How High Does the Unemployment Rate Have to Get Before Dems Re-Think Tax Hikes?
**Written by Doug Powers
At Pajamas Media, Ed Driscoll highlights the following question from the Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin concerning the most recent “unexpected” lousy jobs report for the umpteenth straight week:
This is going to make the Democrats’ position on taxes even more precarious. Do they really want to vote to subject anyone to a tax hike? I mean, at 10 percent or 12 percent unemployment (though we hope we don’t get to those figures), would they give up their class warfare shtick?
Driscoll helped answered Rubin’s somewhat rhetorical question with a flashback to 2008 featuring Colorado Senator turned Job Killing Czar, Ken Salazar.
Sen. Mitch McConnell was trying to set an emergency trigger point for the price of a gallon of gas at which the US government would allow for increased domestic drilling of oil. As you may recall, Salazar didn’t consider even $10 a gallon to be enough of an emergency to allow more domestic drilling:
This economic snuff-film so impressed one Barack Obama that Salazar was chosen to head up the Department of the Interior as the Secretary charged with ensuring that as many Americans as possible see the interior of an unemployment office.
“How high does the unemployment rate need to get before the Democrats remove the tax hike option from the table?” I’ll answer Jennifer’s question with a question: How high can you count?
If you know anybody who actually believes that the crop of Democrats currently in charge are concerned in the least about real, private sector job growth, please have them contact Al Gore — he has some carbon credits to sell them.
**********
Related: The full cost of the drilling moratorium
**********
Unsurprising Update: Fox News: Senate Republicans vote down tax cuts for middle class only:
Senate Republicans on Saturday voted against extending the Bush tax cuts to only the middle class in a pair of votes Democrats are seizing to paint the GOP as guardians of the rich.
The Republicans wouldn’t compromise (what sense does raising taxes on job creators — or anybody for that matter — with unemployment at 10% make?), so now it’s back to the drawing board on negotiations for extending the cuts to all levels of income. In the meantime, the Democrats will paint themselves, ironically, as the party of tax cuts for the middle class who have been blocked by a GOP that is only interested in protecting their rich, fat cat friends (well, except these rich, fat cat friends) when all along the Dems’ goal has been to find a way to let the Bush cuts expire across-the-board.
Here’s a laugher from Claire “pitchforks” McCaskill:
“All those people out there in the Tea Party that are angry about the economics of Washington, they really need to look at this,” Sen. Claire McCaskill., D-Mo., said Friday as Democrats took turns pummeling Republicans.
“They need to pull back the curtain and realize that you’ve got a Republican Party that’s not worried about the people in the Tea Party,” said McCaskill, who will be on the ballot next year. “They’re worried about people that can’t decide which home to go to over the Christmas holidays.”
Claire, the Tea Party didn’t vote to send Republicans to Washington to compromise with you, but to stop you. If anything this little show vote is a good initial indicator for the Tea Party.
**Written by Doug Powers
Twitter @ThePowersThatBe
See what others have said
Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with my terms of use may lose his or her posting privilege.
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
 |
Biden: Tea Party stopped us from growing the economy
May 23, 2012 01:55 PM by Doug Powers
44 Comments
New Obama ad: Romney the job destroyer; Update: Team Mitt’s return salvo
May 14, 2012 04:39 PM by Doug Powers
66 Comments
Obama makes ‘clean coal’ a more prominent energy strategy
May 11, 2012 04:01 PM by Doug Powers
66 Comments
New ad: Because of Obama, I have a job; Updated
May 10, 2012 03:50 PM by Doug Powers
76 CommentsSize of labor force drops by half million in April, unemployment rate down slightly to 8.1%
May 4, 2012 10:18 AM by Doug Powers
208 Comments
Hold on to your wallets: Obama pledges to double down on clean energy
April 19, 2012 04:42 PM by Doug Powers
102 Comments
Dept. of Energy: We’ve got a little more ‘green loan’ money to hand out — who wants it?
April 6, 2012 02:35 PM by Doug Powers
42 Comments
Categories: Obama Jobs Death Toll
Babalu Blog
» U.S. Manned Space Flight in The 21st CenturyVillainous Company
» Must Read Post of the Day. Possibly, the YearRedstate
» Kimberlin’s Associates Caught on Tape?Redstate
» Civility Fails For A Reason
What makes me furious is when I continually hear the regressives refer to it as “tax cuts for the rich” and say that they don’t need any more tax cuts. They have totally changed the terminology to make it sound like there would acually be a cut in taxes effective Jan. 1st! People…it is NOT.A.TAX.CUT! It is a continuation of the CURRENT tax rate!! Without the continuation, it will be a tax INCREASE! Yes, I know you folks on the blog know this and I’m sorry for shouting. But it makes me crazy!
