I really wish we could reframe govt spending to govt investments. We’re investing in roads, in schools, in making sure everyone has food and shelter, in cancer research, in access to electricity and internet. The govt is investing in the people. - ThreadSky

drwambsgans.bsky.social • 26 days ago

I really wish we could reframe govt spending to govt investments. We’re investing in roads, in schools, in making sure everyone has food and shelter, in cancer research, in access to electricity and internet. The govt is investing in the people.

Reposted from the Mountain Goats

once again I have to invoke the specter of Ronald Wilson Reagan, who is in Hell now. under Reagan, the term "government spending" was effectively demonized. fuck you, Reaganite ghouls! spending money, on its people and their needs, is the function of government! public works are good! say so!

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handonthetiller.bsky.social•26 days ago

This is how you boost the economy.

kleem108.bsky.social•26 days ago

Yes. The Preamble to the Constitution talks about "promote the general welfare", not "profits for corporations and billionaires."

eclecticlynn.bsky.social•26 days ago

1980s under Reagan. No jobs, 17% fixed mortgages, shitty health insurance. Was not the highlight of life for me. At least he didn't love Russia. That's something.

welcome2absurdia.bsky.social•26 days ago

I don’t know why this is so hard for Dems in leadership to champion. It’s like they’ve internalized Reaganism so deeply that they think it’s true, and to go against anti-government rhetoric would be lying.

drwambsgans.bsky.social•26 days ago

It makes no sense to me. Well, it kinda does when I remember that most of dem leadership were fully formed adults when Reagan was in office. Anyone younger than them can easily see a path forward.

welcome2absurdia.bsky.social•26 days ago

This is a good point, and they were wowed by his huge win, but Obama also had a huge win and yet…. Racism for the win, amirite?

drwambsgans.bsky.social•26 days ago

And Obama was a young whippersnapper to them, even in 2008.

We need a new generation of leadership so fucking bad.

welcome2absurdia.bsky.social•26 days ago

SO fucking bad

singingregret.bsky.social•26 days ago

what's worse is this is basically what obama meant when he talked about spreading wealth or redistributing wealth or however he put it. but of course that meaning never had a chance

welcome2absurdia.bsky.social•26 days ago

It’s very hard to concentrate on what a person is saying when you’re distracted by his tan suit.

drwambsgans.bsky.social•26 days ago

I still lose my mind over this. They were distracted for what felt like weeks because that man wore a different color.

singingregret.bsky.social•26 days ago

*was

drwambsgans.bsky.social•26 days ago

Wait, where does the was go?

drwambsgans.bsky.social•26 days ago

The govt *was* investing in people?

drwambsgans.bsky.social•26 days ago

No chance at all. I feel like we need to go back to the basics: govts and businesses and family households all have different functions, purposes, *obligations*, etc.

Comparing the govt to either of the other two is just fucking wrong. We need to start there.

erobin.bsky.social•26 days ago

We've been trying that for decades. Way back when the GOP lied about just needing to see a good ROI on what the gov't spends. So, we broke our backs proving the ROI was excellent, even mind boggling in some cases. They didn't care. They never cared. 1/2

erobin.bsky.social•26 days ago

But yes, it would be great to use investment instead of spending. I still do.

drwambsgans.bsky.social•26 days ago

Totally agree. I think the underlying problem here is that the Dems in leadership absolutely suck and we need a new generation. Some of them are already in Congress, waiting to take over. The dem’s messaging sucks and is a huge part of the problem.

drwambsgans.bsky.social•26 days ago

Investing in making sure companies don’t sell us poisoned food or malfunctioning products, in clean air and water, in national parks we can all share and enjoy, in accurate weather forecasting, in making sure people don’t get scammed. The govt does so much and it could do so much more.

baileymcc.bsky.social•26 days ago

I am not convinced that the investment angle would move the needle on many people until they’ve lived without any of those things and maybe not even then - I watched my state get hollowed out by these people & capacities have not been rebuilt - if you look at AL, MS, etc people like it that way

evilmam.bsky.social•26 days ago

I think the two key questions are "which people exactly like it that way"? and "why are these the people who get what they want?"

And then the answer seems always to be racism. We (white Americans) will deny ourselves all manner of good things if it means we can shit on people who aren't white

drwambsgans.bsky.social•26 days ago

Oh, I don’t necessarily think it’ll move the needle now. I agree with you on that and I don’t want us to lose all these things just to get some people to come to their senses.

Mine is just more of a general feeling that the govt isn’t a business and it shouldn’t make a profit because all the money

drwambsgans.bsky.social•26 days ago

it does bring in should be going out to help the people in some way. Not that every way the govt spends money is going to help everyone, obvs, but that the govt serves the people.

I just continue to be mad about anyone who thinks the govt should be run like a business.

baileymcc.bsky.social•26 days ago

Yeah totally - you can envision a world where those people would say “well we don’t have roads because the King says so and it is his money”

drwambsgans.bsky.social•26 days ago

And some people would be fine with it! Which is just wild to me.

baileymcc.bsky.social•26 days ago

Yeah a ton of people would be to the point where they’d be willing to fight on it

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