Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

At that point in history, that would have been you guys. The bible thumpers were still democrats.

1952 Democrat nominee for Vice President: noted integrationist, Sen. John Sparkman, Alabama.

1956 Democrat nominee for Vice President: noted integrationist Sen. Estes Kefauver, Tennessee

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

The case will be referred to one of Holder's appointees. Seriously.

As I understand it, that's for criminal contempt. Nobody wants to put him behind bars. That's why they passed a resolution giving Issa authority to go after him for civil contempt. Maybe Holder can call on some of his New Black Panther Party buddies for legal advice.

 

[FreshFish]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

It's not the ACA that is the problem, it is the clear definition that Congress can tax anything at anytime for any purpose that really concerns me. The only check and balance to that appears to be the veto or the Congressional elections.

If some pundit or media outlet would start focusing on that, I think more of the country would be concerned.

My hope is that enough people would be motivated enough long enough to arise from their torpor and agitate until we have a new Constitutional amendment imposing the necessary clarity and restriction.

Example:

The Tax Clarity Amendment.

Section I: If there is going to be a Federal personal income tax, then everyone with earned income will be taxed at a rate that is no lower than 1% of their income.

Section II: In the personal income tax code, there will be no deductions, exemptions, allowances, credits, or any other preference items whatsoever.

Section III: The top marginal personal income tax rate and the top corporate marginal income tax rate will be the same.

Section IV: A value added tax of any kind is expressly prohibited.

Section V: A national sales tax is expressly prohibited.

Something like that. Government needs a certain amount of revenue to perform its essential functions.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

My hope is that enough people would be motivated enough long enough to arise from their torpor and agitate until we have a new Constitutional amendment imposing the necessary clarity and restriction.

Example:

The Tax Clarity Amendment.

Section I: If there is going to be a Federal personal income tax, then everyone with earned income will be taxed at a rate that is no lower than 1% of their income.

Section II: In the personal income tax code, there will be no deductions, exemptions, allowances, credits, or any other preference items whatsoever.

Section III: The top marginal personal income tax rate and the top corporate marginal income tax rate will be the same.

Section IV: A value added tax of any kind is expressly prohibited.

Section V: A national sales tax is expressly prohibited.

Something like that. Government needs a certain amount of revenue to perform its essential functions.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

You honestly think you could get enough people to agree on a single issue to pass the test to become ratified? I'm willing to bet you couldn't even get 75% of people to say 2+2=4.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

Yes, JFK's signature domestic achievement, the 1961 tax cut. an economic boom followed.

The top rate was cut from 91% to 77%. Republicans always forget that fact.

Or are you suggesting the top rate should go back to 77%?

 

[Priceless]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

My hope is that enough people would be motivated enough long enough to arise from their torpor and agitate until we have a new Constitutional amendment imposing the necessary clarity and restriction.

Example:

The Tax Clarity Amendment.

Section I: If there is going to be a Federal personal income tax, then everyone with earned income will be taxed at a rate that is no lower than 1% of their income.

Section II: In the personal income tax code, there will be no deductions, exemptions, allowances, credits, or any other preference items whatsoever.

Section III: The top marginal personal income tax rate and the top corporate marginal income tax rate will be the same.

Section IV: A value added tax of any kind is expressly prohibited.

Section V: A national sales tax is expressly prohibited.

Something like that. Government needs a certain amount of revenue to perform its essential functions.

How could I ever doubt that you're a liberal Democrat with an open mind...

 

[mookie1995]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

The top rate was cut from 91% to 77%. Republicans always forget that fact.

Or are you suggesting the top rate should go back to 77%?

coulda been worse! 'there's one for you, nineteen for me..."

 

[joecct]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

The top rate was cut from 91% to 77%. Republicans always forget that fact.

Or are you suggesting the top rate should go back to 77%?

Not me. Don't lump us all into the history is bunk! crowd.

