Tax cuts

I, like most of you, email my senators about various issues. I recently received the following from Johnny Isakson, one of my Republican Senators from Georgia. It was unmitigated crap, as follows:

     
Thank you for contacting my office regarding the recent passage of the Budget Resolution for fiscal year 2008. I appreciate your thoughts and the opportunity to respond.

I voted against this Budget Resolution that recently passed the Senate because I support efforts to reduce the federal deficit and balance the budget. I believe that Congress must take large and immediate steps to end the reckless spending that is threatening the future of our nation. Congress must become better stewards of the taxpayers' money. If we raise taxes on America's families and businesses, we abandon the very strategy that has created jobs, allowed businesses to expand, left more money in the pockets of our families and spurred unprecedented economic prosperity for the entire nation.

Furthermore, I was also disappointed with the failure of many Republican amendments to this budget resolution that would have extended current tax breaks past 2010. I voted in favor of these amendments, including one that would have permanently repealed the estate tax, and another that would have repealed the Alternative Minimum Tax.

I couldn't let this go unanswered so I responded:

Senator Isakson,

The tax breaks you voted for only add to the $9 Trillion debt we now have. You and other Republicans claim that Democrats have never seen a tax they didn't like. Well which is better, to tax the public for money we spend or simply borrow money to spend that we don't have? It's called fiscal responsibility Senator.

You keep voting to spend money we don't have with your excessive tax breaks and pork barrel spending. We are borrowing this money from our kids and grand kids and worst of all from foreign nations. Tax breaks sound great, but are NOT fiscally smart. If we don't have it, don't spend it. Our national Credit Card is maxed out.

These tax breaks have shown to help the economy no more than the fiscal policies of the Clinton administration, which ended with a projected $5 TRILLION surplus. We currently have a $9 TRILLION national debt. When President Bush came into office it was at $3.6 TRILLION dollars with talk of whether we should pay off the remaining debt with the projected surplus.

We will never grow our way out of the national debt. If the economy is doing as well as Republicans say it is, we should actually be paying down this debt instead of adding to it. WHEN WILL THE BORROWING STOP ?

You can't blame our borrowing money on the wars we are currently in. YOU are borrowing $1.35  BILLION a day. THAT'S $40 BILLION A MONTH. If we are spending $10 billion a month in Iraq and $2 billion a month in Afghanistan, why is the other $28 billion dollars being borrowed each month? I suggest it is being used to prop up this great economy you Republicans say we have.

If you want to be fiscally responsible, vote for PAY-AS-YOU-GO. Quit playing politics with my grand kids future and vote for legislation that will actually help the American people instead of things that will look good now, but will destroy our future.

Sooner or later China and other debt holders will want their money back. THEN WHAT? We are currently paying $406 BILLION dollars a year in interest on our debt. Think of all the things we could do for the American people with this money. We are not as stupid as many legislators seem to think. Tax cuts sound good and are great to get you reelected, but are actually detrimental to all of us in the long run.

During the Clinton administration they had one Mantra: IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID ! That applies even more NOW than it did then. You should have one goal: to work for the American people. If it isn't good for the American people and our nation's future, DON'T VOTE FOR IT and mortgaging our country's future with borrowed money isn't.

•  tip jar

  by TKH on Wed Sep 26, 2007 at 04:46:15 AM PDT

•  We tend to forget about that $400 bilion

  Just imagine what we could do if we had that money to spend.  Or what we could do if we didn't spend half our tax money on defense.
  I read an article about a report (by researchers from Berkeley) that tax cuts were, in general, a good thing. The exception to the rule was that tax hikes are good if they help eliminate the deficit.
  Clearly, GOPers never get past the report's intro.

  by godwhataklutz on Wed Sep 26, 2007 at 05:15:24 AM PDT

  •  They say the borrowing is necessary

    because of the war, but a little simple math will show that that is bull shit.

    We are borrowing $1.35 billion a day. That's over $40 billion a month. If we are spending $10 billion a month in Iraq and $2 billion a month in Afghanistan, why is the other $28 billion dollars being borrowed? I suggest it is going to prop up this great economy you Republicans say we have.

    by TKH on Wed Sep 26, 2007 at 05:32:50 AM PDT

    •  sorry about that

      The "you" in the last sentence was not meant for "you". That entire paragraph was part of another letter sent to Senator Chambliss. I appoligize again.

      by TKH on Wed Sep 26, 2007 at 05:35:04 AM PDT

•  Whet works for people, works for nations.

  I don't understand how anyone, in politics or in their personal life,  can say "we have more money now because we borrowed it, so that means we're better with money" and not have people point and laugh at them.

  Your reply to the Senator was a bullseye. We should be engaging the topic in this manner. Seeing as the nation's debt is our personal debt to bear (and for our kids and grandkids), we should be portraying the GOP as the candy-from-our babes thieves they are.

  And to try and justify it with rhetoric? Bah. Since when did a debt collector ever get swayed by flowery words.

  QUIT BORROWING MONEY.

  by ShawnGBR on Wed Sep 26, 2007 at 05:15:54 AM PDT

•  The pubs won't stop...

  Until they reach their ultimate goal of destroying the New Deal programs. They will continue to put the economy in a hole while trying to convince Billy Bob and Ethel Tralilerpark that cancelling Social Security and Medicare will end all debt.
  Why take any blame on themselves when it's easier to convince their base that it's greedy baby boomers who are at fault?

  by manwithnoname on Wed Sep 26, 2007 at 05:38:39 AM PDT