David Patterson shows some guts

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE5AN4V720091124

The fellow's got little to lose as he's almost sure to be primaried out of office in the Fall. But I do admire that someone has the guts to stand up and say "Enough irresponsibility. We need to balance the budget and we need to do it NOW! No matter how tough it may be."

Now, if only he could teach the President a thing or two.

I don't think the budget should be balanced at all times. In times of a severe crisis, having a budget deficit is probably a wise thing to do. However, I think that it should be about 5% of GDP at max.

Obama should pull out of Afghanistan immediately and raise taxes.

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
I don't think the budget should be balanced at all times. In times of a severe crisis, having a budget deficit is probably a wise thing to do. However, I think that it should be about 5% of GDP at max.

Obama should pull out of Afghanistan immediately and raise taxes.

=== pull out of Afghanistan immediately===

True; but a drop in the bucket when it comes to the federal budget


===raise taxes===

raising taxes alone isn't gonna cut it, unless he raises them to levels you want; which will never happen. A combination of spending cuts and some smart tax hikes that don't kill the economy are necessary.

Remember though, states can't print money. They have to balance their budgets eventually or go bankrupt.

Originally posted by sh76
A combination of spending cuts and some smart tax hikes that don't kill the economy are necessary.

if you did a poll, what percentage of GOP members would agree that there is such a thing as a "smart" tax hike? (a similar poll could be conducted regarding Dems and spending cuts)

Originally posted by Melanerpes
if you did a poll, what percentage of GOP members would agree that there is such a thing as a "smart" tax hike? (a similar poll could be conducted regarding Dems and spending cuts)

As a sound bite, "always cut taxes" sounds good. But, unless you believe that there should be no government, there has to, by definition, come some point at which some tax hikes are a good idea. If most GOP members were asked that question in a fair manner, rather than just asking for a yes or no answer to a soundbite, they'd give the same response.

Originally posted by sh76
As a sound bite, "always cut taxes" sounds good. But, unless you believe that there should be no government, there has to, by definition, come some point at which some tax hikes are a good idea. If most GOP members were asked that question in a fair manner, rather than just asking for a yes or no answer to a soundbite, they'd give the same response.

Most GOP members would find a way to dodge the question, no matter how fairly you asked it. There may be a courageous few willing to go on public record as theoretically supporting tax hikes. But ask them to specifically tell you when tax hikes would be appropriate, and they too would display their well-rehearsed dodge-ball skills.