Comments for David Brooks Says That Mitt Romney and the Republicans Are Not Very Good at Arithmetic at http://www.cepr.net , comment 1 to 16 out of 16 comments http://www.cepr.net Thu, 23 May 2013 21:04:27 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16900 [b]"Money that could go to schools and innovation must now go to pensions and health care. This model, which once offered insurance from the disasters inherent in capitalism, has now become a giant machine for redistributing money from the future to the elderly. "[/b] And what pray tell are we supposed to do with the old and sick elderly? Should they all have had 401ks, which would be decimated now (are for most of us)? Were they all supposed to become "entrepreneurs" (god I hate that word) with some unnamed "others" to do the dirty work and then apparently go off and die when they in turn get old and lack retirement/insurance? What miracle, short of euthanasia does this genius propose to solve the fact that someone or something has to pay for the old and infirmed's eventual non-optional retirement? Even if one supposes that every American can make miraculous retirement investment decisions (and that some downturn won't bankrupt even those best efforts - leaving the bag to the government), how does one insure an 80 year old elder with a natural, no fault of their own, heart condition in the glorious "free market"??? Even the largest nest egg cannot cover that contingency - a contingency that hits almost every aged person in some way (face it, we're all going to get old, decrepit, and sick - even David "my poo doesn't stink" Brooks). Ah, but when you live in the world of magical asterisks, all things are possible... - Carl Weetabix Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:36:50 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16899 "He would structurally reform the health care system, moving toward a more market-based system. He would simplify the tax code. He would reverse 30 years of education policy, decentralizing power and increasing parental choice. The intention is the same, to create a model that will spark an efficiency explosion, laying the groundwork for an economic revival." He will bend steel with his bare hands. He will leap over tall buildings with a single bound. He will stop speeding locomotives. Stand back folks, you don't want to get hurt by this "efficiency explosion" elixir he's about to uncork. And just look at that dirt fly as he lays the groundwork and everything...that Mitt, he's some kinda intending wonder isn't he? - diesel Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:55:02 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16896 He certainly has to put up with so much BS. For 30 years the Republicans have been coming to the American people with the same bet. 1. Cut taxes on rich people and rules on business, and eliminate all those programs that help the lazy, good for nothing, people at the bottom (and now the middle, particularly if older than 60 - all those folks need to get back in the work force and get jobs as greeters, checkers, and stockers at Walmart!!); 2. Then ????? 3. Everything will be wonderful (except for the losers who don't deserve to make it anyway. Really, David Brooks really wants us to bet on the magic unicorn known as the Ryan/Romney budget in the 5th race hileah. - sherparick Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:44:59 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16895 Thanks! Another great column. - Jonathan Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:09:12 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16894 Great column and comments. - fuller schmidt Fri, 15 Jun 2012 10:01:12 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16893 [b]Robert Salzberg[/b] wrote, [quote] But the biggest welfare system of all is for investment banks.[/quote] Hardly. While it's not insignificant (and is also despicable), the biggest welfare system is for landowners. - liberal Fri, 15 Jun 2012 08:45:27 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16892 Nor do these redistributive societies incarcerate their citizens at anywhere near the rate of the US. - Mary Fri, 15 Jun 2012 08:39:18 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16891 First Greece, Spain, and Italy have among the least developed welfare states in Europe. I'd be interested to do some further reading on the comparative sizes of welfare states, but I'm not even sure where to start since I don't know much about this topic. Searching for something like "comparative size of welfare states" doesn't seem to produce much - I suspect I need to look for comparisons on the various components of the welfare state -- pensions, unemployment benefits, education benefits.. and what else? Maybe what I am interested in is behind a copyright paywall? Thanks in advance to any who respond! - dbc Fri, 15 Jun 2012 08:03:15 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16890 Dean, Is there a reason for you not mentioning Norway as a functioning welfare state (like Sweden and Denmark), besides the fact that it has a heavy petroleum sector contributing to huge surpluses? - Frode Fri, 15 Jun 2012 08:02:59 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16889 Baker is right again. Bobo makes no mention of the housing bubble (private sector malfuncion enabled by the absence of regulation) and the recession caused by its popping. Likewise is Spain, they had decent government budgets and even Italy had been doing better. Capital flowed into the European periphery caused a bubble which popped and wrecked their government budgets. This is absent from Bobo's narrative. - Peter K. Fri, 15 Jun 2012 06:19:41 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16888 I sense a meme coming, guys, when Brooks talks about "...redistributing money from the future to the elderly." That money that should go to "education and innovation" should be carved out of Endless War and many of our needless military bases around the world. - Bart Fri, 15 Jun 2012 02:32:51 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16887 Brooks argues that the United States is similar to Greece and he is correct in one respect. One of our greatest problems is that in both Greece and the United States citizens with the highest incomes avoid paying an appropriate share of the taxes collected by the government. In Greece, the wealthy reportedly avoid taxes by paying bribes. In the United States the wealthy reportedly avoid paying taxes by paying for the campaigns of their favorite members of Congress. Tax revenues suffer in both Greece and the United States. Romney and the Republican leaders in Congress have declared that they back this policy. Brooks should give the Republican credit for their vision of the future. - Ron Alley Fri, 15 Jun 2012 01:33:33 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16886 Brooks has not made any coherent arguments for a long time. He is delving into issues where he isn't even a light weight. He is with E. J. Dionne on NPR. I hope someone can set Brooks straight. - Daniel Fri, 15 Jun 2012 01:25:36 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16885 I meant hundreds of trillions in derivatives, not billions. We should not forget the hundred billion or so we waste every year for obsolete cold war weapon systems and another hundred billion or so in military support welfare for countries that can afford to defend themselves. - Robert Salzberg Fri, 15 Jun 2012 00:38:56 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16884     Mr. Brooks is right that the excessive portions of the welfare state should end but he fails to identify the real blood suckers that need removal.      We should end all subsidies for oil, natural gas, ethanol and sugar.      Hedge fund managers shouldn't get to pay 15% taxes on carried interest.  They should pay a new top tax rate for multi-millionaires of 50% along with payroll taxes. While we're at it, we should tax all investment income exactly the same as wages from work including payroll taxes.     New nuclear power plants shouldn't get free insurance from the federal government.    Around 2/3 of the home mortgage deduction goes to Americans that make over $100,000 a year.  The home mortgage deduction along with the capital gains exemption for selling your primary residence should be eliminated.  The net effect of the home mortgage deduction is around a 1% reduction in interest payment.  A much better policy is for the federal government to back home loans for any American that qualifies for a conforming home loan for their primary residence at whatever it costs the federal government to borrow the money.  Essentially the federal government should use it's power to borrow money cheaply to benefit the people.     But the biggest welfare system of all is for investment banks.  We currently are allowing hundreds of billions of derivative bets to be parked in federal insured banks.  Restoring Glass-Steagall would make investors shoulder the burden of their risks, not the taxpayers. - Robert Salzberg Fri, 15 Jun 2012 00:26:32 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-says-that-mitt-romney-and-the-republicans-are-not-very-good-at-arithmetic#comment-16883 I think the world owes you a public service award for fashioning such a wonderfully pointed response to stick into that gasbag of a column. - fortunarota Thu, 14 Jun 2012 23:27:57 +0100