DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus The 2026 US. Midterm Election

I am not saying it is wrong. I just worry about where it goes.

I don't know how we are going to lower the debt service. I have no problem with higher taxes as long as it is coupled with somewhat equal cuts in spending, which means services for a large part. It has to be attacked from both ends. SS is the only program.that has been paid in good faith by the employee and employer.

As far as SS, I would like to see a big change. I would like to see contributions as currently exist for new entrants in to the program. I would want government approved funds in which the person could direct the money and allow withdrawls as is current set by SS. The funds would look like an IRA statement. The problem we have now is the money contributed is just going to the general fund. They can say there is a trust fund, but it is flimsy at best. It's just invested in to government securitys which they can print at will.

jc My election ramblings.

I still think both parties are garbage.

Am I glad the republicans lost? Yes. They screwed up enough in the last years they deserve to sit in timeout.

Am I glad the democrats won? Nope. I don't feel they have any solutions to the current problems.

We still have 2 more months of the current congress. Trump is at point where he has nothing to lose. Does he try to cause as much destruction as possible, knowing the current congress won't stop him? Will the current congress no longer be loyal to Trump after taking a beating and step up if he does try something? Hopefully the next two months are uneventful, but who knows.

Next 2 years:
Democrats - I hope they grow a spine. I've criticized the Colorado governor for bowing to Trump and releasing Tina Peters. They should absolutely play hardball to some extent. If Trump is going to veto every bill, they should keep sending bills and keep score. Then use that in 2028. It's likely we're heading towards stalemate for the next 2 years. If nothing gets done, who will the voters blame in 2028? I hope democrats don't spend the next 2 years impeaching Trump over everything knowing they don't have the votes to remove him from office.

Republicans - I'd like to see them return to the party of fiscal conservative and small government. The wreckless spending can't continue. We'll see if htey double down on MAGA and try to find a successor to Trump or distance themselves and try to find a new plan.

Colorado continues to be an enigma. The state almost went entirely blue. 3 races still be counted, Hurd, Crank and Boebert. Currently looks like Crank and Boebert will lose, Hurd probably sneaks out the win. Hurd would be the only republican victory in the state. If Boebert and Crank lose, those are two red districts that got flipped. Cranks district was created in 1973 and never elected a democrat. Colorado elected a democrat senator and governor to top it off.

Given the massive victories democrats had in the state, 2 anti-trans propositions look like they will pass. How does state go almost as blue as California and still pass anti-trans propositions?

The democrats have no plans to address this. They are all about spending. Getting the national debt under control requires spending cuts. We can't tax our way out of this. The cumulative wealth of all billionaires in the country, I've seen numbers ranging from 5-8 trillion. Even if you taxed them at 100%, you still have 32 trillion in national debt. Cuts need to be made to get this under control. Waste needs to be identified and eliminated. I'd start with a 10-15% budget cut across the board. No exceptions. Let the people managing the departments that are closest to the work make the call on what to cut, not some 3rd party like DOGE. Will it be painful? Absolutely. We can take some pain now or wait for it to all come crashing down.

I do like Pete. I think he’s very intelligent, like you said and he’s also very pragmatic. I like how he goes on “opposing” networks and doesn’t shy away from dialogue. That said, I just don’t know if he’s viable for the reasons you stated, although yesterday may have been an indication he is.

I was thinking about what the Dems and R’s should do. I’m pretty in line with what you said. Schumer has to go. I also don’t like Jeffries. If I were them, I would pass simplistic legislation that has the backing of most of the populace and dare Trump to veto it. Things like complete Epstein transparency and a ban on stock trades for elected officials. Do I think they’ll do that? No.

R’s very much need to get back to fiscal conservativism, but it’s been damn near 50 years since they’ve been there.

Alex Jones calls Trump the ultimate Democrat sleeper cell, lol.

Out of interest - Why would anyone on the planet listen to a word Alex Jones has to say? Or repost it anywhere except the 'Jokes' section of a talk board? The fact you get this in your social media feed is sad.

