From: demon@desire.wright.edu (Stupendous Man)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,alt.activism,misc.headlines,sci.econ
Subject: Re: The Decline of America -- The Way Out (II)
Date: 8 Oct 92 18:57:15 GMT
Organization: Demonic Possesions, Inc.

In article <9210071600.AA03386@tba.msi.cornell.edu>, harelb@math.cornell.edu (misc.activism.progressive co-moderator) writes:
> The Decline of America -- The Way Out (II)
> Agran for President 92
> (Address/Email at bottom)

	(The price of re-runs :)

>                       ********************************
>                          ECONOMIC CONVERSION AND A
>                       DEFENSE WORKERS' BILL OF RIGHTS:
>                      A Presidential Candidate's Program
>                             for the U.S. Economy
>                       ********************************
>                                by Larry Agran
>                      Democratic Presidential Candidate
>                       ********************************
> 
>         America enters 1992 still in the throes of a recession, one

	Untrue.  The recession ended in 1991.  Some say early in '91, others
sya mid-'91.

> that confounds the economic experts.  The classic cures for past

	Only those who "slept" through the biggest peacetime expansion in
history.

> recessions -- a tax cut and/or an increase in government spending --
> would be dangerous and irresponsible in an econo my drowning in red
> ink.  

	Tax cuts have been proven over and over again to increase revenue,
especially at the much targted top quintile level.  Tax rates, especially since
the 1990 tax hike, are still in the prohibitive range of the Laffer curve.

> The economy is stagnant because we lack adequate capital to
> invest in new business -- capital siphoned away to service private
> debt and massive public debt.

	The economy is stagnant because funds normally used for investment are
gone: taxed away, being used to bail out real-estate speculators, prop up
failed socialist entitlement programs, etc.
	Those that do have funds are sitting on them until they are sure that
the government won't step in and say "Aha!  Someone is being economically
successful.  Time to tax them even more!!!"

>         The huge deficits of the Reagan and Bush Administrations have
	And Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson... admins, plus Congress and the
lovely impoundment ruling.

> all but bankrupted the federal government.  We now pay $200 billion
> per year -- 20% of all budget receipts -- just in interest on the
> cumulative national debt of $3.5 trillion.  Much of the deficit was

	$4 Trillion.  (Ever heard of updating?)

> rung up by Ronald Reagan, George Bush and a compliant Congress to
> bankroll a bloated, porkbarrel military.  For years the United States

	And a bloated, porkbarrel social system.

> has spent $300 billion per year, about 30% of all tax proceeds, on the
> military.  Even though the Cold War ended years ago, we still spend
> about two-thirds of our military budget -- $200 billion per year --to
> defend Europe and Japan from a Soviet threat that no longer exists.

	True enough, but social spending has far outstripped defense spending.

> That's about $2,000 per American household.  Meanwhile, those nations
> continue to enjoy robust economies, reaping the benefits of trade
> surpluses with the United States.
> 
>         We need a President willing to make the tough decisions to get
> our economy going again.  The only way to rescue the American economy
> is to take one difficult yet obvious course -- to make a fundamental
> shift in federal spending priorities away from military spending and
> back to our needs at home.

	How about just lower spending???

>         It's time for Europe and Japan to pay for their own defense,
> and for America to invest in protecting its own economy, not those of
> our economic competitors.  Accordingly, I've called for immediate
> steps to cut our military spending in half --by $150 billion per year.

	Disasterous, as many have pointed out.  25% unemployment, anyone?

> We should remove all U.S. forces from Europe and Japan, cancel
> needless and costly weapons systems like the B-2 bomber and Star Wars,

	B-2 has already been gutted.  As has SDI.

> and all foreign military aid.  If we took these steps, we'd still have
> the strongest military force in the world.  But we'd also have a $150
> billion per year peace dividend to rebuild our cities and towns,

	No, we'd be able to spend $150 billion less per year.  If you simply
keep spending it, you still have the deficit, and you still have the debt. 
Failure to understand (or admit) that is what kept Agran a non-contender (plus
his penchant for Stalinist-style politics).

	Harldy a "way out", this is merely a road map back to the 70s.

Brett                                                      
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