The ’situational conservatives’ in the Georgia GOP
Georgia Republicans like to tout themselves as true economic conservatives.
They’re not. Not by a long shot.
The core of economic conservatism, also known as laissez faire economics, is faith in a free market. That school of thought holds that if the laws of supply and demand are given free rein, they will distribute goods and services as efficiently and productively as possible.
Under such a theory, government is forbidden from intervening or picking winners; it can’t play favorites. Its role is to create a level playing field upon which individuals and businesses alike can compete, with the most efficient and productive reaping the biggest rewards.
Georgia Republicans do honor that approach in some ways. To individuals in need of help, they preach a sternly libertarian philosophy of “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.” They distrust government programs to aid the unemployed or provide health care to those unable to afford it, and in some cases they seek to dismantle public education in favor of private alternatives. On issues as varied as tort reform and workers rights to consumer protection, they instinctively seek to remove government from any role as mediator between business and consumer and between business and employee.
You’re on your own, in other words. “Laissez faire” — leave it alone.
However, state Republicans are notably unwilling to demand that same degree of discipline and self-reliance from businesses and corporations looking for assistance.
Take, for example, the passage of House Bill 234 in the recent legislative session. Under provisions added to the bill at the last minute and rammed through the process without real public debate, the legislation sets up a system to subsidize certain new tourist attractions.
Under the bill, a new resort or theme park that wins state favor would use the taxing power of the state to collect sales and use tax from its customers, just as other businesses do. But in this case, the business would get to keep all or most of that “tax money.” (Technically, it comes in the form of a refund, but the effect is the same.)
Over a 10-year period, the business could collect and keep taxes amounting to 25 percent of its investment. In other words, the law makes Georgia taxpayers a 25 percent partner in the investment, but with no ownership rights and no profit participation.
Why should government play such a role? As legislators declare in HB 234:
“The General Assembly finds and declares that the general welfare and material well-being of the citizens of this state depend in large measure upon the development of tourism in the state” and that “the inducement of the creation of tourism attraction projects is of paramount importance to the economy of the state.”
That is not economic conservatism. That is not laissez faire economics. It is government interfering in the marketplace by picking winners. Why should government subsidize a new water park at Lake Lanier, for example, that would interfere with existing investments at White Water?
Under the provisions of HB 234, the power to decide which businesses qualify for the break and which do not is invested entirely in the governor. He or she decides whether a company gets a huge tax break — a $100 million investment, for example, could get $25 million in tax breaks, but only if the governor smiles upon the company.
That’s an invitation to corruption, and sooner or later, you just know that invitation will be accepted by somebody.
It also demonstrates that economic conservatism, at least as practiced here in Georgia, applies only to those little people who can’t afford to buy lobbyists or politicians.
– Jay Bookman
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377 comments Add your comment
USinUK
April 26th, 2011
9:43 am
8.8% = 10%
I mean, I’ve heard of rounding, but come ON
Grasshopper
April 26th, 2011
9:43 am
‘Look, if you folks don’t like Marta – cause it’s crowded or you’re just afraid to ride it, then don’t ride it.’
Don’t forget inefficient and inconvenient.
Misty Fyed
April 26th, 2011
9:44 am
Finn @9:41
I dont know if you are being facetious or not but I believe that if we elected all liberal legislators, the blogs would simply proclaim “utopia”. Until we ran out of money anyway.
jonas
April 26th, 2011
9:45 am
The real approach is that there should be no gov’t subsidies. End of story and debate. The rest is just special interest drivel. Most of the blogs read like a bunch of old ladies playing bingo.
Jay
April 26th, 2011
9:45 am
jm, this isn’t a “tax break.”
This is a private enterprise collecting taxes from other people — using the state’s power to impose them — and then getting to pocket the taxes it collects.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
9:45 am
Bosch….your point? Does that make those numbers any less painful?
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
9:46 am
Bosch….CURRENT UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS 9.7% Good job trying to lie again!
http://www.gallup.com/Home.aspx
hdhd
April 26th, 2011
9:46 am
This is my biggest problem with politicians. They are huge hypocrites. Dems too, but you won’t see Jay talking about that.
