@ISIDEWITHQuestionseconomyStarted 11yrs agoActive 2wks ago

Should the government make cuts to public spending in order to reduce the national debt?

The Liberals' inaugural budget contains a $29.4-billion deficit for 2016 which is 10.2% of government spending. Proponents of spending argue that it is a great time for the government is going to borrow money, since interest rates are at 50 year lows. Opponents argue that the spending could get out of control and the debt could easily reach $100 billion a year by 2020.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 30.1k Economic Liberalism voters.

67%
Yes
33%
No
61%
Yes
25%
No
5%
Yes, but by drastically reducing the benefits and salaries of government officials
2%
No, increase taxes on large multinational corporations instead
0%
Yes, and increase taxes
2%
No, focus on ending tax evasion instead
0%
Yes, and eliminate federal agencies that are unconstitutional
1%
No, cuts to public spending will negatively affect the economy
1%
No, reduce the number of government officials instead
1%
No, increase taxes on the wealthy instead
1%
No, reduce military spending instead

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Economic Liberalism voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @9HXZTXMfrom Ontario  answered…11mos11MO

Yes cut spending on certain things like salaries of government officials and increase taxes on large corporations

 @9JWW84Qfrom Alberta  answered…10mos10MO

No, they should reduce spending over seas supporting other countries as well as make the wages of government officials reflective of the outcomes they produce. Have a base salary, then bonuses based on how well the economy is running. Earn your wage!

 @9FL7SJ9from Ontario  answered…1yr1Y

I believe they should make cuts to public spending deemed unnecessary by the people and work more on ensuring the national debt is reduced safely without harming the country's economy and its people.

 @9ZMYJ4Pfrom Ontario  answered…2wks2W

Just budget more. Instead of spending on the militia, police and other similar services, spent on schooling, healthcare, and tourism. There should be very minimum spending in the immigration sector.

 @9ZM5X8Cfrom Manitoba  answered…2wks2W

Politicians should have their salaries and benefits dramatically cut. Down to no more than $80k a year until our economy is providing for all citizens.

 @9YNCRS7from Ontario  answered…4wks4W

Drastically lower wages and benefits of government officials and increase taxes on corporations but don't cut Public spending

 @9WYDMSDfrom British Columbia  answered…1mo1MO

Yes, increase taxes on foreign entities, reduce military spending and police spending, abolish useless government agencies and form several agencies into 1 to save money, restructure our administration system and cut the benefits and salaries of government officials.

 @9WPHF77from Ontario  answered…1mo1MO

I think that the spending has reached a point that it is out of control here in Canada. However, I don't like the idea of necessarily drastically cutting public spending thereby damaging the quality of life for those who need government funded programs and resources. I think there is more of a middle ground based on the question being asked. The national debt is way too high but I wouldn't want to cut costs to necessary programs and things the government spend $ on.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2 days2D

Biden will issue a pardon of his son Hunter Biden

President Joe Biden has decided to issue a pardon for his son Hunter and is expected to announce it Sunday night, according to a senior White House official with direct knowledge of the decision.The decision marks a reversal for the president, who has repeatedly said he would not use his executive authority to pardon his son or commute his sentence. The pardon comes ahead of Hunter Biden’s Dec. 12 sentencing for his conviction on federal gun charges. Hunter Biden also is set to be sentenced in a separate criminal case on Dec. 16, after pleading guilty in September on federal tax evasion charges.The pardon is expected to cover both Hunter Biden’s gun charges conviction and guilty plea.The senior White House official said Biden decided over this weekend to grant his son a pardon and began to inform his senior aides on Sunday. Using his pardon power to assure Hunter Biden does not spend time in jail comes as the 82-year-old president is near the end of his term in the White House and has no future election to face. In recent months Biden has said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence.“I will not pardon him,” the president said of his son in June after a jury found him guilty on three federal gun charges.President Biden has discussed issuing a pardon for his son with some of his closest aides since at least Hunter Biden’s conviction in June, two people with direct knowledge of the discussions about the matter said. They said a decision was made at the time for the president to publicly say he would not pardon his son even though doing so remained on the table.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters earlier this month that the president’s position has not changed.

▲  179 replies

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2wks2W

Texas Offers Trump 1,400 Acres for His Mass Deportation Dream

Officials in Texas have offered President-elect Trump a 1,400-acre ranch for his mass deportation plan.Dawn Buckingham, land commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, said in a letter to Trump Tuesday that her office was “fully prepared” to work with federal agencies that are going to be involved in Trump’s immigration plan, and specifically deportation.Buckingham offered Trump a 1,402-acre lot in Starr County. The lot is owned by the Texas General Land Office and is roughly 35 miles west of McAllen, Texas.She said the agency is ready to work with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or the U.S. Border Patrol to build a facility on the land for “the processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history.”“I am committed to using every available means at my disposal to gain complete operational security of our border,” Buckingham wrote.The letter and offering of land were first reported by The Texas Tribune. Last month, the state bought the land along the U.S.-Mexico border and has plans to build a wall.In the letter, Buckingham criticized her predecessor for not allowing a border wall to be built on the property. Those actions “enabled cartel members and violent criminals to sexually abuse migrant women and children on this land,” she said.On Monday, Trump signaled he would declare an immigration national emergency and use military assets to support his mass deportation plan when he returns to office.

▲  1625 replies

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…7 days7D

Netanyahu Shifts Focus to Iran After Cease-Fire with Hezbollah

Israel approved a cease-fire with Lebanon that is intended to bring a halt to more than a year of fighting with the Hezbollah militia and could help defuse a broader regional crisis that has threatened to ensnare the U.S. and other world powers.“I have some good news to report from the Middle East,” President Biden said on Tuesday, announcing a cease-fire that he said would begin at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the agreement earlier in the day, saying it would let Israel focus on the threat from Iran, allow the Israeli military to rest and rearm, and isolate Hamas.“The continuation of the cease-fire will be dependent on what happens in Lebanon. We will enforce the agreement and respond forcefully to every violation,” Netanyahu said.Lebanon’s prime minister, Najib Mikati, welcomed the agreement, saying it would bring “calm and stability in Lebanon and the return of the displaced to their homes and cities.”The Lebanese cabinet is expected to meet on Wednesday to approve steps to enforce the cease-fire, including sending government security forces to areas of southern Lebanon near the border with Israel.Hezbollah has indicated openness to a deal in recent days. “What concerns us are Lebanese national measures and the protection of sovereignty,” Hassan Fadlallah, a member of Parliament affiliated with the group, told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.The announcements came after a day of heavy bombardment of Beirut while Israeli ground forces advanced deeper into Lebanese territory. Minutes after Biden spoke, a series of explosions thundered in Beirut. Northern Israel also came under renewed rocket fire.There was no immediate public comment from Hezbollah on the announced cease-fire.If implemented, the agreement would be a diplomatic success for Biden in the twilight of his administration, after more than a year in which the White House has tried to fend off the possibility of a wider regional war. It could also change the landscape that President-elect Donald Trump will face when he takes office in January.

▲  178 replies