In order to get elected, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was forced to make numerous deals with the devil, i.e. the far-right ranks of the GOP. One of them was his agreement to let the House vote on the Fair Tax Act, a proposal to replace the IRS and federal income tax with a 30% sales tax. Under this scheme, only the top five percent would pay less. And yes, Republicans are indeed considering cuts to Social Security and Medicare, despite protests to the contrary.
And they wonder why there was no red wave.
74 comments:
aS A SENIOR CITIZEN LIVING ON A FIXED INCOME I APPRECIATE READING YOUR BLOG AND GETTING ACCURATE INFORMATION. I paid into social security since I was a teenager. I was always told that Social Security was to help those who didn't have the ability to plan ahead for themselves and to assist them in their old age. I never had a big paying job and I depend on that social security check every month. Had the government not raided the social security funds for subsidizing all their other programs there would have been plenty of money in the program for us seniors. I stopped voting for REPUBLICANS twenty years ago and now you see the reason why. Any senior citizen living on a fixed income has got to be nuts to vote for any Republican to go to Washington just to screw us. Vote Democratic to save social security. Stop raiding social security. Help the elderly.
Please stop reading Vice, Vox, Slate, Salon; and watching CNN and MSNBC. They are slanting your on-point reasoning and opinions. The silent majority, which is still not coordinated but slowly gathering strength, is putting you on notice. Thank you.
you are so wrong.
If they're stupid enough to screw over the retirees and those nearing retirement, say goodbye to the GOP in 2024.
Well , I’m re registering Independent maybe today. 30% sales tax would disrupt everything. Tax on food would be crazy. However,I would like to see school district not have control of their budgets and I wouldn’t be opposed to higher sales taxes to certain luxuries like fancy watches and fancy automotive add on bling stuff, entertainment,sports tickets and that stuff. Both major parties are out of wack ! We cannot spend more than we make , we have to make people work for their income. By paying people not to work is a major causeway to inflation. To pay 30% tax on necessities would damage our economy and creat many underground maneuvers that would increase crime both economic and physical. The middle class will end up footing this bill . This country is slowly working it way into socialism and pay attention to what that has done elsewhere in other places . We need CORRECTED policies on both sides.
This is one of the reasons I will never vote for a Republican politician. They are scum and never cared for the working class. Fact if you need to work for a paycheck then you should never vote for a Republican. All they care about is helping the rich and advising paying their fare share of taxes.
PROOF Bernie!!
Both parties are vile scum. That includes you. This is particularly hilarious coming from a gentile poor guy who doesn't just support who lustily supports $100B spent so far to foment WWIII. $100 billion. Senior citizens can just eat dog food and face death panels instead of getting health care. There's a Democratic Party war to start! Damn the torpedoes (er ... tanks). Happy days are here again. It's war time. Dems don't get to talk about seniors while they're spending boatloads on the next war they want.
And a big tax on all firearms too
I see you're busy pushing ANOTHER phony democrat story.
The article you link to is filled with all the usual marks of a hoax, starting with a phony report from the leftist Washington Post and no direct quotes from any Republicans.
This is all about democrats trying to spend us into oblivion, and wanting to get the debt ceiling raised without having to cut any NON-social security and NON-Medicare spending.
Democrat spending is generational theft, stealing from our children and grandchildren for the inflation-driving policies of the democrat left. That's simply and obviously wrong.
I realize that as a democrat operative you willingly spread their disinformation, but we're smarter than that.
Bernie will the cuts be because of the billions that have all ready been absconded from the social security funds. This is not to mention the billions that Dat and others grandchildren will be responsible to pay back in there lifetime.
We are all in finacial trouble beoned our own comprehension from irresponsible speding that has been oked by both party's.
As a senior living on a fixed income, I barely manage to pay my bills every month yet alone paying a new tax of 30% on all store bought items. I always voted Republican. Those days are over. What has happened to our Party? They're not representing the average American anymore. They look for ways to give higher tax brakes for the rich, while making the poor pay obscene taxes for food and clothes. Donald Trump has destroyed our party and I will never ever vote Republican again.
