Granted David Ignatius is even more of an idiot about economic matters than most Villagers, but Matt Yglesias (via Atrios) poses a very good question:
We have in this country one political party that doesn’t care at all about the budget deficit. And we have another political party that gets crapped on by the establishment every time it attempts to deal with deficits. Under the circumstances, how long can it possibly be until we have two parties that evince Bush/Reagan-esque levels of concern for the deficit?
Violet
The establishment will only care when it affects them – if inflation is rampant or China calls in debts or something. Then the deficit will be The Most Important Issue EVAH. Until then…snooze.
dmsilev
Based on past performance, The Village cares about deficits when it comes to things like proposals to gut Social Security or Medicare. Then deficit reduction is Really Important.
-dms
IndieTarheel
Only important when a member of the Democratic Party resides in the Oval Office, and only then until something bigger, noisier, and more panic-inducing comes along.
smiley
Reagan proved deficits don’t matter.
MikeJ
Actually inflation is the easiest way to reduce the national debt.
Mark S.
What’s incredibly frustrating is that our deficit problem would be non-existent if we passed serious health care reform (and not the crap we probably will end up passing). This graph (scroll past the concern troll Greenspan quotes) shows we’d have a pretty hefty surplus if we adopted a British or Canadian system.
None of this is ever reported by the Village.
Mike Kay
Damn Liberal media bias!
lonelypedestrian
They get crapped on for trying to do something because that something includes raising taxes. If they stuck to just slashing social spending then they would be praised as responsible stewards of the national government.
Also it would really help if they got one of those Saint Ronnie Cold War Commando decoder rings. I hear that when used with a copy of “Slouching to Gommorah” they make it possible to pay for weapon systems, useless bases, and foreign wars of choice with monopoly money.
Comrade Jake
It’s hard to take either party seriously until one of them actually decides to reduce the defense budget and makes it happen.
Mike Kay
why won’t alan greenspan die? Alan, you’re 84, it’s time to go. shall we bury you next to ayn rand or Ronnie or at crawford ranch?
Corner Stone
@Comrade Jake:
oh wow. You are blowin’ my mind.
Corner Stone
@Mike Kay: I agree. Personally, I want my shot with Andrea. She’s been fellating TPTB for so long I figure it would be pretty awesome.
c u n d gulag
How long?
Watch tomorrow’s Sunday mornings version of “Monster Horror Chiller Pundit Theater” on the networks.
Or watch replays of Nelson, Landriu, LIEberdick, et al., over the last few weeks.
Deficits don’t matter under Republicans. Only Democrats. What’s a few trillion on needless war and occupations, the expansion of the military industrial complex, no-bid contracts for cronies, and tax-cut’s. PEANUTS!
You wanna spend how much on healty care? Hold on, BOY! Hold your horses. That there shit is waaaaaay too expensive, no matter how much you tell me it’ll actually cost less.
Deficit’s matter! And so do the way we get them. Your way is to help some people. And that’s just not good enough.
Porco Rosso
Responsibility is for the little people.
WyldPiratd
If the tax rate were cut to zero, all of America’s problems would be solved, because the wealth would trickle down to the proles and their economic lot would improve.
Plus, rich folks would take care of social needs of the few poor folks whose boat was not lifted by the trickle down of wealth due to the cessation of taxation. The rich folks would donate to charities and everyone would have a pony as well as the world’s bestestest healthcare. The latter can only happen when unions are crushed, however.
Miriam
This is totally OT but there isn’t an open thread running right now so I’m going to put this out there anyway.
I’m in a really big quandry right now.
I live in Minneapolis, and for the last 2 weeks I’ve been visiting the pound looking for a new dog.
Two days ago I went to the Burnsville pound and met a 3 year old male springer/lab mix that I liked a lot. I wasn’t sure though so I left and went to the Golden Valley Humane Society and ended up picking up a 6 month old lab puppy.
The problem is that I can’t stop thinking about the springer/lab.
I can’t have two dogs.
I haven’t really bonded with the puppy yet, but she has really bonded with me – basically won’t let me out of her sight.
I am thinking about surrendering the puppy and going to get the springer/lab.
