We need more tax increases or there will be more painful cuts.

[kentuck]

Last edited Fri Mar 1, 2013, 11:55 AM - Edit history (1)

It is not only defense that is getting cut. It is programs that help people like Hot Food for the Elderly and Headstart.

But we had a chance to raise these taxes just a couple of months ago. Instead we chose to carry over about $3 trillion dollars from the Bush taxcuts when we agreed with the Republicans not to raise taxes on anyone below $450K dollars. $450 thousands!

Now people are whining about all the evil cuts. Just take your taxcut and shut the fuck up. These people make me sick.

[TheMastersNemesis]

1. The GOP Actually Wanted ALL THE CUTS Be Made On The Domestic Side. All $85 Billion Plus -

they wanted Social Security and Medicare cut or privatized, Medicaid sent to the states, permanent Bush tax cuts and an INCREASE in the Pentagon budget. They said they WOULD NOT INCREASE THE DEBT LIMIT UNLESS IT WAS DON 'THEIR WAY". Sequestration was a "fall back" position just to get the debt ceiling raised.

The GOP position now is that they want MORE CUTS and NO NEW REVENUE PERMANENTLY!!!!

The media is letting the GOP hide its agenda.

[kentuck]

2. But that was before the Bush taxcuts were set to expire.

They needed about $2 trillion in revenue (cuts and/or spending) to meet the guidelines of the "super committee". They had it in their hands and gave it away. They did not have to do anything. Just let them expire. Today, we could be debating taxcuts for those most needful and closing loopholes instead of this nonsense about "sequestration". Is anyone surprised that Repubs now say "No New Taxes!"?

[TheMastersNemesis]

3. Actually They Wanted The Bush Tax Cuts To Be Permanent

[kentuck]

4. ????

They expired. There was nothing permanent about them. They could do nothing about it. All the Democrats had to do was sit on their hands and let them expire. The argument was that it would have hurt a lot of taxpayers. But $450K???

[TheMastersNemesis]

5. They Were Caught In A Box On The Bush Tax Cuts -

They were pushing for the tax cuts to be permanent and Obama let them run another cycle. The GOP thought that they would get full control and then be able to make the Bush tax cuts permanent.

[kentuck]

12. That is true but

They expired even before the new year.

[TheMastersNemesis]

7. If You Dig Deep Enough The True GOP Agenda Reveals Itself.

Here is what they want.

All funding for Defense and Homeland Security Only.
All other functions go to the states or are run by big business.
All commons including highways, national parks, infrastructure owned by corporations and even foreign corporations (i.e. Walker in Wisconsin wants to allow foreign countries or foreign corporations to buy Wisconsin farmland> Michigan the governor wants to be able to appoint people to run any city or local governmental entity to run things. That includes selling off city property to private interests. Brownback and the GOP in Kansas have virtually eliminated all taxes on business.

Their real agenda is so extreme it is sick.

[oldhippie]

6. What?

"... we agreed with the Republicans not to raise taxes on anyone over $450K dollars."

We did? I thought we did raise taxes on those above $450K. One of us is confused.

[Wounded Bear]

8. Yeah.....pretty sure he meant "below"....nt

[TheMastersNemesis]

10. Yes The Taxes Were Raised Above 450K. But -

they wanted to make the break point above $2 million. If they were to ever get the power they would restore the cuts and even reduce the top rate from 39% to 25%. THEY ACTUALLY WANT 0% as a top rate.

The GOP is banking on a deep recession so they can get full power back by 2016 and go back to everything Bush did and even add huge cuts on domestic.

[kentuck]

13. Sorry

Fixed

[RC]

9. If we stopped our quest for world domination, that would save much more that cutting any domestic

programs.

I would like to see we citizens first in line for a change. You know, like in some other countries. We need things like Single Payer, Universal Health Care. Social Security COLA based on the real rate of inflation, instead of some behind locked doors, imaginatively derived, cooked numbers.
Cross country, High Speed Rail. Up grade our 100+ year old power grid to adequately serve the current customers demands, with enough built in reserve for at least half again as many customers, on top of as many as we have now. 80 Volts is hard on motors and electronics, rated for 120 volts.

Instead of our current focus of killing brown people for fun and profit, because they don't like us because we are killing too many of them and destroying their countries.

[TheMastersNemesis]

11. The GOP Wants ALL Domestic Problems Given To The Churches And Private Charities.

The GOP wants to go back to the 19th century and have the churches and private charities take care of ALL poverty and health care where people can't pay for it. ANY SAFETY NET TO THEM IS EVIL EVIL EVIL.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Once again, this piece by Lakoff is essential reading

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/279-82/16223-why-ultra-conservatives-like-the-sequester

I have said this in the past, but Lakoff has a flair for the language.