Trump's Unusual Plan to Lower the Debt: Sell Off 16 Trillion In Gov't Assets

[big_dog]

Source: NBC News four hours ago 12:50pm April 3, 2016

As president, Donald Trump would sell off $16 trillion worth of U.S. government assets in order to fulfill his pledge to eliminate the national debt in eight years, senior adviser with the campaign Barry Bennett said.

"The United States government owns more real estate than anybody else, more land than anybody else, more energy than anybody else," Bennett told Chris Jansing Sunday on MSNBC. "We can get rid of government buildings we're not using, we can extract the energy from government lands, we can do all kinds of things to extract value from the assets that we hold."

In a wide-ranging interview with The Washington Post, Trump said he would get rid of the $19 trillion national debt "over a period of eight years." The article noted that most economists would consider Trump's proposal impossible, as it could require slashing the annual federal budget by more than half.

However, when pressed on whether the United States could sell off $16 trillion worth of assets, Bennett responded affirmatively on Sunday. "Oh, my goodness," he said. "Do you know how much land we have? You know how much oil is off shore? And in government lands? Easily." The federal government's assets totaled $3.2 trillion as of September 2015, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. However, that does not include include stewardship assets or natural resources.

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/donald-trump-s-unusual-plan-lower-national-debt-sell-government-n549946

[MFM008]

1. in other words

just do any damn thing we want of no longer PUBLIC lands or PUBLIC parks or wetlands.

[big_dog]

3. Trump eminent domained a granny to build a casino in Atlantic City

it can happen everywhere...

[Warpy]

51. Exactly ROB THE COMMONS

and give it all to the rich.

[wordpix]

73. public land grab it is, repugs do this on local level, too

I am fighting a municipal land grab here in my small CT town. Was in court today. These f--$&)(_#@!@ing a-holes

[safeinOhio]

2. Anyone want to chip in

to buy Mt. Rushmore and have Obama added to it?

[Capt.Rocky300]

11. Now just hold on.....

before we spend money doing that, we should find out what we could get for the whole mountain from a Saudi prince!

[Cryptoad]

26. After the Bundy's of teh West buy all the Federal land

we will have to get them prez off the Mountain face.

[allan01]

4. have the one percet pay their taxes and this will end

[bora13]

48. you stole my idea!

[allan01]

70. great minds think alike , no?

[wordpix]

74. and stop sending their "headquarters" overseas

while you're at it

[Matthew28]

5. Trump is trying to out crazy cruz!

That is saying something. This would end up being bought by everyone that wants to destroy this land.

[nruthie]

6. Our National Parks ought to be worth a few dollars.

Make a garbage dump out of the Grand Canyon and put it to good use! This man is a lunatic.

[big_dog]

14. how about the interstate highway system operated by China!

only $209 tolls to Chicago from St. Louis...

[Matthew28]

16. That would suck

Everyone that wanted to drive would have to buy corporate road license and would have to have the right ones in order to drive down a road.

This is how crazy this privatization crap could get if republicans have their way.

Most poor people wouldn't be able to drive down the street or use the sewer system.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

56. Talk about "Road Neutrality" !

[Geronimoe]

7. His solution is to sell the home to pay off the mortgage.

And then what?

[Angel Martin]

25. if prices are about to crash

selling the house to pay the mortgage is not a bad strategy.

For gov't assets linked to energy prices, it's too late. The sale should have been two or three years ago to maximize value for the taxpayer.

right now there are chinese buyers (PRC) going wild paying ridiculous prices for housing on the west coast, as well as some commercial Re.

If the Feds had something to sell for those buyers, they could cash in now, and buy it back in a few years at a big discount (just like the japanese in 1989).

[red dog 1]

8. I can't wait to hear Ted Cruz's response to this one

K&R, thanks for posting

[silvershadow]

9. They'd rather sell of property that belongs to you and me than actually pay back

what was stolen.

[NCjack]

10. Yeah, his usual way of solving the problem. Screw the common bond owners. The public lands

are the most valuable possessions of the people. So, Trump would sell them and let the new owners either exclude us or charge us admission fees. What this means is: The 1%, instead of paying their fair share, would take over our public lands and pay the federal debt, which was largely generated to benefit them. If the nation fails to elect Bernie, we are so screwed.

[olddad56]

12. maybe he can sell Yellowstone to Disneyland.

[beastie boy]

13. Did he run this one by Cliven Bundy?

His plan would leave poor Cliven with nothing to steal. Imagine the armed resistance to that!

[lancer78]

27. I and other DU'ers

Suggested selling public lands as a "solution" to the bundy bunch.

[beastie boy]

57. So the SOB stole your idea.

Sue the crap out of him!

[lancer78]

64. Lol

Wish I could.

[Jerry442]

78. The land already belongs to Cliven.

Ask him. He'll tell you.

