name two things you'd like congress to address....

[ScottyB]

1) Repeal Bush tax cuts.
2) Remove tax loopholes for corporations and the wealthy.
3) Remove SS cap.
4) Add universal health care for everyone.
5) Fully fund public colleges.
6) Alter "freedom of religion" to "freedom from religion."
7) Make marriage by government illegal, give all groups civil unions instead.
8) Increase Capital Gains tax to normal income tax levels.
9) Remove Selective Service.
10) Alter the Executive Branch to a three member body.
11) Withdraw troops from Iraq.
12) Cut defense spending to 10% of its current levels.
13) Cut corporate welfare.
14) Force bankrupting corporations to fully fund pensions.
15) Lock CEO salaries to 10x its average worker's salary.
16) Remove tax exemptions from religious organizations.
17) Reduce greenhouse emissions by half.
18) Change to alternate forms of energy.
19) Order Big 3 to switch to all hybrids by 2010, alternate fuel source by 2018.
20) Investigate all recent administration wrongdoings. Convict and do not pardon.
21) Remove ability to pardon public officials.

 

[bobdelt]

1) Make the tax cuts permanent. The tax cuts have increased tax revenue over the years, and i fail to see how it raises taxes for the lower income tax payers. It lowered the lowest marginal tax rate for 15 to 10%. Raising the taxes for the super rich are one thing, but theres no need to repeal it all.

2) Finish in Iraq.

 

[bobdelt]

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit
1. Raise taxes on the rich.

2. Raise taxes on the rich again.

And why do the rich deserve to pay an even larger proportional amount than you already do? Are you jealous? Is that why you want to steal their money and have it pay for your things?

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: bobdelt

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit
1. Raise taxes on the rich.

2. Raise taxes on the rich again.

And why do the rich deserve to pay an even larger proportional amount than you already do? Are you jealous? Is that why you want to steal their money and have it pay for your things?

Why do the rich deserve to make so much money when we have so many WORKING people living at the poverty level? It is they who reap the greatest benifits from our society, who skim the cream off the top, and they should gladly pay for that privledge and appreciate what they have instead of whining like the spoiled rich kids they are.



If someone is a thief in this matter it is them and they aren't stealing money, they are stealing something much more valuable, people's lives.

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
Privatize social security... lock in the tax cuts.

That's not very fiscally responsible. You want to keep our deficits and also add to them by privatizing SS?

Nope. I'm encouraging fiscal responsibility by shrinking governemnt (no need to raise taxes with less federal spending) and preventing a whole generation from being victimized by continuing to promote a pyramid scheme that masquerades as a retirement program.

So, Whoozyerdaddy is suddenly concerned about future generations!? Whoa, im all warm and fuzzy inside. :roll:

On topic, term limits and get lobbyists under control. Things like fixing the deficit, Iraq, economy, illegal wiretaps, tax cuts for the wealthy, etc are a given with dems in control.

 

[PELarson]

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit
1. Raise taxes on the rich.

Or simply raise taxes on CEO's and members of company boards on anything over a maximum salary, combined monetary and stock, of say $1 to $2 million dollars by 200%.

My two -

Make sure that the funding for armor, personal and vehicle, is availalbe to the military and that they use it for that purpose.

Restart Congress's oversight of the government.

 

[HombrePequeno]

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: bobdelt

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit
1. Raise taxes on the rich.

2. Raise taxes on the rich again.

And why do the rich deserve to pay an even larger proportional amount than you already do? Are you jealous? Is that why you want to steal their money and have it pay for your things?

Why do the rich deserve to make so much money when we have so many WORKING people living at the poverty level? It is they who reap the greatest benifits from our society, who skim the cream off the top, and they should gladly pay for that privledge and appreciate what they have instead of whining like the spoiled rich kids they are.



If someone is a thief in this matter it is them and they aren't stealing money, they are stealing something much more valuable, people's lives.

From what I recall reading, the majority that are at or below the poverty line don't have a job for several months out of the year.

To answer bobdelt's question: The rich are a better stream of tax revenue. You can get much more money by raising their taxes 0.1% than by raising taxes on the poor by 1%. You also have the added bonus of the rich not being affected as much by that 0.1% increase as the poor is affected by the 1% increase.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
The two biggies

a. A bi-partisan resolve to get a stable Iraq we can get the hell out of safely.

b. Constitutionally cap the budget at a mere $2 trillion and tie it to inflation

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
Privatize social security... lock in the tax cuts.

That's not very fiscally responsible. You want to keep our deficits and also add to them by privatizing SS?

Just remember, if spending and tax receipts keep on their current paths, the budget will balance itself by 2008. However there is much fat that could be removed from the federal government.