Are you aware that we can start paying down the national debt simply by making the wealthy pay the same taxes that I pay on my household salary of $40,000.00 a year? Eliminate the tax loop holes that Donald Trump and others utilize and have everyone pay a flat tax with no exceptions. Everyone should pay the same tax rate. No exceptions.
Those rascally Republicans. I'm voting for Democrats to spend $100+ billion on a war. Tax breaks for the rich? How about dumping billions into the pockets of a precious few defense contractors??? Guys who'll more eagerly fly a Ukrainian flag than the stars and stripes are a disgusting lot.
I’ve learned never to repeat what I’ve heard in the media. Very little of that stuff is accurate.
7:20 AM.
What planet do you live on? Donald Trump raised the debt ceiling three times while he was President. Now you blame the democrats for wanting to increase the debt celing like he Republicans did. What an asshole.
From the Los Angelos Times:
"First, House Republicans passed a new rule, called CUTGO, which could cause significant damage to our nation’s fiscal health by adding trillions of dollars in red ink to our public debt.
Then, just a few hours after passing CUTGO, they busted the deficit again by voting to gut the Internal Revenue Service budget. This vote will increase the debt by more than $100 billion over 10 years by encouraging wealthy Americans to cheat on their taxes and avoid paying their fair share. The Republicans took this step despite recent reports that the agency lacks the staff to properly audit Donald Trump and other high-income Americans.
How does CUTGO increase the debt? It permits Congress to pass mammoth tax cuts without paying for a penny of them. That means the cost all gets added to the debt. The House under Democratic control had a rule called PAYGO, which requires offsets — or trade-offs — for all spending increases or tax cuts so that these changes don’t add to the deficit.
The Republicans’ CUTGO alternative changes that longstanding rule so that it applies only to spending, and not to taxes. CUTGO is designed to further the Republicans’ well-established priorities: to cut spending on priorities like climate change and healthcare while passing huge tax cuts which balloon the debt and benefit the rich."
Anyone who thinks the Republican party has ever been for the common man hasn't been paying attention since the election of Reagan, where the middle class has decreased ever since.
This bill does not have a ghost of a chance of passing and everyone knows that. Just postering from the gop. Just like the lies and postering from the dems on medicare and SS.
Anonymous peterjcochran said...
"Well, I’m re registering Independent maybe today. 30% sales tax would disrupt everything."
Peter -
The sales tax proposal is being brought forth by a House Republican from Georgia and has little support among his fellow Republicans. It will not become law, and I agree with you about its likely effects.
That said, I do think that the discussion on proposals like this could have some benefit. As you mention in your post, the country is sliding towards socialism, and we need corrected policies in Washington. Hopefully this kind of outside-the-box idea can jumpstart something that actually makes sense.
As for me, I'm much more concerned about the effect of democrat economic, monetary and social policies on our everyday lives. Those policies are driving record inflation, and we're all already paying for that in the form of higher prices on everything, including necessities like food, heating our homes, and gasoline prices.
This month, when you go to the grocery store, visit the gas pump, and open your electric, gas, or heating oil bills, thank the democrats for the increase.
Where is your facts/data to prove this besides MSNBC/CNN, Washington Compost, New York Slimes talking points. Here is why I love to give left wing outlets to make my point. Here is Politico (left wing rag) posting how Trump doesn't want to touch it and he is running in the next election. Lastly why don't you have a article about how the Pfizer employee was caught on video talking about mutating COVID 19. RCP link below. This is huge news
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/20/trump-gop-medicare-social-security-debt-ceiling-00078731
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2023/01/25/pfizer_executive_caught_by_project_veritas_were_exploring_mutating_covid_so_we_can_preemptively_develop_new_vaccines.html
The national sales tax proposal looks to be going nowhere, but it's closely related to the idea--which many in the GOP openly endorse, the criticism of recently-increased IRS funding being only the latest example--that the IRS (which. indeed, would be replaced by a national sales tax) is largely unnecessary. The IRS can easily enough ascertain the income of wage-earners, but it simply doesn't effectively enforce genuine disclosure by the self-employed.
Without the IRS, there would be very little incentive for the self-employed to pay their share of taxes.
