Yes, I heard the Roche-Lawson debate on LuMaye’s show yesterday too. I tried to call in and ask him a pointed question about the carbon tax, but some lady got in first and beat me to it.
I agree - the carbon tax is a VERY bad idea, and I really get the sense that B.J. Lawson doesn’t comprehend exactly what it is that he is advocating.
Let’s think about it - Lawson says that replacing the income tax with a carbon tax will remove the negative drag on jobs, economic growth, etc. This is nonsense.
First of all, in one sense, a tax is a tax is a tax. The more tax, the lower the growth and the fewer the jobs. Especially true if, as Lawson says, we replace the income tax completely with a carbon tax. We will then have a carbon tax that is high enough to bring in replacement revenue (which may or may NOT come with cuts in spending). We could end up with a big huge whopping tax that WE the PEOPLE have to pay.
Think of it - huge tax on our gasoline in our cars. Added transportation costs on every good we buy from a store. Increased cost of living. Paying more to heat our homes. And also - consider this - petroleum, which obviously falls under a “carbon tax,” is a primary feedstock for the polymers industry. Taxing it will add to the cost of each and every consumer good made from plastics that use petroleum as a feedstock. That means the price of everything from Bic pens to automobiles would skyrocket.
In short, BJ Lawson’s carbon tax idea is very, very bad. VERY bad. I’d rather keep the present income tax regimen than switch to this carbon tax - though obviously, I’d much prefer a THIRD option.....
BJ is also a supporter of PAYGO...this is a democratic solution to spending money before they have it, assuming they will be deficit neutral. Here from indyweek.com/2008 he says “Additionally, we must reinstate Clinton-era budget controls such as PAYGO” REALLY!! According to the Heritage foundation “PAYGO has proven to increase taxes and do nothing to reduce the deficit. PAYGO EXEMPTS discretionary spending that accounts for 40% of the budget. PAYGO does not apply to current entitlement spending. The only thing PAYGO does is raise taxes accordingly” http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed070209e.cfm
BJ, BJ, BJ!!! Do you know what you are talking about?? Any CBO analysis will show that PAYGO has done nothing at best!!
Another good example of PAYGO is from “The Hill” http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-a-budget/51821-brown-deems-democrat-paygo-bill-a-ploy-and-demands-real-fiscal-responsibility-rep-henry-brown
I encourage everyone to read...and not just listen to candidates “rhetoric and ideologies”...listen to their words...I will be pointing out some more inaccuracies with this past interview....there are MANY.
What I think we have here is a progressive in conservatives clothing.