Progressives made the perfect the enemy of the good. Now poor children are going to bed hungry.
It’s hard to know why things shake out in Congress the way they do. Why hasn’t there been agreement on a climate bill? Why hasn’t a compromise been reached on a child tax credit? Why not better preparation for the next pandemic, or even for the next wave of this pandemic? From the outside it’s hard to say, but I am inclined to think that Schumer and Biden both bear considerable responsibility for these failures.
A deeply disturbing article by Rachel Cohen in Vox about the failure to enact a child tax credit suggests that progressives – both in Congress and in advocacy organizations – bear considerable responsibility for the failure as well.
Among CTC advocates both outside and within Congress, there’s a quiet, almost paralyzing crisis playing out these days behind the scenes: Should they keep pushing for an expansion that meets all their top criteria, and fight for every child,or do they make clear what they’d be willing to compromise on and hopefully get something through reconciliation or on a bipartisan basis?
In the fall and winter, advocates took a hard line — there was no appetite to negotiate over a less ambitious CTC. One leader involved in a large coalition of groups mobilizing for the CTC, who requested anonymity for fear of getting his organization booted from the coalition, told Vox their fellow activists erred, making “a giant miscalculation that we had nothing to lose if we held out for more.”
“Because we couldn’t help everybody at once, we’re helping nobody,” they added.
As Cohen notes, the main sticking point in negotiations was work requirements. It might have been possible to satisfy Manchin with a very modest work requirement. Alternatively, advocates could have pushed for a bipartisan bill that assisted non-working parents of pre-kindergarten children but tied the credit to work for the parents of older children, as Samuel Hammond proposed. Or advocates could have swallowed hard and supported a bill with a full-blown work requirement and strict means testing to get something through the legislative sausage grinder. But advocates just couldn’t bring themselves to push for a compromise; they claim it’s not their job:
Most organizations say it’s simply not their job to advocate a compromise — that they should push for the most inclusive policy for as long as they can. And to an extent, it certainly makes sense why predominantly progressive groups would not be willing to entertain, let alone craft, a settlement deal.
Bullshit. I favor a means tested credit without a work requirement, structured to make eligibility easy to determine and to avoid clawbacks. The Democratic bill that was in effect last year had limited means testing and was poorly designed. But I was thrilled when it passed and I would have voted for it if I had been in Congress. And I would have supported a bill with work requirements if that is what it took to get to “yes”.
The incentives here are terrible all the way around:
For now, the legislative clock is ticking, and the easiest thing for Biden and other Democrats to do might be to insist their hands are tied because of Manchin. That’s certainly the approach Biden took last Friday when, speaking at a press conference in Auburn, Washington, he said of the child tax credit — “We lack one Democrat and 50 Republicans from keeping it from passing this time around.”
This sigh-and-blame-Manchin strategy is unlikely to face blowback from the CTC advocacy community, but families struggling with rising costs may find it aggravating to see Biden and Democrats with congressional majorities effectively giving up.
You can blame Manchin and of course Republicans, but they know what they want and blaming them solves nothing. It’s progressive advocates basking insisting on moral perfection and politicians unwilling to provide meaningful leadership who made the perfect the enemy of the good.
Eric,
The only error that I see here is referring to foolish people that fail as progressive. Being progressive must be earned by making progress. Compromise is not an abandonment of progressive goals, but rather a means of achieving them even if only incrementally.
Yeah, if Manchin dictated the terms of the CTC while totally fen with the climate change portion of the bill that would have been perfect.
Assuming that Manchin was willing to sign a bill if only the advocates had asked for slightly less…..seems like a big leap of faith, doesn’t it?
Eric Kramer
yes. something like what i have been saying for a few years now. to no cheers whatsoever.
J11
certainly. but we need a leap of faith once in a while. even if it is only to call his bluff.
Ron and EMichael: yes. and yes.
Coberly,
Maybe I am wrong, but I believe that EMike was just being sarcastic. I can only hope that the blow-back from the SCOTUS leak accidentally fixes what we cannot purposely accomplish. If we cannot get legislation done with actual majorities in both the House and Senate, then we have a real problem. However, I am surprised that no one has been able to meet Manchin’s price. As I understand it in politics, then everyone has a price.
Ron
i did not notice the sarcasm. I would take progress on climate change now. work on feeding kids another way.
assuming the climate change legislation is real and not just another ill considered jobs program.
