Name one government program that is doing so well you would want more.

Jump to Last Post 1-6 of 6 discussions (55 posts)
  1. jackclee lm profile image83
    jackclee lmposted 4 years ago

    A key question for all Democrats. You are the party of big government, high taxes and income equality and entitlements.
    Please enlighten us. Name one program that is done so well and successful that you would want more of the same?
    I exclude the military in this exercise because that is something we must have and the primary function of our government as enumerated in the Constitution...a standing army...

    Other than that, what other agency or federal program would you consider a model to be replicated and expanded?

    1. Valeant profile image87
      Valeantposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Investigations into Trump.  So far they have yielded millions in profits, got criminals out of government.  We could use more of those results.

    2. gmwilliams profile image85
      gmwilliamsposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Jack, the problem is that there are people who feel that they are ENTITLED to live a COMFORTABLE life on others' dime.   My late father stated that giving to able- bodied people create...….DEPENDENCY.   He also maintained that giving to able-bodied people makes them PARASITES.   People have to learn to RELY upon THEMSELVES.

      Since the 1960s, poor people have it easier.   There are programs which makes being poor a smooth road so to speak.   Before the 1960s, poor people didn't have it easy.  In those times, being poor wasn't glamorous.  Poor people suffered but this taught them that poverty was arduous & if one want to get out of poverty, they had to look to themselves.   Now, being poor is so easy that people don't want to improve themselves.  Governmental programs killed the incentive of many poor people to improve themselves socioeconomically & educationally.  Jack, if we cut the governmental programs by 80-95%, poor people will WORK to make their lives better & they will be more responsible in their actions!

      https://hubstatic.com/13047212.jpg

  2. profile image0
    PrettyPantherposted 4 years ago

    Successful programs:

    NOAA
    FDIC
    Social Security
    Medicare
    National parks
    National highway system

    1. jackclee lm profile image83
      jackclee lmposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Really? FDIC? Where were they when the banks defaulted and we the tax payers have to foot the bill.
      NOAA is becoming an activist organization. Have you heard how they manipulated raw temperature data to show a warming trend?
      Social security is going bust as soon as 2026 by some estimates.
      It was never solvent given our demographics. It used to be 20 workers paying for 1 retiree. Now, it is 2.5 people paying for each retiree.
      Medicare is also going bust with ever increasing medical costs.
      National parks was a great idea to preserve our environment. But, whenever there is a budget crisis, the first thing they close are the National Parks.
      The Highway system is necessary for our interstate commerce.

      1. profile image0
        PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

        Lol, you asked.

        Do you think we would be better off without those programs?

        1. jackclee lm profile image83
          jackclee lmposted 4 years agoin reply to this

          No, but we could better if the private sector were to implement them thru competitive bids and to have accountability.
          Two things will happen. One the cost will come down and two, the people doing the work will be accountable for the results. If they don’t deliver, they could be fired to go to jail if they commit a crime or fraud. Under the current system, fraud and abuses are par for the course. People just expect it as part of doing business.
          I hope you see the difference.

        2. wilderness profile image95
          wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

          The question was "What is doing so well you want more of the same".  And your reply was a list of failing programs. 

          We have millions of senior citizens living in abject poverty - SS is not doing well.  Medicare isn't much better, particularly as the cost of the program to those using it is deducted from already slim SS payments...and not considered when adjusting those payments for inflation.

          Our parks are cutting employees all over the country due to lack of funding, and it shows.  Badly.

          I'll add that the highway system is failing as well - we have bridges all over the country that are in the final stages of deterioration and often cannot be traversed by heavy traffic.

          While I approve of all of these as worthwhile programs they are not "doing so well".

          1. profile image0
            PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            Eh, predictable. A bunch of negative assessments with nothing to back them up.

            I'm not going to waste my time with each one. A quick google search re Social security  yields this  https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-se … er-program

            Perfection? No. Worthwhile benefits? Absolutely.

            1. wilderness profile image95
              wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

              You forgot to mention that SS is going broke, and that the payments being made to the elderly fall nearly every year (every year if inflation is considered).  I get a check, and this year was the first time in 5 years it rose.  By about $10, which will at least help pay higher grocery bills.

              1. profile image0
                PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                Really? That's odd considering there have been COLA increases in four of the last five years:

                2014     1.7
                2015     0.0
                2016     0.3
                2017     2.0
                2018     2.8

                https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/colaseries.html

                As far as it going broke, I doubt our legislators will let that happen.

                https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnwasik/ … 9450754e55

                1. profile image0
                  promisemposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                  Good fact checking on your part to correct an obvious error.

                  My parents, who watched Fox News religiously, claimed that Obama was at fault for SSA checks that didn't increase, as in 2015 on your list.

                  What they and others don't understand is that SSA payments are linked to inflation. If there is no inflation, payments won't increase.

                  But if prices go down, as they do in a recession, their payments don't go down. Which they should.

                  1. profile image0
                    PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                    My husband receives SS and I do the budget and pay the bills, so I immediately knew that couldn't be right. And only $10? That doesn't sound right, either.