Actually, the only way out is to keep interest rates low and allow inflation to continue. It's been done before. Its how we got out from under of the debt of WWII. Economic repression has been used many times around the world.

If debt grows by 2% and the value of money falls 5%, the burden falls 3%. It's not easy. As we are seeing now, falling purchasing power isn't easy for people to take because it creates hardships and most people don't understand how money works.

As Americans we have become spoiled. Sooner or later will will have to face the music. As that say, there is no "free" lunch. At some point it will have to be repaid.

So I’m actually on the inside of one of the largest spending agencies in the world. I got to experience DOGE first hand. I even got to interact personally with two of their teammates before the fallout between Musk and Trump.

I think a lot of the reason I became very combative in these forums for a bit was because how DOGE affected my every-day life in ways I couldn’t fully share, especially on the board. DOGE combined with Vought at OMB made life hell. We’re still feeling the fallout. It also made the vast majority of expenditures - if not everything - worse.

Coming from someone who actually spends the money and negotiates multi-billion dollar acquisitions with contractors, what is so frustrating is that we have developed strategies that we know will stem wasteful spending, but nobody listens to us. Seemingly because the stereotype that we are DMV style bureaucrats, which is so far from the truth. And by nobody, I don’t necessarily mean people on this board, or John Q Public, but people in power.

I’m not trying to come off like I have all the solutions either, but there are certainly low hanging fruit items out there that could be done immediately to save billions.

I could start a separate thread on it if you guys want, but it would be a looong post and take some time, so I don’t necessarily want to do it if nobody wants to read it. But there are a lot of things that could be done to rein in spending. We just need to enable the people doing the work to actually utilize certain tools.

I can't speak for everyone but I would certainly like to read it. I'm not on the inside like you are so I have no knowledge of any details. But it appears, at least to me, that by consolidating contractors, which greatly reduces the competition in the bidding process and pet projects there should be a lot of room for big reductions in costs. But it seems that military spending is more like the sacred cow that nobody really wants to touch in any meaningful way. And when I say "meaningful way" I mean instead of targeting the employees and standard working conditions I mean pork which exists in those military contracts.

Touchy, touchy, seems you can't handle the humor\entertainment. You think you'd be in a better mood.

I don' think he is being touchy. Maybe his selection of words doesn't explain why he feels that way but for me it boils down to this.

Alex Jones is the same man that victimized the families of 20 first graders and six educators who were slaughtered by lying about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting claiming it was fake and staged. That's very disgusting on an extremely high level. If you would look for yourself you would find what these people had to endure from those who followed and believed Jones crazy conspiracy.

Most people feel he should not be quoted or used as a source after that.

If anyone is touchy about anything related to Jones, that is it. I don't find that abnormal or unusual. As a matter of fact quite the contrary.

Maybe, but personally I found it hilarious to suggest that Trump was a Democrat sleeper cell. I got a laugh and moved on!


In fact, if I were you two, I'd be more concerned that Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are still in congress and trying to obtain positions of power and run things.


Those two aren't it. I hope Democrats know that! Nothing will be different for you with those two clowns in there.

We haven't seen "it" from either party leaders for a very long time. It's as if you are the pot calling the kettle black here. As it pertains to needing term limits I agree with you. Both have exceeded what I think reasonable term limits should be.

As far as any real "change" is concerned I don't think anyone the Dems put in charge will change that. Trump has the power of the veto and will block any change he doesn't like.

What I don't think we'll see is cuts to school lunch programs, food banks, SNAP to feed the hungry and further medicaid cuts.

Considering your tone, what Dems other than Fetterman and Manchin do you think they could put in charge that are "it"?

I'm not a fan of the old guard myself. And that applies to both parties.

My greatest wish for the next two years is that the Democrat led house and senate spend more time legislating than litigating unlike what we're seeing now. They were elected govern not dish out retribution as trump promised his followers he would do and did. Not with a lot of success but that hasn't stopped him from trying.