When I got an email about Grover Norquist headlining POLITICO Playbook's breakfast this week, I just knew I had to (literally) roll out of bed early to attend.
After all, the no-tax-increase pledge spearheaded by Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform is one of the reasons why politicians keep kicking me down the road. Members of Congress who signed this special interest pledge essentially tied their hands with respect to deficit reduction. We all know we can't just cut, grow or tax our way our of $16 trillion and growing national debt. We need a combination of all three.
So I showed up early Wednesday morning, hoping to talk directly to Mr. Norquist. I wanted to inform him of something rather...well, uncanny about his pledge. For as long as it contributes to Washington gridlock by preventing reasonable commonsense compromises, the pledge is partially responsible for our growing national debt. And every dollar in debt is truly nothing but a TAX on the next generation, who will have to pay it back.
Imagine that. Higher taxes for tomorrow's generation because of an anti-tax pledge signed by today's politicians.
Unfortunately, the nice folks organizing the Playbook breakfast informed me they do not allow Cans to join. So, instead, I stood outside and made sure every person going in knew about this intergenerational tax hike.
I hope one day, Grover, we will meet.
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Jay Roche commented
2012-12-21 16:39:25 -0800
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Adam, ignoring a 16T$, heading for 20T$ debt is not something I can be convinced to ignore, sorry.
Adam Eran commented
2012-12-12 15:46:35 -0800
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Stop buying the B.S. Read this: http://www.rooseveltinstitute.org/new-roosevelt/federal-budget-not-household-budget-here-s-why
Renee Molinari commented
2012-12-10 17:46:56 -0800
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Mark: Your are so right: How dare Romney tax shelter his hard earned money so that he can pass it along to his children! The “death tax” — going up to 55% soon if Obama has his way — is designed to take more than half of what you have worked for and ALREADY been taxed on once so that you have only 45% to give to those you care about most. Yes, tax ‘em twice on teh same money — or better yet, tax ’em thrice: we’ll call it the “After the Death Tax Tax”.
Renee Molinari commented
2012-12-10 17:41:36 -0800
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If you don’t think our spending is out of control, just take a quick look at the numbers on the clock:
theteaparty.net
theteaparty.net
Jay Roche commented
2012-12-09 15:28:28 -0800
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Without reform, they are guaranteed to collapse.What is your solution, Paul?
Mark – that is a rediculous argument – the poor pay a higher percentage of their income on EVERYTHING – food, fuel, clothes, lodging, gum, coffee. I’m astounded that you don’t understand what a denominator is. The poor in this country would be middle class in most of the world. I’d love to hear your solution to the human condition known as talent (ambition, drive, and a bit of luck too). Perhaps the youngster stuck at minimum wage should have studied a bit harder in school? There is no ‘cure’ for the human condition – the Founders understood this very well and designed our system to allow the maximum number of people to acheive success- no system can guarantee everyone will be a millionaire – but a lot of systems can prevent everyone from becoming wealthy.
Mark – that is a rediculous argument – the poor pay a higher percentage of their income on EVERYTHING – food, fuel, clothes, lodging, gum, coffee. I’m astounded that you don’t understand what a denominator is. The poor in this country would be middle class in most of the world. I’d love to hear your solution to the human condition known as talent (ambition, drive, and a bit of luck too). Perhaps the youngster stuck at minimum wage should have studied a bit harder in school? There is no ‘cure’ for the human condition – the Founders understood this very well and designed our system to allow the maximum number of people to acheive success- no system can guarantee everyone will be a millionaire – but a lot of systems can prevent everyone from becoming wealthy.
Marshall Mead commented
2012-12-09 15:22:43 -0800
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Grover is just a symptom of the debate between Bigger Government and Smaller Government.
I don’t believe that anyone gets out of a tax burden and those taxes are usually relative to their income. It may not be from “income” taxes but it is a tax regardless as long as you have to spend for something you need.
Government rules and the bigger the government the bigger the rules. Freedom from government is what our ancestors wanted in the beginning. They got it and the country as a whole grew because of it. Then government started to take on responsibilites for anything and everything. They do that by our agreement and our support (read dollars here). Everything we give them costs us. Now the government uses it for providing their livelihood rather than promoting the country. The government workers do not participate in anything they give the citizens (read voters).
Government has not succeeded at anything even though they continue to insist they are doing everything for the “less fortunate” in the world. The “less fortunate” in the world are those whose governments failed them.
More taxes will only engorge our government and allow them to buy more votes.
I don’t believe that anyone gets out of a tax burden and those taxes are usually relative to their income. It may not be from “income” taxes but it is a tax regardless as long as you have to spend for something you need.