 

[MovingTarget]

0) Congressional term limits - two terms max for members of each house [This seems to be a pipe dream, so I'm not counting it in my two.]
1) Restoration of civil liberties lost since 2000 (repealing patriot act, no warrantless wiretapping, no enemy combatant status, full restoration of habius corpus, and a reversal/limiting of the SCOTUS decision regarding eminent domain.)
2) A serious plan for energy independence and scientific research. We have the ability to institute projects that will remove us from the need of foreign oil completely. New forms of power generation, increased viability of alternative generation methods, etc. Heck, a full scale program the size of the manhattan project could be formed or at the very least increased funding of Universities (not oil companies) to conduct said research.

 

[piasabird]

Move to a commune and live in a free love society???

You must believe in some form of Utopia?

This is not a free market that you are dreaming of. It is called communism.

Quote Below:


1) Repeal Bush tax cuts.
2) Remove tax loopholes for corporations and the wealthy.
3) Remove SS cap.
4) Add universal health care for everyone.
5) Fully fund public colleges.
6) Alter "freedom of religion" to "freedom from religion."
7) Make marriage by government illegal, give all groups civil unions instead.
8) Increase Capital Gains tax to normal income tax levels.
9) Remove Selective Service.
10) Alter the Executive Branch to a three member body.
11) Withdraw troops from Iraq.
12) Cut defense spending to 10% of its current levels.
13) Cut corporate welfare.
14) Force bankrupting corporations to fully fund pensions.
15) Lock CEO salaries to 10x its average worker's salary.
16) Remove tax exemptions from religious organizations.
17) Reduce greenhouse emissions by half.
18) Change to alternate forms of energy.
19) Order Big 3 to switch to all hybrids by 2010, alternate fuel source by 2018.
20) Investigate all recent administration wrongdoings. Convict and do not pardon.
21) Remove ability to pardon public officials.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Demand immediate release of the Britney Spears sex tape.

 

[shadow9d9]

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
0) Congressional term limits - two terms max for members of each house [This seems to be a pipe dream, so I'm not counting it in my two.]
1) Restoration of civil liberties lost since 2000 (repealing patriot act, no warrantless wiretapping, no enemy combatant status, full restoration of habius corpus, and a reversal/limiting of the SCOTUS decision regarding eminent domain.)
2) A serious plan for energy independence and scientific research. We have the ability to institute projects that will remove us from the need of foreign oil completely. New forms of power generation, increased viability of alternative generation methods, etc. Heck, a full scale program the size of the manhattan project could be formed or at the very least increased funding of Universities (not oil companies) to conduct said research.

That would be nice.

 

[HombrePequeno]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
Privatize social security... lock in the tax cuts.

That's not very fiscally responsible. You want to keep our deficits and also add to them by privatizing SS?

Just remember, if spending and tax receipts keep on their current paths, the budget will balance itself by 2008. However there is much fat that could be removed from the federal government.

That's nice but I would still shoot for a very large surplus before we go privatizing SS. That's also assuming that the economy will continue growing at a similar rate when there is quite a bit that can go wrong.

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: PELarson

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit
1. Raise taxes on the rich.

Or simply raise taxes on CEO's and members of company boards on anything over a maximum salary, combined monetary and stock, of say $1 to $2 million dollars by 200%.

My two -

Make sure that the funding for armor, personal and vehicle, is availalbe to the military and that they use it for that purpose.

Restart Congress's oversight of the government.

Not possible. People with money (large incomes or trusts) have very clever ways of hiding it from the government. Corps like to use tax shelters too. If corporate amurika paid its fair due every single american would see their tax burden HALVED!

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
Privatize social security... lock in the tax cuts.

That's not very fiscally responsible. You want to keep our deficits and also add to them by privatizing SS?

Just remember, if spending and tax receipts keep on their current paths, the budget will balance itself by 2008. However there is much fat that could be removed from the federal government.

That's nice but I would still shoot for a very large surplus before we go privatizing SS. That's also assuming that the economy will continue growing at a similar rate when there is quite a bit that can go wrong.

The last thing you want is a goverment with a surplus. It will only find a way to spend it.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: homercles337

Originally posted by: PELarson

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit
1. Raise taxes on the rich.

Or simply raise taxes on CEO's and members of company boards on anything over a maximum salary, combined monetary and stock, of say $1 to $2 million dollars by 200%.

My two -

Make sure that the funding for armor, personal and vehicle, is availalbe to the military and that they use it for that purpose.

Restart Congress's oversight of the government.

Not possible people with money (large incomes or trusts) have very clever ways of hiding it from the government. Corps like to use tax shelters too. If corporate amurika paid its fair due every single American would see their tax burden HALVED!

