Conservatives for Higher Taxes
Kevin Drum links to a column by “Conservative economist Bruce Bartlett” with the following quote:
In the 1980’s and 1990’s, I thought it was possible to restrain the growth of government by cutting taxes. This would “starve the beast,” as Ronald Reagan used to say, and force government to live on its allowance. And after Republicans got control of Congress in 1994, I thought the means had finally come to make a frontal assault on the welfare state.
I have been sadly disappointed….Deficits are no longer a barrier to greater government spending. And with the baby-boom generation aging, spending is set to explode in coming years even if no new government programs are enacted.
As a result, he’s come out in favor of a “Value-Added Tax,” wherein a product is taxed at every stage of production. To quote Bartlett, “It is costly to put into effect, and it hits the poor and the elderly hardest because they spend a higher percentage of their income.”
So, let’s see… Our politicians won’t manage our money properly, and so the answer is… give them more money?
Right.
On the other hand, how do we get them to stop wasting our money? Virtually all of our elected officials–Republican and Democrat–are more interested in spending our money than in conserving it. You can replace them at the elections, but the new politicians are as bad–or worse–than the old ones.
You know, I think that a better system might be to have an independent body responsible for taxation, and another body responsible for spending. Following that change, pass an ammendment requiring a balanced budget every year. Now you can “starve the beast.”
Ideally, of course, Congress would listen to reason and just stop spending so much of my money. Here’s where Bush is being so incredibly stupid; I’ll spell it out in simple, one- and two- syllable words: You can’t take in less money and then spend more money without losing money.
It just won’t work. The positive effect on the economy of lower tax rates helps a little bit, but then when you push $1.2 trillion drug bills through Congress, you absorb that effect and then need to raise taxes again.
In a slogan: Cutting taxes is good; cutting spending is better.
And, you know, Mr. President, you haven’t used your veto power once. Ever. In your five years of being in office. The only time I’ve ever heard you threaten to use your veto power is to stop any bill that would help fix the $1.2 trillion dollar mess you helped make.
Shame on you.