columnist on Obama

[Bill Peckham]

Come on Bigsky in constant dollars 2000 saw higher tax receipts http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=200

In constant dollars 2005 tax receipts were at 1999 levels

I'm fine with Obama taking us back to 1999/2000

[Bill Peckham]

The real Mr. Obama is an easy target for the general election.

Even Fred Barnes the King of the Bush Pollyannas thinks the Republicans generally and McCain particularly are facing long odds. When you consider that McCain has faced very little criticisms from his left - its been almost all generated from his right during the prolonged Dem primary - this contention alone calls into question the judgment of the author quoted in the original post.

Read Fred's musings here http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/096pstor.asp?pg=1

[BigSky]

Come on Bigsky in constant dollars 2000 saw higher tax receipts http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=200

In constant dollars 2005 tax receipts were at 1999 levels

I'm fine with Obama taking us back to 1999/2000

  

Hmm but yet with those tax polices in affect the revenue dropped the next year and continued to drop because of Clintons  tax policies that were in affect.  Hmm yet when Bush leaves office and if his tax policies are left in place the government revenue will hit even higher historic levels.  Not drop in the sh*tter like Clintons policies caused to happen.

ALso in your constant terms tax receipts were higher than in 1999.

Also our GDP purchasing power in 1999 was only $33,900,   In 2005 it was 42,000

[paris]

I would love for someone to convince me to vote for someone by giving me all the facts about their candidate instead of putting down the opposition.  I will gladly listen and learn.  But, by putting someone else down or telling me I just don't know, doesn't convince me to vote for the other candidate.  If all we do is "sling mud", how can we expect our candidates to run positive campaigns?   Just my

[Bill Peckham]

Come on Bigsky in constant dollars 2000 saw higher tax receipts http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=200

In constant dollars 2005 tax receipts were at 1999 levels

I'm fine with Obama taking us back to 1999/2000

  

Hmm but yet with those tax polices in affect the revenue dropped the next year and continued to drop because of Clintons  tax policies that were in affect.  Hmm yet when Bush leaves office and if his tax policies are left in place the government revenue will hit even higher historic levels.  Not drop in the sh*tter like Clintons policies caused to happen.

ALso in your constant terms tax receipts were higher than in 1999.

Also our GDP purchasing power in 1999 was only $33,900,   In 2005 it was 42,000

What a concept GDP growth happens. Think about where we'd be if growth durning the Bush administration equaled the growth during the Clinton administration.
http://au.biz.yahoo.com/080512/2/1qlzn.html
We'll be paying of the profligate policies of the last 7 years for a long time but there is no alternative.

It's easy to get lost in all the zeros so consider if we vastly simplify the situation and imagine we're talking about a $100 economy and a 19% tax rate.

Easy to see $19 will be paid in taxes leaving $81 for "the people" (also understand we're talking constant dollars - while there is inflation year to year these dollars are adjusted to be the same value year to year). Now suppose GDP grows 3% and we decide to increase taxes to 20%.

Our economy is worth $103 (3% growth) and we'll pay $20.15 in taxes, leaving $82.85 for the people.

Basically taxes can increase at the per capita rate of GDP growth without decreasing individual wealth. This idea of never being willing to pay a dime more in nominal dollars (dollars unadjusted for inflation) is wrong headed and with our current fiscal deficits we have to set our financial house on a solid footing. Well crafted taxes coexist with a growing economy very nicely - see the period '93 to '00. What this country needs to do is return to a period of tight labor markets and federal debt reduction.

[BigSky]

Well crafted taxes coexist with a growing economy very nicely - see the period '93 to '00. What this country needs to do is return to a period of tight labor markets and federal debt reduction.

Please dont tell me you are trying to claim federal debt reduction under clinton.

[Bill Peckham]

I comparing the performance under Clinton to the preformance under Bush.

[glitter]

*just a side note to all who believe 'polls'-- I work for a market research firm......polls are highly manipulative, often by the insistence of the person or organization that orders them. You can literally change peoples minds while giving a poll- I have seen it happen too many times. MOST polls are disgustingly biased, and most people with any intelligence get pissed and hang up in the middle when they realize it. That being said, there are many dumb people  out there who, when fed the words correctly will spit them back out as their own 'opinion' .

[Bill Peckham]

There are polls that matter - when we vote. Democrat Travis Childers winning his special Congressional election last night in an extremely Republican Mississippi district on the heels of two other Democratic special election wins shows just how degraded the Republican brand has become. Five months is a long time in politics but from the viiew point of May 2008 it does look like there will be a political earthquake in November.