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Scott "Zoolander" Brown's tax cut proposal

Behold, the Immediate Tax Relief for American Workers Amendment sponsored by the Junior Senator from Massachusetts, Senator Scott Brown:

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Some politicians play both sides of the aisle. Here, Senator Scott Brown bemoans the national debt: "In Washington, government is driving up our debt" in a floor speech he made to propose new legislation, a payroll tax cut. Tax cuts reduce government revenue, the same revenue used to pay down the debt. Can Scott you have it both ways, complain about the national debt and propose a tax cut without being held accountable for the obvious?

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I think the key to the proposal is that it is based on using money which has already been 'spent' in the authorization of the stimulus bill. Cutting payroll taxes with the stimulus cash is probably a better use than half the pork it's currently meandering off to.

"Tax cuts reduce government revenue, the same revenue used to pay down the debt."

Please, the revenue is NEVER USED TO PAY DOWN THE DEBT! If the government actually paid off its debts before spending money on new things, we wouldn't be in the massive hole we are now.

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... except when there's a budget surplus as there was under Clinton. Notice the "fiscal conservatives" who ran huge deficits (borrowed a ton of money) to run government.
IMAGE(http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk143/nfsagan/bush_deficit_graphic.gif)

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The Clinton budget surplus came with the dot.com bubble, not really due to any action by the Executive or Legislative branches.

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THE WHITE HOUSE AT WORK

Thursday, October 28, 1999

PRESIDENT CLINTON:
THE LARGEST BUDGET SURPLUS AND DEBT PAY-DOWN IN HISTORY

"Today's good news is a result of hard-won economic choices that put our people first. That strategy has created the most prosperous economy in generations."

President Bill Clinton
Thursday, October 28, 1999

Today, at the White House, President Clinton announced that the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of the Treasury have released figures showing the largest budget surplus and the largest pay-down of debt in history The President urged Congress to keep our nation on course by passing his budget plan that protects Social Security, pays down the debt, and meets the nation's priorities in the areas of education, health care, crime, and the environment.

Clinton-Gore Economic Plan Is Working. In 1993, President Clinton put in place a three-part economic strategy of fiscal discipline, investing in people, and opening markets abroad. Today's figures provide even more evidence that the Administration's strategy is working:

The Largest Surplus in History:

* The $123 billion surplus in 1999 is the largest dollar surplus in history, even after adjusting for inflation;
* The surplus, expected to be about 1.4% of GDP, is the largest surplus as a share of the economy since 1951;
* 1999 is the second year in a row of surplus, marking the first back-to-back surpluses since 1956-57;
* This is the first time in U.S. history that we've experienced seven years in a row of fiscal improvement.

The Largest Debt Reduction in History:

* Over the last two years, America has paid down $140 billion in public debt, the largest debt pay-down ever;
* The debt held by the public is $1.7 trillion lower than was projected when President Clinton took office;
* As a result, in 1999 alone, interest payments on the debt were $91 billion lower than projected.

What Debt Reduction Means for Americans. Paying down the debt means:

* Lower interest rates cut mortgage payments by $2,000 for families with a $100,000 mortgage;
* Lower interest rates cut car payments by $200 for families with a car loan;
* Lower interest rates cut student loan payments by $200 for a person with a typical student loan;
* Businesses have more funds for productive investment;
* Rising investment has contributed to an increase in productivity.

President's Budget Pays off Debt in 15 Years. Under President Clinton's budget plan, the publicly held debt would be paid off by 2015, resulting in:

* elimination of interest payments on the debt;
* more funds available for increased Social Security and Medicare costs for baby boomers;
* more funds available for investment;
* lower interest rates;
* increased worker productivity and income.

Urging Congress to Stay with What Works. President Clinton warned that proposals by Congressional Republicans for irresponsible tax cuts, spending the Social Security surplus, and across-the-board spending cuts would threaten our continued prosperity. The President urged Congress to keep America on this course of progress by passing his budget plan, which pays down the debt, protects Social Security, strengthens and modernizes Medicare, and invests in national priorities like education, health care, public safety, and the environment.

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Doesn't the current stimulus package contain "tax cuts for 95% of working American's" to the tune of about $247 billion?

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IMAGE(http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk143/nfsagan/Natl_Debt_Chart.jpg)

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You can't cry about deficits and then ask for a tax cut. It is dishonest. We'll have a surplus again when Democrats make cuts and republicans raise taxes. It takes BOTH to fix a deficit.

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True,

But the problem of tax cuts in a recession are they ussually go towards paying down personal debt, or are put into savings. Two things that have very little effect on GDP, and thus turning around the market and consumer confidence.

Still, atleast he's looking for temporary tax cuts that would be neutral.

I'd much rather see him offering some hard proposals to cut programs, both social and defense. The ones that don't work, and do little good. Tax cuts sound all nice and Rosey, but the reality is they do little, especially seeing how taxes are at historical lows. Starving the beast doesn't work. Making some tough funding choices does.

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I'd much rather see him offering some hard proposals to cut programs, both social and defense. The ones that don't work, and do little good. Tax cuts sound all nice and Rosey, but the reality is they do little, especially seeing how taxes are at historical lows. Starving the beast doesn't work. Making some tough funding choices does.

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does that make Mitt Romney Mugatu?

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IMAGE(http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk143/nfsagan/mugatu1.jpg)

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Name-calling in a subject heading really makes me want to engage in discussion.

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you have to admit Brown is really, really good looking.

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"He’s indisputably self-made and indeed something of a he-man, but with a background that’s part Horatio Alger, part Zoolander."

"Where Scott Brown Is Coming From"

By FRANK BRUNI, The New York Times
Published: February 22, 2010

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from the same NYT article:

Arianna told me that he showed up for his first real date with her mother, Gail Huff, a TV newscaster to whom he has been married for more than 23 years, in pink leather shorts. It’s family lore.

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"Scott, why don't you pass the time by playing a little solitaire ...?"

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as they say, it's been dry-cleaned.

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He'll get better at floor speeches right? Please?

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If Brown's position is that
we should not add to the deficit and
spending is not the answer
then why is he proposing a spending plan
that is not accounted for in the budget and
increases the deficit?

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Brown's election may ending up being a positive for health-care reform
Washington Post - Shailagh Murray - ?Mar 6, 2010?
Remember how Republican Scott P. Brown's victory in January's Senate race in Massachusetts was supposed to represent a mortal blow to health-care reform?

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