Cutting aid to Latin America could backfire on the WH

[PeterGriffin]

Ahhh. Well, an hypothesis needs to have a little bit of evidence for a starting point.

What was it?

[Axxowiz]

This is something people don’t discuss enough. If you give aid to a corrupt government, do you think the money will be given to the people who are suffering or are there more of a chance the government will use the money to further entrench themselves in power.

[zantax]

Except federal revenue was up. The fed gets more revenue than just tax revenue.

from Fiscal Policy

[Paul_Thomson]

If you believe the aid going to those countries is reaching those who need it and is not being pilfered by the elite… I have a bridge to sell you.

[zantax]

By spurring economic growth.

[Paul_Thomson]

Nor will cutting off assistance to Central American countries firing illegal immigrant ecomomic weapons at the US make things worse for those countries. They are not getting any significant benefit from the aid being sent. It clearly hasn’t helped bring justice and compassion into their political fora.

[BigBear]

@Smyrna

@BigBear

Ah Trumpkins: “ Let’s step on our Cheney, see if that hurts!” The first twenty-odd times weren’t enough to learn the lesson, apparently.

Nooooooo…it’s more like a Pelosi…let’s pass it so we can see what’s in it…kinda thing.

So what you’re saying is, you consider Trump’s approach here as Pelosi-level idiocy, in your humble opinion. That’s at least a coherent viewpoint.

[Eagle-Keeper]

@tnt

One would be hard pressed to make a quantifiable case that giving this aid has really benefitted the American people or has made those countries any better.

Do you feel the same way about Isreali aid?

Regarding all foreign aid; as far as I know there is nothing constitutional about any type of foreign aid. So in that regard I’m not a proponent of any foreign aid. Regarding my statement, well we would have to compare the situation in Isreal to that of Central America? Are thousands of Isreal’s citizens trying to leave the country periodically to neighboring countries?

[PeterGriffin]

Lol. Authoritative picture. Read the Times link as to why it’s crap.

[zantax]

The Times conveniently ignores other federal revenue sources and you fell for it. The fact is, federal revenue was up in 2018 even though tax revenue was down. Those other revenues were so strong because of the hotter economy ushered in by the tax cuts.

[JayJay]

@zantax

The Times conveniently ignores other federal revenue sources and you fell for it. The fact is, federal revenue was up in 2018 even though tax revenue was down. Those other revenues were so strong because of the hotter economy ushered in by the tax cuts.

Nothing was ignored. Nominal revenues were up slightly.

Adjusted for inflation and baselined against a very conservative picture of revenues had no tax cuts been enacted, revenues declined in FY 2018.

The economy would have had to go into recession for real FY 2018 revenues to have increased over the previous year.

You are welcome to make an argument that the US economy would have tanked in 2018 without the tax cuts.

[FloridaYankee]

@MoleUK

@Smyrna

Let’s watch and see.

It’s not like this is some unknown experiment, we already know what will happen.

Foreign aid like this isn’t charity. You’re buying something.

Buying what? The aid we send there is only three percent of the remittances that their citizens who make it to the USA send home to their families. They have every incentive to drive people out.

[zantax]

@JayJay

@zantax

The Times conveniently ignores other federal revenue sources and you fell for it. The fact is, federal revenue was up in 2018 even though tax revenue was down. Those other revenues were so strong because of the hotter economy ushered in by the tax cuts.

Nothing was ignored. Nominal revenues were up slightly.

Adjusted for inflation and baselined against a very conservative picture of revenues had no tax cuts been enacted, revenues declined in FY 2018.

The economy would have had to go into recession for real FY 2018 revenues to have increased over the previous year.

You are welcome to make an argument that the US economy would have tanked in 2018 without the tax cuts.

How does that square with the statement the tax cuts blew up the deficit?

[JayJay]

Because under the old tax plan there would have been an additional $202 B in revenue collected than actually was collected.

[Smyrna]

@FloridaYankee

Buying what? The aid we send there is only three percent of the remittances that their citizens who make it to the USA send home to their families. They have every incentive to drive people out.

Yeah…if honesty was the prevalent quality of government but…news flash…it’s not.

[zantax]

Ignores the boosted economy that wouldn’t be the same absent the stimulus of the tax cuts.

[JayJay]

No…it doesn’t ignore that.

I’ve said that repeatedly.

Baselining takes into account any economic impact.

Basically the economy would have had to go into recession to have as little revenue as we got post tax cut.

It’s been told over and over to you guys that tax cuts do not pay for themselves…you continue to be deluded into thinking they do because you don’t know how to do proper baselining.