This is a year old but still a fun little exercise that helps you learn what the politicians are suppose to deal with. Report your percentages.
Balance the Budget
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this is bullshit
example;
return (tax) rates to clinton era levels = raise $32 billion
anyone and everyone should know this is FAIL
the bush tax cuts resulted in the largest increase in federal tax collections EVER
there was no loss of revenue to the fed, there was an explosive increase
spending increased faster“There is nothing government can give you that it hasn’t taken from you in the first place”
Sir Winston ChurchillComment
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Yes, tax revenues grew as the country came out of a recession and started pumping up the housing bubble. Does that mean that the tax rate changes are the exclusive reason this happened? No.Comment
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Many economists would disagree with the association between the tax cuts directly resulting in increased revenue. It's like saying the only reason we were in a recession is because of the war in Iraq, when in truth their are multiple reasons. So I take it you didn't partake in the exercise? I guess no one likes to make hard choices, even if they're hypothetical. You should be a politician.;-)this is bullshit
example;
return (tax) rates to clinton era levels = raise $32 billion
anyone and everyone should know this is FAIL
the bush tax cuts resulted in the largest increase in federal tax collections EVER
there was no loss of revenue to the fed, there was an explosive increase
spending increased fastersigpicComment
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no, i go by results and logic
every time we've cut taxes, tax receipts have risen
every time we've raised taxes, receipts have gone up but not nearly as much as hoped
and that was my point to the "test"
it says going back to clinton era tax rates would raise 32 billion, but its not a static world and would result in something less than 32 billion, while slowing the economy
as greenspan said, "all taxes are regressive".
besides, i didn;t see three common sense choices
1. eliminate the dept of education
2. eliminate the dept of commerce
3. eliminate the dept of energy
and i'm positive even the rag the NYT could find a few here as well
Last edited by gwb72tii; 11-30-2011, 01:51 PM.“There is nothing government can give you that it hasn’t taken from you in the first place”
Sir Winston ChurchillComment
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Citing greenspan after he was more than willing to lead us into this shitty bubble? Priceless.
I like how "your opinion" becomes "common sense".Comment
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Even Reagan believed in the validity of the Laffer Curve: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laffer_curve
If you agree with this principle, which seems logical to me, then you would agree that blindly cutting tax rates would not magically increase tax receipts. The trick, if you are trying to acheive maximum revenues, is to stay at the peak of this curve, and sometimes that might mean raising them. The trick is knowing which side of the curve you are already on.
Add in the fact that we have multiple tax brackets as well as corporate taxes, etc. and then you are dealing with multiple individual curves. And not only do people disagree about which side of each curve we are on, but also the exact shape of each curve is in constant flux. It gets pretty speculative pretty quickly. This is evidenced by the recent crop of republican hopefuls who can't even agree with each other about where we are on these curves.Last edited by Morrison; 12-01-2011, 12:35 PM."I think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm."
-Franklin D. RooseveltComment
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“There is nothing government can give you that it hasn’t taken from you in the first place”
Sir Winston ChurchillComment
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“There is nothing government can give you that it hasn’t taken from you in the first place”
Sir Winston ChurchillComment
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Running a big country is hard.and be truthful
doesn't this list of federal departments blow your mind, even if your liberal?
http://www.usa.gov/directory/federal/index.shtml
That list would be a lot more relevant if either dollars or another form of resources was dedicated to each line. I mean, "Holocaust Memorial Museum" and "Capitol Visitor Center" are on there. Are they parallels to HHS or FDA (which hell, I think falls under HHS)?
That list might seem intimidating, unnecessary, whatever - but when you walk past those buildings every day, it puts it into perspective a bit.
# of divisions != 'mind blowing'
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