                  2. jackclee lm profile image83
                    jackclee lmposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                    What is not discussed is how the interest rate was set near zero percent for those 8 years. This was deliberate. It is a way to keep inflation low, to rob from the savers and award to borrowers...and the biggest borrower of all is Uncle Sam.
                    Think about it. If you have savings in a bank, you get less than 0.1% in interests.
                    However, if you are a borrower, the interest rate for housing is near 4% while the credit card revolving credit charges 18%. Why is that?
                    Of course, the federal government has a debt of 20 trillion.
                    At 2% interest rate, that is $400 billion a year.

                2. DoubleScorpion profile image73
                  DoubleScorpionposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                  If we were to add those same COLA increases to the Federal Minimum wage? We get what? Somewhere between $0.10 to maybe $0.25 an hour increase per COLA raise...so we would be looking at around $8.00 per hour instead of the current rate?
                  A COLA increase of 1.7 -2.8% increase doesn't mean a whole lot when the actual Cost of Living increase by 3% or more per year.

                  We do have some good programs...in theory...in practice, they are not working well at all and need to be fixed...
                  The Social Security program wasn't to bad (not perfect) until congress started dipping their fingers into it...
                  The many programs that you mentioned in a previous post, are all good programs, but are not really successful (at least not anymore)…
                  There are many things that both parties need to stop fighting over and start working together to correct for the good of all Americans. And it is up to us, as voters, to put people into office that are going to work for the people, regardless of their party affiliation.

                  1. profile image0
                    PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                    I agree with most of what you said. We must be careful to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good,

                  2. profile image0
                    promisemposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                    COLA is directly tied to inflation. You get 2.8% more if inflation goes up 2.8%.

      2. jackclee lm profile image83
        jackclee lmposted 4 years agoin reply to this

        Here are some horror stories...
        The IRS investigate conservatives grooup.
        The VA keeping too sets of books and receiving bonus while short changing our vets.
        The EPA, trying to shut down the coal industry with excessive regulation.
        The post office, running deficits year after years despite periodic increases of postage  stamps...
        The public works projects to fix out infrastructure. This was suppose to be funded by taxes on gasoline. Yet, the bridges are falling apart and where I live near NYC, there are construction projects near the GW bridge that has been going on for 20 years still unfinished.
        Medicaid fraud and food stamps fraud is common knowledge.
        The INS and ICE failure to control our borders.
        The Amtrak rail system, with its many derailments...
        I can name a dozen more but you get the point.

      3. crankalicious profile image90
        crankaliciousposted 4 years agoin reply to this

        Just a ridiculous question, couched in a way that there's no correct answer.

        So because Enron went under and stole all that money, does that mean I can make a generalization about all private business? Why would I ever want private industry to do anything given what happened with Enron or Worldcom or a host of others?

        In any bureaucracy, there's always going to be problems. That's one of the issues with bureaucracy - they get too big and bad things can happen.  However, to make a blanket statement condemning all government entities and failures is the SAME as condemning all private businesses as failures because of the failures of a few.

    2. profile image0
      promisemposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, all successful. All embraced by rational and educated American citizens. All under attack by the extreme right.

  3. GA Anderson profile image90
    GA Andersonposted 4 years ago

    Many folks promote the Galveston Texas Alternate Plan as a model to begin with. It does pay higher retirement benefits to middle-high and high-income earners but doesn't beat SS over the longest time frames or for low-income earners.

    But, it is not a Ponzi scheme destined for insolvency like our current system is. So maybe a similar privatized model could serve as a starting point.

    And before the protestations about putting retirement security in privatized accounts; the Galveston Plan has weathered our markets since 1981 and is still a sound model. Nobody has lost their retirement income in 38 years of participation.

    For details, just select a source: The 1981 Galveston Plan and Social Security

    GA

    1. jackclee lm profile image83
      jackclee lmposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Good article. We need more experimentation like this to solve some of our problems. The pension or social security is just one of many...the VA is a huge disaster. The post office could use a modern remake...
      The rail system Amtrak also. It is funny how they cannot be profitable even having a monopoly.

      1. wilderness profile image95
        wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

        This country is too large and too sparsely populated to make passenger trains financially viable.

  4. Abecedarian profile image77
    Abecedarianposted 4 years ago

    Jackdlee, Democrats are not the party of big government, high taxes and income equality and entitlements. You apparently slept through the last year, where Trump pushed through entitlements to cover some of the losses that the farmers have had due to his tariffs. You must of slept through Trumps new tax policy. Where the hardworking middle class had to take up the slack for all those tax breaks he gave his filthy rich supporters. Once again hurting the farmers as well.

    1. wilderness profile image95
      wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      ???  Trump compensated farmers for some of their losses incurred because of government imposed tariffs and that means Democrats are not for big government?

      Trump brings the tax on the rich more in line with what everyone else pays and that means Democrats are not the party of income equality?

      Can you expand on the reasoning process to come to those conclusions?

      1. Randy Godwin profile image61
        Randy Godwinposted 4 years agoin reply to this

        Who do you think is paying for the loss of soybean sales to the Chinese, Dan? Watch out! Trump may be taking your money to pay the farmers. We all know how bad you hate to help people in need....

