Trump says US may "completely" cut income tax due to tariff revenue

[UltraBudgie]

We've become too dependent on government subsidies.

It's almost socialism now.

Make it hurt, make people independent.

Everyone on "the gibs" feels like they've been given a promise by the government or politicians, and "deserve" it. Food stamps: "you promised to take care of the needy!". Social security: "you promised I'd get my money back!". Insurance subsidies: "you promised it would be affordable!". Veteran healthcare: "you promised our service would be honoured!"

If someone keeps lying to you and letting you down, creating more and more problems that stack up higher and higher, eventually you stop trusting them to ever fix the situation, and at that point, expecting them to reverse direction is simply foolish.

The irony is so thick you could cut it with a knife. A dull knife.

Nonetheless the USA will keep muddling along. Most every worry is overblown. SNAFU is a sort of comfort, really. Somehow, it is what it is.

[Maxmars]

Everyone on "the gibs" feels like they've been given a promise by the government or politicians, and "deserve" it. Food stamps: "you promised to take care of the needy!". Social security: "you promised I'd get my money back!". Insurance subsidies: "you promised it would be affordable!". Veteran healthcare: "you promised our service would be honoured!"

If someone keeps lying to you and letting you down, creating more and more problems that stack up higher and higher, eventually you stop trusting them to ever fix the situation, and at that point, expecting them to reverse direction is simply foolish.

The irony is so thick you could cut it with a knife. A dull knife.

Nonetheless the USA will keep muddling along. Most every worry is overblown. SNAFU is a sort of comfort, really. Somehow, it is what it is.

It just seems to beg a response....

Food stamps: "you promised to take care of the needy!". Social security: "you promised I'd get my money back!". Insurance subsidies: "you promised it would be affordable!". Veteran healthcare: "you promised our service would be honoured!"

Food stamps: Politicians promised.
Social Security: Politicians promised.
ANY kind of healthcare: Politicians promise(d).
"Insurance" subsidies are just corporate socialism... makes it cost less to take their client's money.
Veteran's healthcare:  For some Veterans yes... others not so much.  "Honor" is a punchline to politicians.

Hmm... 

So you're conclusion seems to equate trusting politicians with not being able to call it out without being subject to the 'isn't it ironic' dance.

Most get it... their complaints are moot.

Food stamps... wanna eat?... too bad.... we need more contracted services from tax-payer funds.
We need to engender more commerce, so we'll commercialize every aspect of "food support." 
Whatever doesn't interfered with our other transient political plans.

To me, Social Security was not a "deal" struck... it was not "a promise made." It was a legislated act... it's purpose and intent was clearly established.... politicians turned it into a 'football' at the banks behest.

It existed my whole life...
I was legally compelled to contribute...
and the only thing that didn't make it THEFT was that it was MY money, not "social security's" money.

And now... when it's needed - daring to call them out represents a failing of my perception of irony...
how is that?

I try not to presume how "everybody feels"... let alone "Gibs."  Sounds like an activist characterization.

Screw you, if you "tire" of hearing about the presumably "laughable" laments.
And screw the politician-theater that actually "promises" one thing... and delivers something else... and lies.

[UltraBudgie]

To me, Social Security was not a "deal" struck... it was not "a promise made." It was a legislated act... it's purpose and intent was clearly established.... politicians turned it into a 'football' at the banks behest.

It existed my whole life...
I was legally compelled to contribute...
and the only thing that didn't make it THEFT was that it was MY money, not "social security's" money.

And now... when it's needed - daring to call them out represents a failing of my perception of irony...
how is that?

I try not to presume how "everybody feels"... let alone "Gibs."  Sounds like an activist characterization.

Screw you, if you "tire" of hearing about the presumably "laughable" laments.
And screw the politician-theater that actually "promises" one thing... and delivers something else... and lies.

I'm sorry if the cynical were right. There's no laughing about it, other than that being all that's left when how terrible it is comes to the surface. I remember warnings about deficit spending, fiat currency, government trust, all that— going back at least fifty years. It was all true. All we can hope is that the unroll proceeds slowly enough to survive. It seems to be doing so, so far?

The irony was a directed-response comment, not to or at you, to the sad fact that apparently promises to our veterans and seniors are only upheld, though entirely socialistic means, not through ideological or honourable commitment by the system, but through pragmatic necessity. They'd screw them over more too, if they could get away with it and not kill the milch cow or themselves. Institutionalized can-kicking.

Hey, remember when GW Bush wanted to "invest" the social security trust fund in Wall Street, back in the early 2000s? Think about how that would have affected the "too big to fail" derivative unwind several years later. Guaranteed bailout! They got it anyway. It was obvious to me at the time that they wanted to use the trust fund as an insurance policy in that way. Was I cynical then? About as much as I am now. Ironic.

