Interesting arguement for a value added tax. Not quite right-wing enough for my tastes, but great insights into the mess the messiah's admin are making with the economy and healthcare.
Have at it!
Have at it!
Ironfists.This why we need the fair tax law. It would eliminate alot of problems and tha govt would get more money and americans would save more.. But its not fair to eliminate 200.000 irs jobs for this law...but it is ok to eliminate 5.5 million jobs for the new healthcare bill...which is so urgent we pass so we can cut all these jobs immediatly and pay for the 1.3 trillion it is goin to cost right away...so that it can be fully effective reform by 2019.. America is goin to become the new russia/china socialist hybrid...and americans will start immigrating to russia and china cuz it will be cheaper to live there.
Uhhhhh. I don't know about this scenario. Our economy sinking into the crapper doesn't somehow lift Mexico's out of the crapper. Two social classes, extremely rich, extremely poor, with no middle class describes just about all of Central and S.America pretty well right now. Don't get your hopes up just yet. Although, there may be plenty heading to Canada, EU, or Asia to look for jobs.Ironfists.
Interesting comment.
I remeber saying the exact same thing in a discussion about a year ago when the whole economic crunch thing was coming down.
Not as related to taxes but more so to the U.S. approaching the end of its "illusion" of glory days and going towards having only two classes.. the exceedingly rich and the extremely poor.
And that Americans would be running to cross the border to Mexico instead of them coming here anymore.
And the Mexican people laughing at the irony of the situation.
Trust... I am looking towards going to one of those myself. If things get too much worse.Uhhhhh. I don't know about this scenario. Our economy sinking into the crapper doesn't somehow lift Mexico's out of the crapper. Two social classes, extremely rich, extremely poor, with no middle class describes just about all of Central and S.America pretty well right now. Don't get your hopes up just yet. Although, there may be plenty heading to Canada, EU, or Asia to look for jobs.
I do concur that the approach you presented at the end would be the most viable as far as easing the tax burden.No type of tax reform is in the interest of the American people but one: cuts to existing taxes with equal and opposite cuts to spending to fund them. Any attempt at tax 'reform' merely shifts the burden around a little and makes some who used to be net payers net consumers, and vice versa. And unless spending is cut the over all trend is for an increase on everyone. The government can't be trusted with tax 'reform' because even if you find the reformed system temporarily to your liking, without spending cuts and without an actual cut in the power to tax, in the end what's left is a net increase in taxes on everyone and government spending.
There's one approach that works: cut or repeal existing taxes and decrease spending by the same amount.
That's the problem, and why whenever they get worked up about 'tax reform' at any level of government, you should hold on to both your wallet and your balls. They'll be coming for one or both of those things. They have no incentive to 'reform' anything unless they're coming up short, which by definition means they're spending more than they're taking in. That's why, kooks like Ron Paul and myself aside, anyone who calls for 'tax reform' is really calling for a net tax increase.I can only see our government actually going with the net increase in taxe4s.
The problem is their wealth rising has nothing to do with taxes, it has to do with massive infusions of money and credit from the government. There is no such thing as a fair tax system. What's the 'fair' amount to take from anybody, rich or poor?I'm not some left wing liberal who wants to give everyone a handout, but at the same time there has to be some sort of fairness to the tax system. When the wealthiest 1% of Americans saw their income levels rise higher than at any point in the past 20 years, while their income tax rates dropped to the lowest levels in 18 years.
Something is definitely wrong with this picture. If we don't do something soon, there will be no middle class left.
The problem is that they already are reaching the point of having a problem monetizing the debt. At this point its iffy who will "buy" the 2010 deficit (china will probably take 500 billion of it, but who will buy the other trillion?) and then forget 2011, even by then china is unlikely to be willing to take muchAs long as the government can monetize the debt it will never decrease spending, no matter how much they cut taxes. For example, California being a state government with no Federal Reserve was forced to finally make the "painful" cuts when the voters rejected the proposition to extend the tax increases. As long as there is a federal reserve the federal government will never be forced into a corner enough to really cut spending.
Do you think doubling the income of the bottom 5% of income would create jobs, or that top 1%? Do you think their net value rise is due to them having cash in hand and gold bars or to them investing in stocks and companies and businesses which create new jobs for the other 99% of the population?The problem with our current tax system is that it's too complicated, too burdensome, and too easy to cheat. Look at the Walton family, heirs to the Walmart fortune with a net worth of over $100 billion. They have lobbied hard to keep tax loopholes open that will allow them to avoid estate taxes.
