Currently at $ 18.4 TRILLION and counting.
Lets see what the candidates have to say about it; how, if elected, they will address the problem.

Chris Christie -- Entitlement and tax reform and stronger economic growth.

Lindsey Graham – Entitlement reform and balances deficit reduction with a combination of spending cuts and increased revenue.

Marco Rubio – Spending cuts and entitlement savings, as well as changes to the federal tax code to spark economic growth. He also supports a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

Donald Trump – Stop being the world’s policeman and have other countries pick up more of the cost of providing security. Another is to maximize government revenue collections.

Hillary Clinton – Has yet to address the debt in any detail. But she says she will help families by “defending and enhancing Social Security and making it easier to save for the future.”

Jim Webb – “bottom-up program reviews” in all federal agencies and would work across party lines to try to reduce the national debt.

Martin O’Malley – Help the middle class, including his “debt-free college plan.”

Lincoln Chafee – Nothing.

Ben Carson – Reduce deficit spending where possible, and has urged using tax and regulatory reform to get people to engage in entrepreneurial risk and capital investment that would spur economic growth. He also supports a balanced budget amendment.

Ted Cruz – Economic growth and reining in spending. He favors entitlement reform. And he supports a balanced budget amendment.

Mike Huckabee – Reduce spending and spur economic growth. Supports a balanced budget amendment.

Rand Paul – Entitlement reform and across-the-board spending cuts. Without specifying an overall strategy, Paul would gradually increase the Social Security retirement age – possibly to 70 – and means test benefits. He also supports a balanced budget amendment.

Rick Santorum – Economic growth should be central to any long-term debt reduction plan, and that would require tax reform, tough spending cuts and changes to the entitlement system. He also supports a presidential line item veto and a balanced budget amendment.

John Kasich – Criticizes everyone, offers no plan of his own.

Carly Fiorina – She has emphasized the importance of transparency in government spending and moving towards zero-based budgeting, but has offered few other specifics.

Rick Perry – Cap federal spending at 18 percent of GDP, passing a balanced budget constitutional amendment and eliminating the budget deficit by 2020. He would also oppose raising the debt ceiling without accompanying spending cuts and enforceable budget caps in place.

George Pataki – Overhaul entitlement programs, such as by raising the retirement age for Social Security and increasing Medicare copays.

Bobby Jindal – Cut the size of the federal government

Jeb Bush – Higher economic growth, better prioritizing of government spending and reforming the tax code. Supports means testing benefits for seniors. He, too, is open to a balanced budget amendment.

Bernie Sanders – Doesn't think the debt is a major problem, but that wealthy Americans should pay more in taxes.

And Obama? What does Obama have to say about the debt; how is he addressing it?
"We don't have an immediate crisis in terms of debt," President Obama said in an exclusive interview with George Stephanopoulos for "Good Morning America." "In fact, for the next 10 years, it's gonna be in a sustainable place."

We are well and truly fucked. Not one candidate offers anything but platitudes and age old political rhetoric.

Now, just wait for it.....................

 

What do you mean, "not one candidate......"?

Several offered suggestions to begin the fix: Cut federal spending; require zero base budgeting; enact a balanced budget amendment; restructure the tax code; presidential line item veto; entitlement reform; increase SS age; add means test to benefits.

All of these certainly trump the idea of increasing the debt limit and kicking the can down the road or as Obama wants, wait until the life support system fails to plan the patients fiscal health treatment.

 

Show me a viable candidate that has laid out a specific plan to control the debt.
Just one.
They all throw out plastic meaningless terms, like "Working families" (who the hell are those people anyway?) They talk about;
cutting federal spending.............How? Where? How much? When?
Zero based budgeting.............The hell does that mean? Not spending more than tax receipts? Which ones? Are they going to count dedicated tax receipts, like Social Security and unemployment?
A balanced budget amendment ..................... great. How? Where's your time table? What's your plan to succeed where everyone else has failed?
Restructure the tax code .................... Which parts? When? What impact does your plan project on the deficit? Who the fuck are you kidding, with your tax code fix?
Line Item Veto ........... Fine; which line items? Any? All? What's the process? when can it be overturned?
Entitlement reform ......................... Which entitlements? How will you reform them, how much will it save, whose Ox are you going to Gore first?
increase SS age .............. To what? For what groups? How much will it save? When will you get it past Congress?
Add means test to benefits............. What's the cutoff? Will benefits be totally denied, or cut, or delayed? Do I have to be in poverty to receive them? Does this include Social Security? What about unemployment? What about Social Security disability? Aid to Survivors and widows?

