America Not in Decline

[Xiahou]

Our best days are ahead of us. I firmly believe this.

You're not worried by unsustainable growth in entitlement spending? Or are you just confident someone will have the courage to fix them? I agree that the US has some good fundamentals, but we also face some daunting challenges.

Also, while we can certainly trim the fat on defense, I don't think it's accurate to paint it as "budget destroying". You could completely eliminate defense spending and we'd still be running a healthy deficit. At least defense is one of the enumerated powers of the federal government.

[Lemur]

You're not worried by unsustainable growth in entitlement spending?

One of several concerns, certainly, but I am quite certain that we will address it. I also think the tax code is a joke and a drag on the economy, needing radical simplification. Again, I believe we will address it.

Much less clear on how we will deal with some macro-economic trends, but that's a whole 'nother thread.

Also, while we can certainly trim the fat on defense, I don't think it's accurate to paint it as "budget destroying".

Conflating two separate issues; defense budget and the two off-budget wars we waged in the 00s. I do believe the DoD budgeting and procurement system encourages single-issue, single-program fiefdoms that drain away millions while doing little to help our men and women in uniform. The Iraq war, on the other hand, cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 trillion (some estimates go as high as $4 trillion, when factoring indirect costs), which was, in fact "budget-destroying."