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Why not let taxes rise on the middle class?
The Washington Post ^ | December 28, 2012 | Marc A. Thiessen,

Posted on 12/29/2012 7:44:09 AM PST by Hojczyk

Barring a last-minute breakthrough, taxes will go up for every U.S. taxpayer on Jan. 1 — and that’s a development conservatives should welcome.

Don’t get me wrong: It would be better not to raise taxes on anyone, pursue pro-growth tax reform and cut the size of government instead. But that’s not what the American people voted to do last month. Americans cast their ballots for big government.

Now it’s time to pay for it.

Until now, the growth of government under President Obama has not hit the pocketbooks of most Americans. During Obama’s first term, federal spending grew to more than 24 percent of GDP — the highest it has been since 1946. Yet almost no one in the country (except smokers and those who frequent indoor tanning salons) saw their taxes rise. Quite the opposite: 160 million Americans saw their payroll taxes reduced from 6.2 to 4.2 percent.

How can we expect people to care about the growth of government if it doesn’t cost them anything?

Instead of paying for the current miasma of spending, we’ve been borrowing the money from our children and grandchildren. The national debt has grown by nearly $6 trillion in the four years since Obama took office. That generational theft cannot continue. We must not keep financing big government by passing the bills on to the next generation. Ideally, we would stop the spending binge and live within our means. But if the nation is not up to that, then we should all pitch in and pay for it — all of us.

Until then, Republicans need to stop protecting Americans from the consequences of their decisions to elect profligate politicians.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government
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To: Nervous Tick

Regardless, this is not a thread about military service, so by bringing it up you are attempting to discredit me, rather than respond to my point.

That is a legitimate way to argue when you don’t have a leg to stand on, but it doesn’t mean that I will fall for it.


41 posted on 12/29/2012 8:53:24 AM PST by BobL (Agenda 21...Agenda 21...Agenda 21...Agenda 21...Agenda 21... (whatever the hell that is))
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To: FreedomNotSafety

>> I assume you have a government pension based on your military service?

No, I don’t. Why would you assume that?


42 posted on 12/29/2012 8:57:08 AM PST by Nervous Tick (Without GOD, men get what they deserve.)
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To: palmer

The programs were not turned into a slush fund. They were always a slush fund. There is no “Paying into it” because there never was an it. SS is not broke because it owes nothing.


43 posted on 12/29/2012 8:58:25 AM PST by FreedomNotSafety
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To: Nervous Tick

Based on your earlier question. So if you didn’t serve why bring it up? Or were you bating us? If so, well played.


44 posted on 12/29/2012 9:01:24 AM PST by FreedomNotSafety
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To: Nervous Tick

You’re both utter morons. Like good little Liberals, you go about attacking the messenger, as if their past or present status has ANYTHING to do with the point they are making. There’s a reason most others ignore your posts here.


45 posted on 12/29/2012 9:04:48 AM PST by Teacher317 ('Tis time to fear when tyrants seem to kiss.)
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To: Hojczyk
How can we expect people to care about the growth of government if it doesn’t cost them anything?

Amen!!!

Conservatives... should be all about less government and hence lower taxes. And such taxes should hit everyone or we get bigger government [anathema of conservatism.]

So go over the cliff with the purpose of reducing the size of government. When everyone pays for government, everyone wants it to cost less.

So, if taxes must go up, conservatives should want to have everyone's taxes go up - NOT just some.

0imposter wants us to give-in on this principle and just tax some. DON'T DO IT!!!

46 posted on 12/29/2012 9:08:27 AM PST by Principled
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To: BobL

>> you are attempting to discredit me

Actually, no. That’s just another one of your projections. I don’t really care to argue with you at all.

In this thread and others, you put on those ol’ Judge’s robes and slam down that gavel pretty hard on all of us. Just checking out your credentials, Judge, to see if it’s worth my valuable time to sit in your courtroom audience in the future, or perhaps instead find someone with more wisdom and experience to listen to.


47 posted on 12/29/2012 9:09:03 AM PST by Nervous Tick (Without GOD, men get what they deserve.)
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To: FreedomNotSafety

>> So if you didn’t serve why bring it up?

I didn’t say I didn’t serve. I said I don’t have a pension, which was the answer to the question you actually asked.


48 posted on 12/29/2012 9:11:59 AM PST by Nervous Tick (Without GOD, men get what they deserve.)
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To: Nervous Tick

“Actually, no. That’s just another one of your projections. I don’t really care to argue with you at all.”

Then you’re trolling.


49 posted on 12/29/2012 9:15:30 AM PST by BobL (Agenda 21...Agenda 21...Agenda 21...Agenda 21...Agenda 21... (whatever the hell that is))
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To: BobL

“In other words, it will never work.”

Oh, yes it will. True, Demos will not worry about breaking a
pledge down the road. But they will shutter at the thought of
having to make a promise they don’t want to keep. This is as
much political theater as it is anything else and the Demos are
expert at tossing the GOP into the orchestra pit. Time to change
the show a little. You just need to understand that the Demos
crave middle class tax money because that is where most of the
money is.


50 posted on 12/29/2012 9:18:12 AM PST by Sivad (Nor Cal Red Turf)
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To: BobL

“In other words, it will never work.”

