My Serious Plan based on the Eisenhower Budget Surplus

My Serious Plan based on the Eisenhower Budget Surplus (Full Version)

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betamale25 -> My Serious Plan based on the Eisenhower Budget Surplus (4/8/2011 9:56:14 PM)
President Eisenhower was the last Republican president to have a budget surplus. My theory is the GI Bill. Many of the soldiers returning from WWII used the GI Bill to go to college. Educated workers make more money. In general. those with Ph.D.'s make more than those with Masters degrees, who make more than people with Bachelors degrees, and so on... One would think the more one makes the more he or she should pay in taxes President Eisenhower embarked on a massive infrastructure project, like our Interstate highway system. There was the arms race with Russia too. America was booming and was the clear victor in WWII. While many countries had to contend with rebuilding cities and infrastructure, our cities were undamaged. This created many jobs for highly skilled, trained, and educated worker. Perhaps Eisenhower's budget surplus was to do to highly educated high wage earners paying taxes. Taxes suck, they are the bane of civilization. One of the Apostles was a Jew who worked for the Romans as a tax collector. Guess what, just about everyone hated him. He might not have been sure his mother liked him. Taxes pay for all the things that make a civilization function. Taxes are not evil. Taxes pay for the military, government services like processing social security checks and mortgage applications. The more money the government has the more it can spend on infrastructure. Eisenhower's infrastructure project was predicted to last 50 years, before it would need to be upgraded. Guess what, it is 50 years later and our infrastructure is crumbling. According to a history channel show I watched we need 2 trillion dollars to bring our infrastructure up to the 21st century. Almost our entire electrical grid needs to be replaced. According to this show we the U.S. is going to fall back to second or third world infrastructure, unless the money is spent. What if every child in America had the opportunity for inexpensive quality university education. That would create many high earners paying taxes. I saw a stat the other day, 47% of Americans pay nothing in Federal income tax. What if that number was 5%? The IRS would take in a great deal in taxes. This is not a left, right, or center thing. There are levees all over the country in poor shape. There is a levy in northern California that is a serious problem. A 4.9 earthquake would bring down the levee. This would pull in millions of gallons of sea water. After the Third Punic war the Romans were so pissed they salted the soil of Carthage, so nothing would grow there. There are lots of earthquakes in California. Sooner or later that levy will be hit. If we wish to grow ourselves out of this deficit problem we need to take in more in taxes and spend more on infrastructure. America should go it alone to Mars no matter the cost. America is lacking in world prestige right now for many reasons, none of which I will address. Let's give the rest of the world the giant middle finger restore our infrastructure and go back to being an industrial giant. Then go to Mars and give China a giant middle finger. Then say to China “Top that motherfuckers.” If my Eisenhower theory is correct, would it not be wise for the U.S. government to get as many college graduates and unemployed adults into college as possible? What better way to cut the deficit? I want those 47% not paying taxes paying taxes, and making a livable wage with a college degree. America's growth was fueled by the GI Bill, and high wage earners paying taxes. I don't care what needs to be cut to do this. There, that is my plan.

DarkSteven -> RE: My Serious Plan based on the Eisenhower Budget Surplus (4/8/2011 10:24:31 PM)
All over the place, fella. One thing you forgot to mention is that a portion of the postwar boom was created by selling manufacturing capability overseas. While I am not against what we did, it created a short term benefit that was a long term issue.

fmfclwu -> RE: My Serious Plan based on the Eisenhower Budget Surplus (4/8/2011 10:49:36 PM)
Also not mentioned is that the top tax rates went up briefly to 94%, and in the alternate universe that us non-conservatives call reality, this didn't grind our economy to a screeching halt. The top rate was eventually lowered to 70%. This was the top marginal rate until Reagan cut it to 28%. Completely coincidentally (according to conservatives), the national debt shrank relative to GDP from the end of WWII until the Reagan tax cut, and has risen ever since, except for a brief time under President Clinton. In all seriousness, the biggest driver of our long term debt is healthcare. As long as we insist on trying to use the free market to bring down costs for a product with nearly perfectly inelastic demand, we will continue to be near the bottom of the world in controlling healthcare costs. (Currently we edge out East Timor for 2nd to last in the WORLD [not the developed world, the entire world] at keeping down the amount of GDP dedicated to healthcare.) Ryan's plan to throw up his hands and say "not the government's problem anymore" might help our national debt, but throwing that cost onto an economy already burdened with enormous private debts certainly isn't going to get things growing again. [image]local://upfiles/603355/943AF79FAF444BE984C853237041506C.jpg[/image]

slvemike4u -> RE: My Serious Plan based on the Eisenhower Budget Surplus (4/8/2011 10:53:30 PM)
Some of those caricatures simply suck [:D]