Manchin has already sold his soul. I doubt we can meet his price. But I don’t mind calling his bluff and hoping someone notices.
Coberly,
Sure, fine with me. However, CTC should be a much lighter lift than real progress on climate change. Joe Manchin is the senior senator from West Virginia, an elected office in a state mostly noted for black lung disease and incest. A family that plays together preys together.
OK, too far? Just saying – West Virginia gave Trump their POTUS electoral votes even in 2020. If Manchin was the Democrat that we wanted him to be, then he would never have been elected to any office in W VA.
Ron
I don’t keep close track, so I don’t know for sure, but last I heard about child tax credit Manchin said he wouldn’t vote for it without a means test…or some limit on the income of people getting it. I would have said “okay” accepted a limit somewhere below people who make twice as much as I do or five times as much as I did when my kids were small, and at least see what his next excuse was.
And I don’t think more freeways or faster electric cars will do much for climate change. i do think a tax on on gasoline…say about as much as the recent price increase…and a ban on new drilling would help,
As for the West Virginia voter, well you know what I think about the intelligence of crowds. Meanwhile if we can’t dis-elect Rand Paul by telling his voters that he voted in favor of the Russians, we aren’t smart enough to play in the big leagues.
[so, god help us, is Manchin the best we can do in WVA, or would a Reoublican be better?]
I think a higher min wage would do more good than a child tax credit, but politics is the art of what you can get away with.
Coberly,
By paragraph – 1. Don’t know, but probably; 2. Yep; 3. ‘Fraid so; 4. No good solution, but the National Pork Board says that the favorite pork dish in West Virginia is pepperoni roll which came as a big surprise to me. In any case, I remember the good old days of bipartisanship when no legislation could be passed without a big portion of pork. I doubt that there is a big enough pepperoni in the entire universe to come between West Virginia and their coal mines given the unlikely prospect of a deal that would actually result in miners having safer, cleaner, and better paying jobs.
Ron
yep. but it’s evidence that people will agree with whatever everyone tells them, unless everyone is a communist liberal democrat.
dunno. i think there was a miners union once that was somewhat effective while it lasted..but that is someone telling them something they can believe because they saw it every day. the best reason i can think of for running a Democrat (a real new-deal democrat) every election even though he won’t win.
Coberly,
West Virginia coal miners union want Manchin to support BBB and Ordinary Joe’s initiatives in general. So, if Manchin can be primaried out, then the miners would lead the way. Whether such a primary candidate could win the general election is unknown to me, but at the very least they would need to be a bit centrist.
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/coal-miners-weren-t-happy-when-joe-manchin-derailed-build-back-better
Coal Miners Weren’t Happy When Joe Manchin Derailed Build Back Better
The United Mine Workers of America issued a statement criticizing the senator for withdrawing his support from the legislation
By Austyn Gaffney | Jan 19 2022
When West Virginia senator Joe Manchin III, a well-known coal baron, withdrew support from the Build Back Better agenda, the Biden administration’s landmark climate and social safety net bill, an influential coal-mining union was quick to respond.
The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), a labor union formed in 1890 to organize coal miners seeking safe working conditions and fair pay, released a statement by international president Cecil E. Roberts on December 20 characterizing the union’s relationship with Manchin as “long and friendly” but expressing disappointment that the bill didn’t pass. (On the same day, the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of American labor unions, released a similar statement.)
“We urge Senator Manchin to revisit his opposition to the legislation and work with his colleagues to pass something that will help keep coal miners working,” Roberts wrote, “and have a meaningful impact on our members, their families, and their communities.”
Given the UMWA’s history with Manchin—he has been an honorary member since 2020—it was a notable reminder of just how much is at stake for miners and their communities as the president’s signature measure hangs in the balance. The Build Back Better legislation includes important items for the UMWA, like incentives to build manufacturing facilities in post-coal communities, financial penalties for employers who deny workers their rights to unionize, and an extension of the black lung trust fund, a levy paid by coal companies that provides a small monthly payment to miners with pneumoconiosis, a disease caused by coal dust and silica inhalation.
The now $2.2 trillion bill needs the vote of every Democratic Senator to be passed into law (the bill has already cleared the House). For months, Manchin has thrown around disproportionate influence in the fight for passage, whittling down clean energy pillars of the bill and then refusing to pass what was left. On December 19, Manchin caused a public rift with the White House when he announced on Fox News Sunday that he wouldn’t support the bill because it was still too costly. White House press secretary Jen Psaki responded by saying his comments represented “a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position and a breach in his commitments to the president.”
