I was addressing the phoney fiscal conservatives, like fitz, and daveman, and PC, and boedicca, and the rest in this thread. If you oppose this, then you are genuinely fiscally conservative.
"...fitz, and daveman, and PC, and boedicca..."
Oh, wow!
We're forming teams? How exciting!
OK, let's call ours the "Get Government Out Of The Way and Let Capitalism Work Its Magic" team....
and based on the news, we also get President Obama, President Clinton, Mark Zandi, and Austan Goolsbee and Larry Summers and, of course all of the Repub leadership....
BTW, what is the name of your team?
The Troglodytes?
First of all, this is not getting the government out of the way since every time the government goes deeper in debt it ties the fortunes, or misfortunes of the people ever more inextricably TO the government.
Interest on the debt is one of the biggest government spending programs we have. You phoney fiscal conservatives claim you don't like big government programs, but you support action after action that makes the government program of debt service bigger and bigger and bigger.
You phoney fiscal conservatives rant about the government 'raiding' Social Security, and yet this payroll tax holiday does exactly that...
...which should be the next sub-topic of conversation here. Why the **** are you people supporting reducing the payroll tax?
Watch your language.
1. "...this is not getting the government out of the way..."
Of course it is. By holding the line on taxes, cutting Social Security taxes on both workers and employers, along with a two year guarantee, the government gives more security to the business community.
Whether you are willing to admit it or not, the reason that the Obama administration went with the deal is the implicit admission that lower taxes increases the possibility of less unemployment, and a better chance of his re-election.
2. "...government goes deeper in debt..."
Where was that argument when Social Security, Medicare, Obamacare were passed????
The differnce here is that this policy increases the chances of adding to the fisc, rather than the depletions that those programs cause.
You will find somewhere in this never-ending thread, my suggestions that the only way to ever, ever reduce the $13 trillion debt is to lower taxes, lower spending, decrease red tape and regulation, and honor initiative and innovation, i.e. business.
3. "...misfortunes of the people..."
That is the legacy of Progressive policies!
" Under capitalism, the standard of living of all was improving: prices falling, incomes rising, health and sanitation improving, lengthening of life spans, diets becoming more varied, the new jobs created in industry paid more than most could make in agriculture, housing improved, and middle class industrialists and business owners displaced nobility and gentry as heroes."
From a speech by Rev. Robert A. Sirico, President, Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty.
Delivered at Hillsdale College, October 27, 2006
4. "Interest on the debt is one of the biggest government spending programs..."
Wrong.
Let's take this year's interest, as per Obama 2011 budget: $251 billion.
The budget is $3,575.94
Obama?s 2011 Budget Proposal: How It?s Spent - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com
Do the math.
But...by 2052, the three entitlements alone will take up every penny of revenue:
“Spending on the three major entitlements, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, will more than double in the next 40 years. Without major reforms, entitlement spending will consume all federal tax revenues by 2052.”
http://www.issues2010.com/pdf/Entitlements.pdf
5. "...but you support action after action that makes the government program of debt service bigger and bigger and bigger."
And who brought us the three entitlements mentioned in #4 above?
Progressives/liberals.
You know, folks who don't know how to count, or use accounting procedures.
6. I support cutting of any and all taxes other than those required to pay for and support those constitutionally allocated to the federal govenment.
Don't even ask: I'm not going to summarize the post 'in one sentence.'