When will the US have telethons ?
IIRC, there was movie about that in the 70s.
Donate to the Treasury to help pay down the $36.7T public debt
21–30 of 78 posts
Re: Donate to the Treasury to help pay down the $36.7T public debt
#22There is a US Treasury API endpoint [1] to see how much money actually comes in. 1. https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/datasets/gift-contributions-...
We need an API to block the government from spending more money. It seems like voting for "fiscal conservatives" results in bigger spending.
I wonder if any countries have laws holding politicians to stick to their campaign promises.
Re: Donate to the Treasury to help pay down the $36.7T public debt
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
We need an API to block the government from spending more money. It seems like voting for "fiscal conservatives" results in bigger spending.
Why should the we accept the continued downfall of public institutions, which is the ultimate consequence of austerity? The public infratructure shrinks, while the rich get richer, partially from paid bond interesets. And you would just sit there and think, "yea, thats the way"? Do you really think spending and not taxation is the problem? Eg. spending less on education leads to less gullable people, voting for harmf…
>Why should the we accept the continued downfall of public institutions
A government spending less money does not equate to spending less money on public institutions. It can even mean spending more money on public institutions, assuming less money is spent on other things, such as unproductive wealth transfers.
Re: Donate to the Treasury to help pay down the $36.7T public debt
#24Only $29T is actual meaningful debt. $7.4T is intergovernmental holdings. It's just accounting where one part of the government owes to another. Best way to reduce debt/GDP ratio is just support politics and policies where debt grows slower than economy grows.
Phew, and I thought we were in trouble. Glad it's only $29T
Or about 7x Nvidia's market cap.
Re: Donate to the Treasury to help pay down the $36.7T public debt
#25Trickle up economics, what a joke.
I kind of want to donate $0.01, but I think that'll either get me on a list or will have some kind of bug that drains my account. edit: the minimum the form accepts is $5
I tried to donate -$15. It didn't complain about it being a negative number, just that it was lower than the minimum.
Re: Donate to the Treasury to help pay down the $36.7T public debt
#26Only $29T is actual meaningful debt. $7.4T is intergovernmental holdings. It's just accounting where one part of the government owes to another. Best way to reduce debt/GDP ratio is just support politics and policies where debt grows slower than economy grows.
The intergovernmental holdings are accounting placeholders representing the Congressional raid on past Social Security surpluses. It's absolutely meaningful because those obligations are coming due as the program runs increasingly in the red. As legal obligations, they aren't binding the way public debt is, but current Social Security retirees have been promised these funds, and the government is already borrowing more from capital markets to meet these obligations. The current pace is $4.1 trillion in new borrowing by 2033 according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Basically the intergovernmental holdings are getting converted to more public debt.
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/trsum/
https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/social-security-trust-f...
Re: Donate to the Treasury to help pay down the $36.7T public debt
#27Why? Until congress is willing to pass a balanced budget this is just lightning your own money on fire.
It isn't uncommon to come across a polemic opining for increased taxation. Frequently the rhetoric will fit a common pattern, "I'm a [insert high status or high income descriptor] and here's my spicy contrarian take: We should all be paying so much more!"
While these people might still support the ideals of coercive taxation as a distinct issue, they might also pursue the voluntary route. If they truly value the government's services to the extent that they describe, it would seem like a win-win for them to volunteer their own wealth.
The fact that they do not suggests that there is a low degree of confidence in government spending. The value received per dollar spent may be perceived as a poor return on investment. This often stands in direct contrast to the stated case for increased taxation. It speaks to the merits of the well known Economic Calculation Problem, which axiomatically explains why the state is unable to optimally allocate resources.
Re: Donate to the Treasury to help pay down the $36.7T public debt
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
We need an API to block the government from spending more money. It seems like voting for "fiscal conservatives" results in bigger spending.
I wonder if any countries have laws holding politicians to stick to their campaign promises.
Don't know about laws, especially since politicians can change those, but there are tools.
Common items used in woodworking and agriculture can be very useful: carving knives, axes, pitchforks and branding irons. Generally a big group of people holding their tools of trade in front of the palace/parliament/penthouse has been a pretty effective approach over the millennia.
Re: Donate to the Treasury to help pay down the $36.7T public debt
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why should the we accept the continued downfall of public institutions, which is the ultimate consequence of austerity? The public infratructure shrinks, while the rich get richer, partially from paid bond interesets. And you would just sit there and think, "yea, thats the way"? Do you really think spending and not taxation is the problem? Eg. spending less on education leads to less gullable people, voting for harmf…
>Why should the we accept the continued downfall of public institutions A government spending less money does not equate to spending less money on public institutions. It can even mean spending more money on public institutions, assuming less money is spent on other things, such as unproductive wealth transfers.
> as unproductive wealth transfers.
Do you mean progressive taxation here, or something else?
Re: Donate to the Treasury to help pay down the $36.7T public debt
#30I donate to Treasury and collect 4% interests rate