DG, I can say I have looked at the issue more closely. While it has been a couple of years, I have read the book. Still have it in the house somewhere. But can the critics who like to call the Fair Tax, plan, "a crackpot idea", can they say the same???

Yes this is an unpopular idea with many. Most great ideas are. Seems whenever the idea of tax simplification is presented, the special interests throw their lies and fear mongering to scare people. And this idea is certainly a perfect example. You mention the Flat Tax. A great idea as well. Why didn't it get off the ground??? Again the special interests who are impacted most.

As I have already said, realistically I don't see this idea taking hold. The only way it would is for the masses toget together and demand it. And at this time I don't see that happening.

quote:

I don't see this idea taking hold. The only way it would is for the masses toget together and demand it. And at this time I don't see that happening.

Why on earth would "the masses" demand something that puts a bigger share of the burden on them in order to benefit a wealthier minority? The "masses" are not that stupid.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by frankvan:


Why on earth would "the masses" demand something that puts a bigger share of the burden on them in order to benefit a wealthier minority? The "masses" are not THAT stupid.

________________________________________________

Hi Frank:

I'm afraid the masses are that stupid.

Why else would 300 million people allow themselves to be controlled by a handful of wealthy plutocrats.???

hippolips

quote:

Originally posted by hippolips:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by frankvan:


Why on earth would "the masses" demand something that puts a bigger share of the burden on them in order to benefit a wealthier minority? The "masses" are not THAT stupid.

________________________________________________

Hi Frank:

I'm afraid the masses are that stupid.

Why else would 300 million people allow themselves to be controlled by a handful of wealthy plutocrats.???

hippolips

Well, don't forget that one of the wonders of 'fair tax' is that the masses will receive a monthly pay check from the government, to compensate for their having paid the fair tax on everything, including food.

Another wonder is that the masses, and the suppliers of everything from peanuts to cars, from plumbing to repairs, will be first in line to pay and charge cash for everything. That way the suppliers won't be charging the tax, a cash- only market will flourish, there'll be no way of checking, the IRS not existing there'll be no way of knowing exactly, even vaguely sometimes, what people and businesses earn, and so the supposed revenues will largely disappear meaning that to get the revenue up again you'll have to increase the fair tax !That's a benefit!

Back to Huckabee and the primaries. OK, he's a religious man. Fine. He knows about faith.Now he's speaking about foreign affairs,terrorism and internal revenue he comes across here as what we in Britain call a prat.At best he's ill informed.He thinks that 'fair tax' would work.He thinks that Pakistanis represent the second most numerous illegal immigrants after those from south of the border.He thinks that there's still martial law or a state of emergency rule in Pakistan.What does he know that the specialists in these matters do not ?His, or his people's, clarifications didn't improve matters.

Is that unfair to the man? He speaks well and has a certain humour, and leads in at least one poll.I take it that ignorance of elementary facts in matters of importance is a bar to becoming President or the party's candidate? [Pause for someone to say 'Why not? It didn't stop everyone before !' ]

He sounds like someone who has been given some information and not begun to understand it. Pakistanis can be a threat to America.People in Britain who have Pakistani ancestry and who have been radicalised and travelled to Pakistan or Afghanistan to complete their education and indoctrination in jihadism, have proved to be terrorists here.So it may be that there are such people in America too.Unfortunately, like ours, they are probably already there, legally. They are not coming in across land borders.

(Sen McCain talks sense, but it may be that talking sense about Pakistan and terrorism doesn't sell as well as 'truthiness' or bold ignorance )

[QUOTE]Originally posted by FredPuli:
Back to Huckabee and the primaries.

Is that unfair to the man? He speaks well and has a certain humour, and leads in at least one poll.I take it that ignorance of elementary facts in matters of importance is a bar to becoming President or the party's candidate? [Pause for someone to say 'Why not? It didn't stop everyone before !' ]

He sounds like someone who has been given some information and not begun to understand it. Pakistanis can be a threat to America.

_______________________________________________

Hi Fred:

Huckabee may surprise you.He won big time in Iowa.

He's articulate,has a good sense of humor and I think he will prove to a quick study on foreign affairs,although he has some catching up to do.

He hasn't made any wild ass promises and...most of all people just seem to like the guy. He has a lot of Bill Clinton in him when he meets or talks to people,without Bill's BS.

He'll have a tough time in New Hampshire but he'll come back in South Carolina.

I don't like his stance on illegal immigrants but that could change.

But people actually like the guy.

hippolips

Iowa was certainly a great win for Mike Huckabee. Actually a must win for his campaign to continue any further. I don't see him winning New Hampshire. New Hampshire is a Must win for Mitt Romney. But John McCain could easily throw a monkey wrench in that one.

The big question I would anticipate coming up on Huckabee is this...If nominated, is he electable??? Many Democrats are already in anticipation hoping Mike Huckabee is the Republican nominee. And many Republicans are rather apprehensive on a Huckabee candidacy.

ABC News has announced the following Republicans will appear in the next debates. Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson & John McCain. Based on their positions from the Iowa caucus. Huckabee, Romney & McCain are in the news pretty regular. Fred Thompson has been pretty low key yet he still came in 3rd in Iowa. A potential dark horse that could very well emerge.

What I anticipate is the Super Tuesday primaries. That should tell us the real story.

Not included in the list of Republicans, who get to debate. I found out Ron Paul will be included as well.

