Comments on: Pawlenty Keeps Pushing Constitutional Amendment http://www.frumforum.com/pawlenty-keeps-pushing-constitutional-amendment Building a conservatism that can win again Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:50:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: canadianmoderate http://www.frumforum.com/pawlenty-keeps-pushing-constitutional-amendment/comment-page-1#comment-81031 canadianmoderate Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:26:44 +0000 http://www.frumforum.com/?p=21011#comment-81031 But one thing Republicans want more than anything, as I found out over last summer and fall, is to keep Medicare exactly the way it is. They are either going to have to do a complete 180 on Medicare and upset the senior voting base, or keep up defending Medicare the way they've been doing (which I imagine they'll do). It's true that non-defense discretionary spending isn't much, but neither is non-entitlement discretionary, and I can't see the GOP talking about entitlement spending (well, maybe food stamps). It still doesn't get at the problem that is the unfunded liabilities. And Pawlenty isn't going to touch a tax increase with a ten-foot pole to help the budget issues. I hope you Americans figure it out. The Canadian economy depends on it too. Voting against even talking about the realities of US fiscal health in a budget commission isn't a good start, in my opinion. But one thing Republicans want more than anything, as I found out over last summer and fall, is to keep Medicare exactly the way it is. They are either going to have to do a complete 180 on Medicare and upset the senior voting base, or keep up defending Medicare the way they’ve been doing (which I imagine they’ll do). It’s true that non-defense discretionary spending isn’t much, but neither is non-entitlement discretionary, and I can’t see the GOP talking about entitlement spending (well, maybe food stamps). It still doesn’t get at the problem that is the unfunded liabilities. And Pawlenty isn’t going to touch a tax increase with a ten-foot pole to help the budget issues. I hope you Americans figure it out. The Canadian economy depends on it too. Voting against even talking about the realities of US fiscal health in a budget commission isn’t a good start, in my opinion.

]]> By: sinz54 http://www.frumforum.com/pawlenty-keeps-pushing-constitutional-amendment/comment-page-1#comment-81022 sinz54 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:35:37 +0000 http://www.frumforum.com/?p=21011#comment-81022 The problem with all these budget-balancing proposals, whether by Amendment or by a bipartisan commission, is that liberals won't accept spending cuts and conservatives won't accept tax increases. I'll bet that those conservatives on RedState.com, if given a choice between Federal deficits and a Federal budget balanced by tax increases, would prefer the former to the latter. Balanced budgets are a red herring anyway. What most conservatives really want is a smaller government with a smaller budget, not a government of huge size with a balanced budget. The problem with all these budget-balancing proposals, whether by Amendment or by a bipartisan commission, is that liberals won’t accept spending cuts and conservatives won’t accept tax increases.

I’ll bet that those conservatives on RedState.com, if given a choice between Federal deficits and a Federal budget balanced by tax increases, would prefer the former to the latter.

Balanced budgets are a red herring anyway. What most conservatives really want is a smaller government with a smaller budget, not a government of huge size with a balanced budget.

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