These over paid Gubmnt fools spend an awful lot of time being surprised by numbers that surprise no one else. But taxes, ever increasing taxes are the opiate of the Progressive-they can never get enough.
And no matter what tax rates or regulations they make, they’ll carve out exceptions for themselves and the Soros’s of the world – or, they’ll just not bother to pay their own taxes.
And about the moratorium…didn’t the courts find in favor of resuming the drilling? And didn’t this administration IGNORE the court ruling? And isn’t that breaking the law? Why are We The People allowing them to continue to get away with that? And now, Obama is banning off-shore drilling everywhere for 7 years? Wait a minute. This country will shut down. All our oil will have to come from Obama’s pals…Chavez in Venezuela and King Blah Blah in Saudi Arabia. I know that is the Evil One’s plan…but why is he being allowed to get away with it? This CAN’T be constitutional! This CAN’T be within the framework of his power! If we can’t drill, we are screwed. He is quickly taking all the fertile and productive land in this country. He is tying up the food producers with rules, regulations and redtape (you know, the 3 R’s) He is trying to destroy our defenses by cutting our nuclear weapons. He is trying to overload our system with millions of illegal aliens and won’t allow better border patrol. Any fool can see what these communists are doing. So why are they NOT BEING STOPPED? I am thinking military intervention at this point.
The higher the unemployment, the more people are dependant on Government. If they can demagogue an issue, or a phony one like “tax cuts for the rich”, and gain more dependants, they will. It’s not about tax rates, not about unemployment, not about economic growth, it’s all about power and control.
For the next 2 years, everything they do will be focused on gaining more power and control, taking personal freedom and opportnity as they do.
Government Of Democrats = G.O.D.
They can do whatever they want,
whenever they want,
to whomever they want.
They are our natural rulers.
Be still.
Obey.
And, as soon as they have the majority of people on unemployment, they have their votes locked in. That is why it is so important to stop the handouts!! I know the republicans will be blamed, but perhaps some of the doofuses out there will actually get jobs and realize they don’t WANT to be ruled by the federal government.
I keep seeing more and more intrusion into our personal daily lives by a federal government gone amok. They are trying to dictate what we eat, how we dress, what food we grow, etc., etc. We must get back to states rights. It is in the Constitution! The federal government should only be responsible for preserving and protecting our consitution, plus assuring our defense. Yes, a few regulations must be their responsibility. But very few!! Now that we have more Republican Governors, we need to push for a movement toward States Rights!! Are you listening, Tea Party??? States Rights!! Put the federal government back where they belong, taking care of the people and not RULING over them!!
Is that from
King George the Mad in The Americans Are Revolting Aren’t They?
Let’s Do It Again
Dude,
Really, think about it. At 100% (their goal) they would still propose tax hikes.
Jobs Bills?
1. Fair Tax.
2. Abolish EPA, hand needed functions to States, its job is done.
3. Turn all Fed owned Land not in use the Fed or Military, INCLUDING All National Parks, to the States who should own them anyway. (let them decide on how to use those resources).
4. Over ride Obama’s drilling Ban.
5. Abolish Obamacare, especially the new taxes and the requirment to report every transaction over $600…
THOSE are Jobs Bills!
There is no limit for Dems. No matter what the rate they insist “govt will provide”. If it got all the way down to trucks driving down main street U.S.A, to toss bread to citizens they would STILL be happy…..especially since they would not be part of the hungry mob.
The communists in government eventually want the tax rate to be 100% of income. They then will try to reduce world output so that everyone is forced to live a miserable existance, except for them of course – they will skim off the top to live the high life. The end result will be much like North Korea and its leader.
those are great ideas! in addition to getting rid of epa, lets get rid of:
dept. of education
dept. of energy
dept. of agriculture
dept. of transportation
I am so puking sick of this charade going on in our government. The congress seems content to bicker amongst themselves while the economy teters and the unemployment rate continues to climb. I guess if you are all millionaires, who gives a damn about what is happening to everyone else.
When we find out, we’ll let you know.
