Posted on 10/20/2011 4:09:56 PM PDT by neverdem
Between the candidates’ debates and my conversations with the Occupy Wall Street protesters, it seems to me that there is a persistent, dangerous disconnect between our political conversation and reality. On the right, we’re still too focused on taxes, rather than on the spending that drives taxes. On the left, they’re . . . the Left, still, unfortunately for them.
With an eye on 2012, here are ten important but sometimes counterintuitive facts to keep in mind:
3. You can’t trust Republicans on spending.
4. Wall Street loves Democrats.
5. People who voted for Barack Obama on civil-liberties grounds are fools.
6. If you aren’t for massive entitlement reform, you’re for massive tax hikes.
7. But taxing the rich won’t close the deficit.
8. The housing bubble was largely a political creation.
9. Well-meaning politicians are just as dangerous as self-serving ones.
10. There’s no way out of this jam without big cuts to popular programs.
The real debate isn’t whether to cut, only what and how much and when. (My preferred answers: almost everything, a lot, now.)
Big “On Target” BUMP!!
It was never intended to.
It's just a political focus to make people vote a certain way.
Amen
BTTT
Got it exactly backwards.
This is the same mistake Conservatives have always made in the past.
The growth of our out of control Federal Government tracks directly to the implementation of the income tax.
As long as you give politicians a potentially unlimited income stream, as the income tax does, they will find ways to spend it.
We can cut and cut and cut but the spending always comes back. Reagan cut the most of any modern President and the spending came back plus more.
Until you address the revenue side, Federal Spending is not going to be controlled no matter how much any President cuts.
You have to limit the Congresss ability to spend and borrow money (Cut, Cap, and Tax) but then you also need to limit its revenue stream. Cains 9-9-9 does that. Other Candidates should come up with their own ideas on how to accomplices the same goal. The current tax does is both corrupt and inefficient.
The genius of Cains 9-9-9 is, for the 1st time, there is a leading Presidential Candidate putting out a plan to limit Fed revenue. The key components is the sale tax. By spreading a lower over all tax burden to all Americans he creates an insurmountable problem for any future tax raises.
How do you convince people to give you more taxes when they personally know they will pay for the tax hike?
See the trick now is Congress can always disguise any tax hike by hiding it inside the overly complex tax code. By tweaking around the edges with the tax code they can gradually and systematically raise taxes with virtually no one noticing.
9-9-9 eliminates that ability to tinker around the edges of a mind numbingly complex tax
Got it exactly backwards.
This is the same mistake Conservatives have always made in the past.
The growth of our out of control Federal Government tracks directly to the implementation of the income tax.
As long as you give politicians a potentially unlimited income stream, as the income tax does, they will find ways to spend it.
We can cut and cut and cut but the spending always comes back. Reagan cut the most of any modern President and the spending came back plus more.
Until you address the revenue side, Federal Spending is not going to be controlled no matter how much any President cuts.
You have to limit the Congresss ability to spend and borrow money (Cut, Cap, and Tax) but then you also need to limit its revenue stream. Cains 9-9-9 does that. Other Candidates should come up with their own ideas on how to accomplices the same goal. The current tax does is both corrupt and inefficient.
The genius of Cains 9-9-9 is, for the 1st time, there is a leading Presidential Candidate putting out a plan to limit Fed revenue. The key components is the sale tax. By spreading a lower over all tax burden to all Americans he creates an insurmountable problem for any future tax raises.
How do you convince people to give you more taxes when they personally know they will pay for the tax hike?
See the trick now is Congress can always disguise any tax hike by hiding it inside the overly complex tax code. By tweaking around the edges with the tax code they can gradually and systematically raise taxes with virtually no one noticing.
9-9-9 eliminates that ability to tinker around the edges of a mind numbingly complex tax
Cain is already tinkering around the edges, with promises to exempt the poor from sales taxes.
Prebates?? Hell no. Send money to DC that we do NOT owe?? Hell no, that should be a non-starter with any conservative.
If he is promising this is “revenue neutral” then your argument about it limiting revenue is spurious. Spending is far and above revenue right now, spending is the problem. This does nothing to tackle spending or deficits.
Like I said, he is already making it “progressive” to appease the media, we should say NO. We know where this is going.
There is nothing that stops the government from raising these taxes, by the way.
War with China? Illusions about the pacifying effects of trade go back more than a century.
Poll: 49% of Protesters Think the Bank Bailouts Were Necessary
Some noteworthy articles about politics, foreign or military affairs, IMHO, FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.
Yes, I heard Cain on the radio today talking about a probate, and I about drove off the road. His plan will be a disaster. I wish he would just advocate a small flat tax, with no probates or other mechanisms ripe for abuse.
Like I said, he is already making it progressive to appease the media, we should say NO. We know where this is going.
There is nothing that stops the government from raising these taxes, by the way.
I don't know if the national sales tax could get through a GOP Congress with 60 GOP senators. What's the mechanism to collect it? Too many people will want to make their sales off the books, IMHO.
Flat 13 - 14 percent income and business taxes might be an easier bill to pass. IIRC, Cut, Cap & Balance has no deficit spending without a supermajority vote in each house. Reconciliation rules for budget bills need to be scrapped, and the Sixteenth Amendment needs to be repealed.
That was supposed to be PREBATES. IPad changed it for me.
Cain mentioning this will hurt him. Much like the exemtions obama gives out on healthcare now.
You might want to try actually learning about 9-9-9 since your ignorance is showing.
Prebates applies to everyone, not the poor. He is not making it “progressive”
And there is nothing that stops the Government from raising taxes right now.
So your criticisms are utterly baseless.
I oppose prebates. period.
It is social engineering. Sending them taxes we don’t owe and thanking almighty government when we get some back is a retarded idea, nothing conservative them.
Exactly why I oppose it. Once everyone gets a check from the government, freedom is all but doomed.
Thanks for the ping!
thanks for putting it all together in one place.
well done and much appreciated
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