Donald Trump’s utterly ridiculous budget plan

[GPS_Flex]

Donald Trump’s utterly ridiculous budget plan

n this depressingly unserious campaign season, it’s time — past time — to take Donald Trump seriously. In particular, to take seriously what passes for Trump’s domestic policy, aside from that wall.
Trump purports to care about the national debt. “We can’t keep doing this,” he said of the debt at MSNBC’s town hall Wednesday. “We’ve got to start balancing budgets.”Except, Trump — alone among Republican candidates — insists that he will leave entitlement spending untouched, although it consumes more than two-thirds of the federal budget.
On Social Security, for instance, Trump rejects raising the retirement age (a move he once endorsed), increasing payroll taxes, reducing cost-of-living adjustments and trimming benefits.
In Trumpworld, the solution to controlling entitlement spending is that refuge of lazy and dishonest politicians everywhere: waste, fraud and abuse. “It’s tremendous,” Trump said at the recent CBS News debate, citing “thousands and thousands of people that are over 106 years old” and collecting Social Security.

Reality check: A 2013 audit found 1,546 people who had received Social Security benefits despite being dead. Total cost? $31 million. Cost of Social Security that year? $823 billion.

So when are the Trump supporters going to check back into reality and realize that anyone can promise pie in the sky results but talk is cheap and the real world requires complex and difficult decisions/solutions and that the attitude of a candidate is the worst thing you could possibly judge a presidential candidate upon? When are you idiots going realize that Trump will say whatever you want to hear to get elected while in reality, he either knows his promises (which never include any details on how he'll get them done) can't be kept because they're impossible or because he's so clueless he doesn't have a clue about what being POTUS entails? This is one voting group I just don't understand. Are you like Trump zombies who watch his reality TV shows and care more about the celebrity than the welfare of the USA or do you think Trump actually knows what he's talking about and can achieve his wild claims?

 

[DDD]

Tramp is utterly ridiculous in general.

 

[reinoe]

Donald Trump’s utterly ridiculous budget plan



So when are the Trump supporters going to check back into reality and realize that anyone can promise pie in the sky results but talk is cheap and the real world requires complex and difficult decisions/solutions and that the attitude of a candidate is the worst thing you could possibly judge a presidential candidate upon? When are you idiots going realize that Trump will say whatever you want to hear to get elected while in reality, he either knows his promises (which never include any details on how he'll get them done) can't be kept because they're impossible or because he's so clueless he doesn't have a clue about what being POTUS entails? This is one voting group I just don't understand. Are you like Trump zombies who watch his reality TV shows and care more about the celebrity than the welfare of the USA or do you think Trump actually knows what he's talking about and can achieve his wild claims?

Cost of the Iraq War 2-5 trillion with some estimates even higher than that. Trump is going to put a stop to waste, fraud, and abuse and that would include things like indulging in wars of choice.

 

[Port & Starboard]

Donald Trump’s utterly ridiculous budget plan



So when are the Trump supporters going to check back into reality and realize that anyone can promise pie in the sky results but talk is cheap and the real world requires complex and difficult decisions/solutions and that the attitude of a candidate is the worst thing you could possibly judge a presidential candidate upon? When are you idiots going realize that Trump will say whatever you want to hear to get elected while in reality, he either knows his promises (which never include any details on how he'll get them done) can't be kept because they're impossible or because he's so clueless he doesn't have a clue about what being POTUS entails? This is one voting group I just don't understand. Are you like Trump zombies who watch his reality TV shows and care more about the celebrity than the welfare of the USA or do you think Trump actually knows what he's talking about and can achieve his wild claims?

Anyone who doesn't vote for Vermin Supreme will lose out on a free pony.

 

[OpportunityCost]

You cannot get there with just discretionary changes. You have to have baseline changes and I don't think he has the political strength to pull the amount of strings that will require on Capital Hill.

 

[zimmer]

Donald Trump’s utterly ridiculous budget plan



So when are the Trump supporters going to check back into reality and realize that anyone can promise pie in the sky results but talk is cheap and the real world requires complex and difficult decisions/solutions and that the attitude of a candidate is the worst thing you could possibly judge a presidential candidate upon? When are you idiots going realize that Trump will say whatever you want to hear to get elected while in reality, he either knows his promises (which never include any details on how he'll get them done) can't be kept because they're impossible or because he's so clueless he doesn't have a clue about what being POTUS entails? This is one voting group I just don't understand. Are you like Trump zombies who watch his reality TV shows and care more about the celebrity than the welfare of the USA or do you think Trump actually knows what he's talking about and can achieve his wild claims?

Here is why Trump is where he's at.

1. Deportation of illegal aliens.

2. Build The Wall.

3. Halt Muslim immigration.

4. Jobs.

5. Middle finger to political correctness.

There are simple solutions.

