Why are Republicans so obsessed with cutting taxes ?

[Frank Jameson]

I saw Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) on Meet the Press. He was very insistent that there be no tax increases. He said the Republicans wanted to close loop-holes instead.

I wondered why. But then I remembered something I had read a week or so back, about a guy named Grover Norquist. It seems Norquist had gotten all the Congressional Republicans -- except six -- to sign his no tax pledge.

I quote --

"With backing from the Chamber, Norquist – a Harvard MBA and former head of the College Republicans – challenged GOP candidates to take a two-part pledge: that they would never raise taxes, and that they would only close tax loopholes if the additional revenue was used to pay for further tax cuts."

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/grover-norquist-the-billionaires-best-friend-20111109#ixzz1eG1u34lz

OK, what I'm wondering is why does an oath made to a political lobbyist become more important to a U.S. Senator than his oath to the U.S. Constitution ?

And does Kyl's hope to close loop-holes mean the GOP is already thinking about cutting taxes again ?

I'd suggest that anybody who can extract such sacred promises from our lawmakers -- needs to be investigated and exposed to all the voters.

Thank you for permitting me to say this.

[brewens]

1. It's called looting. At the same time they are stealing every

dime they can lay their hands on, having to give any of it back is counterproductive to them. The more they can get and stash away offshore, the more secure their fortunes are. The goal is to be so wealthy that even if the whole world melts down, they come out on top anyway.

Even if they lose 3/4 of their wealth, they will still be fabulously rich. Everyone else will be a peasant servant class.

[RC]

2. Theyu vioalate their Oath of Office when they sign Grover's No New Tax pledge.

Why is that not grounds for impeachment and removal? I believe Congress has a procedure for that.

[Frank Jameson]

18. Tonight 60 Minutes will talk to Norquist ....

... I didn't know that when I posted

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57327872/grover-norquists-sway-over-the-gop/?tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel

[HopeHoops]

3. Because idiots who don't pay any taxes think they are over-taxed.

Well, and because they get most of their campaign money from the top tier.

As long as the private polls are in close vicinity with what Diebold programs the machines to register, they're golden.

[RKP5637]

12. +1, n/t

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. The GOPers hate government social programs. If they cut taxes

the government won't have enough money to fund those social programs and they will dry up. It's not so much that the rich "need" the money; they know that the difference between the 39% top marginal rate during the '90s and the Bush tax cut rate they don't want to let expire isn't enough to make a huge difference to anyone. But aggregated, it's a lot of money for the government to use for things like Social Security and Medicare. The GOPers have hated the very idea of government assistance to the poor ever since FDR did it. They want to dismantle what's left of the New Deal once and for all.

[toddwv]

25. +1

Yep. It's their "starve the beast" agenda that has been going on since Reagan.

[spanone]

5. congress is corrupt, broken, useless and a criminal enterprise....eom

[mmonk]

6. It is part of the cult religion we have been under for the last 30 years.

There is zero proof it works but a belief does not require proof to be an absolute.

[ewagner]

7. It's the Two Santa Claus Theory

such as:

he Two Santa Claus Theory
The Two Santa Claus Theory is a political theory and strategy developed by Jude Wanniski in 1976, which he promoted within the U.S. Republican Party.
The theory states that, in democratic elections, if one party appeals to voters by proposing more spending, then a competing party cannot gain broader appeal by proposing less spending. The "Santa Claus" of the theory title refers to the political party that promises spending. Instead, "Two Santa Claus Theory" recommends that the competing party must assume the role of a second Santa Claus by offering other appealing options.
This theory is a response to the belief of monetarists, and especially Milton Friedman, that the government must be starved of revenue in order to control the growth of spending (since, in the view of the monetarists, spending cannot be reduced by elected bodies as the political pressure to spend is too great).
The "Two Santa Claus Theory" does not argue against this belief, but holds that such arguments cannot be espoused in an effort to win democratic elections. In Wanniski's view, the Laffer curve and supply-side economics provide an attractive alternative rationale for revenue reduction: that the economy will grow, not merely that the government will be starved of revenue. Wanniski argued that Republicans must become the tax-cutting Santa Claus to the Democrats' spending Santa Claus.

[Atman]

8. A pledge to a lobbyist becomes more important because of campaign ads.

Norquist has his own pledge...he's pledged to use Citezens United to run negative ads against anyone who breaks his pledge. Before CU, it was simply the threat of being called a flip-flopper or someone who doesn't keep his word. Those are words of death to anyone trying to run for office. What I find particularly damning is that not one of these Republicans have the spine to stand up and tell Grover Norquist to go pound sand, and that the phony pledge they signed ten years ago is meaningless in light of our current economic crisis. When I was in the 9th grade, I pledged to Mary Wilcox that I'd always love her, while we made out to Led Zeppelin's "Thank You." But I got over it. Time for the Republicans to get over their unrequited love for Grover Norquist.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. 'feathering their own nests'

why would the big corporations and 1% want to be taxed?

