For me and mine.

As you write, the tax reform will need to be funded downstream by reducing social programs.

If the Democrats do get a Senate majority in 2018 then they may not be interested in such defunding so will simply sit back and blame GOP for any deficit increases.

It's easy to defund stuff from a 20,00 feet in the air perspective. But when you're in the salt mine it's much more tricky because there are so many interdependencies, and often when one department defunds something it doesn't actually go away but becomes another department's responsibility. So individual departments may look good with their slashed budgets but overall the savings are less than that. Much the same as when you're restructuring a company. Cost saving goals are rarely actually met, and if they are met they often bounce back because expenditure is postponed rather than stopped, or just booked onto somebody else's budget.

If you want to get spending under control, a shock and panic therapy is not the way. You need to take a long term approach. You need to change your overall way of thinking and get people into those jobs who have that thinking. Shock therapies and sudden funding cuts often simply incentivize people to try and save their little kingdoms.

Those are meaningless inverse statements of reality. The tax reform is not something that needs to be funded as taxes are the funding mechanism in itself. Furthermore, Democrats have never really been known to concern themselves with deficit increases, as it is mainly conservatives who decry deficit increases. Democrats do not, nor rarely have had an economic plan of their own. The money released into he economy is just as well taxed as it moves around. The tax reform is not a spending bill where the money simply disappears into nothingness. It is inevitably booked and taxed again.

Trump's presidency is the ultimate underdog story.

No matter what they throw at him or how much they stack the odds against him he still comes out swinging - and winning!

Lol, this is the only funny element in the whole story...when you watch it from a distance, of course. Probably I wouldn't be so amused if I was American.

It really proves the American dream. Anyone can come from anywhere and become president, regardless of colour, creed, religion or ability.

They are unknowingly heroizing Trump. LOL

ftfy

FTFFY.

Tom

Wow! The US has billionaire underdogs?

Is the 'anyone can come from anywhere and become president' bit a reference to Obama?

Meritocracy at its fullness.

Ironic then that the only presidents to actually reduce their inherited deficit in recent times have been democrats.

2009 counts for Bush II btw.

Of course, the GOP hope is that the tax cuts will empower companies to create growth and new jobs.

But with US unemployment at a 17 year low associated with Trump's drive to both reduce immigration and to increase deportations of illegal immigrants then it is not obvious that there is a pool of labour suitable to fill such new jobs which will be crucial to drive growth.

Are you raising the Birther issue again?

Has that ever actually happened?

I'm actually in favour of tax breaks for companies to encourage growth into a new region, but I'm yet to see evidence of tax breaks encouraging better conditions and rewards for existing employees. All I see is senior management wages and bonuses increasing almost exponentially, with little consideration for the workforce.
I'm open to be corrected however.

"The US says it "will be taking names" during a UN General Assembly vote on a resolution criticising its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Permanent representative Nikki Haley warned member states that President Donald Trump had asked her to report on "who voted against us" on Thursday."

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42424666

Pompous a*****e.

No need to take notes. It'll be everyone voting in favour of the motion except the US and Israel.

And they'll be telling their parents how mean they've been?

Let's take a look at Zug, Schwyz and Nidwalden. I'd say there was some definite benefits, especially in Zug, but they paid a price in losing the community spirit.