Debt ceiling deal reached

[Twiddly]

The problem is whatever previous promises have been made.

Take England for example, the previous goverment was heckled constantly by the opposition over the military lacking equipment in Afghanistan. Now that they're in power they're sort stuck in a hard place. They want to make cuts in the military but they made such a show and dance over it before that they don't wanna lose face by doing so

which is another reason why things never get done here in the US, not to mention elsewhere. Anyone knows that there are several strategies and things that could be done to start the healing process, but it would involve tough, hard choices, and politicians that make tough, hard choices are not around for long these days, even if it is for the greater good in the long run. There are two parts to why; electability (None of them want to lose there cushy job, and the status that comes with it) and there campaign contributors have them by the (Excuse the expression) cajones, if they go against them, bye bye money, and hello seeing all of it going to there competition! (That is how it works in the US;no clue if it is the same in England.

[Rufcat]

Raising taxes on the rich by even 3% will help our budget, but it won't solve it. Cutting our military expenditures will help, but won't solve the issue alone. What the US needs is revenue. We have pretty much NO exports. We just don't make anything anymore. We need to get away from our dependency on oil, and start producing a new form of energy - bio, H2O, etc.

The drug war is also a losing battle. The results don't justify the amount of money spent on it.

[Alraml]

It's slightly different, most politicans are born into money and prestige.

They get into top notch schools because of their parents which open doors. You don't particularly need money to get into politics here, you just need to know the right people which is one of the main problems is that there's a disconnection between them and the working man. It's power politics, they make decisions that seem intelligent and good for the economy but only if you look at it from a non-human perspective. It involves a lot of standing on people and they don't realise what impact they have on the everyday man because they have never been one.

The term "Born with a silver spoon in your mouth" rings true.

However they do lack the balls, they're already doing U-turns on their policies because it's making people unhappy which will damage their re-election

[namelessone]

US is in for a fun ride. One percent of ultra-rich wield enormous political power they use to shield themselves while the rest of the people are at each other's throats for scraps, blinded by the great idea of "land of the free".

Wait, didn't something similar happen some time during middle ages?

[Twiddly]

US is in for a fun ride. One percent of ultra-rich wield enormous political power they use to shield themselves while the rest of the people are at each other's throats for scraps, blinded by the great idea of "land of the free".

Wait, didn't something similar happen some time during middle ages?

Pretty much. except there is no new world to go to now; unless we find a way to live on mars!

[GennGreymane]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14432090

Its official. I am amazingly disappointed in my government right now. As a libertarian, i cant believe how bad the debt ceiling deal even was. It was congress who messed that up, but republicans are celebrating blaming Obama and all the GOP candidates have instead of being in horror like they should be, are screaming like hyenas to gain political points.

I was sickened to my stomach to hear people claiming to know the constitution telling Obama to propose legislation! which is not in his job as president, the president does not propose legislation. (he can however ask a member of the house to do it for him) people trying to gain political points for 2012, one predominate republican even said he number one political goal is to make sure Obama is a one term president, it seems his number one goal is so out of touch with the rest of the world its not even funny, its scary, horrific, other terms associated with a great deal of fear.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/sen-mccon...olitical-goal/

now just to gain political points for 2012 we lost our triple A credit rating.

this is not just the fault of the republicans.

the democrats should have been far more forceful, honestly the debt ceiling deal was pitiful. Democrats got their deal, republicans got almost everything they wanted, and still made sure this deal was trashed and the fault of the democrats/Obama.

[Deleted]

I still find it astounding that the US has kept raising its debt ceiling "as a matter of formality" for the best part of a century.

It's like digging straight down in Minecraft, now they went and fell into the lava.

[Jackmoves]

People dont get it in government

they need to cut the military
they need to cut welfare
they need to close corporate tax loop holes
they need to raise taxes on the upper classes and lower it on the middle class to great demand, since there is no demand right now.

I'm sure most US politicians get the problems, they are just all indebted to all these types of groups, so they can't just cut and slize stuff because they don't want to piss off the people/groups they are "indebted" to. The system with lobby groups/private companies/etc pretty much being able to buy politicians is rotten to the core.

[Jeleh]

So much for the internet economists claiming America would not lose it's triple A rating. What a mess your politicians have made just because they want to lay into each other. What a shambles.

[Deleted]

So much for the internet economists claiming America would not lose it's triple A rating. What a mess your politicians have made just because they want to lay into each other. What a shambles.

The irony is that the US government was criticizing the rating agencies for not downgrading the AAA rated assets that proved to be junk in the 2008 crisis. Now a rating agency is doing what it is supposed to do, the US government still whines.

Also, Timothy Geithner in April: