Day: September 8, 2011

The False Argument About Federal Income Tax Collection From Low Income Earners

Conservatives LOVE to point out that 47 percent of the American people pay no federal income tax, and that it should be required that everyone contribute, before we raise taxes on the extremely wealthy and the corporations!

The fact is that the reason that so many Americans do NOT pay federal income tax is because their earned income is so low, or because of various deductions that are available to everyone in theory. And the wealthy get a lot more benefit out of using these tax deductions!

The fact that corporations and the wealthy pay very low taxes as compared to their income does not bother conservatives, but damn it, those poor people or single mothers MUST pay their fair share, which would, at the most, be maybe under $25 per year if a minimum was required.

That is NOT going to resolve the issue of collection of enough taxation to deal with federal budget demands!

And, of course, those who do not pay federal income tax because of low income, still pay the payroll tax on Social Security and Medicare, which can be quite a burden on a low income, while for Social Security, if one earns more than $106,800, they pay NO additional Social Security tax!

Additionally, all taxpayers pay state and local sales taxes and property taxes if they own their home, and this can be quite a burden on low income earners!

So the argument about federal tax collection is a FALSE argument, and conservatives should be criticized for their lack of honesty about the matter!

Barack Obama’s Jobs Speech: Aggressive, Blunt, Forceful, Extremely Effective!

Barack Obama gave a fantastic speech before a joint session of Congress this evening, and he called upon the Republicans to be bipartisan, but warned that he will fight for his jobs agenda across the country if there is no action!

This is the kind of speech that his supporters have been wishing for over a long time period! Be a strong advocate, offer cooperation, but make it clear that he will not tolerate lack of action by Congress without a clear cut reaction, on the level of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman!

Calling for dealing with education by rehiring of thousands of teachers, infrastructure spending, tax cuts for small businesses and the middle class, and aid to the long term unemployed through further extension of unemployment compensation, Obama called for a fairer tax system as well, to revive the American economy!

Basically, he declared a war on the economy, and seemed to gain some GOP support, based on early reactions by Speaker of the House John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. But if they follow the lead of Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, pledging opposition to any Obama programs, then the Democrats will fight in every congressional district to get the message across, and put Republicans on the spot with their constituents!

The speech was inspiring, and is the opening salvo in the 2012 Presidential election, with and without GOP support! This is the time for all who believe that President Obama is doing the best for this nation to rally around the administration and its programs to deal with the economy!

The “Science” Republicans Vs. The “Faith” Republicans

Part of the struggle for the Republican Presidential nomination is between those who believe in the validity of science, relating to global warming, evolution, and stem cell research, and those who believe in the literal interpretation of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

On one side are Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney; on the other side are Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, and sometimes, in an inconsistent way, Newt Gingrich, who is intelligent enough to know better!

Are we to have a possible future President who repudiates science and wishes to lead a holy crusade for Christianity in a world in which we must somehow coexist with Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and other religious faiths that look at the world differently from us?

In a country founded on separation of church and state, to avoid religious conflict, we are now faced with the real possibility of a “Crusade” mentality which will undermine our national security!

Rick Perry: An “Enviable Record” Of Accomplishments and Beliefs?

Does Rick Perry have an “enviable record” of accomplishments and beliefs as Governor of Texas for the past eleven years?

Education–The absolutely worst record of educational accomplishments and graduation rate from high schools, and a massive budget cut this year,

Health Care–One out of four Texans have no health care coverage at all, not seen as a problem by the Governor.

Capital Punishment–The highest rate of executions of any Governor, including many questionable cases of miscarriage of justice.

Social Security–Calling the program a “Ponzi Scheme”, totally off the wall, and undermining its future by scaring young people who are paying into the system, along with those getting it and near to eligibility for it.

Employment–Bragging about the most jobs created, without revealing most are minimum wage or below, or are government or military jobs, which he has no right to give himself credit for.

Immigration–Claims that there is a crisis on the border, when statistics show there is NOT a crisis.

Much more could be delineated, but the point is clear: Rick Perry is himself a “Ponzi Scheme”, a charlatan, a liar, a phony of major proportions!

Falsehoods At GOP Debate Abound! So What Else Is New?

The Republican Presidential debate last night at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California abounded with falsehoods!

Rick Perry claimed that there is a crisis at the border with Mexico, and Michele Bachmann seconded that idea, but that is NOT the case! In fact, records of the federal government agencies show that crime is far lower in cities close to Mexico than they are in the rest of the country’s cities. The cities that have low crime rates include El Paso and Austin, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; and San Diego, California. But it is part of the plan of the GOP to exploit the illegal immigration issue, and instill fear in the American people!

Michele Bachmann said, regarding immigration, that we need to make citizenship difficult as it was in the 1950s and early 1960s, when literacy in English was required; knowledge of American history and politics was mandated; taxes had to be paid on time and accurately; a criminal record would eliminate the chance for citizenship; and having a communicable disease was also ground for refusal of citizenship. The problem with what Bachmann cited is that these are the SAME requirement now, as they were then!

Mitt Romney claimed to create more jobs in four years in Massachusetts than Barack Obama has in two and a half years! Wow, what a whopper that was, as he only created 48,000 jobs, while Obama has created or saved at least TWO million jobs over the past 30 months!

Herman Cain called for a 9-9-9 tax structure, which means 9 percent income tax rate 9 percent corporate tax rate, and 9 percent national sales tax, claiming that would raise enough money and be totally fair to everyone! Really, what a whopper, as a national sales tax would hurt the poor and the middle class much more because they spend almost all of their income on things, while wealthy people save a lot of their income. And Cain wants no estate tax and no capital gains tax, which means more distortion of national income in favor of the rich!

Ron Paul shocked many by openly criticizing Ronald Reagan on much that he did, and calling for cutbacks on federal regulation and enforcement in areas that almost everyone recognizes need federal involvement, including education, health, natural disasters, and corporate practices!

Only Jon Huntsman avoided any inaccuracies or ridiculous statements, seeming very statesmanlike, reasonable, and sensible. Despite this, just about everyone in the news media seem to be ignoring him, seeing him as not a major factor in the race.

This is folly, as John Kerry and John McCain proved in 2004 and 2008 that making judgments in September, and going by fluctuating public opinion polls, is a major mistake.

Some observers are saying that if Huntsman fails to gain in the next polls over the weekend, that he will be dropped from future debates, although he is scheduled for the CNN debate next Monday. It would be ironic if the Fox News Channel debate a week later saw editorializing by that channel, and led to Huntsman being eliminated from that debate. But if that happened, the answer would be: What else is new?