Abolish America.

Originally posted by wittywonka
The states most likely to embrace that idea would probably be the states most likely to suffer the most for doing so.

I'd love to see some of these sorry little states try to do without California money via Federal taxation. 😛

Originally posted by Zapp Brannigan
Yep, I've thought about it for the last 5 minutes and come to the conclusion that our federal government sucks and should be abolished.

Let the 50 states become independant countries and take care of themselves and screw the federal government.

All the government of The United States Of America does is keep an enormous military in place and cost a gazzillion dollars a year.

We don't need it and neither does the world.

Thats' 5 minutes well spent.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
I'd love to see some of these sorry little states try to do without California money via Federal taxation. 😛

California does squat for other states WTF are you talking about?

Plus California is bankrupt:

http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/california-bankrupt

As of 2010 California was taking in 85% of what it was contributing, and Arizona, for example, was taking in 123% of what it was contributing.

http://www.ffis.org/

In other words, one of the bills California is having a hard time paying is Arizona's government welfare check. Losing that payment would make balancing the books easier.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
As of 2010 California was taking in 85% of what it was contributing, and Arizona, for example, was taking in 123% of what it was contributing.

http://www.ffis.org/

In other words, one of the bills California is having a hard time paying is Arizona's government welfare check. Losing that payment would make balancing the books easier.

Oh
My
God.

That's NOT what the stats mean in that list.
Look and read it again, try to understand what they are saying.

Originally posted by Zapp Brannigan
Oh
My
God.

That's NOT what the stats mean in that list.
Look and read it again, try to understand what they are saying.

Here's a similar report for a different year.

http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/266.html

Originally posted by JS357
Here's a similar report for a different year.

http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/266.html

Yes, THAT list is what ATY thought the other one meant.

Originally posted by Zapp Brannigan
Yes, THAT list is what ATY thought the other one meant.

The numbers are roughly the same. According to that one, CA is 78%, and AZ is 119%.

Originally posted by wittywonka
What's your take on Obama's recent offers to include cuts to entitlements in exchange for ending certain tax loopholes?

Naturally, you need to reduce the big three which are defense, social security, and medicare. In addition, more revenue needs to be raised.

As for tax loopholes, I would be in favor of a corporate flat tax as well as a personal one. Just throw the entire tax system into the deepest and darkets recess of hell you can find along with the IRS.

Of course, progressives will not do this. That would limit their influence over people like GE who payed no federal taxes last year.

However, it is my guess that Obama knows which tax loop holes the GOP is unwilling to sacrifice, thus he is using it to create division and scare social security recipients that those evil Republicans will cut them off.

If the object of the game is to reduce debt, then I would thnk that the President would take what he could get. For example, part of me was hoping that the Democrats would slash defense spending dramatically when they were in power. However, they did the opposite by increasing it.

In short, if Obama thinks that entitlements need to be decreased, he should do it with no strings attached. The only other conclusion would be he would be doing something he does not believe in just so he can raise taxes. In fact, the Dems had ample oppurtuinty to raise taxes themselves when they were in power, did they not?

Originally posted by Zapp Brannigan
Yes, THAT list is what ATY thought the other one meant.

http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2011/apr/22/rachel-maddow/msnbc-host-rachel-maddow-says-texas-routinely-rece/

Originally posted by whodey
Naturally, you need to reduce the big three which are defense, social security, and medicare. In addition, more revenue needs to be raised.

As for tax loopholes, I would be in favor of a corporate flat tax as well as a personal one. Just throw the entire tax system into the deepest and darkets recess of hell you can find along with the IRS.

Of course, ...[text shortened]... the Dems had ample oppurtuinty to raise taxes themselves when they were in power, did they not?

We've been over the whole story of "Democrats should have when they could have." I already made my case for why Democrats didn't raise taxes actively, and I'm sticking to that argument.

As for the current negotiations and the current circumstances, I agree in that I think that political strategy may be a factor in Obama's decision, but I don't think it's the only factor. As far as I understand it, Obama isn't fighting to raise tax rates; he's trying to close tax loopholes. So I think Obama is coming from a place of legitimacy when he says he has gone to extremes to cater to Republicans' wishes for minimal tax "increases" and severe budget cuts; likewise I don't think he has anything that he "could get" in the first place that would meet his consistently reiterated (albeit occasionally recharacterized along the way) goal of trying to achieve a "balanced" solution.

Originally posted by Zapp Brannigan
Yep, I've thought about it for the last 5 minutes and come to the conclusion that our federal government sucks and should be abolished.

Let the 50 states become independant countries and take care of themselves and screw the federal government.

All the government of The United States Of America does is keep an enormous military in place and cost a gazzillion dollars a year.

We don't need it and neither does the world.

...at least you gave the subject much careful thought before giving us the benefit of your wisdom.😴

Here's a plan to cut government spending for you:
1. End the war on drugs and by extension the DEA. Put an easily enforceable age limit on drug purchases. This would also drastically reduce the prison population, aiding states with their budget problems.
2. Eliminate the income tax in favor of a national sales tax. In so doing, drastically reduce the size of the IRS budget.

There's two good ideas, who's got some more?

Originally posted by wittywonka
http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2011/apr/22/rachel-maddow/msnbc-host-rachel-maddow-says-texas-routinely-rece/

Texas? I thought Texas was one of the net contributors.

Originally posted by dryhump
Here's a plan to cut government spending for you:
1. End the war on drugs and by extension the DEA. Put an easily enforceable age limit on drug purchases. This would also drastically reduce the prison population, aiding states with their budget problems.
2. Eliminate the income tax in favor of a national sales tax. In so doing, drastically reduce the size of the IRS budget.

There's two good ideas, who's got some more?

Such a plan sounds like it would encourage hoarding and discourage people from spending money which is not good for the economy.