60 Minutes program from Sunday

[TXduckdog]

I'm not trying to be facetious.

But why would the Prez say that the key to balancing the budget is to get a health care reform package passed?

How are the two related? How can adding a (at last count) a $900 million dollar program to the federal budget get the budget balanced?

I cannot follow his logic. Geez, I try and give this guy the benefit of the doubt but then he comes up with a statement like this.

I just don't get it.

Anybody got an analysis?

[dnf777]

By unburdening manufacturers of health care costs, it will bring them to a more competitive stance in the world market. None of our international competitors have their manufacturing base providing healthcare to their employees. Basically, we're competing with gov't subsidized industries from other countries. Balancing the trade deficit, stimulating American manufacturing of products, increases tax revenues, reduces public assistance payouts.

[Gerry Clinchy]

By unburdening manufacturers of health care costs,

Not quite since unions, as I understand it, will be given a "pass". They'll get to keep high-end plans. Suspect that the $ to pay for that comes from the union wages that will have to be paid by employers to to fund those added benefits. No free lunch. Somebody will pay for health care changes ... just putting the pea under a different shell.

I really do believe the key to having a market for U.S. goods has always been innovation and quality. The Chinese can manufacture computer chips, but the U.S. dreamed them up

I recall reading once that while the Japanese became very good at mfg'g quality goods like electronics, cultural constraints prevented them from being particularly innovative.

Toyota may have found the best of both worlds by bringing some of their mfg'g here to the U.S. to take advantage of U.S. innovative thinking and incorporating their dedication to quality.

There is something for being known for quality, even if not the cheapest price. True of Toyotas ... and they sell a LOT of cars for their durability record. True of Honda as well.

[M&K's Retrievers]

By unburdening manufacturers of health care costs, it will bring them to a more competitive stance in the world market. None of our international competitors have their manufacturing base providing healthcare to their employees. Basically, we're competing with gov't subsidized industries from other countries. Balancing the trade deficit, stimulating American manufacturing of products, increases tax revenues, reduces public assistance payouts.

Yes they are paying for it in taxes to fund their national plans rather than buying quality insurance plans for their employees. The difference is they are paying for crap coverage.
Everyone keeps trying to find a pony in a room full of horse crap!!

[Bruce MacPherson]

By unburdening manufacturers of health care costs, it will bring them to a more competitive stance in the world market. None of our international competitors have their manufacturing base providing healthcare to their employees. Basically, we're competing with gov't subsidized industries from other countries. Balancing the trade deficit, stimulating American manufacturing of products, increases tax revenues, reduces public assistance payouts.

And most of those countries are having their own budget problems caused by the very things our President is telling us is going to fix ours.

[Bob Gutermuth]

I don't understand where Osama gets this kind of stuff. Spending nearly a billion $ of our money on healthcare isn't going to help the economy, its just going to burden the already suffering taxpayers more.

[BrianW]

I cannot follow his logic. Geez, I try and give this guy the benefit of the doubt but then he comes up with a statement like this.

I just don't get it.

Neither can I.

Health care bill to cost (at least) $900 billion.
Savings from Medicare "reform $500 billion. (maximum, over time)
Simple subtraction. $400 billion in increased taxpayer's costs

"I will not sign any bill that increases the deficit." as Administration asks Senate to increase debt ceiling by a trillion dollars.

[Goose]

Here's my analysis: The President is a liar. A balanced budget!! Are you kidding me Mr. President. Let's spend several trillion dollars on a healthcare boondoggle and balance the budget!! That's rich. Raise your hand if you think he can do this!

And don't give me this crap about how Clinton balanced the budget. That's a lie and a myth, too He did it with accounting fraud, gimmicks and hocus-pocus. Did you really think a former governor from Arkansas could balance the federal budget? Come on!! He was too busy with interns to worry about that.

Our debt now approaches $12 trillion. Over the next 10 years we can add another $9 trillion.

Let's add $2 trillion to that from Federal Reserve liabilities. And let's just throw in another $100 trillion for Social Security, Medicare and Federal pension payments...unfunded government IOUs.

Let's add it all up...12 and 9 and 2 and 100. That's $123 trillion. Our population is around 307 million so each and every one of us has a debt burden of around $400,000 or over $1 million per household.

It's really too late to do anything about it. If you're a liberal democrat you should probably just max out your credit card and buy a 2nd, 3rd, 5th...or 10th new flat screen tv. Then tell the credit card company to stick it!

Everybody else should start living within your means and brace yourself for a horrible, horrible future.

[Franco]

But why would the Prez say that the key to balancing the budget is to get a health care reform package passed?

How are the two related?

They are not related.

The reason he is tossing in the budget in is because he is desperate to sell Obamacare knowing that a defeat will seriously harm his chances of being re-elected. Another big reason is when his economic policies fail, he can blame it on the Republicans for not supporting Obamacare.

Obama is very crafty when it comes to using smoke and mirrors to sell his point of view.