Why can't the US live within their means?

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Or balance a budget? I have to! A lot of people have to. Why can't they? They make all these speeches filled with key words and buzzwords but nothing happens. Are we doomed to just fade into oblivion?

I think the Americans should really cut their military expenditures to pre-WWI levels, so that they will have enough to meet the new challenges of the 21st century --- keeping their own citizens with a basic standard of living, with proper education and healthcare!

+1

You don't live in the U.S. You have NO say in what we need.

There the problem is... right there folks.

They dont take advice from no one, no how.

Not even from each other.

+1

Obviously you didn't know my logo is American --- the American symbol of losing!

Anyway US needs to reduce its military expenditures to just protect its own soils... Not policing the whole world.

And less regulations for the healthcare markets can reduce healthcare expenditures, because I see too many regulations there that strife innovation. So yeah these two are what Americans mainly need.

I largely agree with that, but the OP needs to understand much about how the economy really works.

A sustainable economy has to do with supply and demand. Before the introduction of credit, people basically paid cash (bought only what they had the money for) or got a loan to buy something (bought only what they could afford to pay back).

Bankruptcy was a harsh stigma. "Easy credit" didn't exist. Real money (currency backed by actual value of gold and silver) was the norm.

We went to fiat currency (as did the rest of the "civilized" world). They created credit (most all credit dealers don't have even 1/10 in real assets backing the amount they are permitted to extend. Bankruptcy has been largely negated because of how bad the economy has become.

With an insolvent dollar, outsourcing jobs, importing cheap, replaceable goods, etc. the only way the economy looks to be in good shape is by keeping the money flowing. It used to be our economic might was measured in terms of exports vs. imports. Now, we don't look to that anymore...they only talk about "consumer confidence" (or the willingness of people to spend money). The economy has technically already died, but so long as the money keeps flowing and people can keep buying stuff, the ILLUSION of prosperity lives. If people went back to spending within their means, the economy would collapse overnight, and that's part of why the house of cards is coming down now. With lots of people losing jobs, more and more consumers are out of the market...buying only needs and very few wants. As the impact grows, more people start living within their means, and the foundation for keeping the illusion of prosperity alive erodes further.

This should have happened 30 years ago. It's happening now, and the impact of the change will be more severe because of how dependent our society became on easy credit and the false illusion of prosperity from unsustainable economic policies.

As a nation, America may use more resources than other nations, but we also use them more efficiently than other nations, so it's a trade off. It's like criticizing America for being a major polluter but ignoring how much production that represents per unit versus a nation with less pollution but due to inefficiency and no environmental policy pollutes a lot more per unit of production than the USA.

Ya, its not like they are doing a good job fighting terrorism. I feel that it is more worthwhile to spend more money on security instead. It seems more effective.

Just grab a bowl of popcorn, sit back and watch them fail.

The blame lies squarely with the wreckless willingness of the Japanese and Chinese to lend money.

Without their wanton extravagance, President Bush wouldn't have been able to push deficits to the extent that he did.

Sane people don't make suggestions like telling the US to "cut their military expenditures" especially in a post 9/11 world.

I know how the economy works!! !

Actually the American symbol is a Bald Eagle. Most Americans know this. Your "logo" is from the Detroit Lions.

Try again.

Last edited by kxmode on 13 May 2010, 1:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

And the Detroit Lions are an American team, a team that apparently loses a lot.

That's funny because lions aren't native to the United States. "The American symbol of losing"? That's rich. Here's a fact. There are no symbols in the United States for losing because we don't lose. People know this that's why they hate the US.

This thread has clearly gone off the rails. If no one else is going to offer anything of actual substance outside the insane "lower your military expenditures" advice then I'm officially done with this topic.

Last edited by kxmode on 13 May 2010, 1:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.