Anyone want to debate tax policy, race after Iowa?

[AP]

It seems like we talked about the issues more when Dean was riding high and we had to explain why he was so wrong.

What are the issues we have to discuss now?

[genius]

1. I guess the middle class doesn't want Dean raising their taxes.

I think Dean was the only one who was planning to nail the middle class.

[La_Serpiente]

2. How refreshing!!! A talk about the issues!!!

If I understood tax policy, I would discuss it. :-)

[sandnsea]

3. I admit it, what is Edwards' tax policy?

I really don't exactly know. Except I know he's going to repeal some of them.

[AP]

5. Rather than make the division between rich and poor...

...his argument is that taxes on earned income are much higher than taxes on earned income (dividends. cap gains, and inheritance).

He says we need to reward work with wealth, rather than wealth with more wealth (which discourages work).

He says this because you get more of what you reward, and America is great because of work and not because we have a big fat idle rich class hoarding wealth and controlling government without making any contributions to society (and, in fact, to preserve their hegemony, they have to prevent other people from making contributions to society).

So, bottom line, shift some of the tax burden from earned income to passive income by creating a second tier for cap gains (based on gross income). Create a little more progressivty by taking the tax cuts back for people over 200K. And put incentives in the tax code for home ownership and savings. The point of the last two is that homes are working people's biggest assets and savings is the way the middle class gets economic, and therefore political and cultural power.

The overall goal is to redistribute economic, political and cultural power down and out -- from the bush cronies to the working and middle class.

[sandnsea]

8. I like his savings plan

That's one of the best. Sometimes it's those simple little things that lets people know, "the guy really gets it". Work 10 hours a week and go to your first year of college free is another. He understands that even a third grader needs to know he can go to college. That's what helps create hope!

[flaminbats]

4. Before or after, this issue is always on the table.

How can we discuss anything else without the sufficient revenue to reduce the deficit, provide reconstruction dollars in Iraq, and to fund priorities like health-care reform or education?

So much to do, but so little to work with!

[AP]

7. Because the allocation of the tax burden on the middle class is PREVENTING

the economy from working well.

If you did NOTHING else other than allocate the tax burden more fairly, you'd put wealth in the pocket of the middle class, you'd take some out of the pocket of the rich would make it incrementally less easy for them to control politcs and the world, and you'd see the knock-on effect in the next year. You'ld almost definitely see revenues go up in the next year.

But that's not the only thing you'd do obvioulsy. You'd do things to get wages up, and to create more good jobs (eg, break some monopolies, promote competition, create incentives to research and develop in areas that create social wealth (eg, solar power,, alternative fuels) etc.).

So you'd get more revenue that way.

But you'd also defecit spend to increase wealth down the road. 1 million people have dropped out of school since Bush became president. We can't have a lost generation like that. It will be too expensive and a waste of money (there's a tremendous opportunity cost in reducing wealth and options). So were' definitely going to have to defecit spend to take care of them no matter what, even if revenues don't pay for it.

But anyway, get the picture?

[flaminbats]

9. This is the first war we have waged when massive tax-cuts were passed.

Cutting taxes during a time of war is a terrible mistake. Such actions not only increase the tax burden for future generations, but they fail to improve the allocation of the tax dollars sent back into the population in the form of spending. I did not agree with Edwards' vote for the IWR, but at least he could of pledged..as Gephardt did, to repeal all the tax-cuts put into effect during this administration.

I have stated this before and shall state it again, taxes exist not to stimulate the economy..but to raise revenue for actions which the private sector cannot do! A progressive tax-code raises the most revenue, while doing the least amount of harm to the economy. The best stimulate taxes can provide to the economy would be to establish the rates necessary to balance the budget, and then just leave those rates alone. Nothing screws up our economy more than tax rates which change with every new administration.

Only three things provide good reason to change the taxrates...first is raising revenue when the government is in deficit, next is to raise revenue during a time of war, and the last is to raise revenue for new government projects supported by the voters. Otherwise...changing the rates just for the sake of short-term growth hurts our long-term growth more than it ever benefits the economy.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

6. To tell you the truth one thing I was thinking

was that now I was going to have to learn a lot more about Edwards policies so I would understand what the distinctions are. lol

[sandnsea]

10. Learn about everybody

Who knows who we'll run into that asks questions about the different candidates. We ought to be able to advocate a little bit for each of them. I think anyway.

[hellhathnofury]

11. What middle class tax cut?

www.bushtax.com