Cut taxes, cut spending, eliminate departments of government, reduce federal employees. Y'know... get rid of the fat, the waste, reduce government and with it some of its corruption, and the crap that makes our lives complex.

 

[Mycroft]

I'll wait till Trump sets out a budget plan on donaldjtrump.com before I get all excited about what he says on the campaign trail. I suggest that Ms. Marcus should do the same.

Like any other politician, Trump will say anything he thinks a particular audience wants to hear...but what's put on his website is a more precise and permanent statement of his positions. He says nothing about a "budget plan" on his website.

 

[HowardBThiname]

So when are the Trump supporters going to check back into reality and realize that anyone can promise pie in the sky results but talk is cheap and the real world requires complex and difficult decisions/solutions and that the attitude of a candidate is the worst thing you could possibly judge a presidential candidate upon?

You've got some apples and oranges in the comparison bucket there. The article you cite states..."Reality check: A 2013 audit found 1,546 people who had received Social Security benefits despite being dead. Total cost? $31 million. Cost of Social Security that year? $823 billion...."

In reality...$31 million in fraud is a long way from an $823 billion SS payout. You also have to realize the SS payout is balanced by the FICA taxes being collected. That's WHY we pay FICA taxes.

So, you can go after Trump on a number of valid issues...just not the ones in that article.

Heaven forbid, we could actually end up with Trump as the GOP nominee and then we'd see the big donors shift from the other candidates to Trump in an effort to counter Hillary.

Fiscally, Trump is okay. It's his social policies and lack of foreign policy understanding that puts him in the risk category.

 

[HowardBThiname]

Here is why Trump is where he's at.

1. Deportation of illegal aliens.

2. Build The Wall.

3. Halt Muslim immigration.

4. Jobs.

5. Middle finger to political correctness.

Exactly!

Trump is countering some liberal policies gone awry. The truth is that a large number of Americans are not happy with allowing those who come to this country illegally to stay. They're also not happy with what they feel is a "threatening" religion...Islam. Whether they're right in their assessment or not, isn't the issue. They feel that way and the current Administration has pooh-poohed their feelings. They're not happy campers and it shows i their support of Trump.

As more establishment candidates, such as Jeb Bush, drop out, we will probably see their support transfer to Rubio, but there's no guarantee he'll get enough soon enough to get the nomination. So, we could be stuck with Trump, and if that happens, we'll see more folks coalesce in his camp to oppose Hillary.

 

[JasperL]

You've got some apples and oranges in the comparison bucket there. The article you cite states..."Reality check: A 2013 audit found 1,546 people who had received Social Security benefits despite being dead. Total cost? $31 million. Cost of Social Security that year? $823 billion...."

In reality...$31 million in fraud is a long way from an $823 billion SS payout. You also have to realize the SS payout is balanced by the FICA taxes being collected. That's WHY we pay FICA taxes.

So, you can go after Trump on a number of valid issues...just not the ones in that article.

Heaven forbid, we could actually end up with Trump as the GOP nominee and then we'd see the big donors shift from the other candidates to Trump in an effort to counter Hillary.

Fiscally, Trump is okay. It's his social policies and lack of foreign policy understanding that puts him in the risk category.

No he's not. His tax plan is a $10 Trillion tax cut over 10 years, and he's of course not explained how he'd pay for that without borrowing it. So to the extent we believe his fiscal plan, it's a f'ing disaster.

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/2000560-an-analysis-of-donald-trumps-tax-plan.pdf

 

[Moderate Right]

Donald Trump’s utterly ridiculous budget plan



So when are the Trump supporters going to check back into reality and realize that anyone can promise pie in the sky results but talk is cheap and the real world requires complex and difficult decisions/solutions and that the attitude of a candidate is the worst thing you could possibly judge a presidential candidate upon? When are you idiots going realize that Trump will say whatever you want to hear to get elected while in reality, he either knows his promises (which never include any details on how he'll get them done) can't be kept because they're impossible or because he's so clueless he doesn't have a clue about what being POTUS entails? This is one voting group I just don't understand. Are you like Trump zombies who watch his reality TV shows and care more about the celebrity than the welfare of the USA or do you think Trump actually knows what he's talking about and can achieve his wild claims?

Your post could have applied to just about any candidate, including both Sanders and Clinton and even Obama.

 

[HowardBThiname]

No he's not. His tax plan is a $10 Trillion tax cut over 10 years, and he's of course not explained how he'd pay for that without borrowing it. So to the extent we believe his fiscal plan, it's a f'ing disaster.

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/2000560-an-analysis-of-donald-trumps-tax-plan.pdf

TPC, although they claim to be non-partisan, are biased. In addition, they don't have the ability to formulate macroeconomic studies. They put out questionable reports on Rubio and Romney as well.

