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Obama Tax Plan Would Balloon Deficit, Analysis Finds
washingtonpost.com ^ | August 10, 2008 | Lori Montgomery

Posted on 08/10/2008 4:25:28 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY

On the campaign trail, Sen. Barack Obama bashes President Bush for "reckless" economic policies that are "mortgaging our children's future on a mountain of debt." But the Democratic presidential candidate has adopted a key component of Bush's fiscal policy: A novel bookkeeping method that guarantees that the $9.5 trillion national debt will get much bigger.

When Obama promises to cut taxes for the middle class without increasing the deficit, he is measuring his proposals against the large deficits that would result from Bush's plan to extend his signature tax cuts beyond their 2010 expiration date. Because Obama wants to eliminate some of the Bush tax cuts, he would bring more money into the Treasury, permitting him to pay for new programs without increasing the deficit even more.

But under current law, all the tax cuts expire and the deficit disappears completely. Democrats in Congress have vowed to preserve the Bush tax cuts only if they can cover the cost and keep the budget in balance. Measured against current law and against the promises of his fellow Democrats, Obama would rack up huge deficits. According to a recent analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, Obama's tax plan would add $3.4 trillion to the national debt, including interest, by 2018.

"Obama has criticized Bush for his fiscal irresponsibility, and now he's using Bush's baseline as a yardstick by which to measure fiscal responsibility," said Leonard E. Burman, co-director of the Tax Policy Center, a joint project of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution. "Congress hasn't agreed to extend the Bush tax cuts because they don't have the money to pay for it."

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: economicpolicy; federalspending; issues; obama; taxes; taxincrease

1 posted on 08/10/2008 4:25:29 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Obama is insane and GROSSLY INCOMPETENT. His skills at socialism are one thing, as well as his liberal hand-waving, but when it comes to running America and solving its issues, he is a total disaster, and most likely, does not even realize it.

Liberals NEVER analyze the consequences of their actions. That would interfere with their false reality. Hype, hand-waving, feel-good crap -— it is about all the ultra-radical far left can come up with. Beyond that, they really only care about SELF-EMPOWERMENT AND CONTROL anyway.

The rest is a living lie.


2 posted on 08/10/2008 4:32:14 PM PDT by EagleUSA
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Why does it take a study to figure out passing out free money to everybody will balloon the dificit.


3 posted on 08/10/2008 4:37:36 PM PDT by Always Right (Obama: more arrogant than Bill Clinton, more naive than Jimmy Carter, and more liberal than LBJ.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Obama needs to stick to making protest signs and handing out fliers. He should leave running America to the adults.


4 posted on 08/10/2008 4:38:02 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer ("I'm trying to save the planet!" - Nancy Pelosi ..........ROTFLMAO! What a dumbass!)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

tax cuts that don’t grow the economy + tax increases that slow the economy = a big problem


5 posted on 08/10/2008 4:40:37 PM PDT by ari-freedom (Obamuh uh uh uh uh uh uh ummmmmm)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

It should be interesting to see which of Obamy’s “ideas” is going to torpedo this country first. “Reparations” or “free healthcare.” Whichever, we’re going to go under. Better grab a life jacket!


6 posted on 08/10/2008 4:45:10 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer ("I'm trying to save the planet!" - Nancy Pelosi ..........ROTFLMAO! What a dumbass!)
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To: EagleUSA

Obama is going to make Jimmy Carter look like Eisenstein.


7 posted on 08/10/2008 5:02:18 PM PDT by WaterBoard
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To: WaterBoard

You like silent movies?


8 posted on 08/10/2008 5:05:51 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: Free ThinkerNY
The Tax Policy Center is asso. with the Brookings Institute? Yeah, that's real neutral.

And on top of that, THEY even say Obama's plan is junk.

It must be much worse than what this article is saying.

9 posted on 08/10/2008 5:07:38 PM PDT by muleskinner
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To: Free ThinkerNY
"Congress hasn't agreed to extend the Bush tax cuts because they don't have the money to pay for it."

Dear Mr. Burman and associates at the Tax Policy Center,

Since Mr. Bush's tax cuts RAISED revenues, the question you should be asking the congresscritter leadership and the junior senator from IL is how they intend to pay for their tax increases.
10 posted on 08/10/2008 5:14:11 PM PDT by javachip
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To: 1rudeboy

Sorry, I don’t get it ??

What I mean is that Obama’s economic forte is a vast empty cupboard of nothingness. He will make the stagflation misery of the Carters years look like the good old times if elected.


11 posted on 08/10/2008 5:15:45 PM PDT by WaterBoard
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To: WaterBoard

I’m guessing that you meant to type [Albert] Einstein, and not [Sergei] Eisenstein. :)


12 posted on 08/10/2008 5:17:49 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: 1rudeboy

Yep. Just realized that. Nice catch.


13 posted on 08/10/2008 5:20:14 PM PDT by WaterBoard
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To: WaterBoard

Obama is going to make Jimmy Carter look like Eisenstein...
:::::
He already has, and he is not our President. God fobid and protect America.


14 posted on 08/10/2008 5:34:35 PM PDT by EagleUSA
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To: EagleUSA

Hillary has someone at WAPO. They have been hammering Bambi mercilessly for the last week.


15 posted on 08/10/2008 6:29:38 PM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (McCain/Palin 2008)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

A Captain Obvious moment!


16 posted on 08/10/2008 7:03:55 PM PDT by princeofdarkness (Barack Hussein Obama- The Only Candidate Who Makes John Kerry Look Steadfast and Principled.)
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Comment #17 Removed by Moderator

To: Free ThinkerNY

BTTT!


18 posted on 08/10/2008 10:14:58 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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