Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Arkansas Politics That No. 2 business
Posted by Max Brantley on Tue, Oct 12, 2010 at 11:16 AM
The debate for lieutenant governor is underway.
It's about as pointless as it is every four years. Two people vying to preside over the Senate are talking about job creation. As if.
Shane Broadway is getting in some digs at Republican Mark Darr's fondness for the so-called "fair tax" — in actuality a regressive and huge sales tax as the state's revenue generator. Broadway, of course, actually voted to cut significantly the sales tax on food. Darr's big "fair" sales tax would reinstate it and then some, a crushing blow to people least able to pay.
Shane Broadway's Twitters here.
Broadway goes for Darr's jugular for his refusal to swear off state and national sales tax plans that could jack taxes on purchased goods by 45 percent.
Darr's comeback seems to be that Broadway supported the gas severance tax increase (led by former GOP committeeman Sheffield Nelson) and the fuel tax increase for building highways. Too bad the severance tax increase wasn't enough to pay for all the damage the gas drillers have done to our state. Mark Darr presumably thinks that's just dandy.
BROADWAY NEWS RELEASE
Lieutenant Governor candidate Mark Darr reasserted his support of a staggering 38 percent in new sales taxes on everything Arkansans buy including every single pizza, television, shotgun, automobile, or bag of groceries.
When asked about his support for a new 15 percent state sales tax and 23 percent national sales tax, which together would add up to some 38 percent in new taxes, Darr stuck with his earlier position that it was a good idea.
“It’s hard to believe that any small business owner would support 38 percent sales tax,” said Shane Broadway, candidate for Lieutenant Governor. “Hard working Arkansans don’t need a bigger burden on their wallets during these tough economic times, they need tax relief. Small businesses along Arkansas’s border would be shut down by the loss of customers to other states if Mark Darr has his way.”
Broadway continued, “I’m on the side of Arkansas families and small businesses. I’ve voted to cut taxes by more than $500 million on everything from groceries to diesel fuel to income taxes. As a businessman and economic developer, I’ve worked with business, industry, educators, entrepreneurs and working Arkansas to grow and create hundreds of jobs in our state. They deserve a strong voice as their Lieutenant Governor, someone who knows how to cut taxes and create jobs, and I’m that guy. I can do it, because I’ve done it.”
Darr also seconded his support of a plan to give Wall Street control of our Social Security trust fund, risking American’s retirements on the whims of the stock market.
Speaking of...
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Mark Darr: Hypocrite of the day
March 6, 2012I mentioned yesterday Attorney General Dustin McDaniel's new website on consumer issues and advertising campaign for that effort supported by money he won in a lawsuit settlement. /more/
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Comments (7)
Showing 1-7 of 7
actually the Fair Tax is the most intelligent and "fair" way of punishing consumption as opposed to production there is...that is...IF you understand it.
but this is a wealth-envy site and the blinders are on most of the time because it's easier to lay in bed and take from those who produce and then whine about being behind or a loser. The fair tax has a prebate and you get your whole paycheck (if you work but that's silly to do) so you can decide how YOU want to spend or invest (silly, who would invest) it.
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HoodLifter, spoken like someone who doesn't understand the basics of how your so-called 'Fair Tax' would work.
Let's see, with 2/3rds of our economy based on consumer spending, let's do something incredibly stupid like 'punish consumption' (your words) and that should put everyone back to work, right? Maybe in some alternate universe consisting of folks who also bought into trickle-down economics back in the 80s. Remember trickle-down? That's the concept that what the rich folks spilled would be enough to satisfy the 95% of folks who made up the middle- and lower-classes.
And since it punishes consumption, it has a snowball's chance in hell. You will have rioting in the streets if you touch the mortgage interest deduction.
In any case, I'm not sure what's fair about a family that lives from paycheck to paycheck paying taxes on 100% of their income, while a trust fund family that spends 10% of their income only paying taxes on that 10%.
Bubba pays taxes on 100%, Kim Kardashian pays taxes on 10%. I guess that's fair, if you leave it up to E News. I would be more interested in fairness as it applies to the working men and women of this state.
“Shane Broadway is getting in some digs at Republican Mark Darr's . . .”
Good for Broadway. I’m beginning to wish he’ run for Snyder’s seat. He’d have Griffin’s ass nailed to the wall by now, I’m thinkin’. Great to see Elliott (finally) getting tougher, but it’s probably too late. A pity.
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Hoodlifter is having some fun. No one is that dumb.
Are they?
Maybe he believes the red meat Boozman has tossed out. Boozman ain't gonna let the Fair Tax happen. Not in our life times. Bankers/financiers will not allow him or his buddies to screw up a system that pays them hugely. 30% sales tax (due instantly) on the sale of a residence or auto would kill the industry over night.
Lest Hood has not been paying attention since there's little "production" left in the USA, thanks to Sam Walton and gang. There's huge auto parts manufacturing in Mexico and many components of "American made" autos are made in Mexico for
$2 hr labor.
Drug dealers would jump for joy should a sales tax be used to replace income tax. There would be no more means testing by IRS and hence no need to launder drug profits. I can see the Goodfellas loving it too. Black markets being their specialty and having a huge one delivered by dumb-ass T'baggers would jump start the Mafia to their golden days.
But again, I spectulate. It ain't going to happen.
making or encouraging policy simply to encourage consumption is not smart as history dictates. that's why QE2 is going to end badly. that's your first mistake in your argument. you liberals always want things to be done unnaturally and in an inorganic fashion. like kicking the can down the road on buying cars or foreclosures. it stares you right in the face but because it doesn't "feel" good you don't like it because liberals are all about what is expedient and what feels good. it's never about what is logical, sane, and natural...letting forces of supply and demand and survival of the fittest and winners and losers and econ 101.
you reward production and great products and services and efficiency and you tax consumption so that it is done in a thoughtful and frugal manner. because you have to tax at all.
hey Sound Policy...did you join the wealth-envy crowd because you don't have the foundation in your soul to compete so you gave up and started whining? get stoked and find a way to compete. it's good for the soul. and our country.
Adapting a Mark Twain quote...
"In the first place God made idiots. This was for practice. Then he made right-wingers."
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