Fiscal cliff
Dear fellow fiscal conservatives:
Herein lies a workable approach to avoid catapulting off the fiscal cliff. What President Obama demands is an increase in the marginal tax rate from 35% to 39.6%, where it stood during the Clinton administration. Let’s let him have his way while, of course, we continue to scream and yell like stuck pigs. What you and I know that he appears not to realize is that every millionaire on his way to becoming a billionaire will pay exactly the same taxes in 2012 that he paid in 2011.
How is this possible? How can a raise in taxes result in no new revenue for the government? Warren Buffet revealed this little-known secret last week. He explained that every wealthy person uses the services of multiple tax attorneys who graduated at the top of their class from the best law schools in the country. They understand tax law far better than IRS agents. Therefore, Mr. Buffet observed, the 14% tax rate he paid in 2011 will remain at 14% regardless of the marginal increase. His tax attorneys know their business.
How can he be so sure? Take a look at the estates and cars and boats and jets of the nation’s top tax lawyers. The level of opulence they enjoy was not achieved by lowering their clients’ wealth. On the contrary, they must reduce their employers’ outflow by substantially more than the cost of their services, or they join the ranks of the unemployed.
Since the current debate between Obama and Boehner will result in no revenue change regardless of who wins, let’s just fake anger while we yield to the president’s wishes. He’s happy, the Tea Party is happy, John Boehner is ecstatic, elite tax attorneys are delirious, and nothing changes. In politics, that’s called a win-win. Yes, there’s the small matter of the continually increasing. national debt, but the only two people in Washington who care about that are Mr. Simpson and Mr. Bowles, and nobody listens to them.
Terry Munson
Pawleys Island
Civility and graciousness
evaporating?
I am a bleeding heart liberal so maybe I go overboard a little bit, but what has happened to our civility and graciousness? On Tuesday night’s news (Dec. 4,) they reported two things that startled me because of their content.
One news item was about a United Nations treaty. Our nation voted not to ratify the disability treaty for the United Nations … what does that say about our priorities? It seems as if we care too much to keep the lines drawn so then we can’t come to any sort of compromise — even in this area.
This was a United Nations treaty that would tell all to follow international guidelines in showing respect for the disabled. The treaty needed two thirds majority to pass, but the vote was short. The vote was 61-38, with all Democrats and eight Republicans voting in favor. Some that voted against it said it was a “power grab by the UN.” The respected Republican leader Bob Dole was there and in favor of this treaty. Do you think that he would be for it if it was a power grab by the UN?
Then the second news story really displays our lack of civility among the leaders of our nation. There was some sort of holiday party at the White House that political leaders were invited to attend. The House Speaker, John Boehner, avoided the receiving line so as not to shake hands with the president. Hmm, acting like a two-year-old … but, no, my two-year-olds never acted as unmannerly as that. Was the house speaker afraid that by shaking the hand of the president, he would look like he was compromising?
People have different views on things, but that doesn’t mean they are not to be respected and valued. Civility, graciousness, courtesy, manners and caring … all seemed to be forgotten by some leaders of this country.
Deborah Morgan
Pawleys Island