Romney: It takes chutzpah. . .
Miami, Fl—
Governor Romney addressed the Latin Builders Association today ahead of Mayor Giuliani, Governor Huckabee, and Senator McCain who were also scheduled to address the Association. With economic worries at the forefront of all the headlines, Romney has been campaigning on his business experience. But, during today’s speech he went into greater detail and talked about his background in venture capital:
“Now it takes a degree of chutzpah to go to someone and say give me your money and I will invest it for you and I’ll give you back 80% of the profit I make and I’m gonna keep 20% of the profit I make, I’m gonna charge you a 2% fee for taking your money and by the way if I lose your money, too bad, I don’t share in the downside, I only share in the upside.”
The presidential hopeful often talks about his background “turning around” failing companies or investing in start-ups that become great successes. His favorite example is the birth of the Staples company which he helped turn into a company that now employs just over 34,000 people. But, today he talked about one of the darker sides of business and how there is no way around it:
“I’ve had settings where I’ve had to lay people off. It’s an awful feeling. No one likes laying people off. Someone who thinks you’re a bad person if you lay someone off doesn’t understand,” Romney said, “You feel bad. It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve done in business was asking a person to be let go. Letting somebody go. It’s awful. It feels terrible. It’s an indication the business isn’t doing well.”
Tags: john mccain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Rudy Guiliani
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Romney is the guy for this party and for America. Go Romney in ‘08!!!!!
It must be nice to be so rich that you can hire people to write positive comments on the internet about Mitt Romney. Maybe after he is elected President, he can pay off the national debt, and then pay off Osama Bin Laden to go straight.
But there isn’t enough money in the world to get me to vote for him, because America needs a man who knows about somethingother than taking money out of another man’s pocket and putting it into his own.
I’m with you, David!
As Romney said last night when asked about how much of his own money he has spent on his campaign: “I don’t care what the voters want to know…”
Romney cares for the average American as much as he cares for the thousands he ruthlessly gave the axe.
Romney- you are the man! You dominated the debate last night. You have the experience, leadership, and morals we need to lead us.
You lead the Republican vote everywhere, in delegates, in popular vote, and in wins.
We support you overseas and are behind you all the way!
Romney 2008!
To Dr. Mike B. (FL)
Your “quote” of Governor Romney’s is inaccurate. He said he was not worried about telling the voters how much he had spent, but he wasn’t willing to tell his rival candidates just yet.
You have been all over these blogs spewing lies, distortions and outright hatred.
It’s time for the HUCKABIGOTS to go home!!!
I knew nothing of Romney, and he is still largely unknown. I think he will win the nomination. His stock has been rising from day one. He stands out because of:–education–work ethic, success in business–character (faithful husband)–debate skills–presidential manner–more notable endorsements than any republican–has won the majority of evangelicles in many states–has won the majority of republican voters in most states–has the most popular votes and delegates
I would love to see a video along with this story. It’s hard to get the full context of something like this, with only bits and pieces of what he said.
From what I’ve learned and seen about Governor Romney, I do believe that he is not the type of person who would find joy in laying people off for his own personal gain. It’s just not who he is!
He has always said when he talks about his business, that he’s had tremendous successes, but he’s also had failures. He could not save every company, it just wasn’t possible. But he had many more successes than failures, and helped create thousands of jobs.
He is a genuine and honest man, who I would be very proud to have as my President!! (Just ask John McCain):
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video_log/2008/01/mccain_endorses_romney_in_2002.html
This country needs a man with his leadership abilities, knowledge, experience and vision!
My vote is for Mitt Romney—Florida get out and vote for Mitt Romney!
The thought of Mitt Romney going in and cleaning up Washington makes me very optimistic about the future of our great country!
Mitt is the fix it man, if he can’t fix it no one can!!!!
GO MITT ROMNEY!!! MITT ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT!!!
Janna,
Why is it that anyone who doesn’t support Romney is, in your view, a ‘Huckabigot’?
You tell me I should go home . . . I am home - in the great state of Florida where I’ve lived all my life.
I pray that my fellow Floridians (you notwithstanding) will have the wisdom to see through Romney’s flip-floppery and select another nominee in Tuesday’s primary.
Mike Huckabee received more of the African American vote than Mitt.
Come to think of it…..I don’t think I’ve ever seen a too many Black mormons.
Maybe because Brigham Young characterizes descendants of Cain as “black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind”
The biblical “mark” God put on Cain was “the flat nose and black skin.”
