this is great

[PaulS]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

"All analysis of both the budget and Trumpcare state exactly that"That is what the CBO says. Until this year, everyone agreed while they would be wrong on some things they were the best non political budget forecaster, estimator of cost, etc.

And all of the media are reporting that Trump "shoved" a foreign leader when he barely put his hands on the guy. Come on, he shoved him aside. I wouldn't let someone do that to me. He has no decorum. I would think most parents would not let their child do that or let another child do that to their child. I think there were even assigned places to stand. I think JK Rowling said "You tiny, tiny, little man" And every analysis of the election had Hilary winning in an electoral rout. I'm not saying that all of the criticism is unfounded, I'm saying that people have gone bonkers trying to make the guy look bad.

"Why make his proposal such that the only people who will benefit have an mortgage over 680K? "

I agree. But you can't judge the effect of a tax plan when he hasn't released what the new tax rates will be. That's a critical part of assessing who gets helped and who gets hurt. Right?Agreed - and why I thought the 1 page budget he originally released was a joke. In addition to no rates, there was nothing on the income levels for each tier.

"BC in a civilized country we spend $ things that don't benefit us so other benefit"

Well, in the last post, you repeatedly said you were opposed to gutting the poor to help the rich. I'm not sure then, why you support an organization that takes money from the poor and uses it to provide discounted opera tickets to the uber wealthy at the Met. You're saying the ends justify the means? I'm saying that we can argue about how much $ NPR gets but the fact is that much of the discretionary budget benefits the poor and it is devestated by his budget.
"Like $ towards meals on wheels"

Oh, but of course. A program that takes money from coal miners and uses it to pay a guy in Manhattan to make a painting of Jesus drowning in urine, is the same as a program that takes money from the self-sufficient to feed the desperately poor. Gotcha.That is not a gotcha - the amount of money spend on the arts is a miniscule amount of the budget.

From a search
Trump reportedly wants to cut cultural programs that make up 0.02 percent of federal spending

“The Corporation for Public Broadcasting would be privatized,” the Hill's Alexander Bolton reports, “while the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities would be eliminated entirely

So let's look at the 2016 appropriations for the three programs identified in that quote above and compare them with the overall outlays of the federal government. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting received $445 million in 2016. (It gets additional funding from donors like you.) NEA got $148 million. NEH requested the same. The Congressional Budget Office figures that about $3.9 trillion was spent by the government during the fiscal year.

Put another way, if you make $50,000 a year, spending the equivalent of what the government spends on these three programs would be like spending less than $10.



"There is no way of knowing what the corp. will do w/their money."

I bet you didn't express that concern when Obama announced his stimulus plan. I was in favor of Bush's 2008 and Obama's stimulas plans bc the economy was in the dumps. not 4.4% unemployment.Paul, if you ran a business, and your corporate income tax rate got cut in half, would you propose to bury the money in your backyard?

What I propose to do w/my $ is different from what a large corp would do. To your point I might invest it.

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by PaulS

What I propose to do w/my $ is different from what a large corp would do. To your point I might invest it.

Which is why I asked what you would do if you ran a business.

"That is what the CBO says. Until this year, everyone agreed while they would be wrong on some things they were the best non political budget forecaster, estimator of cost, etc."

Did they say that Obamacare would decrease everyone's premiums by $2500 a year? But I agree, they are considered non-partisan.

"Come on, he shoved him aside."

Not from what I saw.

"He has no decorum"

On that we agree. He's not a good guy.

"much of the discretionary budget benefits the poor ". I'd say much of the discretionary budget "is aimed at helping the poor". When I look at most of the cities in America compared to what they looked like 25 years ago, I question whether or not the money is making anything better. I think it's a valid question. But I completely agree with you, I want badly needed social services to have adequate funding. But I think we spend tons of money on things that aren't helping.

"the amount of money spend on the arts is a miniscule amount of the budget."

Agreed, it's tiny. But it's no longer necessary, IMHO.

"Put another way, if you make $50,000 a year, spending the equivalent of what the government spends on these three programs would be like spending less than $10."

There's a lot more waste than that. Maybe Trump's budget doesn't get at it, but there's a lot more fat than $10 out of $50k.

Paul, I remember when Bush was in office, he vetoed some spending bill that provided for free school lunch for poor kids. The press, naturally, made him out to be a heartless monster. If one bothered to learn the truth, one learned that Bush didn't like the proposed bill because some middle class families would qualify for free lunch that they didn't need. He wanted to spend MORE money on the truly poor. But it wasn't framed that way. And the press is WAY more invested in destroying Trump, than they were invested in destroying Bush. So I am skeptical of most of what I hear that isn't demonstrable fact. I don't believe Paul Ryan would sign anything that would hurt large numbers of vulnerable people. Trump might.

[PaulS]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

.

"Come on, he shoved him aside."

Not from what I saw.It was somewhere between a shove and a 1 arm maneuver to get it. I only saw it once and didn't pay that much attention. My brother (who doesn't like Trump) said the press are being too picky w/him. I agreed but said it is bc of his saying the press is evil and the enemy. They are pushing back.

"much of the discretionary budget benefits the poor ". I'd say much of the discretionary budget "is aimed at helping the poor". When I look at most of the cities in America compared to what they looked like 25 years ago, I question whether or not the money is making anything better. I think it's a valid question. But I completely agree with you, I want badly needed social services to have adequate funding. But I think we spend tons of money on things that aren't helping.Yes, prob. a lot of unnecessary spending.

I don't believe Paul Ryan would sign anything that would hurt large numbers of vulnerable people. Trump might.

It is Trump's budget and will be far different when it is passed.

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by PaulS

It is Trump's budget and will be far different when it is passed.

"press are being too picky w/him. I agreed but said it is bc of his saying the press is evil and the enemy. They are pushing back."

I completely disagree. They started it and he's pushing back. Everything he does is sinister.