Not to mention Republicans’ “leave it alone” attitude when it comes to “economic freedom,” but want to tell me where I can/can’t by beer on Sundays and who I can/can’t marry. Hypocrites.
Finn McCool
April 26th, 2011
9:46 am
If I give a tax break to tourist oriented businesses then hopefully they will attract tourists. Those tourists will pay for that service, but will also pay hotel taxes, sales tax on food, buy gas, etc.
That is crazy. Why does the government need to HELP a business do the business it is in the job of doing? You mean the business can’t do marketing without the government hand-outs? At that stage, it’s time to question the business skills of the people running the company.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
9:46 am
Jay…”But hey Marta is unsafe!”
Glad we agree!
USinUK
April 26th, 2011
9:47 am
“Don’t forget inefficient and inconvenient.”
ah, yes, the whine of “but it doesn’t pick me up at mah house and take me straight to mah office!!”
fercryingoutloud people, they’re called LEGS … you can use them to walk the few blocks to your office!
ty webb
April 26th, 2011
9:47 am
Okay I’m convinced…we need a “Brady Bill” that bans assault cars.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
9:47 am
Finn….how many businesses have you operated/owned?
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
9:47 am
Ty……GREAT POST!!
(ir)Rational
April 26th, 2011
9:48 am
Dang Jay, that still doesn’t seem like every two weeks, and for the most part, the people didn’t die so it doesn’t qualify as murders. I’m simply saying that the PERCEPTION is that MARTA is less safe than driving. I’m also saying that, for the most part, the MARTA stuff gets more media coverage. But of course, it is SOOOOOO safe, especially at night.
Bosch
April 26th, 2011
9:48 am
UGA,
I didn’t say you were not right, I said you had selective memory — were so poutraged over these incidences when Bush was POTUS? If you look at those points, all but the unemployment numbers happened under other administrations. And if you look at WHY we have the unemployment numbers we do, it didn’t suddenly happen in January ‘09.
USinUK
April 26th, 2011
9:48 am
UGA – 9:46 – ah. no – unemployment is 8.8%
http://bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
nice try.
Jefferson
April 26th, 2011
9:48 am
The GOP has never done anything for the working man, they worship money over character and have no credibility. That sums it up. Facts mean nothing to them as they have an agenda that will not hold up to logic and fairness.
jm
April 26th, 2011
9:49 am
Jay 9:45 – I’d say that description legally and functionally is correct. But I would also say not having to collect those taxes is a tax break that will accrue in part to their bottom line and part to the customers using said tourism venue.
I think the tax break is absurd and this stuff needs to be done away with. But it is different than a subsidy.
Finn McCool
April 26th, 2011
9:50 am
Dang, Marta sounds pretty safe after reading all that.
Bosch
April 26th, 2011
9:51 am
“UGA – 9:46 – ah. no – unemployment is 8.8%”
Not only that, but the debt has been out of control for years, gas prices have gone up like this before, and poutrages of negative approval ratings? WHAT? Next will they say the sky isn’t blue??
jm
April 26th, 2011
9:51 am
Jay, btw, good rebuttal on the MARTA discussion thread going on here. MARTA is reasonably safe to use in particular during normal busy hours, though you may get harassed by a panhandler or two.
Finn McCool
April 26th, 2011
9:51 am
Finn….how many businesses have you operated/owned?
Why does that matter? You need to defend government hand-outs to businesses? You SOCIALIST!
Grasshopper
April 26th, 2011
9:51 am
Like I said Jay, you play it fast and loose.
None of your stellar examples resulted in a death (you know a ‘killing’) and 5 incidents in an 8 month period does not qualify as every 2 weeks.
I thought facts were an important part of journalism, no?
Joe Mama
April 26th, 2011
9:52 am
Jay — “L’il Barry, do you have problems responding to something in which you have not yet been given regurgitated rebuttals?”
Yes. Yes, he/she does.
Moderate Line
April 26th, 2011
9:52 am
Jay
April 26th, 2011
9:27 am
It’s also hilarious to see every state or local topic I tackle be greeted with the “you’re just trying to distract attention from Obama!” meme.
