Thom Hartmann interviews Bob Barr 06-12-08 Part 3

[megagagnon1]

clinton had no budget surplus - he used the incredible increase in social security, spent that money to make it look like he didn't have a deficit - the federal debt went up during clinton - google clinton surplus myths to see the details of this trickery - and the huge increase in ss taxes coming in had to do with the rise of silicon valley, nothing to do with the politicians.

[clockerq]

frionelhero, we all have to pay our share. if a tax increase is in order to balance the budget, so be it. you obviously come from the school of "I want my money". I hear so much of that since i moved to Florida.Greed, selfishness. So you're saying its better to not tax our nation proportionately. and sell bonds to China so they can own us? I'd rather pay to keep my country ours.

[frionelhero]

there is only three ways the government can pay for goods and services. the first and worst way is to print more money, which just inflates the dollar and makes our money worth less. the second is by borrowing money, which is bad because I don't want our country in debt to another country. The third is by taxing the people. Your right that I would rather be taxed then have the government print more money or borrow from China, but there are many ways to tax without taking it from my income.

[TimeWarp66]

@clockerq

How about CUTTING SPENDING! Hello! Stealing more of our money should not be the governments answer. And no, that does not make me greedy or selfish to want to keep the money I have honestly earned while the government steals it having done no productive activity of its own.

[gsuitter]

If "The way to improve the economy is to raise taxes", why not raise taxes to 100%! Just think how great our economy would be then!

[frionelhero]

Yea, Thom Hartmann's statement about the economy and raising taxes is by far the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard.

[coffeeintheface]

Hartmann is one of the biggest idiots I have ever heard in my life. He says that Reagonomics proves that raised taxes increase productivity, yet ignores the fact that Reagan cut taxes but didn't cut government. That's not conservative economics, that's LIBERAL economics without balancing your budget.

He also doesn't seem to understand what market adjustment is, when it comes to deregulation. Everytime I listen to him I want to slam my head on a wall repeatedly.

[frionelhero]

lol, I agree completely. He pisses me off that he says libertarians are Republicans who do drugs and want to get laid. That is so stupid. He even claims he used to be a libertarian...which is REALLY strange.

[coffeeintheface]

The funny thing is that that is exactly what Ayn Rand called libertarians -- she said that libertarians were "hippies of the right". So he's saying the same thing as one of his arch- nemeses, and another person he hates yet also doesn't understand (for instance, Ayn Rand was not a libertarian, and equating libertarian ideas to her is not just disingenuous, it's flat-out wrong).