this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2024
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politics

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Summary

Donald Trump called for abolishing the debt ceiling, labeling it a "psychological" concept with no real purpose.

He criticized a bipartisan short-term funding deal, calling it a "Democrat trap," and signaled support for legislation to permanently end the debt ceiling.

Trump had previously raised the ceiling during his first term and floated its elimination. Some Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, echoed support, citing the need to end "governing by hostage taking."

Trump’s stance reflects concerns over upcoming legislative challenges in his second term.

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[–] MapleEngineer 26 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Removing the debt ceiling would allow them to transfer unlimited money to the wealthy at the expense of the future of the country.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

It still needs to be appropriated to be spent. The debt ceiling is useless.

[–] MapleEngineer 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

No, you don't understand. Trump has promised to do away with regulation to reduce consumer protection and increase profits. The wealthy are going to loot the US while destroying it then hope that the poor don't murder them and take everything back.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

They see the end, they want to make the transfer fast.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

...Let it burn.

[–] Nightwingdragon 93 points 2 days ago (3 children)

He's actually right here, even if it's for self-serving purposes. The debt ceiling should have been eliminated years ago.

[–] PP_BOY_ 60 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Broken clock. It is always a bit shameful when he says something I agree with. Reminds me of this meme

[–] Nightwingdragon 18 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Nitpick: Stopped clock, not broken clock. A stopped clock is right twice a day. A broken clock may never be right at all.

With that said, exactly that. Even Trump accidentally gets something right once in a blue moon.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 hours ago

I prefer "even a blind squirrel finds a nut" A clock is guaranteed to be right at least once a day. Blind squirrels have no guarantee.

[–] Eldritch 16 points 2 days ago (4 children)

And as usual he's right for the wrong reason. He wants it abolished. Because they plan no future transitions of power. They don't think they will need to use it against Democrats anymore, and don't want it used against them. This should worry more people. But they were warned.

[–] Nightwingdragon 5 points 2 days ago

Oh of course. Like I said, self-serving purposes. But he's still right -- debt ceiling hostage negotiations should have never existed in the first place and nothing good has ever come out of them.

[–] someguy3 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Could also be to prevent infighting from any sane Republicans.

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[–] foggy 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

A broken clock will be correct at some point unless the only thing broken about it is the time it has been set to.

I.e. a perfect clock with the wrong time is never correct, but that is the only instance if a clock that is never correct (save dumb edge case like an unplugged digital clock or something).

Fun math, thanks.

[–] Nightwingdragon 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

There could also be mechanical failures with a gear or something which may cause it to tick erratically, skip, or even maybe occasionally backwards. Extreme edge cases, certainly, but that's why I said may never.

Semantics ftw, thanks!

[–] foggy 2 points 2 days ago

Erratic, backwards, no matter

Unless all of its erratic was canceled out to be perfect time keeping, it will in fact be correct at some point.

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[–] Pieisawesome 4 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Is it was never right, that implies the clock is not broken, but merely set to the wrong time.

A broken clock should either run fast, slow, or not at all…

Either way, it would be right for a short amount of time.

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[–] seaQueue 18 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

I agree in principle but abolishing it under a Republican administration is a recipe for tens of trillions handed out to Republican allies with the bill left to the next Democrat admin to clean up. I'd rather we didn't do this right now, it's almost guaranteed to lead to absurdly corrupt and wasteful spending that could otherwise fund social programs we desperately need (like single payer healthcare) during a less corrupt administration.

[–] Nightwingdragon 15 points 2 days ago

This was going to happen anyway. It's not like any of them are going to care about little things like rules, laws, or ethics.

[–] jj4211 6 points 2 days ago

While I'd want you to be right in your concerns, in practice the only hiccup ever encountered with the debt ceiling is when they want to screw over Democrats. Otherwise they never blink at raising it, making it a fairly ineffective guard against over borrowing.

