In 5-dimensional chess, life of pawns to be more brutish, shorter

[jpgray]

What Deficit Commission ideas do you like best? Capping revenue? Bringing the top tax rate down to 23%? Dropping the corporate tax rate to 26%? Cuts in SS and Medicare? I particularly enjoy the idea that we can assume health care spending growth of 1% of GDP--no one can gin up fraud like a technocrat. Of course co-pays for the VA would make perfect sense to this commission--those freeloaders have it way too easy. But that's just me, I wonder what you all think.

From Brad DeLong:

Yes, the Entitlement Commission Was an Unforced Error by the Obama Administration

At the time I asked why you would take a budget arsonist like Alan Simpson and give him a Fire Chief hat. I never got a good answer.

Now they are throwing people out of their press conference:

----Catfood Commission Presser: Update: Alex Lawson was thrown out of the press conference because he’s not “press”...

Yes, a hideous unforced error:

Commission Co-Chair Proposal:

----Cap revenue at or below 21% of GDP...

It probably means nothing--it all depends on what "revenue" means. But if it means something it is going to be a disaster as health care costs rise. You cannot implement PPACA's health-insurance exchanges without a subsidy pool. And if the money to pay for that subsidy pool has to fit under a 21% of GDP revenue cap, it simply does not work.

----(P)rojections assume health care spending growth is kept to GDP+1%...

Oh my God! Ration city, here we come!

What clowns vetted this thing?

----A 23% top marginal tax rate?

Hoo boy!

What possible benefit can this Commission have for the party, the president or the average citizen? What do we gain? It's a platform, needlessly created, for austerity hawks, giving prominence and bipartian serious-person blessings to their recommendations, which they would not have had otherwise.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[jpgray]

3. It's curious--when we win, GOP moves to right. When we lose, GOP moves to right

In either case, our most serious persons say we must meet them in the center.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. And, they'll tell us that it's all for our own good.

[leftstreet]

4. Checkmate

[Faryn Balyncd]

5. Their goal is to turn SS into welfare PAID FOR ENTIRELY BY THE PAYROLL TAXES OF THE MIDDLE CLASS.

Cap top marginal income tax rate at 23%

Gut SS and Medicare benefits for MIDDLE CLASS Americans, while slightly increasing the crumbs given to the poor (to be paid for by payroll taxes on the middle class, naturally).

The entire rationale for SS was that the more payroll tax you paid in, the more (deferred) benefits you received later.

But the Deficit Commission wants to trash this social compact.

Welfare should be paid from GENERAL REVENUE (income tax) which includes the wealthy 1%-2%, not from stealing the payroll taxes of the middle class.





(K & R)





:kick:

[SidDithers]

6. Unrec...nt

Sid

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

7. Thank you. If not for you, I would have forgotten to rec. I'm sure others will remember too. -nt

[SammyWinstonJack]

8. +1. nt