Until this bunch puts up their detailed plan, how when where and how much, it's just political spew; meaningless and pointless.

If I were a candidate for President my message would be;
We have three major problems in this country that must be addressed during my first administration;
1) Immigration reform; and here's my 4 part plan, why and how I believe it will work; my time schedule and my strategy.
2) The debt; and here's my 5 part plan, why and how I believe it will work, my time schedule, the impact I expect and my strategy.
3) The economy; My 4 part plan to bring manufacturing back to America, encourage investment in American innovation, and get business back to the business of business. How and when and why, the expected impact and my strategy.

Then I'd invite Americans to look at the plan, understand it, and criticize it. I'd want feedback, and I'd make the promise that I'd do everything I could to achieve the goals Americans wanted from my administration on these 3 issues.

"Working American families" my ass. You want my vote, you better get specific.

 

Thank you.

While I was reading through your list I was waiting for you to end by saying that you agree with the Republicans that we need to reduce wasteful spending and increase economic growth.

 

Plans are not something that can be cast in concrete, there are millions of variables, with over 600 players in the decision making process, you have to start with parameters. These few parameters have not been seriously discussed in decades, since Newt and Ronnie.

Balance budget amendment...critical
Zero based budget process...critical
Tax code rewrite...critical
Cut federal spending...critical
Presidential line item veto...critical

 

It is hard to pass amendments. A balanced budget amendment is like a promise to begin a diet and exercise program four months from now.

Tax code rewrite? Yeah sure. The deficit only became a problem when Ronald Reagan cut taxes for the rich.

Cut federal spending? What spending? There is little support for specific cuts. Those who advocate spending cuts overestimate the cost of programs they do not like, and underestimate the support for those programs.

Presidential line item veto? Yes indeed. Now we're talking. It angered me when Ronald Reagan and George the Lesser claimed to be innocent of their deficits. With a line item veto this would not have been possible.

 

The Safety Net: $370 Billion

The 2014 safety net (non-medical) included the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), WIC (Women, Infants, Children), Child Nutrition, Earned Income Tax Credit, Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Education & Training, and Housing. These few programs, collectively termed "welfare" by those fortunate enough to survive without them, amount to a lot less than the $1 trillion per year publicized by the conservative press.

Social Security: $863 Billion

The threat of "entitlement," in the case of Social Security, is more properly defined as an "earned benefit." Social Security is the major source of income for most of the elderly, who have paid for it. As of 2010, according to the Urban Institute, the average two-earner couple making average wages throughout their lifetimes receive less in Social Security benefits than they paid in.

Tax Avoidance: $2,200 Billion

That's $2.2 trillion in tax expenditures, tax underpayments, tax havens, and corporate nonpayment. It is estimated that two-thirds of tax breaks accrue to the top quintile of taxpayers.

Investment Gains: $5,000 Billion

That's $5 trillion dollars a year, the annual amount gained in U.S. wealth from the end of 2008 to the middle of 2014. In the six years since the recession, for every $1 of safety net costs, $10 in new wealth went to the richest 10%.

Investment income welfare for the well-to-do appears in the form of capital gains tax breaks, which mean zero taxes on deferred investment gains, and zero taxes for most of the investment gains passed along to descendants.

Most Extreme: 14 Billionaires vs. 46 Million Hungry Americans

America's 14 richest individuals made more from their investments last year than the $80 billion provided for people in need of food.

Clearly, conservative sources don't tell us the full story. They dwell on the cost of the safety net, emphasizing its accumulating total over several years, while stubbornly ignoring the real problem.

The super-rich feel they deserve all the tax breaks and the accumulation of wealth from our nation's many years of productivity.

