Newt Gingrich on super committee: ‘Told you so’

I don’t think the Republicans ever really cared about these cuts. It’s the “starve the beast” mentality. Frankly, I don’t care about the cuts either, glad to see them, they were necessary and this way both sides can blame the other side. But if Newt thinks he’s a genius for predicting Congress would yet again act like two-year olds, well, I guess we’re all geniuses…

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Shine – You should learn to read. I never suggested reducing taxes to zero. I simply stated (factually) that every prior income tax reduction has resulted in increased revenue. To suggest that means taxes should be reduced to zero is moronic. Clearly, there is a “sweet spot” for tax rates that provides adequate revenue without proving to be burdensome to the producers. My point remains that we have plenty of revenue to run this country very effectively. Our elected officials need to learn to spend less.

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gt/mit…i can agree on munson, my dad tech grad, child a uga grad; i’ll never forget the jacksonville, tennessee et al calls….hope they do something meaningful

however:
”
Wake up my friend, the premise that a raise in taxes is going to do anything to alleviate
the fiscal crisis we are in today is not only false but foolish.”

even the bowles simpson had revenues increases, some rates up others down, but more revenues and i trust their expertise more than yours..

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Enter your comments here

The joke is on the American public. When are we going to wake up and stop trusting our politicians! They are only interested in one thing- being re elected. How many people would keep their jobs if they failed so miserably as our entire congress has done. They can’t make a deal- What a joke. People need to wake up and quit taking sides. All politicians are only interested in the power that they have and their interest in keeping it. If you want things to change, quit re electing the lifers in Washington. They get life time benefits, don’t participate in Social Security, can inside trade, live the life of of the rich, and claim they are doing it for their constituents.The American public is being taken to the cleaners by both parties.

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Set up a debt fund. Allow businesses and individuals to make a contribution to that fund, designed to pay the debt down, and make the contributions tax deductible. Fund must be for one purpose only…. cannot be touched for any other expenditure except paying debt down.

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Thanks to “z” for making the right’s priorities crystal clear:

“just leave mine alone!”

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After years of tax cuts everyone can see the results to our economy yet some people are still crying out for the need for tax cuts.
Wake up, companies and business owners are not hiring more employees with their tax savings, they are pocketing the money, hence our high unemployment rate. If these companies actually hired US workers, then the tax base would be expanded but since they do not want to then the only other option is to increase taxes on the 1% and corporations. You can not have your cake and eat it to. It is so hypocritical of people who want to maintain their government handout of SSI and Medicare/caid but think the money to pay for these programs should not come from our tax base.
Cut Defense also!

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Obama 2012 – With our president’s “laser focus” on creating jobs, how is it that more Americans aren’t working? As you accurately stated, an increase in employment would result in a larger tax base and thus increased revenue.

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In a June 2007 op-ed in the Des Moines Register, Gingrich wrote, “Personal responsibility extends to the purchase of health insurance. Citizens should not be able to cheat their neighbors by not buying insurance, particularly when they can afford it, and expect others to pay for their care when they need it.” An “individual mandate,” he added, should be applied “when the larger health-care system has been fundamentally changed.”

And in several of his many policy and politics-focused books, Gingrich offered much the same.

In 2008′s “Real Change,” he wrote, “Finally, we should insist that everyone above a certain level buy coverage (or, if they are opposed to insurance, post a bond). Meanwhile, we should provide tax credits or subsidize private insurance for the poor.”

In 2005′s “Winning the Future,” he expanded on the idea in more detail: “You have the right to be part of the lowest-cost insurance pool and you have a responsibility to buy insurance. … We need some significant changes to ensure that every American is insured, but we should make it clear that a 21st Century Intelligent System requires everyone to participate in the insurance system.”

“People whose income is too low should receive Medicaid vouchers and tax credits to buy insurance,” he continued. “Large risk pools (association health plans are one model) should be established so low-income people can buy insurance as inexpensively as large corporations. Furthermore, it should be possible to buy your health insurance on-line to lower the cost as much as possible.”

