Excellent reasons to hate the wealthy

[pErvinalia]

I think most politicians see austerity as cutting spending and cutting taxes, but the latter in aid of supposedly raising tax revenues via some jiggery pokery something something Laffer Curve something *cough*.. *crickets*.

Or

[Scot Dutchy]

Austerity was for the UK. Cutting benefits to the poor while retaining our income by giving tax breaks.

[Rum]

Not really. The Netherlands, for example introduced a number of austerity measures (designed as they all were to combat rules introduced by the EU to keep government budgets at less than 3% in excess of their GDPs).

Specifically the Netherlands aimed to cut its budget by €18 billion by 2015. Measures included higher retirement age, reduction in military spending, tax increases and cuts in government programs.

[Strontium Dog]

That's not what austerity means. You're describing a budget surplus. Which is a stupid thing for most governments to try to achieve unless it's balanced out by trade because it means taking more money out of the economy that is put in causing deflation or a shrinking economy. Austerity refers to measures like spending cuts and tax increases supposedly in attempt to reduce a budget deficit, that depending on how they are implemented can have serious consequences for many people's lives, because again while the government may still be putting more in than taking out, they are putting less in relative to previous years.

Austerity is about reducing the budget deficit, yes, but we still spend far, far more than we bring in, which is not sustainable. Austerity is essentially an attempt to bring the deficit back within sustainable limits.

I wasn't suggesting we should be currently running a budget surplus, although of course, true Keynesians like myself would advocate running a surplus in good years, as opposed to the deficit Labour was running. My rubbishing of the word "austerity" was the use of the term itself, which in no way accurately describes any economy where outgoings strip incomings.

[PsychoSerenity]

Wrong.

[Strontium Dog]

None of it was wroong, but tell me which bit you thought was wrong, so we can point out why you are wrong.

I must say though, if I go to the bank, and tell them I want to withdraw £1,000 a month more than I deposit, and that it was okay, as I was actually being austere, I think they would laugh me out.

[PsychoSerenity]

And there's that household budget analogy again.

[Strontium Dog]

I'm just showing how transparently ridiculous it is to spend much more than you bring in, then claim you are being strict with your spending. It's utterly fucking mental!

[laklak]

They're politicians. You can tell they're lying because their lips are moving.

[Scot Dutchy]

Not really. The Netherlands, for example introduced a number of austerity measures (designed as they all were to combat rules introduced by the EU to keep government budgets at less than 3% in excess of their GDPs).

Specifically the Netherlands aimed to cut its budget by €18 billion by 2015. Measures included higher retirement age, reduction in military spending, tax increases and cuts in government programs.

That applicable to all people which is the difference. In 2017 all austerity measures were dropped. Higher retirement age is back on the table. Three of the four coalition parties want to discuss it and only the VVD (conservatives) wants to maintain it.

[pErvinalia]

But we need to work right up until we die. Otherwise, SOCIALISTM!!!1

[Svartalf]

Hurray for the Socialism, I have done my share, I got broken in the workplace, and now I'm enjoying (sic) my justly deserved retirement.

[Brian Peacock]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political ... prov=sfla1

[Svartalf]

can't fault this as a most excellent reason to hate the wealthy

[Seabass]

If you're going to bring the Kochs into it then you also have to talk about Sheldon Adelson. The Mercers (Breitbart, Cambridge Analytica) are also malevolent hellspawn.

Sheldon Adelson: the casino mogul driving Trump's Middle East policy