 

First I did not write the article I posted part of it, it isn't difficult to find it on the net. And the super rich do not want to just keep what they have earned, they want to get paid to keep it too. They expect breaks in taxes, entitlements, and more that most people will never know about.

 

Doesn't matter the fuck all these liars say, i know what ever bullshit gets put into law by whatever puppet will take more away from me and will not benefit me in any way. Right now there is a study out that says working class people have taken a loss for over 40 years. The study says based on adjustment for inflation, people make less now than 40 years ago for the same jobs. Why ? Simple like i said above the bullshit these bastards spew out is how to fuck anyone making less than $50k a year out of whatever they can so they can give it to their rich buddies and lobbyists. They make it sound great because nobody really looks into what they are doing. Giant corporation and ultra rich make record profits while the working man takes home less each year for 40 consecutive years. .. The damn rich are not going to pay for shit, entitlements are on the back of blue collar workers. Fuck the government and all their evil bullshit

 

Fuck the world. Hire my next door neighbor. Hed be the best. Doesnt give a flying titry fuck about lobbys or special interests. How about electing an actual person instead of a figure bobble head who spouts salvation to a crowd of sheep. Its only going to get worse. Im sweating underneath my tinfoil hat while I finger the edge of my paring knife. I'm out of the loop really. Dont watch tv. Dont read the newspapers. Dont give two shits. Uneducated probably... but I know what shit smells like. If it smells like shit. Tastes like shit. Looks like shit. Its probably shit. Dont get me wrong. I'm sure you act surprised everytime you take a bite

 

Here is a proposal for ya. TAX ALL INCOME THE SAME.

 

The percentage of the tax revenues paid by those giant corporations and ultra rich are far higher than any other group of wage earners. The actual dollars paid into the treasury by them is also far higher than by any other group.

The problem is that we spend more than we earn, both in government and personal finances, and we readily point fingers at anyone else claiming that they don't pay enough.

In the meantime the folks who are raking in the cash are the politicians and their special interest friends, either by living off the public dole or by being given special tax relief without offsetting benefits. The average congressperson enters office after accepting tons of campaign cash from special interests, they serve a few terms pandering to those special interests, then they "retire" far wealthier than when they took office. I wrote "retire" because the average congressperson leaves office and enters a cushy job with one or more of their "friends".

Gee, I wonder where the problem is?

 

Where exactly is the problem?, and what is the first step to reducing the National fucking debt?

1) Is it too much federal fucking government spending?

2) Is it too much confiscation of personal wealth?

3) Is it too much dependency on the federal fucking government?

4) Is it the total incompetency of members of the federal fucking government and Congress?

5) Is it fraudulent campaign slogans and failed promises?

None of these potential candidates are going to do anything for addressing the National Debt, not a single one of them.

The tax code wont change, entitlement reform wont happen, economic growth will remain stagnant.

The National debt will continue to grow, the size of the federal fucking government will continue to grow, lobbyists and special interests will still control the federal fucking government, and us little people will still be bitching, complaining and moaning about the National debt.

U.S. Federal spending is at 107%

 

I love when this topic comes up because it instantly reveals those who are incapable of long term thought.

They absolutely love a "balanced budget amendment".

I guess they forgot about WWII. What happens when something like that happens? Or a major pandemic? Or a natural disaster?

 

Or more illegal immigrants that need food stamps, housing, public transportation and medical care when they are provided amnesty by POTUS.

 

I figured I'd strike a nerve and get a deflection

 

Then you enact temporary measures to sell bonds, just like they did in WWII, but the key word is "temporary".

See that wasn't so hard, was it?

Do you realize that if all of the interest incurred on the national debt was totaled in on lump figure, there would be less than 1/3 the national debt today?

 

Nah, you cant strike a nerve, I dont have any.

I cant see a deflection in my response, 178 Natural disasters from 1980 to 2014 cost about $2 billion or so a piece.

A major pandemic in this Country can often be prevented with a little personal responsibility.

Wars happen, and typically are not part of the national budget, although it will be part of the National fucking debt.

BUT. . . those entitlements. . . . that's a horse of a different color, isn't it?

 

War bonds, imagine that.