[BigM555]

Originally Posted by noodles

Really, it cannot be possible that he is really that fucking stupid. It is far easier to believe that he is just that fucking evil.

[noodles]

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

"Cutting the government in half in one generation is both an ambitious and reasonable goal," Norquist stated in May 2000. "If we work hard we will accomplish this and more by 2025. Then the conservative movement can set a new goal. I have a recommendation: To cut government in half again by 2050".[18] To that end, Norquist has been noted for his widely quoted quip: "I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."

...

Karl Rove said about Grover's new book, “Grover Norquist is provocative, intellectually fearless, and always worth paying attention to. His new book is Grover at his best, which is very, very good. Read this important volume and you’ll understand why Norquist plays such a key role in American politics.”

Oh Christ...

I wonder what Grover makes of Bush. Bush has step one right (cut taxes), but he is spending like there is no tomorrow.

[eaeolian]

Originally Posted by noodles

I wonder what Grover makes of Bush. Bush has step one right (cut taxes), but he is spending like there is no tomorrow.

Since he was one of his chief economic advisers (at least until the Abramoff stuff came down), one can only assume he's fine with it, since his goal is "get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bath tub".

[Drew]

Originally Posted by urklvt

Yeah, when I first heard about this "stimulus" all I could do was .
All people heard was, "you'll get a check" and pre-spent the money they thought they were going to receive.
I set my finances up so I either break even on April 15 or, now that I have a kid, get a small amount back, just to make sure that I don't owe anything. I hate the thought of giving the government an interest-free loan on my money, so I refuse to treat my taxes as a savings plan.
The "rebate" check? Yeah, I'm not seeing any of that.

Eric, I think you misunderstood the idea behind the check. It's not an advance on the money the government would normally give you back at tax season - rather, it's an advance payment on a reduction in your tax liability for the 2008 fiscal year. They're not giving you your tax return payment on your excess income tax payments early - rather, they're reducing the amount you owe by $600, and then giving you that money now.

So, I'm assuming you DO pay taxes - you'll be getting a check.

[ElRay]

Originally Posted by noodles

The whole idea of stimulating the economy by increasing our debt is a joke.

It really won't make much of a difference either way. One of the big misconceptions out there is that Income Taxes are a large percentage of the government revenue. It's actually around 40%. On top of that, even though the vast majority of tax payers will be getting refunds, those that do account for over 50% of Personal Income Tax Revenue won't be getting anything. I'd have to do some research to see just what percent of Personal Income Tax Revenue is really being returned.

Another point to note is that the Personal Income Tax Revenue is pretty much equal to the amount the budget has increased since the early 90's. Could you live with the level of government service from the '90's?

Ray

[noodles]

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

Norquist founded Americans for Tax Reform in 1985, at the request of President Ronald Reagan, and has headed the organization ever since. From 1985 to 1988, Norquist was also an economic advisor to Angola UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi. During this period, he was registered with the United States Department of Justice as a foreign agent of Angola.

In addition to heading Americans for Tax Reform, Norquist is currently on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association and the American Conservative Union. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and chairman emeritus of the Islamic Free Market Institute.

Right about now, we need some liberal pundits to take a page from the Rove play book, and declare Ronald Regan a Muslim extremist.

[noodles]

Originally Posted by ElRay

Another point to note is that the Personal Income Tax Revenue is pretty much equal to the amount the budget has increased since the early 90's. Could you live with the level of government service from the '90's?

Considering that that increase has gone straight to paying for wars and the military infrastructure? You bet I could.

[metalheadpunk]

Originally Posted by ElRay

. Could you live with the level of government service from the '90's?

Ray

explain to me how the level of government service is better now than in the 90's

[noodles]

Originally Posted by metalheadpunk

explain to me how the level of government service is better now than in the 90's

That was exactly his point.

[metalheadpunk]

Originally Posted by noodles

That was exactly his point.

sorry, misunderstood