A 28 year old former bartender just beat virtually every megacorporation in the US for congress

[HomerJS]

She’s damned fine too

Yeah she's cute. Hope that's not a meetoo

BTW - her opponent had a debate against her and sent a stand in. He deserved to lose.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Curious if any western democracies have a Universal Jobs Guarantee

One could argue places in Europe have them with guaranteed minimum payout for layoffs and extended notification

 

[K1052]

BTW - her opponent had a debate against her and sent a stand in. He deserved to lose.

It's a stern warning for lazy incumbents in either party. GOP has had a lot of trouble getting potentially vulnerable house Rs to wake up too.

 

[Sunburn74]

I like the platform. Its not where we are or where we'll be but it's definitely where we should be going.

Questions: Where will the money come from to realize her platform? I'd like to see it happen as much as anyone, but the idea that one can simply vote for prosperity is one of the great lies of democracy. Wealth is still finite. For those policies to be implemented you would pretty much need extremely high taxes on everyone and mandatory work enrollment, wouldn't we? Not to mention the dream of an upper-middle class or better lifestyle would end. Or could everyone "drop out" and still get their needs provided by government? If enough did so it wouldn't work, would it? I'd love to spend the rest of my life fishing more and working less, if the government makes housing and other stuff a right.

We have more than enough money to give everyone great healthcare with just current levels of spending. The problem is we suck at distribution of that money and spend 75% of it in the last 6 months of someone's life (look it up) and the powers at be aren't interested in any sort of price regulation for healthcare products unlike basically every other modern country in the world.

 

[compuwiz1]

Who's gonna pay for all that? Should her promises be kept, somehow...the makers will move on, deserting the takers. Socialism doesn't work. There is only a certain amount the taxpayers will stand for. Yes, we support our schools, police, fire dept, etc., through taxes, but at some point we won't want to pay for everything, especially if it causes a lower standard of living for people living at or below middle class. So the ideas might sound great, but if those ideas were really acceptable and feasible, Bernie Sanders would be president today. Seems to me some Americans have given up on simply working for what you have and are hoping the politicians expand benefits, so they don't have to produce and work as much for what they think they're entitled too. It's bullshit.

 

[fskimospy]

Who's gonna pay for all that? Should her promises be kept, somehow...the makers will move on, deserting the takers. Socialism doesn't work. There is only a certain amount the taxpayers will stand for. Yes, we support our schools, police, fire dept, etc., through taxes, but at some point we won't want to pay for everything, especially if it causes a lower standard of living for people living at or below middle class. So the ideas might sound great, but if those ideas were really acceptable and feasible, Bernie Sanders would be president today.

Republicans just passed a $1.4 trillion tax cut and spending package through issuing new debt. Where were your complaints about how to pay for it then?

 

[compuwiz1]

Republicans just passed a $1.4 trillion tax cut and spending package through issuing new debt. Where were your complaints about how to pay for it then?

Where were yours, when Obama raised the national debt by almost double what it was, prior to him coming into office? Just stop it with your silly shit. This money will be far better spent and not on handouts to lazy bastiges.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Crowley ran an arrogant campaign. I mean christ he sent a surrogate to a debate because he couldn't bring himself to attend.

He deserved to lose.

 

[fskimospy]

Where were yours, when Obama raised the national debt by almost double what it was, prior to him coming into office? Just stop it with your silly shit. This money will be far better spent and not on handouts to lazy bastiges.

You’re the one complaining about how things will be paid for, not me.

Either you care about how things will be paid for or you don’t. Republicans just passed a $1.4 trillion tax cut and spending package financed by debt. Was that wrong of them or not? If it was wrong I sure don’t remember you complaining.

 

[Jaskalas]

Which is different in how it’s funded by..?

Our safety net (today) is only a pyramid scheme as a matter of choice. We can choose to actually fund them up front. Every program I speak of is intended as "paygo".

 

[fskimospy]

Our safety net (today) is only a pyramid scheme as a matter of choice. We can choose to actually fund them up front. Every program I speak of is intended as "paygo".

Our safety net today is a pay as you go system as well.

https://www.nasi.org/learn/socialsecurity/overview

The confusion over social security today is largely the government’s doing though as it often refers to a ‘trust fund’ that does not (and logically cannot ever) exist.

