Alan Simpson Calls GOP Refusal To Raise Revenue ‘Absolute Bullshit’

[CrusaderFrank]

The Bush policies, from tax cuts to his wars to the big government programs, have caused the mess, and the rest of us are trying to dig out of it, and then folks like Too Tall won't admit their errors. That's OK. We will admit it for them, and hold their feet, metaphorically, to the fires of reality.

"The Bush policies, from tax cuts to his wars to the big government programs....



Bush?



Just Bush's "big Government programs"

Did we forget Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security?

 

[Too Tall]

The Dems have to cut and shrink government, the Pubs have to give up the rich.

That is how the people see it, and so far the GOP is held hostage by the corporate fascists, and the GOP will pay a horrible price for it.

Whatever kid...is this really what you believe?
ONLY the Republicans are held hostage by corporations?
Dream on.

No.... not only the GOP is held Hostage... No one believes that. But the GOP makes no bones about who they are for. They campaign on it every election. The Dems do it because they have to compete( and some individuals in the Party are no different than the GOP) with the Corporate Sponsored Party when it comes to campaign funds.

I know... you are going to say... wadda bout da Unions??? True.. Unions support primarily Dems... However, They are collecting their money from only 7% of the workforce and(at least in Pennsylvania) the PAC money is separate from regular Union Dues and is a voluntary donation. So, it's LESS than 7% of the workforce... Donating $2/pay(that's what ours is).

Yes... I know, Unions are the boogeyman according to the Shiite Republican Code. But they are in fact, small potatoes compared to the Conglomerate.

12 of the top 20 all time political donors between 1989 and 2010 were (gasp) UNIONS.

Top All-Time Donors, 1989-2010 | OpenSecrets

And, the union I was in would rent a hundred 9 passenger vans and pick up people in the 'projects' all day on election day and take them to the polls. The major criteria was that they be black folks to ensure that they were Democrat voters

And, we manned phone banks at no charge to the campaign calling people from the Democrat list of voters.

Small potatoes my ass!

 

[Trajan]

WTF are you going on about? The neocon gods in Congress that YOU support don't give a damn about the deficit...THEY were the ones that DID NOT put two wars on the budget, passed a prescription drug plan without a definitive way to pay for it, and gave tax cuts to the rich and tax breaks to corporations that have to date created NO jobs. THEY are the ones that have stonewalled ANY attempt by the Dems to pass legislation to address the situation, and even when Obama and the Dems AGREED to their proposals, they went filibuster crazy because it would appear to the American public that Obama and the Dems did something positive.

The GOP hierarchy stated in no uncertain terms that their primary objective is to make Obama a one term President in order to return to the Shrub years of GOP power in gov't....and by all indications, that means public be damned.

We are now up to SIX wars, none of them paid for and the cost of the prescription drug program will skyrocket once Obama gets his way to close the "donut hole." Nobody filibustered Obama when he agreed to extend the Bush tax cuts for two more years. One more year of Obama and he will increase the debt almost as much as Bush did in 8 years.

And Bush created an anemic 3 million (net) jobs in 8 years. How many jobs has Obama created so far?

Please provide the facts to support your claim that we are up to 6 wars that have not been paid for.

Please provide evidence from the CBC or the GAO that supports your claim that Obama's proposal's would sky rocket the prescription drug program...and please ADMIT that the Shrub & company let the insurance and pharmaceutical companies write that plan without a way to pay for it.

Please REMEMBER that Obama's budget INCLUDES two wars, a prescription drug plan unpaid for, tax cuts and breaks that the Shrub & company DID NOT FULLY INCORPORATE.

Yes, Obama wussed out and extended the tax cuts....cowering to the possible threat of another round of filibusters, of which the GOP has been so fond of the last two years.

Oh, and bragging about the Shrubs 3 million jobs in 8 years is a joke, considering Clinton created 23 million in his two terms and his father did about the same in just 4 years.

Bush On Jobs: The Worst Track Record On Record - Real Time Economics - WSJ

Iraq and afghan costs are approx. 168 billion this year, so even if we double it, round it off at 350 billion.... next excuse?

and he said;"anemic 3 million ", do I need to post the definition of anemic? think oh, you and class...

