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Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increased?

Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increased?

  • Yes. Because taxing the hell out of the rich is more important than paying off debt.

    Votes: 5 35.7%

  • No. Because people with a spending problem shouldn't be given more money.

    Votes: 9 64.3%

  • I'm not sure.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    14
jamesrage

jamesrage

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Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increased?



Yes. Because taxing the hell out of the rich is more important than paying off debt.
No. Because people with a spending problem shouldn't be given more money
I'm not sure.
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

The federal government has to quit giving money away. Yes, we need massive spending cuts, and to quit playing partisan games pretending that the spending problem is just the "other" party. Both parties are parties of big government, they just disagree to a point on which programs need to be increased. No one is talking about reducing government.
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

the tax increases aren't massive. we're talking about raising payroll tax back to the normal rate, and raising the top marginal rate to 39.6 from 35. a massive tax increase would have been raising the top rate back to 70+, which was the rate that Kennedy chose for his massive tax cut from 91 percent.

as for spending cuts, they need to happen, and they need to be carefully phased in. the demand side is probably more vulnerable than the supply side.
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

The benefits of spending cuts can be realized today; the benefits of tax increases may not be realized until April 15 next year.
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

Fisher said:
The benefits of spending cuts can be realized today; the benefits of tax increases may not be realized until April 15 next year.
Click to expand...

Yeah, most people don't wait until 4/15, specifically those who know that they're getting money back.

I'm going to be dodging a lot of punches this season because of a few changes to the IRC, not the least of which is the child credit.

Oh wait, what am I talking about? A reduction in child tax credit clearly is an increase for the rich, not the poor. We all know that it's the rich who have more kids than they can handle.
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

Gipper said:
Yeah, most people don't wait until 4/15, specifically those who know that they're getting money back.

I'm going to be dodging a lot of punches this season because of a few changes to the IRC, not the least of which is the child credit.

Oh wait, what am I talking about? A reduction in child tax credit clearly is an increase for the rich, not the poor. We all know that it's the rich who have more kids than they can handle.
Click to expand...

I did not know that. Very interesting. I believe the rich can handle their kids better simply because they can afford to care for them in the first place.

However the rich should utilize more restraint regarding sex and use condoms more.
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

Fisher said:
The benefits of spending cuts can be realized today; the benefits of tax increases may not be realized until April 15 next year.
Click to expand...

This is incorrect. The current level of spending was set in the last appropriation bills for most departments. And raising taxes now raises the amount taken out of paychecks now, as well as boosting the amount of estimated tax payments. So you actually have it in reverse. The benefits of spending cuts will only happen after the existing appropriations runs out where tax increases will be realized in every paycheck.
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

LiberalAvenger said:
I did not know that. Very interesting. I believe the rich can handle their kids better simply because they can afford to care for them in the first place.

However the rich should utilize more restraint regarding sex and use condoms more.
Click to expand...

Well, I have these radical, insane beliefs - something like "you shouldn't have kids you can't afford". I'd rather Madonna or Angelina Jolie adopt an African tribe than see one crack ho have a kid she'll never be able to afford.

I know that some women have actually had kids for the purpose of tax breaks, which is appalling in and of itself.
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

Gipper said:
Well, I have these radical, insane beliefs - something like "you shouldn't have kids you can't afford". I'd rather Madonna or Angelina Jolie adopt an African tribe than see one crack ho have a kid she'll never be able to afford.

I know that some women have actually had kids for the purpose of tax breaks, which is appalling in and of itself.
Click to expand...

I know people who buy houses for tax breaks. Is that appalling, also?

Crack hos and African tribes? Very interesting points.
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

jamesrage said:
Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increased?



Yes. Because taxing the hell out of the rich is more important than paying off debt.
No. Because people with a spending problem shouldn't be given more money
I'm not sure.
Click to expand...

Doesn't really matter which is done first, both need to be done. This "War on Terror" has been the longest and one of the most expensive wars in American history, and its the only one that didn't come along with a tax increase to pay for it, which is only reasonable since we expect the government to be spending a lot more to fund a war. Frankly I can't think of why they not only increased spending but also decreased revenue at the same time, I don't think any American after 9/11 was not ready to give more if the nation asked to go to war.

Regardless, those wars are so far completely unpaid and its time we pay for what we purchased.
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

LiberalAvenger said:
I know people who buy houses for tax breaks. Is that appalling, also?

Crack hos and African tribes? Very interesting points.
Click to expand...

Well, you can't get homestead credits for any dwelling that's not a primary residence, so there's no tax breaks in that aspect. If anything, they'd increase their liability because, presumably, they'd buy the houses for the purposes of rental income. Care to tell me what people buy houses for tax breaks? I'd like to know what they're thinking and who they've been talking to.
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

Gipper said:
Well, you can't get homestead credits for any dwelling that's not a primary residence, so there's no tax breaks in that aspect. If anything, they'd increase their liability because, presumably, they'd buy the houses for the purposes of rental income. Care to tell me what people buy houses for tax breaks? I'd like to know what they're thinking and who they've been talking to.
Click to expand...

Home owners.
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

When the federal government can prove it is able to spend no more money than they take in, then they can come ask me for more money. If they can't be responsible for what they have now, why are we supposed to believe they'll be responsible if we give them more?
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

Both at the same time? :shrug:
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

We cant have more taxes OR spending cuts, we need both for a healthy economy. But most of all we need to get rid of useless programs.
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

Here's something that could be cut:

Air Force Buying $421,000 Fax Machines

WASHINGTON — The Air Force is getting custom-made fax machines - for more than $421,000 each, including spare parts.

While taxpayers can buy a fax machine for less than $1,000, those devices are not up to the sand, rain, salt, fungus and nuclear survivability standards of the Air Force.

What is more, the average civilian fax - which transmits copies of documents over telephone lines - does not use paper that costs $100 a roll.
Click to expand...

Somehow, knowing that the Air force has fax machines that cost as much as a house near the coast doesn't make me feel any safer. I'm not sure how it makes you feel.

Edit: I just noticed this story is from 1989. No doubt the faxes cost even more today.
 
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Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

Dittohead not! said:
Here's something that could be cut:

Air Force Buying $421,000 Fax Machines



Somehow, knowing that the Air force has fax machines that cost as much as a house near the coast doesn't make me feel any safer. I'm not sure how it makes you feel.

Edit: I just noticed this story is from 1989. No doubt the faxes cost even more today.
Click to expand...
I was wondering who doesn't use plain paper faxes these days.

Shoot, I was also wondering who uses faxes at all. :mrgreen:
 
Re: Is it unreasonable for massive spending cuts to be made before taxes are increase

radcen said:
I was wondering who doesn't use plain paper faxes these days.

Shoot, I was also wondering who uses faxes at all. :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

they kind of went the way of the vinyl record, didn't they? I hope the AF has already gotten their money's worth.

I found that doing a search after having seen the cartoon in the political cartoon thread about how the AF had bought faxes for over 500 grand, and wondered if it was true. I didn't notice that the story was from 24 years ago until I had already posted it.
 
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