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Posted on 03/30/2005 4:02:59 AM PST by The Great Yazoo
ATLANTA (UPI) -- "Once you're in a hole, stop digging," goes the old saying. The United States keeps getting further and further in a fiscal hole due to the stifling effects of the 9-million-word tax code mess, the impending insolvency of the Social Security system, and the ever-growing budget deficit, but congressional leaders won't stop digging.
In the weeks leading up to April 15th of each year we start agonizing and complaining about collecting all the paperwork to file our tax returns, getting a firm to put it all together; we hope there are no errors so we stay out of jail, and then get stressed out over the amount we ultimately have to pay.
After tax returns are filed -- and the psychological pain stops -- filers are left with a sense of unfairness and we awe at the insanity of the code and the process. Then we get mad and prepare for it all over again next year.
We have known for decades that the Social Security structure is broken. In just 13 years the system will be insolvent as it will have to pay out more in revenues than it will receive in payroll taxes. President Bush and some congressional Republicans are addressing the certain bankruptcy but congressional Democrats and liberal special interest groups are fighting them every step of the way.
Instead of addressing the system's impending fiscal insolvency, leaders on the left want to wage a war of semantics over use of the terms "crisis" and "personal accounts." History shows us that the left will shirk responsibility by simply proposing to cut your benefits and raise your taxes.
When we elected a Republican president and a Republican majority in Congress, we thought the runaway spending spree of our money would stop. The excess spending did not stop, and it's not all associated with the war in Iraq. Mandatory entitlement spending alone currently accounts for over half of the federal budget. By the year 2015, mandatory entitlement spending will account for over 60 percent of budget outlays. The persistent overspending has caused the United States to become a net debtor nation instead of the strong net lending nation we once were.
The problems associated with the income tax code, Social Security and runaway spending are not all the problems or issues we face, but they are our biggest problems. Real solutions have been put on the table, but a surplus of status quo thinking by congressional Democrats, and a deficit of action by some congressional Republicans, is digging our fiscal hole deeper.
"Congress doesn't act unless there is a crisis," one member of Congress once told me. That axiom is growing more apparent every day. Since many in Congress want to deny that we face crises in our economic infrastructure, the public must act now to remind them. We must demand urgent action to save our economic infrastructure. We must holler until they start to follow.
Instead of reading poll numbers, Congress must start reading thousands of e-mail messages from angry voters in their districts and states. Instead of listening to their political advisers, Congress must start listening to thousands of phone calls from people who are fed up with the income tax code, the dysfunctional Social Security structure, and runaway deficit spending. Instead of focusing on partisan politics and the next election, we must force Congress to focus on not leaving this mess for the next generation.
Let's start with a few real simple and specific messages. Congress, replace the income tax code with a national sales tax modeled on the FairTax. Congress, pass legislation that includes optional personal retirement accounts for workers younger than 45 years of age using 4 percentage points of their payroll taxes. Congress, let's enact a balanced budget amendment, since you have demonstrated that you cannot control your spending addiction.
Imagine what would happen if every member of Congress received this simple message every week from thousands of voters in their districts and states. Maybe then they will begin to see the same crises that we the people face every day.
As an economic superpower we should be embarrassed that nations once part of the communist Soviet Union, such as Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Slovakia recently replaced their outdated tax systems with a single-bracket flat tax system. These formerly backward nations are all experiencing booming economies as a result.
We should be embarrassed that the small country of Chile established a system of personal retirement accounts in 1980 that has provided real retirement security for its citizens.
We should be outraged that a few municipalities and workers in certain fields, such as teachers and railroad employees, were allowed to opt out of Social Security while the majority of us suffer under the current broken system. Members of Congress should be even more embarrassed that they enjoy a personal retirement account subsidized by the taxpayers, the Thrift Savings Plan, which many of them would deny the rest of us.
If Congress is not embarrassed, maybe they have not heard us holler loud enough and often enough. Don't get mad, do something.
Herman Cain is chief executive officer of T.H.E. New Voice, Inc. and New Voters Alliance, and host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show The Bottom Line with Herman Cain. He is past chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and past chairman and chief executive office of the National Restaurant Association.
©2005 Herman Cain
I dont know if President Bush's plan is any god or not, But at the least he has a plan, The Dems know we have a problem even though they are frightened to allow President Bush to try to solve it. Why dont they use this time to come up with their own plan or modify Bush's. Its called working together something they dont seem to be able to grasp.
ping
We'll need to attack this problem at the Republican primary level. Let's replace pork-loving GOP incumbents with fiscally responsible candidates. It's worth the risk involved, it's our only chance of finding some sanity in this process.
Here's the man (Cain) that should have been a leader in the senate. If there were more people like him in congress, we would be moving forward instead of dealing with all this political infighting. As a general statement I prefer gridlocks in congress, however, with Republican majorities in both houses and a Republican President, I would expect (like Mr. Cain) for government to get smaller. It is not.
