Three Simple Rules to Keep Republicans from Being Seduced by Dishonest and Orwellian Word Games

ATR ^ | 2011-06-30 | Dan Mitchell

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...The more important thing to focus on is the way that the big spenders in the White House and elsewhere are trying to build support for a big tax increase by characterizing tax breaks as “spending in the tax code.” The left obviously hopes Republicans are so stupid that Orwellian word games are all that is needed to get them to acquiesce to legislation that would increase the amount of revenue going to Washington. To be sure, Republicans are known as the “Stupid Party,” so anything is possible. But if GOPers can simply remember these three simple concepts, they will be in good shape.

1. Tax reform is when you get rid of special tax breaks and use the revenue to finance lower tax rates. Under a flat tax, for instance, all the loopholes and distortions in the tax system are eliminated, and every single penny is used to finance lower tax rates. The politicians don’t get any additional revenue to waste. But if the crowd in Washington gets rid of the tax preferences without lowering tax rates, that’s just a tax increase. It’s a less-destructive way of raising revenue, at least compared to higher tax rates, but it’s still a tax increase.
2. A tax increase is when politicians impose legislation that increases the overall burden on taxpayers and results in more revenue in Washington. If legislation is enacted that results in more money coming into Washington, that is a tax increase. It doesn’t matter if the additional revenue is generated by eliminating a special tax break (such as for ethanol). If politicians wind up having more money to waste, that is a tax increase...

Read more: http://www.atr.org/three-simple-rules-republicans-seduced-dishonest-a6298#ixzz1QlxcVDuP

[92nina]

In this guest post, Cato Senior Fellow Dan Mitchell offers advice for Republicans looking to hold their ground against tax increases.

Take this article and others I found to the fight to the Libs on their own turf; put the Left on the defensive at at Digg and at Reddit and in Delicious and Stumbleupon

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upvoted

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My list:

1. Don’t kiss the democrats’ asses by feigning “respect.”

2. Don’t give interviews to hard left reporters like Katie Couric.

3. Don’t take prisoners and scream out the left’s faults, without reservation.