You Want to talk about less Government and less Taxes? Make My Day.
Here's a deal for you. I'll give you $1000, even $20,000, and I'll make sure that there's less government to bother you. All you need to do is sign over all the added value in your home for the past ten years, all the interest that's built on your retirement savings, and by the way, plan on paying twice as much for gas and 50% more for bread and milk. And, as an extra, expect the price of buying things from Europe to start climbing dramatically, as the dollar plummets in value. Great deal, huh?
Listen to right wing pundits and politicians sorrowfully appraising the GOP prospects this year, you hear them say, again and again, that they believe that people still want less taxes and less government. I say it's time to take this idea on. We should attack the right wingers on the principles they pride the most and hold the tightest.
Yes, there are plenty of people who think they want less taxes and less government. But there are some great reasons and the timing is great to attack this formerly deadly duo head-on.
Right wingers sell the "less government" mantra by suggesting that people want less government because they want to make up their own minds. They don't want government telling them how to live their lives. They don't want government doing what private industry could be doing.
Right wingers push for lower taxes by selling the idea that people deserve to keep more of the money they earn.
The problem is, these policies have not worked. They are based on huge right wing policy lies, distortions and disasters that end up costing people more, hurting people more and intruding into their lives more.
Less taxes and less government go hand in hand as the two biggest issues the right wing embraces. And they should go hand in hand, because they have worked together to weaken America and dash the dreams of tens of millions of Americans.
Sure, you can save 5-10% or more with income tax breaks. But then your real estate taxes go up, you pay more for your kids tuition, health insurance goes through the roof or, maybe you just lose your job to foreign competition or outsourcing. And there's the value of your house and your retirement investments. Do you have any equity left in your home? How much have your retirement savings dropped in value in the past year or two?
How about those credit card rates? Have you seen yours raised from a reasonable rate to over 20, 25 or even 30%?
Sure you saved a few bucks on taxes, but because the right wing leadership gutted regulation of industry-- that's the job of government- the prime mortgage mess happened. And now your house is worth tens or hundreds of thousands less than before.
Then, let's talk about the basics-- milk, bread, gasoline. They're all skyrocketing. When you voted for less taxes and less government, you got, free of charge, right wing policies that dragged us into a foolish, stupidly planned war that is draining our money, our youth, our reputation, and flushing them all down the toilet.
The less government sales pitch is really a hidden way to deregulate industry and sell welfare for corporations and religious schools. It has led to weakening existing regulation of industries and corporations and to the failure to introduce new regulations to deal with new, evolving industries. This is particularly true for the finance industry. This policy of regulation avoidance and elimination has led to the USA facing the worst economic crisis in generations.
While the right wing has characterized big government as a major evil, the progressive vision of government is very different. Government provides the underlying structure and resources to maintain fairness, justice and decent treatment for citizens. Government provides the regulators who carry out and oversee the regulations that rein in corporations. Now we know that failure to keep government adequately funded, with reasonable taxes, leads to massive losses for individuals and for America.
It's easy to throw out the idea of less taxes and less government, but like cheap sex, the consequences of indulging the urge to embrace these right wing core principles are incredibly destructive. They are destroying our economic foundations, and casting families into terrible straits.
Then, we have the right wing's approach to big government-- Huge military, massive expenses for privatization using companies that rip the taxpayer off-- like Halliburton and Blackwater, charging many times the cost of government employees. And then we have the right wing's approach to privacy-- with pervasive spying by espionage agencies that have hundreds of billions in hidden funding. The right wing really doesn't want less government. It wants its version of big government.
Rob Kall is executive editor and publisher of OpEdNews.com, President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com. He is a frequent Speaker on Politics, Impeachment, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates. He recently retired as organizer of several conferences, including StoryCon, the Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story and The Winter Brain Meeting on neurofeedback, biofeedback, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology. See more of his articles here and, older ones, here.
The framed magazine cover, with the word "IDEAS" spelled out in lightbulbs, is based on an article Rob wrote for Writers Digest, telling the magazine's quarter million readers how to come up with and pitch article ideas.
To learn more about me and OpEdNews.com, check out this article.
and there are Rob's quotes, here.
To Watch me on youtube, having a lively conversation with John Conyers, Chair of the House Judiciary committee, click here Now, wouldn't you like to see me on the political news shows, representing progressives. If so, tell your favorite shows to bring me on and refer them to this youtube video
My radio show, The Rob Kall Show, runs 9-10 PM EST Wednesday evenings, on AM 1360, WNJC and is archived on www.whiterosesociety.org Or listen to it streaming, live at either www.wnjc1360.com or here.
Or check the archived interviews at:
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A few declarations.
-While I'm registered as a Democrat, I consider myself to be a dynamic critic of the Democratic party, just as, well, not quite as much, but almost as much as I am a critic of republicans.
-My articles express my personal opinion, not the opinion of this website.
We have been doing everything that the Neo-Cons wanted for the last eight years and it has been so successful in every area of governance. Why mess with success?
by
vidiot (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 148 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 10:00:04 AM
Again and again I read an excellent synopsis of our political process and how it is corrupted by power and money and unresponsive to the needs of the people. Then I read the conclusion that the way out of this wilderness lies with the Democratic Party....give it a rest, it certainly doesnt!
click here Democrats are just another corporate party.
As such, they are a disaster for the American people.
If you had any lingering doubts about this, check out the front page of the Wall Street Journal yesterday.
The article is titled: Business Donors Bypass McCain, Democrats Rake In Cash From Industry by Brody Mullins.
Mullins reports that both Obama and Clinton have been cleaning McCain's clock "among business interests that give mainly to Republicans."
Of seven major industries that have been the most reliable Republican resources, McCain has raised $13.1 million through February, compared with $22.5 million for Obama and $27.1 million for Clinton, the Journal reported.
Now, ask yourself - if the Democrats were the party of the people, if they were truly going to make the corporations serve the American people, would the corporate executives be dumping millions into their campaigns?
No they would not.
by
ardee D. (6 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 2388 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 10:07:48 AM
This truth doesn't ring true. If it were true, Dennis Kucinich would be our president in 2009. The corporate media and other big buck people managed to cut hm out of the race. Even in his own district, big money Democrats worked against him. Thankfully, the people who know him reelected him.
Indeed, Clinton and Obama are big money whores and nothing will change if either one of them is elected. There will be no health care plan that is not for profit. The insurance companies will continue to rake in big profits while denying proper health care to all of us. People who cannot afford health insurance will be forced to buy it with the same disastrous results that are now happening in Mass. where Romney was so jubilant about his idea for health care. Hah!!
No matter who is elected, there will be war for us with no end in sight. The deaths keep mounting on every side. No matter how many millions of Americans want to impeach this administration, it looks like that will not happen either. Please tell me why that has not happened. There is ample proof that this is the most corrupt bunch of politicians in history and still Ms traitor Pelosi smiles like a maniac and does business with the devils in office.
What's wrong with this picture? Everything!!!! And the people better demand that things change or the leaders of this disaster will be tossed out on their collective asses. The anger grows and grows and yet nothing happens. Does this sound like a revolt to you? It certainly does to me. So, revolt already!!! Where does it start? with us! Make a noise loud enough so that the members of Congress can hear you. Take away their health care plans that really work for them and see how they react. Reverse their pension plans that really work for them and see them react.
But above all, do something!!!!!!
by
Caronome (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 193 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 10:37:57 AM
You wrote, "Now, ask yourself - if the Democrats were the party of the people, if they were truly going to make the corporations serve the American people, would the corporate executives be dumping millions into their campaigns?"
I respectfully disagree; big contributors give to whomever they see as the prospective winners in the coming elections. Donating big dough may not buy them time but no money will buy distain.
by
Gerald Sutliff (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 7 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 3:03:06 PM
You seem to imply that corporate donors simply give away their money to ensure that they gave to the eventual winner....err I know of no corporation that simply gives anything away. That money comes with strings and it didnt go to Kucinich, Gravel, Nader, but to those politicians who were certain to pay that money back with interest. Politics and business as usual.
PS that quote was notmine but Ralph Nader's..click a link on occasion, its good for your thought processes....
by
ardee D. (6 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 2388 comments)
on Monday, April 7, 2008 at 7:08:19 PM
Republicans reduced government services by reducing the middle class which does the work.
Republicans like to set the middle class against itself by saying that one half is just useless govt. workers. "Hire one half to police the other half" Sound like the War on Terror?
The truth is that the rich are useless predators, and defense spending is a total rathole except in the time of non-bogus war.
by
John Hanks (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 869 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 10:29:27 AM
Under 'BertCo', there WILL be federal spending cuts, across-the-board, and we'll see what we can do about getting rid of redundant and wasteful federal programs, get back into more domestic manufacturing, and get out of the global 'Florence Nightingale On Pixie Dust' mode that we've been in for the last decade or so. LOL
Bert08
by
truthtruffle (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 91 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 10:30:24 AM
The majority of people who vote republican and support these shortcomings of oversight and perspective are less educated people who make minimum wage and get crippled early in life for their troubles and ignorance.
I say, let them SUFFER. Why do you feel sorry for these gullible people at all. They hurt themselves through their own folly. Yes, the country hurts as well, but for the most part, liberals -who are better educated, more intuitive, and not prone to believing everything that's shouted at them- will hurt but survive in the long run. You can't save everyone but people who deserve to get fucked, you shouldn't help the.
I do very well in my business so I'm not worried. But if you want to help the gullible retards out there, you're wasting your time.
by
John Q (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 6 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 11:03:47 AM
John Q, you better be kidding. The Bush Administration angrily got me to think that for some years, but now that I am better educated, I can see with my eyes that neither party has the general interest of us as a nation in mind.
First of all, your claim on who votes Republican and who votes Democrat is wrong. I'm going to assume that this is an oversimplification that came from your imagination, and that you don't have statistics to back that claim up. Be careful with your statements, because many uneducated poor vote Democrat as well, and your claim that liberals are better educated than conservatives is an offensive generalization. Most offensive is your generalization that these people "make minimum wage and get crippled early in life for their troubles and ignorance". If you're calling yourself a liberal, shouldn't you be jumping out to defend people like that compassionately, and not marginalize them? Political parties and agenda do not dictate, and are not an indicator of, character and intelligence. If you agree with this point, I would appreciate your posting of an apology, so that we can all be made aware of your gracefulness.
Truth be told I wouldn't even know where to start with what else I want to say. It wouldn't do any good unless you have an open mind to begin with. If you really want to "listen to everything, question everything, then decide", start reading some of what others have posted down here, then start reading the Federalist Papers a bit online, they're all there. I'm not sure if you've listened to everything yet. Unfortunately, "everything" is hard to get a hold of.
I'm hoping you'll have time to read and consider as I've asked you to, but since you "do very well in your business" and are not worried, I'd wonder if you'd take the time to think about your country ethically at all.
by
Armando (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 8 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 8:00:26 PM
Saw a study a few years ago that said that people with bachelors degrees vote Republican by a 4-to-3 margin but those with masters or PhDs vote Democratic by a 7-to-1 margin. Those with masters and PhDs are the "better educated."
by
tabonsell (28 articles, 0 quicklinks, 22 diaries, 246 comments)
on Monday, April 7, 2008 at 5:50:52 PM
but calling all Republicans idiots is not exactly the correct way to win allies, dontcha think? The simple fact that middle class folks value education highly and vote democratic mostly is not exactly what was wrong with that earlier post, as was well noted by the first responder.
Also, all the degrees in the world wont get you a thing if we see another depression and believing that liberals or democrats have a free pass is simply silly. The only ones with the gold admission card are those with theprivate islands and depression proof vaults.
by
ardee D. (6 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 2388 comments)
on Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 6:14:48 PM
Yes, less federal government intrusion is the goal. The conclusions in this article are ridulous. Simply allow the local governments to make more decisions. Increase the local taxes, decrease the federal taxes.
by
sbaker (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 95 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 12:15:03 PM
I'll be! Why didn't we do that years ago? It's all so clear now.
It seems that we all got so taken aback that Rob defended the democrats we neglected to hear his message. "Attack the republican mantra 'Less taxes, less government." Listen to the logic. Do you really believe that they mean to apply that to everyone? Sure, the corporate government wants less taxes, for them. Remember, they also believe in trickle down economics. Their line of thinking is that if they don't have to pay taxes then they can hire more of us suckers,, I mean, workers. Yea, and the less they pay us the more of us they can hire. They are great humanitarians, they're only thinking of us, after all. And we can do away with all of that nasty government, they don't need anyone regulating how they do business, how much they charge, whether or not their products are safe or if they pay $20. an hour or $20. a day. After all, the less they have to spend on production, the more sucke,, uh, workers they can hire.
I get Rob's point, no one has ever challenged them on that. Republicans just sit up high and shout. The have a million Bill O'reilly's yelling over everyone else so you can't hear anyone asking questions and they don't need to give any answers. The problem Rob had in his article is that he had a momentary lapse of the present. You know, when we finally realized that the democrats are just as corporate, just as money hungry and greedy as the republicans. The difference is that they're not as good at lying about it and they don't admit to being corporate lackeys.
There has never been a more appropriate time for that third party. Write in Edwards.
by
PeterJ (4 articles, 1 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 40 comments)
on Monday, April 7, 2008 at 8:12:58 AM
Glad you are not the campaign manager. Best way to lose the November election is to follow your strategy. More such off-the-top-of-your-head bad advice and the Mepublicans will fund your site.
by
James Cordray (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 44 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 12:15:22 PM
The best way to win is to attack the opposition's strengths. Current events scream the truth that right wing less tax less government policy is a failed, wrong approach. But it takes guts to say it, even if it's the truth.
by
Rob Kall (728 articles, 3775 quicklinks, 311 diaries, 1521 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 12:50:57 PM
Just because "government" hasn't been gotten RIGHT yet, like our Democracy, doesn't mean it should be drowned or thrown out with the bathwater!
The Repugs need to have their own half-baked, blatantly false canards thrown back in their faces
...BEFORE they dupe the sheeple again with their old blathering-points , like "tax and Spend" (on WHAT!?) and States' Rights (to do what?) and "Defense" (Where, and for WHOM?).
by
Bia Winter (1 articles, 2 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 170 comments)
on Monday, April 7, 2008 at 9:24:22 AM
People who have been given less taxes and less government are the wealthy elite who manage our multinational corporations. They have had their taxes reduced and government reduced by the act of less regulation and oversight. These policies have proven themselves to by disaster. Of course our big companies always welcome more government when it comes to bailouts and subsidies.
For the past several years much has been said about how incompetent government is compared to the private sector and if government would just drown itself in a bathtub all our countries problems would disappear overnight due to the fact that the private sector free market system would shift into high gear and everyone would prosper so much more. Anyone who doesnt agree with this kind of thinking must be a socialist they say. This is hogwash and pure corporate funded propaganda.
The private sector is often times more incompetent than government due to these reasons. Elected officials are publicly scrutinized and almost always have good solid educations and or a proven track record in the private sector. The private sector often times hires the person who will work for the least amount of pay and company owners don't have to pass any standards to start or run their own company. There is little or no oversight and greed and ruthlessness are two of the most important qualities for the success of the business.
As far as deregulating business and getting out of its way so it can do its thing there is an old saying I feel fits perfectly to the situation many American companies now find themselves and that is " Give em enough rope and they will hang themselves " Sub-prime mortgage lenders can attest to that!
by
Gary Denson (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 197 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 12:28:21 PM
Let's start with the right wing, known to you as Republicans. Let me point out that the Democrats embrace all the same policies as the Rs, they just use different rhetoric. Also, bear in mind that pre-FDR it was the Ds that advocated free markets to protect the people from the Rs corporate welfare (as we call it today).
You wrote:
Then, we have the right wing's approach to big government-- Huge military, massive expenses for privatization using companies that rip the taxpayer off-- like Halliburton and Blackwater, charging many times the cost of government employees. And then we have the right wing's approach to privacy-- with pervasive spying by espionage agencies that have hundreds of billions in hidden funding. The right wing really doesn't want less government. It wants its version of big government.
As you point out, they most definitely don't represent less tax & less government. The Bush admin is the biggest spending one since Johnson. They're running the biggest deficits since Reagan (another less government fraud).
I'm sure that so far we agree. What I don't understand is why you say you're attacking the right wings "core values" when you point out that they don't embrace those same values. They're just a bunch of hypocrites.
If you want to talk about "Less Taxes and Less Government" then lets talk about the libertarian idea of abolishing the income tax & the IRS, & replace them with nothing. It's estimated that prices are 25 -30% higher now than they need to be because of the income tax. (The income taxes withheld from worker's paychecks are part of the price you pay.)
You also wrote:
The less government sales pitch is really a hidden way to deregulate industry and sell welfare for corporations and religious schools. It has led to weakening existing regulation of industries and corporations and to the failure to introduce new regulations to deal with new, evolving industries. This is particularly true for the finance industry. This policy of regulation avoidance and elimination has led to the USA facing the worst economic crisis in generations.
You've got it backwards here. It is precisely the governments intervention in the economy that causes the boom & bust cycle. If we had sound money (gold), free market, banking, & interest rates set by the market we'd have stability with strong growth.
Going on, you wrote:
While the right wing has characterized big government as a major evil, the progressive vision of government is very different. Government provides the underlying structure and resources to maintain fairness, justice and decent treatment for citizens. Government provides the regulators who carry out and oversee the regulations that rein in corporations. Now we know that failure to keep government adequately funded, with reasonable taxes, leads to massive losses for individuals and for America.
The experience of tother countries shows othewise. Take Ireland, for example. They massively reduced government spending, taxes, & regulations. In so doing they went from having a basket case economy to being a European "tiger". Then theres Estonia. I could go on, but you get the idea.
Far from being a failure, the less government idea has suceeded. You've presented no evidence to the contrary, you've only made unsubstantiated assertions.
One last thought, you wrote:
Good, responsible government is GOOD for America, good for our privacy, good for our privacy, good for our prosperity. We need to pay taxes to make it happen. When we do, we pay less in other ways. We earn more in other ways. The less taxes, less government mantra offers a devils bargain.
How government is good for our privacy privacy ;-) is beyond me. All I see them doing is using the info they have on us to oppress us.
Regarless, my point is to introduce another concept of good government:
"a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities."
Thomas Jefferson in his first inaugural address
by
Darren Wolfe (3 articles, 77 quicklinks, 52 diaries, 420 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 12:34:28 PM
It's nice to be able to espouse a theory that's never been tested, hubris to trash other approaches when there's no evidence that it works any better.
Friedman advocated laissee faire economics. Now Naomi Klein calls it for what it really is-- disaster capitalism.
Thom Hartmann says that libertarianism is for right wingers who are social conservatives, ie., they want to smoke dope and get laid. Libertarianism is as irresponsible as right wing tax avoidance.
by
Rob Kall (728 articles, 3775 quicklinks, 311 diaries, 1521 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 12:56:06 PM
Try clicking on the links in my reply, check this out, then you can take back this nonsense about untested ideas. What has been tested & failed is the government's intervention. From the welfare state to Fascism to Socialism the results are always bad.
IMHO, your reply is more of an evasion than anything. Try debunking my points.
by
Darren Wolfe (3 articles, 77 quicklinks, 52 diaries, 420 comments)
on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 2:30:24 PM