Well, when social security was implemented life expectancy was 65, now it's 80. Something has to give. The fourth biggest line item in the federal budget is debt service after SS, Medicare, and Defense. It took from the revolutionary war to 2017 to put 20 trillion on the nations credit card. From 2017 till now we've added 12 trillion more! Again, something has to give. The problem with both parties is there are literally no adults in the room. Biden is clueless. The far right Trumpers are idiots. You have a few guys like Josh Gottheimer and Brian Fitzpatrick, who formed the problem solvers caucus, trying to compromise and govern, but politics has become gorilla warfare.
We all like to talk about the far right, and yes, they're idiots, but what about the far left, who now openly and proudly call themselves socialists. They are as big a threat to this country as the Trumpers if you ask me, maybe more of a threat. the far left 10% and the far right 10% have this country in gridlock now.
There’s always one of you isn’t there? A brainwashed neo-Nazi with so much Cognitive dissonance, that it can be measured in miles. Do me a favor and shut all the way the fuck up. Everything Bernie wrote about is factual and can be proven by a thirty-second google search. Seriously dude, like go eat a barrel, fuck I hate people like you.
Debating things that'll never happen (cutting SS, cutting anything, flat tax) is useless. Both sides have regularly raised the debt limit to avoid the difficult work of passing an actual budget. Nothing is getting cut. Nobody has any stomach or balls to cut anything - not even the rates of increase. Hell, Bernie needs hundreds of billions for our 51st state, Ukraine. Defense budget is going up! We'll continue spending the grandkids' money and they'll get stuck with our bill after we're dead. $32 trillion and counting. I despise kids and have none, or any grandchildren. I'm perfectly fine with giving them an economic poison pill that will destroy their dreams and futures. Dog eat dog, puppies.
DeSantis has the case of wokeness banning black history. Maybe he is just trying the pander to the extremes of his party or just trying to stay in the news. He was upset when they changed the name of a syrup but now want to erase the past. Fascinating tale of doublespeak.
Life expectancy is not 80 and has gone down significantly since covid. In fact it never reached 80. And you take the wind out of your sails with the name calling.
https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-life-expectancy-compare-countries/#Life%20expectancy%20at%20birth%20in%20years,%201980-2021
After many many years of only voting republican due to my own delusions that republicans actually cared about fiscal conservatism, I finally woke up a couple years ago and realized they only care about keeping taxes low for the top 1% while screwing over everybody else.
Every time I come to this blog, I wander into the comment section and I can feel my brain cells screaming and dying over the stuff I hear you neo-Nazis. I mean some of you don’t even give a shit anymore, and have accepted that you know nothing about how the economy works but just want to center themselves in any conversation to feel important.
Don’t you see the complete hypocrisy of the Republican Party thinking that the government collecting income tax is theft, but they think it’s totlally fine for the government to “overreach” and impose a thirty percent tax on the poor and middle class. All while the oligarchs in this country increase their wealth exponentially but never ever paying their fair share to live in this country.
Like are you guys this stupid?
I am living among the brain dead…
There's no money left. Biden spent it on a big war in Ukraine. It's been in all the papers. You can Google it. Ukraine gets taken care of first. Seniors and veterans are third after illegal aliens. Nothing changes until Biden is gone. You got a problem with that, Jack?
"PROOF Bernie!!"
Medicare and Social Security Cuts
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/republicans-plans-to-slash-social-security-and-medicare-are-becoming-clearer-we-have-no-choice-but-to-make-hard-decisions/ar-AA16ILik?li=BBnb7Kz
https://www.businessinsider.com/house-republicans-social-security-and-medicare-medicaid-mccarthy-biden-debt-2023-1
https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/2023-opeds-and-letters/mccarthy-has-put-social-security-and-medicare-at-risk-to-become-speaker/
30% Sales Tax
https://thehill.com/policy/finance/3821761-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-gop-bill-to-abolish-the-tax-code/
https://www.c-span.org/video/?525580-1/democratic-leaders-vow-block-gop-sales-tax-proposal
https://www.ajc.com/politics/buddy-carters-national-sales-tax-bill-draws-spotlight-derision/ANXTGAYBNREQJBHSWCZLAJR4OA/
But yet you’re still against affordable universal healthcare? The US has always had the money, they just don’t think an average citizen is worth it. Sad really.
You’re right it’s 78 for men and 80 for women. 79.1 total. Imagine if we didn’t have a 40% obesity rate. Get off the booze and fast food and exercise a little you’ll make 80 too.
