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Started By
Message
What are realistic solutions to fixing our fiscal issues?
Posted on 10/19/25 at 1:24 pm
Posted on 10/19/25 at 1:24 pm
Social security eats up 1.5 trillion a year. At some point we may need to look at means testing it or pushing retirement age back. No one wants to do this but fixing fiscal issues requires tough choices that no one wants to do.
Defense spending is 850 billion. We could probably cut that by 50 billion and freeze spending increases for 10 years. Or we need to negotiate better contracts with defense contractors.
Non defense discretionary spending makes up almost a trillion. Some of that is related to veterans benefits and I don't think we should touch that.
Medical spending between Medicare and Medicaid is another 1.5 trillion or so.
Revenue...it's probably easier to fix the spending side than the revenue side but of course increased revenue helps. I don't see any way to get there without additional taxation or duties. This is obviously not popular but might be necessary. Tariffs have helped the revenue side to some extent but they can't completely bridge the gap. Which means we'll have to tackle the big line items in spending if there is any way out of this debt spiral.
Defense spending is 850 billion. We could probably cut that by 50 billion and freeze spending increases for 10 years. Or we need to negotiate better contracts with defense contractors.
Non defense discretionary spending makes up almost a trillion. Some of that is related to veterans benefits and I don't think we should touch that.
Medical spending between Medicare and Medicaid is another 1.5 trillion or so.
Revenue...it's probably easier to fix the spending side than the revenue side but of course increased revenue helps. I don't see any way to get there without additional taxation or duties. This is obviously not popular but might be necessary. Tariffs have helped the revenue side to some extent but they can't completely bridge the gap. Which means we'll have to tackle the big line items in spending if there is any way out of this debt spiral.
35
Posted on 10/19/25 at 1:41 pm to Powerman
"Social security eats up 1.5 trillion a year". And for the record that S/S money was and is being stolen from American workers. What I'd like to know? How much of that S/S money is going to illegal aliens and migrants?
This is the standard modus operandi when it comes to politicians (both parties) justifying the theft of S/S. It sounds something like this - well we know the money was stolen but but but our deficit is out of control and and and if we isolate that S/S money then then then we're all going to sink. Frick'um, Joe Biden and his crooked pals knew that was going to happen when they pulled that "bait and switch" forty plus years ago. Crooks gonna crook.
It's my money......and I want it NOW. My suggestion, set up a fully funded S/S IRA for each American citizen. George Bush II proposed that just before he left office. Apparently TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) stopped that proposal dead in its tracks.
So repeat after me - it's official, my government is stealing my S/S contributions.
Trump 2025 - Fix Social Security Once and For All - Give us back OUR money.
This is the standard modus operandi when it comes to politicians (both parties) justifying the theft of S/S. It sounds something like this - well we know the money was stolen but but but our deficit is out of control and and and if we isolate that S/S money then then then we're all going to sink. Frick'um, Joe Biden and his crooked pals knew that was going to happen when they pulled that "bait and switch" forty plus years ago. Crooks gonna crook.
It's my money......and I want it NOW. My suggestion, set up a fully funded S/S IRA for each American citizen. George Bush II proposed that just before he left office. Apparently TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) stopped that proposal dead in its tracks.
So repeat after me - it's official, my government is stealing my S/S contributions.
Trump 2025 - Fix Social Security Once and For All - Give us back OUR money.
This post was edited on 10/19/25 at 1:44 pm
Posted on 10/19/25 at 1:47 pm to GeorgePaton
Yes Bush had proposed being able to privatize a portion of social security and it didn't get pushed through. Illegals should receive 0 in social security benefits (I don't know how much they receive but it's worth looking into further)
I do think it needs to be been tested as well. If you have a 30 million dollar net worth you don't need to be drawing a social security check. It's burdening current tax payers who will never get ahead and will face higher taxes in the future.
I do think it needs to be been tested as well. If you have a 30 million dollar net worth you don't need to be drawing a social security check. It's burdening current tax payers who will never get ahead and will face higher taxes in the future.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 1:49 pm to Powerman
quote:
I don't see any way to get there without additional taxation
Posted on 10/19/25 at 1:51 pm to Powerman
It's a good question.
