Say Anything Blog

(or, more unlikely, if President Bush should veto it)

If he vetos it, he will have blown any chance of getting rid of the death tax for the next 20 years.

all the Republicans have done is tick of all the people who actually feel that the minimum wage is a good thing.

Your exactly right.

If there is any evidence that the Republicans in D.C. have lost touch with their core conservative principles this is it.

Your presuming they ever had principles.

Fact is, they are in “ass saving mode” and they are going to do what they need to do to save their own tails.

If they wanted to save their tails they’d act like the conservatives we elected.

The war against illegal plunder has been fought since the beginning of the world. But how is… legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish this law without delay … If such a law is not abolished immediately it will spread, multiply and develop into a system.

Frédéric Bastiat, The Law

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

THIS is the best evidence of the GOP in the house being out of touch? Give me a break…

Politics involves a lot of comprimise and gunning down your own teammates for being a part of comprimise once in a while is not a smart way to play the game…

Rob: True that.  The worst thing about all this is the idea that one tax can be traded off for another.  All taxation is bad, and needs to be justified economically, because every tax costs us.  We must be sold on the benefits(if any) and how they balance with the cost. This is no more than a dishonest political deal, and it’s a lose-lose situation, any way it comes down.  The impression is given that taxes can be traded, as if they are discrete quantities.  This is static state consciousness at its worst.  There is no justification for the estate tax, and it should be removed on that basis.  The minimum wage(also a tax) is far more damaging, and will result in a much larger bite on the taxpayer.  They are both bad, and should be defeated for that reason.

Politics involves a lot of comprimise and gunning down your own teammates for being a part of comprimise once in a while is not a smart way to play the game…

What the hell are we compromising on?  Cutting the estate tax is not enough of a pressing issue to warrant a hike in the minimum wage.

This was totally unnecessary B.S.

The war against illegal plunder has been fought since the beginning of the world. But how is… legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish this law without delay … If such a law is not abolished immediately it will spread, multiply and develop into a system.

Frédéric Bastiat, The Law

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

BTW, the most beneficial tax to cut(or eliminate):  The Capital Gains Tax.  It directly reduces the investment pool for the next cycle, and acts as a damper on investment.  The second most beneficial tax to cut: Income tax.  You always get less of that which you tax, and we want more income, don’t we?

Robert108,

Please don’t forget the tax on dividends, money that has already been taxed at the corporate level, before it was distributed to shareholders.  Together with the capital gains tax cut, the dividend tax cut has lowered the price of capital substantially, while the income tax cuts, though extremely modest, have put more capital into play at the reduced cost, a surefire recipe continued economic growth.

Bat: You are right to point that out.  I generally think of them as being under the same category, but legally, they are separate.  Any confiscation of investment income is directly harmful to future growth, whereas reduction in income taxes keeps the goose who lays the golden eggs happy and healthy.  Great point!

Question for Each of you:

How much of a role do you think Policy has in Campaigning?

Interesting chart at the U.S Dept. of Labor

Based on this, assuming this current 3 stage bill pass

- 5 of the 7 individual increases have occured under the watch of a Bush (2 under Clinton course).

- 5 of 7 have occured during Republican Controlled Congress’.

It’s almost as if a pattern is emerging.

The Reagan Years were free of any increases.  What does this tell us?  Elect Reagan Republicans.

How much of a role do you think Policy has in Campaigning?

Free,

Probably not very much.  It’s been a long time since I involved myself directly in the grunt work of electoral politics, but I am convinced still that the single biggest factor in our choice of elected leaders is incumbancy.

Nationally, Democrats have the added burden of not actually having a coherent set of policy proposals to run on, while Republicans can run on just about any sort of such proposals knowing that no matter what they espouse to voters, the Democrats are going to be to the left of them anyway.

Perhaps not so oddly, I have also noted that over the last few election cycles, fewer and fewer candidates make a point of identifying themselves clearly as Democrats, while just the opposite seems to be true of Republicans.

Politics involves a lot of comprimise and gunning down your own teammates for being a part of comprimise once in a while is not a smart way to play the game…

Sphag, you don’t need to compromise with a 20 point lead. The Republicans have substantial majorities in Congress. Why, again, must they do ANYTHING with the Democrats on this issue?

Not sure what you mean by a “20 point lead”, but getting the elimination of the Estate tax through both houses of Congress has been very difficult with the current setup.  Putting both proposals together gives enough members of congress on both sides something to vote for.

...but getting the elimination of the Estate tax through both houses of Congress has been very difficult with the current setup.

By “the current setup,” I assume you mean the American people’s refusal to vote Libertarian, yes?

By “the current setup,” I assume you mean the American people’s refusal to vote Libertarian, yes?

Um, no.  “The American people’s refusal to vote Libertarian” just reflects that the Libertatian party doesn’t offer the American people what they really want.

What I meant was the current number of R’s, D’s, and I’s makes it difficult to get either the minimum wage or elimination of estate tax pushed through, though with both together, you give enough reps something to vote FOR and less to vote against.

Batone, check out who is not running with the R name behind them this year.  Many many Rs are running as Independents distancing themselves from Bush.

Many many Rs are running as Independents distancing themselves from Bush.

“Many many”???  Name three that anyone has ever heard of

“Many many”??? Name three that anyone has ever heard of