The rich are getting richer paying low capital gains taxes, while hard-working middle class Americans are getting ripped off. Warren Buffett, the second wealthiest American (behind Bill Gates), even complained that he pays a lower rate of tax than his receptionist!!
I think the actually numbers were something like 18% for Warren Buffett, and 30% for his receptionist.
I'm not some left wing liberal who wants to give everyone a handout, but at the same time there has to be some sort of fairness to the tax system. When the wealthiest 1% of Americans saw their income levels rise higher than at any point in the past 20 years, while their income tax rates dropped to the lowest levels in 18 years.
Something is definitely wrong with this picture. If we don't do something soon, there will be no middle class left.
nothing, because thats not the terms of the agreement. So long as we are paying interest they won't do crap. They may not loan us any more $, but thats all they can dowe need to be concerned about what is going to happen when china realizes we have spent their money like a ponzy scheme and they want it all back in one payment...
no they wouldn't because then a) they lose every cent they loaned us and b) then they all die as well since we would nuke back. Honestly I don't know where people get ideas like thiswe would be screwed and they would nuke us off the face of this planet...
because gold used to be the worldwide reserve currency, then the US dollar became the worldwide reserve currency and as the US dollar appears less and less stable it makes more sense for countries to start looking at returning to a gold backed standard.why you think gold is going up...because realistically on the global market the dollar is really 40-50 cents right now and falling..
Yes they can. Just like we can repudiate our debt or inflate the **** out of the dollar so we're paying them back in devalued currency. Either way the rest of your post is on, but don't fall for the myth that debts between nations are the same as debts between individuals. There are no contracts between nations that an army or a bad hair day won't dissolve if one or both nations feel it's in their interest to do so.The point is that the loan for the deficit has terms, and just because the chinese get worried about it doesn't mean they can change the terms.
True, but thats what the world bank and IMF are there for, to help mediate in that sort of thing if one party gets pissy but the problem is if we either did repudiate the debt or let inflation go hogwild we'd have to already have a balanced budget because nobody else would loan to us either...Yes they can. Just like we can repudiate our debt or inflate the **** out of the dollar so we're paying them back in devalued currency. Either way the rest of your post is on, but don't fall for the myth that debts between nations are the same as debts between individuals. There are no contracts between nations that an army or a bad hair day won't dissolve if one or both nations feel it's in their interest to do so.
True enough. I think the over riding point is either way we go, we're ****ed.True, but thats what the world bank and IMF are there for, to help mediate in that sort of thing if one party gets pissy but the problem is if we either did repudiate the debt or let inflation go hogwild we'd have to already have a balanced budget because nobody else would loan to us either...
I'm thinking 2011. First quarter 2010 is going to be 'unexpectedly' slow is my guess, with the 'jobless recover' continuing until people realize GDP doesn't mean **** and maybe even a second or third round of major banking issues hits, at which point it's hello banana republic.Yeah, its just a question of are we ****ed in 2010, 2011 or 2012?
Warren Buffet has a HUGE income - MUCH more than his receptionist, obviously. This guy is pulling in millions and he's worth billions! Come on! The difference is that "income" from capital gains is taxed at a low rate, while "income" from salary is taxed at a much higher rate. Hence, his secretary pays a higher percentage of her income as taxes than he does.Do you think doubling the income of the bottom 5% of income would create jobs, or that top 1%? Do you think their net value rise is due to them having cash in hand and gold bars or to them investing in stocks and companies and businesses which create new jobs for the other 99% of the population?
And Warren Buffet says stuff like that, but partially its because he has no "income" as such that he takes in actual pay, he lives super frugally and its all reinvested. So his cash take home pay is possibly below his secretary's...
And as far as estate tax. Please. You pay taxes when the money is earned, why should you pay taxes again when its given to your family? How many times should that same dollar get taxed?
Actually, it has a big part to do with taxes, because the tax rates for the mega wealthy have gone drastically. In fact, the tax rates for the wealthiest 1% of Americans are at their lowest rates in 20 years, while their income levels have skyrocketed. In the meantime, real wages for the average American have fallen almost 20% since 1972.The problem is their wealth rising has nothing to do with taxes, it has to do with massive infusions of money and credit from the government. There is no such thing as a fair tax system. What's the 'fair' amount to take from anybody, rich or poor?
Here's the fair tax in almost everyone's opinion: "Let's get rid of the tax(es) I don't like and replace them with tax(es) I don't pay." Most people agree with that plan as 'fair'.
