and your counterparts on the right are immediately sidelined, because the future of our democracy depends on it. The strident ideological partisanship you represent, must not be allowed to dominate the debate these next four years. Groups like the tea party, and OWS must be marginalized if we're to have any chance at bringing this country back together to serve ALL the people. Sorry, but I won't allow you kill my buzz today.

Jill Stein suffered a hugely embarrassing loss, and it's time for her & her accolytes to climb down from their ideological perch, and work to find common ground.

Last edited Wed Nov 7, 2012, 05:09 PM - Edit history (1)

All that talk about millionaire tax rate going from 36 to 39 is bullshit. Almost none of the income is paid at that rate. That isn't how the 0.1% are escaping their fair share. They are evading their fair share by:

1) Loopholes that allow them to launder their income as cap gains, and pay only 15% on that. The Bush plan cut cap gains from 20% to 15%. Have you heard a single word about restoring cap gains to 20% ? I have not.

2) abusive shelters that avoid paying taxes altogether.

So what we need is this. Leave the damn 36% alone if you want. Nobody pays that anyway. We need:

a) Get rid of Carried Interest and other loopholes that allow the rich to abuse the cap gains rate

b) Put the cap gains rate at least back up to 20% or better yet, treat cap gains as ordinary income, just as freaking RONALD REAGAN did.

c) Institute an alternate minimum tax and other laws to remove the incentive for these Enron-style complex tax shelters.

I also like a tiny financial transaction tax.

Such as:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/16/financial-transaction-tax-obama-2012_n_1153841.html

...not sure where the 8 weeks number comes from.

Paul Krugman makes the case.

If you make the deal before the tax cuts expire then there's no doubt that extensions will be part of the deal.

You have to let them expire or be 100% committed to letting them expire (and the teabaggers will call your bluff).

Then they'll be pressed to vote "no" on a middle class tax cut.

The next 8 weeks is when people are calling their Reps., asking to protect vital services.

The concern is that Obama and Boehner could reach a deal in the lame duck session that results in cuts to vital programs.

Who pushed it back to the spring, Krugman?

You can wait until March or even April before you really start having to worry.

I didn't write that headline.

They think there is some risk of Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefit cuts. And they think there is a risk of such a deal in the lame duck session, in the next 8 weeks.

So we're talking about how to act now to influence the shape of the deal that will emerge.

Surely you must see that these benefits are up for negotiation and it is appropriate for the citizens to weigh in with their views, by contacting the President and/or their Members of Congress.

I understand there may not be an actual fiscal emergency. The emergency is the threat of the President and Congress passing a shitty deal that cuts vital programs. If people care about protecting Medicare and Social Security, for now and for future generations, now is a good time to pay attention.

By saying something must be done now and before the tax cuts expire means that there's something to negotiate over.

They do say to let the cuts expire.

They also say don't cut Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security.

Neither of which is contingent upon one another. If you do absolutely nothing, nada, zip, then the tax cuts expire, and pow, you've just put a huge dent in the long term deficit forecasts.

There's only one way out of this: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/bush-tax-cuts-fiscal-cliff_b_2104398.html

I'm not saying don't sit around and draft legislation, but to negotiate in the lame duck session would be a real screw up. I'm not ruling out the possibility that the Republicans will want to negotiate and that the terms would be reasonable. I just find it unlikely.

The cuts, as I said, aren't immediate, the effect won't be immediate, the government can juggle the books for months without any cuts actually taking place.

It's a pretty safe bet the right side of any issue is the ones y'all aren't on.

thanks.

have to respond. "Thanks".

Such as by cutting COLAs, or raising the retirement age?

ok with cutting Medicare? Medicaid? Really ok with that?

A half a loaf is better than no loaf at all. I know this is a foreign concept, but "compromise" is what grownups do. You give some, You get some. You do realize that the debt is not a myth, right? I prefer not to experiment with any extreme Greek style austerity measures, but the adults have known that some cuts would have to be part of a revenue raising deal.

If you don't like the medicine, then "Occupy Congress" until they come up with something that doesn't touch the social safety net.

the South of France? Fret not! Your chalet will still be there. And as for "disgust"....well.

this website.

Same for anyone who wants to raise the retirement age for Social Security or Medicare, or cut Medicaid benefits, or cut veterans benefits.

Social Security cuts are a war on the middle class and the working poor. Be gone. Go to the GOP where you belong.

We elect Democrats to defend these programs. President Obama should veto cuts like Bill Clinton did in 1995.

It takes a 2/3 majority of both houses of Congress to override a veto.

Same difference.

1) A 1% financial transaction tax.

2) Lift the cap on payroll taxes.

3) Let the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy expire.

4) Austerity for defense contractors.

5) Stop putting people in jail for non-violent drug crimes.

6) A single-payer health insurance plan would save billions.

7) Allow Medicare to negotiate a bulk price for the cost of drugs.

etc.

You're selling Mitt Romney's version of reality, telling us we need to accept cuts from vital safety net programs.

But it's a big fat lie and nobody is buying.

price negotiations to save it.
If the Deficit is too big:
Tax the rich, the corporations,
institute a Financial transactions tax
place tariffs on imports to protect American jobs
If the deficit is still to scary after those revenue enhancers cut the budget for WAR.


This is for all those who said we couldn't criticize BO's policies during the election

CAN WE PUSH FOR PEOPLE FRIENDLY POLICIES NOW?

I doubt too many people voted for the President thinking of it as a vote for cutting Social Security or Medicare.

Or for raising the retirement age. Nobody in my family lives long enough to collect if they raise the retirement age.

Sorry folks, but if President Obama signs a Social Security cut, he gets credit for that, he can't pass the buck and blame it all on the Republicans. He owns that. Same goes for the Dems in the Senate.

The President ought to veto the cuts. That includes any cuts to Cost Of Living Increases, using a chained CPI, or raising the retirement age. Those are all sneaky ways of cutting. It takes a 2/3 super-majority to override a veto and they ought to be held to that.

Also +1000 to everything you said.

Also they can raise the cap on payroll taxes to make it more fair.

Willard pay less Federal tax than the average worker pays in FICA alone?

Mitch McConnell is up for re-election in two years. Nuff said.