What do you think is the best way to jumpstart our economy?

[kentuck]

[Donnachaidh]

1. Immediate emergency tax increases to 90% on the upper 2 percentile

Yeah, I know it won't happen, but offering tax cuts to these swine really pisses me off. They use our services to make their money, but they don't want to pay a fair share?

MAKE them pay.

[tabatha]

5. +10000

[ProdigalJunkMail]

6. yeah...FUCK ALL THOSE S-CORPs out there...

fuck 'em good.

sP

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

25. Like the Tribune Co. and Bechtel?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

47. no...like mine and a million others... nt

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

77. And you're in the top 2%? nt

[ProdigalJunkMail]

78. very... n/t

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

81. Earning 5 times the average family makes it hard to garner sympathy.

Just so we're clear, we're talking net, not gross.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

82. what flows through to my 1040 is what puts me well over the top

and also allows me to reinvest much of that back into the company and my employees. we are a service organization. we are 35 people strong. i pay 100% health ins...provide retirement accounts for my employees...have graduated vacation time that starts at 3 weeks and goes up to 6.

my company has allowed me to quit my previous job and focus on this full time and it has grown dramatically in less than a year.

and i am like many other s-corps. i know there are a lot of 'one man band' s-corps out there. the taxes wouldn't affect them. if you think a 90% tax on earnings over say $250K won't hinder growth...you are nuts.

sP

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

83. Reinvested capital would not be subjected to those taxes.

Oh, and are you hiring? :)

[ProdigalJunkMail]

85. it is if it is held into the new year...

if i make money in year one...and reinvest it in year one then no...it is not taxed. but if i make the money in year one...do not reinvest that money into the company in that year it flows through to my 1040...apparently even if i leave it in the corporate account. at least that is how it was explained to me by my accountant and how it has been working thus far.

oh, and maybe...what do you do???

sP

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

87. If.

It was a suggestion, not a policy.

All taxes are accorded in their fiscal year(ahead of time)...There is no surprise. If it is, you need a new accountant.

Oh, I kick ass at my job. :D

[immoderate]

91. Bonuses?

--imm

[DireStrike]

49. Glad we're in agreement.

[Stinky The Clown]

62. "S-Corps," per se, has nothing to do with it.

[FormerDittoHead]

76. Reading msgs like that one let me understand why we outsource work to India... n/t

[ProdigalJunkMail]

80. explain, Ditto...

[ProdigalJunkMail]

79. the largest number of high earners as S-Corps...

the mega millionaires are not the people this would hurt the most...

[Stinky The Clown]

88. You get no argument from me.

My point was not the argument you're making. My point was that the simple fact of being an S-corp, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad.

[ladjf]

86. It would be very beneficial to the U.S. economy and all of it's

people including the rich who are asked to pay their fair share. After the crises has been solved,
the tax rates could move back to the Clinton years levels.

[Cleita]

2. Other.

Outlaw the Republican Party as a terrorist organization.

[FreakinDJ]

3. Infustructure Projects - create "Business Friendly Environment"

[Edweird]

4. WPA/CCC. Raise taxes on the rich to pay for it. Instead we are going the opposite direction.

[MannyGoldstein]

22. Of course that would work, but where's the challenge?

Much better to continue to try things that have never worked, and see if they can be made to work.

Enormous risk at the taxpayer's expense is fun and profitable. Just ask any banker.

[Spyderama]

7. Legalize Pot Nationwide!

Then do the rest of the stuff listed in the poll, and then do all the stuff recommended in Paradigm Shift.

<http://www.e-tabitha.com/2011/01/who-me.html>

[ProfessionalLeftist]

8. Make it illegal to send jobs overseas when the unemployment rate is over 6%

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x105559

[OhioChick]

53. +1000 n/t

[FirstLight]

9. END the WARS

bring home our soldiers to work on our own infrasturcture projects...peaceful projects that will also help heal their psyches
stop putting money and drones in other countries
Bring our resources back to work for us, and stop spending money on AMMO & destruction

ya, well I can dream can't I...?

