Where Do Trump’s Bad Ideas Come From?

[Dovahkiin]

That's a great question.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/05/07/where-do-trumps-bad-ideas-come-from/

So everyone is having fun with Donald Trump’s suggestion that he’ll negotiate forgiveness on U.S. debt — making America great by running it like a failing Atlantic City casino. (By the way, I think I may have been one of the first to come up with that analogy, although probably many people did so independently.)

A number of people have also pointed out that willingness to trifle with the full faith and credit of the U.S. government didn’t start with Trump — it started with Republicans in the House, who casually tried to extort concessions by refusing to raise the debt limit.

But one thing I haven’t seen much discussion of is the question of why Trump imagines that we have a severe debt problem, requiring extraordinary measures. Here, after all, is what U.S. interest payments look like:

Photo

CreditCongressional Budget Office
See the crisis? Neither do I.

But Trump, we can assume, doesn’t look at economic data, or for that matter employ anyone who can. Remember how unemployment is really 42 percent? What he does do is pick up stuff that everyone around him says.

And here’s the thing: claims that America is facing a debt crisis have been all over the political landscape for years, in defiance of both the actual debt service numbers and the verdict of the market, which wants to lend us money for almost nothing. Paul Ryan loved to talk about a “looming debt crisis“, requiring that we move immediately to privatize Medicare and, uh, cut taxes on the rich. Various heads of the Peterson hydra, like Fix the Debt, convinced much of the political elite that debt is the number one problem facing America.

So it’s not really surprising that Trump, who doesn’t know much about policy, would pick up on all this buzz, and not get the memo that it’s all really about finding excuses to slash social programs. And he knows, or thinks he knows, a lot about being overextended on credit; so let’s declare bankruptcy and make a deal!

 

[SuperDemocrat]

I'm OK with defaulting on our debt so Trump's position is a little better than my own. Many countries default on their debt and people still lend money to them and defaulting may be a good way to screw over some countries that don't like us.

Trump's idea is a little bit better since there is nothing wrong with negotiating some of our debt away. We will probably have to give something to these countries that isn't money since we don't have that anymore.

This only became an issue when a republican wanted to do that. When Obama did it it was the coolest thing ever so go fuck yourself and your hypocrisy.

 

[Dovahkiin]

I'm OK with defaulting on our debt so Trump's position is a little better than my own. Many countries default on their debt and people still lend money to them and defaulting may be a good way to screw over some countries that don't like us.

Trump's idea is a little bit better since there is nothing wrong with negotiating some of our debt away. We will probably have to give something to these countries that isn't money since we don't have that anymore.

This only became an issue when a republican wanted to do that. When Obama did it it was the coolest thing ever so go fuck yourself and your hypocrisy.

I'm OK with defaulting on our debt

Why?

Many countries default on their debt and people still lend money to them and defaulting may be a good way to screw over some countries that don't like us.

Only a small amount of bonds are held by foreign entities.

 

[SuperDemocrat]

I'm OK with defaulting on our debt so Trump's position is a little better than my own. Many countries default on their debt and people still lend money to them and defaulting may be a good way to screw over some countries that don't like us.

Trump's idea is a little bit better since there is nothing wrong with negotiating some of our debt away. We will probably have to give something to these countries that isn't money since we don't have that anymore.

This only became an issue when a republican wanted to do that. When Obama did it it was the coolest thing ever so go fuck yourself and your hypocrisy.

I'm OK with defaulting on our debt

Why?

Many countries default on their debt and people still lend money to them and defaulting may be a good way to screw over some countries that don't like us.

Only a small amount of bonds are held by foreign entities.

Defaulting on our debt may be a good way to wipe the slate clean since paying it off is a mulit-generational thing. We wouldn't have to burden future generations with paying of that debt which would save more money for immediate spending. Since other countries woudln't want to lend money to us the size of the federal government may stop growing which would force the government to balance its budget.

 

[Dovahkiin]

I'm OK with defaulting on our debt so Trump's position is a little better than my own. Many countries default on their debt and people still lend money to them and defaulting may be a good way to screw over some countries that don't like us.

Trump's idea is a little bit better since there is nothing wrong with negotiating some of our debt away. We will probably have to give something to these countries that isn't money since we don't have that anymore.

This only became an issue when a republican wanted to do that. When Obama did it it was the coolest thing ever so go fuck yourself and your hypocrisy.

I'm OK with defaulting on our debt

Why?

Many countries default on their debt and people still lend money to them and defaulting may be a good way to screw over some countries that don't like us.

Only a small amount of bonds are held by foreign entities.

Defaulting on our debt may be a good way to wipe the slate clean since paying it off is a mulit-generational thing. We wouldn't have to burden future generations with paying of that debt which would save more money for immediate spending. Since other countries woudln't want to lend money to us the size of the federal government may stop growing which would force the government to balance its budget.

Paying off the debt is stupid.

 

[LoneLaugher]

I'm OK with defaulting on our debt so Trump's position is a little better than my own. Many countries default on their debt and people still lend money to them and defaulting may be a good way to screw over some countries that don't like us.

Trump's idea is a little bit better since there is nothing wrong with negotiating some of our debt away. We will probably have to give something to these countries that isn't money since we don't have that anymore.

This only became an issue when a republican wanted to do that. When Obama did it it was the coolest thing ever so go fuck yourself and your hypocrisy.

I'm OK with defaulting on our debt

Why?

Many countries default on their debt and people still lend money to them and defaulting may be a good way to screw over some countries that don't like us.

Only a small amount of bonds are held by foreign entities.

Defaulting on our debt may be a good way to wipe the slate clean since paying it off is a mulit-generational thing. We wouldn't have to burden future generations with paying of that debt which would save more money for immediate spending. Since other countries woudln't want to lend money to us the size of the federal government may stop growing which would force the government to balance its budget.

Awesome. You lack understanding to the same degree that Trump does. He really does speak what's on your mind.

 

[BULLDOG]

I always thought he just pulled all his ideas out of his ass.