Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] Flat Tax

[Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On Thu, 4 Jan 2007, Jonathan King wrote:

> On 1/4/07, Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED> wrote:
> > Reducing the total tax burden seems like a good idea, but only *after* 
> > you have reduced spending.  The plan for Reagan and Bush I&II 
> > administrations has been to massively increase defense spending and to 
> > either reduce tax rates or hold them down, thus increasing the deficit 
> > enormously.
>
> If by "Bush 1" you mean George H. W. Bush, than I think you are wrong. 
> Bush the Elder famously got in trouble for actually doing something 
> about the deficit (raising some taxes after promising not to), and his 
> war actually way self-financing.

He raised taxes but did he reduce spending?  I think his deficits were 
quite like Reagan's:

http://taxa.epi.umn.edu/~mbmiller/national_debt.png

That said, I like George HW Bush more than I have liked any of the other 
Republican presidents of my lifetime.

Regarding the GHWB's Persian Gulf War:  When it paid for itself, where did 
the money come from?

By the way, GWB is clearly superior to GHWB at spending money.  I guess 
this does away with the myth that Democrats spend more because they 
weren't controlling anything for the past few years.  The Republicans have 
brought the deficit to unmatched astronomical levels.

Fiscal year deficits (ending Sept. 30) in these years:

2006 $574.26 billion
2005 $553.66 billion
2004 $595.82 billion
2003 $555.00 billion

Source: http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opdpenny.htm

That's about $2,000 per American per year or about $8,000 per year for the 
average family of four.  For how long can we keep this up?

Mike

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