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Thursday, September 04, 2008
David Strom :: Townhall.com Columnist
Robin Hood Economics
by David Strom
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What was the biggest suprise of Election Day?



You have to give him credit; the Obama tax plan has a lot of appeal to the average voter. The sales pitch, repeatedly endlessly, is that under Obama 95% of Americans would see their taxes go down.

Of course, it’s not as simple as the Democratic candidate would like you to believe. Both the nature of the tax “cuts” Obama puts in place and the tax increases he is trying to sell could have serious impacts on future economic growth. Not to mention the ability of the American economy to get back on track building the number of jobs and growing wealth in this country.

John McCain’s tax plan is far from perfect, but at its core is reducing taxes on job creation and kick-starting the economy. The idea behind the plan is that a good job with a strong and growing business is a far better way to drive Americans’ incomes up than to distribute short-term government handouts, as the Obama plan does.

What is Obama offering? A witch’s brew of tax credits that are aimed at various groups rather than lower taxes for everybody. Obama pays for these tax cuts by increasing the capital gains tax, keeping America’s 2nd highest in the world corporate taxes, and whacking upper-income earners with dramatically higher taxes. All things aimed squarely at reducing economic growth.

Tax credits for some and raising taxes on the wealthy are standard fare for Democrats. Call it Robin Hood economics, which is based on the idea that the idea of wealth in America is fixed and the role of government is to make sure that it gets into the right hands.

Such a plan would make sense if the economy were built on stealing from the poor and giving to the rich; then Obama would be the Robin Hood figure who was simply setting things right by reversing the transaction.

But modern economies build their wealth through investment and job creation, and Obama’s tax plan is aimed squarely at reducing investment and punishing wealth creation. Obama’s tax increases to pay for his new programs amount to billions of dollars on investments.

John McCain’s economic plan is aims to reduce the immediate tax burden of millions of ordinary citizens through tax cuts such as increasing the per-child personal exemption. But it also stimulates the economy by reducing the costs of doing business in the United States. More investment at home means more jobs and higher incomes for Americans.

Not to mention that millions of Americans are counting on their investments to help fund their retirement plans in the coming years, and Obama’s plan takes a bite out of their future wealth. Continued...

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About The Author

David Strom is the President of the Minnesota Free Market Institute. He hosts a weekly radio show on AM-1280 "The Patriot" in Minneapolis-St. Paul, available on podcast at Townhall.com.

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loco
Yes I remember the yacht tax. It was eventually repealed when the odious drunkard Ted Kennedy wanted to buy a yacht, so he used his position of power to pressure the other members of Congress to vote for the repeal. Truly disgusting.

Obama's Marxism
The liberal left in this country wouldn't understand economics if it punched them in the face. I would love to know how many stupid liberals blindly follow Obama who have retirement accounts at work. These dummies don't realize that Obama's capital gains tax increase would have a world of negative impact on them! How utterly stupid can one be?! Another thing I love is how liberals say that republicans like to give tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas. Companies don't ship jobs overseas - they're CHASED overseas by high taxes and regulations. And who's good for doing both? Liberal democrats! Rush Limbaugh is right: Ignorance is the most expensive commodity we pay for. And if Obama gets into office, bend over and grab your ankles.
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