That said, in the report you cite, they don't mention what Trump said he would CUT in order to balance the budget. While I'm not a Trump fan, he was pretty open about scrapping NAFTA and negotiating trade agreements that benefit the US first and foremost. He's also suggested reducing our foreign aid, in the form of military investments, and asking our allies to step up and pay their fair share. He's talked about reducing exemptions on hedge fund earnings and cutting wasteful spending.

Why the TPC didn't mention those aspects is beyond me, but then again, they are biased.

I don't think the financial thing against Trump will go anywhere. He can talk fiscal circles around any of the other candidates. LOL

Anti-Trumpers need to revise their focus. In my opinion.

 

[haymarket]

Donald Trump’s utterly ridiculous budget plan



So when are the Trump supporters going to check back into reality and realize that anyone can promise pie in the sky results but talk is cheap and the real world requires complex and difficult decisions/solutions and that the attitude of a candidate is the worst thing you could possibly judge a presidential candidate upon? When are you idiots going realize that Trump will say whatever you want to hear to get elected while in reality, he either knows his promises (which never include any details on how he'll get them done) can't be kept because they're impossible or because he's so clueless he doesn't have a clue about what being POTUS entails? This is one voting group I just don't understand. Are you like Trump zombies who watch his reality TV shows and care more about the celebrity than the welfare of the USA or do you think Trump actually knows what he's talking about and can achieve his wild claims?

By this time it should be rather obvious to most astute political observers that Trump IS NOT the sum of his positions on issues. In fact, most of his supporters seem to not care about detailed position papers on issues. Their main concern is they want an outsider who is going to take over and clean house ... and yes ... that is not defined either.

As long as Trump can ride that anti-government wave - he will continue to do well despite frustrating the white paper class.

 

[shrubnose]

Donald Trump’s utterly ridiculous budget plan

So when are the Trump supporters going to check back into reality and realize that anyone can promise pie in the sky results but talk is cheap and the real world requires complex and difficult decisions/solutions and that the attitude of a candidate is the worst thing you could possibly judge a presidential candidate upon?

When are you idiots going realize that Trump will say whatever you want to hear to get elected while in reality, he either knows his promises (which never include any details on how he'll get them done) can't be kept because they're impossible or because he's so clueless he doesn't have a clue about what being POTUS entails? This is one voting group I just don't understand. Are you like Trump zombies who watch his reality TV shows and care more about the celebrity than the welfare of the USA or do you think Trump actually knows what he's talking about and can achieve his wild claims?

Never.

They're like the Fox News viewers: Not uninformed, just misinformed.

:lol:

 

[danarhea]

Donald Trump’s utterly ridiculous budget plan



So when are the Trump supporters going to check back into reality and realize that anyone can promise pie in the sky results but talk is cheap and the real world requires complex and difficult decisions/solutions and that the attitude of a candidate is the worst thing you could possibly judge a presidential candidate upon? When are you idiots going realize that Trump will say whatever you want to hear to get elected while in reality, he either knows his promises (which never include any details on how he'll get them done) can't be kept because they're impossible or because he's so clueless he doesn't have a clue about what being POTUS entails? This is one voting group I just don't understand. Are you like Trump zombies who watch his reality TV shows and care more about the celebrity than the welfare of the USA or do you think Trump actually knows what he's talking about and can achieve his wild claims?

As long as the American people are willing to put up with choosing between Hilary and Trump, the system is going to continue to play ping pong with our balls. What America becomes is up to us, and if our choices boil down to Hillary or Trump, then we have not done a very good job, have we?

As for myself, I won't be voting in my primary, but come November, I will be voting for Libertarian Gary Johnson. People are already telling me that I am wasting my vote, but you know what? When I leave that voting booth in November, I will be one of the very few who will be able to say "I don't feel dirty".

 

[shrubnose]

Anyone who doesn't vote for Vermin Supreme will lose out on a free pony.

Let me guess: Free ponies tomorrow,eh?

Before he gets my vote I'll have to see the ponies.

 

[Port & Starboard]

Let me guess: Free ponies tomorrow,eh?

Before he gets my vote I'll have to see the ponies.

The man is a loonie, but he's funny. Met him 3 times.........a real piece of work.

 

[laska]

I have very mixed feelings about Trump. The only reason I am even open minded about him is that I think he may be the only one who has the skills to curb thr waste, corruption, abuse. You get a handle on that, solve the corporate inversion problem, create high growth and high government revenue through smart tax and regulation policies, and have smart immigration policies that keeps foreign college graduates and those with tech skills, then I don't think you have to do things like raising age for SS.

