With his singular style, Tom Toles tackles the complex issues of the day. This Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist skillfully targets political, economic and social concerns — in particular complicated environmental issues — with a clear-eyed precision that hits the mark every time.
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Comments (79) (Please sign in to comment)
Ms. Ima said, 3 months ago
It was just the foreplay. Everyone get ready for the real tax screwing that’s coming (well, only people with jobs that is).
4my10851cs said, 3 months ago
you are right!!!
ConserveGov said, 3 months ago
Sorry Barry Fans, but Santa has run out of goodies.
Don’t worry tho, he’ll probably just put it on your kids and grandkids credit card again.
Michael wme said, 3 months ago
@Ms. Ima
I agree that now, for the most part, the Constitution is confetti, but the last time I looked, the House still had to initialise and approve tax increases.
The ‘fiscal cliff’ was the end of a 10-year tax holiday passed under the Bush, Jr administration. Very, very early in 2013, Congress made the holiday permanent for 90% of taxpayers, and Obama signed the law.
The end of a holiday doesn’t mean a new job, just resumption of the old one. (Of course, for many people it FEELS like they have to START those onerous duties they went on holiday to forget.)
saywhatwhat said, 3 months ago
@Michael wme
Yes, but the first three posters (Ima, 4my… and “Conserve…”) are not listening. They never will. They pretend “Government” does nothing for them, and so, are able to rant convincingly (to themselves) that they don’t owe the government anything.
jack75287 said, 3 months ago
@Michael wme
Not sure what you mean by counterfeit. But taxes or not we are still spending more then we take in.
ossiningaling said, 3 months ago
@saywhatwhat
Interestingly, without the government, they wouldn’t have this forum to express their views.
Bruce4671 said, 3 months ago
@saywhatwhat
Well it is a matter of perspective, don’t you think?
First, the government is there to “serve” the people. Not the other way around. Government is in place with the “permission” of the governed, they are “employees” of the people.
So what do you “owe” your employee?
Second, government is tasked " ……… to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity….".
Remember, our government is suppose to be in place by “THE CONSENT OF THE PEOPLE”.
They are tasked with certain jobs, such as but not limited to:
To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
To establish Post Offices and post Roads;
To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
To provide and maintain a Navy;
To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
So ANYTHING they do MUST be done with “the consent of the people”. That includes “levying taxes”. They serve at OUR pleasure we “OWE” them nothing. They build roads (actually it’s a local thing paid for by local funds and federal funds taken from local people, skimmed, and then given back) because the people wanted them and are willing to pay the tax to do it and agreed to pay the tax.
Your view that the government is the one in charge is 180 degrees out of phase and is why we have such a problem with our politicians.
Ms. Ima said, 3 months ago
@Michael wme
The white house occupier ran his campaign on raising taxes and has a majority of equally slobbering koolaid drinking libs that are willing to add new confiscatory taxes ever day.
motivemagus said, 3 months ago
@Ms. Ima
So you think that rich people paying less than poor people in taxes and profitable corporations paying less than anyone is a good idea? Hm. Explains a lot. Don’t believe in democracy, do you?
ARodney said, 3 months ago
And the Republicans ran on cutting spending only. And they lost, because it’s mathematically impossible, and Americans may be dumb but they’re not THAT dumb.
Mephistopholes
said, 3 months ago
@motivemagus – Do you really believe that or are you just spouting what you have been told. Don’t confuse tax rate with tax amount.
I hear this complaint regularly where some lib whines that guys like Warren buffet are only paying 15%. But he’s paying 15% on Millions of dollars of earnings.
15% of $1 Million is $15000. Compare that 20% of $40000 which works out to be $8000.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that the rich aren’t paying their “Fair Share”.
The best thing the government could do would be to make it a flat tax or a sales tax where everyone pays the same amount.
I don’t know you motive but I gotta hunch if you were paying at my tax rate you would be encouraging the government to look for places to cut before they added on additional taxes for you to pay.
Nantucket19 said, 3 months ago
@Mephistopholes
My tax rate is much higher than Buffett’s or Romney’s. If you make your income from capital gains, then you shoujld pay income tax rates. Billionaire hedge fund managers call their salaries "carried interest so they pay a lower tax rate.
Flat taxes or depending on sales tax hurts lower incomes even more.
Omnius said, 3 months ago
Whatever happened to the republican’s promise to focus on job creation? Now the Tea Party wants to destroy hundreds of thousands of jobs so they can blame Obama and the Dems for their perfidy.
magicwalnut said, 3 months ago
We could solve the problem with a federal luxury tax….purchasing something which the average person doesn’t need…like a yacht, or a four carat diamond should
cost ya.