[Better Believe It]

10. Two of the options are really the same. A government jobs program and infrastructure program.

A program to rebuild the nations infrastructure should be part of a huge government jobs program.

And a serious big government jobs program would need to include infrastructure therefore I think voting for one option is really voting for both options!

[jody]

11. Poll results suggest many are not familiar with the economic impact of small businesses.

Contribution to the economy

In the US, small business (less than 500 employees) accounts for around half the GDP and more than half the employment. Regarding small business, the top job provider is those with less than 10 employees, and those with 10 or more but less than 20 employees comes in as the second, and those with 20 or more but less than 100 employees comes in as the third (interpolation of data from the following references).<6> The most recent data shows firms with less than 20 employees account for slightly more than 18% of the employment.<7>

Of the 5,369,068 employer firms in 1995, 78.8 percent had fewer than 10 employees, and 99.7 percent had fewer than 500 employees.<8>

My vote would be to protect the small business environment with as much enthusiasm as we do nature's environment.

[kentuck]

13. The President agrees with you...

He has cut taxes for small businesses 17 times.

[jody]

20. Sorry tax cuts are not the answer. Govt over regulation impedes and stifles small business start up

and growth.

[kentuck]

23. Then maybe you don't agree with the President?

Huh?

[jody]

30. Correct. n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

28. oh really? which federal regulations do that?

Usually the rightwing target that is the motiviation for this nonsense is the americans with disability act, that horrid regulation that somehow was in full force during the last two booms and yet is crippling that dynamo of the economy, small businesses.

Or perhaps you would like to abolish OSHA? The EPA?

[jody]

31. Perhaps you should start your own business or consult with them to understand. I have although my

experience alone is not enough to support my observations, discussions with several dozen small business owners and would-be entrepreneurs convinces me tax cuts are not the answer.

[Warren Stupidity]

32. I ran my own business for ten years and the only crippling regulations

I ran into came from the IRS :-)

Please be specific: which regulations?

[jody]

34. ROFL, have a great day and goodbye. n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

35. right. Couldn't name one regulation. How surprising.

[Better Believe It]

14. Much of the government public works and infrastructure projects would help small businesses.

[jody]

21. How? n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

29. by providing business opportunities for small businesses. DUH.

[jody]

33. What business opportunities for small businesses do you mean? n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

37. ROFL. Have a good day. nt

[Better Believe It]

44. To provide goods and services for projects and for millions who will now have jobs with living wages

[Selatius]

84. That's rather easy to explain.

A jobs program puts money into the pockets of workers. The workers, then, spend that money in the local businesses. That's what "opportunity" is all about. Then, if aggregate demand is high enough, those businesses will be forced to invest in expanding production/services, and that probably means they will hire more people to meet the higher aggregate demand. Get it?

[LongTomH]

12. A government jobs program that focuses on infrastructure!

I would also:

• Raise the minimum wage
  
• Lower the age of eligibility for Social Security - at least during the jobless period.
  
• Extend unemployment benefits to the 99ers.
  
• Eliminate tax benefits for offshoring American jobs
  
• Establish a real health care reform: Single payer

Yeah, I know! Fat chance while Republicans control Congress!:grr: :argh:

[Better Believe It]

16. So the chances are about the same as they were with Democrats "running" Congress?

[kgnu_fan]

15. We need interstate rapid railroad. We need our highways updated. We need national electric car grid

But I do think it is too late now. Obama should have started these programs within 3 month of his Presidency. Now the right-winger will destroy everything we come up with...

[kgnu_fan]

17. And of course ending the wars has to come first in order to finance these projects.

[TBF]

48. Of course - but that will never happen. nt

[kgnu_fan]

54. You mean, war will never stop? Then the democracy of USA will end...or may be already gone?

[Hawkowl]

56. We've been at war since 1941

WWII, the Cold War, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, the war on drugs, Iraq I, Iraq II, Afghanistan. I don't see it ending anytime soon. There are too many people making too much money on the war industry.