 

[Jaskalas]

I like the platform. Its not where we are or where we'll be but it's definitely where we should be going.

Exactly. She supports moving the country in the proper direction, the specifics of how we get there will be different than lofty ideals. But that's okay, because unlike Republicans, she'll support the programs that do rise up.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Who's gonna pay for all that? Should her promises be kept, somehow...the makers will move on, deserting the takers. Socialism doesn't work. There is only a certain amount the taxpayers will stand for. Yes, we support our schools, police, fire dept, etc., through taxes, but at some point we won't want to pay for everything, especially if it causes a lower standard of living for people living at or below middle class. So the ideas might sound great, but if those ideas were really acceptable and feasible, Bernie Sanders would be president today. Seems to me some Americans have given up on simply working for what you have and are hoping the politicians expand benefits, so they don't have to produce and work as much for what they think they're entitled too. It's bullshit.

Already said it, Mexico is going to pay for it and be happy paying for it. You won’t spend a dime on it.
Sound familiar?

 

[fskimospy]

One message that resonated with me was that Congress is way, way too old. They have far less time to have to live with the consequences of their decisions than younger people and that incentivized short term thinking.

For example I wonder how different members of Congress would feel about climate change if they had to live with more of the consequences? Would they want to invest more in infrastructure if they needed it to last another 60 years of their lives? Things like that.

 

[Genx87]

Her platform. Universal Jobs Guarantee, wonder how she plans on doing that

The funny part is I agree with her on some of those proposals.

 

[Jaskalas]

Our safety net today is a pay as you go system as well.

https://www.nasi.org/learn/socialsecurity/overview

The confusion over social security today is largely the government’s doing though as it often refers to a ‘trust fund’ that does not (and logically cannot ever) exist.

Excuse me, but check the data from the 2015 trustees report.

E. CONCLUSION
Under current law, the projected cost of Social Security in creases faster than projected income through 2037 primarily because of the aging of the babyboom generation and relatively low fertility since the baby-boom period. Cost will continue to grow faster than income after 2037, but to a lesser degree, due to increasing life expectancy. Based on the Trustees’ intermediate assumptions, program cost exceeds no n-interest income for 2015, as it has since 2010, and remains higher than non-interest income throughout the remainder of the 75-year projection period.​

There's more, including the year by which the program is depleted. Point being, it's an unstable program. Big difference is Basic Income pays out the same year it is taxed. Benefits and Costs include everyone, so the only real limitation to its income is United States productivity. That is far more stable than young worker income VS retired worker benefits. Especially with trickle down and baby boomers altering both ends of the scale.

Here's an easier, but clearly biased read on your "paygo" program. Still, they're using real data:
Social Security: $39 Billion Deficit in 2014, Insolvent by 2035

It pays too much, benefits too few, and cannot be sustained as is. There is nothing wrong with dropping it for another program.

 

[IronWing]

Her platform. Universal Jobs Guarantee, wonder how she plans on doing that

With that platform, I'd vote for her.

 

[IronWing]

Ocasio-Cortez on socialism: "There is no other force, there is no other party, there is no other real ideology out there right now that is asserting the minimum elements necessary to lead a dignified American life."

https://twitter.com/jiatolentino/status/1011787371342385152

She's correct.

 

[Genx87]

One message that resonated with me was that Congress is way, way too old. They have far less time to have to live with the consequences of their decisions than younger people and that incentivized short term thinking.

For example I wonder how different members of Congress would feel about climate change if they had to live with more of the consequences? Would they want to invest more in infrastructure if they needed it to last another 60 years of their lives? Things like that.

I think their age is more a problem in they have lived within the bubble of DC so long they do not understand how avg people live their lives. The people with the biggest voices in their ears are fellow party members and lobbyists. This guy has been in congress for like 20 years right? I am not for term limits. I think it is on the populace to enforce that at the election ballot. But I can also admit these people typically have near lifetime appointments once elected. Parties orchestrate that and people seem to vote for incumbents. And after 20 years of living in the bubble. His view of the world has to be distorted.

 

[Commodus]

If she can fare well enough in Congress... Ocasio-Cortez for President 2028? (She's too young for the next two presidential elections, unless she's about to turn 29.) There's a lot of "ifs" in there, to be sure, but it's this kind of early buzz that helped Obama become a two-term President.

