Good analogy, but I was trying to “explore the idea” that maybe there is no such thing as a welfare state.
Maybe there is only a workfare state.
That so-called welfare is funded by your work.
When transfer programs were only social security and social security was small, you worked about a week and half each year to pay for the protection of all.
Now, almost two-and-an-half months of your work year goes just to fund such programs.
The Left is generous with how they vote and other people’s money.
I suppose taxing America’s rich can also solve the [problems in every other country in world as well!
They need to revamp Medicare/Medicaid as well as social security these programs are embarrassingly underfunded. It can’t be a Republican because entitlement reform in the general is a political bombshell it would take bipartisan action.
They just aren’t sustainable in their current form, sorry to say but way to few paying taxes into these program and way to many people using them. If the warnings I keep hearing about the baby boomer generation starting to retire and overloading the system are true it could be bankrupt.
We need to honor the 10th Amendment and nix those programs entirely.
And how will you make sure the country gets through the economic dislocation that is sure to follow?
Again…easy to say these things in the abstract.
People will have no taxes confiscated for the illegitimate programs. Seems a good opportunity to band together meet the needs of those around them. To make humanity their consern rather than passing the buck to professionals in government.
But in any case it is NOT the federal government’s delegatedvpower to concern itself or spend on it at all. People’s circumstances, even if dire, are not amendments to the Constitution.
In case it matters
Medicare (for the elderly) was underfunded from the day it began under Pres Johnson. It never an a surplus it always ran a deficit, It has always been funded by general tax revenues with a couple pennis form FICA to make people think it is part of Social Security.
Medicaid (for the poor) never had a trust fund to begin with.
In that sense neither program has ever been over-funded or underfunded. The term simply do not apply.
These programs are not just underfund they are being solvent, the taxbase shrinks and the president brings in millions a year of poor people who immediately sign up for them yet put in little to nothing on them.
Imho and it’s a small club FDR was the worst president the US had
My point is calling them solvent or insolvent, under/over funded is like calling the military insolvent or any other completely-unlike-social-security program insolvent.
They do not have a trust fund.
They do not run up debts. be insolvent.
They pay money to American doctors (by far the highest paid in the world) and 100% of whatever they pay is a bill sent directly to the taxpayers.
This is not offering a solution. This is the usual wishful thinking/painting the typical conservative “if we cut taxes and federal spending, an economic miracle will ensue” austerity program which has never, ever worked whenever it has been tried.
And when we do try them…the first to complain about the economic dislocation that follows are the ones that proposed the solution in the first place.
The government’s only job is to obey the Law that permits it to exist and nothing beyond that Law. Not to be or offer “solutions”.
Take care of your own neighbors from your own means. Don’t fret over mine.
The fact is that Biden has an answer to fix Social Security:
Did you read it at all?
It’s only going to keep it going for at most, 5 years.
How is that doing anything beyond a band aid?
General rule of thumb:
Europe taxes its rich people a lot more and its corporations a lot less (compared to the USA.) Generally when the left in Europe get heated and cry “unfair,” the target of their emotions are rich people, corporations less so.
The continent that invented Marxism is certainly not free of corporations bashing, but in general, Europeans are more educated and recognize that you cannot have a Ma & Pa auto plant, a Ma & Pa Microsoft etc… They understand the basic economics of making things cheaper and how that provides not only cheaper prices to consumers but also that the jobs will always go to whichever country allows corporations and factories competitive conditions
The left there certainly wishes corporations would be more generous, but they even take pride in their nations’ corporations and products. Ask a German lefty about German cars. German beer German-engineered products etc…
I certainly do not wish the US to become a carbon copy of Western Europe. I am glad we are not a carbon copy of Western Europe, but
Joe Biden is a man of great intellect, if he says taxing the rich is going to fix something then by golly it’s going to work! Just ask any forum lib.
Now my real feelings.
Hope you get my drift.
I didn’t propose any cuts in this thread, I put forth a question. I’ll articulate it somewhat differently. How much money does one believe is needed to solve the many problems America faces? What programs would need additional funding. How many new government programs would need to be created? Who is going to get taxed and by how much? Then what, if any, negative consequences could arise?
I recall in another thread @Guilds (I believe) mentioned things like free education, living wage, etc. Curious to see on a practical level how things would potentially unfold.
Yeah he’s “fixed” everything he has touched…Oh Wait a minute! 
Raising the cap on SS, and also taxing income from dividends and investments would make a big difference.
The other items you mentioned that I endorse could be funded by taxing the morbidly rich.
Many pay very little taxes due to loopholes and creative accounting. Close the holes, put a 50% tax rate on any annual net income over 10 million. Also cut the defense budget 10-20%