Who’s the bigot?
Plenty of black mormons Lisa. Nice try attempting to bring religion into it again. It is scarey to listen to Huckabelly pushing religion at every turn in his campaign. He’ll not get elected for exactly that reason… this is a political office not the church rectory.
Viewing it from outside the US, Mitt is obviously the man who would do the best for the republicans. He is honest, well spoken and exactly what the US needs to get back into a world leader.
He will crush whoever the democrats put up there.
Use wisdom.. vote Romney
[...] Romney: It takes chutzpah. . . [...]
Mitt Romney doesn’t flip flop. He changed his mind on one issue years ago. That’s called a flip, without a flop. Some people might even call it repentence. Plus all those who won’t vote for a mormon, but will vote for McCain or Gulliani, (who both have had numerous affairs), need to redefine their definition of Chrisitian.
MITT is in deep kaka…. he better respond very quickly to this so-called cue that he received…the cue was most obvious and frankly there is no explanation other than he was playing dirty pool…MY, how times change.. this has a possibilty of crushing his campaign…the american people dont like crap like this !!!!!! AND mccain was god awful…. can you say RUDY GIULIANI !!! they gave the other 2 guys a gun and they shot themselves in the foot !!! please rudy, stay away from guns and you will pass the 2 flip-floppers while you are going up the escalator !!!! MITT,MITT,MITT !!!! not very nice
To everyone here.
Im from Mass, and im sure you have heard some of those horrible stories of Romney and Mass. THEY ARE NOT TRUE!!!! Romney did everything in his power to turn this state around and was going very well when he was governor. He was the only Republican stuck in an all Democratic state and still got some of his promises through. He did more in his term for the state of Mass, than Ted Kennedy has done in his entire career as our senator.
Mitt Romney cut our state deficit in 1/2. Our new governor is sinking us back in the hole real fast and we have already surpased the deficit we were before. Don’t believe the press and everything you read. They are all Left wing based for the most part.
McCain, is for 1) Amnesty 2) Raising Taxes 3) Anti-Constitution. Don’t get me wrong, a great war hero, but it takes more than a War Hero to win the hearts of the hard working middle class Americans. He led this state in the correct direction. Before Romney left office here in Mass, he had signed a bill, that would able state police to check for legal documentation on illegal immigration, you know those people that sneak over our borders to steal our services for free? The ones who leach off our tax money when we have verterans that don’t even get a hand out when they deserve it most. Well our new governor ( A democrat I might add) is trying to pass a bill now with money we DON”T EVEN HAVE????????????
McCain is worried about torturing terrorists? What would the innocent lives in 911 say? McCain is a FAKE FAKE FAKE
FLORIDA, DON”T GET DUPPED! VOTE FOR ROMNEY, He means every word he says.
Steve
(A Legal Immigrant)
this all makes sense now…this is why mitt was so prepared on every question and this is why he received most of the playtime… he was being cued…golly !!!!!
Hey Jeff,
I didn’t say there wasn’t some Black mormons–I just pointed out what Brigham Young says about them–you don’t think they already know?
You don’t think it matters to them–the African American vote shows their dislike for Mitt–you say I bring religion into it?
Jeff in Canada, you better get a copy of the Mormon book Pearl of Great Price where they talk about the black people and how they can not hold high office in the Mormon church, and now all of a sudden they can, you need to do research before you say something is not true, and I just read a piece where Romney said that his Mormon faith was not the same as the Christian faith, do some research before you say something you know nothing about, I try to at least get the facts before I spout off, and he has lied about always pushing for life of the unborn, is that why he passed a co pay for an abortion, and his stance on the right to bear arms, Mike Huckabee might in your mind not be that great politician who can spin his words but at least he is truthful and has said he will win on truth and not lies and so far I have not found that in him.
VOTE HUCKABEE FOR THE TRUTH AND STRENGTH
AND FOR ALAN
IF YOUR A CHRISTIAN YOU ALSO SHOULD BE A FORGIVER AND NOT A GOSSIP AND TELLING TALES, WE ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALLEN SHORT, GO AND READ WHAT ROMNEY HAS SAID IN HIS OWN WORDS, HE IS A FLIP FLOPPER, ON ABORTION, GUN RIGHTS ETC.
To Lisa_4_Huckabee
You do not help your candidate by your remarks. You are spewing anti-Mormon nonsense all over these blogs, and it makes you look ridiculous!
