Posted on 12/12/2012 10:16:39 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Are higher taxes inevitable? If they are, Senator Rand Paul wants no Republican fingerprints on them. Last night, he told Greta van Susteren on Fox News that House Republicans should pass a bill with their specific plan to cut spending and fix the tax code to address the fiscal-cliff issues, and dare the Senate to take it up. If Democrats refuse, then Paul wants the House to hold a vote on the Democratic plan, with Republicans voting "present" to allow Democrats to pass the bill. That way, the economic damage from tax hikes will be totally owned by Democrats, and Republicans will have kept their hands clean:
This reminds me of a scene from the otherwise entirely-forgettable film Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. Wilford Brimley goes over the doomsday scenario of exposure with Fred Ward, which is the suicides of all involved, but then says, “We’re not there yet, boys.” I’m of the same mind; we can see the edge of the cliff from here, but no one’s going to get serious until Friday at the earliest. The legislative language for any deal will need to get written before the House and Senate can take a vote, which means that we’ll have to have a deal in writing by Monday or Tuesday to get the vote in before Christmas, or by Christmas to get it in before New Years Day if Congress stays in session.
If Obama insists on 4:1 tax hikes to cuts and won’t budge, though, this is probably not a bad scenario to follow. I’d amend it to make clear that the debt ceiling isn’t part of the bill, and I would also pass the AMT fix separately in the House with Republican votes. No sense in refusing credit for solving that of the fiscal cliff.
I hate to be the one to break it to him, but Republicans have rolled over for the Democrats for four years now, and for their lack of resistance, the Democrats have just grown stronger, and the destruction they have wrought is far worse.
“Moral victory” just means you got your butt stomped. Nobody cares about or will remember those who quit instead of fight.
Look everybody, another massive double-dipper recession is going to happen in the next four years. Obamacare mandates are a virtual guarantee of a hiring freeze for full-time work and large businesses, to say nothing of higher tax rates. A hiring freeze will paralyze the economy and the higher taxes and costs due to regulation will cause large layoffs all over the country. Meanwhile, millions of people will graduate from college each year with lots of debt and no real prospects, adding to the unemployed and underemployed.
A huge global recession with no cure in sight, apart from RADICAL welfare state reform and massive cuts in defense spending, and lowered regulations, is coming. It’s not “if,” it’s “when.”
And all the RINOS in Congress can do is buy us a little time. They have no power to do anything else. So let’s just let it happen soon and let the Dems own it.
I agree. I’m not even going to fasten my seat belt as required by law. Lets go over the cliff and get it done with.
Sen. Paul’s advice is exactly the same thing I sent in a message to Speaker Boehner the other day. When we voted a majority of Republicans to the House in 2010 and 2012, we sent a message for them to do what we wanted done. Make no deals. Pass the law in the House the way we know is right. Send it to the Senate and let the Democrats do whatever they want and OWN it.
Common sense would be to quit playing political games and simply vote NO on a bad bill. Not fold your hands and acquiesce.
Paul is right, and it's not rolling over. It's folding a losing hand. Here is what is going to happen: first, there will be no deal this year, because Obama wants the Bush tax cuts to expire. Then with the new Congress in session, the Dems will propose a bill that will renew them, plus the payroll tax reduction (2% on everyone with a paycheck), except for "the rich". Then the Pubs will have two choices, both losers. They can either vote for the Dem bill, or be held responsible by for 98% of taxpayers (including those who pay only payroll taxes) for getting a smaller check each week. In addition the Republican claim to be the party of lower taxes will be permanently changed to "the party of lower taxes for the rich only".
So what's your recommendation when that happens?
Good golly. The ability to control the budget is the GOP’s strongest power. It should not be surrendered lightly, or for the sake of political theater.
1. Approve only temporary measures. Anything to move the “fical cliff” to March.
2. This will force Obama to submit a budget BEFORE any subsequent “fiscal cliff” negotiations take place.
3. Get every republican in front of every camera that they can, to emphasize the reckless spending in Obama’s plan.
4. Emphasize that there will be NO tax increases WITHOUT earnest spending cuts.
“4. Emphasize that there will be NO tax increases WITHOUT earnest spending cuts.”
That’s unfortunately just not true, which is the problem. There WILL be tax increases, both in rates and a 2% increase in Social Security withholding as of 1/1/2013 if nothing is done, along with massive cuts in the military, but no cuts to entitlements. Which is why Obama is perfectly willing to let it happen and keep in campaign mode.
I agree - Rand Paul is starting to go looney on us by suggesting this.
Not a bad idea.
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