We need to think this through a little more....

Lemme see if I have this right:  The Republicans say no new taxes on the rich because they (the rich) are the ones who are the "job creators", and taxes on them would kill off the new jobs we desperately need right now.  


Sounds good on the surface, but it doesn't seem to hold up under scrutiny.  When the economy imploded in 2008 it was estimated that over two TRILLION dollars was moved out of various investment vehicles (stocks, mutual funds, corporate bonds, etc).  Just today CNBC (business news channel) said again that roughly a TRILLION dollars was still on the sidelines not invested.  In other words the rich are NOT using their money right now to create new jobs.  They're sitting on their wealth waiting for lucrative investments to come along, but there are too many unknowns right now to make them feel comfortable parting with their cash.


So if a little less of rich folks money was sitting idle on the sidelines not creating jobs, how would that hurt the economy?  Seems to me if it were part of an agreement (along with cutting tons of waste, fraud, and bloat from government programs) to dramatically reduce the deficit, THAT would eliminate some uncertainty and help create jobs.  Think of it as a bit of "pump priming".  


Make sense?


S

We pay HOW MUCH? For WHAT?

All I hear on the news these days is the deadlock over budget reform / raising the debt limit.  What I want to know is where exactly does our tax money go?  I'm sure with enough time and research abilities anyone could comb through the federal budget and find out, but really, no one I know has that much spare time.  I would love for someone to tell me in plain English what all is included in the budget for the Agriculture Department, for example.  How much is paid out in subsidies to well-connected "gentleman farmers" and mega-agra-corporations to NOT grow certain crops?  Name names, give me dollar amounts.


We know what the bottom-line is for the State Department budget, but specifically, how is that money spent?  Who do we give foreign aid to?  A complete list, please.  (I see that as of this past weekend we have another new country in the world, South Sudan.  How much is THAT going to cost us?)


I'd love to know how much tax breaks to oil companies and banks cost us, and big pharma and big-insurance, too.  And I'd love to know the thousands of little-known programs we fund.  I'll bet that would be a REAL eye-opener!  (I once served on a city commission with a lady, a federal bureaucrat, who told me her job was to coordinate federal programs that seek to promote a healthy family life for American Indians.  HUH?  How much?  $50M?  $100M? More?)


My point is I don't think they (the bureaucrats and their masters, Congress) want us to know....too many favors being handed out to too many cronies.


I say off with ALL their worthless heads.


S