        1. wilderness profile image95
          wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

          Disregarding the slur, I do believe I said that very thing.  And that indicates the Democrats are not for big government how?  Can YOU expand on your reasoning here?  If there is any beyond hating Trump and insults, that is?

          1. Randy Godwin profile image61
            Randy Godwinposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            Trump acts as though the tariffs are something to be proud of, as if the tariffs are making up for the millions lost by the farmers and future losses as well.

            1. wilderness profile image95
              wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

              I'm still confused, Randy.  I'm just not following the logic of Trump acting as if tariffs are making up for millions lost by farmers means that Democrats are not for bigger government.  The reasoning escapes me; even if the statement were true (it's false on the face of it as he compensated farmers for lost income) it doesn't seem to have anything at all to do with Democrats.

              1. jackclee lm profile image83
                jackclee lmposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                It is useless to argue or debate someone who has no knowledge of how economics works.

                1. Randy Godwin profile image61
                  Randy Godwinposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                  Don't be too hard on yourself, Jack. Sometimes we understand you a little bit.  tongue

              2. Randy Godwin profile image61
                Randy Godwinposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                I didn't say anything at all about Democrats, Dan. I was speaking to the tariffs and the ill thought out logic of Trump's actions and false claims.

                1. wilderness profile image95
                  wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                  Oh!  My bad.  I assumed that replying to my post meant you were actually replying to the topic as well rather than starting out a whole new thought out of the blue.

                  My apologies.

                  1. Randy Godwin profile image61
                    Randy Godwinposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                    I forgive you....

  5. Eastward profile image83
    Eastwardposted 4 years ago

    Trump stumbles in the trade war and uses Socialism to keep moving forward. Ah, the irony:

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news … ut-farmers

  6. Castlepaloma profile image75
    Castlepalomaposted 4 years ago

    Most will think I am the crazyone to think I can do much better without the Government and you can too.

    Unless we can reconstructure the Government to work for the people first, rather than for the wealthy. Like all empires from the pass history shows this will collapse too.

    I love my job and harmed nobody. Most people do not like their work and most people are a few weeks away from bankruptcy or homeless. The Government game to end homeless has as much chance of success as do chemo therapy to end cancer. When 100 million baby boomers in North America go to collect their pensions, many more will be living in the cars and RVs.

    The latest big game changer for me is the Canadian Government is allowing me to build tinyhomes and the legalization of cannabis ( best known medicine known to man)

    Because of my pension they won't allow me to live in Columbia fulltime. At least this is a healthy solution between me and the only God called Government..

    1. wilderness profile image95
      wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Most of us, not living on welfare or government pensions, can do much better without government...until the neighbor comes knocking on the door with demands that you don't wish to fill but don't have the strength to deny.

      1. Castlepaloma profile image75
        Castlepalomaposted 4 years agoin reply to this

        With all the public guns greater than the people. No one would dare attack the US. As for the US Government should be fearing the people rather than us fearing them. As long as the people fear their government, the trickle down and all the other tricks will keep on crushing. Meanwhile 60 third world countries are doubling the US economy growth.

        1. jackclee lm profile image83
          jackclee lmposted 4 years agoin reply to this

          What is it that is stopping or preventing our continued growth?
          What are these other 60 countries doing that we have lost?
          We were the growth engine and innovators of the 20th century...

          1. Castlepaloma profile image75
            Castlepalomaposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            We were free from much of the ridiculous laws growing up. As for kids today have it much harder. North American were the greatest pioneers and innovator until the trickle down theory handed almost everything to the wealthy to begin ruining our lives.

            Most third world countries do not have these hassle choking laws to keep in order, in which keep most things competitive. Plus third world are more rapidly up to date of the latest innovations online. Where here many ideas are outlawed or coded against us, yet not for the wealthy advantages. Wail I have been shot down for my pioneering eco villages, tiny houses and my growth of super foods. I was kick out of US by GW Bush for refusing him a war sculpture. US got half of the worlds war budget. Why is the largest corporations group is military, when it is based on destruction, not creation.  A Horrible innovative decision.

            Growing up, the homeless was unheard of. Today there is a tent cities for every north American city. Unless they ban homeless for every time they stand or sit anywhere for a time. The idea is to work middle class nuts, and to scare them with horrific treatment of the homeless. US will turn fast into a third world country, if they do nothing about the overwhelming wealthy.

        2. wilderness profile image95
          wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

          But  your neighbor has the power to enforce his desires regardless of your own.  It might be a gun, it might be physical size, it might be more friends than you have.

          Anarchy is a great thing...for those with power and the willingness to use it.  For everyone else it's not so great, and pretending that it won't happen is to deny the reality of the past 100,000 years.

          1. Castlepaloma profile image75
            Castlepalomaposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            Maybe everybody was born an anarchist 100,000 years ago. Maybe caveman kill someone for being different 10,000 years ago, than military and religion was born. Later on politics was born to really f_ck thing up.

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)