I notice you don’t refute any of the arguments the poster put fourth. Actually life expectancy is 76.4 mostly because Covid skewed the numbers. The point is SS will have to be reformed. Republicans want to raise the age and Dems want to expand it. Those are the facts. People shouldn’t be collecting SS for 30 yrs it’s unsustainable.
I use the Washington Compost to wipe my bum and start burning trash in my barrel, there isn't a good section in the paper even sports polished a woke agenda with embrace of renaming the Redskins.
The only Lawyer more disgraced than Bernice is the ginger clown from S.c who murdered his wife and son
3 years ago today
gas was $2 a gallon
Eggs were $1 a dozen
Mortgage rates were 3%
Inflation was less than 1%
We had full employment, economic growth, and World Peace
What happened?
Would you be wiling to do an in depth piece on the clown that Steve Lynch is? It isn't political, he's just simply an uninformed clown who grew up in upper class white town Moorestown NJ and claims he's from Philly. He's part of the reason there was no wave. He doesn't have a clue about what people care about. He just posted a link to a transgender person that won Miss Nevada. However, Mr. "Do your research" didn't do his research to find out that it was in July 2021. No one in Northampton County cares about that.
Earlier he posted that Damar Hamlin is dead and is being represented by a clone. Steve's wife is a nurse!!!! Can she not explain to Steve "do your research" Lynch how SCAD and ROSC work? Does she need her license revoked or should he just be thrown into a padded room? Now he's "Preaching" to us about being a god fearing 'man'. This is why I left the church. Clowns.
Steve Lynch is a racist, misogynistic, anti-American fascist terrorist that should be in jail. A 'reputation' in politics? Such a joke. No God would ever support someone like you. Keep waiting for the storm to come. Wake up Steve. Your rabbit hole is shallow.
@ 2:48 PM this is what happens when people like Steve Lynch gain traction. While I hate giving people like him attention, he needs to be brought to people's attention because he's someone that is bringing the GOP down on a local level.
https://www.facebook.com/steveflynch/videos/574384404234291
Steve Lynch. Going to preach to us God's word to save us all. GFY.
My full retirement age is 67. I just turned 60. I have been pounding my Deferred Comp program, (I work for state government) and I will get a pension, (I'm, eligible now but will keep working a couple more years.) I have been planning my retirement without counting SS just in case. I have lost some money in this last down turn but I'll just keep buying. I have lived below my means as much as possible, no fancy cars or big houses here. I decided 20 years ago to take action so I wouldn't have to worry about SS or medicare. It's all about how you manage your money, not how much you make. Stop trying to keep up with the Jones and be frugal and smart is my advice. The other thing is take care of yourself. One thing about O'Hare here is he got off his ass and lost weight, quit the booze, and took up the biking. He'll be around making us miserable well into his 90's. Good for him!
State government has hundreds of job openings folks, go check it out.
The 30% sales tax thing is dead. It's just like when the Bernie Sanders wing introduces bills to expand SS, universal health care, and Universal basic income, it's totally ignored. The problem is Pelosi could block it from the floor, McCarthy had to make a deal with the devil to get the gavel, so the bad publicity will prevail.
Social Security is a whole different issue. We have an aging population and people are living longer, healthier lives, although Covid was a big setback. The actuarial numbers aren't looking to good LOL. The sane way is to increase the age very slowly, and also increase the tax slightly. Let people who work in physical labor jobs to continue to get it at 62. More and more people push a keyboard all day, so they can wait a little longer. Macron over in France is having a hell of a time with this, heck they're rioting over there. It's a huge problem and the answer has to be some sort of compromise. I have taught my kids to plan and save for their retirement without SS being in the equation.
Republicans want to control what is taught in school. Republicans want to curb voting rights.
Republicans want to force rape victims to have unwanted babies. Republicans are mean, vicious, vile rotten mutants bent on taking this country to a dark place.
Are they considering CUTS to Medicare/social security etc. or are they proposing reforms to make these programs solvent? For example raising the age of retirement. Note the last age adjustment was 1983. Since then age expectancy has increased 4-5 years. There are ONLY 3 choices. You need to be either for raising social security taxes, lowering social security benefits or raising the social security age.
