Pipe dream? Obamacare

[isobars]

[mac]

Mac belittles the inability of the right to actually do math, much less remember the budget areas out of balance due to any actions by any politician except Obama. Mac is highly amused by the prolongued sense of denial of the right for their disastrous results, and fully expects them to continue to believe that a true conservative would have done better. Dream on, and continue the insults of women and minorities and it will get worse. Mac is also highly amused by the failure of the Tea Party nuts, having lost several of their most rabid members in the last election, to grasp the limited amount of power they have. He's not sure whether it is their rank amateurism in understanding politics, or their inability--along with Techno and NW, to count.

What a scream.

[DanWeiss]

Calling the any effort to eliminate or sunset the so-called Bush tax cuts as an attack on the rich is misleading at best. Tax rates go up for nearly every taxpayer!

The 10% bracket is eliminated. In its place as the lowest rate for the lowest bracket is 15%.

25% bracket returns to 28%, 28% changes 31%, 33% increased to 36%, 35% goes to 39.6%

Indeed, as a percentage of taxable income, the lowest income earners shoulder the largest rate increase. The top earners rate increases less.

The entire reason we use a percentage of earned income as opposed to a head tax is to tax each according to his or her ability to pay. It is therefore not germane to discuss the normative burden of the wealthy as defined by the gross tax receipts. It is axiomatic to any percentage-based system that people with higher levels of earned income will pay more money.

What that rate ought to be is the subject of reasonable debate, but to say that allowing the Bush tax cuts to lapse puts a differently greater burden on the wealthy is hogwash. I would hope the conservative voters can understand this distinction and cease raising the victim flag for the rich. As a top gross bracket guy myself, I will feel the difference in March but not in any way like the far less fortunate who will have a greater percentage of their income taxed and who feel the value of every dollar more directly than those at the top.

[DanWeiss]

Duplicate post

[keycocker]

Though all parties agree on the tax rates for 98% of Americans, the GOP has elected to not allow their members to vote.
The GOPs poor leadership wishes to hold the bulk of the American people's taxes as a hostage to get tax reductions for the rich.
Same with debt ceiling.
Here is a chance for bipartisanship, with GOP leadership standing squarely in the way of their own people, as well as most Americans including many rich people. Leadership has slipped from representing 53% of Americans down to maybe one to two percent or less.
This why O is taking it to the people. There has to be some limit to the GOP sell out to special interests, ESP when the special interests themselves, like Buffet and the Patriotic Millionaire group, has asked them to act instead in the interests of the American people.

[keycocker]

Did I mention that my entire income is now from interest and cap gain so I will be hit by higher tax rates as well?
Those are the rates from the pre Bush years when most Americans, rich and poor were doing better every year.
I add my vote to fixing this in line with the Dem plan, not because I benefit,but because my country needs it.
Polls show that the majority of both libs and conservatives agree.
Techno you are smart guy, and your posts have substance. Do you think the Congress should vote on retaining tax breaks for most people right now?
Or do you support continuing to block Congress from voting on a bipartisan measure with strong agreement on all sides?

[mac]

The total insanity of this comment didn't percolate through my skull at first:

[techno900]

My guess is that the right would go with a tax increase on the top 2%, but only if the left is willing to concede some spending cuts; SS & Medicare reform & tax loophole/deduction reform.

The right is using "no tax on the rich" as leverage to get the left to COMPROMISE in some way. Just an opinion.

[swchandler]

If Republicans take a position that SS and Medicare cuts are a condition to gain their agreement to increase tax rates on those making in excess of $200-250K, they will lose and we will go over the fiscal cliff. I think any decision to cut SS and Medicare will require a well thought out effort and negotiation that can't realistically be accomplished by the end of the year. Leave to the Republicans to prove how thoughtless and stupid they can be in their arrogance.

[boggsman1]