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Krugman: We need death panels and a VAT

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Krugman, who advocates massive deficit spending and criticized Republicans like Sarah Palin who coined the phrase "death panels," now suggests the eventual way to balance the budget would be to adopt said death panels (his words) and increase the amount of wealth transfered to government by adopting a VAT.

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2010/11/14/paul-krugman-recommends-death-panels-help-balance-budget

On CNN's "This Week" with Christine Amanpour:

Some years down the pike, we're going to get the real solution, which is going to be a combination of death panels and sales taxes. It's going to be that we're actually going to take Medicare under control, and we're going to have to get some additional revenue, probably from a VAT. But it's not going to happen now.

He later added via his blog:

I said something deliberately provocative on 'This Week,' so I think I’d better clarify what I meant, which I did on the show, but it can’t hurt to say it again,” he wrote. “So, what I said is that the eventual resolution of the deficit problem both will and should rely on “death panels and sales taxes.”

What I meant is that:

[a.] health care costs will have to be controlled, which will surely require having Medicare and Medicaid decide what they’re willing to pay for — not really death panels, of course, but consideration of medical effectiveness and, at some point, how much we’re willing to spend for extreme care

[b.] we’ll need more revenue — several percent of GDP — which might most plausibly come from a value-added tax

And if we do those two things, we’re most of the way toward a sustainable budget.

Krugman also conceded his solution may be “politically impossible.” But, he added, “I believe that some day — maybe in the first Chelsea Clinton administration — it will actually happen.”

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I heard this reported and could not believe it.

Then I heard him in his own words, and well, that's par for the course for this news outlet.

Consider the source I guess.

While it is nice to hear Krugman say "we", it is natural he means "you" or "they".

Given the growing list of organizations which are opting out of this centrally planned program, I expect it

will not be long, or much effort, to be rid of it.

As for the VAT, that is an idea which would never work in this country.

Our state and local governments have such a deep rooted tax habit, that once money is shaken loose from the federal tax structure, the state departments of revenue and municipalities would quickly contrive excuses to exact higher tributes from the taxpayer for this perceived "added" income, because, you know, it is only fair and we are making enough already and back we go to the dishonest re-distribution concept..

Rather than formulating unworkable tax policies, we must accept the idea we are not here to make a tax policy work, it is up to us to decide what the governemnt should be financed based on its proper role. That financing as a policy should be balanced but be biased towards to taxpayer.

Because the governemnt's proper role unto itself and in our lives has been forgotten or artificially confused, we have been trapped into arguing about how much poison we should take.

Enough to kill us, sicken us or enough to build up a resistance?

Edited by prescient
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The uncontested absurdities of today become the causes of the tragedies of tomorrow. And there's no one in the mainstream contesting his ideas.

That's because the "mainstream media" is busy reporting that Sarah Palin's daughter referred to someone as a "faggot" and "so gay" on her Facebook page.

Bread and circus.

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That's because the "mainstream media" is busy reporting that Sarah Palin's daughter referred to someone as a "faggot" and "so gay" on her Facebook page.

Bread and circus.

I don't get it. I'm gay, and I was not offended by Willow Palin calling someone a faggot. She's a teenager. I haven't been out of high school for very long, I know how they are. They're certianly not known for being able to articulate their dislike for someone. I never called someone a faggot when I was a teenager, but I've said some regrettable things. I'm so glad my mom never ran for any government position, because if I did, I'd be screwed.

Edited by Black Wolf
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  • 8 months later...

This reminds me of a twilight zone episode http://en.wikipedia....he_Obsolete_Man

Mr. Krugman, you are obsolete!

Krugman is apparently a Twilight Zone fan and gets much of his economic expertise from that show. Watch the video of his comments on CNN this weekend.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/08/14/paul-krugman-calls-space-aliens-attack-earth-requiring-massive-defens

If you ever wondered whether real life figures could be as evil as some of the characters in Rand's novels, Krugman is a living breathing Ellsworth Toohey.

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