Dan,

"Clinton handed true surplus budgets to George W. Bush. Dubya, Cheney"

The 90s internet boom built the revenue.

Gingrich balanced the budget.

Clinton showed up for the signature photo-op.

Speak,

Either way, the super rich get richer.

The middle class and upper-middle class foot the bill...always.

Speak,

Much of this hoarded wealth is the direct result of the government going so deeply in debt.

That's an added element that has changed since the past. That's the big difference now.

The rich aren't just earning it, they're collecting it from public debt.

Speak,

"Only before, the rich were subsizing the system so the poor could have healthcare."

Adding to your line of thinking, the rich in the past subsidized through many forms of patronage.

The rich had an element of noblesse oblige, a cultural expectation to give back.

Today, the rich have greatly expanded their wealth, relatively speaking.

Before, they might have a few hundred million and were considered rich. Now a few hundred million makes them pop star rich, but not tech super-rich into the billions.

The rich today hoard vastly larger amounts of wealth that could do a great deal more to benefit humanity.

Your line of thinking is right on.

But let's be honest. Both Democrats and Republicans are part of it.

Don't fantasize it's only Republicans.

Visit,

At my age I've seen a drastic change in society from my youth to now.

One thing I hear over and over is "work ethic".

I expect sociologists could tell you all sorts of explanations for the change.

But simply put, people in America today are taught to stick their hand out expecting soneone to give them sonething for nothing, instead of looking for work.

Thats a great generalization but there's truth to it.

A lot of it depends on if you were raised by liberals or conservatives.

Truth,

Massive student loan forgiveness would have drove tuition even higher.

Trump's was more a common sense approach based on not being able to work.

Zed,

"Time for polka to make a comeback."

How about bringing disco back?

Happy upbeat music. Funny though. By todays standards, the music didn't actually have that quick of a beat.

Turn the beat around...
Love to hear the percussion...
Turn it upside down...
Love to hear the percussion...

Trump doesn't get enough credit for something big he did in 2019.

He ordered automatic student loan forgiveness for people who were totally and permanently disabled.

It started with veterans, then expanded to everyone on disability.

No forms, no long approval process.

Dems see themselves as champions of the needy.

Why didn't they do something like this?

Lamp,

"So, your comment seems to be against the tax cut for billionaires that Pres Trump proposed and had passed by Congress?"

The bill doesn't just cut taxes for billionaires. It also extends the lower individual rates from Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and makes the nearly doubled standard deduction permanent.

That move actually benefits a lot of middle-class families who don't itemize.

Trump put the TCJA in place back in 2017, and it's one of the few things that really did help the middle class.

Clown,

Don't you think we're way past pretending we care about rising debt.

I think we've seen after Musk how reducing debt is a problem.

I say drive this bus off the cliff and hopefully Wall Street won't crash until I'm gone.

One,

I'll wait and see how this is resolved and who gets screwed before I form an opinion.

There's pros and cons to every decision I wouldn't possibly know about. I doubt the people in Congress fully understand the full ramifications of their options.

How many times has some bill had unanticipated consequences?

One,

Arm chair analysts have all the answers.

I doubt anyone on this blog is remotely qualified to advise Congress.

Pardon me if I don't blame one side or the other.

Clown,

Dems have had plenty of opportunities to institute tax reform.

But they don't.

You're gullible.

Clown,

"What would Jesus do?"

He might perform a miracle and distribute fish from a basket that miraculously appears.

People today would complain they have to clean the fish and cook it.

Or complain they'd rather get Big Mac and fries.

Lamp,

"The Republicans seem to be wallowing in the suffering of those who have issues putting food on the table for their family."

What an idiot.

You think all Republicans are rich and don't need SNAP.

The parties are playing chicken to see who gives in first.

Blaming one side is lazy.

Bills to fund SNAP are being introduced by Republicans and Democrats failed to vote for it because of other issues they are demanding.

We can't blame Republicans outright for the lack of SNAP funding.

Food for thought...no pun intended.

We want food prices to come down but there's no chance in hell grocery stores will do that unless they're forced to.

Now...there will be fewer dollars and fewer customers if SNAP benefits don't go out.

Will stores lower their prices a little, on some items, competing for fewer available dollars?

Something to ponder...

Corky,

Come back when Trump serves a third term.

Then you might have a point.

Of course he would.

That's the very reason two terms were established.

How many presidents do you think would've liked a third?

This thread says nothing important.

Democrats now want to extend the temporary funding measure that only passed in the first place because it had an expiration date.

Snoofy,

"Tell me the difference between a birthday cake and a wedding cake then."

Ok...

In my opinion, a cake celebrating a same sex marriage is a mockery of a holy sacrament or covenant ordained by God. A Christian might choose to forfeit the money to avoid being part of that.

A birthday cake is simply celebrating a birthday.

Snoofy,

If a gay couple ordered a birthday cake, I guarantee it would be no problem.

You are either refusing to or are not able to see the difference.

The courts need to catch up.

Snoofy,

No one ever said this is a easy problem. Obviously some people don't understand or care about Christian values or convictions.

The first amendment says,
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof

The conflict is gay weddings and not gay people. The Supreme Court failed to recognize the distinction in the case I referred to, in my opinion, which is why I voted to see Trump nominate the 3 justices rather than Hillary.

Zed,

This is the distinction.

The linked article is about a Texas judge who refused to perform gay weddings due to long standing religious convictions. There were other judges who would. It's the service being performed. Not who being performed for.

Zed,

"When a Christian pharmacist didn't want to fill a gay's prescription, why not find another pharmacist?"

That would be discrimination against the person.