How about this—and the truth of this is admittedly a matter of perception—it was never "your money", from the point where you consented to be paid in US dollars. Think about civil forfeiture, how the government can sue the money itself for being in an illegal situation, without even having to prove that you have done anything illegal. That implies that you are not the "owner", but that the money has its own autonomy. We merely "hold" it, as debt-backed "promises" of a social contract. It belongs to the Treasury, the Fed, who knows who—that's above our pay-grade. As to that social contract, it has shown itself to be merely a convenience of stability, the necessary illusion the system needs to minimally fulfill to keep the ball rolling.

Aargh this is depressing. Don't even get me started on income tax, the original topic of this thread. America shouldn't suck, but it sure does some times.

[Maxmars]

...

Hey, remember when GW Bush wanted to "invest" the social security trust fund in Wall Street, back in the early 2000s? Think about how that would have affected the "too big to fail" derivative unwind several years later. Guaranteed bailout! They got it anyway. It was obvious to me at the time that they wanted to use the trust fund as an insurance policy in that way. Was I cynical then? About as much as I am now. Ironic.

Ugh... talk about depressing.... it was like watching some one 'wind-up" before hitting us in the face. I used to worry that in reality the bank actually "owns" the US... After that piece of film-flammery... (the old "too big to fail' ploy.) I realized that my fear was misplaced.... it was already real... and the Bank can blackmail any country to do anything under threat of "fire sale," including the US.

How about this—and the truth of this is admittedly a matter of perception—it was never "your money", from the point where you consented to be paid in US dollars. Think about civil forfeiture, how the government can sue the money itself for being in an illegal situation, without even having to prove that you have done anything illegal. That implies that you are not the "owner", but that the money has its own autonomy. We merely "hold" it, as debt-backed "promises" of a social contract. It belongs to the Treasury, the Fed, who knows who—that's above our pay-grade. As to that social contract, it has shown itself to be merely a convenience of stability, the necessary illusion the system needs to minimally fulfill to keep the ball rolling.

Yeah, a lot my anger comes from the knowledge that this is all bullshit... the money is nearly 100% virtual ... and when they are finished... "money" may as well be "health points."

Aargh this is depressing. Don't even get me started on income tax, the original topic of this thread. America shouldn't suck, but it sure does some times.

And we can't discuss it without some partisan hack throwing around celebrity names and party designations.

Our problem is in the tax system itself... it's "operational" and "administrative".... but we'll never really know... ever...

It belongs ONLY to the bank... sort of like the money we believe is 'ours.'

The Bank wins... taxes go to them... tariffs go to them... penalties and 'sanctions'... go to them.

Taxes are a common burden we share... but the 'bank' pays no taxes... sort of like a church.

[Stealth Blimp]

One thing that gets on my tits is British men who have a lot to say about Trump and US politics in general. I've never visited the US regrettably but I'm apolitical for the most part and don't comment on the affairs of other countries.

[DBCowboy]

One thing that gets on my tits is British men who have a lot to say about Trump and US politics in general. I've never visited the US regrettably but I'm apolitical for the most part and don't comment on the affairs of other countries.

Don't you folks have a massive Labour issue now with increased taxes?

[Maxmars]

One thing that gets on my tits is British men who have a lot to say about Trump and US politics in general. I've never visited the US regrettably but I'm apolitical for the most part and don't comment on the affairs of other countries.

"Us" Americans suffer from a language crisis.

Our partisan-fixated media, over the course of generations... has actually managed to 'train' Americans to think that "talking about politics and political matters" has to do with talking heads, celebrity pronouncements, and media coverage....

But like you all over there... every god damned discussion is literally a cancerous diatribe about a politician... not politics at all... but a 'person.'  The fandom and manipulation they reek creates a situation where rational discourse about politics is all but impossible...

So... how are things over there?


Is it the media that decides what is spoken of, and in what terms?

Or have you been freed from the constant push of "others' outright telling people what to think?

[Stealth Blimp]

So... how are things over there?


Is it the media that decides what is spoken of, and in what terms?

Or have you been freed from the constant push of "others' outright telling people what to think?

I stopped paying attention to the media in the UK circa 2005.

[Stealth Blimp]

Don't you folks have a massive Labour issue now with increased taxes?

I'm apolitical. I seldom watch the national news.

[CriticalStinker]

Ugh... talk about depressing.... it was like watching some one 'wind-up" before hitting us in the face. I used to worry that in reality the bank actually "owns" the US... After that piece of film-flammery... (the old "too big to fail' ploy.) I realized that my fear was misplaced.... it was already real... and the Bank can blackmail any country to do anything under threat of "fire sale," including the US.

Yeah, a lot my anger comes from the knowledge that this is all bullshit... the money is nearly 100% virtual ... and when they are finished... "money" may as well be "health points."

And we can't discuss it without some partisan hack throwing around celebrity names and party designations.

Our problem is in the tax system itself... it's "operational" and "administrative".... but we'll never really know... ever...

It belongs ONLY to the bank... sort of like the money we believe is 'ours.'

The Bank wins... taxes go to them... tariffs go to them... penalties and 'sanctions'... go to them.

Taxes are a common burden we share... but the 'bank' pays no taxes... sort of like a church.

Not just the fact they held us hostage, interest payments are about to be the biggest expenditure of the government. 

We're cooked.