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A Battlefield for Tax Reform - Vanity
vanity | 9/17/06 | Principled

Posted on 09/17/2006 8:03:05 AM PDT by Principled

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To: Badray
I now think that the word 'conservative' is as meaningless as the term 'liberal' was after the left highjacked it.

We'll just have to continue to disagree on the semantics.
121 posted on 09/18/2006 9:13:12 AM PDT by DustyMoment (FloriDUH - proud inventors of pregnant/hanging chads and judicide!!)
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To: RobFromGa

Perhaps you forgot your purposely offensive tag line? Listen man, you attack more than anyone. Sorry man. It's no good if you do it but cry when others do it.


122 posted on 09/18/2006 9:31:31 AM PDT by Principled
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To: RobFromGa

Maybe that's part of the reason your complaints fall on deaf ears.


123 posted on 09/18/2006 9:33:05 AM PDT by Principled
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To: DustyMoment

I guess we will which will continue to erode the meaning of the word.

You don't need to reply, but if anyone wants to call themselves 'conservative' while ignoring the tenets of that philosophy, the word is meaningless.

When McCain and Zell Miller are both referred to as conservative in the same breath (by some, not you) as Tom Coburn or Ronald Reagan, the word is meaningless.


124 posted on 09/18/2006 9:41:27 AM PDT by Badray (While defending the land called America, we must also be sure to preserve the Idea called America.)
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To: Always Right; Mojave
Mojove:

You left out the tax cuts implemented during the Bush administration.

Always Right:
Well we could perhaps call for the GOP house and senate to cut spending, and the GOP president to sign it. There's an outlandish thought. Isn't that really the goal to decrease the size of government.

Moj:
Their goal is to create the largest entitlement program in human history.

Majority rule republocrats [like you, moj] have already created one of "the largest entitlement program in human history".
-- The fairtax scheme is a effort to fix Social Security/medicare/welfare by removing the coercive element, as no one would be forced to pay 'entitlement' taxes on the basics of life.

It's truly a counterintuitive experience to see those who supposedly fight socialism -- fight against a fair way of paying taxes.

125 posted on 09/18/2006 10:16:06 AM PDT by tpaine
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To: tpaine
-- The fairtax scheme is a effort to fix Social Security/medicare/welfare by removing the coercive element, as no one would be forced to pay 'entitlement' taxes on the basics of life.

Nice spin. But in realty under the fairtax you are coercing the middle class taxpayers to pay the social security taxes of the poor.

126 posted on 09/18/2006 10:19:43 AM PDT by Always Right
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To: Principled
Perhaps you forgot your purposely offensive tag line? Listen man, you attack more than anyone.
::cough:: pigdog ::cough::
127 posted on 09/18/2006 10:30:20 AM PDT by Your Nightmare
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To: Principled

and your drivel continues, trying to paint me and others as "conspiracy kooks". You realy have no idea how to stop, do you?


128 posted on 09/18/2006 11:20:12 AM PDT by xcamel (Press to Test, Release to Detonate)
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To: Always Right
Majority rule republocrats have already created one of "the largest entitlement programs in human history".

-- The fairtax scheme is a effort to fix Social Security/medicare/welfare by removing the coercive element, as no one would be forced to pay 'entitlement' taxes on the basics of life.
It's truly a counterintuitive experience to see those who supposedly fight socialism -- fight against a fair way of paying taxes.

Nice spin.

It's not 'spin'. The reality of coerced payments ~now~, under the present system, - from the middle class, -- is obvious.

But in realty under the fairtax you are coercing the middle class taxpayers

Not so, as those of any class that wanted to live simply & frugally would have that option; -- they could avoid taxes by buying used merchandise.

to pay the social security taxes of the poor.

Do you agree that we've decided its constitutional to have a welfare system? If so, taxes ~will~ pay, in one way or another, for 'social security', correct?

Is there any other option?

129 posted on 09/18/2006 11:28:13 AM PDT by tpaine
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To: tpaine
Not so, as those of any class that wanted to live simply & frugally would have that option; -- they could avoid taxes by buying used merchandise.

Umm, can't you avoid taxes today by not earning money?

Do you agree that we've decided its constitutional to have a welfare system? If so, taxes ~will~ pay, in one way or another, for 'social security', correct?

Social security was not suppose to be a welfare program as much of a retirement program. At least under the current system there is some responsibility for everyone who collects to pay into the system. Under the fairtax, there is no real link between what you pay in and what you qualify for. I don't see that as an improvement.

130 posted on 09/18/2006 11:35:32 AM PDT by Always Right
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To: Badray
When McCain and Zell Miller are both referred to as conservative in the same breath (by some, not you) as Tom Coburn or Ronald Reagan, the word is meaningless.