Am I missing something where Republicans are trying to “kill” social security? All I've read are proposals for reforms to make the system solvent. Educate me if I'm missing something.
What I mostly see are Democrats Demagoguing the issue scaring seniors with no concrete proposals on how to make it solvent.
I'm pretty much politically independent at this point. I'm not interesting is shilling for either party but this is how I see it. Am I wrong?
100% agree. Steve Lynch is nothing more but a wack-ass wannabe Christian version of an ISIS terrorist who supports fascism, and if he had his way, he’d execute all who opposed his political ideology. All for the name of his sky daddy.
Hey 5:54,
Lucky you! Unfortunately, the 90% workers do not have a union and they do not have an established 401k. The American worker have been bamboozled to think voting Republican would help the working class people. Well how did that work out? F……terrible for us workers. It all started with Reagan and that has killed the middle class. So if you ever voted for any Republican candidates or are an independent then you deserve to be screwed. If you’re a Democrat, then you need to keep the faith in humanity.These Republican F…… need to pay their fair share in taxes.
As for Bernie, he will live forever! The Catholics took away purgatory and heaven and hell doesn’t want him.
Wow you sound like a totally unhinged looney liberal BETA, Steve triggers you because he is the manifestation of "Chad Thundercock" and has lofty political ambitions to bolster his robust physical presence.
Get a grip bro and stop drinking the soy lattes they are causing a spike in your estrogen production along with all thr tofu and tempeh burgers.
Get some bone broth in your puny punk body and off Brother Steve's nuts like the parasitic barnacle you are!
How do you get it to do those things
Indubitably
"Are they considering CUTS to Medicare/social security etc. or are they proposing reforms to make these programs solvent?"
If you read my links or do your own research, you'll see and probably already know that most GOP Senators would prefer to see reforms, but not cuts in existing entitlements. House Republicans are a different story. And unfortunately, a large number are willing to shut the government down and stop social security payments completely until Dems agree to numerous cuts that the Rs want. In other words, they are completely willing to hold seniors as hostages to get what they want.
"Steve Lynch is a racist, misogynistic, anti-American fascist terrorist that should be in jail."
I have written numerous stories already and probably will be writing more. Before Trump, he and other like him were rightly regarded as fringe people. Now he is a GOP state committee person.
Frankly, he now bores me. He is always angry and hateful and has so many enemies from his own party that I doubt he has much credibility left.
@8:31
No thanks on giving up my iced matcha latte with soy. Steve actually likes my smooth testosterone deficient body, reminds him of ladyboy pen pal he frequently zoom calls.
Seems easy to me. Government needs to stop spending money we don't have . Look at what is spent on non vital programs and stop the insanity. make reforms to social security based on life expectancy . Treat their budget like all of us must do every day. As for blaming one party or another ..I find that comical. Both have been guilty of frivolous extreme spending. Frankly I think our representatives have all gone nuts. And those in this blog continue to be very angry people.
No red wave because Dominion changed the votes. We libs know how to cheat.
Debt:GDP = 120%
We're so broke and our future is so screwed, we might as well just keep binging. I think the younger generations finally get it. They're never getting ahead. It's why they increasingly hate the country and the people who made it this way. Can't really blame them when old fossil bloggers are spoiling for hundreds of billions in war aid while the national debt and its crushing penalties grow larger each day. Then, he complains about some group not getting its fair share. This is how you get to that 120%.
Is your IRA an entitlement ? Your car insurance? Why do folks call social security which workers fund over a lifetime and small building owners fully fund, an entitlement?
Fourth option: raise the cutoff for contributions. DT and the school teacher stop paying on once the same max is reached. How "fair" is that?
Are you tired of defending your unwavering support for guns amid constant mass shootings?
Having a hard time selling people on slashing social security and Medicare?
Now you don’t have to, forget about those uncomfortable policy junk conversations and stick to the culture wars!
Be ANTI-WOKE EVERYTHING!
Look! A gay M&M!
Joe Biden is coming to take our gas stoves away!
Anti-woke works great for toilets, lightbulbs, fashion, fictional cartoon characters, books and of course, plain ole free speech!
Let the culture wars work for you!
