Originally Posted By: sinij


You are grasping for the straws here. What you are saying boils down, that just because it doesn't look good right now we shouldn't try doing what even you couldn't deny help.

Increasing taxes WILL HELP with current fiscal situation. Actually, you could solve deficit with just modest across the board tax increase and significant budget cut to defense.

The fact that tea party knuckle draggers would rather see our country burn than compromise is telling volumes.

Why raise taxes? Well, because MORE MONEY IN means LESS DEFICIT. Yes, I know its magical like that.


If you translate your position to a household (I know, generally bad comparison), then you are suggesting that by "living within your means" means just put everything on a credit card and then count on kicking the bucket before it gets maxed out so someone else gets to pay the bill.


Actually more revenue compared to spending means less deficit. Not just more money.

I am not the one grasping at straws here - what I want is an actionable plan of comprehensive reform whereas you seem to be advocating one specific component method saying "anything would help".

One of the problems with your approach, is that there are no accurate models able to predict the effects of Bernanke + taxes. What you seem to want to hit people with is a double whammy, yet provide no additional restraint or accountability on Govt. Or at least, providing such accountability and fixing structural problems seems secondary to taking everyones money.


So for 2010 there is an approx 1.2T deficit, going by the Feds own data.

http://www.usgovernmentrevenue.com/yearrev2010_0.html

Generally when people say "raise taxes" in this context without additional qualifiers they are referring to income taxes - and this is what I take you to be advocating.

So instead of a comprehensive reform - you are advocating a *100%* increase in income taxes. 100%, and you say that *I* am grasping at straws?

Bernanke is doing a QE3 - while noone can know for sure yet, early estimates are putting the price at 600B - or approx 60% of the amount the govt typically collects in income tax in a year. Perhaps you think our taxes should be raised by an additional 600B as well to pay for the Federal Reserve Board to arbitrarily reward their malinvesting friends?

Simply "raising taxes" in this environment is, again, not a reasonable solution to a massive problem.

For who could be free when every other man's humour might domineer over him? - John Locke (2nd Treatise, sect 57)