@ISIDEWITHQuestionseconomyStarted 11yrs agoActive 3hrs ago

Should the government make cuts to public spending in order to reduce the national debt?

The Liberals' inaugural budget contains a $29.4-billion deficit for 2016 which is 10.2% of government spending. Proponents of spending argue that it is a great time for the government is going to borrow money, since interest rates are at 50 year lows. Opponents argue that the spending could get out of control and the debt could easily reach $100 billion a year by 2020.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 3.2k York Centre voters.

48%
Yes
52%
No
43%
Yes
37%
No
5%
Yes, but by drastically reducing the benefits and salaries of government officials
3%
No, increase taxes on the wealthy instead
0%
Yes, and increase taxes
3%
No, increase taxes on large multinational corporations instead
0%
Yes, and eliminate federal agencies that are unconstitutional
2%
No, focus on ending tax evasion instead
2%
No, cuts to public spending will negatively affect the economy
2%
No, reduce military spending instead
1%
No, reduce the number of government officials instead

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 3.2k York Centre voters.

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Trend of how important this issue is for 3.2k York Centre voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from York Centre voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @9HXZTXMfrom Ontario  answered…1yr1Y

Yes cut spending on certain things like salaries of government officials and increase taxes on large corporations

 @B46V7MRfrom Alberta  answered…4wks4W

Drastic reductions in the government's ability to extract wealth from Canadians, with the end goal of making the concept of "public spending" understood as synonymous with corruption and theft, and ultimately undermine confidence in the state. Defaulting on the national debt would be preferred, however arguments could be made for allowing the US to absorb our debt in exchange for statehood.

 @9FL7SJ9from Ontario  answered…2yrs2Y

I believe they should make cuts to public spending deemed unnecessary by the people and work more on ensuring the national debt is reduced safely without harming the country's economy and its people.

 @9JWW84Qfrom Alberta  answered…1yr1Y

No, they should reduce spending over seas supporting other countries as well as make the wages of government officials reflective of the outcomes they produce. Have a base salary, then bonuses based on how well the economy is running. Earn your wage!

 @B4TH9TWfrom Ontario  answered…4hrs4H

Some cuts probably need to be made as well as closing tax loopholes, enforcing the laws already on the books and probably a modest tax increase on the wealthiest Canadians and companies

 @B4T8L8Bfrom Ontario  answered…1 day1D

no increase taxes for foreigners who buy property here/immigrants of high tax brackets. reduce government spending

 @B4SWGW3from Alberta  answered…2 days2D

Depending on the sector in which the budget cuts are made. No cuts to healthcare or emergency services.

 @B4S36XCfrom British Columbia  answered…3 days3D

Increases taxes dramatically on the wealthy, close tax loopholes and focus on preventing tax evasion

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…5mos5MO

Texas Offers Trump 1,400 Acres for His Mass Deportation Dream

Officials in Texas have offered President-elect Trump a 1,400-acre ranch for his mass deportation plan.Dawn Buckingham, land commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, said in a letter to Trump Tuesday that her office was “fully prepared” to work with federal agencies that are going to be involved in Trump’s immigration plan, and specifically deportation.Buckingham offered Trump a 1,402-acre lot in Starr County. The lot is owned by the Texas General Land Office and is roughly 35 miles west of McAllen, Texas.She said the agency is ready to work with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or the U.S. Border Patrol to build a facility on the land for “the processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history.”“I am committed to using every available means at my disposal to gain complete operational security of our border,” Buckingham wrote.The letter and offering of land were first reported by The Texas Tribune. Last month, the state bought the land along the U.S.-Mexico border and has plans to build a wall.In the letter, Buckingham criticized her predecessor for not allowing a border wall to be built on the property. Those actions “enabled cartel members and violent criminals to sexually abuse migrant women and children on this land,” she said.On Monday, Trump signaled he would declare an immigration national emergency and use military assets to support his mass deportation plan when he returns to office.

▲  1625 replies

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…3mos3MO

Supreme Court Clears The Way For Trump Sentencing

Donald Trump will face sentencing over his New York “hush money” conviction on Friday, after the US Supreme Court declined to grant him a last-minute reprieve.The decision will force the president-elect to face public proceedings in the criminal case that he has fought strenuously to avoid. His lawyers had appealed to the high court on Wednesday to postpone the proceeding, claiming that allowing it to go ahead days before his inauguration would create a “constitutionally intolerable risk of disruption to national security” and interfere with his efforts to get his 34 felony convictions overturned.In a 5-4 decision handed down just hours before the sentencing was set to go ahead in a state court in lower Manhattan, a majority of the justices declined to do so, saying “the burden that sentencing will impose on the president-elect’s responsibilities is relatively insubstantial” especially as Trump was unlikely to face any prison time. They added that any issues with the evidence presented at trial — some of which Trump’s lawyers have claimed was inadmissible — “can be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal”.Trump-appointed Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberals on the bench in refusing to grant Trump’s appeal.Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he appreciated the Supreme Court’s time but vowed to continue fighting the case. “For the sake and sanctity of the Presidency, I will be appealing this case, and am confident that JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL,” he said.Lawyers representing Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Trump’s sentencing was repeatedly postponed while he mounted his third campaign for the White House and pursued various appeals against his conviction. Last week Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the “hush money” trial in New York earlier this year, finally set a firm date, in order to bring what he called “finality to this matter”.Trump will probably not face any punishment when he is sentenced, however, as the judge previously indicated he would not impose a fine or condemn Trump to prison time.

▲  1619 replies

Active 2 days ago

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…6mos6MO

Trump’s Puerto Rico Problem Erupts in Pennsylvania: Latino Voters Fire Back

Donald Trump has a serious Puerto Rico problem — in Pennsylvania.Many Puerto Rican voters in the state are furious about racist and demeaning comments delivered at a Trump rally. Some say their dismay is giving Kamala Harris a new opening to win over the state’s Latino voters, particularly nearly half a million Pennsylvanians of Puerto Rican descent.Evidence of the backlash was immediate on Monday: A nonpartisan Puerto Rican group drafted a letter urging its members to oppose Trump on election day. Other Puerto Rican voters were lighting up WhatsApp chats with reactions to the vulgar display and raising it in morning conversations at their bodegas. Some are planning to protest Trump’s rally Tuesday in Allentown, a majority-Latino city with one of the largest Puerto Rican populations in the state.And the arena Trump is speaking at is located in the middle of the city’s Puerto Rican neighborhood.“It’s spreading like wildfire through the community,” said Norberto Dominguez, a precinct captain with the local Democratic party in Allentown, who noted his own family is half Republican and half Democratic voters.“It’s not the smartest thing to do, to insult people — a large group of voters here in a swing state — and then go to their home asking for votes,” Dominguez said.The timing couldn’t be worse for Trump. Almost a week before Election Day, he’s pushing to cut into Harris’ margins among Latinos, especially young men who are worried about the economy. But the comments from pro-Trump comedian Tony Hinchcliffe Sunday night, referring to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage,” has reverberated throughout Pennsylvania and elsewhere, prompting even the former president’s Republican allies to defend the island and denounce the comments. And with the race essentially a toss up, every vote counts — especially in Pennsylvania.“This was just like a gift from the gods,” said Victor Martinez, an Allentown resident who owns the Spanish language radio station La Mega, noting some Puerto Rican voters in the area have been on the fence about voting at all.

▲  3117 replies