Really people?
+++++
Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.
[aloud]
Captain Renault: Everybody out at once!
When most of your articles are attack of the Repbulicans and very few are attacks on the Democrats you open yourself up to such attacks.
USinUK
April 26th, 2011
9:52 am
Bosch – skyrocketing debt is only bad if it’s under a Dem … under a GOPper, it’s stimulating the economy
Yahtzee
April 26th, 2011
9:53 am
Jay,
What are your thoughts on a flat tax? No deductions, a flat rate on all income, profit, consumption.
Bosch
April 26th, 2011
9:53 am
“When most of your articles are attack of the Repbulicans and very few are attacks on the Democrats you open yourself up to such attacks.”
So, Moderate, do you blog at Wingfield’s and Wootens and tell them the same thing – only in reverse?
carlosgvv
April 26th, 2011
9:54 am
USinUK
If you mean that the rightwingers live in their own fantasy world and will never understand the cold hard facts of inequality, I agree.
Bosch
April 26th, 2011
9:54 am
USinUK,
“under a GOPper, it’s stimulating the economy” As are earmarks — under a Dem, they are BAD, but under a GOPer, they are economic development.
getalife
April 26th, 2011
9:54 am
The gop should be the whig party after the w disaster but the cons will blindly vote gop no matter what the gop does.
Even if the gop take their jobs and Medicare.
carlosgvv
April 26th, 2011
9:55 am
Bosch
Yes, there are people in America who live like that now. If Big Business has their way, there will be a lot more in the coming years.
Finn McCool
April 26th, 2011
9:56 am
That’s why private enterprises are soooo much more efficient and better run than government entities, right? Cause they whine and complain that they can’t run their businesses until government gives them hand-outs. Maybe if they try actually working and thinking to make their companies work, they could quit taking from the taxpayers??
Ya think?
TaxPayer
April 26th, 2011
9:57 am
Cons are predictable. By the way, how’d that Georgia Republican tax cutting tax hike thingie work out. And when will the Georgia Republicans get the state unemployment rate down to at least the national unemployment rate…
Misty Fyed
April 26th, 2011
9:57 am
Marta is extremely inconvenient in that the trains are too slow and you have to drive too far to get to one from the suburbs. That isn’t Marta’s fault though. If the metro area buys into the regional concept and properly funds it, I think it could work very well. We just need more people with concealed weapons permits. The thugs will eventually be deselected from the evolutionary tree.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
9:58 am
Bosch….how many times must we tell you that Bush is not POTUS anymore and Obama is. It is his cross to bear now.
Grasshopper
April 26th, 2011
9:58 am
‘ah, yes, the whine of “but it doesn’t pick me up at mah house and take me straight to mah office!!”’
Actually it doesn’t even come close to two blocks to my house; more like a mile. Every 45 minutes.
If I take Marta to my office downtown it takes about an hour and a half depending on when the buses and trains decide to show up. If I drive, it takes 20 minutes. Maybe you do not value your time USinUK, but I do.
It has nothing to do with being lazy and everything to do with wasting time. Like I said, inefficient and inconvenient.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
9:58 am
USin…..Gallup is MUCH more reliable. Good job lying. How long is your nose now?
Lil' Barry Bailout
April 26th, 2011
9:59 am
Jay
April 26th, 2011
9:15 am
It’s just fascinating, USinUK, how they retreat back to regurgitating their indoctrination: GE, health care, MARTA, etc., rather than confront the reality of what their own leaders are doing to them.
————
We’re worried about the trillions the Idiot Messiah is adding to the debt, and you, Jay, are trying to distract us with a few million for a stupid theme park.
Whatever it takes to distract from Obozo’s total failure, I guess.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
9:59 am
Finn….nope, that is what i thought. You are TOTALLY ignorant to the situation but you feel you know best. Hahaha keep up the good work.
Libertarian
April 26th, 2011
10:00 am
The GOP is a joke. They are bigger hypocrites than the Democrats.
Vote Libertarian.
