The Official Debate Thread (Round 1)

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by Beemnseven

Here's the thing with the tax issue: Obama will raise taxes on rich people. We all know that, and he makes no bones about it. I don't like taxes raised on any income level -- I think taxes should be a flat rate for everyone, or there should be a national sales tax. Anything but what we have currently.

We agree here, I favor the FairTax.

The problem is spending. Democrats are tax and spenders, while Republicans are borrow and spenders. As the great free market economist Milton Friedman once said, a tax cut without a corresponding cut in spending is not a tax cut.

True. Unfortunately the Republican in the White House isn't a fiscal conservative, yet he claims he is.

Imagine if every two weeks, your paycheck saw a direct hit with each and every spending measure enacted by government? Suppose the $10 billion we're sending to Iraq was taken out of your paycheck right now, up front?

This bullsh*t war would be over in a heartbeat.

We differ on the war so I won't go over that again. But, interest on the national debt, Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid are a FAR greater chunk of the federal budget than defense. I wouldn't mind paying a bit more in taxes if I could be 100% assured that increased taxes would be used to fix these giant problems that are next on the radar screen a few years down the road when they get closer to critical mass. But we all know that once $$$ winds up inside the beltway it could go anywhere.