Are Republicans opportunistic liars, or just stupid?

[_palerobber]

in this case it's lying.

if anything, the change would have the effect of encouraging small business owners to plow more profits back into their company (e.g. hiring), since it (slightly) reduces the incentive for them to take out more than 250k in personal salary. in reality though the proposal would have almost no impact of any sort apart from bringing in desperately needed revenue.

[_krose]

Ajax, you're an interesting character.

No matter what, you stick with your favorite narrative: that of being a poor, mistreated tax slave who is made to work brutally long hours to support the hordes of human parasites who are sucking you dry. The greedy parasites are even swarming over the borders, clambering to get in and suck at the teat of your forced largesse.

I have to give you points for consistency, I suppose. No matter how many facts are presented, you return to this reliable meme like a comfy blanket, as if no one ever said anything at all.

But I'm afraid you're going to have to accept the fact that the social programs you think of as "welfare" are really popular and are not going away. It turns out we like to have a safety net that keeps our elderly people from eating cat food and keeps kids from sleeping on the street. I know it's hard, but hey, people like me have to accept that our taxes are going to support military invasions, occupations, and expensive weaponry.

[_krose]

His speeches talk about things like, "a citizen of the world," and making immigration a civil right of all human beings.

I must have missed the speech about immigration being a civil right. Please tell me where I can find it.

[_krose]

There are two classes of Republicans.

Class A are the Republicans who run the party. They are the ones that reside in the background and are seldom heard of.

Class B are the Republicans that support the party in a public way (the vast majority) and believe the party line (no matter how ridiculous). The great, unwashed masses (Tea Party?).

Class A Republicans are liars.

Class B Republicans are stupid.

Obviously class B.

Quasi has won the thread.

[_moksha]

But I'm afraid you're going to have to accept the fact that the social programs you think of as "welfare" are really popular and are not going away. It turns out we like to have a safety net that keeps our elderly people from eating cat food and keeps kids from sleeping on the street.

The trouble is many people do not think that way. Could be from all the powerful hallucinogens in the tea at those parties, which renders one susceptible to conservative media, or simply too much greed or too little empathy.

Some of the thinking might be from the almost destitute seeing the destitute as having an unfair advantage in obtaining the remaining scraps.

[_Analytics]

But I'm afraid you're going to have to accept the fact that the social programs you think of as "welfare" are really popular and are not going away. It turns out we like to have a safety net that keeps our elderly people from eating cat food and keeps kids from sleeping on the street.

The trouble is many people do not think that way. Could be from all the powerful hallucinogens in the tea at those parties, which renders one susceptible to conservative media, or simply too much greed or too little empathy.

Some of the thinking might be from the almost destitute seeing the destitute as having an unfair advantage in obtaining the remaining scraps.

I think a huge part of it is that they don't understand what the expensive social programs actually are. They are against Obama's big government spending, but they sure as hell deserve their Social Security checks--they paid into the system! Same thing with Medicare! And what's wrong with getting some help from Medicaid for child birth or a nursing home--it's a benefit that we paid for! And we sure as hell have to have the very best military in the world--if we pay anything less than 5% more than last year for national defense, the Chinese will invade!

If we keep all those things but stop giving unemployment checks to the illegals, we'll balance the budget!

[_ajax18]

I think a huge part of it is that they don't understand what the expensive social programs actually are. They are against Obama's big government spending, but they sure as hell deserve their Social Security checks--they paid into the system! Same thing with Medicare! And what's wrong with getting some help from Medicaid for child birth or a nursing home--it's a benefit that we paid for

Not me. I'll forfeit everything I would ever have been given or would ever be given from every one of those programs if we could abolish them all tomorrow.

And we sure as hell have to have the very best military in the world--if we pay anything less than 5% more than last year for national defense, the Chinese will invade!

The Chinese very well could decide to foreclose this country due to the current debt crisis. What stops them if not our military? Even at that, military spending is a much smaller part of the national budget than social security, medicare, medicaid, food stamps, welfare, disability, and more social welfare programs than I could possibly count or name.

If we keep all those things but stop giving unemployment checks to the illegals, we'll balance the budget!

It may not balance the budget but it wouldn't hurt to stop doing that either.

[_Bond James Bond]

The Chinese very well could decide to foreclose this country due to the current debt crisis. What stops them if not our military? Even at that, military spending is a much smaller part of the national budget than social security, medicare, medicaid, food stamps, welfare, disability, and more social welfare programs than I could possibly count or name.

How much American debt do the Chinese hold? Percentage wise...

[_Kevin Graham]

I'm, fairly confident analytics was being facetious.

[Guest]

Here is how it actually works:

Before I fill out my 1040 form each year, I first complete Schedule C. On this form, I list my business income, from which I subtract my business expenses. These include things like rent, machinery, depreciation, and (here's the important part) wages and benefits paid to my employees.

The money that remains is my profit, which I then enter on Line 12 of my 1040 form. This becomes part of my "adjusted gross income (AGI)," which is the number used to calculate the tax I owe.

If my AGI is more than $250K, I will pay 3% more on the amount over $250K (assuming Obama gets his way). But that does not affect the money available to pay my employees and my other business costs. Therefore, this tax increase would not affect hiring in any way.

It doesn't? In other words, you're net profit - the funds remaining to you after all business overhead - including the largest chunk, payroll, is deducted, and taking into consideration everything from toothpicks to toilet paper, above what it costs you to supply your customers with whatever good or service you sell, has nothing to do with your hiring or layoff decisions?

Am I then to understand that the money actually left in your hands above the costs of doing business (providing your good or service) - profit, in other words - (which is innately evil within socialist ideology) is in no way related to the incentives and calculations governing business decisions?

Since your profit is the only actual funding you have - unless your business survives on debt - through which to expand, innovate, and diversity your business, and hence, the key element in whether to expand existing operations or create new ventures, tell me again why a substantial tax hike on profit, which is what any tax hike on small businesses that file as individuals, and especially flow-through small businesses who pay the highest rates, will not affect hiring decisions?

Explain to me how a tax on profit, which is also, by definition, a tax on savings, investment, and entrepreneurial risk, does not affect praxeological decision making.