They talk deficit reduction. But what they actually do—time after time after time—is raise it via corporate giveaways. Here’s the latest example.

  • YoBuckStopsHere@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’m that rare type who is ignored being fiscally conservative and socially liberal. Neither party likes people like me because I want to see the taxpayer cost before the vote is taken. I’m all for solid government programs and incentives, but show me the money. Show me who wrote the legislation and who is putting money in people’s pockets for or against said bill. I want to see our taxpayer money spent wisely, not wasted as we saw the PPP Loans (are they loans when the rich didn’t pay them back?). I know all about the color of money in the Federal Government. I know where it starts and where it ends.

    I’ve seen no real shift toward a balanced budget since the Clinton era and I absolutely despise Continuing Resolutions. We the taxpayers deserve to have a government do the math and present us with a balanced budget for a term of four years. I don’t want to see our money given to the filthy rich either. No corporation should be bailed out. If you fail to run your business then your business dies. End of story. I don’t like to see these monopolies cry to Congress about losses and then go out on their yacht and snort cocaine. I want to see a diversified private sector with at least three major competitors in every market (not three from the same conglomerate). If I go to a local store I should be seeing a lot more options than I am. Typically today you get one option for any product and maybe a second which is owned by the first and is labeled differently to give the illusion of choice.

    • admiralteal@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Strong Towns. Go to their website read their stuff. That’s what it looks like to be fiscally responsible in modern America.

      Fiscally conservative isn’t a thing. Conservatism is a philosophy and framework built around social orders and preserving hierarchies. It isn’t about financial choices. Wanting responsible government spending is part of being a progressive – progressives can and do disagree over which services The government should offer and progressives can and should fight to make sure the government does the things it does efficiently.

    • henfredemars@infosec.pub
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      1 year ago

      The two party system struggles with nuanced views like yours. It’s most unfortunate. I’m similarly aligned and when I vote I often feel that it’s not a great reflection of my opinions.

      • YoBuckStopsHere@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Thus why I don’t support any political party. I support my own views and vote on those views. I have the benefit of being in Colorado where there are many like me and our state does a pretty good job appealing to all walks of life.

          • YoBuckStopsHere@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            TABOR has a lot of issues and really needs some reform. Look at Colorado and how deep in debt it was in the early 2000s because of TABOR. Cities were not even able to keep the street lights on as a result. While maybe getting a check for $14 is a big deal to a select few, I’d rather my tax money go toward state programs and education. $14 is nothing to me but collectively it could do more good with the government.

            • degrix@lemmy.hqueue.dev
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              1 year ago

              I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek with that answer. TABOR has a lot of things wrong with it but the one group that it does appeal to across party lines are those that are fiscally conservative. It forces the state budget to be voted on and you can’t go over it - that gets refunded to the tax payer. Everything has to be accounted for by the tax payer and money only goes to what the majority wants. This is true even if the program absolutely needs a bump in budget to operate correctly. I would much rather it not be in place, but I’m also not as fiscally conservative as some people. Most people don’t want to pay any taxes and that leads to debt.