53 trillion dollar total debt

[Invisible Fan]

And I thought 45 trillion by 2040 was bad.

[chow_yun_fat]

what will happen to this country if the deficit continues for the next ten years?

[weslinder]

This is the single biggest problem in the United States. If we don't start paying down the debt and either stop robbing Social Security and Medicare, or stop paying those benefits, the United States won't exist beyond most of our lifetimes.

[rhadamanthus]

Originally Posted by weslinder This is the single biggest problem in the United States. If we don't start paying down the debt and either stop robbing Social Security and Medicare, or stop paying those benefits, the United States won't exist beyond most of our lifetimes.

Amen. I recommend we start by halving the DoD budget.

[pirc1]

Originally Posted by rhadamanthus Amen. I recommend we start by halving the DoD budget.

I suggest we cut corporation welfares. If we could also stop usless pork the budge would be signicantly reduced. But that is like asking crack addicts to not use crack.

[weslinder]

Originally Posted by rhadamanthus Amen. I recommend we start by halving the DoD budget.

If we bring home our troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Germany, I bet we can get close. It's time we start defending the United States instead of the countries we went to war with.

[pirc1]

Originally Posted by weslinder If we bring home our troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Germany, I bet we can get close. It's time we start defending the United States instead of the countries we went to war with.

How will we project our influence? And control the world?

[weslinder]

Originally Posted by pirc1 I suggest we cut corporation welfares. If we could also stop usless pork the budge would be signicantly reduced.

Pork is a good start, and should be eliminated out of principle, but it's not all that big a part of the National Budget.

According to CAGW, the 2006 budget had $29 Billion in Pork-barrel spending. (http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?...ts_pigbook2007) I know that the 2007 Congress was worse, but I haven't seen those numbers yet. We've got to cut more than just Pork.

[rhadamanthus]

Originally Posted by pirc1 I suggest we cut corporation welfares. If we could also stop usless pork the budge would be signicantly reduced. But that is like asking crack addicts to not use crack.

That too. (although I'd argue the monstrous DoD budget is the best example of corporate welfare out there...)

End subsidies. Eliminate the Department of Homeland wastefulness and the department of education. Ramp up funding for alternative energy and tell the middle east to go **** itself.

I'm still thinking...

Balanced buget amendment and a law requiring X amount/percent of debt payoff per year.

[weslinder]

Originally Posted by pirc1 How will we project our influence?

Free trade. Diplomacy.

Originally Posted by pirc1 And control the world?

We won't. That's kinda the point.

[DonkeyMagic]

Originally Posted by weslinder It's time we start defending the United States instead of the countries we went to war with.

hispanic?


the reconquista is too late to stop. just accept it senor.

[weslinder]

Originally Posted by rhadamanthus Ramp up funding for alternative energy and tell the middle east to go **** itself.

I wouldn't even do that. If we just don't clear the ground for or bail out US and multinational corporations who do business in the Middle East, it'll work itself out. I'm not interested in propping up another broken industry like we do with passenger rail and airlines.

[weslinder]

Originally Posted by DonkeyMagic the reconquista is too late to stop. just accept it senor.

Actually, I don't care about immigration much, even illegal immigration. I just don't like the idea that we have so few troops at home and so many defending countries that don't want to defend themselves. I'm more worried about real attacks.

[rhadamanthus]

Originally Posted by weslinder I wouldn't even do that. If we just don't clear the ground for or bail out US and multinational corporations who do business in the Middle East, it'll work itself out. I'm not interested in propping up another broken industry like we do with passenger rail and airlines.

My reasoning behind that statement was the elimination of exactly those "bail-outs". Unfortunately I don't think alterntive energies will become mainstream unless the government aids in research and mandates lowered pollution levels (particularly from power plants).

[danny317]

discover how to turn lead into gold.

[Dubious]

We could sell Alaska to Canada. It's not even contiguous anyway.

[pirc1]

Put balanced budget into constitution! 10% across the board reduction in budget for the next 10 years.

[TeamUSA]

well since we're already in Iraq, why not take completely invade the country and let's sell oil.

[ymc]

When we can no longer afford the interest, we can simply default.

Obviously, this will turn the $ into pieces of paper. But we can use our military to force other countries to "sell" their resources to us at our designated prices.

You might think this turns us into a bad guy. But if you think about it, we will end up as a bad guy anyway if we don't change our spending ways.

[Rocket River]

Originally Posted by weslinder If we bring home our troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Germany, I bet we can get close. It's time we start defending the United States instead of the countries we went to war with.

How about we simply Charge those countries. . .
I think along the lines in which we Pay Blackwater
That would be a nice starting point

Rocket River