There are all sorts of details about the puppy that are maybe relevant, maybe not. She barkes and growls at my husband when he comes in the door and doesn’t want him to take her for walks. She gets used to him after awhile so I’m not concerned that that is a permanent problem, but it does hurt his feelings. And then there are the normal puppy things that don’t really bother me but are still irritating like she is chewing everything, isn’t totally potty trained, is scared of the car, and chases the cat.
So am I a terrible person for thinking about surrendering this dog? I’m sure I will bond with her if I keep her. But would I be making a huge mistake to let the springer/lab go?
PaulW
If both parties decide to become deficit-lovers, I guarantee you a third party that doesn’t answer to the Fox-led MSM is gonna win 80 percent of the popular vote.
arguingwithsignposts
@Miriam:
Wow, that’s a tough call – solomonic, in fact. There might be a bit of “buyer’s remorse” in play here, too.
I have to admit that after I got smudge, I thought I might be allergic to her (watery eyes) and thought about taking her back, but it wasn’t realistic (and the eye thing was also due to contacts). I’d say stick with the puppy you chose. It’s a commitment.
Malron
I think Obama’s biggest mistake since taking office was refusing to support Pelosi’s desire to roll back the Bush tax cuts immediately after he was sworn in. Instead, we have to listen to the GOP pretend to care about deficits for another year and hope they don’t win enough seats in the 2010 elections to make the cuts permanent before they expire in 2011.
Sly
@Violet:
The establishment only cares about the deficit when they’re not getting the money.
And as a side note, China has about as much interest in “calling in debts” as a person would in sawing off their own head. It would be economic suicide, given that they’re entire economy is fueled by our interest payments. Anyone in the “establishment” worried about that should have their membership card torn up.
Linkmeister
Dave Johnson had some thoughts about that proposed deficit commission (via Brad DeLong). He has some rather stark charts and graphs (but only in 2-D, so I don’t know if there are circles and arrows on the back of each one explaining what each one is).
SenyorDave
I’m hoping Obama uses SOTU to address the deficit and getting back to fiscal responsibility, making sure that he specifically refernces the Clinton era when we actually paid our bills with tax revenues.
Unfortunately the average American is about as sharp as McCain/Palin when it comes to finances.
I still think he needs to give it a try. Let the GOP tell the American people what they would cut, since they will never raise taxes.
mvr
Keep the puppy you have. The one you don’t may also growl at your husband, etc.
And as for deficits and responsibility, Thomas Frank’s The Wrecking Crew is a good read about the Republican strategy.
Anne Laurie
@Miriam:
It’s a lot easier to re-home a puppy than a 3-year-old dog — so, if your husband is on board with the switch, I’d say do it. But first check to make sure that the springer/lab is still available, and that the shelter that’s holding him won’t penalize you as ‘too impulsive’.
Better to repent now, while the puppy is still young & adaptable, than to spend the next decade-plus regretting your choice. And I say this as someone living with three rescue dogs, two of whom were… not well-thought-out decisions.
Jenn
@Miriam:
Hi Miriam, wow, that’s a tough decision, isn’t it!? I would say, though, that since you’ll be living with this decision for about 10 years, that it makes a lot of sense to feel sure that you made the right one for you. Would you be able to handle 2 dogs for a short period of time? I’m just wondering if it would be possible to bring the springer/lab cross home, and make sure that he would fit into your life, before surrendering the pup. Best of luck, making the decision.
Anne Laurie
@Malron:
Maybe not the biggest mistake, but I’d put it in the Top Ten. Or even the Top Five, depending on whether the Justice Department can make a strong enough start on cleaning out the corrupt remnants of the Cheney Regency before 2012.
arguingwithsignposts
@Jenn: @Anne Laurie:
Good advice all around. I’m thinking there’s no right answer here. Either way, a dog gets a home, and that’s a good thing.
Miriam
@Anne Laurie: Well, I’ll be out $360 if I take back the puppy plus spend another $150 for the springer/lab. It will be tough to afford this but if I amortize that over 10 years, it really isn’t the significant factor.
arguingwithsignposts
@Miriam:
I hate to keep coming back to the buyer’s remorse angle, but … how long have you had the puppy? Are you sure buyer’s remorse isn’t involved? Or did you really bond with the springer/lab? Are the hardships of a puppy making you look at the springer/lab in a better light? (btw, I hate the term “buyer’s remorse” related to pets, but it’s all I’ve got)
Again, no good answers to this one. best of luck.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
mildly O/T, but Fallows has a new column up worth reading ( Krugman, protectionism, and the RMB). He speculates that there are structural similarities between what we did with Smoot-Hawley and what the Chinese are doing now. Not good.
