My "blog" friend wrote a response to my blog entitled," I am Not a Republican". In his reply Rick states:
"three comments to Jeff on his blog....
1) 100B in savings (what he wanted) amounts to 2.25 weeks of interest payments on our current debt.
2) The GOP got more than $38.5B because they stripped out other money in the first few "continuing resolutions".
3) If he's so worried about money then he should not be so harsh on the abortion topic because if we had an additional 330K unwanted kids a year in this country then the cost would be astronomically larger than the $300M in P.P. funding (which doesn't only go towards abortions)....Just sayin, he's off on this rants. Feel free to print this and share with him".
Rick, I love the feedback from you. Keep it coming. Hopefully, I can learn a few things from you and maybe you can get a different viewpoint from me. So here's my response:
1) I agree 100% with you. $100B or $38.5B really doesn't matter either way right now. Both amounts are pitiful compared to the national debt. But, given the situation that America is in right now, I would favor $100B rather than $38.5B. Personally, I don't see the budget as a Republican or Democratic issue. I see it as an American issue and I am for America, my kids, and my grand kids (if/when we have them). It's just that my simple little mind tells me that you can't continue to spend $100 when you only have $20 in your money clip. I think we need more cuts. I don't know all of the proposals in the Ryan budget cut proposal of $6-7 trillion, but I think that is a step in the right direction.
2) You wrote, "The GOP got more than $38.5B because they stripped out other money in the first few "continuing resolutions". Not according to the AP. The press and the Administration did a "bait and switch" over the weekend and praised Boehner, but on Tuesday of this week, the praise started going back to Obama. Why? Because he "duped" the Republicans. The AP reported yesterday that, "The historic $38 billion in budget cuts resulting from at-times hostile bargaining between Congress and the Obama White House were accomplished in large part by pruning money left over from previous years, using accounting sleight of hand and going after programs President Barack Obama had targeted anyway. The details of the agreement reached late Friday night just ahead of a deadline for a partial government shutdown reveal a lot of one-time savings and cuts that officially "score" as cuts to pay for spending elsewhere, but often have little to no actual impact on the deficit." In other words, the GOP didn't get as much as it first appeared. Obama and the Democrats won. America lost.
3) We may simply have a different opinion on abortion and I am sure that I can't convince you otherwise. However, for me, I can't save money at the expense of a human life. And I can't make a distinction between an unborn child, and say, and an elderly person. To me, both are human lives. Both could be termed "unwanted". The old retired person simply draws from the system and costs us money. But I have a 96 year-old grandad that I cherish and could never imagine terminating his life because he is unwanted and costs us money. The Germans thought the Jews were "unwanted" also.
In regards to Planned Parenthood, I simply don't want to pay for killing babies. If this issue is so important to people, tell them to hit people up like George Soros that have the money to fund every PP clinic in America, or donate themselves. I can't imagine the outcry of liberals if the government would purchase a gun for every adult in America or if the Left had to pay for mosques, churches, and synagogues. They wouldn't stand for it and they wouldn't allow it because they don't believe in it.
Also, 97% of the women entering PP get an abortion. 3% get "other healthcare services". In a study done recently, over 50 clinics were called inquiring about receiving a mammogram or cancer screening. 98% of the Planned Parenthood clinics responded saying that they don't provide those services.
And that is why I don't think I am off on this rant.
2 comments:
Nice rebuttal! I had to look up those numbers myself in #2, I was wrong and now even more irritated with the deal!
I know we will never agree on the abortion issue, I see it differently. Too many kids in the US setup for failure before they hit the first trimester. Too many parents that use those kids as a paycheck.
On to old people... life is most assuredly precious but end of life care is out of control! My g'pa passed away from brain cancer, his last week of life cost us (medicare) over $145K for a 5% chance he'd get better. I miss him everyday but financially was that worth it?
This could be another topic and I do not support death panels but think we should also put statistics into play for Medicare & Medicaid to save the programs.
As a side note, the debt ceiling needs to be raised one more time to give the three branches a chance to produce a budget that won't add. I worry about interest on everything if we don't do it. A 2% increase in rates will cost me $135/month on my non-federal subsidized student loans. I financed almost 60% of my schooling b/c per the gov't my single mom made too much. So think of these things... u have 1 in school & another on the way.
Thanks for setting me straight on the savings and happy Easter!
-Rick
Rick,
All valid points. I mostly agree with you on all points. I do believe kids are set up to fail. And I do believe that parents use their children as "baby factories" for an additional government paycheck. I just think that we have to have better options than abortion, such as the church being more responsive and more available to these young girls.
The "end of life" situation is a tough one. Personally, I have instructed Dena to never put me on life support or waste money on me for "end of life" care. So, I agree with your point and your philosophy. I simply struggle with loved ones such as my boys if they were in that situation. That would be the harder decision for me. I definitely think it should be a personal decision, not one made by the government.
I am enjoying the responses and the differing viewpoint on a few things. Keep the comments coming.
Have a Happy Easter!
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