[roamer65]

15. Let's all pool together and buy Area 51.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

17. Hello big dog The Donald here !

Yes big dog selling stuff !





https://sp.yimg.com/xj/th?id=OIP.M1d4b449c8d4938e9a3cdda0c7cceba2bo0&pid=15.1&P=0&w=253&h=164

https://sp.yimg.com/xj/th?id=OIP.Md81ffc9d9d173fbe5f204934efbbe674o0&pid=15.1&P=0&w=348&h=196

<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/donald%20trumps%20car%20collection" target="_blank"><img src="" border="0" alt="donald trumps car collection photo: DONNNYYY 029_donald_trump--300x300.jpg"/></a>

[rurallib]

18. I was hoping that maybe he would tax the churches

[houston16revival]

19. This has been their plan all along

That's what Cheney was up to
That's what Ryan has been up to

Bye Bye National Parks!!!!

[0rganism]

20. trying to scoop up the Bundy sympathizers, eh?

problem is, Mr. Trump, more than half of them were probably already on your bandwagon for the racism.
well, you'll probably snag the rest of them with this load of manure. hope they make a difference for ya.

[PSPS]

21. Disappointed they didn't use the appropriate word and call it an "unserious plan."

But, then, the whole campaign has been unserious. I guess that's what draws more viewers and, hence, more ad revenue.

[stuffmatters]

22. Maybe Dianne Feinstein's hubby can get the contract as he did for our USPS architectural treasures

Just curious if that how Donald Trump got that landmark post office in DC.

As an art historian I've long been appalled by the selling off of our national WPA art collection, a theft of our commons engineered by the Repub double bind forced on the USPS and brokered by DiFi's husband. With the obscene commissions from this national plunder,
DiFi and her husband bought a local luxury resort in Del Mar,Ca. (from a rightwing billionaire named Doug Manchester to boot)

[Cryptoad]

23. ahhhh,, the ole Trump stacl it high and sell it cheap

all the rich folk that can afford to buy it should really appreciate this! Then the GOP would really own the country

[vkkv]

24. So, reward the thieves that continually rip-off our economy... eom

[lancer78]

28. it is an idea that "would" work

Makes more sense then tax cuts for the rich. He is giving a typical business reason. If you have high debt that is killing your bottom line, then you sell your assets to save the main operation.

[lastlib]

33. Government is NOT a business!

You CANNOT run it like one!!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

37. You got that straight. it's one of the biggest myths the know-nothings cherish. . . nt

[jtuck004]

34. But if you never invest, you die. You see, until someone works and builds up assets, there are none

to sell steal by thieving bank$ter/jihadists and company owners who never did a day of work in their stinking lives.

[Darb]

45. "than", not "then",

jussayin'. Proper grammar adds credibility. But that sell off you are talking about is a monumental boondoggle that any thinking person would dismiss out of hand. Whoever is putting a value on those properties has no idea what it would actually be worth on the open market, probably pennies on the dollar of which they speak.

[lancer78]

53. Lol, I touched a nerve

Please notice I didn't agree with it. Running a government not like a business sure hasn't done us any good. This is where you get $400 hammers, pissing away billions on a fighter jet we don't need just to keep some congressman's constituents employed, ect.

Raising tax rates on the rich would only work for a couple years. What really needs to happen is that we go back to the Clinton budget. You know, a balanced budget, that thing that most businesses run on?

Just have to raise our Revenue and cut our expenses.

[wordpix]

79. what is the "main operation" to be saved? Public roads, lands, air terminals, etc

How about just taxing the rich so we can take care of these?

[zwyziec]

29. Carl Ichan just bid $10 Billion for the rights to all Federal public land and it's mineral rights.

And the Walton's, the Koch brothers, the Amway family and 100 other billionairs have make offers to take private all public libraries, the EPA department, all the federal prisions, the VA medical health system, all NASA facilities and all miltary bases.

In other words, the Trump wants to privatize the entire US federal government. Nice work if you can get it.

[Turbineguy]

30. The bright side is

that the sooner Trump finishes, the sooner we can start over.

[vlyons]

31. Trump Casino at the frim of the Grand Canyon

meanwhile the Koch Bros are rubbing their grubby hands together with glee to buy the Alaska refuge. Once part of Seward's Folly, to be know as Trump's Folly. Republicans would sell their mothers for an dallar.

[wordpix]

77. Trump Tower on top of Half Dome

Things would be grim, indeed

[lastlib]

32. WTG, Donny! Make us a Fourth World country!

(yeah, they'd have to create a whole new category just for US)

Mexico WILL build that wall and pay for it--to keep Americans OUT!

[PatrickforO]

35. Wow. Just like Bain Capital. Find a troubled company (the USA),

come in with a hostile takeover (the Trump campaign), then sell off all the assets and skate off with the profits while the employees (us) are left holding the bag.

