Why do Republicans support tax cuts to the rich?
Three reasons.The first is based on this wonderful tool:This is the Laffer Curve, invented (supposedly on a napkin) during a lunch between two conservative economists, Arthur Laffer and Jude Wanniski. What this thing supposedly says is, there is one “magic” tax rate that maximizes government revenue. If the rate is too low, you’ll leave money on the table; according to the conservatives, if it’s too high you’ll discourage people from working harder. (Which is BS on its face; what a too-high tax rate really does is incentivize tax evasion.) The Laffer Curve is a great classroom exercise that doesn’t translate to the real world for many reasons, “there’s more than one tax rate in America” is at the top of the list. However, it was the basis for Reaganomics.Reason 2. In the 1960s we had a president named John F. Kennedy - the last president to be assassinated. One of his biggest acts was to cut the top tax rate from 90 percent to 70. This caused the national economy to take off like a rocket. The GOP remembers those halcyon days and thinks, “if we slash taxes we can replicate Kennedy’s success!” Kennedy’s success was something that will never be duplicated, and this is why.The tax rate was as high as it was so we could pay off World War II. By the time Kennedy was inaugurated, we’d reduced the war debt enough we didn’t really need the excess money. Our current tax rate is, if anything, too low - as witnessed by our very high national debt. If we were taking in enough money to pay the bills, the debt wouldn’t be that high.IBM and Remington Rand were bringing reasonably-priced computers to market; the savings from Kennedy’s tax cut made their purchase more feasible. We’re out of truly groundbreaking new technologies.Kennedy’s tax rate was still high enough - close to double the current one! - that the government could still afford to build bridges, shoot men to the moon and fund the schools. The federal budget is so tight right now, if a hurricane hits Florida tomorrow the first thing we have to do is figure out what in the budget we have to cut to afford a truckload of sandbags for Florida.Reason 3.Grover Norquist is the leading proponent of “starve the beast” tax structures, and he works hard to run off any congressman who won’t go along with him on them.
Republicans are upper class rich people?
I keep reading on Yahoo Answers that Republicans are mostly "upper" middle class or rich. Election maps show that the rural counties in America voted overwhelmingly republican. That is not where the rich and upper middle class people live. I live in a poor rural county and it votes Republican in every election. It appears to me that it is Blue Collar America that keeps voting for the Republicans, yet the perception (or accusation) that it is the extremely wealthy. Why do the Democrats or Liberals persist in the belief that it is the rich? It appears to me that from what I can find the rich people in America split between Rep and Dem's. Please also before you rant at me, I am an independent that split my vote in the last election
Christian Republicans vs. Christian Democrats?
How do Christian Democrats deal with issues like abortion and how much of it is garbadge ? I am a Republican, but sometimes I wonder why ? I just want really fair open views here. I know Presedent Kennedy was Demorcrate, but he was also a full Catholic Christian, so abortion would have been out. Or, would it have been ? I am Born again, Holy Spirit filled Christian/ Roman Catholic,woman. I have stayed a Republican, because I have been "told" that they are the most moral, morality believers, decent. Is this true ? Are Christian Democrats are trying to put more restrictions on abortions ? Are you in favor of Abortion? Fighting / working to keep marriage pure,between a man and woman, working to keep same sex marriages illegal? I just want to know. Thanks.
Does anyone else think it's weird to be gay and a Republican?
I have two friends who are gay that claim to be Republicans. Personally I have no idea why anyone who is gay would want to be a Republican. First most Republican politicians oppose equal rights for LGBT Americans. Second, even if Republicans accepted LBGT Americans, many still oppose many other minority groups, such as Hispanics, African-Americans, women, etc. I'm gay but I'm also a feminist, pro-immigration, pro-equal rights for women, etc. I believe in helping the needy via government funded programs such as food stamps, health care, etc. So how could someone who knows what it's like to be oppressed consider themselves a Republican when it is known the Republican party favors social conservatism and is an oppressive group?