Comments on: Big Tax Cuts In The Works

Politico: With Benefits For Businesses, Obama Vies For Bipartisan Support For Stimulus Package

[omega40]

Yes, one of the arguments agains''''t a consumption tax is that it''''s regressive. But what we''''ve had up to now has decimated the middle class, while the rich have gotten much richer. Doesn''''t that tell anybody anything?

Posted by hadenough43

If you want to place a consumption tax on manufactured goods why not just manufacture them here in the first place where a higher standard of living would raise that price? That money would do much more good circulating around the economy rather than going into the pockets of the defense contractors anyway. Of course, that brings us back to Tx Grouch argument for tariffs.

we are being overtaken and surpassed by a whole lot of the developed world.

Posted by hadenough43 at 01:34 PM : Jan 05, 2009

lolll...don''''t limit it to "the developed world"...a big chunk of folks in the previously "third-world" countries have thrived on the blood of America''''s economy, too....

Now of course the income disparity in those countries is incredible, but if you have looked at the income inequality curve in THIS country lately, you know the Republicans have been hard at work transforming us into a banana republic, too.

Posted by ibsteve2u
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Can''t disagree - and one of their most effective tools to accompllish this has been those wonderful tax breaks and tax writoffs that they use to great effect in order to allow the rich to get richer??
Just another problem with this income tax. It gets abused so effectively to make it so inequitable.

[missingamerica]

But what we''''ve had up to now has decimated the middle class, while the rich have gotten much richer. Doesn''''t that tell anybody anything?

Posted by hadenough43 at 01:40 PM : Jan 05, 2009

Sure...it tells me the Republicans warped the tax laws intentionally - NOT to allow Americans to become rich, but to allow the rich to accumulate wealth FASTER.

And they took it right out of the future of our children...

[omega40]

Are you suggesting we take the European attitude and pay a NAtional Sales Tax of 17.5% or more?? Talk about *** the poorer end of the earnings range.

Posted by usclimey

European taxes are not necessarily outright sales tax but often value added taxes added during different stages of production.

Talk about *** the poorer end of the earnings range.

Posted by usclimey at 01:29 PM : Jan 05, 2009

lolllll...you forced me to say it: You can pretty much gauge a person''''s income by how strongly they support a shift to a consumption-based tax.

A pound of hamburger that suddenly costs $4.00 ain''''t no thing to somebody pulling in a quarter-million or more a year...but to somebody making $12-$15 thou?

Hard times....hard times...

Posted by ibsteve2u
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Yes, one of the arguments agains''t a consumption tax is that it''s regressive. But what we''ve had up to now has decimated the middle class, while the rich have gotten much richer. Doesn''t that tell anybody anything?

[missingamerica]

we are being overtaken and surpassed by a whole lot of the developed world.

Posted by hadenough43 at 01:34 PM : Jan 05, 2009

lolll...don''t limit it to "the developed world"...a big chunk of folks in the previously "third-world" countries have thrived on the blood of America''s economy, too....

Now of course the income disparity in those countries is incredible, but if you have looked at the income inequality curve in THIS country lately, you know the Republicans have been hard at work transforming us into a banana republic, too.

The problem isn''''''''t the tax RATE. The problem is the tax. The income tax is a tax on production. We could cure a whole lot of problems in our "throw away" culture if we shifted to a tax on consumption instead, it seems to me.

Posted by hadenough43

Are you suggesting we take the European attitude and pay a NAtional Sales Tax of 17.5% or more?? Talk about *** the poorer end of the earnings range.

Posted by usclimey
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Most of western Europe lives a much higher standard of living than we do - truth be told. In the "standard of living" department, we are being overtaken and surpassed by a whole lot of the developed world.

[missingamerica]

Talk about *** the poorer end of the earnings range.

Posted by usclimey at 01:29 PM : Jan 05, 2009

lolllll...you forced me to say it: You can pretty much gauge a person''s income by how strongly they support a shift to a consumption-based tax.

A pound of hamburger that suddenly costs $4.00 ain''t no thing to somebody pulling in a quarter-million or more a year...but to somebody making $12-$15 thou?

Hard times....hard times...

"pushed too much of the production side of our economy offshore, and now we consume more than we produce" !!!!!

Need I say more !!! ???

Posted by hadenough43 at 01:20 PM : Jan 05, 2009

lollll...ah...yes, we could abandon 4 million miles of roads...80% of our automobiles...95% our our airlines...70% of our medical system...80% of our educational system...

Yes, then we would no longer be "profligate", and we would in fact be able to compete with India and Bangladesh and China just fine.

All we have to do is abandon the American Dreams of both our children and our parents...and our own, of course.

Posted by ibsteve2u
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The "American Dream" is on life support right now. What does that tell you about this "conspicuous consumption" culture we''ve been living for so long??

[usclimey]

The problem isn''''t the tax RATE. The problem is the tax. The income tax is a tax on production. We could cure a whole lot of problems in our "throw away" culture if we shifted to a tax on consumption instead, it seems to me.

Posted by hadenough43

Are you suggesting we take the European attitude and pay a NAtional Sales Tax of 17.5% or more?? Talk about *** the poorer end of the earnings range.