Because the bill hasn’t passed, black lung funding was cut in half on January 1. The UMWA is concerned that as the deficit increases—now roughly $6 billion—a future Congress could cut benefits to the 4,000 recipients who officially suffer from the condition. Manchin has sponsored black lung legislation in Congress that would extend the black lung benefit for 10 years, but the legislative opportunities for passing such a law without attaching it to another omnibus bill are rare.
Although Manchin is himself a descendent of coal miners, he profits from the coal industry. Manchin’s family business selling waste coal to power companies earns him millions, and according to The New York Times, he’s received “more campaign donations from the oil, coal, and gas industries than any other senator in the current election cycle.”
The statements from AFL-CIO, and more influentially, the UMWA, show the division of influence between bosses—the millionaire and billionaire coal company owners who oppose the Build Back Better agenda—and the laborers who once had high-paying, well-insured jobs but now struggle to make ends meet for their families in a post-coal economy. For years, progressive groups have tried to find solutions for these laborers by advocating for a just transition, an economic road map for replacing jobs from extractive industries like coal mining with….
{ continued at link }
Manchin is a chameleon. He is no different than McConnell who always starts off with a lead into a comment of “The American People.” McConnell no more represents the American people than Manchin does West Virginians with his lead-in phrase “I always said if I can not explain it back at home (WV), I can not agree to it here.” Every time you get close to an agreement, the football is snatched away and Dems look like the aggressor. Passive – Aggressive?
I cannot think of a worse picture to be taken of a politician than the one of Joe M on his Houseboat “Almost Heaven?” That boat name (glorified pontoon-boat) has to be a take-off of John Denver’s “Almost Heaven” who is singing about West Virginia’s outdoor beauty. It probably is a pretty state. I only passed though a portion of it at night.
It is beautiful for people like Joe M who have the money to live there and lecture people while looking down at the people below the deck of his boat. Instead of coming down to the dock and talking to them, he would rather lean down and talk to the people in their dugout logs (kayaks). A great altered picture of Joe M looking down at poorly dressed people in dugouts explaining why he won’t help to pass legislation to benefit women and children. That is the real Joe M.
Am I exaggerating? Yes, a bit. What about West Virginia? How does it fare in comparison to other states? Joe M’s “almost heaven” West Virgina ranks 4th in the nation for worst states to live in. Even McConnell’s Kentucky beats West Virginian out by 6 places. More people are dying in West Virginia than are being born there. By 2030, its population will creep up “very slightl” as predicted in “World Population Review.” Today, Joe M’s WV has a negative population growth from people dying and people leaving. It also ranks 4th in poverty.
Joe M really has some splaining to do as to why he rejects help for WV. .
And Joe M floats around in his boat “almost heaven.” Almost Heaven for him and a few others. Not so heavenly for many of Joe M’s constituents. Joe M had talked about opioid addiction a while back. He did not talk about WV’s issues publicly and I doubt he brought it up in Congress. Just a side note since I write on this too.
Opioids and WV
He certainly did not talk about WV’s issues with opioids.
The picture of Joe M on his house boat is all telling of his perspective towards his constituency and us. He cold not come down and talk to peaceful demonstrators? I would love to catch him in public like I did Stabenow and Durbin. I am safe, just some old gray-haired white guy . . .
Rant done and yet I do not get why Joe M is allowed to get away with this.
That might have been a rant- but I’m completely in agreement with it.
Jerry;
Manchin has a million excuses for doing “nothing.” I am not sure why the rest of the Dems do not out him. Biden has negotiated with Manchin in private which I would not do as it leaves Manchin the ability to tell the story each time he changes his mind.
There was a lot of hope for this administration as they had the majority in both bodies. One person is holding us back. Democrat is name only? Why? Maybe because if he were Republican, McConnell would show no leniency towards his stance(s). Be an independent? I am not sure he is that smart. With Democrats, he knows he can mislead and offer up the same old excuse of not being able to explain.
Who is Manchin responsible to if not the people he supposedly represents?
West Virginia is or was #1 for opioid deaths in the US. A few years back before opioids became a big deal, I was asked to write on this topic by one organization. If you search on Angry Bear (opioids) you may find two bar charts showing overall deaths by drugs and on that same bar chart deaths attributed to opioids . . . by year. It was developed by the Senate Economic committee. The importance of this chart was the years corresponding with opioid deaths. With the introduction of Sadler’s Purdue OxyContin, you can see the growth in deaths. Some more data. West Virginia (1/2019) was #1 at 37.6 deaths/100,000.
