Oh good heavens help us...

[kellinator]

The latest idea from Herr Shrub: Let's get rid of the income tax and replace it with a national sales tax.

This is the worst idea I've heard from the Idiot-in-Chief since... oh, who's counting?

I don't know a lot about economics, but I come from Tennessee, home of one of the highest sales taxes in the nation (including on food, and yes I do mean groceries). And sales taxes are definitely regressive.

Do the math. Say a person needs x amount of food to survive, taxed at 8%. For Bill Gates that tax is nothing; for the average middle-class American it's an 8% jump in the food bill. Talk about your cost of living increase...

I guess this is his way of saying he doesn't think he's put enough of the tax burden on the middle and lower class.

And if this post pisses you off, I don't give a fuck.

EDIT: Excellent article from resipsaloquitor:
http://money.cnn.com/2004/08/11/news/economy/election_tax/index.htm?cnn=yes

Comments

mildly relevant

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

do not forget that social security also pays out to citizens (and their caregivers) who are MENTALLY disabled at any age. Those of us who have mentally disabled children get a small benefit from SSI right now including medicare - health insurance that ONE of my children has but my other two have nothing because they don't qualify!

Obviously, paying out non-retirees contributes to the non-solvency of SS funds because that is a wholly unpredictable and unstable outlay of money. So far as I have experienced, the restrictions for receiving help have gotten more stringent and the process for applying for help has become more Kafka-esque which I suppose cuts down a little bit the teeming masses of people who are "taking" everyone's money. The system itself is so incredibly flawed it has consistantly been pointed out as being the most inefficient and ineffective assistance program in the country.

The stories I could tell you...