Even if taxes have gone down for the 'mega wealthy', a technical term if I've ever read one, they still: one, pay far more than anyone else as a percentage and in absolute dollars; two, either have the option to use the money productively in which case it creates opportunities for jobs, or they simply spend it, in which case it ends up in someone else's pocket and if that pattern persists the 'mega wealthy' soon become simply 'the wealthy', and then the 'middle class', and then 'the poor'. Real wages have fallen precisely because of inflationary policy, which is at base a wealth transfer program from the poor and politically isolated to the rich and politically connected.Actually, it has a big part to do with taxes, because the tax rates for the mega wealthy have gone drastically. In fact, the tax rates for the wealthiest 1% of Americans are at their lowest rates in 20 years, while their income levels have skyrocketed. In the meantime, real wages for the average American have fallen almost 20% since 1972.
It's quite simple: one, wealth acrual is not a zero sum game; two, the rich are getting richer because they see all the new money and credit that gets pumped into the system before anyone else, and before it devalues, and thus even small increases in the supply of money and credit are initially concentrated in the hand of a few, drastically increasing their buying power on hand. You have to understand why things are happening, not just point to them over and over again as evidence of Evil Wealthy! People! Have you ever gotten a job from some dirt poor welfare queen deep frying her oreos for her? The reason capital gains taxes aren't a good idea is because that income comes directly from investments made that increase productivity and which creates more wealth for everyone in the end. If you tax it you've ass ****ed the very process that makes sure that everyone gets richer.It's really quite simple: wealth is being more and more concentrated among the richest 1% of people in the world.
And? This is a sound bite which sounds impressive but has zero analytic value beyond getting people with a third grade education worked up. Who gives a **** who owns what or what the ratio of wealth or owned assets is so long as everyone's standard of living is rising, which is exactly what would happen if government spending were in line with intake, and they weren't inflating the money and credit supply.Just to put it in perspective, the wealthiest 356 people in the world have more assets than the poorest 40% of the ENTIRE world!
Once more, so ****ing what? The wealthy one percent by and large own that much because instead of ****ting on it or squandering that property they treat it well and use it productively. Some of it was given to them by the government and to that extent their ownership is wrong. But the mere fact that they simply have a lot of stuff is irrelevant.In America, the wealthiest 1% own more than the bottom 90%.
No, we don't need to give bailouts. We shouldn't have given bailouts, and most people seem to be rightly against such bailouts. Your views on policy seem to be about as conflicted as a NAMBLA member deciding between the Boy Scouts or the Vienna Boys Quire. What's your solution, raise taxes on the very people who are producing the few jobs we have left in this country via their investments? The rich deserve neither special favors nor special punishment. And to the extent their taxes have been reduced, this is only a problem in that the government hasn't proportionately lowered its spending and so has gone into defecits and monetized their debt, and rolled over principle and interest for decades at the expense of some future dupes, probably my generation, who will have to eventually pay for their excess.Yet some people think that we need to cut taxes for the rich and give bailouts to big corporations to save jobs?
I just don't get it.
because the sales tax is your state taxing you, not the federal government, and they still have to pay the sales tax too on what they buy.And the argument about how often a dollar is taxed is flawed. I pay income tax on my money when I earn it - then I turn right around and pay sales tax when I buy something. What is the difference between that and an estate tax?
because the sales tax is your state taxing you, not the federal government, and they still have to pay the sales tax too on what they buy.
I'm going to discontinue replying to your posts as you are all about emotion, and not at all about logic or economics. Spouting populist soundbites is great, but the only people who believe those are the people who are too dumb or undereducated to manage to actually make anything of their lives.
Raising the income of the bottom % by the same amount of dollars won't create jobs as they will just spend extra at walmart or target and put slightly nicer things in their house, most of which come from outside the US. Raising the income of the rich has been shown again and again to create more jobs as they already have flat screen TVs and leather couches, so more of the money is used to invest in businesses with the hopes of future returns.
Your own math proves this. If you were giving out 1 trillion dollars over the span of a year and it went to the bottom 90% of the population, they'd get $3000 each or $250 a month. Not much and it would be frittered away. If you gave that same amount to the top 1%, they'd get $270,000 each or $22,500 a month and that would get sunk into things that actually create more jobs. They'd hire a part time tutor for their kids, or use that as seed money for business, etc
Getting back on the VAT tax topic, I was listening to Thom Hartman the other day(yes, I do tune in occasionally to hear what that side is saying) talking about how great it(VAT) would be and would "Keep corporations honest".Actually, it has a big part to do with taxes, because the tax rates for the mega wealthy have gone drastically. In fact, the tax rates for the wealthiest 1% of Americans are at their lowest rates in 20 years, while their income levels have skyrocketed. In the meantime, real wages for the average American have fallen almost 20% since 1972.