Oh, yes it will. True, Demos will not worry about breaking a
pledge down the road. But they will shutter at the thought of
having to make a promise they don’t want to keep. This is as
much political theater as it is anything else and the Demos are
expert at tossing the GOP into the orchestra pit. Time to change
the show a little. You just need to understand that the Demos
crave middle class tax money because that is where most of the
money is.


51 posted on 12/29/2012 9:18:45 AM PST by Sivad (Nor Cal Red Turf)
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To: Teacher317

>> go about attacking the messenger, as if their past or present status has ANYTHING to do with the point they are making

I didn’t attack, I simply asked a question. It was for my own purposes, as I pointed out later.

>> There’s a reason most others ignore your posts here.

Ouch! I didn’t really realize there was a forum consensus on that. You must be another of those secret black-robed Judges and are privy to what goes on in the inner chambers of Free Republic. Thanks for sharing though. Hope I can sleep tonight for worrying about my reputation here. Curious why YOU replied though.

>> You’re both utter morons.

Normally, when you say “both” you’re talking about “two people”, yet you only replied to me. I guess you’re not an English teacher.

Have a wonderful and blessed day. It seems that you need a hug or something.


52 posted on 12/29/2012 9:19:00 AM PST by Nervous Tick (Without GOD, men get what they deserve.)
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To: Sivad

“You just need to understand that the Demos
crave middle class tax money because that is where most of the money is.”

I won’t argue that...but they also fear the Middle Class, especially the Upper Middle Class, the people making around $200k, in the Blue States, that carried Obama and much of the Congress to victory.

Those people are DEAD SET against paying higher taxes. They are absolutely convinced that they already pay way too much in taxes, even if most if it now is state and local.

They voted for Obama because he did two things, he promised to stick it to the mean Republicans, and he promised that their taxes would NOT go up - only taxes on what they consider “the rich” would go up. They’re certainly getting the first, and it does make them feel good, but they are not about to tolerate the second (increased taxes). The Dems that represent them know that full-well and will not let their taxes go up - at any cost, even if it means a clean extension of the Bush tax cuts. But first they’re trying to find out if the Republicans know their bind. Based on history, the Republicans are TOO STUPID to figure out that they have the upper hand here, but you never know, maybe there will be a surprise.


53 posted on 12/29/2012 9:25:14 AM PST by BobL (Agenda 21...Agenda 21...Agenda 21...Agenda 21...Agenda 21... (whatever the hell that is))
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To: BobL

I explained why I asked my original question. Call it what you like. It makes no difference to me.


54 posted on 12/29/2012 9:25:29 AM PST by Nervous Tick (Without GOD, men get what they deserve.)
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To: cicero2k

You do realize we will end with an Income tax AND a VAT right?


55 posted on 12/29/2012 9:30:17 AM PST by Kozak (The Republic is dead. I do not owe what we have any loyalty, wealth or sympathy.)
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To: Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh
We used to believe in growing the economy too...
Higher profits, wages and more jobs would sure help bring in tax money

Put the coal miners back to work, export the natural gas, finish the oil pipeline to reduce the price at the pump and export some of the oil, speed up all the permitting. Make corporate rates competitive so they move their money back to the U.S. so it can be taxed. Like I say, someone has to make it before government can take it.

56 posted on 12/29/2012 9:31:23 AM PST by GWynand
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To: BobL

So pray tell BobL now that we’re in the “mooching” class and no longer young enough to work what is YOUR solution? Put us out on the street and put us on another form of WELFARE...or have our kids take us in...or move back in with our parents...wait! They’re all DEAD except my 86 year old mother who has dementia and I take care of her. Maybe we should just move in with her and live on her 900.00 a month. Of course! That’s what we can do.........silly me. If you think doing away with SS and Medicare and having workers save for their own retirement, think again. In this economy do you really think that people are going to be able to do it? I don’t hold out much hope for that and years down the road those same workers will have to depend on government for the WELFARE state that will surely follow. We never expected to get SS and that’s the reason we put money toward our pension and just because part of that was to be paid by Hub’s employer we’re STILL these evil money grabbers. Hell’s Bell’s we’re getting it coming and going.


57 posted on 12/29/2012 9:36:22 AM PST by Dawgreg (Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.)
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To: BobL

Uh I don’t feel like being a slave RIGHT NOW. Not my debt and I will not keep working as hard as I do if my taxes are jacked up.


58 posted on 12/29/2012 9:42:48 AM PST by Kozak (The Republic is dead. I do not owe what we have any loyalty, wealth or sympathy.)
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To: Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh
Raising tax rates does not equate to increased government revenue. Laffer curve
59 posted on 12/29/2012 9:47:19 AM PST by central_va ( I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: EQAndyBuzz
"Republicans should have made this a slam dunk. 1. Make Bush tax cuts permenant for everyone. 2. Cut spending to 2000 levels.

That would require the GOP to 'message' and they absolutely SUCK at messaging. They may have good policies (MAY) but they are completely - repeat - completely unable to articulate them. They SUCK.

Now would you like to know how I really feel?

60 posted on 12/29/2012 9:48:11 AM PST by I am Richard Brandon
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