From: mykes@amiga0.SF-Bay.ORG (Mike Schwartz)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh,alt.rush-limbaugh
Subject: Re: Clinton Will Raise YOUR Taxes - NOT!
Distribution: na, usa
X-NewsSoftware: GRn 1.16f (beta) by Mike Schwartz & Michael B. Smith
Date: 12 Aug 92 03:41:24 PST
Organization: Amiga makes it possible

In article <1992Aug10.194358.27597@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu> tip@lead.aichem.arizona.edu (Tom Perigrin) writes:
>
> Well, while I agree with the poster that Rush uses sleazy tactics to
> try to smear Clinton, I want to make the point  that maybe it's time
> for people to realize that we might have to tighten our belts around
> here, and raise taxes and cut spending for a while.
>

Tightening our belts is a FINE idea.  And paying off the debt is going
to free up $400Billion of "found" money in the budget to be given back
to the people, or to the states for local improvements.  However...

> A few years ago my wife got really sick.   By the time she got better
> we were $15,000 in debt.   The interest payments were nearly equal to
> her monthly salary.
>

This is not atypical of what happens to many people - but they get into
debt by just charging their charge cards up and living beyond their
means.  Not to belittle your situation in any way - but there is a lesson
to be learned from your experience!

> We had to "raise taxes"...    i.e., we had to put a lot of our disposable
> income into debt repayment.   We had to eat beans and cheese.   We had to

This isn't raising taxes - it's living below your means - cutting expendatures.
That's what we need to do as a country.  Cut spending in half or more.  And
rather than suffer through higher taxes which doesn't address the problem of
the govt. spending all its income and then charging on its charge cards!


> put one car "on blocks", and use the money saved to pay off debt.   It took
> mroe than a year of scrimping to get it to the point where we were paying
> more capital than interest.  Now, we are finally just about out of debt.
>

Now that you are out of debt - I suggest you stay that way :)

> Why can't out politico's see that government isn't that different
> from good common sense money management around the house?
>

The party in control of the House of Representatives for the last 40 years
spends everything it gets its hands on and then some.  This is the problem.
Living beyond our means.  Artificially raising the overall standard of living
by redistribution of the wealth and distribution of wealth that isn't really
there.

> Right now something like 30% to 50% of our tax dollars (depending who you
> listen to) goes to debt payment.   Hell, that's money WASTED in my opinion.
> We need to tighten our belts for a few years, get that debt eliminated.
> Then we could use the money currently going for interest, and use it for
> all sorts of programs (roads, jobs, ADC, etc...) without raising taxes.
>

Sorry, but the real number is 14% of our tax dollars goes towards debt interest,
this is for the fiscal year 1992 (source: OMB).  Where does the rest of the money
go:

national defense 20%
net interest 14%
direct benefit payments for individuals: 41%
grants to states and localities: 12%
Other federal operations: 7%
Deposit insurance: 6%

> If the only way to eliminate the debt is to raise taxes,  then we need to
> do it.   We can't afford to keep pouring tax dollars down the "debt interest
> rathole".

Here's the sad news:  if we doubled everyone's taxes, and applied it towards
debt repayment, it would take 15-20 years to pay off the debt.  This would
only be a $400Billion (rough calculation) increase in revenues.  You have to
realize that the $4Trillion debt is also growing at $400 Billion per year -
hence the spending must be CUT and CUT and CUT and CUT.  Note: those people
receiving 41% of government outlay are getting $600 Billion.  Defense spending
has decreased from $350 Billion to $280 Billion since 1989, and Dick Cheney has
planned to cut that amount to $150-$170 over 5 years.

--
Amiga programmer of: GRn, MailMinder, Budokan, Beyond Dark Castle, Dark Castle
Sega Genesis programmer of: Dick Tracy and Marble Madness.
Mike Schwartz  (ames!zorch!amiga0!mykes or mykes@amiga0.sf-bay.org)
1124 Fremont Ave.
Los Altos, CA 94024

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