Tax Increases Or Spending Cuts

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Fair warning if you are offended by mild profanity, this clip contains some early on. To be fair it is Hardball with Chris Matthews so he pretty much has used up his entire vocabulary by the third sentence. Also, can someone please get him a ball point pen so I don't have to listen to his Sharpie scribble while his guests are talking?

Now for my observations. Paul Ryan keeps his cool as Matthews tries to paint him as a "say-one-thing-do-another" type. In reality, Ryan gives some very specific ways the government could save money and very quickly. Notice that Matthews completely ignores the facts that Ryan gives and tries to keep arguing his point that has just been demolished.

Ryan also makes a great point about "tax uncertainty" depressing the economy. Businesses plan in advance for their expenditures. If they don't know what the tax bill is going to be for next year, they will hold off on purchases and investments until they do know. It's that simple.

Enter Joseph Crowley whose knowledge of things economic appears to be as in depth as Matthew's vocabulary. This is a classic study in the problem with liberal thought as opposed to true conservative common sense. Crowley gives a bunch of talking points--feel good lines--without ever giving any actual argument for anything. Of course, Matthews will not ask any follow ups with him as he does Ryan and Ryan is too polite to point out Crowley's absurdity. I am not that polite.

Crowley says that Democrats have instituted a "pay as you go" system. They call it that but it's only pay as you go if you actually pay! They haven't paid for anything. They just promised they will. Their only real answer to paying for anything seems to be that you and I should pay more taxes to cover the cost.

In talking about raising taxes on people making over $250,000 dollars Crowley says not that many people in his district make more than that. He then goes on to say it would be a "small price to pay to live in the greatest country the world has ever known." I feel that vein starting to pop in the side of my neck.

Mr. Crowley apparently has forgotten that the greatest country the world has ever known was founded precisely because there was too much unfair taxation. The whole point of America is that anyone is free to live here and we do not have to pay for that priviledge!

Ryan makes a great point that many "people" who make over $250,000 a year are actually small businesses filing as individuals. More taxes means less money for a business which means fewer jobs which means higher unemployment which means less tax revenue. Neither Crowley nor Matthews seem to have the mental acuity to grasp that simple concept.

Finally, Crowley assures us that Obama has a plan to cut the deficit in half. Would that be the deficit before or after Obama's expenditures increased the CBO's debt projection by $9.8 trillion? You can say whatever you like. You will be judged by what you do. Crowley is actually laughable. I can't believe he doesn't have more pride than to go out and deliver the party line with a straight face. Actually, I can. Since he was on MSNBC there really wasn't much risk of anyone seeing him do it.