Julia Grey
They get crapped on for trying to do something because that something includes raising taxes. If they stuck to just slashing social spending then they would be praised as responsible stewards of the national government.
No, being Democrats they’d never be praised for ANYTHING. Ever.
The jerks would find a way to make the proposed cuts to social spending into a major fault. Hey, wait…they already did that. “MEDICARE CUTS! MEDICARE CUTS!”
Can’t ever win this game. Why do we try?
Anne Laurie
@Miriam:
Very true. To look at it from another angle, try visualizing how you’ll feel dropping the puppy off at the shelter — will you be relieved, or overwhelmed by what-kind-of-a-lousy-person, what-am-I-doing panic?
Further, I’m assuming you’ve talked this over with your husband; will he be able to let the puppy go (even when she’s not that fond of him), or will he obsess forever over whether a good person would have stuck it out?
Of course there’s still the possibility that someone else has snapped up your “perfect” springer/lab already… which would be one solution to the dilemma!
Miriam
@arguingwithsignposts: I’ve had the puppy for two days. In terms of ‘buyers remorse’ – that is what I am worried I am having which is not a good reason to surrender a dog. Having a puppy is certainly more effort and responsibility than having a three year old dog (because so much of a puppy’s personality is dependant on good care and training in the first year. It is easy to screw up and end up with permanent behavior problems) and I’m aware that that might be influencing me as well. This is why I’m asking for advice.
Alex S.
Inflation is not desired because it hurts big assets more than small ones. Inflation diminishes class differences. As long as Washington is controlled by the interests of the financial sector inflation will be rejected.
Violet
@Miriam:
Are you certain you can’t have two dogs? Dogs oftentimes like having doggy companions and playmates.
If for sure you can’t have two, then check to see if the lab/springer mix is still there and visit one more time just to be sure that’s what you want.
A lab puppy should have a reasonably good chance of being adopted, I’d think. More so than an older dog. So if you return the puppy, it should find a new home.
Maybe take your husband along to check out the lab/springer mix, just to be sure.
Good luck. That’s a tough choice.
WereBear
@Miriam: I would ask myself what made you pass on the adult dog in the first place, despite the pull you felt.
In any case, you have to push aside all “practical” considerations. Imagine yourself opening the door of your place… who do you want to greet you?
And, by the way, why not have 2 dogs? I’ve found that having a calm, older, dog to model proper behavior can help immensely with puppy training.
You mention how important that first year is, and training the puppy right. Is that why you passed up the “used” dog? This is a major factor in the difficulty in placing adult pets; everyone has this nagging feeling of inheriting someone else’s problems.
When in fact dogs land in the shelter due to the human’s problems far more than their own. It seems to me that you do not feel quite comfortable with the puppy; and puppies have a good shot at rehoming, as pointed out above.
All the hassles of a puppy are NOTHING when we adore our puppy. I suspect that is not the case here.
Mike Kay
@Malron:
a) this is bad politics. when clinton raised taxes, it involved a knock down fight that only passed by one vote in the house and tied in the senate (gore broke the tie).
b) the republicans can’t make the tax cuts permanent unless they are revenue neutral. That’s why they weren’t permanent when they were passed. That’s why they were never made permanent even when they had 55 senators after the 2004 election. Since reagan, republicans have never paid for their tax cut schemes.
c) the tax cuts of 2001 have a ten year limitation (2001 – 2010) because, once again, they were not revenue neutral, and thus, they sunset at the end of this year (2010).
satby
@Miriam: Miriam:
Everyone’s given you good advice, WereBear especially. Pounds often don’t keep adult dogs for long, so make sure the one you liked was still there before surrendering your pup. At 6 months, he’s not a tiny cute little pup anymore, he’s almost a terrible teen pup, so some of what you’re dealing with he’ll grow out of; but since he’s getting older too you have to make a decision soon. He could probably be rehomed, but it’s not guaranteed; and you may want to consider that too.
Even older dogs are retrainable, and older dogs do help train younger ones. But most rescues would rather work with you to be sure the dog is a good fit for your family.