Go Mitt!
to jim
Ummmm, you really ought to keep up on the news, here’s what MSNBC has to say about the incident:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22848324/
Nice try though! I’m sure you guys were salivating just thinking about how this “controversy” would hurt Mitt Romney! Sorry, try again!
MITT ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT!!!
One thing I don’t like about Huckabee, is his stance on Illegal Immigration. He seems very soft on them. If we rid ourselves of all the Illegals, One thing IS for sure. They won’t have to raise taxes to pay for these people here free stealing our money.
Im sure alot of you have kids out there and how would you like if (god forbid) your child gets very ill and needs a doctor? Our Emergency rooms are tied up with illegals that don’t give anything to the system but we give them everything in return. Don’t get me wrong I have Nothing against IMMIGRANTS because I was once one myself, but for god’s sake, Do it the correct way and don’t leach off the system. There are alot of American Citizens that need vital care that they can’t get because of this.
Help AMERICAN CITIZENS 1st.
And by the way jim, I’m sure Mitt Romney would thank you for your compliment!!!! Ha Ha Ha!!!!
“mitt was so prepared on every question”
Why thank you!!!
MITT ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT!!!
Like I said before…..
In this humanistic society filled with those who “preach” tolerance– the only ones they don’t tolerate are the ones who point out differences.
To those who are bashing Romney’s religion, (specifically Lisa_4_Huckabee and Dr. Mike) you should read this quote:
“This country has always been a country where people have been able to respect people who have faith…and I don’t feel like a person has to share my faith to share my love of this country. But if a person hates me or dislikes me because of my faith, I’m not sure if they understand what it means to truly be an American where we can live with each other no matter how different our faith is.”
What do you think, do you agree with this?
CALLING ALL MCCAIN VOTERS………LET’S TALK FLIP FLOP!!!! GET THE FACTS
I’ve even gone as far as taking a small clip of the article for you.
http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=286155436164556
The paper also cited McCain’s liberal stances on government regulation to combat climate change and amnesty for illegal aliens, as well as his willingness to co-write major legislation with far-left colleagues such as Sen. Ted Kennedy.
The Times’ stamp of approval for McCain as a different, better kind of Republican didn’t end there. It extolled him because he “stood up for the humane treatment of prisoners and for a ban on torture.” This means he opposed the administration’s innovative program of tough CIA interrogations of terrorist detainees on foreign soil, a practice that has extracted information used to foil terrorist attacks and save hundreds of innocent lives.
VOTE ROMNEY <<<<<<<>>>>>>>
“But if a person hates me or dislikes me because of my faith, I’m not sure if they understand what it means to truly be an American where we can live with each other no matter how different our faith is.”
Hey Mitt,
I can live along side you just fine…
I can’t live under your leadership–there’s a huge difference, sorry Mitt, it dosen’t make me un-American–it just means you’re not the man!
Carol,
Sure I agree with that statement . . . I don’t hate anyone! That does not mean that I do not have a right to support the presidential candidate whose views and core beliefs (both politically and theologically) are consistent with mine. Besides, how is pointing out the actual teachings of Mormonism “bashing Romney’s religion”? Are they/he ashamed of their/his own doctrines?
By the way guys, this is a quote by MIKE HUCKABEE IN LAST NIGHTS DEBATE!!!
Shouldn’t you follow his advice on religious tolerance?
No one is telling you that you don’t have the right to vote for who you want, go for it! No one cares who you are voting for.
It’s when you spread lies and distortions about Mitt Romney’s religion, all over these blogs, that makes people call you a bigot (by the way, I happen to know the things you are saying are lies and distortions, because I share Mitt Romney’s religion, and know a GREAT DEAL more about it than you do). You are not engaged in an intelligent debate over issues and records, you are spewing anti-Mormon rhetoric. Plain and Simple!
Thank heavens, that most Americans do not have a “religious test” for the most important office in this great country!
GO MITT ROMNEY!!!
Carol,
There is no lie or distortion–maybe you haven’t studied your religion enough to even know what is represented, or maybe you’re just deceived.
I guess it’s ok for you Carol–because you’re mormon–to call someone a bigot. Is that your only defense? Name calling?
Truth is truth–mormonism is a distortion of God’s truth. Like it or not.
By the way, Carol, you don’t speak for most Americans.
As for Mitt’s record–it is too hard to keep track of, all his flipping back and forth.
