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Obama-Pelosi-Reid
Axis of Taxes

Wins my opinion blue ribbon award for cleverness

"We fret about growing debt"

So they're for cutting taxes to decrease the deficit? Interesting.

I saw in some of these tea parties people had "no taxation without representation" signs, which is rather idiotic since as long as they are residents of one of the 50 states they do have representation. It's we in the District who are facing taxation without representation.

There was one sign that said: "No taxation with crapie representation"

Crappy?

You D.C. people can move back into the United States if you don't like living where you are.

I really didn't expect Andrew Clark to understand this real grass roots movement. I guess he also doesn't understand how most retailers make most of their annual profit during the holiday shopping season!

Hey Andrew, start yourself a nice retail operation, and be your liberal self and RAISE your prices! You probably don't understand why many years before you were born, JFK, in a famous speech said, "In order to increase revenues to the Treasury we must cut tax rates." Boy what a fool that Kennedy guy was!

When Reagan cut taxes in the early 80's, after INHERITING a horrendous situation from Obama the first, revenues DOUBLED by the end of the decade.

Andrew, we've heard how much tax revenues will increase on sales of tobacco, and alcohol. Wanna bet that revenues will actually decrease, BECAUSE WE DO NOT LIVE IN A STATIC WORLD! Many who purchased those products before the huge tax hikes will not pay the new, very much higher prices.

Why do you liberals have such difficulty understanding simple economic principles? Honestly Andrew, I'd love for you to explain to me why retailers adverstise lower sale prices to make money. Why don't they raise prices?

Sorry Andrew, but on the same point why is it that the highest taxed states, Michigan, Krazyfornia, New Jersey, and New York have massive budget deficits, whild two states not in desperate straights, Texas and Florida have NO state income tax, and much lower taxes overall then the previously mentioned four!

Doug Is Andrew a relative? I quess two senators along with the house of representative will cure D.C representation envy. Why not just trash the Constitution and get it over with.

Andrew is my older son. He knows I'm only kidding him.

Tonymo, your response is so filled with errors it's unbelievable. Cutting taxes does not increase revenue. What you are forgetting in your retort is that there's something called inflation. In real dollars despite a massively grown economy, revenue was only slightly higher at the end of Reagan's term than the beginning. At the end of his first term, revenue was still much lower than before his tax cuts. I'll also remind you how much revenue grew under Clinton (who raised taxes) while we eliminated the deficit, while Reagan, and later the second Bush grew them at an incredible rate.

Also, your retail example, which by the way has about as much to do with tax policy as the weather in Nepal, it's not so simple as lower prices, get more revenue. Retail companies do not necessarily make more money by lowering prices. It depends on the elasticity of demand of the product and the competitiveness of the market. In a perfectly competitive market, a store can't lower prices because they are already selling at a level equal to marginal cost. In less competitive markets, as usually exist, calculations are based on a variety of factors including demand elasticity and considering the strategy of opponents. So to answer your questions, sometimes retailers do raise their prices, as you no doubt have noticed prices go up in your lifetime. They however don't go buying ads telling you they raised them. Also it's common practice to lower a few prices and advertise them to get you into the store while they raise all other prices. As I mentioned earlier, none of this is particularly relevant because it's not like the government is competing with us for our tax dollars in any meaningful way. Are you shopping around for low tax countries to move to? If so, don't let me stop you, but I kind of doubt that many people are.

So Tonymo, to answer your final thought, I have absolutely no trouble understanding basic economic principles as I have actually studied economics quite a bit.

That's my boy.

I try to avoid any debate with him where I might have to rely on facts.

I'm 61 years old, and it appears to me that we have lost more freedoms and gained more debt in the brief Obama administration than we lost in all the rest of my life.

Obama doesn't want to run GM, we know that because he told us that. All he wants to do is tell them who to fire, who to hire, how much to pay everyone, and what kinds of cars they WILL build. The important stuff, like stocking the drink and snack machines, will be left up to the new CEO, his other duties having been usurped by BHO, automotive engineer-in chief.

BHO is the only man in history to pick up a turd by the clean end.

Actually, Tony, overall state tax burden in California and Michigan are 20th and 22nd, respectively, so that's pretty middle of the road. And if you think taxes are the reasons for Michigan's economic problems that speaks for itself.

No, it's going nowhere. I think we've reached a tipping point where big government is simply a good deal for most people. With around 70% of the federal government funded by the 10% at the top--that is, 70% of what we're paying for now, as opposed to what we'll pay for later--it makes sense for most people to soak the rich.

"The mania for giving the Government power to meddle with the private affairs of cities or citizens is likely to cause endless trouble, through the rivaly of schools and creeds that are anxious to obtain official recognition, and there is great danger that our people will lose our independence of thought and action which is the cause of much of our greatness, and sink into the helplessness of the Frenchman or German who expects his government to feed him when hungry, clothe him when naked, to prescribe when his child may be born and when he may die, and, in fine, to regulate every act of humanity from the cradle to the tomb, including the manner in which he may seek future admission to paradise." -Mark Twain

As far as "Taxation Without Representation" is concerned....I don't think my elected representative's votes mean squat.

What should I expect with an approprations committee co chair named "Swindell"

Tanzania Andrew? If so, he is wears the boots of good family. Crapie is southern slang used to describe bream fish. Every farm pond is stocked with crapie. They are known to eat anything and are beautiful. They are caught but due to bones are usually released.

Brian, the top 10% pay most of the taxes because they have most of the money. It's pretty simple really. State and local taxes are generally very regressive, so in general, overall percentage of taxes paid is almost exactly the same as percentage of income.

Tony,

Florida is currently facing a $7 billion budget shortfall ( http://www.fcfep.org/Documents/Florida+Crisis+UPDATE.pdf ) and Texas is confronting a budget gap for next year. But don't let the facts get in the way of a good rant.

You missed my sign:
"WOULD SAMUEL ADAMS FILE FORM 1040?"

If you were there, let me know which ones I missed.*Doug

Sure! But I was not there! However! Good news, my evil twin brother was there [Dirty Connie] and here is his signs.

" Banish The GOP from Politics forever!"
" George Bush the Younger cause this mess and insanity"
" If you love Jesus! Than you don't belong at this protest"
" Retards and Redneck Republicans of the World! Unite!"
" Dean Smith was right! The only good Republican is a dead Communist and Duke not making the final four"

Here's the big question: Will this amount to anything?* Doug

It's like a one night stand! When the check bounces, true love fails again"

AC: "Brian, the top 10% pay most of the taxes because they have most of the money. It's pretty simple really. State and local taxes are generally very regressive, so in general, overall percentage of taxes paid is almost exactly the same as percentage of income."

Which is why the federal government is growing much faster than state and local govts. It's pretty simple, really.

Even if you accept your rather strained notion of "very regressive," which I take to mean "taxed at the same rate."

Sorry I missed yours, Maria.

Ed Cone has a photo of a good one at his place:

http://edcone.typepad.com/wordup/2009/04/a-large-and-enthusiastic-crowd-turned-out-for-todays-greensboro-tea-party-crowd-estimates-are-tough-but-john-hammer-a.html#comments