U.S. Budget Negotiations

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Something I will never understand in our country, and particularly on the American right, is the worship and deification of billionaires. I'm someone who very much believes that capitalism is the best system of economics, and I'm someone who very much thinks that having a lot of money is a hell of a lot more fun and more comfortable than having a little money. I'm not at all opposed to people being able to create or build immense amounts of personal wealth. Hell, my entire profession depends on specifically just that! But what I don't understand is how the Republican Party has created a voting coalition comprised of a whole lot of rural, non-college-educated, blue collar, lower-to-middle class people making $40K, $50K, 70K a year or whatever, who will go to the mat licking the boots of billionaires and supporting a party whose entire goal is, very openly, to amass more wealth in the hands of fewer people.

The Democratic Party has plenty of flaws of its own, and I certainly am not in agreement with it on all things policy or ideology, but IMO the Democratic Party generally believes- and strives for- raising the tide for all (or most) boats. The Republican Party generally believes, and strives for, whomever has the biggest yacht wins.

I'd like to see the Democratic Party unapologetically embrace an economic policy of "more millionaires, no billionaires" where most anyone in this country can get rich, but nobody can be an oligarch. We are rapidly hurtling towards becoming way more like post-Soviet Russia than anyone wants to admit, with wealth and power amassed in the hands of a very, very, very select few, and the rest of the population is left to fight amongst itself for a few crumbs and table scraps. I used to be adamantly opposed to concepts like wealth taxes, but now having seen how money can literally buy U.S. elections and install un-elected billionaires who can run roughshod over our entire 250-year-old constitutional order, I can easily be persuaded the other way. Put a wealth cap of $100MM, $250MM, $500MM, whatever you want, but everything above the cap is taxed at 100%.

I love making money. I hope (and believe) with the way that I earn, save, and invest, that I can one day amass an eight-figure net worth. I think it's great that people who are infinitely smarter, more intelligent, more creative, more innovative, more entrepreneurial, more business savvy, and more risk-tolerant than I am, can make ten-fold that amount or more. America became wealthy and powerful because we became one of the best places on earth to create and innovate. I'm not advocating for SOSHULISM or anything- simply asking for my fellow countrymen and women to stop bootlicking billionaires.
 
Democrats should be completely unresponsive. They wield the power in this very specific instance. They should be completely unresponsive until or unless the Republican majority in Congress reaches down, remembers that they have balls to grab, and puts an end to unelected President Musk running roughshod over them.
Yup. Don't even pick up the phone till a Congressional hearing on Musk is scheduled.
 

The fallout of deep and sustained research cuts won’t fully be felt for a few years. Grant funding is how a person capable of making $40-50k at 22 can choose to make $20-25k for 4-5 years while earning a PhD and becoming a competent scientist. If people like Ramaswamy really care about a dearth of STEM talent in the US, slashing research funding is about the worst thing they could do.
 
Democrats should be completely unresponsive. They wield the power in this very specific instance. They should be completely unresponsive until or unless the Republican majority in Congress reaches down, remembers that they have balls to grab, and puts an end to unelected President Musk running roughshod over them.
I must be missing something. Why do the dims keep harping on the “unelected” part?
 
In other words, the proposed budget was net zero at best (and that is because they are pretending that extending expiring gas cuts doesn’t count), and hard liners want an additional trillion in cuts.
Exactly. They are pretending extending the Trump tax cuts for the wealthy from his last term has zero cost.
 
I think that part of it is that it is difficult for many people to conceptualize the magnitude of difference between a thousand and a million and a million and a billion. It's the same with earthquakes where the difference between a 7.0 and an 8.0 is approximately 32 times greater in intensity. People really have to "see" just how much wealth a billion dollars is.
 
I think that part of it is that it is difficult for many people to conceptualize the magnitude of difference between a thousand and a million and a million and a billion. It's the same with earthquakes where the difference between a 7.0 and an 8.0 is approximately 32 times greater in intensity. People really have to "see" just how much wealth a billion dollars is.
Sort of like those mechanical bulls where going from 9 to 10 is greater than going from 1 you 9.
 
I must be missing something. Why do the dims keep harping on the “unelected” part?
Maybe because Elon Musk is not an elected representative but yet is conducting himself as if he is one, making unconstitutional and extra-congressional sweeping changes that are supposed to be the purview of the 535 individuals who actually were elected by the American people? I know you know this. You know you know this. I also know, and you also know, that if the shoe were on the exact opposite foot, and it was a Democratic administration allowing an unelected campaign supporter to behave this way, you’d have blown a gasket. Just be consistent in this here #hypocrisyfreezone is all we ask.
 
Maybe because Elon Musk is not an elected representative but yet is conducting himself as if he is one, making unconstitutional and extra-congressional sweeping changes that are supposed to be the purview of the 535 individuals who actually were elected by the American people? I know you know this. You know you know this. I also know, and you also know, that if the shoe were on the exact opposite foot, and it was a Democratic administration allowing an unelected campaign supporter to behave this way, you’d have blown a gasket. Just be consistent in this here #hypocrisyfreezone is all we ask.
Are you saying it takes congressional approval to cut spending in USAID?
 
Are you saying it takes congressional approval to cut spending in USAID?
It would certainly take congressional approval for Trump to be able to legally withhold the funds that Congress has already appropriated to be spent by USAID.
 
Yes. That’s what I am saying, that the executive branch cannot unilaterally restrict funding that has already been appropriated by the legislative branch. This is 10th grade Civics class stuff.
But for the GOP's lawlessness, this is closely related to the thing that got Trump impeached and almost removed from office in his first term. Of course, the GOP's lawlessness is turned up to a 10 now.
 
Yes. That’s what I am saying, that the executive branch cannot unilaterally restrict funding that has already been appropriated by the legislative branch. This is 10th grade Civics class stuff.
Technically not true. Depends on how congress appropriated the funds. As biden learned when he tried to reallocate the funds for the border wall. But he did manage to delay the construction. So, technically elon, through trump can stop the spending, at least temporarily, or altogether if congress is willing to reallocate. I'm sure all the appropriate lawsuits have been filed and the courts will rule accordingly.
 
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