Posted on 04/21/2007 6:42:25 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
Hi sjb
After 24 hours of continually thrashing each other, who is the acceptable candidate for the Republican presidential nominee?
Are there any FReepers still unbanned, online, and typing on pure adreline?
Thanks for trying. Maybe we could keep track of how many have been culled in the last couple of days here on this thread. I saw one post that gave it a start.
IMO there are three basic flavors of conservatism:
Social
Fiscal
And security
Conservatism is a three-legged stool.
Remove one of the legs and you fall over if you try to sit on it.
IMO, a bona fide conservative adheres to all three principles.
And IMO Rudy fails all three tests. He weats a dunce cap for his socon views, or lack thereof.
First-term Rudy was a fiscal conservative. Second-term Rudy wasn't.
And I simply don't get his security accolades. He pushed a corrupt crony for the most important anti-terror job in the country. And because of that, we're stuck with clueless Chertoff as Head of Homeland Security.
So IMO Rudy ain't even a one-legged stool.
He's a Joe Lieberman Democrat running for the GOP nomination.
It's only inevitable if Conservative principles aren't forcefully argued, debated and advanced in the public square.
I think of FR and Conservatives as a prototyping facility; work out the theory, expound the ideals, but don't mistake these principles as ready for prime-time until all the bases are covered.
Failure to take this into consideration will merely result in the S Dakota experience being repeated over & over again.
The GOP is what it is: a big government, pro-regulation party. In this sense, Rudy is the perfect nominee. While he's no Conservative, he certainly appeals to many conservative Republicans. Big difference.
Moral fiber... moral character: these are supremely important and what we must recover in our nation and in our leaders. Amen.
And my five children are now 30, 35, boys
38, 39, 40 girls
And I have eight granchildren! Hooray for Catholics!
Faster...faster...must read faster.
Look, you may not believe this, but I agree with you. I just take a practical view of reality, which is when push comes to shove, the S. Dakota results will be repeated in every state in the Union, including the South.
Huh? How did that get incorporated in to that thread? Examples?
Gee, really, y’think?
Very nice...though not quite what I’ve been interested in getting. I may in the future though. So far, my children and I have 5 weapons in the home.
..and just where would we be without those wonderful Catholics on the Supreme Court.
They are the conscience of our country right now.
The thread is here. But other threads have victims. (Voluntary or not)
Like everywhere else, you pay for what you get. When a place is in demand, you pay for it.
Gosh, I just learned that popularity = taxes, and that's a good thing! NOT.
Thanks for just outing yourself as a big time fiscal liberal!
What an interpretation! Every hear of price and demand? You think the taxes of the financial capital of the world should be like Anytown, USA?
I have to admit, I'm taken aback by having someone on Free Republic argue for high tax rates. I haven't had a chance to go back and see your posting history on this thread, so I'll assume that support Rudy, and I guess that makes you someone conservative on security at most, and liberal on all other items. What are you doing at FR?
Now regarding tax rates, the funny thing is that other cities worldwide are working on taking business away from NYC, and guess how their doing it - lower tax rates! (What a shock....)
For example, Charlotte, NC - an up and coming financial center for the US - has a state corporate tax rate of 6.9%, a franchise fee of 0.15 % based on corporate worth, and a local 0.06% gross receipts tax, capped at $10K. Let's estimate that at 7.5% overall, as NC's taxes are "flatter" than other states.
Compare this to NYC, which has for incorporated businesses state rate of 7.5%, and a city rate of 8.85%: a total corporate rate of 16.35%.
Or if you're smaller and unincorporated in NYC, it is state rate of 6.85% (income), city rate of 3.65% (income) and "unincorporated business tax" of 4%: a total of 14.5%.
Now to be fair, NYC has infrastructure costs it should be spending that probably go above and beyond their associated user fees. But does that need call for double the tax rate!?! (And do you really think their putting in all the maintenance that say, the water mains system needs?)
No, we all know that NYC chooses to spend a huge amount of money on social programs that go 90% wasted. And blows a lot on corruption (which is everywhere but more so in liberal bastions like NYC and Boston).
So to answer your question, YES the taxes of the financial capital of the world better get more in line with Anytown USA, or AnyLargeCity China, India, insert country here, lest it lose existing and potential business. (NYC is losing a lot of new business.) And that means whacking away at liberal entitlements and corruption - which, along with life & liberty, are the things we fight for at Free Republic.
Of course I realize that. It matters not a whit to me.
I've been around here for a LONG time, almost as long as Jim in fact, and have fought MANY previous battles. Sometimes I've won and sometimes I've lost but this is Jim's site and I will continue to abide by his rules or leave.
(and a spunky hubs) :-)
Those words coming from a eugenicist such as yourself give me a cold chill.
Giuliani-Kerik LLC?! Verrrrry interesting.....
The sad fact is that MOST Americans don't even know who their OWN elected representatives are, let alone a former HHS department head, a congressman from San Diego, or a retired Senator/actor. They wouldn't stand a chance in a presidential election against a Demoncrat backed by Hollywood and the MSM.
That's reality, unfortunately. Any of the guys you listed (aside from McLame) have no name recognition among the stupid sheeple. It would be political suicide to put them out there, much like running an old fogey, albeit good guy, like Dole up against Billy Jeff was.
I'm not gonna cut off my nose to spite my face, especially when Rudy gets it regarding the WOT which, IMO, is THE most important issue our country has faced in generations.
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