Tax the fucking rich and the corporations

[MrScorpio]

Take that money, pay the bills, put people to work….

PROBLEM SOLVED!

[Common Sense Party]

1. What about the celibate rich?

[MrScorpio]

2. That's why the Estate State should come back like gangbusters

Not like they'll need to worry about it.

[Dreamer Tatum]

3. You could take 100% of income and profits and still not balance the budget.

Sorry.

[MrScorpio]

5. It doesn't matter

And it isn't an excuse not to do it either.

[Kokonoe]

24. You could take 100% of income and profits and still not affect

Their lifestyle. They do not live on incoming money, they ALREADY have it..

[FogerRox]

33. Not the point, stimulate the economy, that increases revenues

[fivepennies]

4. They'll raise prices on everything and we'll still pay their taxes.

TARIFFS on imports. Inescapable. Give them a damn good reason to return their companies to the US.

[MrScorpio]

6. Then they better hurry up and start hiring Americans to make things in America nt

[fivepennies]

7. It won't happen until there are big enough tariffs

to hurt their profits.

[MrScorpio]

8. Bring 'em on

Our manufacturing base needs a jumpstart

[fivepennies]

11. If my pea brain sees the logic in this,

what are these high grade pay guys dickering over in DC? Its all Kabuki theater, they like things just the way they're going - as long as their own investments, campaign coffers and positions are "protected", screw Mr and Mrs America. And all their descendants.

[MrScorpio]

13. The corporations stopped being "American" a long time ago

The have no allegiance to this country

If they do business here, they should.

American workers deserve better.

[Broderick]

17. The bankers are in the same realm

Include Wall street which produces nothing but paper pushing by stealing from the people.

[fivepennies]

20. Of course they have no allegiance

to this country. In fact they have no allegience to anything but money and power. Apparently neither do our elected leaders.

Sure American workers deserve better, the question is, how are they going to go about getting it. Guarandamnteed nobody in power today is going to give it to them without a fight.

[MrScorpio]

21. American workers and voters need to organize

And American Capitalism needs to be "fixed"… Like one would fix a horny dog.

[fivepennies]

22. Oooooh, bring on the dull butter knife!!!

Seriously, the only thing that could neuter the banks and their crony capitalism is something like John F. Kennedy tried to do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_11110

[Oasis_]

27. Tariffs?

You have to be kidding, right? Does Smoot-Hawley ring a bell?

The absolute WORST thing we could do would be to impose tariff provisions and restrictions, especially in a globally weak economic climate.

Oasis

[fivepennies]

28. I don't think you understood my point.

I was referring ONLY to American companies that have moved their operations overseas to exploit cheap labor and then bring their products to American retail outlets at prices that reflect the costs of producing them here.

[Oasis_]

29. Very well

I had assumed you were calling for general tariffs. My apologies. I really detest the entire concept of tariffs and the provisions associated, as it simply leads to the country where the American company is associated to retaliate--which obviously creates additional problems.

With 95% of consumers and 75% of consumer wealth and purchasing power located outside of this country, many times there's legitimate reasons to move operations overseas.

But I definitely have a problem with a company moving for the sole reason of exploiting lax labor and environmental laws, then exporting their product back to this country to maximize profit.

It's a problem, but I always try and advocate on the side of global free trade as opposed to protectionism, but in this case I could see how limited tariffs employed against a very limited target of companies might be effective in combating it.

Very difficult question, though.

Oasis

[fivepennies]

31. Free trade isn't free,

nor is it fair, at least not in the way its practiced currently. That's an enormous subject all by itself.

Implementing new rules that would target the specific companies with the most egregious records while maintaining the status quo with others would probably be difficult. I don't know how that would work, or if it could, but they certainly don't deserve a free ride on our unemployed, struggling backs or on the backs of what amounts to slave labor in their host countries.

[bvar22]

30. Like all things,

there is a BIG Middle Ground.
It depends on how tariffs are applied, and to what extent.
It is NOT true to say ALL tariffs are bad,
just like it is not true to say all regulations are bad.

International Trade needs to be well regulated,
and tariffs are a tool of regulation.
If a country is using Slave Labor to undercut American manufacturers,
a tariff that exceeds the profit margin reaped from using Slave labor is a GOOD thing.

[FogerRox]

35. Yeah it does ring a bell, right wingers tells us that

Smoot-Hawley caused a tariff war which caused the Depression.

OTOH historically tariffs were 18% to 20%.

[malaise]

9. Easy

Rec

[Octafish]

10. Tax their property, too.

They've made out like bandits since Prunefact made trickle down the spirit of governance.

[begin_within]

12. And, make drastic cuts in defense contractor spending.

[MrScorpio]

15. Privatization is nothing more than a boondoggle

The Pentagon is the biggest guilty party…. Cost plus, anybody?

[cherokeeprogressive]

14. I wish I could remember where I read this and now I can't find it anywhere on google...

In 2006, there were approximately 13,000 households with incomes over $10,000,000 per year. Only 13,000. Seeing as how we only tax income in this country and not assets, I can't hardly see how raising the top tax rates comes anywhere close to solving the problem when we have a yearly shortfall counted in the trillions of dollars. It's a start, sure, but merely a drop in the bucket.

I wonder how many who shout "tax the rich!" think about that, and are actually calling for taxing or even appropriating assets, because that is a different argument altogether.

[MrScorpio]

19. Don't forget to factor in the corporate tax rate too

It's a package deal.

[cherokeeprogressive]

23. Okay, there's that.

But are we also talking about taxing or appropriating property and assets, or does income alone get us to where we need to be? My guess on that, and it is undoubtedly uneducated, is that there must be some kind of asset or property tax in order balance the books.

[FogerRox]

37. A Fed property tax is a no go, Unconstitutional.

Revenues from raising Income taxes, capital gains and Estate taxes are quite enough to stimulate the economy and create jobs.

[FogerRox]

36. raising taxes on the uber rich has little to do with deficits, historically

as a percent of GDP, top rates have little effect on the deficit. Where we do see an effect is in the lower brackets, an income tax that is effectively progressive, reduces the tax burden on working and middle class families, engaging them in the economy.

When the top rate was 70%, the effective top rate was in the area of 30 to 35%, because of deductions and exemptions. the idea was to increase the flow of capital from the uber rich into emerging tech and markets. I would like to see this again to incentivize building of factories in the US to make solar panels and wind turbines, emerging tech......

Taxing the rich should in no way be seen as a way to balance the budget, the revenue should be used to stimulate the economy and jobs, which increases Fed. revenue. Jpb creation means more FICA paid into SS,

[Broderick]

16. Take all rich people assets for the greater good.

80 percent rate on earnings for those making boondoggles of money.

[alfredo]

18. Tomorrow I am protesting at McConnell's office. His office is

on Corporate Dr. How appropriate.

[rurallib]

25. Kickety - you are on a roll!

[B Calm]

26. Wow. . . Now if only the compromising republicans see your message

[slay]

32. Agreed

and end the bullshit wars - including the drug one - too.

[Initech]

34. And tax their precious profits!

The republicans worship profit like Golem from LOTR worships his "precious". Tine to take it and throw it into the volcano!