This isn’t occurring in the 1 million citizens of West Virginia largest city. It has no cities that big. West Virginia has no cities larger than 100,000 or even 60,000. The state capital is probably the biggest city at ~50,000 with another city close to the same size. The state has a negative population growth rate (right now) and the oldest population in the US.
Why would I pick on opioids to write about with regard to Manchin? Here is one example of Manchin “making stuff up” about the cause of one person dying from an opioid overdose. A young, beautiful, white, blonde-haired woman coming from a family of greater than average means. It is tragic as this young woman was starting from a base which would have enabled her to meet her goals of helping others. Manchin uses her story to vote “no” on the appointment of one person to the FDA.
Manchin is making stuff up about the vote on the approval of the time-released drug OxyContin. The tragedy was not in the approval of OxyContin which could help people if used in the prescribed manner. The tragedy was in the abuse of the Jick and Porter letter, doctors abusing the use of OxyContin, the blocking of state legislation, the backing of federal legislators, etc. All of which was done by Purdue and the Sadlers.
2017 NEJM article writes specifically about the abuse of the Porter and Jick Letter by Purdue in particular to sell OxyContin and the rest of the industry. A 1980 Letter on the Risk of Opioid Addition. Just a simple one sentence led people to believe you could not become addicted.
“We conclude that despite the widespread use of narcotic drug in hospitals, the development of addiction is rare in medical patients with no history of addiction.”
The people promoting OxyContin struck the words “in hospitals” while pushing OxyContin. I kind of sum it all up here.
That is a little different story than what Manchin tells the Senate. So is Manchin making stuff up because he doesn’t know or is he lying on the Senate floor, to the nation, and to his constituents? If he were a dumb person, I would say he doesn’t really know. He is not a dumb person and he is using a tragedy to convey a lie about one person’s appointment to the FDA. This is the manner of the Senator from West Virginia. This was not just a tragedy of one person whose parents of whom he made the acquaintance. It is the tragedy of thousands of people who used OxyContin in an unsafe manner due to a lie, doctors over prescribing, and the ease in which OxyContin could be obtained.
I doubt the Democrats will ever get the complete endorsement from Manchin due to his being a chameleon. His color or opinion will change as needed to hide his true beliefs and himself.
run
exactly: why do the Dems not out him?
@Eric,
So should “progressives” also compromise on cuts to SS and Medicare? All or nothing is bad, amirite? “Progressives” need to show some versatility of conviction in the face of right-wing attacks, right? Fee-fees are more important than standing up for the poor, women and minorities, right?
Feh.
No, no, no! Dems don’t need to compromise on SS and MCARE.
Right now poor children are getting zero. That’s the status quo. Anything we can get is an improvement. We should get the most we can for them, but the truth is that Manchin has all the bargaining power (or Republicans if Democrats try to go the bipartisan route).
Eric,
Exactly. Herding cats is generally a thankless job, but you got my thanks anyway.
Joel:
WE need to pile on with the coming SCOTUS decision and use it to defeat Repubs in the Mid-term election. That should be #1. Garland could help if he moved a bit faster. I am not seeing it happen by mid-term elections. We have not been emphasizing how bad the last two years could have been without Dems/Biden’s programs. This could have been 2008 again. Price increases do not below to Biden and neither do component shortages in many cases. Dems need to talk about this. For example, why did Biden have to tell LA and Long Beach ports to work OT?
Joel
no we on’t need to compromise in SS. We need to keep it worker paid, and pay the extra dollar a week it would take to keep it solven forever.
It’s one think to compromise away something you have. It’s another thing to comprimise a bit to get something you don’t have yet.
One ring to rule them all has never been a good strategy, nor good logic. Every case is different.
Meanwhile some of the “all or nothing” proposals from the Left do not seem to me to be well considered, and I am Lefter than you.
For agreements and compromise to work both sides need to negotiate in an open honest manner. The GQP and Manchin have demonstrated they are unwilling to do so. From Obamcare to Merrick Garland to Build Back Better.
How many times do progressives need to play Charlie Brown to the GQP and Manchin’s Lucy. The GQP has no desire to govern because because their base and elected officials see nothing wrong with inertia and inaction at the Federal level. Manchin lives in one of the poorest and lowest rated states for quality of life but he has done nothing that could be termed as helpful to his state.
