[Balding_Eagle]

we’d also get rid of the mortgage interest deduction (which is simply IDIOTIC, the idea being to reward debt).

Depends, for those who believe that all money belongs to the governement first, tax deductions are idiotic.

For those of us who believe that the money we earn belong to us, well, it's just an earnings punishment avoided.

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

I would be fine with doing away with the mortgage int. deduction if I only had to pay some sort of comsumption tax, but at this point it’s a way for self employed people to lower their taxable income.

[BobL]

“Depends, for those who believe that all money belongs to the governement first, tax deductions are idiotic.

For those of us who believe that the money we earn belong to us, well, it’s just an earnings punishment avoided. “

My point has NOTHING to do with who the money belongs to, it has to do with whether the government should ENCOURAGE DEBT. If we want to be revenue-neutral, we simply get rid of the STUPAK mortgage interest deduction, and, at the same time, lower income rates (and/or brackets) to be revenue-neutral. That simple.

But we stop REWARDING people to go into debt. We should be past that IDIOCY...it NEVER made sense, and it needs to stop.