Hey Carol,
Check out this website as wellhttp://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3fs8i/air/pres2008.html
It shows Huckaby at a +121 Electability
It also shows Mit at a -66 Electability: reson being-Mormon
These guys are not “biased” as you would probably say.
Here’s what they did, they used probability:
Our 2003 algorithm for determining the winners of United States presidential elections correctly determined the winner of each of the 55 U.S. presidential elections between 1789 and 2004
Well, we shall see.
Right now your theory doesn’t seem too likely, does it??!!
Wow it’s getting late–
Sorry for the typo Mike,
HUCKABEE !!!
You’re the Man!!
HUCKABEE 2008
We’re praying for you every day!!
God Bless!!
Oh Carol,
It’s not my theory–just some smart guys who scored 100% in determining 55 Presidents.
The primaries are just getting started
Of course, Carol, I know you probably think you know more
Got to go–
Mitt Romney is looking more and more likely to be the Republican nominee. If his numbers keep rising like they are, he will be hard to beat!
And that is GREAT
Leaving so soon Lisa? It looks like you’ve spent pretty much the entire day on these blogs fighting against Mitt Romneys religion. I cant say you’re gonna be missed.
Fight Mitt’s religion?
His religion is the only thing he HAS landed on
all his other decisions are still up in the air
……Couldn’t resist, see ya’
hey jh, i would suggest that you go to you tube…1) nobody believes msnbc 2)its obvious that he was coached and #3 he is getting slaughtered on you tube !!!! there has been over 150,000 hits on several different post and ROMNEY is in deep doodoo !!!!! MSNBC gave the lamest excuse in history…you tube has absolutely crushed romneys campaign..can you say swift boat vote x’s 10 !!!
rudy came on hannity and colmes tonite and sounded most jovial…now i know why !!!!! mitt is deep s#it
Jim,
They can just click on this, very interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NlIMQ31EjY
jim
The fact that you get your primary source of information from YouTube explains a lot! You say “YouTube has absolutely crushed Romney’s campaign”, well let’s wait and see which candidate comes out on top on Tuesday, mine (Romney) or yours (Rudy), shall we? Then we can talk about who’s campaign has been crushed!
By the way are you honestly going to stick by your implication that MSNBC is in on a conspiracy with Mitt Romney? Wow, if you want to be taken seriously, you best back off of that real quick!
MSNBC is a liberal news source, that would pounce all over the chance to expose a “cheater” in a Republican debate.
Face it jim, you’re just going to have to find some other way to explain away Mitt Romney’s great debate performance last night.
You know, it could just be because he’s the best candidate!!
MITT ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT!!!
JH,
The reason MSNBC favors Romney, and why they gave him almost double the time as any other candidate in the debate, is because he will be the easiest for Hillary to beat should we Republicans be stupid enough to nominate him.
CHEATER ROMNEY
are we looking for a preacher or a PRESIDENT VOTE MITT ROMNEY SMART< and what we need in Washington look at Mc Cain he might as well be a Democrat his friends and thinking is
Let’s face it, McCain is just a pro-war liberal like Lieberman.
Immigration.
Taxes.
Judges.
Environment.
Campaign finance.
Energy tax.
Marriage amendment.
On all these issues, he’s adopted the ideology of Ted Kennedy and George Soros, rather than Reagan or George HW Bush.
Juan McCain is loved by the Clintons, the New York Times, Lieberman, Ted Kennedy and the entire liberal media.
He’s absolutely despised by basically every big-name conservative thinker.
Don’t let this liberal version of Bob Dole make it as our nominee. He’ll get torn apart and his fragile health will probably wither.
Don’t let the liberal media pick our candidate for us.
Vote Mitt Romney to save our party!
What is the FairTax plan?
The FairTax plan is a comprehensive proposal that replaces all federal income and payroll based taxes with an integrated approach including a progressive national retail sales tax, a prebate to ensure no American pays federal taxes on spending up to the poverty level, dollar-for-dollar federal revenue neutrality, and, through companion legislation, the repeal of the 16th Amendment.
The FairTax Act (HR 25, S 1025) is nonpartisan legislation. It abolishes all federal personal and corporate income taxes, gift, estate, capital gains, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare, and self-employment taxes and replaces them with one simple, visible, federal retail sales tax administered primarily by existing state sales tax authorities.
The FairTax taxes us only on what we choose to spend on new goods or services, not on what we earn. The FairTax is a fair, efficient, transparent, and intelligent solution to the frustration and inequity of our current tax system.
