it's a negotiating tactic.

not sure why this is such a difficult concept to grasp...

Realistic better answer... end the fiasco in Iran, $5+ diesel is killing us. Go and be honest with the American people about the country and economy, let them know we must cut spending and work towards a balanced budget before we let the debt accelerate further. No sacred cows, we must cut across the board.

Start trading with Russia again, forget Ukraine, we need cheap oil and resources to help float the economy while govt cuts spending and Russia has them.

"Conservatives" had control of all 3 branches of govt and did nothing but accelerate spending, start new wars and adopt more central planning. Maybe the best realistic plan is to try and fox the republican party that MAGA has near ruined

I do wonder if capitalism without a bit of, for lack of a better word, nationalism, is detrimental to the host in the long term? When a nation is on top there is always someone who can do it cheaper.

your first sentence goes to prove that you have zero tolerance for pain, even if in the long run you'd be better off. you're the kind of guy who would rather pop aspirin 24/7 than see a dentist for the root canal that you need.

Your second sentence isn't realistic. name the 60 Senators that are on-board with your plan and would vote for it.



again, pain intolerance on your part. and again...name the Senators and Representatives who will vote to cut spending. there are a FEW, but not nearly enough to accomplish your desires.



simply untrue...there is a bare majority of REPUBLICANS in the House and in the Senate (FAR less than the 60 votes needed); EVEN IF they were all Conservatives. Most are NOT.

I'll give you an "E" for Effort, but your logic doesn't hold up to even a cursory examination.

If that's the case, I sure hope he's better at negotiating tariffs than he is at "negotiating" with Iran.... but it's not looking real good on either front.......

Thanks for the lesson professor, ima go pop a bottle of Advil now and get 9 hours of sleep before heading to my job as a pillow tester.

Her answer is very realistic, and would be effective, but it won't happen without a major collapse first. Because there aren't enough politicians willing to take the heat from their constituents when their programs are cut. There is no plus side for politicians in that answer. By the time the long term gain appeared, most of those voting for it would be out of office.

If we cut all the freebie programs, people would be willing to work for lower wages. Which would cut production prices, which would increase production and lower costs. But I don't see this happening short of a collapse. Tariffs are supposedly an attempt to "level the playing field" by raising costs. But are actually usually just either a threat/punishment to attempt to get other countries to do what the people implementing them want, a ploy to try and get more money for the government, an attempt to make politicians look like they are "doing something" or a combination of the three.

Neither Tariffs or social programs are capitalism. They are acts of a government controlled economy.

I know a thing or two about inflation. mad_mike and I built a remote cabin during covid, when a 1/2" sheet of CDX plywood in Juneau, Alaska's Home Depot cost $119.00 a sheet! And a 2"x12"x16' pressure treated was over $100.00 each, (and we needed plenty of both). Prior to that, as a contractor, I was paying less than $20.00 for the plywood and about $22.00 for the lumber. And I have forced from my memory what the 3/4" sanded plywood for the floor was. The increase in Beslile 330s is not even on the same planet as those increases, and those material price increases happened almost overnight.

Once O Crazy Cortex becomes president she will fix all these problems, give Iran a couple hundred billion dollars to repair their nuclear missile plants and allow Canada to put 110 percent tariff back on our goods while we lower theirs back to 0 and all will be well once again the land, might even get plywood back to 12 bucks a sheet.

I sure don’t miss those days! I seen the odd contractor trying to use buffalo board…….lol

You better hope there’s someone to vote for in the next couple years or it’s gonna get real ugly. This’ll look like a picnic……lol.
In the mean time, you got China set up 60 miles from Key West.

which makes her answer very UNREALISTIC.

Oh, I suspect a major collapse is realistic enough. It would sure be a lot easier on a heckuva lot of people if her answer would be implemented ahead of that though.

There was zero pressure or discussion from the top down about balancing the budget or reducing spending. By 2028 its likely one president will be responsible for adding over 1/3rd of the entire national debt. President "short term pain" driving inflation, growing govt and increasing the debt.

Obama doubled the debt in 8 years, took over 200 years to get 10 trillion in debt, he did 10 trillion in 8.

Biden did the inflation and tried to increase gov size, 87,000 new IRS agents ring a bell? Trump's cut the gov. workforce more than any president in my lifetime.

And increasing the debt seems to be what is going to happen no matter WHO is in office, congress likes to spend other people's money, don't see that changing.

Seems many here have amnesia.

Well "conservatives" are the majority in congress also. Trump has already outspent Obama and has 2 years. I don't think to many people on here voted for Obama assuming he was going to rein in govt and be fiscally conservative, that was never the expectation

If u agree with tariffs or not,,,,, its all about “on shoring” manufacturing

The difference today versus the past is AI and automation

The interest rates will never be meaningful high again in the future

They’ll need easy money to pay for all the ever increasing social programs

Doesn’t matter which party,,,,,or which country

If a government can just make money out of thin air,,,,,, nothing will stop the spending train

Fix the money,,,,,, fix the world

real "Conservatives" are about 15 percent of Republicans.

How about you vote in more "Conservatives"?

Donnersurvivor, you know this....mathematically whoever is in office next will be RESPONSIBLE for having CREATED the highest national debt.
That sucker is snowballing without an end in sight!