It would be such poetic justice to have a Hispanic-American woman (a socialist, no less) President come in relatively soon after an anti-Hispanic, greedy, misogynistic President like Trump. Some of our resident conservative bigots would spend the following 4-8 years screaming into the void as compassion and intelligence take over.

 

[kage69]

Sounds like a move in the right direction. Any time corporate interests take a backseat to the will of the voters I am all for it. Dems need new blood, and it seems many of them know it.

Can't wait for November.

 

[fskimospy]

Excuse me, but check the data from the 2015 trustees report.

E. CONCLUSION
Under current law, the projected cost of Social Security in creases faster than projected income through 2037 primarily because of the aging of the babyboom generation and relatively low fertility since the baby-boom period. Cost will continue to grow faster than income after 2037, but to a lesser degree, due to increasing life expectancy. Based on the Trustees’ intermediate assumptions, program cost exceeds no n-interest income for 2015, as it has since 2010, and remains higher than non-interest income throughout the remainder of the 75-year projection period.​

There's more, including the year by which the program is depleted. Point being, it's an unstable program. Big difference is Basic Income pays out the same year it is taxed. Benefits and Costs include everyone, so the only real limitation to its income is United States productivity. That is far more stable than young worker income VS retired worker benefits. Especially with trickle down and baby boomers altering both ends of the scale.

Here's an easier, but clearly biased read on your "paygo" program. Still, they're using real data:
Social Security: $39 Billion Deficit in 2014, Insolvent by 2035

It pays too much, benefits too few, and cannot be sustained as is. There is nothing wrong with dropping it for another program.

Right, this is what I'm talking about though, everything they are writing is nonsense. The Social Security trust fund does not exist and cannot exist, at least how we do it now. It is, and always has been, a pay as you go system. Think about it this way, what is the social security trust fund? It's a bunch of money invested in the safest investment possible - US treasuries. What are US treasuries? They are obligations by the US government to pay money... to itself. That's not a trust fund, that's an accounting fiction as the trust fund incurs no binding obligations on the government other than to pay itself. It could easily decide to alter or cancel Social Security tomorrow without consequence. If you put a note in your desk drawer promising to pay yourself $1 billion Jaskalasbucks congratulations - you just set up the Jaskalas Social Security Trust Fund. If you read that Heritage Foundation report you linked they say basically the same thing I am. (they of course then add in a bunch of insane anti-tax ranting)

We could have set up a real Social Security trust fund through asset purchases by the government but that would have like had an insane effect on markets and would have meant nationalizing huge amounts of property or buying large portions of foreign countries. Probably a bad idea.

If your complaint is that promised Social Security payouts will eventually exceed Social Security revenues that's of course correct (it's already happened!) but that doesn't change the fact that Social Security payments this year are paid out entirely through government revenues collected or debt issued this year. That could just as easily happen for any pay as you go system, yours included. If you would then say that your system would automatically adjust taxes to keep in line with payments we could just as easily do that with Social Security tomorrow if we wanted to as it is... again... a pay as you go system.

 

[vi edit]

One message that resonated with me was that Congress is way, way too old. They have far less time to have to live with the consequences of their decisions than younger people and that incentivized short term thinking.

For example I wonder how different members of Congress would feel about climate change if they had to live with more of the consequences? Would they want to invest more in infrastructure if they needed it to last another 60 years of their lives? Things like that.

I think this primary season has shown one overwhelming theme - established politicians are going down. The GOP primary season has been especially brutal to incumbents. Democrats are starting to feel it with establishment candidates that aren't left enough. Both parties are continuing to grow more polarized. The real question is - can democrats get people to show up in the numbers needed to make real change?

 

[kage69]

"A socialist was elected to the United States congress tonight"

https://twitter.com/virgiltexas/status/1011790503325691904

As long as she isn't a mentally ill fascist and fraud with racist tendencies, sounds good to me. I think we're going to see a lot of America say the same pretty soon.

 

[pauldun170]

I showed up to vote late afternoon.
The women there told me I was #4 that day. My wife who came earlier in the day was #2.

Can't wait for all the losers to pipe up about why they didn't vote.