tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post2877151928383638821..comments2024-03-18T13:22:06.536-07:00Comments on Calafia Beach Pundit: Europe needs spending cuts, not tax increasesScott Grannishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14028519647946868684noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-19915944107708259202012-04-11T12:46:51.366-07:002012-04-11T12:46:51.366-07:00@Squire, we need 90% cuts in defense spending and ...@Squire, we need 90% cuts in defense spending and entitlements -- defense spending and entitlement spending are both lard that needs to be cut -- the US needs more freedom and 90% less government -- neither defense spending nor entitlements get a pass this time around...McKibbinUSAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10545798495680527622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-42166216425454976752012-04-11T12:09:59.338-07:002012-04-11T12:09:59.338-07:00I want to see liquid fuels given priority. You ca...I want to see liquid fuels given priority. You can convert coal to liquids for all I care. A good thing would be compressed natural gas.<br /><br />Chaos theory rules the current government. They don’t want to fix the energy problem. Having things go bad allows them to claim they the populous needs them to save them.<br /><br />Fix the energy problem and you fix the defense budget.<br /><br /Squirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14088030568579672500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-27006169554333835682012-04-11T10:36:52.841-07:002012-04-11T10:36:52.841-07:00Squire-
You can't carry oil in aircraft carri...Squire-<br /><br />You can't carry oil in aircraft carriers.<br /><br />The defense budget is largely waste, patronage, coprolite and pensions.<br /><br />Remember, you have had decades and decades of an organization growing, but without any market competition. No creative destructionism. <br /><br />The Defense Dep't spends $80 billion a year just on R&D, and they say they have Benjamin Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14001038338873263877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-74521183006069589522012-04-11T10:33:31.958-07:002012-04-11T10:33:31.958-07:00How did the world survive when yields were 18% bac...How did the world survive when yields were 18% back in the late '70s and early '80s?Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06910619601367464068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-49972558731032130132012-04-11T09:18:04.103-07:002012-04-11T09:18:04.103-07:00Don't cut a dime from defense until there is a...Don't cut a dime from defense until there is a rational energy policy in place.Squirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14088030568579672500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-62204381668922072972012-04-11T08:03:57.076-07:002012-04-11T08:03:57.076-07:00Below is list of largest federal agencies financed...Below is list of largest federal agencies financed by income taxes. Where should we cut? <br /><br />Defense 3,200,000<br />Veterans Affairs 240,000 <br />Homeland Security 200,000<br />Treasury 162,119 <br />Justice 124,870 <br />USDA 100,000 <br />DOT 100,000 <br />Health and Human Services 62,999 <br />Interior 57,232 <br />Commerce 41,711 <br />NASA 19,198 <br />EPA 18,879 <br />Benjamin Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14001038338873263877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-88119149845183797672012-04-11T08:02:21.615-07:002012-04-11T08:02:21.615-07:00I agree with Unknown.
In addition to federal gove...I agree with Unknown.<br /><br />In addition to federal government limited to some percent of GDP--say 20 percent---Europe needs to go back to national central banks.<br /><br />Greece, for example, needs to balance its budget and print a lot of drachmas. <br /><br />But with its economy ailing, with feeble tax collection and state workers getting pensions at age 50, Greece can neither balance Benjamin Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14001038338873263877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-56109215568216952752012-04-11T06:44:23.088-07:002012-04-11T06:44:23.088-07:00Sorry but I completely disagree, the solution prea...Sorry but I completely disagree, the solution preached here (and I use the word preached advisedly) is the same old pablum being preached by the American Republican for every kind of illness. <br /><br />Cutting spending is certainly a good idea, but when unemployment is around 25% and the government spending accounts for more than 50% of the economy cutting fast and furiously is not always theFrozen in the Northhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04901959687094626879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-36460235794026401932012-04-11T06:02:45.308-07:002012-04-11T06:02:45.308-07:00The "stimulus" packages were great for t...The "stimulus" packages were great for the stock market. But now "reverse stimulus" is still a reason to be bullish, right?<br />Regarding the "easy and simple" solution (austerity), why don't you talk to Krugman - he thinks the opposite (austerity is the cause of the current economic problems).<br />"Tax austerity" = bad, "Spending austerity"Gloeschihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10705125909506053628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-16106860565328545672012-04-11T04:53:36.618-07:002012-04-11T04:53:36.618-07:00This malfeasance requires a political solution...
...This malfeasance requires a political solution...<br /><br />Socialists, have repeatedly demonstrated their utter contempt for free enterprise and economic literacy...<br /><br />The solutions are painfully simple; economic theorists can stay in the lab..<br /><br />The great pretender, The Euro, a bane to capital and capitols alike..Hanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05183141792723754273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-72715901738507413592012-04-11T04:46:27.298-07:002012-04-11T04:46:27.298-07:00Defining austerity is always postponed until after...Defining austerity is always postponed until after austerity is approved as a strategy, which is why austerity rarely works -- spending cuts are essential, but tax increases are too easy for governments to pass -- what we see happening in Europe is coming to California in the near-term -- all eyes should be on the debate in California today over tax increases versus spending cuts -- Gov Brown is McKibbinUSAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10545798495680527622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-6224108342517432842012-04-11T02:28:21.028-07:002012-04-11T02:28:21.028-07:00Unfortunately we see tax increases all over Europe...Unfortunately we see tax increases all over Europe. Yesterday the government of Czech Republic decided to increase income taxes and VAT to new highs. ( VAT rate to 21%; Income tax will be increased from 15% to 16% with an additional contribution for high earners ).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-85557239442187390692012-04-11T01:26:43.944-07:002012-04-11T01:26:43.944-07:00"How hard can this be? " ... Empires ris..."How hard can this be? " ... Empires rise and empires fall ... they fall because they find adjustment to a new reality "too hard" ... in the modern world we hope to use collaboration and co-operation to mitigate the worst effects of empires crashing ... but it does seem that the European mentality is too deeply entrenched in the belief that "the world owes us a living&Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062180895899998738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-32581722180075064162012-04-10T23:48:08.967-07:002012-04-10T23:48:08.967-07:00Europe needs to ditch the Euro. That is the fundam...Europe needs to ditch the Euro. That is the fundamental problem.<br /><br />Right now, Germany needs a stronger currency because it has a relatively strong economy (with <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-bundesbank-will-stamp-out-this-rally-2012-04-11?link=home_carousel" rel="nofollow">rising inflation and wage pressures</a>), while the PIIGS need a lower currency to fend off Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com