Comments on: Senate Passes Higher Tax Rates On Rich To Avert ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Crisis

By: charleo1

charleo1 — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:21:00 +0000

I hear you. You believe taxes are bad for anyone to have to pay. And, this one tells
you businesses are having to pay 50% of their profits back to the government, and so
taxes are the culprit. I can tell you, the rate, or amount is not near 50%, and simply
having money to invest and expand one’s business, hire more people, etc. is done
as a matter of increased demand for the product or service. And is not determined
necessarily by the amount of money in the owner’s bank account. And even in good
times 50% of new businesses fail in the first two years. But their probability of success
is greatly enhanced when there is general prosperity in the market. And that imbalance
in our Country today is our greatest impediment to a thriving economy. Not taxes. Look,
you say the fact that 90% makes a decision for the 10, makes you uncomfortable.
However, is it preferable that the top 10% make policy for the remaining 90?
That, as much as anything, has brought us to the point where we find ourselves today.
How many times do pols mention small business? A lot. How much of the policy is
aimed at helping small business? Hardly any. If you travel around the Country, notice how much one town looks like the last. Same franchises, everywhere you go. It wasn’t always so. Thousands of small businesses have been shoved out of the market. Millions of people
that may have stated their own business, and prospered, are working for a big box store.
With wages that simply fail to drive our economy, educated our children, and pay for
the public necessities, security, and public works. Out towns, and cities are literally
falling apart right before our eyes. While the Wal-Marts, and the Papa Johns, hire politicians to tell the public how hard the government is on them. That, gosh! If we only had a more Capitalist economy… If taxes weren’t so high, well then, wages would be better.
It’s a fetching line. And it’s a lie. It’s killing the Middle Class. And it’s killing the upward
mobility of our people. What we still refer to as, “The American Dream.” Bit by bit
the working people in this Country are being debilitated. Robbed of the financial ability
to make decisions about their own lives. While politicians hold unemployment benefits
hostage, rail aganist even the food provided to the poor, as something undeserved, stolen. Demanding ever more tax relief for their uber rich, benefactors, and corporations.
Take a good look. Really look around, when you have time to think. See what’s happening
to your Country. That’s what every American ought to be doing today.

By: labrown69

labrown69 — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:40:00 +0000

“Only our credibility”? Well why didn’t ya tell me? When you’re the United States of America, who needs “credibility”?

When I speak, I try and avoid hyperbole and speak to facts and “fact” is they did not avoid the so called “fiscal cliff”, a description of a “deadline” to avoid “sequestration” that was not met whether it was a holiday or not. They had months which were not “a holiday” in which to negotiate previous to the weekend, so to suggest “oh, that doesn’t count because ‘it was a holiday’ is childish.

I personally saw the “sequestration” as the only way they were going to get cuts to the military budget, so the fact that government did not accommodate the deadline is at worst, a mixed blessing but my initial comment was factual, to say that “we will not fall off the cliff” after we already have, is fanciful and to say “no damage was done other than to our credibility” when we are facing another credit downgrade and we the richest and most powerful country in the world, is slightly disingenuous and downright confused. How can you battle the bad guys if your own side is not honest?

“Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play”?

By: djuissi

djuissi — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:04:00 +0000

President Obama did the right thing to fight for the middle class for taxes, but what about salaries.
He should close the gap by fight for wage here in USA.
For example rent goes up every year, but not salaries
go up

By: saceo

saceo — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 11:17:00 +0000

I don’t think you can lump the top 400, or 5000 richest families in the same league with folks that make 250-500k a year. I think you are targeting maybe the super-rich. As a workerperson too, I have can aspire to making 250k or 500k, but other than no worries, I still wouldn’t have real fallback like a pension, or a lot of investments. A nice life, with no extra dollars to really invest in businesses, etc. Most people that don’t succeed in business don’t understand how hard it is to create jobs. If 50% goes to government every year with federal, state and local taxes you just can’t invest in things unless you are very frugal. If husband and wife each work, pay for daycare, etc, it almost pays for 1 of them not to work due to crush of taxes that take 50% of it. Be careful is what I think on letting 90% make decision for the “rich”, that’s all. Tax the other guy is bad thinking, and I hate when the President says, ok 90% of people we have a deal for you that soaks the other 10% (even if it just a few more points, casue it never really ends at that). It not about not paying fair share, we all love US and will pay. But I don’t think 39% fed tax rates are fair or helpful, federal tax rates should be 25%, state 7%, and local property 3% – or something like that. You also pay sales tax, tolls and lots of other taxes too if you look at it.