 

[Trajan]

We are now up to SIX wars, none of them paid for and the cost of the prescription drug program will skyrocket once Obama gets his way to close the "donut hole." Nobody filibustered Obama when he agreed to extend the Bush tax cuts for two more years. One more year of Obama and he will increase the debt almost as much as Bush did in 8 years.

And Bush created an anemic 3 million (net) jobs in 8 years. How many jobs has Obama created so far?

Obama has created MORE JOBS IN LESS THAN 3 YEARS!

Look it up... oh wait, you don't do that FACT research.. ok here.

"Responding the jobs report, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) noted that President Obama and the Democratic Congress have created “more jobs in 2010 than President Bush did over eight years.”

Obama Created More Jobs In One Year Than Bush Created In Eight | ThinkProgress


Bush increased debt by 6 TRILLION dollars, Obama, less than 2 in 2 yrs.

Making those $1000 a month elderly on Social Security and Medicare pay $2500 more for their drugs (at retail cost, not discounted like VA or Canadian prices), THAT will make a whole lot of difference ... Obama be damned for costing the taxpayers a few hundreds of millions that the poor sick elderly should pay for themselves!!!!!

If those elderly would just die off, we would save a lot of Bush induced donut hole deficit spending, RIGHT?

one thing at a time- how much was the deficit jan 2009...


"Responding the jobs report, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) noted that President Obama and the Democratic Congress have created “more jobs in 2010 than President Bush did over eight years.”

do you realize how mischaracterized and intellectually dishonest that statement is?

 

[Too Tall]

Do you think this deficit magically appeared when Obama took office, chuckles? It was ACCUMULATED VIA 8 YEARS OF REAGANOMICS ON STEROIDS COURTESY OF THE SHRUB & COMPANY. So it sure as hell isn't going to disappear overnight. Got it now, chuckles.

When you figure out the difference between the yearly budget deficit and the National Debt we can talk. Until then, you are merely spouting partisan nonsense.

You're STILL trying to pass off some half assed conclusion while pretending that the tax breaks and cuts, the off the books wars and prescription drug plan were/are NOT major contributions to the current problem....remember genius, the Shrub inherited a SURPLUS.

The only partisan hack here is YOU, my Too Tall neocon parrot.

Still don't know the difference between the debt and the deficit do you.

We are now up to attacking SIX sovereign nations, Obama extended the dreaded Bush tax cuts, so they are now the Obama tax cuts and the cost of Part D will skyrocket as soon as Obama gets Congress to close the 'donut hole.'

The current problems are caused by excessive government spending and the collapse of the housing market. Of course, TRIPLING the number of troops in Afghanistan by Obama, costing $2 billion a WEEK on or off the books doesn't help. When the current warmonger finishes his troop draw down next year we will still have TWICE as many troops there as when Bush left office.

The only saving grace is Obama will have to honor the agreement Bush made with the Iraq government to withdraw all or most of the troops in that country.

Let me know when you figure out the difference between the debt and the deficit. I will give you a hint: One used to be measured in billions when Bush was President and is now measured in trillions and the other is a result of that one.

 

[JakeStarkey]

When you figure out the difference between the yearly budget deficit and the National Debt we can talk. Until then, you are merely spouting partisan nonsense.

You're STILL trying to pass off some half assed conclusion while pretending that the tax breaks and cuts, the off the books wars and prescription drug plan were/are NOT major contributions to the current problem....remember genius, the Shrub inherited a SURPLUS.

The only partisan hack here is YOU, my Too Tall neocon parrot.

Still don't know the difference between the debt and the deficit do you.

We are now up to attacking SIX sovereign nations, Obama extended the dreaded Bush tax cuts, so they are now the Obama tax cuts and the cost of Part D will skyrocket as soon as Obama gets Congress to close the 'donut hole.'

The current problems are caused by excessive government spending and the collapse of the housing market. Of course, TRIPLING the number of troops in Afghanistan by Obama, costing $2 billion a WEEK on or off the books doesn't help. When the current warmonger finishes his troop draw down next year we will still have TWICE as many troops there as when Bush left office.

The only saving grace is Obama will have to honor the agreement Bush made with the Iraq government to withdraw all or most of the troops in that country.

Let me know when you figure out the difference between the debt and the deficit. I will give you a hint: One used to be measured in billions when Bush was President and is now measured in trillions and the other is a result of that one.

