IntenseDebate - quill67

14 years ago @ Big Government - Specter: Santorum Lied · 0 replies · +5 points

I believe Santorum---but I'm sure Spector was very careful not to promise anything...it was just understood and so now Spector can now pretend that he knew nothing.

14 years ago @ Big Government - Memo: Gingrich Praised... · 2 replies · +2 points

Gingrich already said that he changed his mind, and the newsletter was also critical of the Mass. laws. Old News.

14 years ago @ Big Government - Gingrich's Amnesty Pla... · 1 reply · +11 points

We are to blame. Gov't has not enforced our laws. Gov't made coming across the border like a traffic law that is not enforced (like 55 MPH in Wyoming in the 1980s)

We are not against legal immigration and if our immigration process was working properly (without years and years of paperwork and delays) we probably would have 3.5 M more LEGAL immigrants. I propose that for each illegal we send back that we take one who has been on the waiting list for years and give them an opportunity to prove themselves worthy of becoming Americans.

14 years ago @ Big Government - Prospects for American... · 0 replies · +1 points

That is the paradox. Our tax rates are the second highest in the world but our average tax rate is relatively low. How can both be true??? Easy. We have high tax rates but that allow loopholes and excemptions for the favored corporations.

Illinois is a perfect example. They recently dramatically raised their tax rates. Sears corporation, headquartered in Chicago, threatened to leave. Knowing that if Sears left it would be a great political embarassment, they got a special exemption so that Sears would stay. But did they write an exemption for everyone? NO! Only the politically connected got it! As a result, Wisconsin has been enjoying companies relocated there.

The same is going on for the US. The companies that sell most of their goods overseas that can avoid the taxes decide to leave --even if the US would be the best place to locate.

14 years ago @ Big Government - Prospects for American... · 3 replies · +1 points

Corporate taxes are the problem right now. The US has the second highest marginal tax rates in the world but that is not the worst part. US corporations must pay taxes on earnings from overseas--in other countries they do not. In which country would a corporation wish to locate? The one that taxes them at the highest tax rate and taxes other earnings that other countries don't tax?

After World War II, the US enjoyed a tremendous advantage in that the much of the rest of the world's productive capacity had been destroyed by war. We could get away with high tax rates because there was no alternative. That is not the case today.

RESTAURANT ANALOGY:

We are like a restaurant owner that faced no competition. The owner enjoyed being able to charge high prices, perhaps even poor service and little variety. The owner was able to pay his workers high pay because without competition he could afford to do so. But now, new restaurants have arrived and the competition is fierce. We can no longer charge as high of prices. The US is the restaurant.

14 years ago @ Big Government - Academic Freedom? Not ... · 1 reply · +10 points

It is perfectly legitimate for a donor to request that a particular topic be taught. Sometimes schools accept the money to teach those classes and sometimes they do not. Our school is considering teaching free market economics and morality of capitalism; however, this is because we have faculty who WANT to teach these topics. Yes, we actually have enough faculty who are conservative to teach these classes. (compared to my prior institution where all the conservatives in faculty and staff could literally fit inside a phonebooth)

14 years ago @ Big Government - World War II Was Not t... · 0 replies · +9 points

Robert Higgs:

I also am an economist. I teach Keynesian theory but also Classical economists Hayek and Hazlitt. I would add one point to your argument. There was a tremendous transfer of wealth (gold and other assets) to the US by european nations as they purchased war items. This did help the US economy. So the lesson for today is: All we need to do is find nations willing to sacrifice their own wealth to improve our unemployment situation! (Yeah. Right)

15 years ago @ Big Government - Bernanke: 'It’s Enti... · 1 reply · +10 points

As an economist let me provide some possiblities to consider:
1) As more dollars are put into the system, the value of the dollar compared to other currencies will fall making U.S. exports relatively cheaper (such as wheat) This would cause the price of wheat in Egypt to fall but the price in U.S dollars to rise---however:
2) As more U.S. production has been shifted into corn because of ethanol subsides, the supply of wheat falls as farmers switch from producing wheat to corn. This would cause the price of wheat in Egypt to rise and the price in the U.S. to rise.
3) As more dollars are pumped into the world economy, many smaller countries are borrowing these cheap dollars for use not in the U.S. but in their own country. This increases their domestic demand for all goods...including wheat.

Basically, to argue that U.S. monetary policy has no role in the rise of commodities such as wheat, is incorrect.

15 years ago @ Big Government - McDonald's ObamaCare D... · 1 reply · +1 points

Part of winning a war is to demoralize the enemy. Run an ad that points out that Big pharmaceutical worked to write health bill, that big corporations like McDonalds and big unions are getting excempted then just to rub salt in the wound ask: What big corporation will be the next to be exempted from the law the rest of us must follow...(wait for it).... Walmart?

15 years ago @ Big Government - I believed that the media bias was unintentional. I believed that they did not cover certain stories simply because their liberal viewpoints did not let them understand their importance. I HAVE BEEN NIEVE!

These communications make it clear that they understand the importance of damaging stories against liberal but they choose not to cover it. And as at least one person indicates, they seek to distract by accusing conservatives as racist! (Sound familar Tea-party?)

It is clear the liberals have declared war and that they will say anything, make any charge, to hurt conservatives (or anything damaging to the liberal view)

To me, this explains why the recent news that uncovered that Fannie/Freddie had provided more funding for subprime loans than previously thought. It turns out they provided funding for 54% of subprime loans (70% of subprime in 2007 alone) . They can't let people know just how bad the government can bungle things. Same for the government's response to the recent oil spill.

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