The Fiscal Cliff and Georgia (taxi, tax rates, live)

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by rorqual

There are still far too many Tea Party types in Georgia who will make deal making difficult - these are the ones who take the stance of "no compromise or we will primary you!".

Georgia GOP climate makes cliff compromise difficult | 11alive.com

Republicans do a good talk in the white house of balancing the budget and controlling the deficit but when they control the presidency they don't. Dubya blew the budget. Bush Sr. didn't balance the budget or control the deficit. Reagan piled on massive debt and didn't balance the budget. Infact the last Republican president to balance the budget was Eisenhower in the 50s. The GOP only cares about debt, budget, etc when a Democrat is President so its best for the country that a Democrat stays President as that way the focus will be on budgets, deficit, etc.

So true!

[AcidSnake]

I would frame this political situation as one of conservatives versus Moderates, progressives, and liberals. Eisenhower was a moderate with a lot of common sense. He realized the value of good government for the people.

Conservatives on the hand despises government to the degree that it empowers others not like themselves. So their entire approach to life constantly revolves around how not to allow the other guy to have the same power & benefits as they do.

And unfortunately since a slim majority of America's Congressional districts have been successfully gerrymandered to give a disproportionate amount of voting power to doctrinaire conservatives, this type of stonewalling will become fairly regular.

Originally Posted by rorqual

There are still far too many Tea Party types in Georgia who will make deal making difficult - these are the ones who take the stance of "no compromise or we will primary you!".

Georgia GOP climate makes cliff compromise difficult | 11alive.com

Republicans do a good talk in the white house of balancing the budget and controlling the deficit but when they control the presidency they don't. Dubya blew the budget. Bush Sr. didn't balance the budget or control the deficit. Reagan piled on massive debt and didn't balance the budget. Infact the last Republican president to balance the budget was Eisenhower in the 50s. The GOP only cares about debt, budget, etc when a Democrat is President so its best for the country that a Democrat stays President as that way the focus will be on budgets, deficit, etc.

[GeorgiatoChina]

Why are people cool with taxes going up on the middle class?

[GeorgiatoChina]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

Quite simply, the "fiscal cliff" isn't exactly the United States of America's Federal Government doing a complete default on her budget. Everyone's taxes is simply going up. That's it.

This situation is really all about who should bear the brunt of the responsibility of paying for our Federal Government, and that's all. Why our corporate news media won't take the looney-bin temperature down a few degrees, I just don't know.

But this country is not falling off some literal financial "cliff" into full destitution, as most people seem to think(well, those people who subscribe to conservative news media, anyways).

Just as the world didn't end after December 21, 2012, or yesterday, our country should be okay until the next "fiscal cliff" or rumor of imminent worldwide doomsday-armageddon-apocalypse-rapture-final reckoning-holy war-judgement day or whatever.

So please put down that brown paper bag y'all, and breath a little bit.

It will be okay.

Taxes will rise on the middle class if the tax cuts aren't extended. That is a big deal.

[cqholt]

Just to the rates of before 2004. Those tax cuts were never meant to be permanent. When taxes were a little bit higher the budget was balenced.

[AcidSnake]

Maybe, but I'm willing to see that situation take place.

A smart politician, a strong politician will spin that situation to his/her advantage; just as FDR used his fireside chats to take on the stonewalling doctrinaire conservatives. So our current progressive leadership should take a cue from the past, take a chance and call out the current crop of political conservatives on their bluff.

The real question is, does progressive political leadership in these modern times have the guts, the smarts, and guile to do the same? Because lately all I've seen is some limp-wristed disappointed so far.

Heck, even Clinton called out the conservatives in the 90's fed shutdown, and won! Our progressives need to grow some doggone huge cojones for once in a lifetime and fight back!

Originally Posted by GeorgiatoChina

Taxes will rise on the middle class if the tax cuts aren't extended. That is a big deal.

[rorqual]

Originally Posted by GeorgiatoChina

Taxes will rise on the middle class if the tax cuts aren't extended. That is a big deal.

These tax cuts upon tax cuts are creating another set of ppl dependent on govnmt handouts. Tax cuts up to a certain level are fine..,but when they stop making sense mathematically and blow up the budget and aren't paid for and when they are being trojan-ed in under the guise of "temp" relief, they create ppl dependent on them. Once you handout tax cuts, it just makes it that much harder to take them away.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by GeorgiatoChina

Why are people cool with taxes going up on the middle class?

I'm not happy about it, but I realize that more funding is probably better than less funding.

A lack of income is part of the current problem. Perhaps not the main source of current problems, but the fact that individual income and other taxes are current at or near record lows is probably having some impact. Of course, if I have less money to spend, I won't be spending it, and on a large scale that is also an issue that shouldn't be ignored. Millions of people not spending money will hurt business.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Just to the rates of before 2004. Those tax cuts were never meant to be permanent. When taxes were a little bit higher the budget was balenced.

The reason the budget is out of whack is more due to huge expenditures in the middle east, expenditures for stimulating the economy, etc. The tax cuts are not the reason for it, and their reversal may or may not help the economy ... while they result in more money coming in, they also mean people will be spending less, which probably results in an adverse impact on the economy as a whole.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

The reason the budget is out of whack is more due to huge expenditures in the middle east, expenditures for stimulating the economy, etc. The tax cuts are not the reason for it, and their reversal may or may not help the economy ... while they result in more money coming in, they also mean people will be spending less, which probably results in an adverse impact on the economy as a whole.

I'm sure those all contribute to budget crisis but having the lowest tax rates in history doesn't help. Let the tax cuts expire and cut spending in the military, foreign aid, Medicare, SS.