See How It Works!
US27 - No Austerity
| Don't implement European-style austerity measures | |
|
|
|
   
|
|
Description
Government spending is essential in a time of economic crisis, and helps drive the broader economy. Cutbacks in services and public sector jobs reinforces a downward economic spiral.
Arguments
The American economy is growing, even if slowly. European economies, by contrast, are in double-digit recessions. Even if the deficit and unemployment are rising in America, in Europe the problem is much worse, with unemployment in Spain over 25% and rising fast. Absurd tax measures have been applied, with a tax on owning a house in Ireland, and in France austerity has angered the public so much the new Socialist government has now introduced a 75% top tax rate. There is no easy answer, but the social and economical consequences to ordinary people are just too much.
Counterarguments
This recession has forced families and businesses across America to make hard choices and limit their expenditures. We must now expect our elected officials to make the tough calls that will keep our government on a sustainable path moving forward. We must restrain spending across the board. Stop spending on the fiscal stimulus, transportation, energy, housing, and all other special interests.
Source: garyjohnson2012.com
Correction: Proper government spending is essential. You can spend as much as you want, but if it doesn't return anything, you've just spiraled in a circle.
Think of it as investment, you spend a little and get a greater return later. As the lacking results of the stimulus showed us, the administration did not invest properly, giving to companies that went bankrupt, building roads that did very little to the economy.
Unless there is someone who is very good at making investments leading the helm, all massive spending is going to accomplish is delaying the inevitable, and leading to obscene tax moves like the ones in Britain (taxing all wealth rather than income) and France (huge tax hikes).
0 Topics
Discussion
No comments have been submitted for this idea
Related Ideas
| Cut spending by approximately $500BN/yr in 2016 assuming robust economic recovery with 4% annual growth More detail | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Mitt’s goal will be to bring federal spending below 20% of GDP by the end of his first term More detail | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Return non-security discretionary spending to below 2008 levels More detail | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Roll back President Obama’s government expansion by capping non-security discretionary spending below 2008 levels More detail | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Government hiring should be counter-cyclical to the private sector. Hire more when unemployment is high. More detail | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| We need to re-size government and control spending at about 20% of GDP More detail | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Cut 1% of the budget for six years and then cap spending at 18% of GDP More detail | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Put all money left over from failed so-called stimulus and government bailouts toward paying down the national debt More detail | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Reduce the deficit by $3-4 trillion over 10 years with a balanced mix of spending reductions and closing tax loopholes More detail | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| We should hire 250-500k federal workers to regulate effectively and stimulate development More detail | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
