Taxifornia!

[gunfyter]

You have things a bit wrong about me. I have been for a consumption tax before the invention of Fox News... or the Fair Tax. These people have gotten their ideas from me ... not the other way around.

Or to paraphrase recent Microsoft Windows 7 commercials....

Abolishing the Income tax -- That was my idea!

 

[wacoflyr]

I consider myself a moderate, and I have big problems with hardcore liberals. But what gets me about the right side of the political spectrum is that they can't admit that they have won.

In the sixties, the top tax bracket was something like 80%. Don't quote me, I have no reference, but I'm close. During the Reagan years it dropped to something like 50%. That was a huge victory for the rich! During the Clinton administration, it came down just a little, and after the Bush tax cuts it is now down below 40%.

During my lifetime, the tax on the richest 10% of americans has been cut in half. What do you want? Should we cut the other half for you?

And then, with the same breath that they beg for more tax cuts, the rightwing hypocrites say they want to balance the budget! I agree that the national economy is not a zero sum game, but it is not far from it. Get a clue! If the budget won't balance, then you gotta pay for it! Just cutting programs will not work!

This is really not complicated, but I'll try to simplify it further; Less taxes means fewer dollars for the federal government. Fewer dollars means a bigger deficit.

Oh, by the way, that deficit? The vast majority of it was created during the administrations of Reagan, the first Bush, and the second Bush, plus the recovery programs that he initiated. There were a few years in there where we had a surplus. Those were Clinton years.


Am I off topic? Oops, Sorry!

 

[rettofly]

Hey Glass:

There's not much sentiment on FoxNews for the Fair Tax.

The Fair Tax eliminates the embedded taxes (really a VAT) on anything you buy and adds a retail sales tax that brings the price back to what it was with the embedded taxes built in. It also gives every household a "prebate" in the form of a check for the amount of the Fair Tax on the necessities (basically the amount of the "poverty level" income). If you buy nothing, you still get the prebate.

What could be more progressive than that? It's a fairly assesses consumption tax. Spend less.. pay less. Spend more.. pay more.

 

[rettofly]

I consider myself a moderate, and I have big problems with hardcore liberals. But what gets me about the right side of the political spectrum is that they can't admit that they have won.

In the sixties, the top tax bracket was something like 80%. Don't quote me, I have no reference, but I'm close. During the Reagan years it dropped to something like 50%. That was a huge victory for the rich! During the Clinton administration, it came down just a little, and after the Bush tax cuts it is now down below 40%.

During my lifetime, the tax on the richest 10% of americans has been cut in half. What do you want? Should we cut the other half for you?

And then, with the same breath that they beg for more tax cuts, the rightwing hypocrites say they want to balance the budget! I agree that the national economy is not a zero sum game, but it is not far from it. Get a clue! If the budget won't balance, then you gotta pay for it! Just cutting programs will not work!

This is really not complicated, but I'll try to simplify it further; Less taxes means fewer dollars for the federal government. Fewer dollars means a bigger deficit.

Oh, by the way, that deficit? The vast majority of it was created during the administrations of Reagan, the first Bush, and the second Bush, plus the recovery programs that he initiated. There were a few years in there where we had a surplus. Those were Clinton years.


Am I off topic? Oops, Sorry!

Whatever the statutory tax brackets might be, the effective tax rate never goes much above 12%. Lowering the tax rates resulted in more tax revenue under Kennedy, Reagan and Bush.

When the top 10% of earners are paying 90% or more of the taxes, it's not reasonable to accuse them of not paying their fair share. The economy would not be a nearly zero sum game if investors / entrepreneurs didn't spend most of their effort in avoiding punishment for success. If the tax climate were more business-friendly, $2 Trillion that's now parked would flow into growing business.

I'm not rich, I'm right wing but not a hypocrite, and I'm not into wealth envy.

 

[glasspilot]

When the top 10% of earners are paying 90% or more of the taxes, it's not reasonable to accuse them of not paying their fair share.

Here's the problem. When 2% make 90% of the wealth then yes, it is reasonable to expect them to pay 90% of the taxes. When they pay 39% tax instead of 34% on their $400,000 plus earnings (minus deductions) then I'm not too concerned. Call me when it tops 60%, maybe I'll care more.

Oh, and my health care is NOT a for profit enterprise. Neither should be political campaigns.

 

[glasspilot]

And Hey, I'm not down on the rich. I'd love to be rich and pay 39%. Also, so are Clinton, Gates, Jobbs, Buffett, and many many more. When you do well in this country you owe a debt to the country that enabled it.

If you want to cut money then perhaps we don't need a Department of Defence that has a bigger budget then the next FIVE largest militaries COMBINED. Maybe we could get by spending more than the next 3 or 4. Would that be okay?

Ya know what? Never mind. Just go watch more Fox.

 

[gunfyter]

Government is 25% of the US GDP. But the Chinese government portion of their GDP is less than 10%

We can cut spending to limit the government share of GDP to match the Chinese at 10%. Surely we can adjust our spending to not exceed a communist governments respective percentage of GDP....

The COTUS authorizes 4 federal departments .... Treasury, State, War and Navy.... Presently we spend 40% of the federal budget on these. 40% of the 25% GDP is 10% GDP.

We can reduce government to 10% GDP by simply following the Constitution!

We can then balance the budget by eliminating the Income tax and imposing a 10% consumption tax or a Jerry Brown style 10% Flat Tax. Lets make it 15% and pay off the debt....

 

[wacoflyr]

Soooo, by your figures, no more social security? Aunt Caroline is gonna go hungry? No more medicare? Aunt Caroline is gonna go without her medicine and lose five, ten years off her life? Is that what you are saying? Yes or no?

 

[glasspilot]

We can reduce government to 10% GDP by simply following the Constitution!

Say, there's a super idea!

Sorry Black folk! Back to slavery...hope you understand. Times are tough.

And women...sorry, no more voting for you. Gots to get back to basics.

NASA, need I say more? You're out.

Mdeicare? Sorry grandma. Hope you saved up. Good luck.

Social security? Thanks for the cash. Hope you put something away.

Air Force? Too bad planes weren't invented in 1776.

FAA? See above. See ya.

Good news! All drugs are legal!!! Nothing in the constitution about that! Party time!

I'm sure I missed a bunch, but it's obvious going back to a strict constitutional law would be just great. Really great.

...if you're stupid

 

[glasspilot]

Ah Waco, ya got me by one minute!