I'm also wondering if we could temporarily suspend PAYGO to pass this bill.
Debt and printing are indirect taxes too, and usually the most regressive of all. Also you guys cannot print.
I have waxxed long about the nature of why the "deficits don't matter" line is load of bs and largely the result of the IRL US cashing in on the nature of its global relationship but like with all things naturally, this resource can be exhausted and then you start to the feel the consequences of the fiscal insanity at a point in them when you have very difficult options to extricate yourself from the trap you find yourself in.
The best answer to avoiding austerity down the line, is solvency now.
I do applaud the decision to place substantial revenues into this bill, if for no other reason then to place a responsible consideration of the costs relative to a given proposal in appropriate context to avoid the trap of voting for the free lunch. Now from this basis an adequate conversation should and must be held as to the appropriate nature of the funding and alternatives, but frankly from the get go whether or not to have funding in the bill should not be up for debate and in a perfect world, unfunded proposals would not hit the floor but since we are in a game and accommodations are to be made, we don't go that far necessarily.
That said it is necessary for politicians to at minimum round out the proposal with honest levels of funding (presumably since I take it from the discussion no official report has been made as to this, definitely recommend someone like DM Blairite rather then pine ineffectually in a debate thread for his presence to manifest), and thus I appreciate DTC and Reagente supporting doing so, even if I disagree with the contents. The alternative is basically the California paradox some years back of the spending proposals being passed in initiative but the funding proposals rejected, not a good recipe for wise budgeting. Adequate funding should thus be contained with spending proposals, including even a well meaning tax credit such as this.
Now that said there are economic merits to moving to this model and this is on the whole a good policy proposal, as it would tend from my 20,000 foot view, to reduce spending in some other areas while making the costs of child raising more bearable. But that said indebting ourselves to hostile foreign powers should not be taken lightly, nor a large tax increase in these circumstances.
I strongly urge the CoD to take both considerations of ensuring adequate funding and minimizing the tax burden (but do note the burden originates from the proposal itself not the requirement that said proposal be funded).