Your thinking is one of the reasons the GOP is going to get clobbered next year in the presidential and senate elections, and possibly in the House as well.

 

[saveliberty]

Deficit when Bush left office: $1.2 trillion.

On Jan. 7, 2009, two weeks before Obama took office, the CBO reported the deficit was projected to be $1.2 trillion.

PolitiFact | Axelrod claims Bush saddled Obama with a big deficit

Deficit now: $1.5 trillion.

If it's always darkest before the dawn, then President Obama and Congress are close to a deal to shrink the $1.5trillion budget deficit and raise the $14.3trillion debt ceiling.

Obama and Congress Race the Clock on Debt Limit Talks - ABC News

Note: Reducing this year's budget by 10.49% could pay off the deficit.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

You're STILL trying to pass off some half assed conclusion while pretending that the tax breaks and cuts, the off the books wars and prescription drug plan were/are NOT major contributions to the current problem....remember genius, the Shrub inherited a SURPLUS.

The only partisan hack here is YOU, my Too Tall neocon parrot.

Still don't know the difference between the debt and the deficit do you.

We are now up to attacking SIX sovereign nations, Obama extended the dreaded Bush tax cuts, so they are now the Obama tax cuts and the cost of Part D will skyrocket as soon as Obama gets Congress to close the 'donut hole.'

The current problems are caused by excessive government spending and the collapse of the housing market. Of course, TRIPLING the number of troops in Afghanistan by Obama, costing $2 billion a WEEK on or off the books doesn't help. When the current warmonger finishes his troop draw down next year we will still have TWICE as many troops there as when Bush left office.

The only saving grace is Obama will have to honor the agreement Bush made with the Iraq government to withdraw all or most of the troops in that country.

Let me know when you figure out the difference between the debt and the deficit. I will give you a hint: One used to be measured in billions when Bush was President and is now measured in trillions and the other is a result of that one.

Your thinking is one of the reasons the GOP is going to get clobbered next year in the presidential and senate elections, and possibly in the House as well.

Yes, another repeat of 2010.

For those new to USMB, Jake pretends to be a Republican.

 

[Too Tall]

We are now up to SIX wars, none of them paid for and the cost of the prescription drug program will skyrocket once Obama gets his way to close the "donut hole." Nobody filibustered Obama when he agreed to extend the Bush tax cuts for two more years. One more year of Obama and he will increase the debt almost as much as Bush did in 8 years.

And Bush created an anemic 3 million (net) jobs in 8 years. How many jobs has Obama created so far?

Please provide the facts to support your claim that we are up to 6 wars that have not been paid for.

Please provide evidence from the CBC or the GAO that supports your claim that Obama's proposal's would sky rocket the prescription drug program...and please ADMIT that the Shrub & company let the insurance and pharmaceutical companies write that plan without a way to pay for it.

Please REMEMBER that Obama's budget INCLUDES two wars, a prescription drug plan unpaid for, tax cuts and breaks that the Shrub & company DID NOT FULLY INCORPORATE.

Yes, Obama wussed out and extended the tax cuts....cowering to the possible threat of another round of filibusters, of which the GOP has been so fond of the last two years.

Oh, and bragging about the Shrubs 3 million jobs in 8 years is a joke, considering Clinton created 23 million in his two terms and his father did about the same in just 4 years.

Bush On Jobs: The Worst Track Record On Record - Real Time Economics - WSJ

Iraq and afghan costs are approx. 168 billion this year, so even if we double it, round it off at 350 billion.... next excuse?

and he said;"anemic 3 million ", do I need to post the definition of anemic? think oh, you and class...

You really need to take a lesson in comprehension. I quoted the ANEMIC 3 million net jobs created under Bush and that is not even close to bragging. Are you ready to admit there were not net job losses yet? And where are the figures for the net jobs created by Obama?

It would be a complete waste of time to explain what the additional cost to the taxpayers would be by closing the so-called donut hole to someone who doesn't know the difference between the deficit and the debt.

$350 billon this year for Iraq and Afganistan. Bush's last year in office the cost was $190 billion. Of course Bush only had about 32,000 troops in Afghanistan, whereas Obama has increased that number to 98,000.

