LawTalkers - Politics As Usual

Originally posted by Brad DeLong
First, can we please please please please please please PLEASE!! stop talking about Bush's "tax cuts." There are no tax cuts. There's a tax shift--current taxpayers pay less, and future taxpayers pay more. Only by pretending that nobody has to service and amortize the growing federal debt can you talk about Bush's "tax cuts." They aren't there, any more than a $5,000 increase in your VISA limit is an increase in your income.

Can we get a ruling on this from the GOP side? I'm sure the answer is that we'll outgrow the shortfall because of all the really cool growth that's gonna happen, but given that the GOP ideal tax rate is 0%, how does the GOP rhetoric assure that it's not overshooting the mark on expected growth? I've never heard Bush say, "This much tax relief, but after that it starts getting stupid."

Atticus Grinch

07-01-2004 03:31 PM

Let's get it on!

Quote:

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Umm this may go back to my faulty high school education, but the ones we want to carpet bomb, we don't want them to take comfort, do we?

When exactly during the semester did your history teacher give up, put the coffee mug away and start drinking straight from the bottle? I gather it was pre-Marshall Plan?

Tyrone Slothrop

07-01-2004 03:38 PM

Bruce Bartlett, continuing to get it.

Quote:

That can't be the answer to DeLong's point, because his point is that if you keep spending money, someone's going to have to pay for it. You're hypothesizing that the GOP answer is that we don't have to raise taxes because current rates will eventually be enough. Even so, someone in the future is paying for Bush spending today.

Hank Chinaski

07-01-2004 03:39 PM

Let's get it on!

Quote:

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
When exactly during the semester did your history teacher give up, put the coffee mug away and start drinking straight from the bottle? I gather it was pre-Marshall Plan?

Civil War: Here's a map of the US circa 1860. Label the states and color for Union and Confederacy. You color the map its an A. You don't color its a B.

WW2: Here's a map of Europe and Asia circa 1939. Label the countries and color to show axis countries, axis controlled and allies. You color the map its an A. You don't color its a B.

futbol fan

07-01-2004 03:43 PM

Let's get it on!

Quote:

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Civil War: Here's a map of the US circa 1860. Label the states and color for Union and Confederacy. You color the map its an A. You don't color its a B.

WW2: Here's a map of Europe and Asia circa 1939. Label the countries and color to show axis countries, axis controlled and allies. You color the map its an A. You don't color its a B.

There you go again, flaunting your education at a ritzy private school with money to burn on things like "maps."

Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)

07-01-2004 03:47 PM

Laffer curve

Quote:

Originally posted by sgtclub
It would reduce the amount of cuts I need to come up with.
I didn't suggest that.

1) Why not make the cuts anyway, if they're wasteful?

2) I misunderstood what you said, then.

Stick with static for now. Dynamic's just gravy.

Gattigap

07-01-2004 05:07 PM

Bruce Bartlett, continuing to get it.

Quote:

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
Can we get a ruling on this from the GOP side?

Look, they're busy finding $400B in cuts. One thing at a time, man.

Hank Chinaski

07-01-2004 05:12 PM

Bruce Bartlett, continuing to get it.

Quote:

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
Can we get a ruling on this from the GOP side? I'm sure the answer is that we'll outgrow the shortfall because of all the really cool growth that's gonna happen, but given that the GOP ideal tax rate is 0%, how does the GOP rhetoric assure that it's not overshooting the mark on expected growth? I've never heard Bush say, "This much tax relief, but after that it starts getting stupid."

My god man- its simple. User fees. Example. Have you seen Brazil? We're going to start charging suspects for their interrogations.

sgtclub

07-01-2004 05:25 PM

Bruce Bartlett, continuing to get it.

Quote:

Originally posted by Gattigap
Look, they're busy finding $400B in cuts. One thing at a time, man.

I'm still trying to get an easy to view copy of the current budget. If anyone knows where I can find a budget broken out by line items with percentage increases year over year, please post it.

Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)

07-01-2004 05:29 PM

Bruce Bartlett, continuing to get it.

Quote:

Originally posted by sgtclub
I'm still trying to get an easy to view copy of the current budget. If anyone knows where I can find a budget broken out by line items with percentage increases year over year, please post it.

massive pdf here, with all the data you need.

sgtclub

07-01-2004 05:36 PM

Bruce Bartlett, continuing to get it.

Quote:

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
massive pdf here, with all the data you need.

I have that one, was looking for something more user friendly.

Sidd Finch

07-01-2004 05:40 PM

Scary Hilary Quote

Quote:

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
a $500B tax cut is really only $400B because of the Laffer effect.

One should always be careful in relying too heavily on any principle first described on a cocktail napkin.

ltl/fb

07-01-2004 05:41 PM

Bruce Bartlett, continuing to get it.

Quote:

Originally posted by sgtclub
I have that one, was looking for something more user friendly.

Yay, you got your funny back!!!!!!!

ETA, someone needs to quote this, as I'm pretty sure he has me on ignore.

Sidd Finch

07-01-2004 05:48 PM

Let's get it on!

Quote:

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
I didn't say "police action"; I was paraphrasing the GOP 2000 platform. So you're saying the cops would not have tried to stop the dropping of people into plastic shredders, etc., because these weren't crimes? Get with Bilmore on this --- I don't like fighting a two-front war. Bilmore wants us to stop rape camps, as long as it's a GOP CiC doing it.

Bilmore is also perfectly satisfied if, instead of closing the torture chambers, we put them under new management.

Quote:

As for building vs. rebuilding, I'm sure the third world can take comfort that our foreign urban renewal plan must be preceded by carpet bombing to ensure internal political consistency.

Omelettes, eggs, you know the drill.

(And I'm not talking about the "this is your brain on neo-conservatism" ad, either)

sgtclub

07-01-2004 06:14 PM

Bruce Bartlett, continuing to get it.

Quote:

Originally posted by ltl/fb
Yay, you got your funny back!!!!!!!

ETA, someone needs to quote this, as I'm pretty sure he has me on ignore.

nope

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