FY 2015 Budget (Passed)

[bore]

Nay


Yankee's amendment has enough votes to fail, senators have 24 hours to change their votes

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Abstain


Yea, I was afraid of this, but like I said, I didn't have much of a time window over the coming day plus.

[Senator Cris]

Abstain

[bore]

By a vote of 0-5-2 this amendment has failed

Abstain: Cris, Yankee

Nay: Polnut, TNF, Bore, Cranberry, SWE

Not voting: Lief, Bacon King, Windjammer

[Lumine]

Well, I would like to propose another amendment that most of the Senate can support, so I ask again:

What type of cuts could you support when it comes to health care spending? And, what tax cuts would you be willing to consider and for which brackets?

[windjammer]

Nay FTR

[Lief 🗽]

Considering the skyrocketing inflation rate in this country at the moment, I don't believe it would be appropriate at all to cut taxes at this time, and I would be hard pressed to vote for any budget that did so.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Well, I would like to propose another amendment that most of the Senate can support, so I ask again:

What type of cuts could you support when it comes to health care spending? And, what tax cuts would you be willing to consider and for which brackets?

I think we need to know what cuts in the health area could be expected due to other circumstances.

In relation to tax cuts - my proposal does give a small cut to those on lower incomes and small businesses (personally I think the $35k threshold is way too high, considering what average wages are but that's done and dusted). I also created a more graduated and progressive set of brackets up to the highest level. There might be some effective cuts, but considering such a small proportion of Atlasian are in those brackets, the impact on revenue would very slight.

But Senator Lief does raise the issue of inflation. I don't see cuts in here, that are inflationary. If we were talking about cutting the lowest two brackets (where a huge proportion of the population sit) by 5-10% and you have a flood of new liquidity in the market - that would absolutely place upward pressure on inflation. Very minor cuts along the brackets I doubt would have much impact at all.

My chief concern is that with wage growth being outstripped by inflation, we are getting into a wage deficit situation, so wages in real terms are dropping. The only issue in relation to our inflation rate... I'm not quite sure why our inflation rate is so high, it's not being triggered by high economic growth nor by pricing demands...

Some context and justification for these rates, when in our situation, you'd probably expect lower inflation ... rather than higher, would be useful.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

My chief concern is that with wage growth being outstripped by inflation, we are getting into a wage deficit situation, so wages in real terms are dropping. The only issue in relation to our inflation rate... I'm not quite sure why our inflation rate is so high, it's not being triggered by high economic growth nor by pricing demands...

The Al Paradox. Despite my personal issues with the man, he was right back in 2010 when he was confirmed as SoIA? (pretty sure it was SoIA though it might have been GM, nah that was Badger I think). Anyway he said, that if any reasonable amount of realism was added, the numbers would be catastrophic for simple fact that Atlasian Gov't is so generally incompetent.

The issues with the budget situation being so late and the fact that the stop gap is a good example of the Cavalry Arrives Late, that could hammer the currency and interest rates. Though the direct effects on inflation might not reflect the current one's at least in the short term save through energy prices possibly forming a root resource effect. I will admit I haven't kept up with the thread the last few weeks because of everything being as they are, so I don't know if the GM has spiked energy prices or not but this is retro (would you believe I am listening to 70's music right now ) scenario is one possibility.

[windjammer]

I m not going to support this level of cuts in social security.  This would make the life of the poors much more difficult.

[TNF]

Likewise, I will not vote for any budget that cuts spending on social services. The only cuts I will support are cuts to military spending or 'law enforcement' activities.

[Lumine]

Military spending cuts are, in my view, out of the question because the current spending levels are way too low, hence why this budget includes an increase in that area (that will end up being lower than intended). The reason why I propose Health Care is because the 2014 reform was aimed at reducing the costs and the expenses that area meant, hence why I think the cuts would not be as damaging as some predict.

I would like to send a new proposal, reducing the proposed cuts from 60 billion to 25, lowering the proposed increased in the space budget in my last proposal, keeping the current Financial Transaction Tax and a small tax cut for the second and the third bracket.

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[bore]

The US government (not including the private sector, which is predictably massive and is about another 4000 per year) currently spends about 4000 dollars per person per year on healthcare which equates to about 1.2 trillion a year.

Now obviously our system is a lot more efficient per patient, but it also covers a lot more patients, so I'm really not sure we are in a position to cut spending.

[Senator Cris]

I'm new in the Senate and I'm seeing the debate on the last year's budget and for the revenue, we had the exact numbers. Why this year we haven't the exact numbers?

[windjammer]

I'm new in the Senate and I'm seeing the debate on the last year's budget and for the revenue, we had the exact numbers. Why this year we haven't the exact numbers?

Simply because the actual Atlasia wasn't the same than the former Atlasia

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

My position is clear - our priority should be to get this thing passed.

I believe my proposal addresses issues of increasing the progressive nature of the tax code - and eliminating unnecessary jumps in taxes. Considering the proportion of people who fall under those higher brackets, the revenue changes should be minor. I do believe we should continue with a small tax cut for the lowest income bracket to enable greater liquidity and a small cut for the smallest business covered to give them more capacity to hire.

But I couldn't support deeper tax cuts, when we're also talking about cutting health funding... without being sure of what might be needed. If it comes down to maintaining current tax rates over a reduction in funding for essential services, I know which side I'll be taking.

It is too late for broad tax reform in this cycle.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Amendment Offered for the President.

[TNF]

I object to the amendment. I will not support lowering income tax rates.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I won't support this amendment

[bore]

Senators a vote is now open on Yankee's amendment, please vote aye nay or abstain

[windjammer]

NAY
I share Lief's concerns about inflation

[Cranberry]

I don't see why a tax break of 1% is necessary when we could use this money so that we won't need cuts for health care?

NAY

[windjammer]

By the way,
Would it be possible to have an estimation of the revenue?

[Senator Cris]

By the way,
Would it be possible to have an estimation of the revenue?

[Lief 🗽]

Nay on the amendment.