"Why I Gave Up On Being a Republican"

[finehoe]

It's a surtax of 3.8 percent on certain types of unearned income of individuals, trusts and estates with income above specific thresholds:

$200,000 for single filers
$250,000 for married filing jointly
$125,000 for married filing separately

Not "all owners of property".

Why do "conservatives" always have to resort to blatant untruths in order to make their case?

[mtraininjax]

It still equates to taxing the wealthier to give to Obamacare, no matter how you slice it, finding a way to pay for a sham of a healthcare system. Instead of getting the Obamacare system to pay for itself, but like everything the Government does, nothing seems to pay for itself.

[finehoe]

but like everything the Government does, nothing seems to pay for itself.

Which federal program took in more than it spent last year, added $95 billion to its surplus and lifted 20 million Americans of all ages out of poverty?

Why, Social Security, of course, which ended 2011 with a $2.7 trillion surplus.

Keep 'em comin'.

[BridgeTroll]

but like everything the Government does, nothing seems to pay for itself.

Which federal program took in more than it spent last year, added $95 billion to its surplus and lifted 20 million Americans of all ages out of poverty?

Why, Social Security, of course, which ended 2011 with a $2.7 trillion surplus.

Keep 'em comin'.

Thats awesome... except of course they spent it even before they got it.  What year does that surplus turn into a deficit also?  Pretty soon I think...  As far as the author quitting the republican party... so what?  Happens every day.  I used to be a democrat.  Stephen bemoaned the republican party mutating from what he fondly remembers... same for me.  I really do not think JFK would identify to well with what the democrats have become.  Ah well... keep up the constructive dialogue...

[FayeforCure]

but like everything the Government does, nothing seems to pay for itself.

Which federal program took in more than it spent last year, added $95 billion to its surplus and lifted 20 million Americans of all ages out of poverty?

Why, Social Security, of course, which ended 2011 with a $2.7 trillion surplus.

Keep 'em comin'.

It's no use finehoe........today's Republicans remind me of this:



No better example than their denial of climate change as man-made, and their refusal to see that providing birth control free of charge will reduce the number of abortions in this country as it has done in all other countries that employ this policy.

[fsquid]

but like everything the Government does, nothing seems to pay for itself.

Which federal program took in more than it spent last year, added $95 billion to its surplus and lifted 20 million Americans of all ages out of poverty?

Why, Social Security, of course, which ended 2011 with a $2.7 trillion surplus.

Keep 'em comin'.

I would hope so because once the boomers start reaching the full payout age, it will get drained.

[FayeforCure]

Bruce Bartlett is amazingly smart in his rebuff of the crazy Fair Tax movement that was started by a dentist and a radio show host..........and he is amazingly smart about how the Republican party devolved in recent decades:

[FayeforCure]

Because today's Republicans are fine with the policies that increase the divide:

[tufsu1]

seems like Mayor Brown has given up on being a Democrat

[mtraininjax]

From the Times Union Op Page today, for all the folks who think they know about spending at the Federal Level, some sobering realities and WHY we cannot continue as an entitlement society and borrow against the future:

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/editorials/2012-07-26/story/younger-generation-taking-big-hit

Federal budget realities
Interesting economic facts from David Wessel in The Wall Street Journal:

- Nearly two-thirds of annual federal spending is entitlements: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, farm subsidies and interest on the debt.

- In 2009, every dollar of federal revenues was committed. Everything else, 36 percent, was borrowed.

- About $1 in $4 in federal spending goes to health care. By 2021 at the current rate, health spending will consume $1 in $3.

- About $1 in $5 goes to defense.

- Tax rates are down. In 1981, a middle-income family paid 19.2 percent of its income in federal taxes. In 2011, it was 12.4 percent. This does not go into state and local taxes, which in some cases have had to fill the gaps.

[mtraininjax]

Stephen - Why not look at some of the ideas that Hogan proposed during the campaign? One that I really liked was combining the services of the libraries with those of the schools. After all, why do you need to build an 85 million dollar high school with a library when we have so many in Jax? Why not share resources, instead of building a kingdom for Gubbin to reign over? Some of his ideas would save money at a time when money is scarce.

People will lose jobs in the City, but we can take the bankruptcy option off the table. Thanks to Mayor Peyton for kicking Pensions down the road, again the lost 8 years or lost decade as many call it in government. Peyton came to the Mayors position with no government experience, no city experience, and Brown had little city experience and all those Federal relationships don't mean squat at the local level. Maybe having Mike Hogan with his considerable city and local experience would have been a good thing for our city, as we do not seem to be headed in the direction of progress, as I see it. Brown is a nice person, not an effective leader, as I see it. My 2 cents.

[finehoe]

some sobering realities and WHY we cannot continue as an entitlement society and borrow against the future

I love how the financial crisis - which was caused by bad lending practices and bank fraud - is being made into neoliberal excuses to cut wages, cut taxes, and cut middle class benefits.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

seems like Mayor Brown has given up on being a Democrat

I agree, it seems like he's trading his supporters for the group of people who failed to elect Mike Hogan.

What could possibly go wrong?

Seems like we all agree on something....

I don't see what the big deal is....  Isn't AB a Repub anyhow?

[mtraininjax]

I love how the financial crisis - which was caused by bad lending practices and bank fraud

I love (insert sarcasm) how not one of the large bank executives that caused the financial crisis has been tried and brought to justice. Is Holder waiting until after the elections? OMG? No way???

Madoff does not count, his was a pyramid scheme and defrauded his own investors, he did not get a bailout either.

[finehoe]

Is Holder waiting until after the elections?

More likely, waiting for the statute of limitations to run out.