What Mainstream Media Misses At Allen West's May 2011 Town Hall

Run time: 03:03 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BKDPAm7wWQ   Posted on YouTube: May 18, 2011 By YouTube Member: dptilson Views on YouTube: 125   Posted on DU: May 18, 2011 By DU Member: bear425 Views on DU: 975

 
I was there and let me tell you it was creepy. Lots of local police, in uniform and out, plus secret service guys.

Many of the audience were supporters of West, but I know that they weren't all constituents. The lady, and I use the term loosely, in front of me even admitted to being in Debbie Wasserman Schultz' district. So, the sycophants are following him in order to fill up the rooms and control the message.

This really wasn't a "town hall" as the audience was not permitted any follow up comments or even to speak. The authoritarian followers loved it.

We have got to get this guy voted out next election. I just hate to see all the damage he will cause until then.

Ii is a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Spending on empiric wars, and debt service.

For just 2011, over $1.2 trillion will be spent on defense, black ops, previous military debt, etc. The overall deficit is $1.6+ trillion. $100 to 200 billion year in lost income tax revenue is not going to come close to making serious dent in the deficit.

I completely agree with you that the wealthiest individuals should have not received extensions of the Bush tax cuts, but this is just a start. The US has to stop the empiric war spending and finally hold the financial systemic controllers to account.

Throughout the history of the last 65+ years, whatever the tax rates were for individuals and corporations have been, the most total revenue the Federal government has ever taken in is around 20% of the GDP. It fluctuates between 15% and 20% no matter what they do. Plus, the US GDP is now, as a percentage, composed to higher level of financial, banking transactions (not tangible good production, etc) than at any other time in its history.




What is needed is a 1% Tobin tax (a Wall Street sales tax, if you will) on all financial transactional turnover (with a $1 million bottom floor exemption on the first million dollars).

Combine that with at least a 50 to 60% reduction in war machine spending, and you have a balanced budget, the ability to start to pay down the national debt, and finally justice where the banksters are forced to pay their fair share of national upkeep. As of now they exist in an almost pure fascistic state, where they keep private 'profits' in the trillions, and yet get bailed out by having the trillions of real losses dumped onto the citizens.


This is a sample of the Bush income tax cuts

1998 - 828.6 in billions of constant dollars (1998 = 100)
1999 - 860.5
2000 - 950.9
2001 - 915.1 Bush tax cuts passed in June 2001
2002 - 777.7
2003 - 703.1
2004 - 698.1
2005 - 773.8
2006 - 844.0 5 years later tax revenue was still down from 2001

http://www.koch2congress.com/7.html

Taking the highest year (2001) and subtracting 2006 (844.0 5 years later tax revenue was still down from 2001) you come up with only a $106 billion difference. Taking the lowest year (2004) from the 2001 totals you get $252 billion. These numbers are dwarfed by the spending on the war machine alone.

in order to facilitate cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. I agree with you on the cost of war, but if the wealthy were sharing in the tax burden, cuts to benefit programs would become a non-issue. I'm sure you agree.

West is right (but not for truthful reasons), it is a spending issue (for the vast bulk of the problem), but he attacks the wrong things, and is a hideous war monger who will NEVER vote to cut the military. Look again at the chart I supplied for US TOTAL tax revenues (not just income tax). No matter what the rate has been over the last 65 years, you only get a 20% max take of GDP. If the GDP of the US is 15 Trillion (and I can make a strong case that this is a cooked, vastly inflated number), and you take 20% out in total tax revenue, this is only 3 trillion dollars. Yet the government is spending (officially) close to 4 trillion a year, and in reality, (counting off budget items and accounting tricks) close to 5 trillion.

Yes, taxing the rich via a fair income tax is important, but it doesn't come close to closing the huge deficits. Look at the percentage of GDP taken in tax when the top rate for the rich was 90% under Eisenhower. It didn't raise enough then, and certainly will not now. They will simply hide their income via loopholes, or move it off-shore. The only way to cut the deficits is to drastically cut war spending, close up many tax loopholes, institute a single-payer not-for-profit health care system, end the private Federal Reserve, and institute a Tobin tax of some sorts.

Good luck getting ANY of these done, no matter which of the two puppet parties are in power.

Also, a violation of the First Ammendment.