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The Bickersons Revisited
Townhall.com ^ | October 13, 2016 | Cal Thomas

Posted on 10/13/2016 11:29:56 AM PDT by Kaslin

Not since George and Martha in the play "Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" or for older readers Don Ameche and Frances Langford in the radio comedy "The Bickersons," have we seen the kind of verbal pugilism practiced in Sunday night's presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

If the business of Trump's lewd language about women caught on tape 11 years ago and Bill Clinton's sexual history with Hillary enabling him in the trashing of his conquests could be set aside, only the issues would remain, and wouldn't that be good?

Sunday night, Clinton recycled the familiar Democrat playbook that the wealthy aren't paying their "fair share" in taxes, when the real issue is that government already receives record amounts in tax money, but misspends much of it and never seems to have enough.

Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) has closely followed Clinton's shifting tax positions.

In the debate, Clinton said she "only" wants to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans, not the middle class. ATR notes she has said just the opposite on many occasions. It calculates that if all of her tax proposals are enacted, it would cost taxpayers $1 trillion over 10 years and gives the following examples:

She has said she would not veto a payroll tax hike on all Americans should such a bill reach her desk and would set aside her pledge not to boost taxes on middle-income earners.

She wants a tax on sodas that ATR estimates would add $2.16 per 12-pack. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) charged this would violate her pledge to protect the middle class from tax hikes: "Frankly, I am very surprised that Secretary Clinton would support this regressive tax after pledging not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000. This proposal violates her pledge."

Other tax increases include a national gun tax of 25 percent, a 65 percent "death tax," which ATR notes she wouldn't have to pay because of the way she has arranged her finances. She wants to raise the current capital gains tax from 23.8 percent to 43.4 percent, which would harm investments and stifle capital creation. She would not lower the corporate tax rate, which Trump has pledged to do, even though the U.S. has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, which has driven many businesses overseas. And, like President Obama, she is an enemy of the coal industry, despite her claims to be friendly toward it in Sunday's debate. Her campaign chief, John Podesta, has left the door open to a carbon tax, saying if Congress passes such a measure "we'll take a look at it."

Trump purports to favor school choice, which is an essential tool for escaping poverty and would do more than any federal anti-poverty program to help poor children obtain a good education. Hillary Clinton claims to favor school choice, but only as far as publicly funded charter schools. Since she and many Democrats receive political contributions from teachers unions, it's unlikely she'll let poor children escape failing schools. In the latest debate she tried to claim credit for all she has done for children, but what she has not done by refusing to support school vouchers, which allow parents to use public funds to pay for some or all of their child's private school tuition, overcomes whatever good she may have accomplished.

Rumors are swirling about opposition researchers offering to pay employees of Trump's NBC program "The Apprentice" for recordings of other lewd things he might have said to further distract from the issues.

The hypocrisy meter is in hyper drive when you consider that some of the same Democrats condemning Trump said of Bill Clinton's numerous affairs "it's ust about sex" and had nothing to do with his performance as president. These are people who still hold John F. Kennedy in high regard, despite his long list of women with whom he had sex, including secreting some into the White House.

This won't be the end of the revelations about Trump, anything to divert attention from Hillary's real positions on the real issues that matter most to Americans. If we must have bickering, how about bickering over something important?


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: hillaryrottenclinton; taxes

1 posted on 10/13/2016 11:29:56 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin
If the business of Trump's lewd language about women caught on tape 11 years ago and Bill Clinton's sexual history with Hillary enabling him in the trashing of his conquests could be set aside, only the issues would remain, and wouldn't that be good?

Yeah, like they're equivalent. Let me translate: If the business of Trump's missing one weekend of mowing the lawn 11 years ago and Bill Clinton's history with Hillary enabling him in the starting of world war III and stealing billions of dollars could be set aside, only the issues would remain, and wouldn't that be good?

Yeah, that would be good.

:spit:

2 posted on 10/13/2016 11:56:37 AM PDT by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: Kaslin

“Other tax increases include a national gun tax of 25 percent,”

That’s a new one.

If that comes about, we’ll revisit the “poll tax” rulings.


3 posted on 10/13/2016 12:10:00 PM PDT by ctdonath2 ("If anyone will not listen to your words, shake the dust from your feet and leave them." - Jesus)
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To: Kaslin

Ah, the Bickersons.

“Why can’t we be happy like other couples?”
“You’ve got me, George.”
“That’s the reason. Turn of the light, Blanch.”

“I’m a good mind to go live with my mother!”
“Why don’t you do it, then?”
“Because she went to live with HER mother!”

“Did you see that low cut dress Dolores wore to the party?”
“Oh, you were just seeing things, George.”
“Yeah, but she wore it anyway.”


4 posted on 10/13/2016 12:14:44 PM PDT by sparklite2 (When they play the race card, play the Trump card.)
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To: sparklite2

Classic! Are there any recordings of the radio programs available?


5 posted on 10/13/2016 3:07:36 PM PDT by BatGuano (You don't think I'd go into combat with loose change in my pocket, do ya?)
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To: BatGuano

http://www.bickersons.com/


6 posted on 10/13/2016 3:21:25 PM PDT by sparklite2 (When they play the race card, play the Trump card.)
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To: sparklite2

Thank you for the link. I ordered two CDs.
Fregards,
Bat


7 posted on 10/13/2016 4:50:47 PM PDT by BatGuano (You don't think I'd go into combat with loose change in my pocket, do ya?)
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To: BatGuano

^5


8 posted on 10/13/2016 5:07:02 PM PDT by sparklite2 (When they play the race card, play the Trump card.)
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