End the tax more versus spend less conversation without words

[benjamen]

Just show everyone this graph:
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2011/07/government-spending-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-2/

As a percentage of GDP, we are currently spending more than we did during the civil war, World War 1, the Vietnam war, or the Korean war. In fact, the only time in the entire history of this country that we spent more was at the height of World War 2!

It is not a revenue issue! :judge:

 

[69mach351]

I am in for taxing less. There is/has been a lot of wasteful spending going on for years. Let me keep it and I will spend it on American products!

 

[pmbug]

The problem is that the spending issue is entirely concentrated in social security, medicare/medicaid and defense spending. The discretionary budget is a drop in the bucket. Few politicians inside the beltway want any kind of serious spending reform to the three/four big elephants in the room.

 

[mmerlinn]

The problem is that the spending issue is entirely concentrated in social security, medicare/medicaid and defense spending. The discretionary budget is a drop in the bucket. Few politicians inside the beltway want any kind of serious spending reform to the three/four big elephants in the room.

We have two choices:

1) Amputate the legs on the elephants, OR
2) The elephants will die.

I think I would rather have the legless elephants than the dead ones.

 

[69mach351]

The problem is that the spending issue is entirely concentrated in social security, medicare/medicaid and defense spending. The discretionary budget is a drop in the bucket. Few politicians inside the beltway want any kind of serious spending reform to the three/four big elephants in the room.

All of those elephants have some fat that could be trimmed. IMO, if it was important enough, we would worry about the domestic matters at hand. I know we cannot ignore the international community, but those three items listed are far from perfect or frugal.