Contra Romney, Americans don’t believe that somebody else should solve their problems. But that should change.
dkrossi
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Is Personal Responsibility in Decline?
Presidential elections are seldom pretty to watch, but earlier this year there was wide agreement that Americans were in for a serious contest of ideas — with a historic debate over goverment’s role front and center. That seemed all the more likely when Mitt Romney chose super wonk Paul Ryan as his running mate. Now, […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Freeloader Fabrications
Another week, another distraction for the Romney campaign. This latest flap, though, is instructive. The revelation that Romney told donors that nearly half all Americans are basically freeloaders offers insights into the core ideas — or myths, as it turns out — that animate modern conservative thinking. The conservative framework that pits hardworking Americans against […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Freeloader Fabrications
Another week, another distraction for the Romney campaign. This latest flap, though, is instructive. The revelation that Romney told donors that nearly half all Americans are basically freeloaders offers insights into the core ideas — or myths, as it turns out — that animate modern conservative thinking. Of the Americans who don’t pay federal income […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Freeloader Fabrications
Another week, another distraction for the Romney campaign. This latest flap, though, is instructive. The revelation that Romney told donors that nearly half all Americans are basically freeloaders offers insights into the core ideas — or myths, as it turns out — that animate modern conservative thinking. Of the Americans who don’t pay federal income […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
History Lesson: Tax Cuts Are No Magic Bullet
No idea is more central to conservative economic thinking than the belief that cutting taxes leads to higher economic growth. One can certainly understand the appeal of this belief: It would be great if government could collect the same amount of revenue, but with much lower tax rates, because those rates fostered strong growth. Alas, […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
History Lesson: Tax Cuts Are No Magic Bullet
No idea is more central to conservative economic thinking than the belief that cutting taxes leads to higher economic growth. One can certainly understand the appeal of this belief: It would be great if government could collect the same amount of revenue, but with much lower tax rates, because those rates fostered strong growth. Alas, […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Honey, I Shrank Their Paychecks
The new Census data on poverty is out and it’s filled with all the usual depressing facts. Fifteen percent of Americans live below the poverty line — an official threshold which itself is laughably low and detached from reality. More accurate measurements have long found that a greater share of Americans are experiencing serious economic […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Is Tax Reform Even Possible?
It seems like everyone agrees that reforming the tax system is a good idea. Progressives don’t like how today’s Swiss cheese code mainly helps the affluent, while conservatives don’t like how our tax system picks winners and losers. Typical filers complain about the complexity of taxes — indeed this is a bigger gripe among Americans […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Obama’s One Exciting Idea: Citizenship
President Obama’s speech last week was a disappointment for anyone hoping to hear a bold progressive agenda bristling with big ideas. In fact, it’s hard to think of even a single big new idea that Obama proposed. In a letter Friday in the New York Times co-signed by 18 progressive leaders, Mark Green and Gary […]