We are dropping bombs and/or launching missiles at innocent women and children in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan. Since we now have the Obama tax cuts, we are borrowing money to pay for these wars. That is using your logic, or lack thereof.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Deficit when Bush left office: $1.2 trillion.

On Jan. 7, 2009, two weeks before Obama took office, the CBO reported the deficit was projected to be $1.2 trillion.

PolitiFact | Axelrod claims Bush saddled Obama with a big deficit

Deficit now: $1.5 trillion.

If it's always darkest before the dawn, then President Obama and Congress are close to a deal to shrink the $1.5trillion budget deficit and raise the $14.3trillion debt ceiling.

Obama and Congress Race the Clock on Debt Limit Talks - ABC News

Note: Reducing this year's budget by 10.49% could pay off the deficit.

"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. ... It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our government's reckless fiscal policies." -- Barack Hussein Obama, Failed Leader, Community Organizer and low-level socialist agitator

 

[BenNatuf]

Deficit when Bush left office: $1.2 trillion.

On Jan. 7, 2009, two weeks before Obama took office, the CBO reported the deficit was projected to be $1.2 trillion.

PolitiFact | Axelrod claims Bush saddled Obama with a big deficit

Deficit now: $1.5 trillion.

If it's always darkest before the dawn, then President Obama and Congress are close to a deal to shrink the $1.5trillion budget deficit and raise the $14.3trillion debt ceiling.

Obama and Congress Race the Clock on Debt Limit Talks - ABC News

Note: Reducing this year's budget by 10.49% could pay off the deficit.

where did you learn math? 10% of 3.1T is 310B not 1.5T. And one does not "pay off the deficit", one pays off the "debt", if you want to bring down the deficit, stop spending more money than you take in. Further the 2009 deficit was fueled in part by the 28% increase in spending that OBAMA signed into law after he took office and has nothing to do with Bush, he vetoed it, add to that about 200B in add'l stimulak spending in 2009 and it's fairly easy to see that Obama is responsible for about 1/2 of the 2009 deficit.

 

[Greenbeard]

Deficit when Bush left office: $1.2 trillion.

On Jan. 7, 2009, two weeks before Obama took office, the CBO reported the deficit was projected to be $1.2 trillion.

PolitiFact | Axelrod claims Bush saddled Obama with a big deficit

Deficit now: $1.5 trillion.

If it's always darkest before the dawn, then President Obama and Congress are close to a deal to shrink the $1.5trillion budget deficit and raise the $14.3trillion debt ceiling.

Obama and Congress Race the Clock on Debt Limit Talks - ABC News

Note: Reducing this year's budget by 10.49% could pay off the deficit.

where did you learn math? 10% of 3.1T is 310B not 1.5T. And one does not "pay off the deficit", one pays off the "debt", if you want to bring down the deficit, stop spending more money than you take in. Further the 2009 deficit was fueled in part by the 28% increase in spending that OBAMA signed into law after he took office and has nothing to do with Bush, he vetoed it, add to that about 200B in add'l stimulak spending in 2009 and it's fairly easy to see that Obama is responsible for about 1/2 of the 2009 deficit.

Unless the deficit was $2.4 trillion in 2009, no, discretionary spending from Obama is not responsible for half of it.

As the poster above pointed out, CBO's January 2009 Budget Outlook, released a few weeks before Obama took office, reveals the sources of the huge deficit that was already in place (with ARRA, I believe the final numbers for the 2009 deficit were around $1.4 trillion):

• CBO projects that the deficit this year will total $1.2 trillion, or 8.3 percent of GDP. Enactment of an economic stimulus package would add to that deficit. In CBO’s baseline, the deficit for 2010 falls to 4.9 percent of GDP, still high by historical standards.
• CBO expects federal revenues to decline by $166 billion, or 6.6 percent, from the amount in 2008. The combination of the recession and sharp drops in the value of assets—most significantly in publicly traded stock—is expected to lead to sizable declines in receipts, especially from individual and corporate income taxes.
• According to CBO’s estimates, outlays this year will include more than $180 billion to reflect the present-value of the net cost of transactions under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which was created in the fall of 2008. (Broadly speaking, that cost is the purchase price minus the present value, adjusted for market risk, of any estimated future earnings from holding purchased assets and the proceeds from the eventual sale of them.) The TARP has the authority to enter into agreements to purchase assets totaling up to $700 billion outstanding at any one time, but the net cost over time will be much less than that amount.
• The deficit for 2009 also incorporates CBO’s estimate of the cost to the federal government of the recent takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Because those entities were created and chartered by the government, are responsible for implementing certain government policies, and are currently under the direct control of the federal government, CBO has concluded that their operations should be reflected in the federal budget. Recognizing that cost in 2009 adds about $240 billion (in discounted present-value terms) to the deficit this year.
• Economic factors have also boosted spending on programs such as those providing unemployment compensation and nutrition assistance as well as those with cost-of-living adjustments. (Such adjustments for 2009 are large because most of them are based on the growth in the consumer price index over the four quarters ending in the third quarter of 2008.)