I wish it were as simple as writing to our legislators. Unfortunately, I don't believe for an instant that once they get to Washington, they give a rip about what us "little people" think. Not until election time anyway. The root cause of this situation is the fact that these people want to rule for life. They only care about the next election. Why? Because it such a sweet deal. Would you spend $4-5 million dollars of your own money to get a job that pays $180,000 a year?
The founding fathers looked at serving in congress as a sacrifice. Leaving their farms and businesses behind, they traveled to Washington out of patriotic duty. In return they were given small stipend to help pay for their trouble. Now these people get there and money is thrown at them by lobbyists for large groups and corporations. The little guy doesn't have enough money to get the attention of their legislator.
How do we begin to solve these problems? 1) Term limits. This would ensure that lobbyists would have a more difficult time building their "relationships". A perfect example of this is President Bush. Why do you suppose we didn't address Social Security reform until now? Could it be that he no longer has anything to lose? 2) Pay them each $1,000,000 a year with a 6% raise every year they are in office, but remove all other benefits. No separate retirement accounts, no special healthcare benefits, they would have to fend for themselves, just like us. 3) Limit the number of staffers each of them is allowed to have to say 10. The "Campaign Finance Reform" bill is a silly distraction from this entire subject. It's simply a rouse put together with "bipartisan" support, which always makes me suspicious, to make us think like they are dealing with the problem of money in politics.
Is this ever going to happen? I highly doubt it. The two senators from Wisconsin a prime examples of how twisted Washington has become. Russ Feingold (D) ran his original campaign in the early 90's almost exclusively on term limits. He's in his 3rd term... Herb Kohl (D) is a billionaire retailer turned Senator. His campaign slogan,” No body's Senator, but yours," because he doesn't accept government money to run his campaign. The people keep electing him (I think he's in his 4th term). Is nobody else suspicious of a person who would spend millions to get a job that pay $180,000 a year? What can be the allure? Could it be power, virtually for life?
I get e-mails from my Senators once a month telling me how he helped land a big defense department contract for our state and how much money they got for highway funds. Both of my current Senators are Republicans and never once have I heard them say, "I stopped this money from being spent" or "I shut this government program down."
I'll keep waiting.....
Ping, Ping, Ping!
Let's start with a few real simple and specific messages. Congress, replace the income tax code with a national sales tax modeled on the FairTax. Congress, pass legislation that includes optional personal retirement accounts for workers younger than 45 years of age using 4 percentage points of their payroll taxes. Congress, let's enact a balanced budget amendment, since you have demonstrated that you cannot control your spending addiction.
Indeed!!!!
A Taxreform bump for you all.
If you would like to be added to this ping list let me know.
John Linder in the House(HR25) & Saxby Chambliss Senate(S25), offer a comprehensive bill to kill all income and SS/Medicare payroll taxes outright, and provide a IRS free replacement in the form of a retail sales tax:
H.R.25,S.25
A bill to promote freedom, fairness, and economic opportunity by repealing the income tax and other taxes, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, and enacting a national retail sales tax to be administered primarily by the States.Refer for additional information:
Amen.
I get to go meet Neal Boortz!!! I am manning a Fair Tax Info booth at his live show. Any questions you want me to ask him?
You might ask him what he thinks the NRST rate would be if the Bush tax cuts are made permanent.
Many don't see the connection here. I would say most don't see it. The scam within the scam is the SS surplus, that money supposedly needed to assure solvency until some future date. Politicians are not going to let that money just sit there, lock box or no, and pay interest on it. Neither do banks, but banks lend it out at higher interest rates so as to make money. The government is forbidden from making money, and wouldn't know how to anyway, so they just spend it. That is why we are always fixing it. The politicians have run out of "surplus" but they don't want to give up the spending. While this scam is still in place, the way to pay present retirees and those too old to benefit from a new plan, is to set the FICA at the amount necessary to pay the monthly checks and no more. Adjust each budget cycle as necessary. The idea of "entitlement" is the way the liberals set their own lock box. They pretend that this money is untouchable. However, let them change their minds and it will no longer be untouchable. They would declare the whole thing bankrupt and never look back, which sooner or later must happen. Until then they will keep milking the "surplus" by raising taxes, cutting benefits, and raising the eligibility age. In other words, squeezing the retirees from both ends just to have more money for themselves. While Bush is trying to sell his individual accounts I wish he would also boldly state the truth, "Those IOUs are worthless. They will never be repaid because they can't be. The more we "fix" SS the worse off we will be. Those transformation costs you keep hearing about? Well, they are scattered throughout the budget. It is the money taken from the phony "surplus". Lower the FICA to cover only the checks going out and we can stop this charade. No more transition costs just less money to spend on pork. Let them learn to live without it."
Thanks for the ping geezer!
BTTT!!!
Thanks, geezer. If anyone has any questions for Boortz regarding the Fair Tax, let me know.
((((( THE OFFICIAL HERMAN CAIN PING LIST )))))
FReepMail me if you want to be ON or OFF this list
Go Herman Go!
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