TCTI: Too Crazy Too Ignore
 Dave Ross

Ready for another debt fight?

May 18, 2012 @ 9:09 am (Updated: 7:10 am - 5/20/12 )

A number of Republicans, including Speaker John Boehner are now talking about starting ANOTHER debt ceiling debate:

"People are looking at me like you're going to bludgeon someone. All I'm suggesting is it is time for us to talk about this."

And candidate Romney agrees -- because otherwise:

"We will find ourself becoming Greece somewhere down the road."

But how to send a message that this time it's serious. That this time the Republicans mean it?

Just to brainstorm here, what about doing what Mr. Romney recommended back in 2008 when General Motors was getting that controversial bail-out?

"I know there's a frequent thought that when you hear the word bankruptcy that means going out of business. Just the opposite is what I'm calling for. Help them get rid of the excess costs so they can stay in business," said Romney.

What about national bankruptcy? And before everybody overreacts, as Romney explained in the GM case, that DOESN'T mean the nation would shut down.

"Get rid of the excess labor costs. The excess retiree costs. The retiree costs," said Romney.

You could start from zero. Reorganize the military, reorganize pensions, reorganize Social Security.

Instead burdening our children, our children can support us in our old age by writing us checks directly.

Instead of cutting the military 10 per cent, cut itself in half, and let our allies defend themselves. Let the oil industry defend its own shipping lanes.

Instead of insuring banks and their dumb investment decision, DEPOSITOR beware. If the bank gamble with our savings and loses -- well, that's why you always keep little gold in the basement.

More Dave Ross

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Comments (41)


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  • ron prevost wrote...
    Maybe you've got gold in your basement, Dave, but most of us only have gold in our teeth.
    May 20, 2012 6:57 am
    And if things HERE ever got as bad as Greece is going quickly - well, you can't EAT gold anyway. .......... ........................ What is going to solve this crisis - if ever - is once America realizes that a viable economy needs actually to be built on SOMETHING. .. Not sending manufacturing over seas - including 'tech support' and expecting the service industry will sustain us. .. Not expecting that somehow government sector jobs (that stifle the circulation of money) can work outside of the Land of Oz. .. ................ .. I'm not sure Romney has any right answers, but I certainly know Obama has none. ... But one step in the right direction is building and growing things at home again. And recognizing that the backbone of the economy is not Wall Street, nor even Main Street, but building, again, on MY Street.
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  • SickofSeattleite wrote...
    Ron' s right for the most part....
    May 20, 2012 7:18 am
    but i agree with Romney on the reduction of Govt.....there is to much abuse with our tax dollars and to much unaccounted wasteful spending and free handouts to people perfectly capable of providing for themselves who have become part of the cycle of abuse and entitlement i see everyday in America. Although i realize jobs are limited because so many are now overseas, the American people are partly responsible for that for driving the economy for cheaper consumables. Which then leads us to Labor Unions. There are too many pieces to the Govt pie and the way business is run in America. So many changes would have to be made and with America so divided it is unclear how we will ever unite to truly make the "Change" Americans need.
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  • Keitho wrote...
    Probably right for the most part.
    May 20, 2012 7:41 am
    Its only been the last 60-70 years of this country's 240+ years that we had social security, medicare etc. What did we ever do before FDR? Were old people wandring the streets or had the Republicans shoved them all off of a cliff? If we defaulted on the transfer payments, which were never envisioned by our founders, we would lose the debt quickly. We could always take care of ourselves as we did in the first 160 years.
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  • cw1997 wrote...
    Typical
    May 20, 2012 7:50 am
    So NOW all of a sudden, The Dave is thinking maybe this spending other generations money is ah maybe not a good idea. Gee Dave, did someone plug in one of those real light bulbs vs well you know. Save us all.
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  • Fuego wrote...
    JFK had it right..
    May 20, 2012 7:54 am
    when he claimed "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country". Unfortunately most politicians want to give free stuff away, free healthcare, free bailouts, free education etc. Life is tough and contrary to many of those in D.C. having a good life isn't free.
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  • kata wrote...
    no, lets just..
    May 20, 2012 8:54 am
    let it continue to be the white elephant in the room for another twenty or thirty years so you won't have to "hear about it".

    This blog post is laden with so much sarcasm it's more akin to a teenagers tantrum about borrowing the car than an adult wanting to discuss something with any sense of logic or rationality.

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  • ron prevost wrote...
    well, GEE MOM
    May 20, 2012 8:58 am
    Davey started it !
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  • kata wrote...
    ha!
    May 20, 2012 3:11 pm
    I've seen this episode before. Spoiler alert - after much hysteria, some weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth the teen eventually gets the keys to the car, it ends up in a ditch and him and his pals all argue about who put it there.
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  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    Who is picking the fight?
    May 20, 2012 9:20 am
    ANOTHER....debt ceiling debate ...no not really, just corresponding cuts to compensate for the increased (or Heroin junky) like spending.
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  • rational wrote...
    The democrat's plan...
    May 20, 2012 9:49 am
    Is more of the status quo...more unsustainable deficit spending, more robbing from future generations to bribe voters today. Obama's telling the EU to back off the "austerity" talk...just keep spending yourself into that hole. The democrat plan is to crash the economy...they may not realize it, but The CBO says the economy collapses by 2027 at our current pace. That is the democrat plan, status quo, economic collapse.

    As ron pointed out, I don't know if Romney has any great ideas to fix the mess, but it's patently obvious the democrats do not. We need some politicians who aren't afraid to make tough choices...that's not Obama...he's too busy playing political games, enriching his supporters and lying to the American people.