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GT/MIT:

At least we can agree on Munson. I might add I thought Bill Curry got a raw deal at ‘Bama. I agree in cutting spending and going after fraud — which mainly occurs at the local and state level in the implementation of government programs. However, I will reference this article from Forbes — that damn, leftist financial newspaper.

The Top 0.1% Of The Nation Earn Half Of All Capital Gains
By Robert Lenzner | Forbes – 22 hrs ago

Capital gains are the key ingredient of income disparity in the US– and the force behind the winner takes all mantra of our economic system. If you want to even out earning power in the U.S, you have to raise the 15% capital gains tax.
Income and wealth disparities become even more absurd if we look at the top 0.1% of the nation’s earners– rather than the more common 1%. The top 0.1%– about 315,000 individuals out of 315 million– are making about half of all capital gains on the sale of shares or property after 1 year; and these capital gains make up 60% of the income made by the Forbes 400.
It’s crystal clear that the Bush tax reduction on capital gains and dividend income in 2003 was the cutting edge policy that has created the immense increase in net worth of corporate executives, Wall St. professionals and other entrepreneurs.
The reduction in the tax from 20% to 15% continued the step-by-step tradition of cutting this tax to create more wealth. It had first been reduced from 35% in 1978 at a time of stock market and economic stagnation to 28% . Again 1981, at the start of the Reagan era, it was reduced again to 20%– raised back to 28% in 1987, on the eve of the October 19 232% crash in the market. In 1997 Clinton agreed to reduce it back to 20%, which move was an inducement for the explosion of hedge funds and private equity firms– the most “rapidly rising cohort within the top 1 per cent.”
Make no mistake; the battle that is to be fought over the coming attempt to reverse this reduction in capital gains will be bloody and intense. The facts are clear according to the Congressional Budget Office more than 80% of the increase in income inequality was the result of an increase in the share of household income from capital gains. In fact, you can go so far as to claim that “Capital Gains income is the most unevenly distributed– and volatile– source of household income,” according to Laura D’Andrea Tyson, University of California business professor and former chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton.
No wonder the super wealthy plutocrats obtained the largest share of national income– 25% of the nation’s wealth- greater than any other industrial nation in the the period of 1979 to 2005. Make no mistake; after unemployment– this disparity between the 1%– 3 million– or the 0.1%– the 300,000– and the other 312 million citizens of the U.S. has become the major theme of the Occupy Wall Street movement– and an important national debate.
I commend you to the late Justice Louis Brandeis warning to the nation that ” We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.” We have to make up our minds to restore a higher, fairer capital gains tax to the wealthiest investor class– or ultimately face increased social unrest.

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Conservative scribe George Will ridiculed Newt Gingrich as a “rental politician” on ABC’s “This Week” yesterday, scoffing at the idea that the Republican Party’s self-described “big ideas” candidate is employable as a historian:

Gingrich’s is an amazingly efficient candidacy, in that it embodies almost everything disagreeable about modern Washington. He’s the classic rental politician. People think his problem is his colorful personal life. He’s gonna hope people concentrate on that, rather than on, for example, ethanol. Al Gore has recanted ethanol. Not Newt Gingrich, who has served the ethanol lobby. Industrial policy of the sort that got us Solyndra – he’s all for it. Freddie Mac, he says, hired him as a “historian.” He’s not a historian. Hire Sean Wilentz, hire Gordon Wood if you want a historian.

Mediaite has the video here. Will’s undisguised scorn is a good illustration of why Gingrich, even as he makes a bid for the affections of rank-and-file anti-Romney voters, is unlikely to win over much of anti-Romney conservative upper crust. As much as there’s still a demand for an impressive, thoughtful conservative in the race who can lead the party to Romney’s right, most of the political elites who know Gingrich best were convinced a long time ago that he isn’t that guy.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68801.html#ixzz1eM69afSC

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It’s sad that Mr. Romney isn’t familiar with how our government works. It’s Congress’ job to legislate, not the President’s. Maybe someone should send him a copy of the Constitution. The Executive branch cannot do the Legislative Branch’s job. Period.