Jay
April 26th, 2011
10:00 am
I know most of you won’t believe it, but as an editorial writer back in the days of Tom Murphy and Democratic domination of the Legislature, I was just as hard on them.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:00 am
HOPE AND CHANGE
HOPE AND CHANGE
HOPE AND CHANGE
HOPE AND CHANGE
FAILURE AND A FRAUD!!
Joe Mama
April 26th, 2011
10:01 am
UGA1999 — “You were the one spouting how safe Marta was. Then two days later a gang of 25 thugs ran on and assulted, mugged and robbed the patrons riding the train. Yep really safe.”
We are *perfectly* safe, because Trisha has previously announced that she will shoot them all for us.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:01 am
Jay….nope dont believe it. We are discussing today. You Dems need to get out of the past.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:01 am
Joe….wishful thinking.
Fix-It
April 26th, 2011
10:02 am
Funny how liberals bash the GOP, but the DNC only has one answer to ANYTHING raise taxes and spend more. I guess that is so they don’t have to think about any issue, more taxes is always the answer…what a bunch of losers…
USinUK
April 26th, 2011
10:03 am
“USin…..Gallup is MUCH more reliable. Good job lying. How long is your nose now?”
just because you like it, doesn’t mean it’s accurate – and it sure as hell doesn’t mean it’s the official measure.
getalife
April 26th, 2011
10:03 am
wow has clones.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:04 am
Usin….Just because you dont like it doesnt mean it is not accurate. Good try.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:05 am
HERE IS ANOTHER ONE FOR YOU 9.2%
http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=usunemployment&met=unemployment_rate&tdim=true&dl=en&hl=en&q=current+unemployment+rate
Either way you look at it its bad!
USinUK
April 26th, 2011
10:05 am
UGA – one more thing – Gallup measures by surveying 30K households …
BLS surveys 60K
you still want to say that Gallup is “more accurate” ???
N-GA
April 26th, 2011
10:05 am
Whenever an owner of a professional sports franchise says that they will move unless they get a new stadium/ballpark/arena (pick 1), government forces jump to issue those bonds. Corporations seem to enjoy holding the public hostage in order to get a venue that hosts 15-20 football games or 85-90 baseball games or 40-50 basketball games. At best a few concerts are scheduled as well.
And the beat goes on…….
TaxPayer
April 26th, 2011
10:05 am
Fortunately, Georgia has an ethic commission to make sure that legislation such as this is not abused.
Lil' Barry Bailout
April 26th, 2011
10:05 am
$25 million for the theme park. $1.5 trillion annual deficit.
The theme park amount is 0.0016% of one year’s deficit.
Get some perspective, Jay.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:06 am
USin….you are proud of 8.8%….wow have your standards have decreased!
Great job….there is that Hope and Change we all wanted! hahahaha
getalife
April 26th, 2011
10:06 am
Exxon Mobil profits up 60% so the gop want to give them more welfare.
Bosch
April 26th, 2011
10:07 am
UGA,
But how poutraged were you when the same things happened under Bush as they do now? I’d wager, not much.
USinUK
April 26th, 2011
10:07 am
UGA – oh, one more thing:
Gallup surveys 30K people for their unemployment reading
BLS surveys 60K
you still want to stick with the “gallup is MUCH more reliable” story???
USinUK
April 26th, 2011
10:07 am
UGA – awwww, diddums … losing an argument, so you try to move the goalpost.
how sad.
Joe Mama
April 26th, 2011
10:08 am
Lil’ — “We’re worried about the trillions the Idiot Messiah is adding to the debt, and you, Jay, are trying to distract us with a few million for a stupid theme park.”
Aaaaaaand here it is. “(A) few million for a stupid theme park” is a perfectly laudable and understandable use of government money in these tough times. Just so long as it advances the conservative principles of ‘what’s mine is mine and what’s yours will be mine soon, too.’
Who was it that said (paraphrasing) ‘a billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about *real* money?’ (pointing, laughing)
Left wing management
April 26th, 2011
10:09 am
Moderate line: “When most of your articles are attack of the Repbulicans and very few are attacks on the Democrats you open yourself up to such attacks.”
