Mike Lester for December 14, 2012

And grandkids.

So if you don’t like the money raised from the Chinese, raise it from Americans.

This is what I find ironic about this whole situation. The Democrats keep screeching about how the “middle class” and “small businesses” will be hurt, and of course the endless refrain about the “1%” or “2%” (depending on the week). But if we hike taxes on the rich, what will really happen? Will they suddenly become altruists and billions of dollars will magically flow into the middle class? Nope. Yes, the rich are greedy. . . And they will promptly pull their wealth from circulation and start stashing it cozily away in Switzerland or the Caymans. Job creation? Screw that, they have their third yacht funds to think about! So much for job creation there. Oh, wait a minute—“rich” by the Democrats’ definition means $250,000 per year. . . The category many (if not most) small-business owners fall into. So they will hike prices, slash employment, or shut down altogether. Leaving only the big, evil corporations like Wal-Mart cheap enough or available to do business with. So. . . in the end, the middle class is screwed (doubly when the government inevitably hikes taxes on THEM to compensate), small businesses are screwed, and the rich gather in Zurich to toast governmental stupidity.

Don’t worry about our kids future—eventually we’ll elect a Republican pres, and he’ll start a war in order to kill off many of the kids you worry about.

The Republican’s are against kicking the debt can down the road, but have no problem letting future generations deal with climate change, foreign oil dependency, pollution, crumbling infrastructure, lower education standards, dometic hunger, dwindling resources, etc., etc., etc…

Sorry. If you can’t tell from my post, I don’t have the highest opinion of human nature. Greed’s pretty much part of our racial makeup. Few are those who truly overcome it.

Employers have been using whatever excuses they need to reduce full-time employees and their benefits while raising prices. There will never be a shortage of excuses for same. We need to consider this fact whenever we start to get cowed by big business saying the world will end if something changes. If massive tax increases were being proposed, that would be one thing. Letting a tax cut expire is not the same.

Similarly, health insurance premiums have been going up an average of 5 – 10% per year, sometimes more, and this has been going on for decades, despite the experiments with HMOs, PPOs, etc. At the same time, coverage is decreased. But, if we do anything to change the system, “premiums will have to go up”.

Lewis Black said: “Anyone who can convince people who are too poor to have a pot to piss in that rich people need a tax cut is a true leader.” So, you have to respect the Republicans for their leadership.

I am self-employed, thanks, in answer to your first question, although it makes me curious as to why it matters.

To answer the second: who else? Republicans. Let’s take the Estate Tax, or “Death Tax”, in Republican-speak, as an example. First I’m told that it’s a tax on money that’s already been taxed. So friggin’ what? When I go to Burger King to get a deathburger, I am paying the taxes that Mr. King paid on the ingredients with money that has already had my income tax taken from it. I also pay a prepared-meals tax on it. We all pay taxes with money that has already been taxed. The Repubs hope you don’t pay attention to that.

Also, the first $1.3 million inherited is exempted from the tax. If it’s a family farm, this doubles to $2.6 million. So this means that the family farms the Republicans are united in stating are doomed if the “death tax” is not repealed (not even considering how Republican-sponsored tax breaks for agribusiness are doing more damage to family farms than any taxes on the family farmers) are allowed to keep the first $2.6 million tax free. The only estate tax currently on family farms is charged only to moneys greater than the first $2.6 million. Sorry; I don’t see this as a national crisis that must be solved today.

Re-reading this, I see that maybe there’s truth to the concept that facts have a liberal bias…..

The only comments I put stock in are those not on a polar opposite ideology bank. Well put Mr. Damon. I wonder how many who worry about those rich “job creator” productive, hard working 2 percenters are actually in that class, or are they regular joes and josies like most of us. Some are lazy, and some are hardworking at every level. Untill we all pull in the same direction we are lost. That includes all the cuts, revenue raising, loophole closing, belt tightening, forward thinking, education investing, eficiency developing, vulnerble protecting tactics necessary from all of us on a personal as well as national level.

We just went through 4 years where the only things Republicans cared about were making Obama a one-term President, taking away womens rights, and 30 votes to repeal Obamacare, which the Supreme Court ruled is the law of the land..Not to mention 300 filibusters in the Senate.Republicans now want to completely destroy the country, arguing over a 4.6% increse in taxes on those making $250,000 or more.49% of Republicans blame ACORN for their loss and that org hasn’t existed for almost 2 years. Brietbart is dead, too, but he myths live on.

I liked your food analogies!

WHAT!? No Salad or dessert?

"Income"" and “payroll” taxes,, are on “labor.” Taxes on dividends, arre NOT a tax on “sweat”..

“…..No….Just Tax Canadians who come here as guests and then Meddle in American political issues endlessly….”.Nothing new about taxing Canadian visitors – its done now..As members of the interrelated global community, we worry that one country’s reckless fiscal and foreign policy will bring us all down – whether it be Greece or the U.S. .And pick up any newspaper and you’ll note no nation is innocent of international commentary and no nation is sacrosanct of criticism.

i can agree with part of that but you still have an entitlement to people all over the country. I live in texas and have seen it to many times. I do not get the same things that illegals get here. They get free food, free education, free health care. I have to pay for everything food, education, and my health care. thats what i think is wrong with our country more than anything. Its not just that though. Our military is the largest and most distributed around the world. If the countries we defend cant help out then pull out would be my recommendation. We pay to defend our allies and they dont need a defense because we will do it for them. I can understand helping and ally that needs it but we shouldnt just be there to regulate the spitball war perse.

You’d be richer too, more of you would be alive, and fewer of you would be maimed if you didn’t gullibly believe you need a bloated military-industrial complex for your survival. .And just who are these fat boys that are going to over-run us? Our biggest concern is that we’ll be mistaken for Americans.

As you have observed, Canadians and Americans will help each other against real threats. But we won’t run around chasing bogymen.

^You don’t remember who was president when the recession started, either.