We can’t control spending through the budget process because the Democrats refuse to pass a budget and every time the debt ceiling is raised, they consider it a budget.

Thus, don’t raise the debt ceiling. This is our last and final option to fight the current behemoth.

Then, pass a budget that is balanced and watch the Democrats _have_ to pass a budget in the Senate (finally) in order to even try to negotiate a lower raise in the debt ceiling and/or a smaller deficit.

* Working less is a viable option. It’s my preferred option — goof off now to work another day later… But that’s just me…
* Take a few business deductible trips or continuing education.
* Buy some business things that you may or may not need, but are business deductions. Your work office can always use a couple backup big screen TVs — store them at home if you must…
* Talk to your accountant on how to set up and execute various loop holes that let you redirect your excess income into other financial vehicles that pay less tax. There’s deep catalog of tricks accountants used to use to ‘hide’ income back before Reagan cut tax rates down from way over 50%. Just brush the dust off and get busy at being inefficient.
* Stash as much money in tax deductible (pension) benefits as you can.

When that’s exhausted, there’s always the fall back — Charge more for the goods and services that you provide.

Why should a wealthy person get a $7,000 tax credit for buying a Volt? for buying new windows that happen to be energy efficient, and of course at the Corporate level we see GE exhausting their ability to find credits until their tax bill looks as if they did not pay.

Simplicity would be fairer. No Gimmicks like the Volt tax credit. Simplicity does not need to be Audited, no games have to be justified with attorneys and accountants. (Uh oh, less work for these nice people.)

So, I agree that they may say that taxes are going up, by way of less deductions and fewer games. The media will want to label anyone with the Norquist tax pledge a cop out, and the tea party might too, if they are literalist, but I don’t think it should count against a pledge if you change some loopholes that other tax payers feel are equally unfair. I think Norquist needs to express his opinion on these loopholes too as a guideline, because the media will MASACRE his people as a way to alienate us one from another.

I think that Congress should re write the tax code, with a rule of simplicity, and following the Simpson Bowles guideline, Obama’s own initiative, that I think said taxes/spending should only be based on 21% of GDP. I really don’t think that is To Be with the gridlock in Washington, and Harry Reid spending what should be his retirement years causing trouble in the Senate.

But here is something else they could condsider.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_minimum_tax

Although the AMT was originally enacted to target 155 high-income households, it now affects millions of families each year. The number of households that pay the tax has increased significantly in the last decade: In 1997, for example, 605,000 taxpayers paid the AMT;[50] by 2008, the number of affected taxpayers jumped to 3.9 million, or about 4% of individual taxpayers.[51] A total of 27% of households that paid the AMT in 2008 had adjusted gross income of $200,000 or less.

The AMT should be indexed to the incomes of X million dollars and up. I am a conservative too, but there is no reason for republicans to continue to treat people who make 250K as if they are millionaires and billionaires. I don’t like it when people like Liz Warren says a billionaire makes $250K, and I guess I don’t like it when republicans operating under their divided we fall, treat people in the $200K -$250K income level that way BY DEFAULT. Republicans do themselves no favors with high taxes on families making $75-$250K where a lot of benefits fall off. That is the real middle class, not Obama’s New Normal middle class person who makes $40K. (You in the outback will have to believe me.)

The taxes on married $250K leave a family with half their money after taxes. OR LESS when you add in state local/property taxes.

Optimally, state taxes need to be deductible from the federal bill. I know the states differ on income tax, but property taxes are higher where there is no state tax, and those need to be part of the tax bill. And the poor they complain that they pay Social Security taxes, Medicaid and Medicare. Some of that is a tax, and some of it is for you. That is open to exploration. …And then, we should be able to deduct from our federal bill our Obama care inspired taxes…WHATEVER THEY ARE, since it is not forthcoming….

The ideas might need to be generated from outside of D.C., and submitted to the Congress for their consideration, with a prize given for simplicity, cheap enforcement, and no tricks.

In the meantime, The House needs to push spending cuts, and publish how expensive the Obama Administration big government is to run compared to 2008. I want charts and graphs and slogans.

That’s why the best strategy is to simply say “no deal” or propose something Obama will have to shoot down, like repealing parts of Obamacare.

Let the tax rates reset back to the Clinton levels. The middle class will then understand elections have consequences and Obama is going to take a hit for holding the middle class hostage to get his tax increase on the 1%.

His whole campaign was the “Clinton model”, let him have it.

My advice? Propose something like a “billionaire’s tax” and make it absurdly high. It will affect something like 20 people in this country (most of the Obama bundlers) and then Republicans can actually craft a tax plan that helps grow the economy instead of getting stuck “defending tax cuts for the rich.”

Looking for a third party that really believes in small government and takes no stand on social issues; because if you can’t get the fiscal house in order, the social issues don’t matter – and if you get your fiscal house in order, a large number of the social issues resolve themselves.

Some previously wise House members have been cowed by the last election. They’ve misread the results to mean that more compromise somehow will translate into future electoral victory. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Now you’ve got people like Chambliss dropping their anti-tax pledge. The Vichy-Republicans are on the rise.

Democrats have successfully stopped the Senate from functioning. Yet where are the repercussions? How about a weekly press conference from Republican leadership pointing out what they’ve done as opposed to what the Senate has done? Anybody there…hellooo?

Republicans problem is they can’t get Republicans to the voting booth. It’s not about appealing to some demographic or throwing a bone to the moochers. It’s about principle and articulating a vision that people can relate to.

This crop of so-called leadership is a failure. And under their stewardship we will see the Republican Party demise.

Good riddance.

I think this proposal is a really bad idea and the GOP needs to walk away from it..Period..:)

Dire Straits on November 24, 2012 at 7:14 AM

Fixed..:)

If the GOP gives Obama increased revenue without raising rates, the Dems will still use it as an issue in 2014 and 2016. The GOP must insist on Obama making a first proposal and it must be done publicly and open to scrutiny. The GOP leaders should not say anything more until Obama does this. They must insist on a Federal Budget coming out of the Senate before they sign off on anything.Defund the Obamanation. That is your weapon. Use it!!!

K Michael ODonovan on November 24, 2012 at 2:27 AM

…late to the party….but…THIS! ^ ^ ^

So you’re writing off your kids’ and grandkids’ future and hoping your great-grandkids do better than the Russians “post-Communism”.

Steve Eggleston on November 23, 2012 at 9:43 PM

Actually, yes. If there isn’t a revolution in the USA to fix things, then I’ll help my kids and grandchildren move out.

W.T.F. is there nobody in Congress capable of thinking?

You people don’t even have the negotiating skills of Charlie Brown arranging for a kickoff with Lucy as the holder.

You’d think the RINO’s would learn from the Liberal Spendocrats: How about proposing spending cuts NOW, and tax increases 10 years from now?

Just give the Marxists what they want, and let them hang themselves.

The Rogue Tomato on November 23, 2012 at 9:39 PM

So you’re writing off your kids’ and grandkids’ future and hoping your great-grandkids do better than the Russians “post-Communism”.

We need to elect Ben Dover.

He loves to compromise over and over like a con in name only.

SparkPlug on November 23, 2012 at 7:00 PM

We didn’t already?