I was disappointed by the lack of a red wave. Everything is upside down. Try explaining to your grandkids that the Democratic Party used to be anti-war and anti-Big Pharma. Confusing.
The Republicans have always been
Angry when they're in
And
Angry when they're out
If only you had the premium package on your tv you would get more channels
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/johnwasik/2022/10/05/how-house-dems-want-to-bolster-social-security/amp/
You proved my point. You referenced MSN and Business insider. That is a joke. The same people that own Business insider own Politico (Left Wing rag). Below from Wiki. Again I use left wing outlets to prove my point. And don't get me started on The HIll. Run by Perry Sook who gives to Chuck Schumer.
SOOK, PERRY A
FLOWER MOUND, TX
75022 Nexstar Broadcasting/President & Ceo $1,000 02/29/2016 P FRIENDS OF SCHUMER - Democrat
Upon its acquisition of Politico and Business Insider, Axel Springer announced that all employees must support a free market economy, a united Europe, and Israel's right to exist.[8]
This country sees right through the Republican party. 2004 was the last time a Republican president has won with the popular vote. The majority of people know that Republicans only work for the rich. More voters are registered Democrats and that is why Republicans need to take away voting rights, lie about cheating, and create manufactured crisis'. There will not be a red wave in the future, not until that party actually has an agenda that will help all people, not just the rich.
Psst, Donald Trump added five trillion dollars to the deficit during his presidency when he have tax breaks to the filthy rich, but keep talking…
Please publish all comments that do not violate listed guidelines. Not just for educational purposes, but in fairness. Otherwise, what’s the point of these discussions?
6:57- Spoken like a hypocritical snowflake. Trump increasd the deficit by 25%- This is more than any other president...combined.
The last time I heard the what about our grandkids being saddled with debt Obama was in office. And now they went as far as to personalize the message for you Bernie. Never heard it in 2017 when the money harvest took place. Or the following 3 years. That's odd.
I believe I follow my own guidelines and err on the side of publication. I will not post comments about voter fraud that I know are lies. Read my comment policy.
It was hard but I've pulled the trigger on a new house in Brandon(Let's go!) FL to be in the state where woke goes to die. Been selling brother Steve on doing the same he'd be a shoe in for elected office maybe a little further south In Manatee or Sarasota County Hillsborough has a lot of libturds but its close enough to the Hollow we can be part of the burgeoning scene.
PA was spoiled by Wolfe and his gender bending Admiral Seaman not to mention the vortexes of criminality where poverty pimps lime AJ plied their trade
If Brother Steve wants to fight the good fight up here in the Keystone state I say bravo old chap but if he set foot in front of the Moms For Liberty down there Bridgette Ziegler and her team of cougars would be all over him like white on rice he would probably need to transition to more cardio in order to satisfy their collective needs
Only the lepers on the far right actually think “woke” is offensive to leftist like us. I ask you this, what’s the opposite of woke? Are you the opposite of woke? To be asleep like you are? Because, once again, white men have misappropriated a term that was invented by black freedom fighters to combat racism in the 1960’s, and think it’s a derogatory term. You silly rabbit.
Best of luck on your move to Americas penis Florida. Were white cuckold old men go to die.
Ngl I don't understand a lot of these comments and I'm ok with it
-J
Please keep in mind, raising the debt ceiling is about honoring the US' commitments by paying the debts we've already incurred. It's basically paying our minimum amount due on our credit card bills.
If the debt ceiling is not raised, the US defaults on our debt, something that has never happened before. American families/households lose trillions of dollars seemingly overnight. The world economy is thrown into chaos.
McCarthy had demanded spending cuts. Biden has said he's willing to discuss. Republicans still haven't been able to come to a consensus on what exactly it is that they want. They've put all of our financial future stabilities in jeopardy because the party can't get it together.
Fact is, they know they want make cuts to social security, Medicare and Medicaid but they won't dare say it out loud because a large majority of their base depend on these entitlements. (If the US defaults, SSA isn't cutting any checks btw.) And it's an election year.
-J
Biden has said he's willing to discuss.
WTF are you talking about????????????????????????????????
"Biden has said he's willing to discuss.
WTF are you talking about????????????????????????????????"
What are you confused about? I'll try to go over it slowly and use simple words for you.
-J
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