Blaming the President for Congress’ failure to do their job = EPIC FAIL.

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Here we all with another EPIC FAIL on the hands of this country and where is Obama? Asia! Nice work!

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Real – It’s not Obama’s job to legislate…it’s Congress’ job.

Also, he’s not a babysitter. Apparently, you think he is, and that means that you have no confidence in the Republican House.

Furthermore, he’s not in Asia…he returned yesterday. Do a little research and you won’t look so silly next time

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From 1940-80 the wealthiest Americans paid between 70% and 90% in income taxes
and that’s how we built…the American Dream. Between 1940-80 we fought and paid for WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, we built our US Interstate Expressway system, Roads, Electrical Grid, Telephone, our main Bridges and Tunnels; we Made every Car we Drove and we wore just the Clothes we Sewed and WE WENT TO THE MOON SIX TIMES-AND WE PAID FOR IT ALL!
http://thedixiedove.com/

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Good point Dixie. The America of the past is gone. Now the rich are just getting richer and the middle class are getting smaller…when people realize what we have become it will be too late.

The Republican’s in the country have played the middle class. The middle class are the pawns of the wealthy…and they think they’re not.

Welcome to the NEW WORLD ORDER.

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The Truth….the funny thing is that the middle class is getting smaller under Obama’s watch. It is getting worse. This guy has to go.

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Sorry, duty calls……………

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Dixie: “From 1940-80 the wealthiest Americans paid between 70% and 90% in income taxes
and that’s how we built…the American Dream. ”
Mostly? That’s how we created thousands of millionaires in congress.

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Dixie Dove – The only problem with your 11:06 post is that NONE of the items you enumerated were actually paid for. Please go to treasury.gov and point out which year between 1940-1980 (the time period you are so proud of) our national debt did not increase. The accomplishments of EVERY year you spoke of were paid for with money we didn’t have. Do some research and you will find Lyndon Johnson used the sacred Social Security “trust fund” to offset the staggering cost of the Viet Nam war. To suggest all of the wars and accomplishments between 1940 and 1980 were “paid for” courtesy of high tax rates illustrates the depth of your ignorance of both history and economics.

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UGA 1999 – Haha!! Under Obama’s watch? Are you joking? Do you really think he caused this much damage in 3 YEARS? WOW…you are being played my friend. The facts indicate otherwise.

Look at the national debt….the overwhelming majority can be attributed to THREE Presidents (Reagan-who tripled it, Bush I, and Bush II). Obama stopped the bleeding. Anyone who knows anything, will tell you it’s impossible to fix things in such a short amount of time. The stimulus got our GDP growth rate back in the positive, and he hasn’t raised taxes ONCE.

Your assertion is completely unrealistic.

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The year has changed but the game plan has not changed. In the 20th century the term communist and communism was thrown on anyone who attempted to open the eyes to the masses. In the 21st century it is not socialist/socialism. Whenever you have a system where ONE PERSON (the CEO of United Healthcare) can have a ONE YEAR compensation package of ONE BILLION DOLLARS, yet have layoffs for their employees because of “cost cutting” and increased premiums to “make a profit”, then the system is broken. Then he gets fired and sent off with a parachute in the hundreds of millions.
Wake up people!
Bill McGuire walked away from United Healthcare with a $1.6 BILLION package in 2006 :http://www.startribune.com/business/11093081.html

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The Truth…”much damage in 3 YEARS?” You said it not me.

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UGA 1999 – Precisely, I said he could NOT have done that much damage in 3 years. I’m glad you agree.

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The Truth….the fact that he HAS done that much damage is what amazes me. And you guys still support him?

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