By: Dominick Vila

Dominick Vila — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 11:07:00 +0000

January 1st was a Holiday. Our markets, financial institutions and most government departments and agencies were closed. Even though we, technically, fell off the cliff in practical terms there was no damage done other than to our credibility.

By: Michael Kollmorgen

Michael Kollmorgen — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:04:00 +0000

Your point is one of the points I failed to mention.

Thank you for bring this one up.

But, there is a bit of misinformation about this. Prison labor is used primarily for public works. It is their way of trying to rehabilitate a criminal.

I don’t believe they use prison labor in a commercial enterprise. Some of the areas of the country was trying to do just that. But, I heard the Central Chinese Government put a complete stop to that just a few years ago.

However, the wages Chinese are paid in any commercial enterprise would be comparable to us paying our workers what a prisoner would earn being in our prison system. Prison wages in most prisons are roughly around $1.50 an hour, sometimes more if they are working in one of the various “Prison Industries”.

By: charleo1

charleo1 — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 22:23:00 +0000

Austerity has been a bust. Long live John Maynard Keynes! Now we can see.
With most of Europe’s economies walloped by being involved in the same collateralized
debt scheme that tanked our economy in 2008. Many of the Countries, faced with a
credit crunch, and higher interest rates, adopted programs of austerity. As a result
many of their economies still teeter on the brink of collapse. Isn’t it ironic in a way,
Germany is saving Europe? But they also have been very smart about not getting too
involved in buying debt, with the hope of big returns. As Greece, Spain, Portugal, and
Italy did. Germany also has very strong unions, that sit at the boardroom table. They
took the necessary steps to protect their manufacturing base from imports made with
cheap Asian labor. And find it appalling, and quite baffling the United States
thought so little of it’s industrial base, they would ratify the lopsided trade policies
It is worth noting that it is not the Government’s job to simply give
to big business everything they come to Washington and request. That has been the
case far too often for the past few decades. And we are all paying the consequences
of the premise, or idea that it’s government’s job to lower taxes, and get out of way.

By: Skyline43

Skyline43 — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 19:47:00 +0000

I can’t believe the behaviors of the Senate and the House. They act like the people aren’t out here watching and listening. It is a stage and they are constantly performing. A perfect example, the OVER THE CLIFF thing. What drama! Our leaders (if that’s what you can call them) are over the CLIFF SOCIALLY and no longer relate to real people. They vote themselves pay raises, have their own retirement, tax payers pay their expenses. The people should have more to say about their benefits and pay raises. How many of us are privileged in that respect and not fulfill our duties. How great the rewards for accomplishing NOTHING!! We may have to examine the two party system. As it is today, the two party system does not work. Another thought. Who pays for the flights they took to leave Washington, come back and then, leave again? If they worked together long before the holidays, extra travel would not be necessary, and WE the taxpayers would not be strapped with more of their indiscretions and lack of responsibility to the American people.

By: dalnb

dalnb — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 19:15:00 +0000

I have been a registered Republican for the past 51 years. I have to admit though I seldom vote party choosing to vote for the best person rather than follow party. Over the past 20 years I have voted almost 100% Democrat. In the past 10 years I have found the Republican leadership to be non-existent. Republicans like Mitch McConnell and Karl Rove and radical radio and TV talk show hosts like Hannity and Limbaugh have all but destroyed not ony the party’s reputation but the worlds respect for our government. I had hopes the Tea Party would help get the Republican party back on track BUT – they have made things even worse. I attended several Tea Party rallies and soon learned they were leading the Grand-old Party down the wrong track.
I believe any person has the right to their opinion and they have a right to support and back their opinions but when they become so radical and the only support that can be mustered comes from huge financial interests then it is not in the best iinterests of our country.

I plan on changing my party affiliation before the next election and as it stands now, based on the past 10 years – I will probably never vote for another Republican!

By: joeham1

joeham1 — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 18:43:00 +0000

Not even more unlearned? What are you talking about? Did you read what I said? Can you talk about that?