Where does this idea even COME from that the job of a columnist or commentator is to criticize two sides in exactly equal measure?
All it takes is a moment’s reflection to see what gibberish this is, one reason being that it presupposes that the “sides” in the debate are sacred and eternal and must be bowed to and treated as a fait accompli by the media, which is nonsense.
I believe this misconception is at the root of much of the crisis of media currently and I think generally Jay does a terrific job being undeterred by it.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:10 am
Bosch….is Bush president now?
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:11 am
Usin…..Awwe losing the argument? Didnt know we were arguing. I thought we were having a conversation.
Actually I not part of the Obama losing campaign…so I AM WINNING!! hahaha Nice try.
JKL2
April 26th, 2011
10:12 am
finn- You just vote Republican so you can help out the wealthy so maybe they will one day take away all your benefits?
Vote for Demwits because then you’ll get free stuff. waaaaahoooooo!
Why would anyone want to work when you can get free stuff from the government?
Mighty Righty
April 26th, 2011
10:13 am
Jay, I’m having trouble understanding your position. Are you saying it would be better for the state to collect the the taxes and then write the business a check rather than let the business keep what they already have? While I may not agree with the policy, it’s more efficient for the business to keep the funds than to send them to the state and have have the state turn around and send them back. On second thought, I understand the why. Democrats always want to take the money away from the very people they will give the money back to so they get the credit plus the ability to hire more government employees. Sorry, I do understand.
Misty Fyed
April 26th, 2011
10:14 am
N GA @10:05.
I thought the same until I listened to my kids and their friends talking about what cities they wanted to move to to get jobs when they graduated. As shallow as it is, cities attract people based on their sports franchises.
Wheras my first inclination is to tell the sports team to “go ahead and move”, there are much further reaching considerations.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
April 26th, 2011
10:15 am
I think I have it figured out. $25 million in tax “refund” for a theme park is nothing to worry about because we must worry about the big picture. So we don’t have to worry about anyone’s taxes unless they pay more than $25 million because we know now that its only the trillions to worry about.
Glad we won’t have to hear the false claims about those low income people paying $0 in taxes any longer. Its not enough money to worry about according to lil bar.
USinUK
April 26th, 2011
10:16 am
“Actually I not part of the Obama losing campaign…so I AM WINNING!! hahaha Nice try.”
wow. we have Charlie Sheen on the blog???
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:17 am
Keep….actually it is 43.7 million people who dont pay any federal income tax. Do you think they could afford just $100 per year? That would be a substantial start.
Left wing management
April 26th, 2011
10:17 am
Libertarian: “The GOP is a joke. They are bigger hypocrites than the Democrats. / Vote Libertarian.”
Actually, they’re already partly in charge inasmuch as they’ve effectively taken over a wing of the Republican party, which is now operating almost like a Tory/Liberal coalition party.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:17 am
UsinUk….would you like to meet one of my Godesses?
ragnar danneskjold
April 26th, 2011
10:18 am
Good morning all. The first third of the essay is spot on. The last portion of the essay ignores the economic rule that warns us all that “businesses pay no taxes.” Those taxes are passed on (a) to customers in the form of higher prices, or (b) to employees in the form of lower wages, or (c) to suppliers in the form of harder price negotiations, or (d) to shareholders and officers in the forms of lower dividends and salaries. (ok, D is just a joke.)
One with a true grasp of economics would realize that only people pay taxes, and that governments should avoid market dislocation via tax, any tax. Here the legislative republicans get half credit from me for recognizing the corrosive nature of taxation; the democrats get no credit at all, due to their ignorance.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
April 26th, 2011
10:18 am
USinUK…can’t be Charlie, he would be making more sense.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:19 am
Keep….I am here to discuss whatever you would like. Bring it.
TaxPayer
April 26th, 2011
10:19 am
I see UPS had a good quarter. Profits are up. I wonder how higher gas prices will affect them going forward.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
April 26th, 2011
10:20 am
UGA…why don’t you try to discuss (sensibly) the subject raised in Jay’s opinion piece. That might be a good start.
Misty Fyed
April 26th, 2011
10:20 am
Joe Mama…get real.. spending a dollar to make two is a bad thing?
