CAR: You’ll get no disagreement from me on any of the points you made. My argument was specifically focused on Krugman’s banging on incessantly about the same failed policies.
I do agree that, relative to GDP, taxes are at their lowest point in many years and should be raised.
I also agree that the US absolutely NEEDS an Industrial Policy that is geared solely to bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US and creating the necessary mechanisms to do this (job training, competitive corporate tax rate, elimination of needless bureaucracy, etc).
We need tax reform. And, yes, we need TRUE financial reform (which, if you’re being fair, we have NOT gotten from the Obama Administration).
We need to declare victory and get the fuck out of Afghanistan. The loss of those SEALs over the weekend was the final straw for me. Figure out a different goddamn strategy and get our people home. Which ties into the idea of “stop wasting money on foreign misadventures”. Last time I checked, we’d passed the $1T mark.
All that said, entitlement spending is the single largest issue going forward and needs to be addressed. Put Defense on the table right there with it, but entitlement reform, including cuts, needs to happen.
I don’t hold one side guilty and the other blameless. We have seen the single largest vote-buying spree in US history and both sides have participated. We either get serious or hand the keys to the Chinese.
