Fiscal Cliff

ssd

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Gary Johnson:

Friends,

Have you been watching the insanity in Washington about the so-called Fiscal Cliff?

If so, you are seeing the same thing I am: It is all a concoction by the status quo politicians to distract us from the REAL cliff we are headed for.

To listen to the politicians in both parties, you would believe this is all about taxes. Somehow, the nation is approaching financial calamity because the government isn?t getting enough of our money. And the two ?sides? have managed to create the illusion that the debate is over how to best increase ?revenues?. (In Washington, of course, increasing revenue means turning more of our dollars into THEIR dollars.)

Here is how the charade is playing out: President Obama is demanding that the so-called Bush tax cuts be allowed to expire for what he calls the wealthy to produce $800 billion in more ?revenue? for the government. In what only a politician could call a negotiation, the Republican Speaker of the House has countered with an offer to ? you guessed it ? raise revenues (taxes) by $800 billion.

If this wasn?t so serious, it would be laughable.

The only difference between the two ?sides? is what they want to call their plan for the government to suck almost another trillion dollars out of the private economy to finance their wars, their take-over of our health care, and the never-ending erosions of our freedom.

Obama wants to call this money-grab a ?rate increase? for the wealthy. Speaker Boehner wants to call it ?closing loopholes?. I?m not seeing the difference. The money all ends up coming from the same place. Ask a school teacher or a construction worker how many ?loopholes? they used last year to reduce their tax bill.

So why are the grown men and women in Washington playing this ridiculous parlor game? It?s simple. They don?t want to talk about the real problem: Government is too big and does too much ? and therefore spends too much. And they certainly don?t want to talk about REAL tax reform, such as scrapping the income tax altogether and replacing it with a consumption tax. Without their spending and their loopholes and complex rates, the politicians would lose the opportunity to pass out favors to their friends ? and that is not something they want to give up, even at the cost of destroying the economy.

Right now, we need to be demanding that the politicians stop the games and deal with the real issues: Deficit spending as far as the eye can see and a debt that is already more than $16 trillion. The claim by Obama ? and bought into by the Republicans ? that we can?t balance the federal budget without raising taxes is nonsense. Stop the wars, have a serious debate about Medicare and other entitlements, stop sending borrowed dollars to other countries, and spending can absolutely be brought into line with revenues ? without raising taxes on anybody, rich or poor.

Restoring Liberty as a cornerstone of America starts with making government smaller. And making government smaller starts with drawing a line and stopping the politicians from taking more of our money. More money for them means more government imposed on us.

I?m ready to draw that line ? and I hope you will join me. Your contribution at www.GaryJohnson2012.com today will let me communicate the message of liberty on behalf of millions of Americans who are not today being heard. The next three weeks, when the politicians will be making their deals, is critical.
 

Duff Miver

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I like much of what Gary Johnson has to say, but he's way.......WAY out of his depth in economics.

In the 1950s the top marginal tax rate was over 90%, with far fewer allowed deductions than today. The economy prospered, unemployment was low, and the rich got richer as did the middle class.

That's just a fact, and it's a fact which either :

Johnson doesn't know, or
Doesn't fathom, or
Ignores for his own purposes.

Johnson is a socially liberal teapartier.
 

ssd

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Duff:

It is not 1950 anymore.

US is no longer a creditor nation - it is the largest debtor nation in the history of civilization

US no longer has a manufacturing edge.

US now has an aging population that is requiring a boatload of unfunded benefits.

It would be nice to be able to go back and grab what worked in the 1950's and have it work now.

But it will not. US economy, global economy, has changed to a point that you can not just take a snapshot of what worked and think it will work now.
 

Duff Miver

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Duff:

It is not 1950 anymore.


Is 2001 ancient history too? Top marginal tax rates were higher than now, unemployment was lower, SS and Medicare were in full effect, and we were on a path to paying off the national debt.

And then Bush started two unfunded wars, pushed through unpaid-for Medicare part D and cut taxes.

Now we are, quite naturally, in the shit.

Have you and Johnson forgotten that?
 

ssd

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No, 2001 is not ancient history and is much more indicative of the current economic state than 1950.

Johnson has not forgotten about the unfunded wars.

He wants to end all foreign intervention for precisely this reason.

Stop the wars, have a serious debate about Medicare and other entitlements, stop sending borrowed dollars to other countries, and spending can absolutely be brought into line with revenues ? without raising taxes on anybody, rich or poor.
 

Duff Miver

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Quote:
Stop the wars, have a serious debate about Medicare and other entitlements, stop sending borrowed dollars to other countries, and spending can absolutely be brought into line with revenues ? without raising taxes on anybody, rich or poor.


When Johnson or anyone else provides a plan and spreadsheet, i'll listen.

Untill then, it's just more hot air.
 

StevieD

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Simple solution. We need to put a tariff on all incoming goods. Weneed to force our greedy Corporations into making products here. EVERYTHIBG else is bullshit. Look at corporate earnings they are doing great.
 
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