Great analysis by Nate Silver of Five Thirty Eight. He supports what I've been saying: Republican "fundamentalism" about refusing to consider any additional federal revenues for any reason is way beyond how the majority of Americans feel.
The average Republican voter, based on this data, wants a mix of 26 percent tax increases to 74 percent spending cuts. The average independent voter prefers a 34-to-66 mix, while the average Democratic voter wants a 46-to-54 mix.
...But the House Republicans are very unlikely to capitulate on their no-tax pledge. And Democrats have little reason to capitulate either: they are on the right side of public opinion.
To hear you talk, republicans will go to hell and democrats will go to heaven if there are such places.
Dig this:
Gallup poll 7-10-11
1,016 adults, margin of error, +/-4%
Question: How to resove budget crisis:
*only with spending cuts...20%
*mostly with spending cuts...30%
*equally spending cuts and tax increases...32%
*mostly with tax increases...7%
*only with tax increases...4%
So 50% want it done by all or mostly spending cuts.
43% want it done equally or mostly by tax increases.
I guess 7% are undecided or don't know or don't give a shit.
That poll sounds to me like the majority is tending toward doing it with spending cuts and not by raising taxes as you say. But polls are just polls. Pick the one that suits your agenda. There's always one out there.
Of course spending has to be cut. That is obvious and goes without saying.
But is raising taxes smart? Obviously if people have less money because of paying more in tax, they will spend less on discretionary items and the economy will slow more and more jobs will be lost and people will have even less money to spend so the economy will slow further and even more jobs will be lost so that ultimately the government shoots itself in the foot by raising taxes because there will be less revenues to get.
Why not install a flat tax?
Let's say there is a flat tax of 10%. If you make $10,000 dollars you pay $1,000..too bad but being poor sucks. Do something about it. If you make $100 million, you pay $10 million in taxes. That sucks for them too, for them, because they will have to own one or two less luxury homes. Too bad. Most households would pay $4500 to $8500 in taxes.
Also, all loopholes should be closed so corporations and the very rich and the kinda rich can't manipulate their income reporting and not pay taxes.
The government would get much more money this way and taxes haven't been raised, but the horrible, wicked republican corporate jet people (who should be beaten with rubber hoses because they are the source of all evil in this country , right?) have their tax loopholes closed.
That should make all you sainted, wise and above all, unassailably correct, democrat/progressives happy.
Posted by: tucson | July 15, 2011 at 06:23 PM
Alan Simpson, Senator from Wyoming , Co-Chair of Obama's deficit
commission, calls senior citizens the Greediest Generation as he
compared "Social Security" to a Milk Cow with 310 million teats.
August, 2010.
Here's a response in a letter from a unknown farmer in Montana ....
I think he is a little ticked off! He also tells it like it is ! -----
"Hey Alan, let's get a few things straight..
1. As a career politician, you have been on the public tit for FIFTY
YEARS.
2.. I have been paying Social Security taxes for 48 YEARS (since I was 15
years old. I am now 63).
3 My Social Security payments, and those of millions of other
Americans, were safely tucked away in an interest bearing account for
decades until you political pukes decided to raid the account and give
OUR money to a bunch of zero ambition losers in return for votes, thus
bankrupting the system and turning Social Security into a Ponzi scheme
that would have made Bernie Madoff proud.
4. Recently, just like Lucy & Charlie Brown, you and your ilk pulled the
proverbial football away from millions of American seniors nearing
retirement and moved the goalposts for full retirement from age 65 to
age 67. NOW, you and your shill commission are proposing to move the
goalposts YET AGAIN.
5 I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying into Medicare
from Day One, and now you morons propose to change the rules of the
game.. Why? Because you idiots mismanaged other parts of the economy
to such an extent that you need to steal money from Medicare to pay
the bills.
6. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying income taxes our
entire lives, and now you propose to increase our taxes yet again. Why?
Because you incompetent bastards spent our money so profligately that
you just kept on spending even after you ran out of money. Now, you come
to the American taxpayers and say you need more to pay off YOUR debt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To add insult to injury, you label us "greedy" for calling "bullshit" on
your incompetence. Well, Captain Bullshit, I have a few questions for
YOU.
1. How much money have you earned from the American taxpayers during
your pathetic 50-year political career?
2. At what age did you retire from your pathetic political career, and
how much are you receiving in annual retirement benefits from the
American taxpayers?
3. How much do you pay for YOUR government provided health insurance?
4. What cuts in YOUR retirement and healthcare benefits are you
proposing in your disgusting deficit reduction proposal, or, as usual,
have you exempted yourself and your political cronies?
It is you, Captain Bullshit, and your political co-conspirators called
Congress who are the "greedy" ones. It is you and your fellow nutcases
who have bankrupted America and stolen the American dream from
millions of loyal, patriotic taxpayers. And for what? Votes. That's right,
sir. You and yours have bankrupted America for the sole purpose of
advancing your pathetic political careers. You know it, we know it, and
you know that we know it.
And you can take that to the bank, you miserable ASS.
And that goes for the rest of you congressional scum who want more money to blow via higher taxes and increasing the debt limit.
Posted by: slo-mo | July 22, 2011 at 05:56 PM