Cutting through all the tax collection nonsense, we need to address one thing.

[Dino]

SPENDING.

Why is it even fair to begin discussing who we're going to tax, what level of income we're taxing, or how much it will be before we even come to the realization that we're spending too much and we can assist America by cutting back immediately. I listened to the SOTU speech and heard the class warfare talk, and wondered "can't se just start by spending LESS and then fighting over where it should come from?" Obama never addressed that, just blew smoke about cuts that don't even make a dent in the deficit.

It's patent government dishonesty and laziness. We have departments with wasteful budgets and redundant jobs that can be trimmed. It's about time studies proving people find jobs in the last weeks of their unemployment benefits lead us to do the natural thing. Huge savings can be found in such areas.

Instead we get the dishonest Obama telling Congress to use the war money we're not going to be using to reduce the debt and build roads. Does this dolt think the war funding comes from a big pile of cash we use, and now inevitably, the stack is just going to lay around going to waste??

Wake up folks, we're being deceived. The government is pointing the finger at the eeevil people who legally make their fortunes here, while ignoring the fact we are an overindulgent, overspending monstrosity of an economy. Trim that, then start discussing how much and who needs to be taxed.

 

[Lukey]

Yes, I've said that myself. Why should we be asking ANYONE to pay more when we all know the government wastes so much of what they spend? Of course, to at least some on the left, the tax policy has NOTHING to do with (current) spending levels (or the level of debt) and everything to do with punishing the (evil) rich. Perhaps others suspect that any cut in spending at this juncture will lead to an economic downturn and don't want that occurring on Obama's watch. Then there's the whole tax code hodge podge that should be dealt with, not willy nilly singling out of certain classes of citizens for financial penalties but a holistic approach that seeks to raise the most money with the least inherent economic constraints (which would argue for a fairer, flatter tax code with lower rates and fewer kinds of taxes on a broader base). Of course, none of this appeals to the left as they are, by and large, Marxists who seek to undermine the "fundamentals" of our economy.

 

[Dino]

Some of Obama's ideas in the SOTU would cause the GOP House to put a gun to the head of the country and the economy, and he would just love to see them do that.

Of course Boehner won't fall for such clearly laid pitfalls. (will he?)

 

[OldGaffer]

I am all in on cutting spending, lets start with a 50% cut in defense, what say ye?

 

[Dino]

No, that's too much. But 10% sounds very fair, and a great start on saving America billions. Ok, what else?

 

[Number_58]

I say 25% across the board spending cuts...and the elimination of all discretionary spending...with all that money going directly to the debt.

 

[mark14]

No we don't need to address "one thing". We need to address multiple things. But your opinions are valued.

 

[Dino]

My opinion is accurate. It's not the ONE thing we need to address, but it is the first thing we should.

At least if we had any interested in fixing things and turning the country around. Unfortunately for some, working on the solution doesn't further the electoral value as much as class warfare is thought to.

 

[888888]

the problem is you have a closed mind. Class warfare is just another BS from the right who have made a clean bed with silk sheets and a big comforter to boot. The average person of this country has had the cost of govt shipped onto their backs in order for the few at the top to get much more. It's a fact that middle America is struggling and something has to be done, but just going after the supper poor is not the solution. and neither is making the average American the scape goat every time we have a down turn in the economy.

When the top 5% have seen their wages go uo 300% over the last 20 years and the middle income goes up like 2% and the tax load of the rich as far as contributing to the running of the country has taken a big drop while the rest of us has been made to step in and take over is BULLSHIT.

If there is a class warfare it's comes from the people at the top who believe like the Coke Bros that they are entitled. You can cut all the cost you want, and the only thing it will do is make life harder on the middle class, and will do little reduce the cost of govt. Until we once again get tax revenue in line to what it was 12 years ago we will struggle in the middle, but that is exactly what the right has set up.

A we can't afford society set up by reducing the intake of taxes from corps and the greedy few at the top. Corp used to pick up 26% of our budget, they now cover 6%.

