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Hey! You! Fix the Budget!

2010-11-16 · John · watch on YouTube · US politics & society · news analysis

John uses the New York Times's 'you fix the budget' tool to argue that the US deficit has no easy solution: even all Democratic tax increases plus all Republican spending cuts would leave a huge deficit, so balancing it means unwelcome cuts and taxes.

What is said

00:00:00 — Greeting; the newspaper explained; a headline saying 'you fix the budget'

  • ★ John says he read a newspaper headline, 'you fix the budget', and jokes that fiscal policy should go to a young adult novelist wearing his face on his torso. (playful) — 00:00:00

00:00:29 — The pizza shirt is back at DFTBA.com/pizza; the New York Times's web-based budget tool

  • ★★ John announces the pizza shirt is back in stock at DFTBA.com/pizza; orders placed today ship tomorrow, until it runs out. — 00:00:29 · Pizza John, DFTBA Records
  • ★★ John describes the New York Times web tool for choosing which taxes to raise and spending to cut to balance the budget, says it has no liberal bias, and encourages viewers to try it. — 00:00:29 · The New York Times

00:00:59 — Why the deficit has no easy fix: both parties' plans fall short, where the budget goes, cutting programs, the penny, personal-budget analogy, question of the day

  • ★★★ John says the astonishing thing is that even all the Democratic leadership's tax increases plus all the Republican leadership's spending cuts would still leave a huge deficit. — 00:00:59 · Republican Party
  • ★★ John says the vast majority of the federal budget goes to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Defense; 'other' is mostly other mandatory programs, chiefly unemployment insurance. — 00:00:59
  • ★★ John says eliminating the army, Social Security or Medicare will never happen because old people vote and like those programs; and cutting Medicare wouldn't save its full cost, since the sick elderly would still need care. — 00:01:28
  • ★★★ John disagrees with anyone who says there is an easy solution to the deficit. — 00:01:57
  • ★★ John repeats his argument that pennies are stupid, cost hundreds of millions of dollars a year and should go, but says abolishing them would not solve the coming deficit crisis. — 00:01:57
  • ★★★ John says the app makes clear it won't be easy: most people, as he did, will find things they'd rather not cut that must be cut and taxes they'd rather not raise that must be raised. (hedged) — 00:01:57
  • ★ John compares it to his own budget: things he wants but cannot afford (a dress he instead Photoshops himself into) and unwanted work that brings in revenue. (playful) — 00:02:26
  • ★★ John's non-rhetorical question of the day: using the app, were Nerdfighters able to balance the federal budget, and how? — 00:02:26 · Nerdfighteria

00:02:56 — Europe's deficits too; John's trip to Amsterdam and Vienna; Daniel Biss is a state representative-elect

  • ★★ After joking that Europe has it all figured out, John says the deficit projections for most developed economies look much like America's. (playful) — 00:02:56 · Europe
  • ★★ John says he leaves tomorrow for a week in Europe, doing events in Amsterdam and Vienna, with details in the description. — 00:02:56 · Europe, Amsterdam
  • ★★ Saying the deficit shows the need for more mathematicians in power, John announces that Brotherhood 2.0 resident mathematician Daniel Biss is now a state representative-elect. — 00:02:56 · Daniel Biss, Brotherhood 2.0

00:03:34 — Sign-off; postscript: recognised from his shirt while buying diapers

  • ★ In a postscript John says a grocery clerk ringing up his diapers and wipes looked at his shirt and asked if it was him; it was. (playful) — 00:03:34 · Pizza John

Humor (significant)

  • John explains a newspaper to Hank as the internet, only not updated, not interactive, printed on thin trees and not free. — 00:00:00 > «It's a wonder these guys are having trouble staying in business.»
  • John compares the federal budget to his own: there are things he would like to do but cannot. — 00:02:26 > «Like, for instance, purchase this dress. Instead, I have to Photoshop myself into it.»
  • John says that fortunately he is leaving for a week in Europe, where they have all this stuff figured out. — 00:02:56 > «Actually, it turns out that the deficit projections for most developed economies look a lot like this, so... Yeah.»
  • John celebrates that Daniel Biss is now a state representative-elect. — 00:02:56 > «Yes! Nerdfighters! We're going to Congress! State Cong-»

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