Going to have to do both eventually, Probably moving full SS pay to 75 and allowing early SS only with cause, but #1 is going to be removing non citizens from Social Security.
Additionally moving the 10 year minimum up to 30 years.(ETA) it's 11 years for Special Minimum
Right now people can immigrate here, work 10 years as non citizens and collect SS. (ETA, still need 11 total for Special Minimum)
In many cases people from India are putting their parents to work at 60 right off the boat so they can collect at 70.
That's low hanging fruit.
Get the people who worked less than 25-30 years off the dole, they contributed the least for what they get.
Terrible Idea until China cools down, maybe in 2035.
That's a must. No Brainer.
We need to revamp the VA, it's bloated and expensive, same as Defense Contractors, do it better.
Combat Vets first.
But much of that is pork and not VA related.
Yup all non citizens GTF Off.
Medicare is rife with exploitation, worse than defense.
Medicaid as well, we can't afford to be the only place in the world Drug companies make profit.
quote:
Social security eats up 1.5 trillion a year. At some point we may need to look at means testing it or pushing retirement age back.
Going to have to do both eventually, Probably moving full SS pay to 75 and allowing early SS only with cause, but #1 is going to be removing non citizens from Social Security.
Additionally moving the 10 year minimum up to 30 years.(ETA) it's 11 years for Special Minimum
Right now people can immigrate here, work 10 years as non citizens and collect SS. (ETA, still need 11 total for Special Minimum)
In many cases people from India are putting their parents to work at 60 right off the boat so they can collect at 70.
That's low hanging fruit.
Get the people who worked less than 25-30 years off the dole, they contributed the least for what they get.
quote:
Defense spending is 850 billion. We could probably cut that by 50 billion and freeze spending increases for 10 years.
Terrible Idea until China cools down, maybe in 2035.
quote:
Or we need to negotiate better contracts with defense contractors.
That's a must. No Brainer.
quote:
Non defense discretionary spending makes up almost a trillion. Some of that is related to veterans benefits and I don't think we should touch that.
We need to revamp the VA, it's bloated and expensive, same as Defense Contractors, do it better.
Combat Vets first.
But much of that is pork and not VA related.
quote:
Medical spending between Medicare and Medicaid is another 1.5 trillion or so.
Yup all non citizens GTF Off.
Medicare is rife with exploitation, worse than defense.
Medicaid as well, we can't afford to be the only place in the world Drug companies make profit.
This post was edited on 10/19/25 at 2:00 pm
Posted on 10/19/25 at 1:59 pm to UptownJoeBrown
Uptown Joe gets it.
There is no one step to fix it. We are so far gone.
1-stop/minimize theft. See Dr Oz video in another thread.
2-methodically shrink the fed gov’t down to the responsibilities as they are laid out in the Constitution.
3-USAID and all NGOs are done away with. If you need a work around, you shouldn’t do it.
4-make it illegal to pay money to any foreign gov’t if the US is in the red.
5-term limits. Coupled with no more special treatment in any way of elected officials. Health insurance, etc. If you are an elected official, there is no retirement pension. You chose to run.
6-should be higher up the list….a flat tax. Tax law should be able to print on an index card.
Just off the top of my head.
There is no one step to fix it. We are so far gone.
1-stop/minimize theft. See Dr Oz video in another thread.
2-methodically shrink the fed gov’t down to the responsibilities as they are laid out in the Constitution.
3-USAID and all NGOs are done away with. If you need a work around, you shouldn’t do it.
4-make it illegal to pay money to any foreign gov’t if the US is in the red.
5-term limits. Coupled with no more special treatment in any way of elected officials. Health insurance, etc. If you are an elected official, there is no retirement pension. You chose to run.
6-should be higher up the list….a flat tax. Tax law should be able to print on an index card.
Just off the top of my head.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 2:01 pm to Powerman
Trump already has a policy of inflation, so that's basically your answer.
They just gonna keep printing up money.