Or they would move offshore and not be taxed at all by the US government. Notice what happened when the offshore corporate earning tax was dropped to 10%. Tax receipts soared. All corperate taxes are eventually paid by the consumer as it just another cost of doing business.

 

[HombrePequeno]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
Privatize social security... lock in the tax cuts.

That's not very fiscally responsible. You want to keep our deficits and also add to them by privatizing SS?

Just remember, if spending and tax receipts keep on their current paths, the budget will balance itself by 2008. However there is much fat that could be removed from the federal government.

That's nice but I would still shoot for a very large surplus before we go privatizing SS. That's also assuming that the economy will continue growing at a similar rate when there is quite a bit that can go wrong.

The last thing you want is a goverment with a surplus. It will only find a way to spend it.

Are you referring to the tax cuts?

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
Privatize social security... lock in the tax cuts.

That's not very fiscally responsible. You want to keep our deficits and also add to them by privatizing SS?

Just remember, if spending and tax receipts keep on their current paths, the budget will balance itself by 2008. However there is much fat that could be removed from the federal government.

That's nice but I would still shoot for a very large surplus before we go privatizing SS. That's also assuming that the economy will continue growing at a similar rate when there is quite a bit that can go wrong.

The last thing you want is a goverment with a surplus. It will only find a way to spend it.

Are you referring to the tax cuts?

If a government does run a surplus it should be required to return those surpluses back to the taxpayer, other wise it has to find new ways to spend the money. And once and government program gets started it is almost impossible to get rid of.

 

[Bowfinger]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
Privatize social security... lock in the tax cuts.

That's not very fiscally responsible. You want to keep our deficits and also add to them by privatizing SS?

Just remember, if spending and tax receipts keep on their current paths, the budget will balance itself by 2008. However there is much fat that could be removed from the federal government.

Not according to the CBO, as I've pointed out before. The "budget will balance itself" talking point is wishful thinking, not supported by real data.

 

[Bowfinger]

Originally posted by: charrison
The last thing you want is a goverment with a surplus. It will only find a way to spend it.

Sure, because then we might reduce the federal debt, reducing the money we waste on interest payments. That might further increase the surplus, allowing us to reduce the debt even faster. It's a vicious circle, ending only once we've restored some sense of fiscal responsibility to government. Horrors!


Oh wait. What was the downside again?


Edit: typos

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Bowfinger

Originally posted by: charrison
The last thing you want is a goverment with a surplus. It will only find a way to spend it.

Sure, because then we might reduce the federal debt, reducing the moeny we waste on interest payments. That might further increase the surplus, allowing us to reduce the debt even faster. It's a viscious circle, ending only once we've restored some sense of fiscal responsibility to government. Horrors!


Oh wait. What was the downside again?

I guess you dont quite understand what a surplus is. Money left over after everything has been budgeted for.

 

[Fern]

1) Fix the border/immigration mess.

2) Devise an alt energy program. One goal is to reduce daily consumption of gas/oil to eliminate dependance on mid East oil. Secondly, expand programs for photovoltaic energy production & the recycling of waste into energy.

3) Universal health care for children.

I'd like to see the threat of Iran/Korean nukes eliminated, but I don't think that's the domain of Congress & doubt they can do anything.

Fern

 

[Bowfinger]

Originally posted by: charrison
Or they would move offshore and not be taxed at all by the US government. Notice what happened when the offshore corporate earning tax was dropped to 10%. Tax receipts soared.

Data? Tax receipts almost always soar, or at least they did before Bush 43's tax loans (91% of the time prior to Bush's unprecedented four year string without record receipts).

All corperate taxes are eventually paid by the consumer as it just another cost of doing business.

Not so. Corporate "income" taxes, i.e., profit taxes, are paid by the shareholders. A corporation may want to increase prices to pass them back to the consumer, but if it is competent, it has already priced its goods to the highest possible price yielding maximum profits. Any further price increases will actually decrease sales, reducing profits. That's simple economics. The real world is not so black and white, of course, but the fact remains that a company's freedom to raise prices to offset profit taxes is limited.

 

[Bowfinger]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: Bowfinger

Originally posted by: charrison
The last thing you want is a goverment with a surplus. It will only find a way to spend it.

Sure, because then we might reduce the federal debt, reducing the moeny we waste on interest payments. That might further increase the surplus, allowing us to reduce the debt even faster. It's a viscious circle, ending only once we've restored some sense of fiscal responsibility to government. Horrors!


Oh wait. What was the downside again?

I guess you dont quite understand what a surplus is. Money left over after everything has been budgeted for.

I guess you don't quite understand what the federal debt is, nor what a government "budget surplus" is.

Neither of our insults is true, of course. You do understand, but you're playing semantics games to avoid addressing the point.