The fiscal curb has been jumped!

[bottomfeeder]

We have a government problem. If someone is employed by the federal government, then they are a liberal because their salary and benefits are a direct result of tax revenue. If they then become private sector and their income is still derived from tax revenue, they remain a liberal. Only until they have freed themselves totally from receiving direct benefits of taxation, whether it be retirement pension, healthcare or a number of other government benefits, then they will truly never be a conservative. When cost of living increases are accrued through either government debt or raised taxes, then that person is a monetary beneficiary of said revenue. SS is not considered a direct benefit of revenue because the contributions have already been withheld from that person's PRIVATE SECTOR PAYCHECKS.

http://www.docjax.com/document/view.shtml?id=1604281&title=Multiple%20Choice%20Tutorial%20Chapter%2012%20Fiscal%20Policy



http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/02/2012-index-of-dependence-on-government

https://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/2012/pdf/sr104.pdf

How the Monetary System and Government Spending Impact Investment

 The United States Federal government has zero debt.http://malthusiannectar.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/how-the-monetary-system-and-government-spending-impact-investment

[AWK]

There was a reduction in payroll taxes starting in 2011 that was extended into 2012.  The past two years it was at 4.2% roughly.  Starting yesterday, it is now back at 6.2%. 

They did not address this and are going to allow it to go back to 6.2%.  They instituted it in 2011 to promote growth in the economy.   This money is used to fund Social Security and other programs.  They were using general funds to replace the loss of money over the last 2 years.

Long story short, you are going to pay more taxes...  Like Howard said, we have to deal with this shit sandwich.

[War Eagle!!!]

Which is why the Republicans walked out in the beginning...

I said before I don't mind paying higher taxes. What I have a problem with is what the money is going to.

I like what Romney said in the first debate..."I would eliminate all programs that we don't want to borrow money to pay for". That should pretty much get us on the right track.

I really really like my Verizon FIOS at the house. And even my iphone and service. Those 2 bills are probably $350 for the house hold. Those bills would some of the first to go if I couldn't make my mortgage payment.

Why is the federal government not set up the same way?

[bottomfeeder]

Which is why the Republicans walked out in the beginning...

I said before I don't mind paying higher taxes. What I have a problem with is what the money is going to.

I like what Romney said in the first debate..."I would eliminate all programs that we don't want to borrow money to pay for". That should pretty much get us on the right track.

I really really like my Verizon FIOS at the house. And even my iphone and service. Those 2 bills are probably $350 for the house hold. Those bills would some of the first to go if I couldn't make my mortgage payment.

Why is the federal government not set up the same way?

Because they have the printer.

[AUChizad]

There was a reduction in payroll taxes starting in 2011 that was extended into 2012.  The past two years it was at 4.2% roughly.  Starting yesterday, it is now back at 6.2%. 

They did not address this and are going to allow it to go back to 6.2%.  They instituted it in 2011 to promote growth in the economy.   This money is used to fund Social Security and other programs.  They were using general funds to replace the loss of money over the last 2 years.

Long story short, you are going to pay more taxes...  Like Howard said, we have to deal with this shit sandwich.

Should have been addressed. Regardless, if no agreement was met, those taxes would have gone up with another 2-3% in income taxes.

I have not stated that what was on the table was the best possible scenario. But it was going to be way, way worse, had no agreement been made.

These things should have been addressed, and our dysfunctional Congress should have gotten their shit together long before an hour before the catastrophe were set to take place, and addressed it.

[GH2001]

Should have been addressed. Regardless, if no agreement was met, those taxes would have gone up with another 2-3% in income taxes.

I have not stated that what was on the table was the best possible scenario. But it was going to be way, way worse, had no agreement been made.

These things should have been addressed, and our dysfunctional Congress should have gotten their shit together long before an hour before the catastrophe were set to take place, and addressed it.

Last sentence is the best point in your post. They waited until the last min and then come up with this craptastic deal to avoid the looming cliff. Bs.

[AWK]

Should have been addressed. Regardless, if no agreement was met, those taxes would have gone up with another 2-3% in income taxes.

I have not stated that what was on the table was the best possible scenario. But it was going to be way, way worse, had no agreement been made.

These things should have been addressed, and our dysfunctional Congress should have gotten their shit together long before an hour before the catastrophe were set to take place, and addressed it.

Oh, I agree.  But we kicked the fucking can, instead of trying to solve the problem.  Inept.

