From: laird@think.com (Laird Popkin)
Newsgroups: alt.politics.clinton
Subject: Re: Clinton has the ONLY workable plan
Date: 27 Aug 1992 23:09:04 GMT
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
NNTP-Posting-Host: django.think.com

In article <4918@news.duke.edu> kds@phy.duke.edu (Stokes Kevin) writes:
>
>  I was all confused about what should be done about the    
>economy until I heard Mr. Clinton on TV.  He was asked about
>the deficit.  He said that the deficit was bad, but we can't
>ignore investment.  The sheer brilliance of the concept     
>struck me.  He is a great man, and he has come up with the  
>solution to the nation's woes.                              
>  Here's how it works:  The government has rung up such 
>a large debt, that the interest payments on this debt make  
>up about 20% of the entire US budget.  This 20% of our taxes
>is going directly to wealthy persons and bankers here in the
>US and around the world.  We all agree that this is a very  
>bad thing.

I gues syou haven't read Clinton's proposals.  What they come down to is
eliminating the tax breaks given to the rich, and spend the resulting money
on education and public safety.  He's also talked about cutting programs,
such as farm subsidies, to pay for things that he things are more
important, such as universal health care.  But he is *not* talking about
borrowing more money.

>  But our troubles are over now, because Mr. Clinton points 
>out that merely by borrowin more to spending on roads, education, 
>and a new federal health insurance plan, the US will be     
>doing so much better that the deficit will disappear!       
>Apparently, Mr. Bush was too busy starting wars and 
>causing riots in LA to realize the obvious:  When an        
>organization is close to bankruptcy because of debt, the    
>smart thing to do is borrow money and invest it!
                                       ^^^^^^            
[BS deleted]

>  (Now listen closely to the following because I don't want 
>
>to say it very loudly) 
> 
> The best part is that even if it    
>doesn't work, at least it will really neat to have
>the mag wheels and the new office for a year or so.  And    
>when the bank forcloses..... (here's the good part)...      
>You just step down!  Let the next poor slob deal with the
>mess.   After all it's not like YOU borrowed the    
>money!  You can just go find something else to do, and let  
>the lawyers feast on the bankruptcy of the store!           
>  Yessiree.  Clinton is the *MAN*!  When he's elected he'll 
>have the power of the democratic congress.  So LOOKOUT, you 
>stupid conservatives with your 'Budget Vetos', and your
>'Spending Ceilings!'  Time for a change!                   

This deliberate distortion of what Clinton has proposed is a bit sickening.
Perhaps it's justifiable if you're trying to "win" rather than have a
debate, but it gives me the feeling that you're more interested in being
right than in doing the right thing.

If you want to draw an analogy, how about a company that's been losing
money for years.  He's saying that he wants to replace the management of
the company, and then invest in things which make the company more
efficient.  If that means spending money on new manufacturing equipment to
reduce operating costs and improving safety, that means spending money
*now* to save money, and have a better life in the *future*.

That strikes me as better than borrowing money now, spending it on things
which don't do our country any long-term good, and putting our future in
debt, which is what Reagan and Bush have been doing for nearly 12 years.

>                              -Kevin

-- 
- Laird Popkin, Thinking Machines

Connection Machine: Massively parallel supercomputer.  Also a cool black
cube with more blinking lights than you can shake a stick at.
Newsgroups: alt.politics.clinton