Apr. 19 Socrates Cafe: Government Spending

Join us with facilitator Robert Rubin, former Library Board President and seasoned discussion leader, for our new Socrates Cafe program.

Wednesday, April 19 at 10:30 am in the Friends Learning Lab.

Bob wants to help us give philosophy back to the people with discussions about truth, justice, and moderation.

All political, economic and social points of view are welcomed and encouraged. 

The only ground rule is that we will be polite to those opinions that differ from our own.

For April, the question is:

Can We Afford Our Government Spending or Must We Change?
Shown below is a detailed projection from the Congressional Budget Office, prepared in 2016, of U.S. Government expenditures for fiscal 2017, which began October 1, 2016. The magnitude of the numbers is difficult for any of us to comprehend. Envision spending a dollar a second, 24 hours a day. We would spend $86,400 in a day a little less than 12 days to spend a million dollars. Spending a billion dollars would require 32 years and 32,000 to spend a trillion dollars.
As of now, our federal debt is just under $20 trillion. On March 30 the CBO said the national debt is on track to nearly double over the next three decades. The debt has doubled since 2008 to about 77% of gross domestic product and would reach 150% of GDP in 2047, the highest level since its post-World War II peak. That is up from an estimate of 145% made this past January.
Can we continue as we have or must we change? And if we have to change, what are those changes and we should any changes begin to be implemented?

Socrates Cafe – Government Spending – Handout

 

Philosophy discussion groups such as SOCRATES CAFÉ are forming in libraries, in bookstores, community centers, and in coffee shops, bringing together people with diverse experience, beliefs, and backgrounds.  Currently there are over 300 Socrates Cafes® throughout the world.