Which spending cuts are more acceptable

[peggy]

Leaving them alone.

As an example, during the first quarter of this year, this administration proposed or enacted more than 250 regulations amounting to more than $24 billion dollars in regulatory costs to businesses, large and small.

The cost of compliance is increasingly becoming a larger and larger drain on even the smallest businesses.

Power plants are closing as a result of this administrations energy policies, which seem to be designed to cause energy prices to "necessarily skyrocket". This increases costs to manufacturers especially but everyone is affected by the un-necessary increase of their cost of doing business. They've also made it increasingly difficult to harvest our own energy sources, increasing our dependence upon foreign sources and keeping gas/oil prices un-necessarily high.

And let's not even get into what they've done to the dollar as a result of their experiments in quantitative easing. I believe it's been de-valued by 7 or 8% in the past year.

Plus, just about everyone who provides jobs are labeled as millionaires and billionaires who must pay more. Government shouldn't be in the business of class warfare, but this administration seems to feed it's base the necessary class envy in order to keep them engaged.

All this, and more, does nothing to improve the job market, but it does satisfy a certain demographic. Is that what we want from our government?

PROPOSED or enacted? A proposal doesn't cost does it. You are trying to count the cost of these proposals as if they were enacted, which they weren't? That's kind of fudging it, don't you think. You and I both know congress makes proposals all day long, most of which are NOT acted on.
And when you say 'this administration' are you speaking of Obama's administration, or are you lumping in all democratic proposals? Again, not the same is it. And I'm guessing some of those proposals were republican proposals.

And do you have any examples of these draconian regulations that are choking small businesses?

And which energy policies of this administration are causing power plants to close? I find it hard to believe the energy companies are having to go hat in hand during a period of record profits. I think you will find it hard to drum up any sympathy for billionaire oil barons.

This cry of pity the poor billionaires is getting really old. They are paying the least taxes they have ever paid, thanks to Bush and co. and have been coddled and catered to with (thanks to Fox news and incredible right wing salesmanship) an army of worker bees sitting in their double-wides pumping their fists in the air saying "Yes! Tax cuts for the rich! That's what we need!"
So, where are the jobs? Huh? Where are they? They got huge tax cuts from Bush and guess what? We lost jobs! Jobs went away! Where's the trickle? Where's the big boost we are supposed to get from all this 'job creator investment'? It's a lie Alan. It doesn't work. The only thing they are creating with this wealth gift is more wealth...for themselves.

You want to know what the key is? You want to know the truth? Well here it is. Pretty simple actually. If there is no demand for the product, then your rich guy isn't going to invest in more product. And he isn't going to create jobs to produce a product no one wants or can afford. And unless you rich guy is in the food or shelter or energy business, chances are people aren't buying. And why aren't they buying? Because the middle class is being squeezed dry by the class warfare the wealthy/republicans have been waging on them. And the middle class is their customer. Or was. But without a middle class....and on and on it goes.

And it's not just Obama's base that thinks the wealthy should pay more in taxes. A MAJORITY of Americans think this. And lots of them are republicans.

[Zigzagman]

Maybe not now but at some point the right wing will have to swallow this reality - without additional taxes then there will be draconian cuts in defense, SS, and Medicare.

IMO, if we really downsized defense that would probably be good for everyone except the thousands of contractors that are now employed by the MIC. In the case of SS and Medicare it will be coming at a time when the population is aging and I don't think this will ever be accepted. I suspect it might even come to "tar and feathering" the GOP for decades. At this point I really do wish we had a solution like PRAYER - we could use some magic.

An example of a possible power plant closure is the coal fired power plant near Austin operated by LCRA that is in danger of closing simply because Austin is threatening to refuse to buy their power unless they clean up their pollution. This is just one of those in Texas that have violated Federal EPA standards for years and Texas conveniently ignored.

Peace

[iris lily]

Maybe not now but at some point the right wing will have to swallow this reality - without additional taxes then there will be draconian cuts in defense, SS, and Medicare.

OK, I swallowed and it's now swimming around in my stomach. Balanced budget, please. Thanks.

[Alan]

And which energy policies of this administration are causing power plants to close? I find it hard to believe the energy companies are having to go hat in hand during a period of record profits. I think you will find it hard to drum up any sympathy for billionaire oil barons.

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-12...losures-coming

[creaker]

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-12...losures-coming

It sounds like they are finally being forced to catch up after avoiding EPA standards for decades:

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-08...still-so-dirty

[Alan]

It sounds like they are finally being forced to catch up after avoiding EPA standards for decades:

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-08...still-so-dirty

Not really. It is a result of newly proposed EPA requirements which have yet to take effect, but are forcing power plants to begin scheduling shut-downs and then re-build, or not, in order to be in compliance when they are approved.

The net result will be increased power rates tied specifically to the proposed requirements.

[peggy]

It sounds like they are finally being forced to catch up after avoiding EPA standards for decades:

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-08...still-so-dirty

Exactly! It would be pretty naive to believe that the big energy companies would be mindful of their communities considering how even with regulations in place they pollute at will. Without regulations they would rape and pillage and plunder until the earth was a smoking ash pit.
I don't live near a coal plant, but my neighbors do, cause I still believe in the UNITED in the United States, and this is MY country. Maybe some are willing to sacrifice ground water and air and farmland around power plant 'zones', which could stretch for miles and miles, but I'm not!
Yea to the EPA! More power to them! I'm sick of Profits over People. These guys are making record profits, they can spend a little to be good neighbors.
Profit isn't everything. It really isn't. I think this administration is just trying to look out for, and represent, the other 99% of us who share this country.

[peggy]

Not really. It is a result of newly proposed EPA requirements which have yet to take effect, but are forcing power plants to begin scheduling shut-downs and then re-build, or not, in order to be in compliance when they are approved.

The net result will be increased power rates tied specifically to the proposed requirements.

Here's a little tip. Your rates are going up regardless. The EPA rulings aren't really at fault, they are just an excuse. They're going up no matter what. I'm surprised you haven't figured that one out.

[creaker]

Not really. It is a result of newly proposed EPA requirements which have yet to take effect, but are forcing power plants to begin scheduling shut-downs and then re-build, or not, in order to be in compliance when they are approved.

The net result will be increased power rates tied specifically to the proposed requirements.

Per the article a lot of these power plants have been able to avoid EPA requirements for decades. It's not surprising there's a much bigger cost to pay since they have more updates to make.

[Alan]

Here's a little tip. Your rates are going up regardless. The EPA rulings aren't really at fault, they are just an excuse. They're going up no matter what. I'm surprised you haven't figured that one out.

Sure they would, but this adds an additional 7 to 10% on top. Plus, it's likely to cause net declines in the country's energy production, at least during the short term.
All considered, another hindrance to job creation and maintenance.