Thing we'll reach an agreement on it? Seems like every couple of months, the economy and government spending comes into question and the broken record starts all over again.

 

I think its pretty clearly Obamas baby. The Dems already said they "own" the economy (when it looked like there might be a recovery) and its pretty hard to un-own it. It's also pretty transparent that hes trying to get political problems out of his way . . . turned down a short-term deal the republicrats & demicans had worked out because it was a short term deal.



I wish the republicans would wake up and realize that they hold all the cards and could force whatever they wanted to b/c they run the house writing the tax bills. No need to make extra-constitutional mini-legislatures or raise debt ceilings for 2 years or any of that BS in the boehner plan.



Its only a broken record because they don't have to keep spending down to something close to revenues, and adults and sane people are not always running the show.

 

My big question is do I sell any stocks/bonds I own? I don't have much, but if the markets really crash hard, I'd hate to lose a lot of it. Sell for a few weeks until things iron out, or hold on for the ride?

 

Obama wont except any deal that doesnt include a tax hike!

 

Because he is a rigid ideologue. The other side has them too, but Obama is on the wrong side of fiscal sanity so it's bad for him to be engaging in clear demagoguery.



Stocks, I got out of a long time ago and wall street has been going straight sideways a lot of that time. Bonds, it depends. If you think your bonds are more secure than the USA's rating is about to be, you might stick around. If you think it's going to fall down to lower than -50% and you would only lose 50% in penalties, you might come out "ahead" by pulling out, but that is a long-term (years) solution. If you think the downturn following the current impasse will be brief, hold on and dollar-cost average if you have automatic purchases set up. If you think the downturn will be BOTH very long and L-shaped then it makes more sense to convert to cash and pay down debts.



If you can convert to gold, that looks pretty spiffy near and mid-term. Long term, it will do like it did last time. The gold advertisements say it's up 400% in 10 years or whatever, but they don't mention what happened before that.

 

I don't know about the complexities of this issue, but from the simple way I see it:





I agree. The war is costing a lot. Taxes go up. No matter what, America and Democrats will need to increase taxes period and trim social security. To tamper with a system that has worked for close to a century is just wrong.



Taxes have been increasing for years. We don't earn more. Expenses are not cheaper. In that sense, something isn't right. In my opinion, it's putting heavy bags of sand on American's shoulders.



At this rate, we could borrow money and raise the ceiling forever and NEVER see our debts fully paid off. Imagine if every country wrote infinite I-O-U's!



The solution: It's time to stop living in the past, cut the long hair, and stop partying like a rockstar.

 

The wars, including the ones Obama started, are small change compared to the "sacred cows" medicare, medicaid, and social security.

 

Lets say a person is $100,000 in debt with credit cards. Wouldn't it be a f*cking retard move to go out and get another credit card? So we hit are limit and now there trying to get another "card"? These people are not that stupid, they know what there doing and the American people take it. Also, funny how dam near the whole world is in debt, this is no accident, it was planned long ago.



Robert Welch, 1958 JBC meeting listed the top 10 things the "insiders" (New World Order) needed to accomplish to end Americas sovereignty.



Short version



1) Greatly expanded government spending

2) higher an higher taxes

3) An increasingly unbalanced budget, despite the higher taxes

4) Wild inflation of are currency

5) Government controls of prices, wages and materials

6) Greatly increased socialistic control over every operation of are economy and daily operations of are lives

7) Far more centralization of power in Washington

8) The steady advance of Federal aid to and control over are educational system

9) The constant hammering into the American conciseness of the horror of modern warfare

10) The consequent willingness of the American people to allow these steps of appeasement by are government which amount

to the surrender of the United States.

My link

 

If it meant you would be one of the most powerful people in the world for either 2 or 6 more years, and cost you, personally exactly nothing, and you don't care what happens after you lose the job because you'll be set . . . why would you NOT get another card?

 

HotBlue02, I agree on all of those points. They are real. As far as a hidden "Big Brother", well that is beyond most of us "little people" haha.





The debt clock shows it's about the same.



http://www.usdebtclock.org/



The war ties into medicare/aid and federal pensions because the government spends an incredible amount on insuring all of its military personnel during and after the war including astronomical costs of healthcare coverage for wounds, treatment, and retirement pensions of U.S. troops. oh yeah, did I mention that includes previous wars? astronomical costs for generations to come.



if a 10-year war costs 4 trillion right now, imagine how many years it would take to shed 14 trillion when the numbers are constantly rising! how about never?



so now is the question: what do you think will happen if it won't be raised (which i think it will always be raised) unpopular businesses will close? what about the real estate market?