[HereSince1628]

10. It's interesting that it's the only campaign promise that seems to hold...

DU witnesses to politicians of all stripes making campaign promises and then quickly retreating from them. The single campaign promise that seems to have any holding power is 'no new taxes'

The average working class teahadist's capacity to project from protecting the wealthy from taxation to their personal meager working class incomes is amazingly strong, boardering on irrational. At the same time, they view the historically demonstrated positive feed back-loops of demand in Keynesian economic dynamics as abstractions akin to whisps of smoke reflected in fun-house mirrors.

[Swede]

11. Racism for many.

Classism for others. Others just doing what they are told.

[MADem]

13. Because it's THEIR MONEY. THEIRS, you see, THEIRS and NO ONE ELSE's!!

They send their kids to the public schools that The Tax Fairy crapped out her ass, apparently--they don't want to pay for those!

They drive on the roads that the Municipal Magician created by waving his magic wand--and they don't want to pay for those, either!

Policemen and Firemen are churned out from the Public Servants Factory--free of charge! What--they cost MONEY? MY MONEY? Oooooh, noooooooo!!!!!

These bastards don't make the connection between the society one enjoys and the contributions that individuals make to it--they're idiots!

[eShirl]

14. Compulsive D-bag Syndrome?

[marlakay]

15. I read the article yesterday

learned a few things I didn't know. I emailed it to someone whose husband is a republican (for money reasons) and they are shaky between D & R.

[Frank Jameson]

17. I would think a lot of people who vote Republican ...

... might quit if they realized just how much power one lobbyist has over their Congressman. Maybe we could do something. Or maybe our friends in the OWS movement could.

After all, who gives more help to the 1% -- than their lobbying shills ?

[BulletproofLandshark]

Because they don't think they owe anything to society at large. n/t

[socialist_n_TN]

16. That's easy. The less tax income to government the less

chance that government can be effective for the rest of us. One thing that they fear above all else is a govenrnment program that WORKS. Because it gives lie to their entire meme that government is the problem.

In addition, when tax revenue is cut and the budget budget is balanced by cuts to those "rest of us" programs, THEN they can come back and say (like W did) that taxes are too high BECAUSE WE HAVE A SURPLUS. So they can cut taxes AGAIN.

It's all part of the plan to starve the government in order to shrink it down enough to be able to "drown it in a bathtub".

[Liberal In Texas]

19. The thing about closing loopholes is that

it is only a temporary fix because lobbyists will either get them reinstated later or have new ones enacted to replace the closed ones.

So their idea is that they agree to close the loopholes in exchange for a lower tax rate then the loopholes start creeping back in prompted by powerful lobbyists. And as we know once the tax rate is lowered you play hell trying to get them raised even if the reduction was temporary.

[libinnyandia]

20. Maybe it is religious. You know how tax collectors are treated in

the Gospels. Paying taxes is like paying for a prostitute:o)

[theophilus]

26. Why don't you look into the Temple tax and see what was supposed to be

provided. The New Testament tells Christians loudly and clearly to obey the laws, support the Government and pay their taxes. This was was the Pagan Roman Empire by the way. Today, taxes supply many benefits to the public that are exactly what Christianity is supposed to stand for. Ignorant Christians who don't even know what the Bible says are causing much of the turmoil in our society. Hold Government accountable and do it right! Don't just scrap the social safety net. Love your enemies, do good to all men as you have a chance and especially to others in the "household of faith". Something like 97 percent of Americans claim religion and most Christianity. Help them....no questions asked. Through private means OR government means.....God demands that they be helped unless you want to give up your immortality as a Christian. Deal with it.

[libinnyandia]

27. I agree. But so many right wingers are so selective in what they

take from scriptures, thy ignore the second of the two Commandments: love thy neighbor as thyself.

[Scruffy1]

21. Kyl is as stupid and corrupt as his father was.n/t

[Amonester]

22. Because they are bribed with thousands upon thousands of dough.

And they want more.

[patrice]

23. Because their ponzi scheme is collapsing & their FOREIGN masters call for their pounds of flesh.

[theophilus]

24. It's all about cutting government and oversight by elected officials. The

powers that be want no regulation and nothing to keep them from doing whatever they want to do. They want to be the new royalty the new emperors.

[L. Coyote]

28. To break up the USA and steal the public lands and all the mineral wealth

Perhaps I should say to steal it again, since it legally still belongs to the Native Nations.