Pretty much everything the government does is super expensive because of widespread corporate cronyism, and bureacracy inefficiency. If you are a supplier and very politically savvy, my hunch is you can get 3X or more from a government contract compared to a private one. For example these large defense contractors have huge buildings with just lobbyists and lawyers and as Trump has stated many of the equipment they are providing the military do not even want but they are cash cows for these companies. Thers is a video of a senate hearing where senator Richard Shelby is arguing against the use of Elon Musk's spacex in launching military satelites even though it would savd the government hundreds of millions of dollars. It was pretty obvious the opposing company had great influence on Shelby over taxpayers. This from a senator who according to a political ad I've seen has made something like 31 million dollars since he's been in the senate. These are the type of things I think Trump would be very good at in fighting. I also think he has great deal making talent and is a centrist, so I think he can get things done. Anyway Trymp is an enigma for me, many things I hate and many things I love. But I disagree with the primary points of the OP as far as Trump and budget.

 

[notquiteright]

Cost of the Iraq War 2-5 trillion with some estimates even higher than that. Trump is going to put a stop to waste, fraud, and abuse and that would include things like indulging in wars of choice.

Tough argument to back-up with facts. He seems unable to recognize real waste and fraud and simply attack those the rabid right see as undeserving... :roll:

His own words don't seem very strong AGAINST wars of choice when the choice was being made, he seems to be against things only AFTER they fail.

Now a days I'd say ALL the candidates would claim to not be for wars of 'choice', but as we have seen some of our wars are based on the self deluded premise- 'we have no choice'... eace

 

[danarhea]

Cost of the Iraq War 2-5 trillion with some estimates even higher than that. Trump is going to put a stop to waste, fraud, and abuse and that would include things like indulging in wars of choice.

Or he could go for bankruptcy number five. LOL.

 

[Militant_Vegan_]

Trump supporters are bereft of intellect.

 

[JasperL]

TPC, although they claim to be non-partisan, are biased. In addition, they don't have the ability to formulate macroeconomic studies. They put out questionable reports on Rubio and Romney as well.

Well, then please share with us the analysis you're using to judge Trump's tax plan a reasonable one. I won't be the conservative Tax Foundation - they also scored it as a $10 Trillion reduction in revenue over 10 years, or a $trillion less per year, in addition to the already large predicted deficits.

Details and Analysis of Donald Trump?s Tax Plan | Tax Foundation

That said, in the report you cite, they don't mention what Trump said he would CUT in order to balance the budget.

He's said he won't cut SS, so that leaves Medicare, the military and all other to find a $trillion in savings. If he cuts them all by half, he's probably just getting to a $trillion. So where is a discussion of how he'll gut all three to fund his tax plan?

While I'm not a Trump fan, he was pretty open about scrapping NAFTA and negotiating trade agreements that benefit the US first and foremost. He's also suggested reducing our foreign aid, in the form of military investments, and asking our allies to step up and pay their fair share. He's talked about reducing exemptions on hedge fund earnings and cutting wasteful spending.

OK, and these add up to how much?

Why the TPC didn't mention those aspects is beyond me, but then again, they are biased.

Or maybe Trump hasn't given any details on these vague suggestions - "cutting wasteful spending" is a throwaway line, meaningless. And any evidence for your "they are biased" claim.

I don't think the financial thing against Trump will go anywhere. He can talk fiscal circles around any of the other candidates. LOL

Anti-Trumpers need to revise their focus. In my opinion.

It might not go anywhere, but it's because his followers will simply disregard any evidence to the contrary, like you did here. Not saying you're a follower, but there is no way his tax plan works, and you've just disregarded the evidence but can't cite evidence his plan can work in any reality as described. Trillions in tax cuts require trillions in spending cuts and he's promising that he can finance all this by virtue of his greatness and awesomeness, or in other words, BS.

 

[reinoe]

Or he could go for bankruptcy number five. LOL.

Donald Trump never went bankrupt.

 

[reinoe]

Tough argument to back-up with facts. He seems unable to recognize real waste and fraud and simply attack those the rabid right see as undeserving... :roll:

His own words don't seem very strong AGAINST wars of choice when the choice was being made, he seems to be against things only AFTER they fail.

Now a days I'd say ALL the candidates would claim to not be for wars of 'choice', but as we have seen some of our wars are based on the self deluded premise- 'we have no choice'... eace

When you have the vast majority of Republicans still supporting wars of choice, and some even stating that they'd start WW3 to establish "no fly zones" in Syria, I'll take Trump. Many people were duped into supporting the war in Iraq, myself along with the majority of Americans included. So the point still stands. Trump is against wars of choice unlike Hillary, who has also said that she would start WW3.

 

[cabse5]

Hey reinoe, your avatar has leprosy, right?