ivan Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 cool link - what strategy did you use? thoughts on this game? was thinking i might have my students see what they could learn from it. wonder how reliable the projected savings for each are. my solution was 33% from tax hikes, 67% cuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Funny; I was 36%/64% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crux Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Get out of the Bush wars and roll back the Reagan tax cuts: Fiscal problems solved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 rising health care cost will break the bank too. Single payer is in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 either of you play the actual game? your resulting solution? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattp Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I played it. I balanced the budget. I'm not sure how I did it but I did select a bunch of options including maintaining prior tax levels on the rich, cutting military staffing to a prior benchmark, cutting Iraq and Iran invovement, and raising social security to age 68 (note on the latter I am not at all sure if social security is insolvent as presently funded). I might have selected a cut to health care, but not much. My take away? We can balance the budget if we are willing to cut military spending and maybe some of the entitlements as well. But if we simply erase the Bush tax cuts to the rich who don't need them and adopt a sensible foreign policy, we have no problem with the deficit, regardeless of whether we revisit wellfare policy or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I couldn't balance that budget, but it's likely because it included many catfood commission talking points. Anyway, the issue is less to balance the budget today, than to stop the stupid bleeding (wars, tax cuts for the wealthy,tax evasion by corporations, gift to pharmaceutical industry, etc ...) and get the economy going based on fair trade, rebuilding sustainable infrastructure, cutting out waste, etc .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Larry Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 (edited) Sure , make the fuckers that stole all the money give it back and let all the non-violent criminals out, kick all the war factories in the balls. How many more people besides Madoff stole, lets just say maybe 10, although it was probably a lot more. In Prison Interview, Madoff Says Banks ‘Had to Know’ MR. Madoff: He did not assert that any specific bank or fund knew about or was an accomplice in his Ponzi scheme, which lasted at least 16 years and consumed about $20 billion in lost cash and almost $65 billion in paper wealth. Rather, he cited a failure to conduct normal scrutiny. So that adds up to $650 billion paper and $200 billion cash=balanced budget. Oh, we couldn't even think of getting it back and sending anyone to jail; why the fuck not? Well, there so nice and respectable, honest bankers and investors with families even. Missed one: fire all the politicians and hire civil servants that 'want to serve' on a stipend with full medical for life. Edited February 18, 2011 by Lucky Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitrox Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 100% Highspeed Trains Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I wish I had a high-speed train from my house to the deli down the street. It's uphill! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Most people don't think balancing the budget is priority number #1. People first say they want jobs and balancing the budget the conservatives way (includes Obama) is a "job killer". Why is the corporate media trying to get us to buy the frame put forth by the catfood commission (Obama's commission) that budget has to be balanced now by cutting essential social programs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvashtarkatena Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Unemployment is the biggest issue right now, as it should be. Cuts that result in substantial job losses should be reconsidered. It seems as though cuts in military spending and reductions of entitlement program benefits might be the way to go to preserve as much employment as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 benefits get spent almost entirely, and there is little economic stimulus with greater return on investment. Much greater return than tax cuts to the wealthy for sure. I say we cut out the obvious (wars, pork, insurance middlemen, ..), and tax those who aren't taxed enough. The rest should take care of itself when the economy rebounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvashtarkatena Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I balanced it. Slashed the military and ended tax cuts for the rich, mainly. Not hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crux Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 either of you play the actual game? your resulting solution? Games are fun, and, yes, I played this one. (My results varied from yours, but were no less confined to the corporate box.) Anyway, for your critical thinking pleasure, here's another game published by the New York Times, very popular around eight years ago: How would you deal with the threat from terrorists? Choose one: [1] Bomb and invade Iraq [2] See mushroom clouds over American cities Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prole Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I like how bond traders and ratings agencies have essentially taken our Republic hostage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 I like how bond traders have essentially taken our Republic hostage. this was the opinion of more than a few confederate soldiers in the War of Northern Aggression Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 either of you play the actual game? your resulting solution? Games are fun, and, yes, I played this one. (My results varied from yours, but were no less confined to the corporate box.) Anyway, for your critical thinking pleasure, here's another game published by the New York Times, very popular around eight years ago: How would you deal with the threat from terrorists? Choose one: [1] Bomb and invade Iraq [2] See mushroom clouds over American cities the current game at least appears to have a few more moving parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prole Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Oh well, as the run-up to the financial crisis showed they have American's best interests in mind... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Balanced, 35% Taxes, 65% Spending Cuts. Am I a conservative now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvashtarkatena Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Mine's about the same. I started out with the opposite, but then decided to cap Medicare growth to GDP+1%. Huge difference. Evil, but I felt it had to be done. Besides, those blue hairs just get in the way, especially on I 5. I figure I can eventually pick up a cheap Crown Vic out of the deal. The rest is tax da playuhs and trim the military. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-spotter Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Long-term deficit spending without offsetting balancing surpluses is as much of an environmental crisis as is use of non-renewable fuel or fossil water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 LIKE A BOSS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 [video:youtube]BLDJ_5Woep4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 [video:youtube]v=_sxS00qgNeo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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