The next 4 years - Americans will make even less money

While I agree in general that economic activity increases when taxes are lowered, I'm not sure I buy your argument that higher taxes for athletes will trickle down to cause higher ticket prices. Well, let me be clearer. Sure, team owners could use that as an excuse to raise prices. However, according to your argument shouldn't the Bush tax cuts have caused ticket prices to drop in the last few years because athletes and owners were taxed less? Did ticket prices fall? I don't think they did but I don't go to many games so I'm not positive.

I think you were using baseball tickets as a symbol for all goods so let me address that. Will prices of non-discretionary items at Walmart, Target, Costco, Gap go up because of the higher taxes? Perhaps. Corporations wanting to pass on their marginal tax increase to consumers is one driver. However, one could also argue that if consumers feel the pinch of a shrinking economy (due to these higher taxes), consumer confidence will drop and demand for these goods will fall, perhaps causing prices to drop.

Ultimately, unlike baseball teams, most corporations have to live in very competitive markets. They will price their goods in ways that will help them to maximize profits. Corporations will find ways to cut cost to respond to tax increases if they need to hold prices steady to keep their customers. To cut costs they will have to find ways to be leaner and this could drive innovation in how they design, produce, and deliver products. Leaner, more innovative corporations is not necessarily a bad thing.

So, yes, taxes are bad. But a small increase in taxes might not have the drastic impact that you're predicting. Time will tell.

I disagree. Just because higher taxes will translate into higher ticket prices does not mean that lower taxes will translate into lower ticket prices. Just as a matter of inflation adjustment, prices will almost always go up with the passage of time. Except that the higher taxes will now inflate the increase in prices even more.

As far as cost cutting, you are right on. Yes, corporation will cut costs. And the first cost cutting measure that is typically engaged by corporations is laying off workers. Or they will ship even more job overseas to the extent that the jobs can be shipped overseas. Either way, the average American is the one that ultimately suffers.

I'm always struck by the appaling bad logic of the claim that, "If you don't vote you don't get to complain!"

Now, this only makes sense for the people who voted AGAINST the winner-- they're the ones who DIDN'T help but the rascal in, so properly speaking they're the ONLY people who have a right to complain!

The people who didn't vote at all at least don't have to take (full!) responsibility for the winner's actions, so they may have SOME right to complain.

And then, those who DID vote whichever rascal in have NO RIGHT TO COMPLAIN at all!! Strictly speaking, it's their mess! So that, our bromides about elections should reflect this painful reality-- people who vote have to take ownership when their judgments decide the political reality.

So I do hope indeed that Obamamaniacs will stop passing around the kool-aid and take some stock of what they've done (hello, middle class tax hikes! "Yes we can, sacrifice!"). But looking at that Chicago crowd full of sweatshirts and running mascara, I agree with your strategy-- might as well find a good distraction for a few months till the roses start to fade . . .

Will Obamathons own up? Will they really sacrifice for the good of the country? Perhaps we need to ask all the Obama "get out the vote" workers who are now complaining about their wages already: http://www.wthr.com/global/story.asp?s=9299280
Looks like someone forgot to tell these Obamathons that it is patriotic for them to make sacrifices.

Inflation and other factors aside, in general if you don't think lower taxes result in lower prices when you're certain that higher taxes results in higher prices, then are you arguing that our current tax rate is somehow miraculously the sweet spot for taxes? Inflation will be factor in both scenarios (higher tax rates and lower tax rates) so I don't think that's relevant to this discussion. If you are arguing that real prices (adjust for inflation) might not fall in the lower tax scenario, your point is well taken. I think the point is prices would be lower than if taxes stayed at the same rate.

The key issue here is we don't collect sufficient tax revenue to pay for our federal budget hence the quest for higher tax revenue. Govt, regardless of who's in the White House, has not been successful in shrinking the budget. Therefore the question becomes who should pay more to increase tax revenue. This is not an enviable position to be in because all sides would agree that higher taxes in general will have an adverse impact on economic activity, although how much of an impact isn't clear. I don't think the Obama camp has argued that raising taxes in general is a good thing. It's just necessary because deficit spending is inherently harmful to our cost of living over time. Putting a greater burden on the wealthy than spreading the burden evenly (by %) across all income classes is a legitimate option.