Government rules and the bigger the government the bigger the rules. Freedom from government is what our ancestors wanted in the beginning. They got it and the country as a whole grew because of it. Then government started to take on responsibilites for anything and everything. They do that by our agreement and our support (read dollars here). Everything we give them costs us. Now the government uses it for providing their livelihood rather than promoting the country. The government workers do not participate in anything they give the citizens (read voters).
Government has not succeeded at anything even though they continue to insist they are doing everything for the “less fortunate” in the world. The “less fortunate” in the world are those whose governments failed them.
More taxes will only engorge our government and allow them to buy more votes.
Pat Biswanger commented
2012-12-09 07:46:12 -0800
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Don’t forget that if Social Security and Medicare don’t exist, or aren’t as effective, it’s YOUR generation that will have to support their parents, people like me. Don’t let them gut these so-called “entitlement” programs.
Jay Roche commented
2012-12-08 11:48:40 -0800
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It’s designed to assuage the base and foment class warfare. This strategy divides us so the government can play us against each other. I’m not playing.
BTW, I used to be adorable when I was a lot younger…
BTW, I used to be adorable when I was a lot younger…
Jay Roche commented
2012-12-08 11:48:27 -0800
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It’s designed to assuage the base and foment class warfare. This strategy divides us so the government can play us against each other. I’m not playing.
BTW, I used to be adorable when I was a lot younger…
BTW, I used to be adorable when I was a lot younger…
Renee Molinari commented
2012-12-08 11:07:13 -0800
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Raising the tax rate on couples/families earning $250,000 or more (the “rich” as some like to call them) will only raise enough revenues to fund the federal government for 9 days. Yes, only 9 days! Everyone in Washington knows this. It is just a PR strategy – a smokescreen – to make you feel as though Washington is doing something to solve what is really an out-of-control spending problem.
Helen Ames commented
2012-12-06 14:37:35 -0800
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No! The reason is not Mr Norquist The reason we have this deficit is because the Democrats are spending our money foolishly Raising taxes on the wealthy will not help one iota!
Marshall Mead commented
2012-12-06 14:34:38 -0800
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We know what the debt is, they tell us constantly. We know how much more they want to add to the debt. Would they tell us everywhere they spend the annual budget so we can have some input as to where to cut? Generally speaking as they generally do, they spent it on saving us from the toil of spending it ourselves. They spent it on government. They spent it on defense, they spent it on our retirement, they spent it on our health, and they spent it to get votes. Let us see what they say they spend it on in detail and allow us to have face to face time with our reps to voice our opinions on what shouldn’t be spent. Lets take a bolder step and make them cut taxes more than the “Bush Tax Cuts”, even just a couple percentage points, and promise not to raise them for 4 years; hiring would go through the roof and the tax revenue would follow. Income would rise when near full employment is reached because there would be competition for employees. Money in the hands of consumers would drive more spending on an increasing variety of products on the market. Then of course, they would scare us with inflation.
We need a minimum from them and more of our own money and property.
We need a minimum from them and more of our own money and property.
Curtis Koch commented
2012-12-06 10:32:04 -0800
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Time to get rid of Grover Norquest idiotic pledge.
Tony Irvine commented
2012-12-06 10:13:28 -0800
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I would be open to new tax increases if and ONLY if, serious spending cuts were put in place first and if All Americans paid a share of the new taxes. It is too easy to back spending of other people’s money and even easier to promise cuts and never deliver them. We have to increase economic growth, slow government growth and let revenues rise to tackle the problem.
Adam Hoffman commented
2012-12-06 06:55:21 -0800
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We all know raising taxes on the rich isn’t going to solve our debt problem but it’s a must for congress to meet in the middle. For anyone defending Grovers idiotic pledge, how would you feel if I had Dems sign a pledge to never ever ever ever reform entitlements no matter what. Pretty ridiculous huh?
Jay Roche commented
2012-12-05 17:25:52 -0800
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The rich already pay more that their fare share – a cursory Google search can educate you on that. Go ahead, sick the IRS on those above you in the brackets – just don’t complain when those below you do the same. We have a spending problem and demographics making bankruptcy almost unavoidable. There is no solution that does not restructure entitlement spending.
David Blackburn commented
2012-12-05 15:16:27 -0800
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Agree, we need all three. TAX THE RICH, CLOSE LOOPHOLES, CUT CONGRESS PAY &BENEFITS CUT DEFENSE SPENDING AND REIGN IN WASTEFUL SPENDING.
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