John Kerry You're Busted

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Kerry doesn't care about the budget deficit. He obviously intends to expand social programs which will lead to higher taxes across the board eventually. Expanding social programs solidifies and expands the Democratic party base as they foster a greater dependency on government. This is in direct contrat to president Bush's idea of an "ownership society" that he talked about in his acceptance speech. It's one of the reason he's so hated by the left ie there's a big idealogical difference in what Bush see's as governments role and what the left sees as government's role in entitlement spending. This statement by Kerry is so revealing:

At a campaign stop in West Virginia, Mr. Kerry fired back, saying the president's "rush to war" cost the United States $200 billion that could have been used for domestic spending initiatives he favors.

Bush mocks a new Kerry 'U-turn'

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You must be a log cabin Republican. Your inane attempts to belittle a true war hero get weaker and weaker.

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[andyfox]

Isn't Bush's proposed "simplification" of the tax code just a euphemism for either a flatter tax or some kind of VAT or consumption tax which will lower the marginal rates for his core supporters?

I don't think Bush's ideology is why he's so hated (if indeed he is) by the left. I think its stems from two things: the 2000 election and the war in Iraq.

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Isn't Bush's proposed "simplification" of the tax code just a euphemism for either a flatter tax or some kind of VAT or consumption tax which will lower the marginal rates for his core supporters?

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No his "ownership society" is bascially about tax deffered accounts as a replacement and/or supplement for government funding of social security and medicare. The "tax simplification" is orthogonal to the "ownership society." Given Kerry's support by big money special interest groups I think you better face the fact that Kerry has a lot of rich supporters.

Nonetheless Kerry doesn't care at all about the budget deficit. His rhetoric is total bull.

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I don't think Bush's ideology is why he's so hated (if indeed he is) by the left. I think its stems from two things: the 2000 election and the war in Iraq.

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I'm adding one more to the list.

[andyfox]

Of course Kerry has a lot of rich supporters. But he's vowed to rescind the rate reduction on the highest income earners. I'll bet any amount you want that Bush's simplification involves a reduction in the highest marginal rate.

Cocnern about the budget deficits is 100% political, I agree. The Republicans bitch and moan about it when the Democrats are in control and vice versa.

But concern about the "complicated mess" of the income tax is also about 95% political. As is talk of an "ownership society."

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As is talk of an "ownership society."

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Totally wrong Andy. It's called taking a big political risk. FWIW you won't find any Congressman beating the drums for Social Security reform in the last 10 years that has stuck around for any length of time in Congress (I can't remember any beating the drum at all but maybe someone did and didn't get re-elected). Remember Greenspan calling for Social Security reform during Congressional testimony I believe last summer? All kinds of headlines for a day but nobody took the ball and ran with it so to speak. When one discusses changing Social Security in a drastic way, it's called political courage, Social Security is the number one "sacred cow" in Congress. Medicare/medicaid IMO is the number 2 "sacred cow" or close to it. And Bush's "ownership society" addresses that as well.

[andyfox]

No political risk whatsoever. It's Bush's last campaign and Cheney's too. I'm not denying, desipte my natural curmudegeonly distrust of all politicians, that there are cores of true belief in Bush's compassionate conservatism and Kerry's liberalism; but this is an election and they want to be elected. If there are unpalatable details in either's proposals, they'll endeavor to hide or deny them. Let's see exactl what the ownership society entails.

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I think Bush means it when he talks about an "ownership society."

Contrary to many politicians, Bush actually does believe in some things.