By your reasoning if I have credit card debt I should not invest in my retirement account where for every dollar I spend I earn two.
TaxPayer
April 26th, 2011
10:20 am
I am here to discuss whatever you would like. Bring it.
Must wipe screen.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:20 am
Tax….higher gas prices affects nearly everyone and everything regarding the economy.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:21 am
Keep…..I did earlier….try to keep up. The fact is that Jays topics are often inaccurate and extremely biased.
Jay
April 26th, 2011
10:21 am
Right Ragnar. I don’t pay taxes either. I just charge my employer more for my labor, so actually the AJC pays my taxes.
Bosch
April 26th, 2011
10:22 am
UGA,
No, he’s not, but were you poutraged about those things when he was?
Keep Up the Good Fight!
April 26th, 2011
10:25 am
UGA… child do tell me what part of opinion do you not understand. Did you miss class that day? Keeping up is something you might want to try.
Bosch
April 26th, 2011
10:25 am
“The fact is that Jays topics are often inaccurate and extremely biased.”
So, UGA, do you go to Winfield’s and tell him the same thing? You do know, what OPINION column means, right?
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:25 am
Bosch….I wasnt happy at all. However the circumstances were MUCH different for Bush than they are for Obama.
N-GA
April 26th, 2011
10:25 am
Misty – If all professional sports owners were required to fund their own venues, then all cities would compete equally for the teams. The owners would likely select markets where attendance would be highest and TV revenues strongest…and the team wouldn’t be able to up-and-leave if they owned the venue. Well, they could but…….
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:26 am
Keep…..boy, you have yet to make one single valid point. Typical left.
Bosch
April 26th, 2011
10:26 am
“However the circumstances were MUCH different for Bush than they are for Obama.”
I’ll agree, Bush was actually the one responsible for all this.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:26 am
Bosch…..absolutely.
Joe Mama
April 26th, 2011
10:27 am
UGA1999 — “Bosch….is Bush president now?”
Did he pay off all of his deficit spending before leaving office, or did he stick his successor with the bill?
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:27 am
Bosch….really so he was responsible for Katrina and 9/11. WOW let me know how lala land is doing today.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:28 am
Joe…..Who forced Obama into taking the job? As a matter of fact didnt he campaign on Hope and Change. How much change have you seen? Honestly?
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:29 am
You suckers bought the tagline “Hope and Change” hook line and sinker. Great job…..hahaha
Bosch
April 26th, 2011
10:29 am
“really so he was responsible for Katrina and 9/11.”
Nice dodge. No, he wasn’t, but you were all poutraged about things that also occured, or rather, were much worse under Bush, so why all the poutrage now? At best you have a double standard, at worst you are a hypocrite.
Bosch
April 26th, 2011
10:30 am
“You suckers bought the tagline “Hope and Change” hook line and sinker.”
Actually, it seems you bought it more than we did since you always seem to bring it up. He’s been pretty much what I expected.
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:31 am
Bosch…here we go with the name calling again. Another sign that I WIN. How do you know what my feelings were? I guess you are a mind reader too. Hey if you are a mind reader why couldnt you read Obama’s mind to know that he would destroy our country?
Joe Mama
April 26th, 2011
10:32 am
Misty — “Joe Mama…get real.. spending a dollar to make two is a bad thing?”
We’re not talking about a dollar or two. We’re talking about millions, at a time when the GOP has made draconian spending cuts their single largest policy plank. Now we find out that spending *increases* are okay, and not even spending increases that benefit *individuals,* but spending increases that benefit *businesses.*
Holler all you want about the free market, but don’t overlook the fact that American business quite often has its hand out (and definitely DOES in this case).
“By your reasoning if I have credit card debt I should not invest in my retirement account where for every dollar I spend I earn two.”
Actually, if you have long-term credit card debt and a retirement account (or two), it makes more financial sense to pay off the long-term debt *first* and then return to investing in your retirement account.
Glad to help. (tips hat)
UGA1999
April 26th, 2011
10:32 am
Bosch….I sure didnt vote for this fool. Did you?