Interesting Dem-Rep comparison

[dude1394]

A snippet from Peggy Noonan.... Appears pretty right on here I think.... Who is John Galt.

http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2008/...al-divide.html

Random Observations for Students of Economics
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The Political Divide
Peggy Noonan, one of my favorite political commentators, does a nice job of summarizing a key difference between the political parties:

Democrats in the end speak most of, and seem to hold the most sympathy for, the beset-upon single mother without medical coverage for her children, and the soldier back from the war who needs more help with post-traumatic stress disorder. They express the most sympathy for the needy, the yearning, the marginalized and unwell. For those, in short, who need more help from the government, meaning from the government's treasury, meaning the money got from taxpayers.

Who happen, also, to be a generally beset-upon group.

Democrats show little expressed sympathy for those who work to make the money the government taxes to help the beset-upon mother and the soldier and the kids. They express little sympathy for the middle-aged woman who owns a small dry cleaner and employs six people and is, actually, day to day, stressed and depressed from the burden of state, local and federal taxes, and regulations, and lawsuits, and meetings with the accountant, and complaints as to insufficient or incorrect efforts to meet guidelines regarding various employee/employer rules and regulations. At Republican conventions they express sympathy for this woman, as they do for those who are entrepreneurial, who start businesses and create jobs and build things. Republicans have, that is, sympathy for taxpayers. But they don't dwell all that much, or show much expressed sympathy for, the sick mother with the uninsured kids, and the soldier with the shot nerves.

Neither party ever gets it quite right, the balance between the taxed and the needy, the suffering of one sort and the suffering of another. You might say that in this both parties are equally cold and equally warm, only to two different classes of citizens.

[alexamenos]

I would have put it ever so slightly differently from Pom Pom Peggy, I'd say....

Democrats pretend to be concerned about the beset upon single mother, and Republicans pretend to be concerned about the over-taxed owner of a single dry cleaning store. They do this to appeal to a suitably sized voting demographic, and we often go along with the facade so that we scream in ecstasy for our (political) idols. Of course neither is really concerned with much other than an avaricious grasp for power, and this is obvious to all who have eyes to see.

[Janett_Reno]

What is funny is republicans say we can't afford to be taxed in this bad economy. Guess who made this economy? Guess who made these food prices, gas prices, borrowing money and putting us in record deficits? Republicans.

Obama will cut taxes for 95% of Americans while John McCain gives tax breaks to big oil. The American public is catching on. It should show in the next election. Enough trickle down because most feel they have been trickled on. Read that between the lines.

[92bDad]

Obama will NOT cut taxes for 95% of Americans...it's simply a lie.

My household gross is around 85K-110K per year for the past 8 years. My taxes appear to go up every year and I see no hope under Obama.

Yet, I still manage to give between 5-10% of my income to charity, between my Church and other organizations. However my taxes turn out to be MORE than my charitable giving. Something is seriously wrong with that equation.

I only have limited debt (Mortgage, Back Taxes and ONE car payment that will be cleared by the end of the year) The rest are regular bills.

I have very little emergency funds available and you would think at my income level that I would have quite a bit more than I do. The problem is with my kids going to "PUBLIC" School, I am spending nearly 10K pery year on School Extra Stuff, from supplies to extra-curricular activities. Then my kids are taking up Sports outside of school and here I spend roughly another 10 grand...so right off the bat, $20K per year spent on my kids for PUBLIC school and other extra-curricular sports.

This doesn't count food, clothing, shelter, gas or auto-insurance/maitenance for their transportation.

At the end of the day, I am virtually living pay-check to pay-check with nearly no debt and no surplus.

Look, I'm not complaining about my situation...it is what it is and they are MY choices...but, the last thing I want is the Government to steal more money out of MY pocket for liberal causes!!!

Based on my income, Obama will RAISE my taxes and I simply can't afford it.

Again, I'm still trying to take care of back taxes...nearly $20K due to my former company NOT taking out enough on my withholdings...tax time came up and I owed...with -0- available for taxes.

When I was in the military as an NCO, I qualified for the Earned Income Credit, while serving under Clinton!!! Democrats have always been bad for me and my family.

If you ask me, I would like to see a Flat Tax and I would like for part of my Social Security to go to a private fund, while another part went to support SS during a transition to personal accounts. I am willing to pay more now, for two reasons.

1) to ensure that I have something at retirement time
2) to ensure the my kids and future generations have a system that will not fail them as the SS system is on its way to doing.

Obama wants to protect and keep the SS system as it is...I want no part of this and I supported Bush' plan that the Democrats killed for Privatizing SS!!!

It's rather simple to do, but for some reason, Democrats don't want us to gain financial freedom nor independence from our government.

With sincere respect, I am looking forward to voting for McCain/Palin!!!

[chumdawg]

You are spending more than $1500 a month on your kids playing sports? How is that even possible?

[Kirobaito]

Originally Posted by 92bDad

Obama will NOT cut taxes for 95% of Americans...it's simply a lie.

My household gross is around 85K-110K per year for the past 8 years. My taxes appear to go up every year and I see no hope under Obama.

Yet, I still manage to give between 5-10% of my income to charity, between my Church and other organizations. However my taxes turn out to be MORE than my charitable giving. Something is seriously wrong with that equation.

I only have limited debt (Mortgage, Back Taxes and ONE car payment that will be cleared by the end of the year) The rest are regular bills.

I have very little emergency funds available and you would think at my income level that I would have quite a bit more than I do. The problem is with my kids going to "PUBLIC" School, I am spending nearly 10K pery year on School Extra Stuff, from supplies to extra-curricular activities. Then my kids are taking up Sports outside of school and here I spend roughly another 10 grand...so right off the bat, $20K per year spent on my kids for PUBLIC school and other extra-curricular sports.

This doesn't count food, clothing, shelter, gas or auto-insurance/maitenance for their transportation.

At the end of the day, I am virtually living pay-check to pay-check with nearly no debt and no surplus.

Look, I'm not complaining about my situation...it is what it is and they are MY choices...but, the last thing I want is the Government to steal more money out of MY pocket for liberal causes!!!

Based on my income, Obama will RAISE my taxes and I simply can't afford it.

I don't know (or don't remember) how many kids you have, or if your wife is also an earner, but if you were making $100,000 a year in a 2-person earner household with two dependents, Obama's plan would reduce your taxes by about $3000 a year, give or take. You can argue that "it's simply a lie," which you of course have the right to do, but that's about all you can do.

The only people who will be taxed more under an Obama plan (versus Bush's current plan) are those making more than about $600,000 a year. Those making less than about $110,000 a year will be taxed less than under McCain. McCain's plan heavily stilts the tax cuts toward the wealthy (despite his earlier, MAVERICK position of opposing Bush's plan for the same reason), while Obama's plan cuts taxes for low-to-middle income people. Yes, that means letting the Bush tax cuts expire for the wealthiest. We have our differences on that, but let's not make Obama to be something he isn't - his tax plan calls for a reduction in taxes for 95% of people, and 80% of people will pay less in income taxes under Obama than McCain, and that includes you, 92bdad. Both plans still increase the national debt, but both candidates have promised to cut unnecessary and outdated projects - we'll see how that goes, whoever wins.

Info taken from the Tax Policy Center.

[dude1394]

Who is John Galt? Socialists are going to be the downfall of this country.

[alexamenos]

Originally Posted by dude1394

Who is John Galt? Socialists are going to be the downfall of this country.

John Galt is a fictional character.

George W. Bush is a real socialist.

[Underdog]

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to alexamenos again."