Posted on 03/20/2008 8:26:45 AM PDT by mak5
U.S. Sen. George Voinovich said Wednesday an increase in federal taxes is necessary in order to deal with an array of serious fiscal and infrastructure challenges that face the nation. Voinovich (R-Cleveland) delivered his assessment during an appearance before a regional planning forum in Columbus.
"We're in a global marketplace, right? Why are things so expensive today? Why is steel so expensive?" the former governor said. "How can America survive when half the kids in the urban districts are dropping out of school? How can America survive if we're just letting our rivers and bridges and roads go to pot, and not dealing with some of the ... things that need to be taken care of?" Sen. Voinovich said. "I don't know where the price of gas is going to go."
The state's senior senator said Americans should understand that the nation could not continue doing things the way they have been done in the past.
"We're going to have to raise more money in this country. Did you hear me? We're going to have to increase taxes in order to do the job," Sen. Voinovich said. "Anyone that tells you that's not the case isn't being truthful with you. They're not being intellectually honest with you."
Were there any words about reducing the size of govt? cuttng regulation? Didn’t see it...............
Ahh, the GOP’s crazy uncle in the attic is at it again....
WHEN is this simple bung-hole up for re-election? He has to be put out to pasture.
2010. And he plans to run again.
This guy is as bad as chaffey was. What a joke.
The man is economically retarded.
Maybe the jive turkey congress ought to stop spending first, then talk about asking the Americans to finance their little cheap shot earmarks for their specious career protection.
The WORST thing you can do in a stagnant or faltering economy is raise taxes. Voinovich is a moron.
Really now...this is the best we can do in the U.S. Senate?
Voinovich always has been, and always will be, a paper shuffler.
Ah ... but raising taxes in the right way is key to cutting spending.
You just have to do it so a majority of voters feel the pain. You leave the tax rates alone at the high end, or even lower them, but you remove all the deductions, credits, exemptions, etc. that let people at the lower end vote for more government crap without any consequences.
Make the 50% of the people that pay almost nothing in Federal Income Tax actually have to PAY for the garbage programs they vote for, and they’ll stop voting for garbage programs. You need a majority of voters to feel the pain before they will hold government to account for its spending.
If this doofus wasn’t crying when he made this statement, he couldn’t have been half as sincere as he was about opposing John Bolton’s appointment as UN ambassador.
Voinovich voted against tax cuts, a few times, and he voted against convicting Clinton, in the impeachment trial. He’s 71, and he might choose to not run for re-election, in 2010. If he doesn’t run, whom should replace him? Ex-Congressman & OMB Director Rob Portman and ex-Attorney General Jim Petro would probably run.
Ken Blackwell
Speaking of intellectual honesty, Senator Voinovich evidently isn't being honest with himself concerning the major problem that the federal government isn't operating within the constraints of the federal Constitution, particularly where constitutionally unauthorized federal spending is concerned.
This post (<-click), while addressing a tax-related thread, explains in more detail why federal politicians are foolishly following in the footsteps of FDR's dirty federal spending politics.
The people need to wise up to the major problem of constitutionally unauthorized federal government spending, demanding a stop to such spending, the federal government appropriately reducing federal taxes.
That’s not going to happen until a majority of voters actually PAY taxes. It is only the pain of taxes that can restrict government spending.
The smartest thing we could do is to identify WHY large groups of voters pay nothing in income taxes, and target them for tax increases. That will turn them into anti-tax, and therefore anti-big-government, voters.
Is the answer to these questions supposed to be because taxes are too low? I don't get it.
"How can America survive when half the kids in the urban districts are dropping out of school?"
The same we have been surviving since the government effectively took the need for an intact family out of the urban districts. A few will work hard and realize the American dream. We will jail a good deal of them and others will kill each other. The remainder will continue to reproduce more inmates and victims.
"I don't know where the price of gas is going to go."
So we need to raise taxes??? Again, I don't get it.
I'm going to have to research your statement. Are you saying that since most people probably get a tax refund that they aren't paying taxes?
I am saying that 50% of the people pay so little in Federal Income Tax that it isn’t worth talking about — barely 3.5% of the Income Taxes come from the bottom half. A total of $35B from 150 million people, or roughly $250 TOTAL Federal Income Tax from each of them. You could argue that they pay other taxes, embedded in products or as excises on gas, liquor, tobacco, etc. But they don’t feel the PAIN of those hidden taxes enough to relate them to general government overspending.
They THINK they pay income taxes because they have FICA withheld from their wages. Of course, FICA has NOTHING to do with *discretionary* spending — national defense, judiciary, infrastructure, etc. — and nothing to do with the pure unconstitional social spending for welfare, foodstamps, housing assistance, etc. So their VOTE only affects government spending decisions in areas that THEY DON’T PAY FOR. This is a problem. They have no incentive to vote for better Federal government because it will not affect their own tax bill one iota.
Projection.
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.