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How Liberal leaders flunk math. They Fail to grasp human response to heavy taxes
Washington Times ^ | 11/20/2012 | Richard Rahn

Posted on 11/20/2012 6:54:11 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Dennis Van Roekel, president of the largest teachers union, the National Education Association, failed fifth-grade math last week. The question he failed is: If X (government spending) is growing faster than A (government tax revenue) plus B (new revenue from higher tax rates on “the rich”), when will A plus B equal X? President Obama met with leaders of left-leaning organizations, including Mr. Van Roekel, to discuss the “fiscal cliff.”

After the meeting, Mr. Van Roekel appeared on Neil Cavuto’s Fox News show to discuss the budget deficit. Mr. Van Roekel told Mr. Cavuto that he had recommended taxing the top 2 percent more to deal with the problem. Mr. Cavuto then correctly explained that taxing the top 2 percent could not solve the problem because even with the increase, spending would still be growing far faster than revenues — primarily because of entitlement programs.

After some back and forth, Mr. Van Roekel could not identify one item in the budget that he was in favor of cutting and kept insisting the problem could be solved only by taxing the top 2 percent, even though Mr. Cavuto again correctly and clearly explained that even taxing the top 2 percent at a 100 percent rate would not produce enough revenue because entitlements are growing faster than the economy. Mr. Van Roekel appeared to be unable to grasp this rather simple concept.

At the end of last week, Hostess Brands Inc., the company that makes Twinkies and Wonder Bread, asked to be liquidated because the bakery workers and their union bosses could not understand this: If A (workers’ salaries and benefits) is growing faster than B (sales revenue), company H (Hostess) will run out of money and be forced into liquidation. So 18,500 workers are losing their jobs

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


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: liberals; taxes
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1 posted on 11/20/2012 6:54:17 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Liberals always think that taxes are a single variable dynamic. The think if tax revenue is X and they increase taxes by N percent then the net tax revenue will be X+(X*N). The same goes for a tax cut. They never seem to check the data after the change. Facts shall not interfere with the liberal agenda.


2 posted on 11/20/2012 7:10:39 AM PST by Dutch Boy
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To: Dutch Boy

The chess-piece fallacy: assuming that some authority can achieve desired results as though he were moving chessmen on a board, ignoring people’s desires and incentives


3 posted on 11/20/2012 7:15:20 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: SeekAndFind

The ignorance of basic human behavior is the underlying problem with communism. They actually believe a Godless man who only worships the state can be achieved if only man is whipped and terrorized enough. The problem is people are born with an innate sense of God-granted freedom and you need to whip every generation sufficiently to destroy their will and bow to the state.

All liberals, communists, marxists, statists, tyrants and dictators ignore fundamental human nature and suffer this fatal conceit.


4 posted on 11/20/2012 7:20:59 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

Another aspect of Humanism is the belief in the “superman”.
Humanists believe that the level of moral and intellectual achievement can be far superior in certain “super” people, and this goes hand in glove with an evolutionary worldview.

When communists would invade a country or society, they wouldn’t extol the benefits of communism so much as they would teach evolution. Having this basis for belief leads inexorably to atheism/nihilism, which in turn empowers the State as the only eternal entity, superior to the rights and desires of the people under that State.


5 posted on 11/20/2012 7:25:59 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: SeekAndFind

Hostess Brands Inc. went Galt. Soon, this will be defined as being disloyal. No actual laws will be passed, and there may not even be an executive Order. The tax laws are sufficiently convoluted that DOJ and IRS can be used as a surgical weapon as well as one of mass destruction.


6 posted on 11/20/2012 7:38:51 AM PST by Pecos (Double tap: the only acceptable gun control)
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To: MrB

Funny, isn’t it? They believe that only the “best and brightest” should govern us and know what is best for us, yet the same people deny the bell curve distribution of intelligence.


7 posted on 11/20/2012 7:43:24 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: Pecos

RE: Hostess Brands Inc. went Galt.