Fellow -> RE: My Serious Plan based on the Eisenhower Budget Surplus (4/8/2011 11:50:36 PM)
What plan? The US economy is doing very well. It is listed as the World's top manufacturer. Whopping 90% of workers have jobs. Just keep it on course. Americans are over-achievers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Even Canada gets a little benefit. Aerospace company Bombardier business jet orders are up many times compared to 2010. Who needs highways, there is much less friction in the air. Latest news: Bombardier Inc. said Tuesday it has received a $255-million U.S. firm order for six large business jets, three Challengers and three Globals. Some people just always complain.

joether -> RE: My Serious Plan based on the Eisenhower Budget Surplus (4/10/2011 2:02:53 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: betamale25 President Eisenhower was the last Republican president to have a budget surplus. My theory is the GI Bill. Many of the soldiers returning from WWII used the GI Bill to go to college. Educated workers make more money. In general. those with Ph.D.'s make more than those with Masters degrees, who make more than people with Bachelors degrees, and so on... One would think the more one makes the more he or she should pay in taxes This has so many factually wrong concepts, it isn't funny. Bill Clinton, Democrat, was the last US President to have a budget surplus. The US Debt was at $2 Trillion at the end of his presidency, with a projection of totaly elmination by 2002. So how did the US Debt rise from $2 Trillion in 2000, to just over $11 Trillion in 2008? Many soldiers used the G.I. Bill for a number of things, not just to get an education. They purchased homes, paid debts, travelled, and even started businesses. Education does not always equate a higher income. There are plenty of English, History, and Liberal Arts degree holders that have perfected the saying "Want fries with that?". At each education level, the cost of that education is much higher, then the level before it. Even if the person makes more money, they have more debts to pay off. Some multi-millionaires, and even billionaires, do not even have a Bachelors degree! One gets an education for a variety of reasons, and can make use of that education in a variety of methods. To say we should tax Ph.D holders more then the high school drop out, is laughable. The more one makes, the less they actually pay in taxes. Your thinking the literal meaning, and I'm thinking 'the business world' of taxes. 5% in taxes hits the poor and middle class far harder then the upper class. Very wealthy people can and do find ways around taxes. Likewise, the behavior of money is different, for different people. If your REALLY curious about this, why not try a book called "The Millionaire Next Door". I could go on, with the rest of your post, but try to think on what I've said here. You want more people to pay taxes: 1) Give the unemployed a real job, not a 'Wal-Mart' job. 2) Present a social behavior plan that emphasis building wealth, not the scramble to be rich. 3) Fix the IRS loopholes, the corporate giveways, and promote domestic trade. 4) Remove the Bush era tax cuts. 5) Better regulations and inspectors. There are perhaps many more ways, but these ideas will generate more taxes for the country, while increasing the economy, and in the long run it will lower the degree/effect of recessions.

Termyn8or -> RE: My Serious Plan based on the Eisenhower Budget Surplus (4/10/2011 3:11:57 AM)
This is to the title ONLY. DDE did not have a surplus - EVER. Get that through your head. If he managed to make the dumbasses in congress to spend less than what they took in, good, but it was never a surplus. It has not been a surplus since around the time of the civil fucking war. Any fucking calculator can tell you that. You don't even need to use the Fn key, if you have a working brain. These surpluses they sell you on TV are nothng but less deficits, nothing more. Understand ? You want things to get better ? Stop cheering when they print more dollars and hope for the day when they will sequester or destroy dollars. BY CHOICE. Get it got it good. T^T Geez.

rulemylife -> RE: My Serious Plan based on the Eisenhower Budget Surplus (4/10/2011 9:37:24 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Termyn8or This is to the title ONLY. DDE did not have a surplus - EVER. Get that through your head. If he managed to make the dumbasses in congress to spend less than what they took in, good, but it was never a surplus. It has not been a surplus since around the time of the civil fucking war. Any fucking calculator can tell you that. You don't even need to use the Fn key, if you have a working brain. These surpluses they sell you on TV are nothng but less deficits, nothing more. Understand ? You want things to get better ? Stop cheering when they print more dollars and hope for the day when they will sequester or destroy dollars. BY CHOICE. Get it got it good. T^T Geez. No, you don't understand. You are confusing deficit with debt.

rulemylife -> RE: My Serious Plan based on the Eisenhower Budget Surplus (4/10/2011 9:43:58 AM)
You neglect to take into consideration that the top marginal tax rates were above 90% during the Eisenhower years, and 35% now. Although I do agree with your arguments about education. Historical Top Tax Rate

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