Part 7: "Tales from the crypt: the attack of the zombie tax policies"
Welcome to Part 7 of my not-so-live blogging of the Iowa GOP debate. You can still access the rest of the series, if you arrived here out of sequence :)
Just a recap from Part 1: you can watch the whole Konservative Krying Game for yourself at the ABCnews.com site. Aside from Stephanopoulos, the cast of characters included: Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan; former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson; Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas; and Rep Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.
(Missing and presumed sleepy: former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn)
Tales from the crypt: the attack of the zombie tax policies
(General question: The Iowa Republicans have proposed a "Fair Tax," i.e. elimination of all fed & state taxes and the imposition of a 23% sales tax)
HUCKABEE: Supports fair tax. "More Americans fear an audit by the IRS more than they do being mugged," and goes on to joke about how very "painful" IRS audits can be (do you hear that, victims of mugging? You buncha babies? Jeez.) Huckabee suggests that the Fair Tax would eliminate the "underground" economy, and that gangsterism, prostitution, gambling would die-off. (now why am I dubious about this? Seriously. An end to prostitution? This is the GOP! At least spare Mitt his "underground" police force...it's all that stands between him and the NY Times!)
ROMNEY: is "cautious" about the Fair Tax, and will not yet lend his endorsement. He would, however, like to "get rid of the tax on savings." (I didn't understand this)
GIULIANI: Whips out his emergency Frank Luntz handbook and begins crowing about the "Death tax!" Rudy would "immediately" eliminate the inheritance tax on the upper-upper-upper fraction of 1% families. He says he is "intrigued" by the Fair or Flat Tax proposals, but he's not yet willing to endorse them outright. (Interesting use of word "intrigued"; makes it sound like he has a prurient interest in fringe tax policy. Tax fetishist!)
MCCAIN: He is more interested in resolving the "Alternative Minimum Tax" problem. Vows to "find Alan Greenspan," round up his ol' bones, and force him to head a commission, so they can "pass a law." (Are you looking forward to the John Galt Act of 2009?)
TANCREDO: Instructs the other candidates to "read Neil Boortz's book" ("The FairTax Book," reviewed here). Tancredo is a proponent of the 'FairTax' because "income tax is designed to manipulate behaviour" and accretes "too much power for the federal government."
BROWNBACK: He is for "an optional flat tax…16 countries have already gone to a flat tax"
Say...do you wannu guess which "16 countries" have adopted the flat tax? Go ahead and look. I'll wait.
In the words of U.K. PM Gordon Brown:
Part 8 is on the way..."I know what you did last summer"
or...
Return to Part 6..."Hold me closer, tiny dancer: the role of the Vice-President"
Just a recap from Part 1: you can watch the whole Konservative Krying Game for yourself at the ABCnews.com site. Aside from Stephanopoulos, the cast of characters included: Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan; former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson; Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas; and Rep Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.
(Missing and presumed sleepy: former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn)
Tales from the crypt: the attack of the zombie tax policies
(General question: The Iowa Republicans have proposed a "Fair Tax," i.e. elimination of all fed & state taxes and the imposition of a 23% sales tax)
HUCKABEE: Supports fair tax. "More Americans fear an audit by the IRS more than they do being mugged," and goes on to joke about how very "painful" IRS audits can be (do you hear that, victims of mugging? You buncha babies? Jeez.) Huckabee suggests that the Fair Tax would eliminate the "underground" economy, and that gangsterism, prostitution, gambling would die-off. (now why am I dubious about this? Seriously. An end to prostitution? This is the GOP! At least spare Mitt his "underground" police force...it's all that stands between him and the NY Times!)
ROMNEY: is "cautious" about the Fair Tax, and will not yet lend his endorsement. He would, however, like to "get rid of the tax on savings." (I didn't understand this)
GIULIANI: Whips out his emergency Frank Luntz handbook and begins crowing about the "Death tax!" Rudy would "immediately" eliminate the inheritance tax on the upper-upper-upper fraction of 1% families. He says he is "intrigued" by the Fair or Flat Tax proposals, but he's not yet willing to endorse them outright. (Interesting use of word "intrigued"; makes it sound like he has a prurient interest in fringe tax policy. Tax fetishist!)
MCCAIN: He is more interested in resolving the "Alternative Minimum Tax" problem. Vows to "find Alan Greenspan," round up his ol' bones, and force him to head a commission, so they can "pass a law." (Are you looking forward to the John Galt Act of 2009?)
TANCREDO: Instructs the other candidates to "read Neil Boortz's book" ("The FairTax Book," reviewed here). Tancredo is a proponent of the 'FairTax' because "income tax is designed to manipulate behaviour" and accretes "too much power for the federal government."
BROWNBACK: He is for "an optional flat tax…16 countries have already gone to a flat tax"
Say...do you wannu guess which "16 countries" have adopted the flat tax? Go ahead and look. I'll wait.
In the words of U.K. PM Gordon Brown:
An idea that they say is sweeping the world, well sweeping Estonia, well a wing of the neo-conservatives in Estonia.Oh yeah...add Teve Torbes to the list. He was super keen for the flat tax. Great company, eh?
Part 8 is on the way..."I know what you did last summer"
or...
Return to Part 6..."Hold me closer, tiny dancer: the role of the Vice-President"
View blog reactions
posted by Godammitkitty at 2:40 AM
2 Comments:
Hello,
Governor Huckabee didn't say all prostitution would go away, he said that when they spend the money they earn illegally, they will be contributing to the tax system of the country.
It is unfortunate that the first information people are hearing about the FairTax has to be in a 30-second soundbyte. The proposal has a lot of merit. Take a look here:
http://www.runningincircles.com/archive/2005/05/06/the_progressive_democrats_sale
or here:
http://FairTax.org
DavidN@TampaBayFairTax.org
Yes, Gov. Huckabee was cut off by the moderator, but if you listen closely, he finishes his thought --components of underground economies will no longer avoid taxation.
Implementation of the Fair Tax would do what Romney, McCain, and Guiliani say is important to each of them.
Learn more and get involved at www.OperationOffTheFence.org.
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