Your class warfare is just an attempt to bring down wages for the middle income people and force poor people to do with less, it's been a plan all along. The right has been trying to bank ruptured us into what they have wanted for ages, get rid of entitlements, and this is exactly what has happened by cutting tax rates and starting wars we can not afford.

other times in our nation we had real Americans who understood the common good of all meant they at the top were the only ones who stop the tide, but now they have turned their backs on America and said hell no we don't give a FuxK.

 

[Alinvegas]

Lefty wants to talk tax first. That way he knows how much overspending can be done.

 

[OldGaffer]

Lefty wants to talk tax first. That way he knows how much overspending can be done.

We need a combination, raise taxes on the 1% and cut defense 5% a year for the next ten years, we do not need armored divisions and missile subs to fight middle eastern terrorists.

We have a navy that is bigger than the next 11 navies combined, and 9 of those 11 are our allies.

 

[Lukey]

the problem is you have a closed mind. Class warfare is just another BS from the right who have made a clean bed with silk sheets and a big comforter to boot. The average person of this country has had the cost of govt shipped onto their backs in order for the few at the top to get much more. It's a fact that middle America is struggling and something has to be done, but just going after the supper poor is not the solution. and neither is making the average American the scape goat every time we have a down turn in the economy.

When the top 5% have seen their wages go uo 300% over the last 20 years and the middle income goes up like 2% and the tax load of the rich as far as contributing to the running of the country has taken a big drop while the rest of us has been made to step in and take over is BULLSHIT.

If there is a class warfare it's comes from the people at the top who believe like the Coke Bros that they are entitled. You can cut all the cost you want, and the only thing it will do is make life harder on the middle class, and will do little reduce the cost of govt. Until we once again get tax revenue in line to what it was 12 years ago we will struggle in the middle, but that is exactly what the right has set up.

A we can't afford society set up by reducing the intake of taxes from corps and the greedy few at the top. Corp used to pick up 26% of our budget, they now cover 6%.

Your class warfare is just an attempt to bring down wages for the middle income people and force poor people to do with less, it's been a plan all along. The right has been trying to bank ruptured us into what they have wanted for ages, get rid of entitlements, and this is exactly what has happened by cutting tax rates and starting wars we can not afford.

other times in our nation we had real Americans who understood the common good of all meant they at the top were the only ones who stop the tide, but now they have turned their backs on America and said hell no we don't give a FuxK.

You couldn't BE more wrong. The ACTUAL tax burden on the rich is up and the tax burden on the middle and working classes is down. And ALL taxes are down as a percent of the budget because SPENDING HAS SOARED! And the rich are getting richer while the working class has stagnated because the knowledge worker, the artist, the athlete and the manager can and does compete well against foreigners while the unskilled and the unknowing can't. That's not the fault of the rich.

And it is the left that is using your kind of specious logic to wage a class war because they are a bunch of Marxists looking to loot the wealth of the haves to fund benefits for the growing hoards of have-nots with no limit whatsoever on the amount spent.

 

[888888]

Oh the govt is wasting money you say. Who do you think is getting the majority of the waste, business men who are corrupt of course.
Why di the bail out happen, corrupt businesses. Where did the money go to stop the the corruption, the richest people in our country.
Taxes were cut, and 10% got more than 90% of the gain because people on the right said it would help, it did not and all that happened was those people ended up with another 1.5 trillion in savings to themselves.

Yes by all means get rid of fraud, and waste. But also collect the taxes needed to run the country. At one time we had upwards of 90% taxes when times got tough for those in the top bracket, now we are hurting and all I hear is screw the poor, take from the middle class and give to the rich. Now that is class warfare and you brought it on yourself righty's.

 

[OldGaffer]

Oh the govt is wasting money you say. Who do you think is getting the majority of the waste, business men who are corrupt of course.
Why di the bail out happen, corrupt businesses. Where did the money go to stop the the corruption, the richest people in our country.
Taxes were cut, and 10% got more than 90% of the gain because people on the right said it would help, it did not and all that happened was those people ended up with another 1.5 trillion in savings to themselves.

