking for or against whatever it is that's your point specifically, only that one tilts language as needed.