The point that is getting lost is one of context. Zell Miller is a conservative DEMOCRAT. That means he hasn't joined the barking moonbat crowd that has overtaken the Dem party, but he isn't a Republican, either, because he has philosophical differences. McCain is referred to as a conservative by the liberal press who have no idea what a conservative really is. For conservatives, McCain is a RINO. The words are not meaningless in light of the context. You can't overlook that aspect of the usage.
131 posted on 09/18/2006 11:48:24 AM PDT by DustyMoment (FloriDUH - proud inventors of pregnant/hanging chads and judicide!!)
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To: Always Right
Possibly you're saying you'd rather see the S/S entitlement continue as it is to the point when is finally has one wage earner supporting 4 or 6 or ... people receiving the entitlements???

Really???

132 posted on 09/18/2006 11:55:36 AM PDT by pigdog
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To: pigdog
Possibly you're saying you'd rather see the S/S entitlement continue as it is to the point when is finally has one wage earner supporting 4 or 6 or ... people receiving the entitlements???

I would rather see it phased out of existance. Creating a way to hide its true costs in the sales tax is a huge step backwards. The only positive thing is that the sales tax taxes the social security benefits when they are spent, effectively reducing them. I hardly think the elderly will see that as an advantage though.

133 posted on 09/18/2006 12:02:58 PM PDT by Always Right
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To: Always Right
Not so, [it's not "spin"] -- as those of any class that wanted to live simply & frugally would have that option; -- they could avoid taxes by buying used merchandise.

Umm, can't you avoid taxes today by not earning money?

Amusing 'answer'. -- The whole point of the 'fairtax' idea is that you could earn & save money by living frugal, thus "avoiding taxes"..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you agree that we've decided its constitutional to have a welfare system? If so, taxes ~will~ pay, in one way or another, for 'social security', correct?

Social security was not suppose to be a welfare program as much of a retirement program.

Another amusing non-answer. I'll assume you agree that we've decided it's constitutional to have a welfare system.

At least under the current system there is some responsibility for everyone who collects to pay into the system.

"Some" is your operative word. In reality many who collect the most have paid the least. This will always be so in any welfare scheme. -- We just have to bite that bullet.

Under the fairtax, there is no real link between what you pay in and what you qualify for. I don't see that as an improvement.

There is no conceivable way to make a welfare safety net scheme that is 'fair' to those who pay for it and don't need the 'net'.. -- We just have to learn to bite that bullet.

134 posted on 09/18/2006 12:04:56 PM PDT by tpaine
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To: tpaine
There is no conceivable way to make a welfare safety net scheme that is 'fair' to those who pay for it and don't need the 'net'.. -- We just have to learn to bite that bullet.

The current social security setup is both visible and separate. We can see the oncoming disaster and we can make changes such as increasing the retirement age, reducing the COLA's, etc. With the fairtax, you just hide the problem in the lump sum and the tax automatically increases to 'solve' the welfare problem. That is not a solution, but it makes the problem worse and social security to grow without bounds. Incorporating social security into the sales tax is perhaps one of the stupidest things about the fairtax along with the whole prebate nonsense.

135 posted on 09/18/2006 12:12:22 PM PDT by Always Right
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To: Always Right
That's a spending objection. We're talking here about a revenue bill, not spending. How would you propose to keep funding S/S under the present system since it's legally required???
136 posted on 09/18/2006 12:12:38 PM PDT by pigdog
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To: pigdog
That's a spending objection. We're talking here about a revenue bill, not spending. How would you propose to keep funding S/S under the present system since it's legally required???

It's not legally required, it is just moral to keep it sinse millions of retires are now dependant on it. It should be funded the way it currently is. Your earnings determine how much you get, and your earnings determine how much you pay in. Getting rid of that linkage is dumb. But we need to start limiting cost of living allowances and raising retirements ages and coming up with a more effective privitized system where individuals truely have personal accounts. We need to ween our country off of social security.

137 posted on 09/18/2006 12:18:48 PM PDT by Always Right
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To: pigdog
That's a spending objection.

Spending is the bigger problem.

138 posted on 09/18/2006 12:20:34 PM PDT by Always Right
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To: Always Right
"The current social security setup is both visible and separate. "

Perhaps it's separate but it's not terribly visible overall to those paying into it to support the "old folks". The money is taken before the taxpayer sees it and he has no option - and usually little idea how mch he pays for S/S, but just some vague notion that - along with his other taxes - it's "too much".

There seems to be no great rush in Congress to do much about S/S and it's pretty obvious that there will soon be one wage earner supporting many receivers - not economically healthy at all.

The FairTax OTOH gives us additional time by funding the plan without making it a practical impossibility and it makes the tax costs very visible to each taxpayer with every taxable purchase. That will certainly ratchet up the political pressure to alter S/S and reduce tax rates unless you believe that taxpayers actually like higher taxes ... I certainly don't.

139 posted on 09/18/2006 12:23:50 PM PDT by pigdog
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To: pigdog

The fastest way to reform social security is to bankrupt it.


140 posted on 09/18/2006 12:34:43 PM PDT by Always Right
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