Why is it that every time someone asks a question about taxes, some liberal wiseguy says something like...?

Yes. Instead of debating, because in all honesty we know they are out of talking points that resonate in any sort of positive manner with the American public, they try to combat by marginalization, which does not work very well either.

JFK stated it best "A rising tide lifts all boats". Hence, across the board tax cuts create a huge return dividend in economic prosperity for all.

Liberals will never be able to comprehend economics or business, or the important knowledge gained by running a business or other institution.

I don't want a no-government society, I just want a Constitutional government.

No rants and no Bush.

You say: "...Most of our tax base is wasted on entitlements and unnecessary programs that are defrauded left and right"

So....that would be Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare and Unemployment?

I know these are favorite targets of you "fiscal conservatives" mainly because YOU don't depend on them. So you create this mythical army of spongers and freeloaders living off you "hard earned tax dollars" - the most egregious waste is in military procurement which sucks billions from the budget on boondoggles that are assigned by anonymous apparatchiks in The Pentagon with only superficial oversight by the relevant Congressional Committees.

Why? Because "the military" is untouchable, the dollars that pour into R&D on weapons systems and electronics keep a lot of companies happy who express their happiness in the time honored way of political donations to the Party that keeps the financial faucets wide open.

If your "plan" for the financial recovery of the United States is the same tired old mantra of "lower taxes - cut benefits - slash spending on education - raise retirement age - privatize Social Security - convert 401K's to Personal Savings Plans BUT don't touch the military" you will cause suffering of unimaginable magnitude and need all that military to put down food riots.

I guess then the Teabaggists will realize how they've been used by the Neocons behind the GOP to seize power and lurch the country further to the right.

May that God that you cling to forgive you.

if taxes are cut every time there's a dip in the economy, and they're never raised when things are going well, eventually tax rates will reach ZERO.

who's going to pay for the military then?

there's a concept in economics i don't know if you're familiar with... it's called the law of diminishing returns...

as applied to taxes, it works like this: if the tax rate is 91% (as it was in 1961), and you reduce that by 20 points to 70%, you'll get "X" amount of benefit to the economy.

if you further cut taxes another 20 points to 50%, the actual benefit to the economy will be LESS than "X".

cut it another 20% to 30% (about where we're at today) and the economic benefit will begin to approach zero.

we've reached the limit now, just going by the numbers. further tax cuts will have no benefit on the overall economy.

we're going to have to approach the problem from a different angle. supply-side economics has reached it's natural end.

and if you want to talk about where most of the money is wasted, start looking to corporate welfare... farm subsidies that never reach farmers but get shuffled directly into Archer Daniels Midland Corp's offshore accounts... grants to businesses like McDonalds, that are profitable companies, to pay for the cost of their television advertisements... the list is endless and accounts for far more money than what it costs to feed our hungry neighbors.

the Welfare Reform Act of 1995 (or was it '96?) brought an end to multi-generational entitlements. you get two years' worth of benefits lifetime maximum. that's IT.

in simpler terms.... i wish conservatives would quit tripping over hundred dollar bills in their effort to pick up friggin' PENNIES.

i'm not trying to pick a fight. i can see by your additional comments that you're a reasonable guy.

if we could, i'd buy us a pitcher of beer, and i bet the two of us - flaming liberal and staunch conservative - could hammer out a plan that would meet both of our most important ideals.

sadly, we don't have the space for that here. my major point is that tax cuts alone aren't going to do the trick anymore. and that's pretty much all i hear.

edit: something else to consider:

as for the ratios of taxes and income. it's more like this:

the top 10% of income earners receive 95% of the income earned in this country but only pay for 60% of the cost of government.

the bottom 90% of income earners have to divvy up 5% of all the income earned and then have to pay for 40% of the cost of government.

does it seem quite as fair when you look at it like that?

It is lovely transparent that the Left Wing Elitist magnificence is all approximately attacking others and dictating what they must do whilst exempting themselves. Over the many years I have obvious extra examples than any one would suppose. I keep in mind throughout the Reagan years, the Left was once bashing Reagan approximately homelessness. So one night time with a wide variety of media awareness Actor Martin Sheen spent the night time snoozing on a Subway Grating wherein the homeless could sleep to take knowledge of the steam emerging. After that was once over, he back to his mansion in Malibu wherein neighborhood ordinances and Law Enforcement exclude any homeless individual and actually even the General Public was once excluded from utilising the seashore. Funny how the who homeless dilemma went away after Reagan or even to these days is certainly not recounted. Except for while the DNC sweeps them clear of their conventions. *

those people throw out obstacles that they know are show stoppers. You notice they never ask about stopping the grants for Foreign Students? or the research on the mating habits of the Horned Owl? or the Bridge to No-where? They use the first, hardest fast ball they own, not truth.

Because most questions on taxes betray a monumental ignorance.

Who would not want to keep more of their paycheck? Yet the Q's on taxes never, and I mean never, have any specifics. No, links, no arguments as to where to cut?

Are you middle class? Ok, eliminate the mortgage interest deduction. Don't like that, do you? Why do you support that entitlement yet despise others?

Want educated answers? The folks on YA will have to start asking educated questions.

Well then, be specific. Don't just whine about lower taxes. Say exactly what you don't want tax dollars going toward.

I hate taxes. But mostly because they're being wasted on crap like war, foreign aid, building embassies in other countries, corporate welfare, etc.

I don't have a problem paying taxes for essential services, roads, schools, etc. I do have a problem with paying more than my fair share, and I also have a problem with the reckless abandon the government spends other people's money.

Yeah, but the big taxes come from health care and charity programs from the government, not fire etc.

In argumentation, that's what's called a "strawman." You mischaracterize your opponent's position, portraying it as indefensible. Then you use reason to defeat the fake argument, and hope your audience won't notice that you can't beat your opponent's *actual* position.

When you call for limited constitutional government, the liberal will pretend that you want no government at all. Or when you call for cuts to "the arts" or other boondoggles, they tell everybody you want to cut police and firemen.

When a liberal uses a strawman, it's a sign that he knows he can't beat your actual position.