    Obama is the Honey Badger President...he doesn't give a #@!%.

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  • Weiser Postban wrote...
    By not adopting the plans of Ron Paul
    May 20, 2012 10:56 am
    We ALL deserve the downfall of this country. Obama and Romney are all bought and paid for by large money. Wake up sheep. As we blame the left and right. BOTH parties sit in DC and secure their personal wealth and future for THEMSELVES. They don't give a Shat about "the American people" if they don't have some type of benefit from it. Good luck losers.
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    Hayduke
    May 21, 2012 8:23 am
    "By not adopting the plans of Ron Paul" WE will live in a Much better country (in debt up to our ears) but more oppurtunity for ALL Americans will exist.Under Mr Paul America would "Let em die".You Libertarians have no clue as to life in the USA if Libertarian government had its way.We would be a third world back water arm pit of a country much like Mexico with a few haves and a huge amount of have nots
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  • Hayduke wrote...
    The intransigent GOP cannot be negotiated with.
    May 20, 2012 11:51 am
    Boner and the GnOP AGREED during the last debt ceiling debacle to cut the Pentagon's budget, while Democrats agreed to significant cuts in so-called "entitlement" programs. Now the GnOP are going back on their word and they actually want to INCREASE the military budget. Conservatives looove to talk about waste, fraud, and abuse in government. But if you bring up the fact that it's rampant in the military, why, you must be some sort of terrorist luvin' 'merica hatin' commie.

    Oh, and once again, tax increases on the wealthy are off the table, despite the fact that most economists argue that we need both spending cuts AND revenue generation to get us out of this hole. A hole that the previous administration increased by about $5 trillion by fighting two wars on borrowed money (hey, at least China made some cash off the interest), tax cuts for the wealthy, Medicare Part D, and on and on. But no one worried back then, because as Dick Cheney informed us, "Ronald Reagan taught us that deficits don't matter."

    Unless it's a Democrat in the WH.

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  • rational wrote...
    Hayduke
    May 20, 2012 12:07 pm
    You really think the only waste fraud and abuse in government is related to the military?! boy do you have your head buried in the sand!

    And your claim that the previous admin ran up $5 trillion related to Iraq and Afghanistan is pure lie. It only recently passed $1 trillion and the last 3 1/2 years have been under Obama. As far as it being on borrowed money...well, 40% of it's borrowed, just like all the rest of the federal expenses.

    All you're calling for is just what I posted previously...more unsustainable deficit spending, status quo, crash the economy and to suppor that you quote a progressive like Cheney. That's a losing argument from the start.

    And don't forget, that democrat in the WH is the Honey Badger President.

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  • ron prevost wrote...
    Hey, Duke -
    May 20, 2012 12:14 pm
    FYI, Dick Chaney always hated Ronald Reagan for having the nerve to run against his friend Jerry Ford in 1976. PLEASE keep this in mind when quoting Chaney. Oz is more truthful. And that's nor saying much. ......................................... That being said, Tip O'Neil and President Reagan KNEW how to work with each other. Boehner and Obama do not.
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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    A primary source for the demise of the American manufacturing economy can be found in Arkansas.
    May 20, 2012 12:14 pm
    A toaster manufacturer spends all day in the waiting room, fidgeting nervously in his starched white shirt. He's hoping to score an audience with the appliance buyer for the World's Largest Retailer. If it occurs to him that this experience is a lot like waiting outside the throne room for an audience with the king, he's not that far off the mark. About 4:15, the receptionist says, "The buyer will see you know, you have fifteen minutes."

    In a spartan office, barely air-conditioned at all, the toaster manufacturer and the buyer sit on opposite sides of the desk.

    "We have an interest in purchasing two million toasters from your firm," reports the buyer. "We have studied the market carefully, and in order to offer the cheapest price in America we will need to retail your toaster for $14.95. With our standard discount applied, we are prepared to offer you $8.00 each for 2,000,000 toasters- or a $16,000,000 contract."

    "Eight dollars!" exclaims the toaster manufacturer. "That's impossible! There's almost $4 in hard costs per unit for materials, and 20-minutes labor! Even at minimum wage, by the time we figure in payroll taxes 20-minutes labor is about $3.50. Then we have state and federal taxes, plant maintenance, administrative payroll, the cost of shipping, and of course we want to have something left over for profit. I don't see how anybody can manufacture toasters in this country and sell them to you guys for eight dollars."

    The buyer replies, "Who says you have to manufacture them in this country? We've done the math, and you need to get your labor costs down to about 50-cents per toaster. You can't do that in the United States, not with these greedy, blood sucking, union workers! We fully expect that the firm filling our $16-million order for toasters will manufacture them in the Peoples Republic of China."

    "Wow!" responds the toaster manufacturer. "That would really work a hardship on my workforce. Some of these people have been working at our factory for 20 years or more. If we move the factory overseas, they will all be out of a job."

    "Frankly," says the buyer, "they will probably be out of a job either way. If we don't strike a deal with you, we're prepared to make the same offer to your primary competitor. We will have toasters in our stores, by Christmas, for $14.95. You can either supply them at the $8 figure we require, or continue to build toasters in the US and try compete against our much cheaper $14.95 toaster. And don't forget- we'll have enough margin to retail our toasters at a figure well below your cost to manufacture them domestically, and we just might choose to do so. Your call. You can go down with the ship, or fill our order."

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  • Ted Bundi wrote...
    Ah, I will look on the box
    May 20, 2012 10:05 pm
    and pay a few dollars more if it says "made in America".
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