Taxes and Big Government…again

Will someone please tell the candidates to stop talking about cutting taxes? Every American with a thinking brain knows taxes must be raised. The financial markets are already predicting even McCain would raise taxes.

No one wants to hear that, but of course, it is true, given the state of the federal budget. Even John McCain’s guru for tax cutting, Republican Douglas Holtz-Eakin knows the next President will have to raise taxes: “If you do nothing on the spending side, you’re going to have to raise taxes whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, or a Martian.”

Really?

Then why does Holtz-Eakin have his candidates continue to say, “We will cut taxes, cut taxes, cut taxes”? Because Americans love to hear it. For Republicans, it is part of their brand, and they can’t stop. They can’t stop anymore than they can stop saying, “We’re going to reduce the size of government, and get government out of your life.” Yeah, right.

Why do half of the voters buy that every four years? Are we perpetual optimists or just fools willing to be led to the Land of Oz any day the Rs want to take us there?

I implore you: tell every Republican you meet to stop repeating that baloney. No one believes it anymore.

We know that 91 percent of government spending is uncontrollable: it goes to Defense ($726.1B), Social Security ($730.7B), Medicare $672.3B), Medicaid ($262.7B) and interest on the national debt ($261.3B). The interest number is growing fast due in large measure to the borrowing of Reagan in the 1980s and Bush 43 in the past 7 years. (You wanna see a Republican fluster and bluster before your very eyes? Just remind him/her that Reagan tripled the national debt and Bush 43 has doubled the debt. It'll be one of those rare moments of Republican silence that is more golden than any other silence!)

Someone needs to tell Sarah Palin the truth before she further embarrasses herself by saying “We can find efficiencies in government programs, departments and agencies that will help us reduce spending significantly.” Someone needs to tell her that Bush 43 has already stripped every department and agency of every spare dime to finance his Great Adventures overseas.

Are you tired of these people? Is there no way to get them off the stage?