This Week With Christiane Amanpour - Great American Debate I 12-18-2011

[DillonDee1]

We raised the taxes on the super-rich to pay for the Rev War & the War of 1812 & the Civil War & the 1st WW & the 2nd WW & the Korean War & the Vietnam War!

But we unfuckingbelievably LOWERED taxes on the super-rich during the Iraq War so they pay an income tax rate 1/2 that of the middle-class!

And Ryan wants to lower the taxes on the super-rich even more!

THIS IS INSANE!

[newdimensionfilms]

What did Barney do to his hand?

[newdimensionfilms]

I like how Christiane talks about a poll that asks do you think big government or big business is the problem in America, it almost makes you think there's a difference.

[newdimensionfilms]

Paul Ryan doesn't want less government in your life, he just wants his government in your life.

[mjgon64]

Ryan talks about too much Governmenbut what he fails to speak on is how he dumps on his district and his constituents which he had arrested for wanting to speak to him...Ryan will loose his position come November elections....

[Yayoballer]

Paul Ryan voted for medicare part D, keeps voting for these wars, and the bank bailouts, and talks like he cares about small government, what a joke.

[Yayoballer]

Frank and Reich by knockout!

[lonelytrixter]

I wonder if Will and Ryan would consider that capping the size of banks means adding more government regulation....... what they claim to be against.

[lonelytrixter]

Ryan's initial argument about growth in government spending also doesn't account that a good chunk of the so called 'record spending' in the US also comes from a huge expansion of military spending since 9/11, almost none of which Republicans seem to want to cut back on. The cost of defense spending surpasses all non discretionary domestic spending combined.

[wedgejt]

@lonelytrixter Total US 2010 domestic spending on healthcare $1.1 trillion, pensions (state, federal, etc.) $900 billion, education (state, federal, etc.) $887 billion, welfare $720 billion, interest on debts $300 million, defense $848 billion. you can parcel the stat the way you want (e.g. federal, non-discretionary only) - but the fact remains defense cuts are no where near enough. Entitlements are the heart of the problem.

[lonelytrixter]

Paul Ryan's claim of picking winners and losers is funny because his party seems to always pick the big guys (like like corporations and the rich) in almost every tax policy in the last decade. I don't simply mean opposing tax hikes in general, but when you look at where the Republicans propose tax cuts it almost always disproportionately favours those at the top.

[wedgejt]

hope people wake up to fact that history has taught us that central gov't does not work better than free markets - if it worked than SOviet Union, China, East Europe would be the best systems ever. People think they are being generous by saying gov't should offer security - but it is an impossibility. For example (as Milton Friedman argued) the US armed forces has reached its best in terms of talent and effectiveness when it became a volunteer force versus a draft. Competition works best

[Ethicalthinker]

@wedgejt The free market is shipping good jobs abroad because why would corporations pay decent wages to citizens when they can get the same job done in the Far East for a bowl or rice?

Smart people know that pure capitalism is insane!

[wedgejt]

@Ethicalthinker "smart people"? shipping jobs overseas is a net positive as it raises the standard of living for more people through the introduction of cheaper goods. Cheaper goods (less money for clothes, cars, etc.) means more money for other things (rent, medicine, etc.) Should we subsidize inefficient jobs here by making us all pay more money? What jobs/industries should we keep - how do we set wages? Planned economies have ALL failed. By gaining productivity we can keep the jobs.

[radiodj1520]

I Believe This Was A Video Clip Of ABC News' ABC This Week With Christiane Amanpour's Report On Part 1 Of Great American Debate On Sunday Morning, December 18, 2011.

[ducklamb1]

over half the auto factories closed never reopened,most that did reopen did so with many less people.auto industry isnt doing all that great,lots of those billions in tarp still being doled out.but the auto factories were only a small %of the tarp cash that went to bankers and wall st. that created no jobs at all.except maybe in other countries.