{"id":134921,"date":"2017-10-04T14:20:28","date_gmt":"2017-10-04T20:20:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/?p=134921"},"modified":"2017-10-05T08:02:19","modified_gmt":"2017-10-05T14:02:19","slug":"actually-1-5-trillion-burn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/10\/04\/actually-1-5-trillion-burn.html","title":{"rendered":"So if we actually have $1.5 Trillion to burn &#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Trump Tax Plan (as being actually written by GOPers in Congress) is being done purely as a give-away. Under the current plan going through the Senate, there are no program cuts included, just an authorization to go another $1.5T into debt over the next decade in order to give 80% of that to the most wealthy Americans in tax cuts [1].<\/p>\n<p>So if rather than bankrolling already fabulously rich people, we said, &#8220;Well, if we can afford to go $1.5T further into debt, what could we do with that money instead?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This article has some very intriguing suggestions, such as a package of &#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i>End homelessness in the United States ($20B\/yr);<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>pass Trump\u2019s original infrastructure plan ($1T); <\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>then give every single American about 90 bucks a year ($300B).<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Yeah, I like the sound of that <i>much<\/i> better than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2017\/09\/28\/us\/politics\/trump-tax-benefit.html\">helping Ivanka and Donald Jr and the other Trump kids inherit a billion dollars more by repealing the estate tax<\/a> [2], and other Donations to the Rich.<\/p>\n<p>So can we have <i>that<\/i> conversation instead?<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;&#8212;<\/p>\n<p>[1] I have no doubt that, once the tax cuts are passed, Congressional Republicans will be shocked, <i>shocked,<\/i> at how much worse the budget deficit has become, forcing them to start cutting more social safety net programs as part of some economic emergency. But, for the moment, they are trying not to appear like soulless monsters (again).<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"sm2wp\"><p><a style=\"display: inline;\" href=\"http:\/\/nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/2017\/10\/there-are-better-ways-to-spend-usd1-5-trillion-than-tax-cuts.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+nymag\/intelligencer+(Daily+Intelligencer+-+New+York+Magazine)&amp;mid=googleplus_nymag\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 650px;\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/I_8DPBC-n4-vBDDxu26rHs1xakPnzc1YJL431s7XayYnT_OgqjPwm4KGF1tBV33zSsrtoXseZ9dyjcJ1yG9lzsDMIl7VULUQoIjnHeUG0r04s_t3EhXDUff0LUgMHpqS82RznlvDPL7xycKHizOD19vO_hJGFg=w506-h910\" border=\"0\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/2017\/10\/there-are-better-ways-to-spend-usd1-5-trillion-than-tax-cuts.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+nymag\/intelligencer+(Daily+Intelligencer+-+New+York+Magazine)&amp;mid=googleplus_nymag\">There Are Better Ways to Spend $1.5 Trillion Than Tax Cuts<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/plus.google.com\/+DaveHill47\/posts\/AhsnS4NT779\">View on Google+<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Trump Tax Plan (as being actually written by GOPers in Congress) is being done purely as a give-away. Under the current plan going through the Senate, there are no program cuts included, just an authorization to go another $1.5T into debt over the next decade in order to give 80% of that to the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/10\/04\/actually-1-5-trillion-burn.html\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;So if we actually have $1.5 Trillion to burn &#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[106,374,376],"tags":[1247,1176],"class_list":["post-134921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plusposts","category-money-politics","category-taxing-spending","tag-taxcuts","tag-taxreform"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/unnamed-2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":135720,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/12\/20\/the-republican-victory.html","url_meta":{"origin":134921,"position":0},"title":"The Republican &#8220;Victory&#8221;","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 20-Dec-17 12:04pm","format":false,"excerpt":"So by running roughshod over every convention, forcing through a closed-door-written one-party budget with no hearings or even opportunity for input from the opposition, hand-waving polling that says the measure is highly unpopular, dropping any pretense of being the \"fiscally responsible' party by racking up a $1.5T debt over the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;~PlusPosts&quot;","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Paul-Ryan-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":32202,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/14\/paying-our-debts.html","url_meta":{"origin":134921,"position":1},"title":"Paying our debts","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 14-Jan-13 8:28pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Tell me again why the GOP thinks they can negotiate \"substantial spending and entitlement cuts\" in exchange for a debt ceiling raise? \u00a0_Congress already approved the spending of that money._ \u00a0If they want to cut spending and entitlements, then do so in a straightforward fashion, not by demanding give-backs.It's like\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;~PlusPosts&quot;","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28910,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/08\/13\/the-fiendishly-clever-romney-tax-plan.html","url_meta":{"origin":134921,"position":2},"title":"The Fiendishly Clever Romney Tax Plan","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 13-Aug-12 8:45am","format":false,"excerpt":"Is fiendishly clever because, aside from some platitudinous generalities, Romney refuses to discuss it. \u00a0\"Cut social programs,\" but not which ones. \"Close tax loopholes,\" but not which ones. \"Reduce taxes,\" but not which ones or by how much. So analysts are forced into guesswork -- and even there, the results\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;~PlusPosts&quot;","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38816,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/09\/26\/on-compromise-and-the-debt-ceiling.html","url_meta":{"origin":134921,"position":3},"title":"On &quot;compromise&quot; and the debt ceiling","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 26-Sep-13 11:43am","format":false,"excerpt":"What caught my eye here was that the debt ceiling \"compromise\" \u00a0the House GOP is proposing isn't even just \"We must end the EVIL OBAMACARE at all costs,\" but an amazing laundry list of GOP fantasies:'...\u00a0what Republicans want in exchange for agreeing to not default on the national debt is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;~PlusPosts&quot;","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32045,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/03\/the-debt-limit-negotiations-arent-negotiations.html","url_meta":{"origin":134921,"position":4},"title":"The Debt Limit negotiations &#8230; aren&#39;t negotiations","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 3-Jan-13 11:07pm","format":false,"excerpt":"As Greg Sargent explains, the GOP already admits that not raising the debt limit -- which allows the government to pay the bills Congress has already authorized -- that the country will be seriously damaged financially and see its credit rating dropped (again).So if they recognize that -- on what\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;~PlusPosts&quot;","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42565,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/13\/because-why-do-students-need-help-with-loans.html","url_meta":{"origin":134921,"position":5},"title":"Because why do students need help with loans?","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 13-Jun-14 10:18am","format":false,"excerpt":"I mean, if they're from really rich families, that is.Refinancing a loan is one of those no-brainers that every financial analyst (even the ones on Fox) will tell you to do if the numbers are right. Unfortunately, for federally secured student loans, students can't refi unless the laws get changed.And\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;~PlusPosts&quot;","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134921"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134936,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134921\/revisions\/134936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}