July 28, 2011
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Flood Mo Brook’s Survey
Mo Brooks has sent out a survey asking three questions:- Should the debt ceiling be raised?
- If you believe America should have a balanced budget, how do you prefer balancing it?
- Do you support a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
Please click the link below and submit the following answers:
- It should not be raised under any circumstances
- Cut spending (cutting spending roughly 40% would likely balance the budget)
- No
If you agree with me, please click on the link and reply in kind. Brooks will vote the way that his poll numbers tell him to vote. Spread the word to all your friends, neighbors, family and enemies.
Comments (13)
I’m really trying to figure out how to post about this, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to disagree with you here.
1. Even with cutting spending, there has to be a debt ceiling increase – at least for the short-term – if the credit rating of the US and the economy are not going to be sent back to the dark ages.
2. While a balanced budget is a must, it can’t be equitably achieved without “revenue increases” through removing the tax breaks the corporations and wealthiest enjoy. If these tax breaks were really designed to help in job creation, then where are the promised jobs? It’s the biggest fallacy in the Republicans argument right now. Spending cuts are necessary but you can’t take away from some of the most vulnerable without showing fairness and equality across the board.
3. I’m in agreement with you here; a Balanced Budget Amendment would be neither use nor ornament and Congress would find a way around it regardless. That’s before you think about all the time and money this distraction would cause.
That’s the American spirit. Don’t ask people to tell their representative what they think on an issue. Ask them to parrot what you think.
@cmdr_keen -
Disagreements are profitable if they lead to open discussion. I welcome dissent!
1. Even with cutting spending, there has to be a debt ceiling increase – at least for the short-term – if the credit rating of the US and the economy are not going to be sent back to the dark ages.
Not according to the July 14 S&P report.
2. While a balanced budget is a must, it can’t be equitably achieved without “revenue increases” through removing the tax breaks the corporations and wealthiest enjoy.
The “wealthy” as you put it, enjoy tax cuts because they actually pay taxes. Currently, the top 50% of wage earners pay 96.54% of income tax. As the Congressional Joint Economic Committee has stated, cutting taxes spurs economic growth and leads to more revenue to the treasury. If it were the case that simply removing tax breaks would increase revenue, explain why Google moved its money offshore to avoid an additional 2.4% tax bill.
If these tax breaks were really designed to help in job creation, then where are the promised jobs?
The jobs aren’t there because of Obama’s massive spending. Put another way, if raising taxes and government spending (the antithesis of cutting taxes and cutting spending) are the answer, why hasn’t Obama’s plan “saved or created jobs”?
but you can’t take away from some of the most vulnerable without showing fairness and equality across the board.
Yes, you can. It’s not the government’s job to run entitlement programs. The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not equal things.
BBA
Here’s the real reason that a Balanced Budget Amendment wouldn’t solve the problem: all you would have to do to equal spending is “raise” taxes. But as we’ve already seen in the case of Google, raising taxes is a disincentive to engage in positive economic behavior and only leads to finding ways out of paying those higher taxes. Meanwhile, the have nots who don’t have the means of moving their money overseas pay the punitive and confiscatory tax. Let’s not forget that under the Balanced Budget Amendment, Obamacare would be allowed a pass because due to accounting tricks, it’s “revenue neutral.”
The real problem here is that Democrats have been in charge of the Federal Government for over three years now and have not passed a budget in over 800 days.
@doahsdeer - I am asking those who agree with me to answer the same way I did. Read the post again.
@cmdr_keen - btw, I have seen your Herman Cain post, I just haven’t had time to comment on it. Monday week is the last day of the semester.
@ProfessorTom - Okay. I read your post again and I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps what you meant to write was Here are my answers to the survey. If you agree with me, please click on the link and reply in kind. But that’s not what you wrote.
@doahsdeer - Fixed.
@ProfessorTom - Thank you. And now, recognizing that participatory democracy requires everyone to participate, and that participatory democracy is ultimately more important than the outcome of any one vote, perhaps you’ll also encourage people who may hold a differing opinion to respond to the survey, so that your representative will truly know what all of his constituents believe is the right thing to do.
@ProfessorTom - I probably could have ended my last comment at Thank you but I couldn’t resist busting chops just a little bit.
@doahsdeer -
Three points here:
First, the United States is a Republic, not a Democracy. A Democratic-Republic it may be, but a Republic nevertheless.
Second, I think that one vote does and can matter, especially considering the topic. Let’s say the vote in question was whether or not we wanted a king for life. In the interest of liberty, I would have to say that even if 100% of the populace wanted a king, it would reduce freedom, not increase it.
Thirdly, if those who are on the opposing side of the issue don’t know how to click the link and fill out a survey expressing their views, we have a much bigger problem on our hands. As a political activist, I see no problem with rallying one’s base. I’m not denying anyone the right to voice their opinion nor am I telling them not too; I’m simply cheerleading for my side of the issue.
@doahsdeer -
@doahsdeer - Don’t worry, I just took care of that with my other comment.
@cmdr_keen - You may be interested in this link which discusses using the four richest individual’s wealth in relationship to the national debt.