Loyalty Oaths

[khirkhib]

But screw the independependent voter right.  They may not have cheered at all the right places.  The independents have nothing to do with the GOTV vote.  LOL

[MODU]

I just came across this article, which mirrors two of our current discussions on this forum: taxation and open discussion with the President while on the campaign trail.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&u=/nm/20040811/pl_nm/campaign_bush_taxes_dc_1&printer=1

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NICEVILLE, Fla. (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) said on Tuesday that abolishing the U.S. income tax system and replacing it with a national sales tax was an idea worth considering.

"It's an interesting idea," Bush told an "Ask President Bush" campaign forum here. "You know, I'm not exactly sure how big the national sales tax is going to have to be, but it's the kind of interesting idea that we ought to explore seriously."

Republican economists who speak regularly to the White House have said that the Bush campaign has been mulling the idea of an overhaul of the tax code as part of an agenda for a second term should Bush win reelection.

Some lawmakers have floated ideas of simplifying the tax code by putting in place a "flat" income tax rate or a national sales tax. But those ideas have so far not gained much traction in Congress. Opponents say such a system would not be in the best interests of the poor and the middle class who would pay the same tax rate as the wealthy even though they have less disposable income.

[zachman]

I just came across this article, which mirrors two of our current discussions on this forum: taxation and open discussion with the President while on the campaign trail.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&u=/nm/20040811/pl_nm/campaign_bush_taxes_dc_1&printer=1

----------------------------------------------------------------

NICEVILLE, Fla. (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) said on Tuesday that abolishing the U.S. income tax system and replacing it with a national sales tax was an idea worth considering.

"It's an interesting idea," Bush told an "Ask President Bush" campaign forum here. "You know, I'm not exactly sure how big the national sales tax is going to have to be, but it's the kind of interesting idea that we ought to explore seriously."

Republican economists who speak regularly to the White House have said that the Bush campaign has been mulling the idea of an overhaul of the tax code as part of an agenda for a second term should Bush win reelection.

Some lawmakers have floated ideas of simplifying the tax code by putting in place a "flat" income tax rate or a national sales tax. But those ideas have so far not gained much traction in Congress. Opponents say such a system would not be in the best interests of the poor and the middle class who would pay the same tax rate as the wealthy even though they have less disposable income.

Maybe it's just that I'm a miser, but I think a high rate sales tax would result in far less sales all together.

[MODU]

Initially, I'm sure it will be, but not in the long run.  Many European states operate on a VAT tax system.  My only concern with that set up is the poor will be taxed more than under the current IRS system.  But then again, you can set up a floating tax rate under a VAT tax system, so basic goods like bread, milk, things poor people (every day people) would consume aren't taxed, or taxed at a low rate.  Luxaries, such as boats, planes, expensive automobiles, could have a higher VAT tax rate, and therefore cause the "rich" to pay more than the common man.

[khirkhib]

Wouldn't that encourage the really rich to buy luxury items as contraband from over seas.

[MODU]

Possibly, but would the additional cost of shipping the item to the US still be cheaper than purchasing the item domestically?

I don't know . . . never done it.

[??????????]

The money people would get back weekly on their paychecks would absorb the slight difference of a sales tax.

[raggage]

Hmmmm, wait until after the RNC.  This policy is no good and now that it is getting press they will probably relax it.  But the fact is that Libs are nuts and they will do almost ANYTHING during a protest.  Trust me, I know.

I'm not sure whether to laugh at this or not. You can't seriously be classifing all liberals as nuts are you. All conservatives aren't so why would all liberals be.

[MODU]

Hmmmm, wait until after the RNC.  This policy is no good and now that it is getting press they will probably relax it.  But the fact is that Libs are nuts and they will do almost ANYTHING during a protest.  Trust me, I know.

I'm not sure whether to laugh at this or not. You can't seriously be classifing all liberals as nuts are you. All conservatives aren't so why would all liberals be.

I think he was generalizing, but in recent years, the liberal protest groups have been more forceful and uncivilized than the conservative crowds.  Which is why I was surprised by the way Boston locked all the protestors up in a big cage away from the Fleet Center.  NYC, knowing how the liberal groups will be, are trying to station the protestors all over the city away from the RNC site.

[freedomburns]

But screw the independependent voter right.  They may not have cheered at all the right places.  The independents have nothing to do with the GOTV vote.  LOL

I have been thinking about this system and why the Republican strategists use it, khirkib, and I think you have hit on it.  They are diabolically ingenious and they would not do something unless they were pretty sure it was going to work for them.

By only accepting people who are willing to sign their names on a loyalty oath and a pledge on how they will vote three months from now, no matter what happens, the GOP strategists are guaranteeing a crowd filled with zealots who will cheer like madmen on every applause line.

This way they know that when the clips play on the local news and the whole speech on C-SPAN, all those independents and undecideds will see a crowd of enthusiastic supporters cheering on our President.  They will match the crowd to the right-sized venue so that every seat is filled and it sounds great.  

Then they pray that a lot people will just watch some of it on TV and be impressed enough to jump on the bandwagon and get behind such an obviously popular guy who can get the people so excited.  Then they also hope that not many of them will also read the story in the paper about the paranoid exclusionary policy that keeps out even WWII vets who don’t sign.  

They are probably right, because 80% of people get their news from the TV and only 15% from the paper.  They are probably gaining votes this way...(?)

freedomburns

[khirkhib]

I don't know though.  Something won't smell right though. Americans are a lot smarter than politicians thinks.