It's really quite simple: wealth is being more and more concentrated among the richest 1% of people in the world.
Just to put it in perspective, the wealthiest 356 people in the world have more assets than the poorest 40% of the ENTIRE world!
In America, the wealthiest 1% own more than the bottom 90%.
Yet some people think that we need to cut taxes for the rich and give bailouts to big corporations to save jobs?
I just don't get it.
Let me get this straight: you're saying that giving the average working class American/small business owner an extra $3000 a year is a waste? I think that 90% of Americans are going to disagree with you and say that they could use the money.Raising the income of the bottom % by the same amount of dollars won't create jobs as they will just spend extra at walmart or target and put slightly nicer things in their house, most of which come from outside the US. Raising the income of the rich has been shown again and again to create more jobs as they already have flat screen TVs and leather couches, so more of the money is used to invest in businesses with the hopes of future returns.
Your own math proves this. If you were giving out 1 trillion dollars over the span of a year and it went to the bottom 90% of the population, they'd get $3000 each or $250 a month. Not much and it would be frittered away. If you gave that same amount to the top 1%, they'd get $270,000 each or $22,500 a month and that would get sunk into things that actually create more jobs. They'd hire a part time tutor for their kids, or use that as seed money for business, etc
or you made a ****ty choice of majors, either one is possible. Its the choices you make that prove you are dumb or not, regardless of what piece of paper you have from what college. There are people I know with PHDs who are idiots when it comes to practicality, and are incapable of understanding how their mortgage works....I'm curious as to what "undereducated" means? I graduated from Troy State University with a 4.0 GPA. Since I don't have a master's degree does that mean I'm undereducated and "too dumb" to make anything of my life?
right that same 90% who don't understand how compound interest works, or any other basic math over 10th grade level, who are going to spend the money on chinese made goods at walmart. Them believing they could use the money doesn't change the FACT that they would fritter it away on things that wouldn't aid the american economy significantly.Let me get this straight: you're saying that giving the average working class American/small business owner an extra $3000 a year is a waste? I think that 90% of Americans are going to disagree with you and say that they could use the money.
you apparently ought to look into what bill gates actually does as a person. Remember that he doesn't control microsoft anymore. He has no need to spend the extra money on garbage, so that means it gets reinvested - in stocks, in the US economy, not into garbage goods from overseas.But giving Bill Gates an extra $270,000 a year is going to create more jobs in America because he's already got a flat screen tv and leather couch?
I hate to say it, but Bill Gates isn't investing money to create jobs in America. Microsoft just announced huge layoffs in America at the same time that they just signed a contract to outsource work to India.
again where is any of it about need? even in the bottom 90% what is the money likely to go for? A new cellphone? Rims? video games? a very small fraction of the US "needs" anything. Its more about fulfillment of wants which mostly means buying cheap garbage goods from overseas.Maybe the Walton family will use that $270,000 that they desperately need because they just can't survive on $80 billion, and they'll create jobs in America?
no, they are just emotional call outs, read the language you usedThose are FACTS, not emotions.
Why should they pay more? on average they use even LESS of government services than someone lower on the income bracket. Progressive tax systems aren't evil, but they are inherently unfair. And stating they've had it in europe for hundreds of years isn't exactly a plus as our GDP growth and economic growth has remained above theirs with a larger growth in population, partially because we haven't been so ridiculous about it. Most of europe is in far worse shape financially than we are, and their deficit to GDP ratio gets worse and worse year by year.I believe in the progressive tax system, but think it needs to be overhauled and simplified. Get rid of all the silly tax deductions and loopholes. The rich SHOULD pay a higher percentage of their income as taxes. I don't think the progressive tax system is evil. It's been around since ancient Rome, and it works - as long as the system isn't abused. Get rid of the loopholes and the abuse goes away. Call it wealth redistribution all you like, but the fact is that we've had a progressive tax system in the U.S. and in Europe for hundreds of years.
you understand the only real cure for this is for average american production worker's lifestyle to be roughly equivalent to that of people in other countries. Keep in mind our people who we consider to be living at the poverty line still live better than about 80% of people on the planet. You'll never get "fair" trade unless you can produce effectively for the same costs.I believe in fair trade. When you have huge trade imbalances with China because they manipulate the value of their currency, have lax safety and environmental standards, and a minimum wage of only 31 cents an hour, it's not possible for their to be fair trade.
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