US loses top credit rating

[Mikey]

No, Tyyr's right on this one. The very definition of a deficit economy is budgeting in advance for expenditures to outweigh income.

[Deepcrush]

If people would stop fucking with the budget this wouldn't have been an issue in the first place. Though as long as China and India continue wanting American money it hardly matters.

[Graham Kennedy]

No, Tyyr's right on this one. The very definition of a deficit economy is budgeting in advance for expenditures to outweigh income.

Sure. but when you do that, you can't automatically say the problem is that your expenditure is too high. You can as easily say that your income isn't high enough.

The American people want spending cut only in a theoretical sense - they want the spending that goes to the other guy cut. But if you say, for instance, that you're going to cut the military budget in half, or abolish unemployment benefits, or abolish medicare, there would be blood in the streets.

As for the debt... I dunno, but it seems to me that the US government owes about four years worth of income in debt. That's about what I owe on my mortgage, and it doesn't seem especially excessive to me.

[Mikey]

Sure. but when you do that, you can't automatically say the problem is that your expenditure is too high. You can as easily say that your income isn't high enough.

Well of course - the one can only be measured in a practical sense against the other. I didn't say one was more relevant than the other, I said that deficit means that one exceeds the other.

The American people want spending cut only in a theoretical sense - they want the spending that goes to the other guy cut. But if you say, for instance, that you're going to cut the military budget in half, or abolish unemployment benefits, or abolish medicare, there would be blood in the streets.

That's true of any human. It's a fiscal rehash of the old "NIMB" principle. The problem is that nobody agrees on what's important enough to really do something. The right says, "Expenditures exceed income? Then let's just cut expenditures!" The left says, "Expenditures exceed income? Well, those expenditures are necessary, so let's raise income!" Then the right says, "The wealthiest 2% of Americans shouldn't be forced to shoulder a higher burden than the rest of America!" Then the left says, "You're dumb!" Then the right says, "No, you're dumb!" Then Ann Coulter says that women shouldn't be allowed to vote.

As far as blood in the streets... you'd expect it, but it hasn't happened.

As for the debt... I dunno, but it seems to me that the US government owes about four years worth of income in debt. That's about what I owe on my mortgage, and it doesn't seem especially excessive to me.

Different paradigm. As I said earlier, DTI is a completely different criterion for you when you go to obtain your mortgage then for a massive political entity.

[Graham Kennedy]

Well of course - the one can only be measured in a practical sense against the other. I didn't say one was more relevant than the other, I said that deficit means that one exceeds the other.

Indeed, but the way it's often couched is purely in terms of "High deficit means we must cut spending".

That's true of any human.

To an extent, sure.

Then Ann Coulter says that women shouldn't be allowed to vote.

If there's one thing I suspect we can agree on, it's that Ann's stated political views are stupid.

As far as blood in the streets... you'd expect it, but it hasn't happened.

Yet.

Different paradigm. As I said earlier, DTI is a completely different criterion for you when you go to obtain your mortgage then for a massive political entity.

Yes. But then, people insist on making such comparisons as "if this were a household or a business it would be bankrupt!", so I think it's valid to point out that actually, no it wouldn't, as well as pointing out that actually, it's not one so stop making the comparison.

[Mikey]

I suppose people do make that comparison. People also continue to state that J. R. "Bob" Dobbs will refund you $90 if you go to hell after being ordained in the Church of the SubGenius.

[Graham Kennedy]

They do? Cool, where do I sign up?

[Captain Seafort]

Then Ann Coulter says that women shouldn't be allowed to vote.

If there's one thing I suspect we can agree on, it's that Ann's stated political views are stupid.

You have to admit though, in this case she does provide exceptionally strong supporting evidence for her stance, albeit with a sample size of one.

[Mikey]

They do? Cool, where do I sign up?

If you were to ever find religion, GK, then the Church of the SubGenius would definitely be the one for you. Parody/satire of many - if not most - other religions is part and parcel, "slack" is one of their main tenets, and their commercial tendencies aren't sullied by any attempt to paint them as anything else. The refund is tricky, though - while they offer triple your money back if your $30 ordination doesn't provide salvation, you only get it when J. R. "Bob" Dobbs presents a $90 check to you at the gates of Hell... along with the pamphlet How to Enjoy Hell for Five Cents an Eternity which costs $89.95.

You have to admit though, in this case she does provide exceptionally strong supporting evidence for her stance, albeit with a sample size of one.

Hmm. She said "vote," not "breathe."

[Captain Seafort]

Hmm. She said "vote," not "breathe."

That too, but I submit that the original statement remains accurate as far as it goes.

[Mikey]

Again, she unfortunately said "women," not "this woman."