They just gonna keep printing up money.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 2:03 pm to 3down10
Going back to the Bush administration we have been propping up the economy with deficit spending. No one has brought any serious solutions to mitigate the issue.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 2:06 pm to Powerman
Yes, I agree. But IMO the ONLY way to keep those thieving politicians out of OUR Social Security it to create "A" fully funded "Lockbox S/S IRA" account for each citizen (but first deport the Illegal Aliens), I would take it one step further - as in secure it with a Constitutional Amendment to make sure crooked politicians (like Joe Biden) can't get their thieving hands on that money.
Democrats steal and Republicans let them. IMO the theft of Social Security from American workers is the largest theft in the history of this country.
It's OUR money, and WE want it back.
Democrats steal and Republicans let them. IMO the theft of Social Security from American workers is the largest theft in the history of this country.
It's OUR money, and WE want it back.
This post was edited on 10/19/25 at 2:14 pm
Posted on 10/19/25 at 2:07 pm to Powerman
quote:
Going back to the Bush administration we have been propping up the economy with deficit spending. No one has brought any serious solutions to mitigate the issue.
It really goes back way further. It paused/slowed down a little during the 90s, largely in part due to the Perot campaigns IMO. But I mean they had to take the dollar off the Gold Standard in 1971 because of all the inflation prior to that.
Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is supposedly created to prevent all this.
Total scam.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 2:08 pm to GeorgePaton
The more likely scenario is the theft will just get ratcheted up to pay for the outlays. The rate will go up. Caps will continue to go up. We're not far from a 200K cap.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 2:23 pm to Powerman
Reduce military spend, audit the entire federal government for efficiency, and as long as the wealth gap is increasing, so should taxes on the very rich. If they’re going to replace us all with AI and robots they have to pay more.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 2:32 pm to Powerman
quote:
If you have a 30 million dollar net worth you don't need to be drawing a social security check
You do seem like the type of fig who would worry about someone getting money they contributed before worrying about the ones who have been drawing for years, yet never contributed.
Disability is the new welfare and it comes from SSI.
This post was edited on 10/19/25 at 2:33 pm
Posted on 10/19/25 at 2:50 pm to Powerman
53% cannot carry 100% of the load indefinitely. Welfare, Medicaid, disability, even VA disability, are just symptoms of a freeloader mentality. There is no other country on earth that allows lazy people to live at the standards our dead weight does. And our political class is just as corrupt as any on earth. Clean up those two issues and we are great, again.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 2:51 pm to Powerman
quote:
we may need to look at means testing
Citizen A....Decides as a young worker to save and invest wisely instead of spending freely. It requires discipline and avoiding the desire for instant gratification.
Citizen B...Doesn't give a shite. He spends more than he earns and complains about debt. Makes stupid purchases because of impulses to have pleasure.
Means Testing punishes Citizen A and rewards Citizen B. The result is Waaaay more people will choose to live like B.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 2:52 pm to UtahCajun
quote:
You do seem like the type of fig who would worry about someone getting money they contributed before worrying about the ones who have been drawing for years, yet never contributed.
It's simple math. We can't sustain our level of spending. Social security is currently a wealth transfer to the elderly from working Americans.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 3:05 pm to Powerman
quote:
It's simple math. We can't sustain our level of spending. Social security is currently a wealth transfer to the elderly from working Americans
You also seem like the type of fig to brush off what I said, with this dribble.
SSI, the elderly paid for it. It is not transfer. It is not handouts. It is money they paid plus earnings on said money.
This post was edited on 10/19/25 at 3:07 pm
Posted on 10/19/25 at 3:25 pm to Powerman
quote:
Social security is currently a wealth transfer to the elderly from working Americans.
No, SS is stealing $100 dollars from young Americans. And when they become elderly they get $50 of their stolen money back. The $50 comes from the new young Americans who will get scammed the same way when they are old. The whole system needs to be phased out. Bush proposed the gradual phase out and the Dems voted it down.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 3:28 pm to UtahCajun
quote:
SSI, the elderly paid for it. It is not transfer. It is not handouts. It is money they paid plus earnings on said money.
You're forgetting something. Their net worth exists because equities and real estate is inflated due to loose monetary policy that is not sustainable. They're essentially double dipping while younger generations are stuck holding the bag
Posted on 10/19/25 at 4:48 pm to Powerman
Easy. Cut social welfare programs. Everyone has to work for a living. No problem.
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