Actually they’re back in mediation.

The unions decided to talk and negotiate. Better to have some work at a time like this than be unemployed ( but then with Obama taking care of your needs, why do you need to work?).


8 posted on 11/20/2012 7:44:25 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: MrB
One

note

tune...

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

Boring and non sequitur. Knock it off!

9 posted on 11/20/2012 8:10:18 AM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias... "Barack": Allah's current ally...)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom
The same kind of ignorance is what gives us...

A woman would never have another child just to make the check go up, or
people who don't need free cheese would never stand in a line to get free cheese, or

somebody who has a 6th grade education and a half-dozen illegitimate children would never spend food money on extensions and nails...

and on, and on, and ad infinitum ad nauseam

10 posted on 11/20/2012 8:15:36 AM PST by gov_bean_ counter (Hope and Change has become Attack and Obfuscate.)
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To: TXnMA

Sorry to blaspheme your faith with the Truth.


11 posted on 11/20/2012 8:16:45 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: SeekAndFind

An example problem.....

If New York City increases their cigarette tax by 10%, and formerly they were making $10 million dollars a year on the cigarette tax, how much will they make on the cigarette tax AFTER the tax increase?

A) $11 million
B) $12 million
C) A lot less than $10 million because people will buy cigarettes in New Jersey.

It really isn’t that hard. Yet liberals will almost always answer A..... or sometimes B. Fools.


12 posted on 11/20/2012 8:22:36 AM PST by allmendream (Tea Party did not send GOP to D.C. to negotiate the terms of our surrender to socialism)
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To: SeekAndFind

They keep coming up with solutions that rely on changing human nature, and then blaming us when it fails because we didn’t change.


13 posted on 11/20/2012 8:24:00 AM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: MrB
The Soviet Communists disavowed Darwinian evolution, as it smacked to much of capitalism with unequal rewards and individual excellence, in favor of Lamarkian evolution - where the desire and act towards becoming something somehow made it so. As if the sons of arm wrestlers would naturally be born with one arm stronger, and the children of swimmers would be more likely to be born with webbed feet. As if the desire to become a good Communist citizen would birth people without a desire to excel personally.

It didn't work. It was wrong. But they were hardly Darwinists. And nothing in Darwinian evolution suggests that anyone is going to be “super”.

14 posted on 11/20/2012 8:28:27 AM PST by allmendream (Tea Party did not send GOP to D.C. to negotiate the terms of our surrender to socialism)
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To: SeekAndFind

Dems want the fiscal cliff to happen it’s a blessing for them.
1.More tax money
2.They can blame the republicans and take the next election
3.The gov gets to take more control


15 posted on 11/20/2012 8:32:54 AM PST by Vaduz
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To: MrB

FReepMail...


16 posted on 11/20/2012 9:08:14 AM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias... "Barack": Allah's current ally...)
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To: TXnMA

I got it... you assume much.
I’ll consider it, but it is not a rebuke that I’m taking too seriously, since many assumptions about me are incorrect.


17 posted on 11/20/2012 9:31:03 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: SeekAndFind

Oh, the liberals understand it. They just think that they’re so smart that they can squeeze some more taxes out without causing a catastrophe. They aren’t stupid, they’re greedy.

“Understand your enemy and understand yourself, and in one hundred battles, you will not be defeated.”


18 posted on 11/20/2012 10:34:40 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: blueunicorn6

If the Democrat voters can be so easily conned by their Democrat leaders, isn’t that something we could take advantage of?


19 posted on 11/20/2012 10:36:15 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: SeekAndFind
“After some back and forth, Mr. Van Roekel could not identify one item in the budget that he was in favor of cutting”

He didn't mention defense spending?

20 posted on 11/20/2012 12:57:18 PM PST by HenpeckedCon (What pi$$es me off the most is that POS commie will get a State Funeral!)
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