Our President said yesterday that he doesn't think the USA ought to be a deadbeat nation. He meant that for Republicans. They are deadbeats, and have been for years. Consider the evidence.
- Republicans spend and like to spend. In fact, they historically spend more than Democrats. And they grow the size of government more than Democrats. When time comes to pay their bills by raising taxes or revenues, they simply refuse. Their favorite combination of actions are to spend, and cut taxes simultaneously. They have even proposed that cutting revenues and taxes somehow magically increases revenues, a crazy claim that, when compared to reality, is shown to be a crazy, but entirely self-serving, claim.
- Just last month, faced with a "fiscal cliff" all their own creation, Republicans in the House under John Boehner simply refused to get involved in the resolution of a problem they, themselves, created. Mr. Boehner and his House Republicans abrogated responsibility to the Senate, bitching and moaning all the way. These Republicans could not bear to pay their own bills.
- Republicans have declined to cut spending or to support spending cuts. In fact, increases in spending have been proposed by Republicans without being matched with increases in taxes or revenues. The intent, again, is to spend and not pay for it.
- Both Social Security and Medicare are financial obligations upon our government. The money held in trust in those two funds, over $4.3 Trillion, belongs to the people for whom it is held in trust. By law, and morally, our government and our elected representatives have a financial, and moral, obligation to pay this money to its owners. This is how the system is constructed. This repayment of money paid into the system by Americans is the fair and honest premise upon which Americans support these systems. Our modern Republicans have declared an intent not to repay this money. It is their aim and goal not to honor these existing financial obligations. They state this often. Payment of these debts and obligations to the American people is rejected by our modern Republicans.
- Now, faced with national default on financial obligations to our debt and bonds, once again Republicans are balking. They would just as soon collapse the American economy, and the world economy, as pay our bills. The "bargain" they offer is this: we'll pay these bills and bonds, but only if we cannot pay the obligations to Americans under Medicare and Social Security. Fuck that. Fuck them. Once these Republicans spend all that money all that will remain will be more debt, more failed obligations, and millions upon millions of sick, homeless, and desperate Americans. That does not bother our modern American Republicans. What bothers them is paying their bills. That bothers them a lot.
Our modern American right-wing are deadbeats. They are entirely selfish. They come to take, to plunder. They cannot abide paying their/our bills. This is on them. We'd be very, very wise to rid ourselves of these leaches.