Taxation

Truth Vs. Conservative Propaganda: Taxes Lowest In 60 Years!

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If one listens to Talk Radio, watches Fox News Channel, or believes Tea Party activists, one would think that our taxes have skyrocketed under President Barack Obama.

The truth is just the opposite: Taxes are the lowest in 60 years, as stated by the Tax Policy Center at the Brookings Institution!

And when one recognizes that taxes were at their highest percentage during the Eisenhower Administration (1953-1961), at a 92 percent rate for the wealthy, it makes one wonder how so many Americans (34 percent according to a recent poll) can believe the propaganda that is out there complaining about the basic responsibility of all Americans to support their government, particularly when all Americans expect their government to provide services!

Does anyone really believe that we can get services from government, as we all do, and somehow, NOT have to pay our fair share of taxes?

Is the country becoming that self centered that it thinks only everyone else should pay taxes, but not oneself? This is the result of thirty years of conservative propaganda, which has only been aimed at making middle class Americans pay taxes, while the wealthy are supposed to be able to avoid their fair share of responsibility to pay taxes.

And remember, the highest level of federal taxes took place under a Republican President, not a Democrat, and this during the so called “conservative” 1950s! 🙂

Poll Shows Most Want To Tax Rich, But Not Cut Medicare And Social Security!

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A Quinnipiac Poll shows that a vast majority of people, 60 percent, want to tax more those who make over $250,000, and 70 percent want to tax more those who make over $1 million. This includes both Democrats and Republicans stating such views.

But 80 percent do NOT want any tax increases on those making under $250,000, and most are vehemently opposed to any cuts in Social Security and Medicare.

Unfortunately, it is not sensible to think that such an attitude can work, as the irresponsible cuts in taxes since the Reagan Administration have helped to create the budget deficits we now face! The Republicans have been responsible for most of this budget shortfall, by tremendous increases in defense spending and war spending, particularly under George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.

Sales and income tax increases will be necessary in the long run, no matter what people might feel or wish. And future reform of Social Security is unavoidable, as it was once modified in 1983 during the administration of Ronald Reagan.

And also, Medicare spending will have to be modified, to get rid of waste and fraud, a lot of it caused by corrupt hospital practices and doctors who overbill with reckless abandon!

What it comes down to is there is no “free ride”, and the American people will have to learn that you must pay for what you want, and that you cannot expect others to pay while you gain everything as if there are no limits!

This, unfortunately, is an age of greed and selfishness, a new Gilded Age, which has been with us for 30 years and must now be reckoned with! We will have to limit expectations that the American people have become accustomed to as entitlements without responsibility!

CNN Poll Shows Government Is “Broken”, But Can Be Fixed: What Is The Answer?

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A new CNN poll shows that 86 percent of those polled think the US government is “broken”, but 81 percent think it can be fixed if we can get cooperation of both political parties in Congress.

Of course, that seems unlikely, because the reality is the only way to deal with the horrible growing deficits that threaten our economic stability, is to do two things–raise taxes and cut spending!

Neither one alone can work! We have been avoiding the reality that when we have had constant tax cuts under Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, we were just delaying the ultimate reality, which is that we must pay for the government services we want and need! There is no free ride!

But we also need government spending cuts on a bipartisan basis, but not just by itself, as that is an impossibility to deal with this crisis!

The future is likely a national sales tax or value added tax as an alternative, as many nations in the world already have. It is a very unpleasant reality, but it is ultimately unavoidable. It has been totally irresponsible for Congress and the Presidents over the past thirty years to act as if they they can spend on everything the people need or want, and what we need for our defense, and somehow evade paying for it.

But with longevity growing in this country, another reform of social security for future recipients, starting at a substantially later age, is essential. And Medicare and Medicaid, sadly, will also have to be reformed, as it is eating up such a large portion of spending.

Additionally, we are going to have to decide that we cannot be the world’s policeman to the same extent we are now, as we simply are going bankrupt with defense spending. We need to protect our nation, but there has to be a cheaper way to do so, with other nations not expecting that our budget will supply their defense everywhere in the world!

Tough choices have to be made, and the sooner the better for the future of our children and grandchildren!