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[–] plz1 44 points 2 days ago (2 children)

How would Republicans hold budget negotiations hostage without it? Shutdown threats are their primary playbook...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Why would they need to negotiate? They won. What's left to stand in the way? Law? Decorum? International reputation?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Who says they plan to negotiate again?

[–] meeeeetch 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The fact that they have intra-party disagreements about the budget.

[–] SkyezOpen 3 points 1 day ago

We've already established that presidential actions are above reproach, so when republican lawmakers start being arrested for treason for questioning trump, the rest will fall in line quickly.

[–] DarkFuture 70 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Remember when conservatives were conservative?

Nah, me neither.

[–] seaQueue 34 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It's always been a veneer over the drive to deny public spending that would benefit poor, brown or non Christians

[–] someguy3 12 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Quick close all the public pools, it saves money!

[–] seaQueue 7 points 2 days ago

Who needs public schools when we can replace them with income based vouchers to allow parents to send their kids to private religious schools?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago

If you look at Canada at both the federal and provincial level, the party that has the least deficits on record is... The NDP, the center left option.

[–] Boddhisatva 34 points 2 days ago (2 children)

But what will they cudgel the next Democratic administration over? Oh, I know! They'll push legislation to eliminate the debt ceiling for 4 years and then bring it back at the level of the current debt.

[–] Eldritch 16 points 2 days ago

They don't plan on any transition of power. Therefore they won't need to use it against Democrats, and don't want it used against them. It's only in their way now.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They figured out that they can just attack democrats from the left with online trolls.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I don't 100% disagree, but there needs to be a mechanism for pulling back those spending dollars through taxation of large corporations and the ultra wealthy otherwise you get more wealth consolidation and possible run away inflation.

[–] ceiphas 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

i thought the cabinet of billionairres wantswealth consolidation

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Right, they do, but it's also terrible for everyone who's not already a billionaire.

[–] ceiphas 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

The true purpose of the system is what it actually does

[–] just_another_person 21 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I'd laugh if it wasn't so obvious what is happening here.

[–] Makhno 6 points 2 days ago (3 children)
[–] seaQueue 15 points 2 days ago

The Trump admin is about to hand out trillions of dollars of public money to friends and donors. If the deficit doesn't quadruple over Trump's previous administration I'll be surprised

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] Nightwingdragon 20 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Of course. It's why he's not laughing.

In all seriousness, if people are wondering, 25% of our total national debt is a result of Trump's first term in office, largely due to his tax cuts for the wealthy. Eliminating the debt celiing means he can push through tax cuts so large that it'll make the first round look like a kid shaking out a piggy bank by comparison, and basically just stick future taxpayers with the bill.

[–] just_another_person 5 points 2 days ago

What do you think is better or worse for China and Russia?:

  1. The US government stopping all work for a period of time until the debt reconciliation is handled in law?

  2. The US Government absolutely stopping ALL work because Trump wants to suddenly be self-sufficient?

  3. The US Dollar losing it's stance as the global stable currency?

  4. The US absolutely crumbling when everything just stops.

Which fucking option are you not super clear about being on the table right now?

[–] WhiteOakBayou 12 points 2 days ago

I don't want a government shutdown. I don't want more expensive subsidies for corn. I don't care about NFL stadiums. I do want the disaster relief. I am ambivalent on the other farm aid because on one hand most of that money goes to big ag who does not need it but on the other hand small farmers depend on that money too. I think the concept of a debt ceiling is dumb in our current economy and I would like it abolished.

That being said. There is time to eliminate the debt ceiling without shutting down the government. The government needs to be funded. Fund the government, help those poor people smacked by storms then get rid of the debt ceiling.

I doubt Johnson can get this done in time. Hopefully Musk emailed Johnson some draft legislation with his marching orders. As it stands now a foreign born billionaire is threatening members of congress and appears to be dictating policy. This makes me sad.

[–] ATDA 4 points 2 days ago

Don't correct your enemy lmao even when I agree with him he's somehow wrong and an idiot. Glorious.

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