[kgnu_fan]

57. But the war industry is not faithful to the USs national interest, we are just bleeding...

We are losing our national identity....

[Hawkowl]

61. You are confused

The War industry IS the national interest. It IS our national identity. The constant soldier worship, the untouchable sacred cow, the Pentagon budget, the largest vendor of weapons in the world, means we are nothing but a nation of war profiteers.

[Warren Stupidity]

73. You do not understand. At war since 1941. 70 years.

This is our national identity.

[TBF]

75. I mean that capitalism will not allow it. nt

[BlueJazz]

18. Tax the Rich.

[patrice]

19. Other: Micro-lending investments targeted at co-operative/employee owned business development.

That's be targeted also to the individual members' investments in such co-operatives & ultimately to coaltions amongst co-operatives.

[kentuck]

24. There seems to be so few people agreeing with the President's economic program?

Taxcuts, trade agreements, etc?

[Edweird]

27. Maybe because it's RW fail?

[LWolf]

26. Some of the above, and more.

Gov't jobs program and investment in infrastructure: 2 sides of a beneficial coin;

End NAFTA/CAFTA: return jobs to the U.S.;

Universal, single-payer, NOT-FOR-PROFIT health CARE, returning citizens to better financial, mental, and physical health;

There's more, but these are the top 3, imo.

[Taverner]

36. Declare war on Antarctica

Keep in mind Antarctica did nothing to stop terrorists, and if you aren't with us, you're against us.

[KG]

38. massive 50 trillion infrastructure project

sewers, roads, bridges, dams. this country's infrastructure is an embarrassment.

[earth mom]

39. Green jobs, green power, green retrofitting. Gore was right. nt

[Jackpine Radical]

40. What I really support is a combination of 2 choices:

A Federal jobs program to modernize the infrastructure

[ono4pono]

41. What do you think is the best way to jumpstart our economy?

I agree a massive govt jobs program. I would use every states Dept of Labor database of unemployed. They have complete profiles of everyone they have ever sent a check to. As the jobs programs get started use these people first including 99rs. Any one who is unemployed could apply. You could fill almost any kind of job. Offer them 3 choices that fit their profile they pick the one they feel suites them. They get the job plus health care if needed. You don't have to take a job but either way the unemployment stops. Use the states Dept of Labor they do this stuff every day and could run a massive jobs program right now. This gets people jobs and shuts the Re pugs up. We have lots to do..lets get started

[customerserviceguy]

42. Other: Targeted Jobs Tax Credits

It's the only part of Reaganomics that got us out of the recession of thirty years ago.

[kentuck]

50. What would that consist of?

Could you explain?

[customerserviceguy]

72. As they were done back in the 1980's

Tax breaks were given to people who were on public assistance, or long-term unemployed. Being as a lot of employers right now see 99ers as damaged goods, something is needed to get them back on track again.

Some states are using it, here's a program from Florida:

http://www.edcsarasotacounty.com/subpages/Targeted_Jobs_Tax_Credits_TJTC.asp

[HughBeaumont]

43. Raise wages to match inflation, productivity and cost of living.

You know, something that hasn't been done since, OH, about 1973!!!

[Warren DeMontague]

45. Infrastructure. High Speed Rail. Renewable Energy. Legalize & Tax Marijuana.

Technology, R&D. Vigorous space exploration, utilization and colonization.

That's just for starters.

[B Calm]

46. Fair trade tariffs and end NAFTA!

[bobbolink]

51. The OTHER than none of you ever remember...... Increase ALL entitlements!

Food Stamps... for every Federal dollar spent, $1.84 comes back to the local economy.

Unemployment.... for every Federal dollar spent, at least $1.63 comes back to the local economy.