 

[joecct]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

1952 Democrat nominee for Vice President: noted integrationist, Sen. John Sparkman, Alabama.

1956 Democrat nominee for Vice President: noted integrationist Sen. Estes Kefauver, Tennessee

The both lost in a landslide, right Adlai?

 

[geezer]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

The top rate was cut from 91% to 77%. Republicans always forget that fact.

Or are you suggesting the top rate should go back to 77%?

now I'm curious. Did all other brackets stay as they were?

 

[joecct]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

My point was, you seemed to be saying, "I think it's a bad idea for Congress to have an essentially unconstrained power to tax." I agree that this is cause for concern. Given the context, I thought you might have been implicitly criticizing the Court for failing to define a limit—if you were not, it's still something worth discussing because it seems to be a point of complaint about the decision from a number of people on the right. Hence my statement that "even if this is cause for concern, it wouldn't have been appropriate for the Court to do anything about it."

Nope -- that's beyond the court's jurisdiction. I believe the Chief Justice put it upon the people to control an amok Congress. I hope we're up to the task.

 

[mookie1995]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

Nope -- that's beyond the court's jurisdiction. I believe the Chief Justice put it upon the people to control an amok Congress. I hope we're up to the task.

exactly right. congress holds the power to tax. the courts don't have the jurisdiction to say how much or how little.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

now I'm curious. Did all other brackets stay as they were?

I can't find details, but Wikipedia says tax rates in all brackets were cut by an average of 20%...JFK's goal was to lower the bottom rate from 20% to 14%. I see that that was achieved.

The original document that passed Congress and was signed by President Johnson is located here.

Wikipedia also indicates the corporate tax rate dropped from 52% to 48% and I'll take their word for it, because the part of the law that pertains to corporate taxes may as well be written in Sanskrit. I tried reading it for 20 seconds and got a headache. (Then again, I always have a headache to some degree...)

 

[Craig P.]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

Nope -- that's beyond the court's jurisdiction. I believe the Chief Justice put it upon the people to control an amok Congress. I hope we're up to the task.

We are in complete agreement, then.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

The top rate was cut from 91% to 77%. Republicans always forget that fact.

Or are you suggesting the top rate should go back to 77%?

Effective rates were still much lower that the stated TMR, though. People were able to write off rugs they purchased for their homes as home improvement expenses, and things like that.

When Pres. Reagan changed the tax code, he dropped all MRs and removed the vast majority of deductions available at the time. His plan was to make it simpler and cheaper for citizens doing their taxes and cheaper to run the IRS come audit time.

Since then we've clearly added more and more credits and deductions back into the code while creeping up the MR's and only changing the effective rates slightly. I prefer Pres. Reagan's method.

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

More commentary that Roberts may have voted so as to try to restore peoples' (read liberals) confidence in the Supreme Court. Funny nobody ever sees liberal justices vote against their normal views to restore the Court's prestige. But, can't expect things to cut both ways.

Voting to "restore prestige" rather than voting in a manner in which the law dictates is the opoosite of prestige as is allowing one's "normal (personal) views" to infiltrate the process.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

The Democrats cut taxes? Sorry, couldn't get past that one.

I suppose Reagan got his tax cut by executive decree.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

Charlie Rangel's re-election has turned into a major clusterbleep. 32 precincts have not yet been counted. And by co-incidence, they happen to be in neighborhoods seen as favorable to Charlie's opponant, Adriano Espaillat. Charlie's lead has been whittled down to about a thousand votes. There are also provisional and absentee ballots uncounted. An ethical guy like Charlie, hard to imagine any of his flunkies putting their thumbs on the scale to help him.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0612/78044.html

 

[Priceless]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

Yes, JFK's signature domestic achievement, the 1961 tax cut.

I suppose only liberals consider his desegregation of the old Confederacy an achievement. For conservatives it was a monumental setback...

 

[mookie1995]

Re: Elections 2012:What unites us is greater than what divides us

I suppose only liberals consider his desegregation of the old Confederacy an achievement. For conservatives it was a monumental setback...

i can think of one liberal who considers jfk's banging of marilyn monroe to be his crowning achievement.