Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Henry Blodget of Business Insider: DON'T BE FOOLED: The Republicans Are Winning
Business Insider ^ | 01/02/2013 | Henry Blodget

Posted on 01/02/2013 8:46:43 AM PST by SeekAndFind

To listen to all the moaning out of the House of Representatives yesterday, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Republicans are losing the fiscal battle in Washington.

Actually, they're winning.

To see this, you just need to step back and look at the tax deal and the country's fiscal trends from a broader perspective.

Yesterday, the American government voted to extend almost all of the Bush Tax Cuts permanently.

Not temporarily, as a stimulus measure.

Permanently.

Ever since the Bush Tax Cuts were first enacted in 2001--temporarily, as a stimulus measure--one goal of the Republican party has been to "make the Bush Tax Cuts permanent."

For most of the last decade, this goal has seemed like an extremist view: Making the Bush Tax Cuts permanent would drastically reduce the federal government's revenue. It would also increase inequality and balloon the national debt and deficit--so how could we possibly justify doing that?

And yet now, suddenly, almost all of the Bush Tax Cuts are permanent.

The Republicans also got a good deal for the investor and owner class, making the Bush dividend tax cut permanent. This saves a lot of money in tax bills for America's wealthier investors.

And the Republicans also socked it to the working class, something that often seems to be an unstated goal of the party. How?

By not extending the payroll tax cut.

This payroll tax cut put up to an extra $2,000 a year in the pockets of everyone who works. The payroll tax hits everyone who earns wages, including the richest Americans, but it's a highly "regressive" tax: It takes a much bigger percentage of the income of those who earn less than $110,000 a year than it does from the richest Americans.

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; Politics; Society
KEYWORDS: blodget; budget; businessinsider; debt; fiscalcliff; republicans; zerohedge
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-58 next last
To: SeekAndFind
I didn't see anything about the immoral inheritance tax? Did that go up to 55%?
21 posted on 01/02/2013 9:05:01 AM PST by mosaicwolf (Strength and Honor)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The Alinskyites never rest, and never stop lying.


22 posted on 01/02/2013 9:06:40 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum ("More law, less justice." --Cicero)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kabar
The only thing about the Obama tax cuts is that they will not sunset like the Bush tax cuts.

Oh, so now you want to call them the "ObAMA TAX CUTS".

IIRC, Obama was dead set against these cuts both as a so called senator and the so called president.

They are still the Bush tax cuts.

23 posted on 01/02/2013 9:08:31 AM PST by oldbrowser (They are marxists, don't call them democrats)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

“The Republicans also got a good deal for the investor and owner class, making the Bush dividend tax cut permanent. This saves a lot of money in tax bills for America’s wealthier investors.

And the Republicans also socked it to the working class, something that often seems to be an unstated goal of the party.” - Henry Blodgett

This guy continues to out himself as a complete moron.


24 posted on 01/02/2013 9:11:06 AM PST by Triple (Socialism denies people the right to the fruits of their labor, and is as abhorrent as slavery)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Making the cuts permanent did NOT drastically reduce revenue. It stopped it from beind raised. These people would never have made it through 9th grade algebra. They don’t know the difference between a “negative” and a “positive”.


25 posted on 01/02/2013 9:13:40 AM PST by Terry Mross ( I post so people who hate me will know what I think. And they can't seem to stop reading. LOL)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Henry Blodget is entirely wrong and short sighted to boot.

Taxing the evil rich simply does not work in the long run, but worse, the Republicans have taxed ONLY the rich who are not protected DemoRat rich or protected DemoRat crony capitalist (Fascist) corporations.

Thus the targeted group (those who do not actively support Marxism) will flee, be destroyed, or rearrange to become crony capitalists (Fascists) for government protection and subsidy.

Therein lies the problem, the Socialist system (including it's Fascist and Marxist components), always spends everyone into bankruptcy by getting no value for the money, and when bankrupt, one no longer needs government protection and can't pay to get it anyway. Now the government can't pay ANYBODY either and everybody but the elite inner circle Communist oligarchs are equally completely destitute and income free.

Including Henry Blodget.

26 posted on 01/02/2013 9:16:31 AM PST by Navy Patriot (Join the Democrats, it's not Fascism when WE do it, and the Constitution and law mean what WE say.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
This payroll tax cut put up to an extra $2,000 a year in the pockets of everyone who works. The payroll tax hits everyone who earns wages, including the richest Americans, but it's a highly "regressive" tax: It takes a much bigger percentage of the income of those who earn less than $110,000 a year than it does from the richest Americans

What a pantload of misleading crap. What this buffoon neglects to mention these "payroll taxes" are not technically taxes (effectively, yes, but not specifically). "Payroll taxes" are technically insurance payments that are 6.2% of ones paycheck mandated by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) for Old Age, Survivor and Disibility Insurance (OASDI). The 1.45% they pay is for Medicare Insurance.

Further, each of these very low wage earners get back far more in EITC, child credits, etc. than they pay in on 6.2% of their meager income. This statement is just another hit at people that actually have made something of their life and don't have to ask "do you want fries with that?" The founders of this country never meant to have a permanent freeloading class of citizens that leech off the rest of us. This heart-tugging stuff about regressive, excessive, larger percentage, etc. is just diversionary tactics that hide the real problem - too many frigging leeches.