Nothing new here, folks.

They did it to your company.

Now they want to do it to our country.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

36. He could sell off his casinos and donate it to the US government

[sofa king]

38. Paying rent by selling the landlord's sh!t in the attic.

[SoapBox]

39. Hey Rump...No!

Let me rephrase that...

FUCK No!

[mckara]

40. He Believes in the Neoliberal Economic Model, Just Like Hillary and Bill

If Bill Clinton was planning to privatize Social Security in the 1990s, why should we not believe Hillary wouldn't act like her buddy, Rahm Emanuel, and offer to privatize government property, too?

[leftyladyfrommo]

41. Well, that idea just plain sucks. nt

[jonks2746]

42. Trump is determined to wreck this country

He'll do even more damage than Bush did. What a maniac.

[bluedigger]

43. But that's only half of the F-35's.

I say we find some sucker to take them all in a 2 for 1 sale.

[lostnfound]

44. He could get a pretty penny for our nuclear assets on the black market

Maybe Eric Prince or W's Saudi friends could find a buyer.

[Strelnikov_]

52. Hell, think how much North Korea would pay for us to bomb one of our own carrier groups!

He's a modern day Milo Minderbender! If it just wasn't for that Egyptian cotton deal . . .

[TeamPooka]

46. "looting" assets not selling off. nt

[harun]

55. Exactly what would happen. Somehow all Trumps buddies would end up with

all the best "sold" land and assets. Including himself of course.

Just what Russia did and it left the Oligarchs owning and profiting off of those assets.

[TeamPooka]

69. Kind of like how Bush & Cheney made Halliburton richer than ever off our money.

[harun]

81. They all have their pet projects to loot money for their friends

[Shrike47]

47. To quote our would-be leader: disgusting.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

49. Running country as a business is how Putin made his $2B fortune. Does TheRump think that small?

[Zira]

50. He wants to bankrupt us just like he does his companies.

I've read that he owe every major bank in America money right now so I suspect he's about to have bankruptcy number 5 after the election.

[wordpix]

75. yes, what about 4 bankruptcies that left him so rich, what's that about?

I have friends who've considered bankruptcy and they don't have this lifestyle.

[yellowcanine]

54. Yellowstone ought to be worth a trillion all by itself.

And the Grand Canyon another trillion.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

58. The guy doesn't have a clue in the world. I don't even know where to start.

Not only is the idea of selling off all government lands and assets (including priceless national parks and lands) stomach turning, but all you have is debt being used to pay off debt. Unless someone just so happens to have a trillion or so lying around and feel like buying the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone or the Everglades in a weekend shopping spree.

[MBS]

59. " " " " " n/t

[Betty]

60. Strip the country for parts

And sell for pennies on the dollar. He's a good businessman!

[leftyladyfrommo]

61. I wonder how much they could get for the Grand Canyon? nt

[mainer]

62. So now the US will be owned by foreigners?

I'm sure the Saudis are looking for places to safely park their money.

[kiri]

63. Cruz is really more dangerous---in order to sell, you need a buyer

Always remember that Trump may be crazy, but Cruz is really dangerous. Trump can be defeated; Cruz probably not and will bring his dominionism over all.
And Cruz's policies are pretty much the same--abolish the EPA/hamstring it; abolish the IRS; abolish the Dept of the Interior. Devious is worse than crazy.

The bottom line of this idiocy is that in order to sell, you need a buyer. What collection of buyers will bring $16 trillion to the table in the expectation that they
will make a profit from owning?

[CompanyFirstSergeant]

65. I seem to remember

Ronald Reagan's Secretary of the Interior, James Watt, flying over a national park, looking to sell it.

Does anyone remember that?

[Taitertots]

66. You can tell he is serious because that's what he did when he had negative equity.

Oh wait...

If you want to pretend the government can be run like a business, then at least pretend the populace are their stockholders.

[Nitram]

67. It's not an "unusual" plan.

It is a stupid and immoral plan.

[Dan]

68. When this land is no longer our land

Then let the rich die for it...

When we no longer have a stake in the land, then we should have no dogs in the fight (when they want their next police action or war).

[Vinca]

71. On a positive note,I bet you could get great Chinese food at the national parks after they buy them.

WTF is this idiot thinking? He loves our country so much he wants to sell it to the highest bidder???

[wordpix]

76. tourists will love the Chinese goods for sale thruout our national parks

I look forward to all the malls, signs, hotels etc. that are coming

[left-of-center2012]

72. With Trump's experience in going bankrupt ...

... wouldn't that be quicker?

[annabanana]

80. The Smithsonian is probably at the top of the chopping block. . . n/t

[RobinA]

82. Condos On The Mall

It's just a big field sitting there anyway. On prime real estate no less. What a waste!