It's true that if you compare the year before Obama took office to the year after (when his first budget took effect), there's an almost 24% increase in discretionary spending. Yet that figure is misleading, in part because Obama's budgets used different accounting than those of his predecessor:

For his first annual budget next week, President Obama has banned four accounting gimmicks that President George W. Bush used to make deficit projections look smaller. [...] The new accounting involves spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Medicare reimbursements to physicians and the cost of disaster responses. [...]

As for war costs, Mr. Bush included little or none in his annual military budgets, instead routinely asking Congress for supplemental appropriations during the year. Mr. Obama will include cost projections for every year through the 2019 fiscal year to cover “overseas military contingencies” — nearly $500 billion over 10 years.

For Medicare, Mr. Bush routinely budgeted less than actual costs for payments to physicians, although he and Congress regularly waived a law mandating the lower reimbursements for fear that doctors would quit serving beneficiaries in protest.

Mr. Obama will budget $401 billion over 10 years for higher costs and interest on the debt.

He will also budget $273 billion in that period for natural disasters. Every year the government pays billions for disaster relief, but presidents and lawmakers have long ignored budget reformers’ calls for a contingency account to reflect that certainty.

The apparent increase in defense spending (now that our wars are being counted in the budget) along with State Department foreign operations accounts for an almost 18% increase in discretionary spending.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Deficit when Bush left office: $1.2 trillion.

On Jan. 7, 2009, two weeks before Obama took office, the CBO reported the deficit was projected to be $1.2 trillion.

PolitiFact | Axelrod claims Bush saddled Obama with a big deficit

Deficit now: $1.5 trillion.

If it's always darkest before the dawn, then President Obama and Congress are close to a deal to shrink the $1.5trillion budget deficit and raise the $14.3trillion debt ceiling.

Obama and Congress Race the Clock on Debt Limit Talks - ABC News

Note: Reducing this year's budget by 10.49% could pay off the deficit.

where did you learn math? 10% of 3.1T is 310B not 1.5T. And one does not "pay off the deficit", one pays off the "debt", if you want to bring down the deficit, stop spending more money than you take in. Further the 2009 deficit was fueled in part by the 28% increase in spending that OBAMA signed into law after he took office and has nothing to do with Bush, he vetoed it, add to that about 200B in add'l stimulak spending in 2009 and it's fairly easy to see that Obama is responsible for about 1/2 of the 2009 deficit.

Unless the deficit was $2.4 trillion in 2009, no, discretionary spending from Obama is not responsible for half of it.

As the poster above pointed out, CBO's January 2009 Budget Outlook, released a few weeks before Obama took office, reveals the sources of the huge deficit that was already in place (with ARRA, I believe the final numbers for the 2009 deficit were around $1.4 trillion):

• CBO projects that the deficit this year will total $1.2 trillion, or 8.3 percent of GDP. Enactment of an economic stimulus package would add to that deficit. In CBO’s baseline, the deficit for 2010 falls to 4.9 percent of GDP, still high by historical standards.
• CBO expects federal revenues to decline by $166 billion, or 6.6 percent, from the amount in 2008. The combination of the recession and sharp drops in the value of assets—most significantly in publicly traded stock—is expected to lead to sizable declines in receipts, especially from individual and corporate income taxes.
• According to CBO’s estimates, outlays this year will include more than $180 billion to reflect the present-value of the net cost of transactions under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which was created in the fall of 2008. (Broadly speaking, that cost is the purchase price minus the present value, adjusted for market risk, of any estimated future earnings from holding purchased assets and the proceeds from the eventual sale of them.) The TARP has the authority to enter into agreements to purchase assets totaling up to $700 billion outstanding at any one time, but the net cost over time will be much less than that amount.
• The deficit for 2009 also incorporates CBO’s estimate of the cost to the federal government of the recent takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Because those entities were created and chartered by the government, are responsible for implementing certain government policies, and are currently under the direct control of the federal government, CBO has concluded that their operations should be reflected in the federal budget. Recognizing that cost in 2009 adds about $240 billion (in discounted present-value terms) to the deficit this year.
• Economic factors have also boosted spending on programs such as those providing unemployment compensation and nutrition assistance as well as those with cost-of-living adjustments. (Such adjustments for 2009 are large because most of them are based on the growth in the consumer price index over the four quarters ending in the third quarter of 2008.)