About the national sales tax being "23%"... What that really means is that the tax would be 23% of the total cost. So, something with a pre-tax cost of $100 would end up costing $130. Most of us would refer to that as a 30% tax. So, even the advocates of national sales tax sales tax say it will take a 30% tax. Other estimates have been over 40%.

A bit of history for those who think indirect taxation is a good substitute for direct taxation:"Income tax had been introduced [in Britain] during the Napoleonic Wars, after which it was abolished and replaced with greater indirect taxation, which hit the poor hardest.Robert Peel had reintroduced income tax in 1842 as a temporary measure" John O'Farrell ' History of Britain' referring to Gladstone's budget plans in the C19.

It didn't work then,post 1815. We never repeated the experiment.How would it be any better now?

'The flyer shows Senator John McCain huddled in a spartan prison cell, his knees tucked to his chest and his cheeks puffed-up in grotesque caricature.

The insults are written in graffiti on the cell walls. "Hanoi Hilton Songbird," says one scribbled remark. "An enormous crime," says another.

Produced by a group calling itself Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain, the flyer distributed recently to South Carolina newspaper editors alleged the 71-year-old Republican presidential candidate had betrayed fellow American prisoners of war held in North Vietnam...

...The man claiming responsibility for the anti-McCain campaign in South Carolina is Gerard W. Kiley, who has links to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group that organized against Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004...' www.canada.com

Are those swift-boat people really trying the same kind of thing again? Why would anyone listen? "Fool me once and er.. um.." as George says.

That's a shame that this has happened again, but when you invite and encourage garbage into your house, you should expect the smell to eventually reach everyone.

McCain appears to be the only Republican candidate who knows anything about the realities of foreign policy.He's also the only one who seems to have a considered opinion on anything , however unpopular or unfashionable, without being swayed by immediate political considerations (i.e the polls and whatever Joe Public thinks he knows to be true).

Is he sound on domestic issues?

What do Republican candidates say about healthcare? Are they all wedded to 'if you don't pay insurance companies whatever they want, on whatever terms , and may be rejected outright, then tough !' ?

Ron Paul seems to be doing unexpectedly well, but Giuliani might be in trouble:

'Paul has his second from Nevada -- or, as Romney would put it, "the silver" -- and a better finish in South Carolina than Giuliani. He's also got more money in the bank than most of the other candidates, a muscular fund-raising operation, enthusiastic young volunteers and a message that distinguishes him from the field. He's in the race for a good long time, and now he's actually winning delegates.

And what of Rudy Giuliani?

"America's mayor" either wins Florida -- where he has camped out as the other candidates have slogged through Iowa, New Hampshire, Wyoming, Michigan, Nevada and now south Carolina -- or there really is no way to make a case for carrying his bizarre campaign forward...' ...where's Rudy?

Rudy? Who's he? Does anyone still remember? It's six years since he was able to strut his stuff on "9/11".And he ran New York where, he claims, he brought a better economy[Really must stop reading candidate's websites!].If national security is a question,then how is he better than McCain?If it's economics, how is he a better prospect than Romney? And they have been in the public's gaze and thoughts a lot recently.

What kind of tactics are they that have you laying low until the last phase of the game?If you're a star player,uniquely talented, a man whom the fans are baying for the team manager to bring on to turn the match in the last twenty five minutes, that's fine.Is Giuliani such a player, the one they are all waiting for?

Giuliani seems to have put all of his chips on Florida (January 29) and Super Tuesday (February 5). This is quite a gamble.

I thought South Carolina was an interesting turn. Had South Carolina gone Huckabee's way, he would have substantial momentum. Apparently some conservative voters supported Thompson, allowing a McCain victory.

We are going to know a lot about the potential nominees in two weeks...I think!

Florida looks to be more interesting here than it might appear at first.A lot of the votes in Florida are postal and have been made a while ago, before New Hampshire and South Carolina.A lot of these may go to Giuliani, being unaffected by the later events. That's what commentators are saying. But nobody seems to know just how many of these early votes there are!

McCain is seen, it appears, as not a candidate for the traditional core Republicans.If so, the Republicans should wake up.They need a winner,someone plain spoken, and not someone who follows the line regardless.

In that they sound disturbingly like our 'traditional core' Labour Party members and, before them, our 'traditional core' Conservative Party members.These people were set on some agenda from the past and would talk about the party's 'values' and look for utter conformity. They were out of touch with the electorate at large . (Neither were they truly representative of the average voter who would normally vote for their party.And there was no way they'd get the 'swing voters' the undecideds).It was only when the Labour Party decided to ignore the old guard and the 'traditional core' and chose a maverick who was electable, a man who understood what the public wanted, who would have no truck with the thinking and 'traditions' of the past that they got Tony Blair.(He told them that the choice was 'traditional and lose' or 'plain spoken and new way' and win ) The Conservative Party before that did the same when they chose Mrs Thatcher, another who spoke her mind and wouldn't be conventional, had no care for 'core' values of the past and conforming (or, for that matter, 'fashions' in beliefs and policies: she'd not blindly agree).But, the public loved her and she was electable, however much 'tut-tutting' went on in the salons of the traditionalists.These two became the longest serving Prime Ministers we've had in modern times and neither ever lost a general election. Before them, the conventional choices had lost elections.

"Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort," Fred Thompson

Benefited how? What impact, if any, did Thompson have?

(Although I guess Chris Matthews was impressed.)

quote:

Originally posted by newnickname:
What impact, if any, did Thompson have?

Well, he sure made "Law & Order" have to scramble, if that counts for anything.