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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[–] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 93 points 1 week 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_@lemmy.world 60 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

[–] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week 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.

[–] _core@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 days 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@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week 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@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week 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@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Could also be to prevent infighting from any sane Republicans.

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[–] Pieisawesome@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week 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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[–] foggy@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week 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@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week 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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[–] seaQueue@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week 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@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week 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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[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 70 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Remember when conservatives were conservative?

Nah, me neither.

[–] seaQueue@lemmy.world 34 points 1 week 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@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Quick close all the public pools, it saves money!

[–] seaQueue@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week 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?

[–] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 week 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.

[–] plz1@lemmy.world 44 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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

[–] Bakkoda@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 days ago

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

[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Who says they plan to negotiate again?

[–] meeeeetch@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week 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.

[–] Boddhisatva@lemmy.world 34 points 1 week 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@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week 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.

[–] socsa@piefed.social 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

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[–] MapleEngineer@lemmy.world 26 points 1 week 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.

[–] ramsorge@discuss.online 3 points 6 days ago

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

[–] GhiLA@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 days ago

...Let it burn.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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

[–] MapleEngineer@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 6 days 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.

[–] Kalkaline@leminal.space 25 points 1 week 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@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

i thought the cabinet of billionairres wantswealth consolidation

[–] Kalkaline@leminal.space 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

[–] ceiphas@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Good_morning@lemmynsfw.com 1 points 6 days ago

The true purpose of the system is what it actually does

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

[–] Makhno@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (3 children)
[–] seaQueue@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week 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

[–] Bob_Robertson_IX@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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.

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@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week 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@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

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

rare sensible thing. the debt ceiling happens after congress votes on a budget.

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