Manchin was pretty explicit about what his red lines were. He told Schumer. Maybe he wasn’t being truthful, but I suspect he was. In any event, why not negotiate with him? The worst that can happen is nothing – exactly what we have now.
Eric, I think you are almost totally ignoring the remainder of Manchin’s wish list. CTC was a long way from the biggest part of the bill.
Coberly wrote: “certainly. but we need a leap of faith once in a while. even if it is only to call his bluff.”
Exactly, how many times do we need to do this? For twelve years we have been calling his “bluff”, something tells me he ain’t bluffing.
Turtles
He has offered some “compromises” that he withdrew when it looked like the Dems were going to agree. He has been called on out that by some Dems. But so far no one not an elected Democrat has noticed. He is bluffing sometimes. Sometimes he is just lying.
Turtles
I’m not sure I follow your logic. If the Dems call Manchin’s bluff and nothing happens how does that get us anywhere? How does not calling his bluff get us anywhere?
When someone offers a compromise, and you say, okay we’ll take it, and then he says, I’ve changed my mind, what were your other choices. If you don’t offer to take his offer, he says, well then I won’t vote for your bill. If you say I will accept your compromise, and he says I still won’t vote for you bill, you’ve proved him to be a liar. Either way you don’t get your bill passed, but maybe sone people back home will realize they’ve elected a liar. Please explain what you meant.
There seems to be an assumption that negotiations could be carried out with good faith on both sides. I think that is a bad assumption.
Maybe things have changed lately, but I have yet to see any evidence of good faith from the right or the GOP.
The Democrats may look like they have a majority, but so long as the filibuster exists, a majority is not enough. And at least two nominal Democrats, aren’t fully.
Jane E.
I agree that the R’s don’t have any good faith, In fact I think they are traitors to America (not that they are selling us out to the enemy: they ARE the enemy).
But is the Left showing good faith when it puts out a plan and won’t negotiate.
I accept that there are things you D”O NOT negotiate away. But there are things that can stand a little bargaining, and might even be improved by the compromise.
Cob,
The Dems negotiated the BBB on an almost constant basis for months and months.
EMichael
as I said I don’t follow that closely, but I wonder if “negotiate” means making actual reasonable strategic concessions…of the kind Eric is saying here have not been made. Please understand, I do not like the R’s. but I hate to see them beating us because we overreach and have no strategic sense.
I especially do NOT mean to give away the store as Becker suggests Obama did.
In my opinion they are all crooks, and the D’s are only playing good-cop in a rigged game.
It’s one thing to look a Putin the war criminal, and another not to look at, say Wikileaks account of America the war criminal and human rights abuser with full Dem support. Doesn’t mean I don’t think we have to fight Putin.
and if you think this is a change of subject, you don’t understand the problem.
Coberly
Biden met with Manchin, one on one. I find it hard to believe they did not agree on something. That is, until the final vote came up in the Senate.
In the end Obama gave the GOP what they wanted for SS hoping to get his “Grand Bargain”. The GOP still said no. Enough said.
The Republicans have made if very clear. If originates with the Democratic Party, they are against it. Period.
Becker
Thank God the R’s said no to Obama’s sell out of Social Security. They were thinking they could get a better deal.
Meanwhileeither Obama doesn’t understand Social Security, or he is like every other politician playing a game in which SS is only a bargaining chip…the lives of real people don’t count. But sometimes their votes do.
coberly;
That was a discouraging offer by Obama.
Run
thanks for noticing that. Also note that I agree with you about Manchin. We are on the same side.
Yes it was well understood by many that the R’s did us a favor on saying no. But, the point is…they said no even when it was exactly what they wanted.
As someone upstream mentioned the BBB. The Dem’s continuously negotiated with Manchin right down to the dollar amount and he still found a reason to say no. Sinema just picked an item that she knew the Dem’s would never agree to.
true
Yes
Becker
I think they wanted much more, and they didn’t want to pay for it with a tax increase. Obama was offerinf to sell your grandmother..or your child when she becomes a grandmother to arab slave traders. This is probably just stupidity, but given the response I have gotten from trying to tell them that SS is not government paid, and the workers can pay for their longer life expectency with an extra dollar per week (nominally “per year” but actually much less than that in the long run) I think their stupidity is deliberate and amounts to evil.