A study from Denver shows that MILLIONS come back to the local economy when building subsidized housing, AND hundreds of jobs are created.

Yet, none of you can seem to grasp this simple fact.

We poor folk are invisible to you, yet you expect our votes.

[OhioChick]

52. Tax the corps that offshore instead of giving them tax breaks n/t

[upi402]

55. Infrastucture = energy -> 2 for 1! n/t

[SidDithers]

58. Complain on the internet!...nt

Sid

[kentuck]

60. Who do you think is complaining, SidDithers?

It seems to me most people are posting thoughtful responses?

[rucky]

59. Alternative energy projects.

and infrastructure.

[JackRiddler]

63. End the empire, tax the rich, renegotiate debts, build railways and solar infrastructure.

Liquidate the zombie banks and establish state-owned development and commercial/consumer banks as public utilities in every state. Support credit unions and smaller solvent banks instead of TBTF. Switch all government purchases and subsidies to localvore for food and open source for software. Build up schools, hire teachers, raise their salaries. Metaphorically guillotine the banksters and corporate plunderers as a needed example for the future.

None of this is going to happen before the whole thing collapses, but maybe afterwards if we can fight back corporate neo-feudal totalitarianism.

[Toucano]

64. I don't want to "jumpstart" the economy.

Why reanimate the dead?

The "economy" has to first be reconceptualized and redefined as something sustainable and not based on continuous "growth".

[defendandprotect]

65. New Dem LIBERAL administration ....

[alfredo]

66. Eat the rich. Take back the tax cuts for the rich and

use that money for infrastructure projects, like repairing dams and bridges, updating our electrical grid, repairing roads, painting all industrial and government rooves white.

[Lorien]

67. national high speed mag lev rail project plus a new massive push to improve

PUBLIC schools and hire more teachers, along with huge green energy projects (solar and wind). Severely taxing corporations who outsource would help as well. Tax cuts will only lead to more pain.

[quakerboy]

68. Lower the retirement age

big jump in the estate tax, 90% of anything over 5 million.

[demwing]

69. End the wars, redeploy the military as an "Armed Forces Corp of Engineers"

so as not to add to the already horrible unemployment.

Send them out with bread and medicine, armed, so that the right people get it. Have them build bridges, roads, hospitals, and schools. Let's rebuild what we've destroyed around the world. How much could you save spreading democracy with a carrot, not a stick?

Then do the same at home, with a 50 State Democratic Domestic Peace Corp.

We'll have near full employment, an incredible infrastructure, and blow he lid clean off the Republican Southern Strategy.

The south will turn blue, America will rise like a phoenix from the ashes, and the world will be a more peaceful place.

[jmowreader]

70. Other: get a healthy big business environment restarted

We can sit around talking about small business all day long, but the thing is this: The best customer of small business is big business.

Consider the auto industry. Car factories make very few of the parts that go into a car. Take the wheels. You need four companies to make a car wheel: one to make the tire, one to make the rim, one makes the valve stem and a fourth company puts the three items together to make the wheel. I could go on...engines contain a lot of parts made by a lot of companies, transmissions come from a factory that buys the internals from someone else, bearings come from a factory, axles from a different one, interiors come from a different set of factories...That car plant might only employ three or four thousand people, but many thousands of jobs exist BECAUSE of it. (Which is why Obama was so careful to bail out those car companies when their fucked-up credit arms killed them.)

This country ain't ever going to come back until big business comes back.

[Angry Dragon]

71. Other

Gather up all the republicans and force them to build camps to hold them on the other side of hell
and any democrats that think big corporations are god's gift to mankind

[OnionPatch]

74. Other......Impose penalties for shipping jobs overseas.

Watch the economy start to roll again when people actually have jobs.

[tama]

89. Other:

Just don't.

[Junkdrawer]

90. We need to rebuild our economy. We are 30-40 years away from being able....

to simply jumpstart it back into productivity.

And the longer we deny that reality, the less likely it is that we'll succeed.