Hey candidates... higher taxes aren't Patriotic...

I agree and disagree, higher taxes is not going to solve any problem they will make problems worse. Cutting taxes are okay but what we really need is to cut government. Reducing the size of government will be the same as cutting taxes only better because there will be less money needed by the government. Get rid of all the crap created with President Johnson’s “Great Society” it bankrupted the nation once, no, twice in my lifetime. A trillion dollars of social security trust fund money was spent on making America a great society. The money is gone with nothing to show for it. The Congress of 1967 should be arrested and shot for treason.

Biden is just an idiot, and what's really sad is so many democrats believe this nonsense.

I agree ID. What puzzles me is why you don't see them sending the government a personal check now, since they don't feel they are paying enough. Why do they believe everyone needs to pay to support their beliefs?

  You don't even see them donating to charity very much.  Biden averaged a donation of about $350/yr over the past decade.  It's fine for him to dictate what's patriotic for us.  He was telling the truth about how they intend to TAKE our money though.

Unfortunately the issue is too complicated to be boiled town to "higher" or "lower" taxes. In some cases higher taxes on a certain commodity, business or income bracket is a bad thing. In other cases, it helps immensely. On the flip side, lowering taxes, depending on where they are lowered, can equally help or hurt the big picture.

So, where, who, what and by how much does Biden propose to increase taxes? As with all things in life, the devil is in the details so if you can answer those questions then you'll be in a better place to make a judgement call as to whether or not it's a good thing.

Furthermore, there really won't be much of a choice in the matter- at some point along the line U.S taxes either must go up, OR major government cuts are going to have to happen. Why? U.S deficit is currently at 9.5 trillion. The federal reserve has spent almost 1 trillion dollars in the last year and will now get hundreds of billions of dollars more of taxpayer money to bail out the big banks. Someone will have to pay for it. Also, keep in mind the estimated 3 trillion (or more) cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus ongoing commitments and expenses to maintain almost 800 military bases outside of your county's border.

All of that cost is essentially going on the biggest credit card in history. What does this mean? Foreign countries, with their massive trade surpluses with the U.S have been buying hundreds of billions of dollars worth of U.S government treasuries bills, the actual worth of which is backed by the "full faith and credit" of the United States Government. When these countries start to unload these T-bills (which they have been doing gradually for the last year and half now) the good times come to an end and suddenly the U.S has no more money, other than what you print. If you get to this point where you have to print money to make things better, you get hyper inflation hello Weimar Germany.

Regardless, you come to a point where either the bill must be paid, or, you walk away from the debt and declare that you owe nothing (micro scale this is walking away from a house and declaring bankruptcy, macro scale this was Germany in the 1930's defaulting on war reparation payments and most recently Argentina telling the IMF and World Bank they could go screw themselves and their massive debt)

So, if the U.S is ever going to pay this debt you either must raise taxes or cut government spending to the bone.

If this is never going to be repaid, then the U.S must be prepared to use it's only remaining recognized international asset, it's military, to keep itself solvent on international markets (recognize that we no longer have any debt and continue to trade with us or we bomb you!!)

The military option is very scary to say the least and could be very, very bad for a lot of people.

The tax vs cut option then raises the question as to what kind of society you want to live in.

What's more important? the good of private businesses or the public?

Who's more important? The board of directors and captains of industry or the will and sentiment of the common man?

If taxes aren't raised, then the government cuts would have to be massive. This would mean either the complete deconstruction of the U.S military aparatus overseas, bringing ALL the troops home (might be good for domestic disturbances that will be bound to happen)

-or- deconstruction of social programs, welfare (that applies to retirement for old people as well, meaning grandpa and grandma would suddenly be in a pickle) medicare, universal education, infrastructure, all of it would need to be cut to the bone.

In which case, you would then live in a country in which your tax dollars would only be spent on the military and police, essentially. There is a term that encompasses this kind of country; "banana republic"

Didn't Obama say he would cut taxes for 95% of Americans?

 

Isn't that  ...  unpatriotic? 

I have to laugh in the face of the hypocrits on the left who say that higher taxes are "patriotic".  No one is stopping them from donating all they can to the Federal Government.  No one is telling Obama, Biden or any other Federal Employee that they have to accept their paycheck and benefits package. 

Just think how much money the federal government would save if all the Senators and Representatives who are financially independant simply told the paymasters to keep their paychecks and defund their benefits packages.

Just think of how much more money the government would have if the Kennedies, Obamas, Kerrys, Michael Moore, Barbra Streisand, the Baldwins, and all the others would pay in taxes what they would have if there were no "Bush Tax Cuts".   Why are they waiting to see if Obama wins?  Why don't they take the initiative and start donating the amount that their "patriotism" would demand after Obama's tax plan goes into effect. 

For that matter, why do they use tax deductions.  If higher taxes are patriotic, then how unpatriotic of them to seek to reduce their taxable income level, just to avoid the full extent of their patriotic duty.

Why aren't the best and brightest lefties of the Music Industry forming USA for USA, singing songs and organizing concerts to pay down the debt?  Oh yeah, they are singing songs and organizing concerts, not to pay down the debt but to fill Obama's warchest.

If all of what they claim to be for can be done voluntarily, why do they only seem interested in making sure it is done by force?

btw, if paying higher taxes is patriotic, isn't Obama discriminating against the poor and middle class by reducing their opportunity to show their patriotism?  ;~D

Finally!  Some one gets the real issue!

Is Biden then saying that only rich Americans can be Patriotic?  Or does he want poor americans to be patrioitic too?

Democrats want all americans to be patriotic apparently, they just dont tell you that before you elect them.

What about the 40% of Americans that now effectively pay 0 Federal taxes? I guess if you fall into this "tax" bracket and have the same view point as Dallas Mavericks Josh Howard link then the whole patriotic thing is not even an issue. Current polls would suggest that voters with Howard's sentiments would be more likely to vote for Obama over McCain, so Biden's statement provides an out for a percentage of his tickets supporters.