Yes by all means get rid of fraud, and waste. But also collect the taxes needed to run the country. At one time we had upwards of 90% taxes when times got tough for those in the top bracket, now we are hurting and all I hear is screw the poor, take from the middle class and give to the rich. Now that is class warfare and you brought it on yourself righty's.

The French and the Russians had this same problem, and they solved it the easy way.

 

[888888]

You couldn't BE more wrong. The ACTUAL tax burden on the rich is up and the tax burden on the middle and working classes is down. And ALL taxes are down as a percent of the budget because SPENDING HAS SOARED! And the rich are getting richer while the working class has stagnated because the knowledge worker, the artist, the athlete and the manager can and does compete well against foreigners while the unskilled and the unknowing can't. That's not the fault of the rich.

And it is the left that is using your kind of specious logic to wage a class war because they are a bunch of Marxists looking to loot the wealth of the haves to fund benefits for the growing hoards of have-nots with no limit whatsoever on the amount spent.

to hear you talk those at the top are some glorious bunch that deserve what they get and the rest of the nation are all swindlers.

And the rich are not paying a greater share of running the country, it has been shifted onto the middle class and is called state and local govt.

Where as the rich have much more at the end of the day and the middle class end up with much less is the only gage that means anything.
You people make me sick, you don't deserve America. And you will find out by destroying Americas middle class you will destroy America and the few at the top won't survive what you will have done.

(knowledge worker, the artist, the athlete and the manager can and does compete well against foreigners while the unskilled and the unknowing can't.) Where do you think they are getting their money from, overseas? You want american workers to compete against 31 cent an hr wages because some dick head business man wants to make 245 million a year for himself instead of 235 million.
The new right wing america. Oh by the way, those (unskilled and the unknowing) people are what we call Family, friends and neighbors in our world, in yours they are just trash.

 

[mark14]

My opinion is accurate. It's not the ONE thing we need to address, but it is the first thing we should.

At least if we had any interested in fixing things and turning the country around. Unfortunately for some, working on the solution doesn't further the electoral value as much as class warfare is thought to.

And we can only do one thing at a time? How long do we have to wait before we can address other things too?

 

[888888]

The ACTUAL tax burden on the rich is up and the tax burden on the middle and working classes is down

That is pure BS

 

[middleview]

Why was it a good idea to cut taxes before talking about how to cut spending in both Reagan's tax cuts as well as Bush's?

You can start at either end. If we work out how much the republicans will allow in the way of closing loopholes on companies that don't pay taxes at all and on increases in some income taxes, then we'd have an idea of just how big the cuts need to be.....

You seem to think that a lot of people are laying around collecting their unemployment benefits until the last minute. "Studies have proven"? What studies? Gotta link? My unemployment benefits wouldn't even pay my mortgage. I think you have an unrealistic idea of how much people get.

 

[888888]

only one group of people are talking class warfare and that is YOU. The war was waged on the middle class when the rich turned their backs on the American workers, and left their patriotic sleeve behind as they shipped jobs to third world slave markets to try and turn a little more profit "FOR ONCE AGAIN WHO?" the wealthy of course.

and at the same time keeping profits off shore to avoid the taxes, they and all of us know they owed, because of course they don't give a SHIT about AMERICA or the PEOPLE. It's all about GREED

 

[888888]

Just like the republican woman said on TV last night when pressed about Obamas 31% tax rate for those making over a million, she would not answer. Then he asked her would you consider any tax hike to the top 1% and she said absolutely not. She sits on the committee that was devised by the right to look at ways to get our country back to a stable govt.

Then he asked her would you consider any tax hike to the top 1% and she said absolutely not

and this my fellow Americans is the problem we all know that exists, to cut spending you must first cut revenue, and develop a need.