Stephen Flurry Advocates Austerity

Stephen Flurry made a broadcast of the Trumpet Daily complaining about the latest federal budget (December 22, 2015).

Stephen Flurry cites an address by Paul Ryan in order to present the Republicans as being very reluctant to pass the budget. This is done in order to vilify President Obama as all powerful and unassailable. It is asserted that Republicans are unable to do anything to stop President Obama. The paranoid style is alive and well in PCG.

He complains that the "common sense" thing to do to reduce the debt has not been done.

Complains that it fully funds the Affordable Care Act. Claims it is too expensive. Claims it is a trick to hide supposed costs. Actually allowing the health insurance industry to be fully privatized caused health insurance costs to be much higher than in other industrialized countries. The reform was made to make it easier for Americans to gain healthcare.

Complains it fully funds Planned Parenthood. There is no shame about the terrorist attack in Colorado Springs in which three innocent people, including a police officer, were shot to death. All three victims were parents. Six children lost a beloved parent that terrible day. There is no mention of the fact that the claims have already been investigated and nothing illegal was found. (7 minutes.)

Fear mongers that terrorists may be present among Syrian refugees. The Syrian refugees need help, not vilification such as this.

Complains about environmental commitments.

How is this to be paid for? he complains. (11 minutes.) This is about public money. The US government supplies US currency. A government is not like a household. A household has private debt. A household is not allowed to print money. But a government does print money.

Furthermore US bonds are highly prized by investors and many people invest in US bonds because the US government has proven that they can be trusted to fulfill their financial commitments.

Also it is not possible for a government to default on debt denominated in its own currency. The US debt is not as great a problem as is problem as is presented here.

Incidentally the US as more indebted per capita back in the 1940s because of World War II. This complaint about the public debt is a red herring born of ignorance and the false equivalence of public debt with private debt.

Notes that both Senators from Oklahoma voted for the budget. Is he condemning a certain Senator who once spoke to PCG in a meeting in 2013?

Says this is adding more debt burden to our children.

Condemns "wicked burrowing". (18 minutes.) Says this is stealing from our children.

Moans that the debt is stealing from future generations.

Complains that universal health care is justified by trying to take care of the children. Says that instead spending needs to be cut. This is advocating for austerity.

Austerity is a bad idea. Even more it is a terrible idea. A sure fire recipe for disaster.

Austerity is why Greece is such a mess at the moment. Greece is being ordered to cut spending on their people in order to send more money to pay off their debts.

(It is important to note that the eurozone countries do not control their own currency, consequently their debt is more like private debt since it is not possible for Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Cyprus and other eurozone countries to print more money to pay off debts more effectively. The US is not in such a position and thus cannot be dictated to about debt repayments in this way.)

Austerity is one reason why Yugoslavia disintegrated in the late 1980s. It was not the only reason of course but it was a contributing factor.

Austerity is a major reason why Scotland held a referendum on seceding from the United Kingdom. This is also true in Catalonia within Spain.

Any such policy of austerity will particularly harm the poor and those on the verge of destitution. Such a policy will be terrible for such vulnerable people.

America is great. There is no need for the Untied States to go down that terrible path of austerity. If such a thing were to be done considering what has happened in Greece, 1980s Yugoslavia, Britain and Spain there is no telling what it might lead to in the United States.

Complains that Republican legislators are so scared of shutting down the federal government. It would only shut down about 10 to 15% of the government he assures his listeners. Shutting down the federal government is not a good idea. Many people would be burdened by this. It is not good for a government to shut down for partisan reasons.

The American people are badly served with such bad advice.

For more information about why Stephen Flurry is incorrect to scare monger about the federal debt and that the US federal government was actually more indebted per capita in the 1940s see Stephen Flurry Condemns Obama Administration's Foreign Policy—Is He Right?