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  • The basic gerontocratic fiscal trap is easy to describe

    From JAB@21:1/5 to All on Thu Oct 5 06:32:45 2023
    How Gerontocracy Explains the Matt Gaetz Clown Show
    ...
    ...
    ...
    The basic gerontocratic fiscal trap is easy to describe: As societies
    grow older, with longer life expectancies and fewer kids, their
    old-age commitments become steadily more costly as the share of voters
    who benefit from those commitments (and turn out to vote) increases.
    This makes it harder to fix fiscal problems, and it makes the path of
    least political resistance the protection of the old and the
    shortchanging of the young -- who, thus shortchanged, start fewer
    families and deepen societal senescence.

    But there is a further twist in American politics, which is that the
    party that would normally be the ideological vehicle for resisting the
    drift into gerontocratic stasis -- the party of free markets and
    limited government -- is also increasingly dependent on the votes of
    culturally conservative older voters. Which makes it especially
    politically challenging, even self-undermining, to undertake the kind
    of fiscal reforms that the right's philosophy officially supports.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/04/opinion/matt-gaetz-house-gerontocracy.html

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Retrograde@21:1/5 to JAB on Thu Oct 5 11:54:55 2023
    On Thu, 05 Oct 2023 06:32:45 -0500, JAB wrote:

    How Gerontocracy Explains the Matt Gaetz Clown Show ...
    ...
    ...
    The basic gerontocratic fiscal trap is easy to describe: As societies
    grow older, with longer life expectancies and fewer kids, their old-age commitments become steadily more costly as the share of voters who
    benefit from those commitments (and turn out to vote) increases.
    This makes it harder to fix fiscal problems, and it makes the path of
    least political resistance the protection of the old and the
    shortchanging of the young -- who, thus shortchanged, start fewer
    families and deepen societal senescence.

    But there is a further twist in American politics, which is that the
    party that would normally be the ideological vehicle for resisting the
    drift into gerontocratic stasis -- the party of free markets and limited government -- is also increasingly dependent on the votes of culturally conservative older voters. Which makes it especially politically
    challenging, even self-undermining, to undertake the kind of fiscal
    reforms that the right's philosophy officially supports.

    That was a good read. The first paragraph makes perfect sense; the second
    one less. But discovering it's a commentary on Gaetz is a mystery to me
    still. Gaetz' party has steadily, relentlessly undermined the social
    safety net older voters increasingly need. Recall he worked hard to try
    to shut the government down - and will again, in November - to reduce
    spending on social services. This narrative needs a mention of how the
    modern GOP is totally beholden to billionaire personal interests. The
    other article linking Gaetz to his cheetofaced puppet master eager to
    destroy the government rather than be held accountable also rings true.

    Question: if the gerontocracy finally slips off this mortal coil, who will
    be left on Usenet? Not many.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Thu Oct 5 11:36:12 2023
    Note-Resent...did not post

    On Thu, 5 Oct 2023 11:54:55 -0000 (UTC), Retrograde <[email protected]d> wrote:

    Recall he worked hard to try to shut the government down
    - and will again, in November - to reduce
    spending on social services.

    As noted before, employer based health care plans are a tax deduction
    for employers, and a tax-free lunch for employees.

    Matt Gaetz, nor other Rs are going to take a bite out of this tax-free
    benefit.

    "The ESI exclusion [employer-sponsored insurance (ESI)] will cost the
    federal government an estimated $273 billion in income and payroll
    taxes in 2019, making it the single largest tax expenditure."

    https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/how-does-tax-exclusion-employer-sponsored-health-insurance-work

    Rs complain about Affordable Care Act, but wear blinders to this
    employee free lunch, which is not fair to all Americans.

    This narrative needs a mention of how the modern GOP
    is totally beholden to billionaire personal interests.

    In order to "feed" them, there must be sellers and buyers, and when
    social spending is reduced, there will be economic fallout.

    Only way "trickle up" capitalism works is similar to what Ford
    did...putting money into employees pockets. I have no idea what MBAs
    learn in school, but Ford showed Trickle Up capitalism works, and Rs
    "trickle down" capitalism is BS.

    September 25, 1926: Henry Ford implemented an 8 hour work day and 5
    day work week at Ford Motor Company. Prior to this, it was common to
    work 100+ hours and six days a week. Ford also doubled salaries of all
    his workers, with the expectation that productivity would increase
    despite the shorter week. He was correct, and many of his suppliers
    followed suit. Later, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established
    similar work standards on a national scale.

    https://twitter.com/HistoryNutOTD/status/1706304949137609058

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Thu Oct 5 11:30:57 2023
    On Thu, 5 Oct 2023 11:54:55 -0000 (UTC), Retrograde <[email protected]d> wrote:

    Recall he worked hard to try to shut the government down
    - and will again, in November - to reduce
    spending on social services.

    As noted before, employer based health care plans are a tax deduction
    for employers, and a tax-free lunch for employees.

    Matt Gaetz, nor other Rs are going to take a bite out of this tax-free
    benefit.

    "The ESI exclusion [employer-sponsored insurance (ESI)] will cost the
    federal government an estimated $273 billion in income and payroll
    taxes in 2019, making it the single largest tax expenditure."

    https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/how-does-tax-exclusion-employer-sponsored-health-insurance-work

    Rs complain about Affordable Care Act, but wear blinders to this
    employee free lunch, which is not fair to all Americans.

    This narrative needs a mention of how the modern GOP
    is totally beholden to billionaire personal interests.

    In order to "feed" them, there must be sellers and buyers, and when
    social spending is reduced, there will be economic fallout.

    Only way "trickle up" capitalism works is similar to what Ford
    did...putting money into employees pockets. I have no idea what MBAs
    learn in school, but Ford showed Trickle Up capitalism works, and Rs
    "trickle down" capitalism is BS.

    September 25, 1926: Henry Ford implemented an 8 hour work day and 5
    day work week at Ford Motor Company. Prior to this, it was common to
    work 100+ hours and six days a week. Ford also doubled salaries of all
    his workers, with the expectation that productivity would increase
    despite the shorter week. He was correct, and many of his suppliers
    followed suit. Later, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established
    similar work standards on a national scale.

    https://twitter.com/HistoryNutOTD/status/1706304949137609058

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)