Where the Rubber Hits the Road

[Minor Axis]

George W Bush enacted tax cuts in the traditional Republican way. If you recall, Ronald Reagan did the same thing and we had the first huge deficits since WWII. All through the 60's and predominantly Democratic rule we as a country lived within our means. Is there anyone here who feels it is highly ironic that the Republican Party claims to be the fiscally responsible ones? They are most irresponsible when the reason they offer for voting for them is that they will cut your taxes without any kind of a discussion about what we should expect from our government with our tax dollars. That is all you need to know, vote for me and I'll lower your taxes. (It's called pandering). I can't guarantee you a job with decent pay and benefits but don't think about that. (BTW I support the idea that any entitlement program must be sustainable.)

Allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire will inject $3 trillion into government revenue over a 10 year period. It is that simple but what you'll hear from the Republicans is them screaming like stuck pigs although by most accounts the tax rates under Clinton were reasonable. What they refuse to recognize is that the current deficit is too large to simply outgrow by stimulating the economy with good deals for the rich.

Here is a link to the Rice Thresher, the Student Newspaper of Rice University. But what do they know? They are just a bunch of idealistic students:

Currently, the U.S. deficit is more than 10 percent of its GDP. By removing the tax cuts, government revenue will increase by $3 trillion over 10 years and, as Peter Orszag, former head of the Office of Management and Budget, noted, "will reduce our deficit to a sustainable 3 percent of GDP […] and pretty much solve the deficit problem in the medium term."

On the contrary, if we extend the tax cuts, Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf noted that our economy will not be helped in the long run. In fact, he said, "Lower tax revenues will increase budget deficits and thereby government borrowing, which crowds out investment." Simply put, extending the Bush tax cuts augments the U.S. deficit crisis and hurts the U.S. economy in the long run. The most common argument against allowing the tax cuts to expire is that during a recession, tax increases hurt Americans who are already struggling. This is true to a certain extent - removing tax cuts will hurt some Americans - but maintaining the tax cuts is not the best means of helping Americans regain their jobs and livelihoods.

 

[Dana]

"Where the Rubber MEETS the road" If you're gonna use an idiom... Use it right LOL

 

[Minor Axis]

Darn... :eek I'd be more impressed if you expressed an opinion.

 

[porterjack]

that is that discussion dead then

 

[Dana]

I dunno but I'm voting for a Republican today.

 

[Minor Axis]

I dunno but I'm voting for a Republican today.

You reap what you sew.

 

[Dana]

You reap what you sew.

well seeing as one is probably a democratic puppet whos been in office too long and the other just turned democrat this year after being independant all these years i don't see much of a choice.

 

[Minor Axis]

well seeing as one is probably a democratic puppet whos been in office too long and the other just turned democrat this year after being independant all these years i don't see much of a choice.

Where do you live, I want to say Pennsylvania? Just curious who you are referring to. Come on, you can tell!

 

[porterjack]

Where do you live, I want to say Pennsylvania? Just curious who you are referring to. Come on, you can tell!

i know i know

 

[Dana]

Where do you live, I want to say Pennsylvania? Just curious who you are referring to. Come on, you can tell!

:24: *looks at his location* Alaska

 

[Minor Axis]

:24: *looks at his location* Alaska

Lol... I get a D- for observation... People in Maine vote for Republicans?

 

[Alien Allen]

The democrats pander also just using different enticements

And in case you missed it when the taxes were cut the govt revenue increased. The problem is that when the govt gets more money they abuse the power and double down on spending.

Can you honestly tell me that if this country had a 3 year freeze on the budget that it would hurt anybody?

By the way the economy is in the tank still despite a waste of the stimulus money. There are investors out there sitting on money but refuse to use it because they have no faith in the democrat policies. Sorry but the poor and downtrodden do not pump up the economy. It is the wealthy and businesses that do that. When you put out the message that business is bad like Obama has done you can see what happens.

 

[Minor Axis]

The democrats pander also just using different enticements

And in case you missed it when the taxes were cut the govt revenue increased. The problem is that when the govt gets more money they abuse the power and double down on spending.

Can you honestly tell me that if this country had a 3 year freeze on the budget that it would hurt anybody?

By the way the economy is in the tank still despite a waste of the stimulus money. There are investors out there sitting on money but refuse to use it because they have no faith in the democrat policies. Sorry but the poor and downtrodden do not pump up the economy. It is the wealthy and businesses that do that. When you put out the message that business is bad like Obama has done you can see what happens.

I checked out your man- McCotter. I don't always like being right.

Extension of Tax Cuts Top Priority for GOP. Pandering or fiscal responsibility? So much for hard choices, hard choices brought upon us by 8 years of a less than fiscally responsible Republican Administration more interested in playing war with our tax dollars.

 

[Alien Allen]

I checked out your man- McCotter. I don't always like being right.

Extension of Tax Cuts Top Priority for GOP. Pandering or fiscal responsibility? So much for hard choices, hard choices brought upon us by 8 years of a Republican Administration.

He is not my guy

I just found his ad hilarious

You liberals got nothing to talk about as far as spending given what they did in less than 2 years

In my ideal world we would have libertarians in charge

 

[Minor Axis]

In my ideal world we would have libertarians in charge

I just want responsible people running the show. My definition of responsible? Leadership who looks out for the health of our society across the spectrum, not just looking out for those who all ready have it made.

 

[Alien Allen]

I just want responsible people running the show. My definition of responsible? Leadership who looks out for the health of our society across the spectrum, not just looking out for those who all ready have it made.

In other words.... A Nanny State

 

[Minor Axis]

In other words.... A Nanny State

Allen and you other guys might find this The Atlantic article on the Baby Boomer interesting:

The Least We Can Do. Are we the Baby Boomer generation a failure?

Buried in this article is a quote from Anne Applebaum (Washington Post) A Government Of The People's Every Wish which gave me something to think about:

If you don't live in this country all of the time, and I don't, here is what you notice when you come home: Americans -- with their lawsuit culture, their safety obsession and, above all, their addiction to government spending programs -- demand more from their government than just about anybody else in the world. They don't simply want the government to keep the peace and create a level playing field. They want the government to ensure that every accident and every piece of bad luck is prevented, or that they are fully compensated in the event something goes wrong. And if the price of their house drops, they will hold the government responsible for that, too.

 

[SouthernGirl]

I think we should keep blaming George W. until the end of time. I mean, hell, he probably could even be blamed for the recent natural disasters.

And Minor Axis, I'm quoting this: "I just want responsible people running the show. My definition of responsible? Leadership who looks out for the health of our society across the spectrum, not just looking out for those who all ready have it made."

Is it preferable, then, to basically have a welfare state in which handouts become the norm? Oh, sorry, I forgot, that already is the norm. Dependence on the government is a tremendous problem, not a solution.

 

[itsmeJonB]

 

[Accountable]

George W Bush enacted tax cuts in the traditional Republican way. If you recall, Ronald Reagan did the same thing and we had the first huge deficits since WWII.

Half the story & blaming the wrong half. In both instances, revenue rose and spending rose faster. It's the spending that needs to be cut. I heard a politician say it the other day: "We don't have a revenue problem in Washington. We have a spending problem in Washington."