The Problem is not Debt, it is Dysfunction

Dysfunction JunctionThe federal deficit is averaging in the mid one trillion range for several years now. Total federal debt is almost $16 trillion. These are massive numbers for sure, and they should concern us, but it is not these numbers for which to focus our attention. Instead, our focus should be on the dysfunction in government, and I say this as a liberal who believes in a government of the people.

• • •

A Letter to Liberals and Democrats Who Didn’t Vote in 2010

If you are a liberal or a Democrat and you didn’t vote in the 2010 midterm election then you only have yourself to blame if you are concerned about all the new voter ID laws that have passed in Republican controlled states. According to the Melissa Harris-Perry show and the Brennan Center for Justice, at least 180 bills were introduced in 41 states to restrict voting rights since the beginning of 2011.

• • •

The $716 Billion Lie: Did Obama Steal From Medicare?

This is the start of a new series on The Left Call called Right-Wing Lies. It will debunk the mountain of conservative and Republican lies, one-at-a-time. It’s a monumental task for sure, but it’s going to be done with clear and concise language. No need for thousand-word articles, or complex analysis. This series will present the cold hard facts and nothing else.

• • •

We Can’t Have Medicare-for-All Because Conservatives Need a Bogeyman

Health care costs keep rising rapidly, and even when the Affordable Care Act fully kicks in (2014), the expectation is that cost increases, while tempered, will still be unsustainable. There are many ideas, solutions and hybrid solutions to tackle rising health care costs, but at its most fundamental level there are two approaches, and only one makes sense in the long run.

• • •

Republican ideology of less taxes and small government is just selfish

So I’m just going to come out and say it: Republicans are selfish. How else to explain their policies? They advocate lower taxes, especially for millionaires, along with spending cuts that hurt people at the bottom of the economic ladder. And here’s how this works: Republicans have to tell themselves and the rest of us that it’s tough love and that they aren’t advocating these policies because they are mean, or greedy, or selfish. No, they will say everyone can achieve the American dream if they just stop taking free handouts, pull themselves up by their bootstraps, and make something of their life. OK, so add “disparaging” along with “selfish” as suitable words to describe the Republican Party and it’s policies. But I guess you have to believe they are genuine, because how could anybody live with themselves advocating such potentially destructive policies for the poor? Republicans have to believe that those who are harmed by their policies are deserving of that harm because they are freeloaders, and so the only way to solve this “problem” is to cut spending.

• • •

Paul Krugman: Neither candidate is offering a realistic tax plan

Running for office, especially president, has become more about the sport of it, more about the person running, and less about the country. Because of this we get fiscally reckless tax policy from both sides of the isle that panders to an ignorant, self-absorbed public. It’s easy to call for tax cuts. It’s weak to call for tax cuts when you know taxes need to be raised. At least on some level President Obama recognizes this with his call to raise taxes on the top 2%. Mitt Romney however, is completely delusional on tax policy. The idea that you can severely cut taxes and make up for it by closing loopholes and growing the economy is ludicrous. It’s what you say to people when you are more concerned with winning a job and less concerned with serving the country.

• • •
1 17 18 19 20 21 26