[GH2001]

Oh, I agree.  But we kicked the fucking can, instead of trying to solve the problem.  Inept.

Zack Lee. 

Picking the lesser of two evils wasn't a good strategy.

[bottomfeeder]

$70+ billion in pork/tax breaks added to the bill.

[bottomfeeder]

There never was a fiscal cliff, they just couldn't stop spending within their means. That's all the whole damn was about.

If the Republicans want to do something serious about spending, now is their chance.  The battle over tax rates is already over, and there is no election in November.

The Republicans could conceivably say “NO” to a debt ceiling increase if they want to.  If that happened, the federal government would only be able to spend the money that it already has.  It would not be able to borrow more.  That would mean that we would have to start living within our means.

http://theintelhub.com/2013/01/03/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-the-fiscal-cliff-deal/

[bottomfeeder]

Let the Black Market flourish.

For the record:

Section 4191 of the Internal Revenue Code now imposes an excise tax on the sale of certain medical devices.

The tax applies to sales of taxable medical devices after Dec. 31, 2012.

The tax is 2.3 percent of the sale price of the taxable medical device. See Chapter 5 of IRS Publication 510, Excise Taxes, and Notice 2012-77 for additional information on the determination of sale price

http://theintelhub.com/2013/01/03/welcome-to-obamacare-yet-another-tax-that-has-been-heaped-on-you-effective-jan-1-2013/

[Saniflush]

define "taxable medical devices"

[AUChizad]

Yeah. Sucks.

However, Cabella's fucked up and accidentally taxed its customers for non "Medical Devices".

http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/medicaldevice.asp

Why the medical device excise tax should have been applied to all the items listed in the receipts pictured above is something of a mystery.  The state of Texas (where these receipts are said to have originated) allows sellers to pass along the expense of the new medical device excise tax to customers by "separately stating a line item charge on the invoice or receipt given to their customers for 'Federal Excise Tax' or something similar," but the vendor, Cabela's, is a retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise not known for selling medical devices, and the items listed in the receipts (such as a Ruger Attache Pistol Case) would not seem by any stretch of the imagination to fit FDA definitions of medical devices.  It's possible that some vendors switched over to new sales software on 1 January 2013 that was programmed to accommodate the new tax but improperly applied it to all purchases rather than just those of qualifying medical devices.

(Some Cabela's customers have since told us that they were informed the chain's cash registers did indeed manifest a glitch starting on 1 January 2013 that improperly imposed the medical device excise tax surcharge on non-qualifying merchandise and were advised to contact Cabela's customer service department and request refunds for the overcharges.)

[GH2001]

Yeah. Sucks.

However, Cabella's fucked up and accidentally taxed its customers for non "Medical Devices".

http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/medicaldevice.asp

It's still messed up that it's required to charge an "excise" tax for medical devices, to help pay for obamacare.

[War Eagle!!!]

It's still messed up that it's required to charge an "excise" tax for medical devices, to help pay for obamacare.

I would rather it be broken out like that too instead of just things costing more. I think people will get more pissed if they see it broken out like that.

[CCTAU]

I would rather it be broken out like that too instead of just things costing more. I think people will get more pissed if they see it broken out like that.

I'm not sure I could get "more" pissed!

[Townhallsavoy]

I would rather it be broken out like that too instead of just things costing more. I think people will get more pissed if they see it broken out like that.

That'd be nice. 

It'd also be nice if a receipt read like this:

Best Buy

1 42' Vizio Television   $1000

Subtotal: $1000
Tax: $80
Total: $1080

Account# ******80085
Cash Back: $0

Food stamps: $10
Defense: $15
Obamacare: $15
Government Salaries: $10
Unemployment Benefits: $10
Education: $10
State: $10

[Saniflush]

So I just received my first paycheck since this fiasco came about.

So long sad little three percent that I obviously didn't really need.

[dallaswareagle]

So I just received my first paycheck since this fiasco came about.

So long sad little three percent that I obviously didn't really need.

3% is such a little number till it applied to a larger number (my paycheck) and made it a much smaller number.

Fuck'em all.

[GH2001]

So I just received my first paycheck since this fiasco came about.

So long sad little three percent that I obviously didn't really need.

HE....THEY...decided someone else needed it more than you. I can't for the life of me understand how half of this country can be ok with the concept of very unnatural social engineering. As Thatcher said, eventually you run out of other people's money to spend.