I’m starting to think it’s when it reaches 99.999999%.
no truer words have been spoken about liberals, demoncrats have been spoken. Don’t think so, just look at the difference in education from one state to another, comparing liberal controlled states to conservative states…there is no comparison. It’s not even about “feeling good”, it’s all about money.
ooops…money and “power”, one in the same.
I never got it, why would any of these so-called leaders throughout history to the present want to be a ‘leader’ of a defunct, broke, poor in every way miserable country…where is the reward, the gratification? Has to be a deep seated psychological problem (mental disorder)…Barry, stand up and be counted.
BINGO!
So the dems want to increase taxes on the rich and be fair to the middle class. I wonder who they think employs the middle class?
Do they believe that the “rich” keep their money in pools to swim in like Scrooge McDuck? These fools have no idea how an economy works, just some utopian fantasy with them at the top, making decisions for the rest of us.
I thought that nitwit was known as “Lovepats”?
It took me a while to recognize Salazar in the video without his “Village People” cowboy hat.
No. They’ve got the blame Bush card they can still use. Here’s why:
According to Rasmussen Reports, most of the ignorant yuppies in this country still think the economy is Bush’s fault, when in reality we all know his policy on the table will prevent the Obama tax increases.
So maybe we deserve a solid double digit unemployment.
I won’t cry or sympathize with anyone if it goes that high.
NO national sales tax ! Call it what it is not a “fair tax”.
It is my understanding that the band ABBA actually got taxed 105% one year by the Swedish government.
The idiots running our government would tax at 200% if they could get away with it and then blame capitalism for the reason the economy failed.
In my lifetime, the top tax rate in the US was once at something like 91%. Even cutting THAT caused the left to scream.
To be fair, I think that was based on the music…
1. They do not care
2. They do not think therefore can not Re-Think
3. They want to destroy our country so they can re-make it as a communist state.
Any questions?
Only answer is for the good, remaining American Patriotic, thinking people to make their way to the polls in overwhelming numbers to prevent Democrats’ attempts at manipulating and ‘creating’ additional votes like they did in several elections beginning in Illinois (Chicago) when they bought JFK’s presidential election.
The dems want a single payer system for just about everything. If we are all on the dole just think of how easy it would be for them to continually be elected. If we were all collecting unemployment, we would solve that pesky global warming thing, wouldn’t need all that foreign oil and be forced to eat what ever MO wanted us to eat. Utopia achieved!
At the point the alcohol supply dwindles to Budweiser, I’m taking matters into my own hands.
It seems to me the taxes that are hurting the economy most are Corporate taxes. I think those taxes should be eliminated.
I think they are far more important than if income taxes go up a couple percentage points, or whether they don’t. If the current income taxes rates were such great job creators, as opposed to the strangling Corporate taxes, we’d be in great shape now wouldn’t we?
After all, we’ve had the Bush income tax rates now for years. And in that time, my employer, had gone from 6 buildings in Charlotte, with over 5,200 employees, to 1 building and under 700 employees, of which, about 200 are temps. And of those 200 temps, over 90% are people we laid off, who now have no benefits.
Just something to consider, based on the reality I see in my own life.
Put another way, under the Bush Income tax Rate Cuts, we’ve lost over 8 million manufacturing jobs.
Corporate Taxes really need to be eliminated.
I’d also be for the repeal of the 16th amendment. But you’d have to eliminate all the programs and agencies we have now, that you wont find in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution.
What Americans really need is more TV game shows. Everyone should have a chance to get out of debt through a game show, just like Sen. McCaskill.
Here’s McCaskill explaining her winning formula: “I got out of law school. I was so far in debt and I had always watched game shows, so I planned my first vacation as a young lawyer to go out to Los Angeles. I tried out for three or four game shows. Got on one and was a four-day champion of the game show — the precursor for Alex Trebek — the game show called High Rollers. … I won a bunch of stuff. A trip to Italy, a fur coat and a diamond necklace, about thirty-five thousand dollars worth of stuff. It was great. It paid off all my student loans for law school. …I sold it.”
Why?
Since the FairTax repeals all other taxes, you would just have one tax to pay. And, it’s completely voluntary; if you buy new items at retail, the tax applies. It doesn’t apply to used items. Nothing would be withheld from your pay. You can then save for your own retirement the way you want. No corporate taxes means business will be focused on business, not the tax ramifications of every decision.
You should read the FairTax books and vist the website. It’s superior to any socialist income tax.