Does Ron Paul support getting rid of the Payroll Tax too?

[Raineee]

Because if so....there's really no way to pay for the budget, no matter how small it is made. Interest on our massive debt alone is over 300 billion a year.

[Steeleye]

Ever heard of tariffs and excise taxes? That's the way the constitution proscribes for funding the budget.

[Kludge]

Excise/tariffs cover less than $100 billion.

Expenditure needs to be reduced immediately. Relieving taxation can come later.

Ron Paul disagrees.

[puppetmaster]

Tax on wages is wrong, period. Also counterproductive.

Ask yourself....who do the people of the USA actually owe money to?

[Objectivist]

Because if so....there's really no way to pay for the budget, no matter how small it is made. Interest on our massive debt alone is over 300 billion a year.

There is if people like you would stop thinking inside that box you've been put in. I love people that use the current government numbers as the basis of making a point when the point is we don't need the government that uses those numbers... we would do far better with much less.

[Objectivist]

If you'd like some outside the box ideas give me a call.

[ChaosControl]

You need to cut spending before you can think about cutting taxes. That should be the primary focus.

[krazy kaju]

Yes, Ron Paul opposes payroll taxes. So how should we pay down our debt?

Well, first, you should remember that payroll taxes are supposed to be only payments into Social Security and Medicare. Since Social Security and Medicare are essentially bankrupt, we should scrap those programs and eliminate the payroll tax.

Secondly, there is no way that the federal government can pay back its debt without crippling our economy. A responsible President and Congress would declare bankruptcy and cut taxes and spending drastically across the board. Declaring bankruptcy would have the added benefit of making it virtually impossible for the federal government to borrow any money in the future.

[Zippyjuan]

Tariff and excise taxes only presently account for less than $30 billion in revenues for the government. Just to pay the interest on the debt would require increasing them by ten fold. Ron Paul would like to get rid of taxes but recognizes that you have to get rid of the spending they pay for first. On Social Security and Medicare he believes we should not get rid of benefits for people who have qualified for them but would like to give "young people" the ablity to opt out. He does not explain how he intends to continue to make payments to those elgible if those currently paying in (and providing the money for current benefits) are allowed to opt out.

In the 2009 budget, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid accounted for about $1.3 trillion in government spending. Payroll taxes including Social Security taxes took in a reported $950 trillion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_United_States_federal_budget

[Objectivist]

We have the technology and resources to switch things around but not the disire to do so. If we became exporters of certain technologies and resources then we wouldn't be borrowing revenue and would actually take in billions more from outside countries, instead of exporting or money like we do today.

If we pulled a Moon Shot and built 400-500 more Nuclear Power Plants, it would create millions of jobs and we could start exporting some of our Natural Gas, or use the NG here to fuel vehicles instead of Crude Oil. Energy will be our shortcoming in the near future and the politicians you've elected don't have the brains to see what we really need, they're too busy playing a fucked up game with a credits scheme.

[brandon]

First of all I think it is absurd to talk about "our debt". It sure as hell isn't my debt. I couldn't give a shit less if it gets repaid or not.

Cut taxes and spending at the same time, as drastically as possible. Screw the Chinese and who ever else lent our government money. They can consider it a lesson learned.

[Standing Like A Rock]

First of all I think it is absurd to talk about "our debt". It sure as hell isn't my debt. I couldn't give a shit less if it gets repaid or not.

Cut taxes and spending at the same time, as drastically as possible. Screw the Chinese and who ever else lent our government money. They can consider is a lesson learned.

I agree. We should not pay back those "loans;" if they want their money back, I want to see them try to take it.

[pcosmar]

Because if so....there's really no way to pay for the budget, no matter how small it is made. Interest on our massive debt alone is over 300 billion a year.

Yes he does. And I do, as do most people with a brain.
Do you?

[Kludge]

First of all I think it is absurd to talk about "our debt". It sure as hell isn't my debt. I couldn't give a shit less if it gets repaid or not.

I disagree... We've benefited tremendously from those loans. In this past 100 years, our real GDP/capita has increased ~six-fold. I imagine a very large portion of the "value" in your wallet is there because of that loaned money. Because we've inherited such a prosperous country (though I know many here think this country is a festering shit hole just waiting to be lit on fire), I think we have an obligation to pay that debt back. We didn't borrow it ourselves, but we did inherit an unfair advantage.

[Raineee]

Yes he does. And I do, as do most people with a brain.
Do you?

Well, I can't, really. It'd be irresponsible to get rid of them (along with the income and corporate income taxes), seeing as there would be no way to pay for our government, even if it was reduced to the smallest available amount.

Maybe we should repeal the income, corporate income, payroll, excise etc, and then enact a 5% national sales tax.

That along with the tarriffs should be more than enough. 400-500 billion?

[ClayTrainor]

Well, I can't, really. It'd be irresponsible to get rid of them (along with the income and corporate income taxes), seeing as there would be no way to pay for our government?

First of all, you really don't want to support such a government, it's far too big and is the source of every major problem you face.

Ron Paul does not support cutting taxes before cutting spending, because that's purely illogical.

He acknowledges that spending cuts need to be made first, and he wants to make those from the $1 Trillion+ / year foreign policy.

[Danke]

Well, I can't, really. It'd be irresponsible to get rid of them (along with the income and corporate income taxes), seeing as there would be no way to pay for our government, even if it was reduced to the smallest available amount.

Maybe we should repeal the income, corporate income, payroll, excise etc, and then enact a 5% national sales tax.

That along with the tarriffs should be more than enough. 400-500 billion?

I think tariffs are a better way to fund the federal government operations. Of course, spending needs to be drastically reduced.

And for the other posters on this thread, the income tax is an excise tax.

[Brooklyn Red Leg]

Screw the Chinese and who ever else lent our government money. They can consider it a lesson learned.

No, we should pay back our loans from other countries. However, the 'debt' owed to the Federal Reserve should be returned with a piece of paper stating 'Fuck off, assholes'. Cancel that debt immediately and tell the slimy pigfuckers at the Fed where in their asses they can cram it. That would kill a significant portion of our national debt. As to what we owe the rest of the world, begin by selling off all the Federal properties not located inside The District of Columbia as well as those buildings housing the useless leeches working for the Depts. of Energy, Education, Agriculture, Interior, IRS etc on down the line.

[Raineee]

I've been reading and it seems that there are lot of people here who are not rational.

Anarcho-capitalists, truthers, birthers...

How many of you are actually interested in the actual facts and numbers, and trying to figure out how to get a small government that could actually work and be funded, and help the American people?

[dannno]

I agree. We should not pay back those "loans;" if they want their money back, I want to see them try to take it.

There are more women in their military than people in our country.

[dannno]

Well that ended the conversation quickly.

[Raineee]

Well that ended the conversation quickly.

Nothing like reality to shut someone up. ;)

[specsaregood]

There are more women in their military than people in our country.

And? You think they are gonna march them all over here?