Quote:
Originally Posted by aceventura3
Assuming agreement on the above, my point is that the hybrid solution is no solution. The hybrid solution is perhaps the reason this recession is as bad as it is - perhaps it is the cause. Either way I am not debating the reasons for the recession, I am illustrating the problem with the mythical center. The argument that both a liberal and a conservative both make the same mistake in my view means both are wrong - not that it is the center.
|
There is no feasible alternative. But I think it would be wrong to assume that using both strategies (fiscal/monetary) caused the recession or made the recession worse. And I'm not even sure doing so can be considered a mistake. I think a mistake would be to take extreme measures by selecting one over the other. Mixed economies have proven to be the most stable option.
Quote:
|
Again, I am not clear if your meaning of center is like the sum of the pluses and minuses adding up to zero. If that is the definition, I agree there is a center - but I don't see how any conclusions can be drawn from such an approach.
|
You keep getting stuck into some kind of mathematical vortex when considering something that is measured by more than mathematics. You are thinking in binary opposites and so there is no centre possible. I cannot even visualize how you see things. It boggles my mind.
Quote:
|
To me NAFTA was an aggressive move towards true free market capitalism between North American Nations. I agree that the finer details where negotiated, but again I would argue where there was compromise there were on-going problems.
|
The final negotiations included clauses that essentially watered it down. It was a shift towards free market capitalism, but the final clauses clung to the idea of protectionism.
Quote:
|
And some taxes have increased during his administration. Seems to me, his goal is not to cut taxes but to redistribute wealth and that he wants to use tax policy to accomplish that goal. I think Bush, for example, simply wanted to cut taxes to lessen the burden on the American people.
|
Yes, Obama has taken a centrist approach on tax cuts. He wanted to take the burden off of the middle class specifically. Bush likely took the straightforward conservative approach of small government via lower taxes. The centre-left and most social democrats strongly support progressive taxation. They also strongly support social programs to help the poor or otherwise disadvantaged. I think the right calls this "redistributing the wealth." But at least this all goes on within a market economy.
Quote:
|
I consider that a conservative approach (and I would agree that Bush and Congress failed during his administration), so if our difference is in semantics - we agree in principle. Some how I don't really think that is the case though.
|
Balancing a budget isn't a conservative approach, it's a fiscal approach.
Anyway, I've lost what we're on about. Maybe if the average American thinks like you do, ace, and believe there is no centre, that would explain why Pelosi has been demonized. It's a case of a skewed view of economics and history and how the Democratic Party functions. Any mention of socialism in American political discourse is an example of that.