The Republican Nomination For President: The Race For The Race For The White House

and the press (largely owned and controlled by conservatives)

What about the high school seniors who give birth to their boyfriends' babies and then show up at a college in the fall, and sit and gossip during their classes or text constantly? The babies would be better off aborted.

Women have used abortifacients probably since Cro-Magnon days.

What if the motherly instinct says not to have this child?

Has anyone who is against abortion for religious reasons ever considered that perhaps God wanted people to figure out how to abort a fetus?

Perhaps, the woman is glad that she aborted a child who is mentally or physically defective.

Perhaps, she is glad that she aborted a child she could not afford to adequately feed, clothe and shelter.

I say the unnatural woman gives her child up for adoption particularly when the adopting couple are Christian, right-wing conservative Republicans.

First of all, what extreme secrecy?

Second, perhaps to protect herself from the pro-life fanatics.

I think you have misinterpreted what I wrote unless you plan on making a pro-choice argument.

Rick Perry’s MAXTAX vs. Stephen Moore’s MAXTAX
October 25, 2011 12:42 A.M.
By Reihan Salam

In the latest Wall Street Journal, Rick Perry offers his tax proposal. It is an embarrassment. Though there is more to Perry’s op-ed, I’ll limit my discussion (for now) to his reform of the personal income tax:

Quote:

The plan starts with giving Americans a choice between a new, flat tax rate of 20% or their current income tax rate. The new flat tax preserves mortgage interest, charitable and state and local tax exemptions for families earning less than $500,000 annually, and it increases the standard deduction to $12,500 for individuals and dependents.

This simple 20% flat tax will allow Americans to file their taxes on a postcard, saving up to $483 billion in compliance costs. By eliminating the dozens of carve-outs that make the current code so incomprehensible, we will renew incentives for entrepreneurial risk-taking and investment that creates jobs, inspires Americans to work hard and forms the foundation of a strong economy. My plan also abolishes the death tax once and for all, providing needed certainty to American family farms and small businesses.

The claim regarding compliance costs is absurd, as Americans will presumably have to determine their tax liability under the current tax code and under Rick Perry’s new “flat” tax code. Unlike the Hall-Rabushka flat tax, it arbitrarily preserves various exemptions and deductions for households earning less than $500,000.

Basically, everyone who pays less under the current tax code will choose Door No. 1 and everyone who would pay less under Rick Perry’s new alternative tax code will choose Door No. 2. Rick Perry’s proposal is not a flat tax. Rather, it is an alternative maximum tax or MAXTAX.

Back in 1996, Stephen Moore, now a member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board, proposed a MAXTAX. Moore’s proposal was in every respect more attractive than Perry’s:

Quote:

The feature that is missing from the flat tax is the right to choose. If some Americans don’t want to give up the current system, why force them to? Why not allow every taxpayer to choose between the current income tax system or an alternative post maximum tax (MAXTAX) with a flat rate of 25 percent of gross income that could be filled out on a postcard return? Only one deduction would be permitted under the MAXTAX: a credit for the payroll tax paid–7.65 percent for a salaried worker and 15.3 percent for a self-employed worker.

See that? Moore eliminated virtually all exemptions and deductions, leaving only a credit for payroll tax paid. And on top of that, his rate is considerably higher than Perry’s. Moreover, Moore doesn’t pretend that a MAXTAX would eliminate compliance costs. He only claims that it might lower than considerably, perhaps in acknowledgment of the fact that most households would have to compute their liability under both codes.

Essentially, what Perry has done is reverse the Buffett Rule. He has guaranteed that no American will ever pay more than 20 percent of her income in federal taxes. Indeed, affluent homeowners living in high-tax jurisdictions like New York city and Los Angeles earning up $499,000 will likely pay much less than that, as they’ll continue to have access to the mortgage interest, charitable and state and local tax exemptions. Under Moore’s MAXTAX, these households would be treated the same as affluent households in Houston or Palm Beach or Clinton, Iowa who for whatever reason (good sense?) choose to purchase less expensive homes.

This plan defies credulity. One is reminded of Tim Pawlenty’s tax and spending proposals, released shortly before he dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. The difference is that Perry has managed to raise a considerable sum of money. One wonders how much of it comes from various friends and allies who have been beneficiaries of the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, and whether the Obama campaign might see fit to mention that fact if Perry does indeed secure the Republican presidential nomination.

My plan also abolishes the death tax once and for all, providing needed certainty to American family farms and small businesses.