[reaganaut1]

Reformicons want to take many families with children off the tax rolls by expanding the earned income tax credit. I think exempting people from taxes makes them want more spending, since they are not paying for it.

[Waryone]

Any one who advocates expanding the welfare system through use of the IRS/Tax system is a liberal. I don’t care what else they want to call themselves.

[Lurkinanloomin]

Reformicons are con men attempting another Dem-lite approach. This is the GOPe trying to abandon conservatism, again.

[ifinnegan]

Reform icons?

(Autocorrect did that).

Liberaltarians never make any sense.

[gorush]

"Having spent the last six years in the political wilderness, it is understandable that conservatives are eager to reclaim the reins of power."

It appears he is confusing Republicans with Conservatives.

[Yashcheritsiy]

We won’t successfully get rid of the welfare state until we first regain a firm understanding of the principle of the rule of law.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

I think exempting people from taxes makes them want more spending, since they are not paying for it.

Exactly. I remember Reagan himself playing up the fact that he took millions of people off the tax rolls. In retrospect, that was a huge mistake. It allows the bottom two-thirds of the population to continually vote themselves a larger share of the income of the top 10%. Its a death spiral. Everyone should pay tax -- everyone. Reform conservatives like Huckabee are just Christian Socialists.

[RKBA Democrat]

Its just one wing of the uniparty generating a false debate over what the uniparty already agrees should be policy.

Kabuki theatre for the masses.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

“The way to start is to begin at the beginning.”

The way to end Social Security and Medicare is to stop enrolling any new members, or at least to allow people to opt out and not join the system in the first place. No membership, no FICA taxation.

This will work because all the money flowing into the system just amounts to a doubling of the income tax, in that it is spent immediately, not saved. Congress just appropriates enough to spend for the current month of benefits and calls the system solvent. So the end result of ending new memberships is the strong, gradual decline of the amount of tax money going to Washington to be wasted.

It doesn’t hurt those getting benefits in the slightest, nor those who expect to be getting benefits. But it does effectively *double* the income of people who never enter the system. And they can spend it or save it in a retirement and health care plan as they choose.

Cutting back on Social Security is cutting back on a full QUARTER of the US federal budget.

What’s not to like, especially the loss of federal control over the people?