Chris Murphy at Town Hall
I got to Town Hall for a few minutes tonight and got to hear Congressman Chris Murphy speak for a few minutes about energy. While I was there I didn't get a chance to mention the Energy Security Leadership Council (perhaps the only group with real answers to our dependence on foreign oil), but it was obvious that finding "energy solutions" is a passion for him.
After he spoke about energy (including nuclear), I asked him about what I believe is the single biggest issue facing America: our unfunded long-term liabilities.
He agreed with me that the current annual national budget includes $3,000,000,000,000 in spending and a deficit of several hundred billion dollars (because the federal government will be collecting less in taxes, than it spends). He also agreed with me that we've got $50,000,000,000,000 in unfund long-term liabilities (social security, medicare). Having agreed on these basics, I had two comments:
1) Congress and the White House are being intellectually dishonest when they ignore this.
2) I told him I don't blame this mess on him at all... it goes back decades. But I wanted to know what he's doing to address this disaster in the making (btw, Medicare has solvency issues in 2019... Soc Sec doesn't have those problems "until" 2042).
Chris was very honest. He basically said there's a lack of political will, but that wasn't acceptable to him. He feels if it's a tough issue, then it's incumbent on our elected officials to make the case... not ignore it. I couldn't agree more... and frankly, I was pretty surprised that he said he'd be willing to take the time to make the case on entitlement reform. I was really impressed.
And on a somewhat related topic... I watched some of the Dem debate tonight. I didn't see much, but I was glad to hear Obama said that he'll work to take back America from "the powerful, the connected." Whether he's elected POTUS or not, and whether he succeeds in ending the reign of the powerful and the connected, remains to be seen. For some reason (probably because he's spent so few years in Washington) I feel that he's sincere and it may not just be more of the same empty rhetoric. But I come from the perspective that some people have been around too long and just need to go.
Tim White
6 comments:
Tim, stop getting scammed by this tool.
I got this e-mail today from him, bragging about adding $180 billion to the national debt
"I have good news to report – Congress passed, and the President signed, an economic stimulus plan to put money in your hands and to help small businesses thrive.
I know that all the newspapers and cable news shows are constantly filled with reports of the partisan bickering in Washington. But more often than you may think, Democrats and Republicans manage to get together to pass real, meaningful legislation that helps American families. Last year, we passed the biggest increase in federal student loan program since the G.I. Bill, the largest new investment in veterans health care since the VA was created, and the first increase in the minimum wage in a decade. And now, 2008 has started out with the swift, bipartisan passage of an economic stimulus bill designed to kick-start a slowing economy"
Tim, you work for a bank. What have long rates done since this package was introduced?
The market is scared out of its wits about future inflation and our Congressman is one of the ghouls doing this
Obama is all sizzle and no steak.
I got this e-mail today from him, bragging about adding $180 billion to the national debt
I understand your point completely.
However, going on the assumption that The Beltway Intelligentsia "needed to act," I figure the choice was between increasing the debt by giving a tax rebate or increasing the debt by increased spending on pet pork... I'll take the former.
Nonetheless... I do think that reducing the debt should be a higher priority than tax cuts... as much as I like tax cuts.
Tim, aren;t the higher interest rates emanating from the enlarged deficit going to undo mist if not all of the fiscal stimulus from the tax rebates?
BTW, the last time we got a tax rebate from the feds I recall it became taxable income for the next tax year and the feds recovered a fair chunk of it 12 months later...so if you're surpised about owing money to the fedds in April '09....don;t be
The American economy is kind of a big hoax anyway...
"From the hustings and the airwaves this campaign season, America's political class can be heard debating Capitol Hill sex scandals, the wisdom of the war in Iraq and which party is tougher on terror. Democrats and Republicans talk of cutting taxes to make life easier for the American people.
What they don't talk about is a dirty little secret everyone in Washington knows, or at least should. The vast majority of economists and budget analysts agree: The ship of state is on a disastrous course, and will founder on the reefs of economic disaster if nothing is done to correct it"
Click here for the full 60 Minutes article from October 2006.
well, Tim please stop praising people who are just promoting the same malarky
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