And yes, I think they did offer to meet Manchin right down to the dollar amount and he still said no. That’s what I mean by calling his bluff, but as you note there seems to be no penalty for him to be caught out lying. Still, what is the alternative…insist upon asking for too much and getting the rap for being tax and spend, unwilling to even compromise? I’m waiting for the day when Fox News reports the whole story.
Cut CTC from BBB. Look for Republicans on that basis. Find something that might pass and check with the House. Need to stop fixating on Manchin. Like it or not, his “too much inflation to do BBB” plays great for a lot of the non-AB community. Manchin is needed as CTC is tied to a whale that Republicans will go 50 against forever. Turn that whale into 20 seals and a few might get past the harpoons.
Eric 377 and Ron
both of your suggestions sound reasonable to me. why do you suppose the Dems aren’t trying something like that?
Because there is no way more than 1 or 2 Republicans go for any version of BBB, and Manchin ain’t playing with the climate change sections of it. Deficits are just smoke. Have been for a long, long time.
EM
If you 100% believe in MMT, deficits are 100% smoke. I tend to believe they are important to a degree. If you noticed “Mike” is from the Philippines. He said yesterday that the increase by the FED impacts the Philippines. When the US sneezes, the Philippines gets a cold. They have to raise their rates to avoid a run on money.
Run,
I believe MMT is a crock. Deficits are always used by pols as smoke to cover up their real reasons for killing legislation. Many time in out past debt service has been far higher than it is now. Not a real factor at all.
EM
I thought maybe you were taking a notation from another site which basically said deficits do not matter because we can just roll out ye olde Mimeograph and create some more money to fund SS in lieu of people funding SS through a pay roll tax increase. The latter being the preferred method which maintains labor ownership and freedom from political influence.
Run
let me add..the increase in the payroll tax needed to keep SS solvent forever amounts to about a dollar per week per year..actually a lot less over time as the increase will not be needed every year.
this dollar per week cost to insuring your and your kids and their kids ability to retire not in dire poverty has been whipped into insanity by people yelling about the (many) Trillion Dollar Unfunded Deficit! and pundits saying “it’s just the math.” those pundits have never done math in their lives, or even arithmetic. Just to get an idea of what they are (not) doing, take 20 Trillion Dollars (I have lost track of the latest projection) divide it by 200 million taxpayers (this is a round number) and then divide that by 75 years, and then divide that by 50 weeks. This gives 25 dollars per week. but we don’t need to reach the whole 25 dollars all at once (unless we wait until 2035 or so when the Trust Fund really runs out of money). we can raise the tax one dollar per week per year until we reach the 25 $/wk at about the same time as the real income of those workers has increased by 250 or more dollars per week. There are details that make this calculation approximate, but this is ball park. not quite the crushing burden to the young and destruction of the economy the liars want to panic about.
as for paying for it with the printing press, that is nonsense. even the MMT-ers..the sane ones…know that it has to paid for eventually anyway..by taxes on the rich, to control inflation. Taxes on the rich is exactly what FDR warned us against, even having to change the recommendations of his own social security committee, who, being good liberals, could only think in terms of welfare.
“I paid for it myself” is what has made it the third rail of american politcs before George Bush 2 decided it was “the low hanging fruit”…not a big deal in terms of the budget or the economy, but the easiest to get rid of in their campaign to drown the government in the bathtub.
i need to point out that the dollar per week is the amount the worker would see deducted from his paycheck. the 25 dollars is the combined amount of the workers contribution and the employers contribution…and it won’t be needed for at least 25 years if we start now..and maybe not for fifty years if we start now and the economy keeps up so the “per year” turns into “every other year” and then “every fifth year” and then “every tenth year” and after that no increase will be needed at all for as far as the eye can see. (that’s the actuarial eye.)
i can give the exact numbers, but its a bit of work and i’d rather wait until the next Report comes out.
for those who worry about such things, the numbers given are in fact “present value.”
EM
i agree about deficits. I wouldnlike it if MMT drove out the “deficits” excuse. But then it would be the “inflation.” and the same people would be making the same decisions. except if hardline MMTers got in power, then the answer would be tax the rich, not starve the poor. but the rich would never go for that. on the other hand the rich really cannot visualize the starving poor; it’s all an abstraction to them, or a bargaining chip so their dear friends across the aisle can keep the game going.
I can remember when the Rs were the party that worried about the environment. Whatever your base wants to hear. reshuffle the deck and you get a new base and a new set of lies.
i meant to say, I wouldn’t MIND if if MMT drove out the deficit excuse.