It's true that if you compare the year before Obama took office to the year after (when his first budget took effect), there's an almost 24% increase in discretionary spending. Yet that figure is misleading, in part because Obama's budgets used different accounting than those of his predecessor:

For his first annual budget next week, President Obama has banned four accounting gimmicks that President George W. Bush used to make deficit projections look smaller. [...] The new accounting involves spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Medicare reimbursements to physicians and the cost of disaster responses. [...]

As for war costs, Mr. Bush included little or none in his annual military budgets, instead routinely asking Congress for supplemental appropriations during the year. Mr. Obama will include cost projections for every year through the 2019 fiscal year to cover “overseas military contingencies” — nearly $500 billion over 10 years.

For Medicare, Mr. Bush routinely budgeted less than actual costs for payments to physicians, although he and Congress regularly waived a law mandating the lower reimbursements for fear that doctors would quit serving beneficiaries in protest.

Mr. Obama will budget $401 billion over 10 years for higher costs and interest on the debt.

He will also budget $273 billion in that period for natural disasters. Every year the government pays billions for disaster relief, but presidents and lawmakers have long ignored budget reformers’ calls for a contingency account to reflect that certainty.

The apparent increase in defense spending (now that our wars are being counted in the budget) along with State Department foreign operations accounts for an almost 18% increase in discretionary spending.

Right, Green, nothing is Obama's fault. Be sure to campaign on that in 2012.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

I wonder how the left justifies the lack of concern over the deficit?

Return to....

....The CLINTON Rates......

......problem SOLVED!!!!!

. . . . ​

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Dems 2012:

Three Planks

1. Nothing's Obama Fault

2. We're raising your taxes

3. We hate the Rich

 

[Greenbeard]

Right, Green, nothing is Obama's fault. Be sure to campaign on that in 2012.

The reality is that most people have long enough memories (longer than a goldfish, say) to recall what Obama walked into. They don't need to look up old CBO budget outlooks to remember the economic conditions at the start of 2009.

But then some people do need those things. And that's fine, too.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Right, Green, nothing is Obama's fault. Be sure to campaign on that in 2012.

The reality is that most people have long enough memories (longer than a goldfish, say) to recall what Obama walked into. They don't need to look up old CBO budget outlooks to remember the economic conditions at the start of 2009.

But then some people do need those things. And that's fine, too.

I encourage you to run on the fact that Obama is a self-proclaimed powerless failure. Use all the charts and graphs you feel are necessary

 

[kaz]

Surveying the lay of the current fiscal land, Simpson said, “We’re at 15 percent revenue, and historically it’s been closer to 20 percent.”

Raising taxes normally is ignorant, but raising taxes in the middle of a long recession takes an idiot. Alan Simpson is an idiot.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Surveying the lay of the current fiscal land, Simpson said, “We’re at 15 percent revenue, and historically it’s been closer to 20 percent.”

Raising taxes normally is ignorant, but raising taxes in the middle of a long recession takes an idiot. Alan Simpson is an idiot.

We couldn't have had the FDR Depression without tax increases, increased government regulation and demonization of American free enterprise and entrepreneurship.

 

[kaz]

Surveying the lay of the current fiscal land, Simpson said, “We’re at 15 percent revenue, and historically it’s been closer to 20 percent.”

Raising taxes normally is ignorant, but raising taxes in the middle of a long recession takes an idiot. Alan Simpson is an idiot.

We couldn't have had the FDR Depression without tax increases,increased government regulation and demonization of American free enterprise and entrepreneurship.

Yep