The things a “LIBERAL” reads early on Sunday mornings.

Not to be disrespectful, but neither of you addressed the issues he raised and the points he made.

Ok, I'll make my question more pointed. Any comments on the following?

Q: Give me your prescription to fix the economy.

A: We have to eat our broccoli for a good period of time. And that means our taxes are going to go up on everybody, not just the rich. It means that we have to stop subsidizing debt by getting a sane set of people back in charge of the Fed, getting interest rates back to some kind of level that reflects the risk of holding debt over time. I think the federal funds rate ought to be 3 percent or 4 percent. (It is zero to 0.25 percent.) I mean, that's normal in an economy with inflation at 2 percent or 3 percent.

Q: Social Security?

A: It has to be means-tested. And Medicare needs to be means-tested. If you're a more affluent retiree, you should have your benefits cut back, pay a higher premium for Medicare.

Q: Taxes?

A: Let the Bush tax cuts expire. Let the capital gains go back to the same rate as ordinary income. (Capital gains are taxed at 15 percent, while ordinary income is taxed at marginal rates up to 35 percent.)

Q: Why?

A: Why not? I mean, is return on capital any more virtuous than some guy who's driving a bus all day and working hard and trying to support his family? You know, with capital gains, they give you this mythology. You're going to encourage a bunch of more jobs to appear. No, most of capital gains goes to speculators in real estate and other assets who basically lever up companies, lever up buildings, use the current income to pay the interest and after a holding period then sell the residual, the equity, and get it taxed at 15 percent. What's so brilliant about that?

This is the opinion of Mr. Stockman Buckshot. That question would be best addressed to him. Both questions actually.

I find his views very interesting considering his history. As I expected, you have chosen to engage in a personal attack rather than express your opinion of Mr. Stockman's opinions.

Well Mike, if Reagan were elected today and he choose Stockman like he did in the past, I doubt the assessment would change much. Only so can be achieved through cuts in spending, revenue must be raised. But then we have had this conversation before.

Buckshot, the fraud you refer to as far as Medicare and Medicaid is perpetrated by both those who get those programs as well as the providers. They both need to be dealt with, but since greed is part of human nature, the problem will always exist. This is not a new problem and you know it.

Now on a side note, from the sounds of it, the hard right will not be satisfied until all social welfare programs are completely dismantled, as well as most of the government. No EPA to protect the environment, no OSHA to protect the worker, no NLRB, no Transportation Dept., no social security, no medicare, nothing but the military.

Buckshot, look at your post @11:18am and 11:36am.

I do notice that you have not addressed Mr. Stockman's views, just voiced your opinions about me.

You seem to imply that Mr. Stockman is for wealth redistribution if I read what you posted right. Wouldn't that make him a leftist liberal?

Again, I will say that the real greed is from the top down and not the other way.

We scrutinize what a person puts in their shopping cart if they pay with food stamps, but fail to complain about those who use our tax dollars to eat steak or some other fancy food with a $1,000.00 tab.

The real accountability is with those who are really taking advantage of the system by helping themselves to the best of the best and trying to convince those that they are "fighting for the middle class and the disadvantaged.

Until those who have been elected to office pull in their own lifestyles, we will never see America get back on its feet.

As voters, we are settling for crumbs when it is us that deserves the cake.

A simple 20% across the board salary cut for all elected officials and a reduction in Their benefits until they get this mess straightened out might motivate some of them to do more than simply run for office.

A cover charge should be levied for all Lobbyists of a Million Dollars for east visit to the Hill. These monies will be put into a special fund to reduce the national debt.

Again, I will say, elected officials must find a sponsor for their entire tenure for all other expenses, including housing and franking privileges.

Campaign funding and Super Pac Monies that a left over after a campaign must be handed over to the special fund to reduce the debt.

Thus the real redistribution of wealthy will actually benefit someone, the American people.

Generosity to the poor should come willingly and not be mandated. I don't mind seeing someone on food stamps buying twinkies and pop as much as I resent someone dining on my dime and expecting the best luxuries because they spend a few months out of the year "working for the people".

Merit based salaries should be a mandatory requirement for elected officials. If they don't balance the budget, they have to reduce their own personal ones by 40%. If we have to tighten our belts, so should they.

The top down, not the bottom up. we keep scrambling for the ants at the picnic when the cockroaches scuttle by unseen.

That is my cranky rant for the day.

Lets not forget our Farm Program That Pays $1.3 Billion to People Who Don't Farm. Would you say their receiving welfare?

Results heh?

http://ebtcardbalance.com/

Odd place for an ad for a conservative candidate, Sillysoft.

But it only shows up on my tablet, NOT to be found on my real computer.

Pretty cagey..

HOW DOES IT KNOW??? :+)

I would also look to how the rich one made his money.

Wealth redistribution is such a boring term. The whole purpose of an economy is wealth redistribution. Money is naught but a bunch of IOUs for goods and services. When wealth redistribution fails to happen naturally, what is left for the leaders of our society to do but to mandate it? When the very wealthy stock up THAT many IOUs without redeeming them, who are the real bums?