27 posted on 01/02/2013 9:19:06 AM PST by Gaffer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
I read the article in its entirety. Also read the "recommended follow-on", as well.

While I didn't particularly like it, I thought that it was a good analysis. Basically, he stated that the deficit would only be fixed by *both* tax increases and budget cuts. I don't necessarily like this, but I think that he's probably right.

Additionally, he *showed* where the money for the deficits was going....not defense, or Unemployment, or Food Stamps. Basically, it's going to Medicare, Medicaid, and SS. Defense (an FR sacred cow) and unemployment/Food Stamps (a favored FR scapegoat) are fairly minimal in the grand scheme of things.

So, in a nutshell, I didn't like what he said. I also disagree with him in that spending cuts need to come from everywhere, and no cut is too small. However, I came away from the readings with more knowledge than I started.

28 posted on 01/02/2013 9:24:06 AM PST by wbill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind; All

Next.....Michael Jordan will tell us how his Charlotte Bobcats are actually winning....despite their 3-22 record


29 posted on 01/02/2013 9:31:25 AM PST by SeminoleCounty (Fiscal Conservatives are Neither)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Yosemitest
REPUBLICANS WHO NEED TO BE PRIMARY-ED

LaTourette, Steven
Ohio's 14th congressional district

I will personally drag him out of the Capitol tomorrow, kick him in the butt and tell him to never darken the door of the people's house with his RINO shadow. Also he retired and decided not to run in 2012 so won't be back.

Surprisingly my flex spined representative actually voted against the bill.

30 posted on 01/02/2013 9:31:39 AM PST by KarlInOhio (Choose one: the yellow and black flag of the Tea Party or the white flag of the Republican Party.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Brad from Tennessee
The cut couldn’t be made permanent without creating a new funding mechanism—like borrowing the money from another country.

Not to pick on you Brad, but this is a tired line. The vast majority of our debt is not puchased by other other countries. Right now, the Fed is buying $85 billion per month of our deficit spending which is darn near 100% of the deficit. PS - When is the last time China purchased any of our debt?

31 posted on 01/02/2013 9:32:16 AM PST by Go Gordon (It's barack hussein obama - because he doesn't believe in capitalism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Sure, and president elect Romney announced today that he is tasking incoming Veep paul Ryan to head a government wide review of finances to rid the nation of years of fraud waste and abuse. The anti corruption measures are widely supported by the public and are expected to dramatically reduce the cost of government and will pave the way to lower taxes and a stronger economy...snip


32 posted on 01/02/2013 9:32:26 AM PST by epluribus_2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Yosemitest

You need to remove Brian Bilbray CA from your list. He’s already been primaried out. This was his last vote, or close to it.


33 posted on 01/02/2013 9:34:34 AM PST by CAluvdubya (We're doomed....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
The Business Insider is as Left as the The New York Times or the Washington Post. Why people here continue to post/attach credibility to anything they write is beyond me.
34 posted on 01/02/2013 9:35:03 AM PST by Arm_Bears (Ted Kennedy's Oldsmobile has killed more people than my guns.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

I think this guy has a good point. I was surprised how good a deal it was for the conservative side in terms of taxes and SS. It’s true we didn’t tackle the spending issue, but that was inevitable given the short time available to fix the looming tax problem. The other good news is that the Rs have good leverage on the spending issue via the debt ceiling, tho that is going to be another brutal battle, with the MSM throwing rocks at the good guys..


35 posted on 01/02/2013 9:38:26 AM PST by expat2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: epluribus_2
to rid the nation of years of fraud waste and abuse

I used to work for a small Financial Firm that specialized in Auditing and Fraud.

They specifically would *not* do business with the government. Not because there wasn't enough money there, but due to Zero-Based Budgeting and the internal bureaucracies.

One of the company salesweasels explained it to me.... roughly, when auditing gov't agencies, they would find all the money they could in the 1st half of the fiscal year. No problems. In the second half, however, none of the money that they found would be signed off on as "collectable" by the bureaucrats. Why? If the findings can't be spent fast enough, the money gets whacked from the agencies' budgets.

So, the company would be expected to *audit* 12 months a year, but only make money for about 6 months. Not much of a business model.

In effect, there are a bunch of drunken sailors handling the nation's wallet, and no one will bother to watch them.

36 posted on 01/02/2013 9:42:26 AM PST by wbill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: expat2

RE: It’s true we didn’t tackle the spending issue, but that was inevitable given the short time available to fix the looming tax problem

How many of us wanna bet the spending issue won’t be tackled until the very last minute and the end result will simply be this -— token cuts which does nothing to our huge deficits and debt?


37 posted on 01/02/2013 9:43:14 AM PST by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
honor its commitments

Here we have the next mantra.

Remember, the commitment is just to buy votes in perpetuity.

BTW - the bill that is to be paid by the payroll tax isn't just going to go away. This is just sleight of hand.

38 posted on 01/02/2013 9:43:36 AM PST by Aevery_Freeman (The trouble with the "masses" is that they never achieve the "m")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Who`s the idiot who wrote this horse shit? And are you swallowing this shit sandwich? Damn, so whats shit taste like?


39 posted on 01/02/2013 9:47:44 AM PST by nomad
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SECURE AMERICA

They have been doing it for four years with no end insight, Ben Bernanke taxes all of us 85 billion every month.


40 posted on 01/02/2013 9:48:34 AM PST by qman (The communist usurper must go!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-58 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson