snowjeeper

GOP's 'Pledge to America' lays out a governing agenda - CNN.com
a pledge to do what is the question? screw us some more?

According to the document, House Republicans want to permanently extend all the tax cuts due to expire at the end of this year, give small businesses a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their income, and require Congress to review any new federal regulations that add to the deficit.

Kind of like a tax deduction of 20%? lol.

linvillegorge

Neither party gives a shit about America. Both just care about being control.

The Dems' solution: spend a shit load and moderately raise taxes
The Pubs' solution: spend and cut taxes

Both end up with massive deficits. The bottom line is that we have to cut spending, but doing that is going to be unpopular and lead to getting voted out.

Unfortunately, we can't afford to let the tax cuts expire right now. To get out of this shithole of an economy we find ourselves in, we have to create an environment that spurs job creation. Hiking taxes on businesses would probably lead to job losses and we simply can't afford that right now.

Again, government spending has to be cut. Too many people sucking on .gov's teat right now.

HoboMaster

Too many multimillion/billion dollar executives sitting cozy in their 10,000 Sqft homes, causing the poor/rich gap to get even larger, who are now also funding the simple minded to personally support their corporate agendas. People bitch about the government, but the government isn't run by or for the people anymore. The corporations own it, and everyone holding a seat of power, and more then less it's run for their benefit.

Everyone has a price, what's yours?

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PowderHound and TreeNinja

linvillegorge

Executive pay is absolutely run amok, no doubt about that. But, so is .gov spending and yes, there is way too much corporate influence in Washington.

It's pretty simple when you boil it down to the basics. You can only take in "X" and spend "X+Y" for so long until you've got a thoroughly fucked budget situation.

KIRKRIDER

Great point/. United States of COrporate AMerica. Who wil you vote for next year? Apple or Halliburton?

Donutz

Interesting alternative take on this: a few years back in Canada, someone did a study of taxation levels and how it affects businesses and the economy. The conclusion of the study (and you can take this with as much salt as you want) is that up to a certain point the total taxation level is not nearly as important as the complexity of taxation. In Canada we have income taxes, outgo taxes, import taxes, export taxes, sales taxes, purchase taxes, levies, fees, fuel taxes, hidden taxes, taxes on taxes, death and taxes, oh and did I mention, taxes? In BC under the NDP (our version of left-wing), the taxes weren't that much higher, but the bureaucracy and paperwork to get anything done got out of control. A different study at the time concluded that getting a particular permit in Ontario vs in BC was something like 3 days vs 2 months or some such ridiculous difference.

I wonder if perhaps governments could spend a little less time obsessing about tax levels and a little more time cleaning up the processes so that businesses (and people) can spend less time and money on red tape and more on just getting things done!

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Illegitimi non carborundum

I hate the parts between winter...

linvillegorge

That makes way too much sense. No one knows what US tax code says. You could spend your entire life studying it and there would still be more that you didn't know than you do know. Taxes are a huge business in this country. There is an entire industry based on it.

killclimbz

And I'd be happy to put those fuckers out of business...