The FairTax:
Enables workers to keep their entire paycheck
Enables retirees to keep their entire pension
Refunds in advance the tax on purchases of basic necessities
Allows American products to compete fairly
Brings transparency and accountability to tax policy
Ensures Social Security and Medicare funding
Closes all loopholes and brings fairness to taxation
Abolishes the IRS
How is the Social Security system affected?
Like all federal spending programs, Social Security operates exactly as it does today, except that its funds come from a broad, progressive sales tax, rather than a narrow, regressive payroll tax. Employers continue to report wages for each employee, though, to the Social Security Administration for the determination of benefits. The transition to a reformed Social Security system is eased while ensuring there is sufficient funding to continue promised benefits.
Meanwhile, Social Security/Medicare funds are no longer triple-taxed as under the current system: 1) when payroll taxes are initially withheld; 2) when those withheld payroll taxes are counted as part of the taxable base for income tax purposes; and 3) when the promised benefits are finally received.
How does the FairTax affect Social Security reform?
FairTax.org is a one-issue organization: Tax replacement. However, its proposal does benefit any Social Security reform proposal. The FairTax.org plan does not change Social Security benefits or the structure of the Social Security system. All it does is replace the current revenue source (narrow, regressive payroll taxes) with a new revenue source (broad, progressive sales taxes paid by all consumers).
Additionally, research shows that consumption is a more stable revenue source than income. If Social Security is reformed or privatized in a way that reduces the government’s need for revenue, then the FairTax rate can be reduced. For example, if a mandatory private savings program is implemented where people must save ten percent of their income and Social Security benefits are curtailed, then the FairTax rate can be reduced just as payroll taxes would be reduced.
Why is the FairTax better than our current system?
Our present tax system is one of the reasons that people are finding it so difficult to get ahead these days. It is one of the reasons the next generation may not have a standard of living as high as this generation. Cars replaced the horse and buggy, the telephone replaced the telegraph, and the FairTax replaces the income tax. The income tax is holding us back and making it more difficult than it needs to be to improve our families’ standard of living. It makes it needlessly difficult for our businesses to compete in international markets. It wastes vast resources on complying with needless paperwork. We can do better and we must.
Is the FairTax fair?
Yes, the FairTax is fair, and in fact, much fairer than the income tax. Wealthy people spend more money than other individuals. They buy expensive cars, big houses, and yachts. They buy filet mignon instead of hamburger, fine wine instead of beer, designer dresses, and expensive jewelry. The FairTax taxes them on these purchases. If, however, they use their money to build job-creating factories, finance research and development to create new products, or fund charitable activities (all of which help improve the standard of living of others), then those activities are not taxed.
How does the FairTax protect low-income and lower-middle-income families and individuals?
Under the FairTax Plan, poor people pay no net FairTax at all up to the poverty level! Every household receives a rebate that is equal to the FairTax paid on essential goods and services, and wage earners are no longer subject to the most regressive and burdensome tax of all, the payroll tax. Those spending at twice the poverty level pay a tax of only 11.5 percent — a rate much lower than the income and payroll tax burden they bear today.
Under the federal income tax, slow economic growth and recessions have a disproportionately adverse impact on lower-income families. Breadwinners in these families are more likely to lose their jobs, are less likely to have the resources to weather bad economic times, and are more in need of the initial employment opportunities that a dynamic, growing economy provides. Retaining the present tax system makes economic progress needlessly slow, thus harming low-income people the most.
In contrast, the FairTax dramatically improves economic growth and wage rates for all, but especially for lower-income families and individuals. In addition to receiving the monthly FairTax prebate, these taxpayers are freed from regressive payroll taxes, the federal income tax, and the compliance burdens associated with each. They pay no more business taxes hidden in the price of goods and services, and used goods are tax free.
What about senior citizens, retired people, and anyone on a fixed income?
As a group, seniors do very well under the FairTax. Low-income seniors are much better off under the FairTax than under the current income tax system.
Some erroneously believe that people who live exclusively on Social Security pay no taxes. They may not know it, but they are paying hidden corporate income taxes and employer payroll taxes whenever they buy anything. Under the FairTax, seniors pay $0.23 out of every dollar they choose to spend on new goods and services.
Plus, seniors, like everyone else, receive a monthly prebate, in advance of purchases, for taxes paid on the cost of necessities which more than pays for all of the taxes they would pay if they received the average Social Security benefit amount and spent it all. If seniors choose to work, they are freed from regressive payroll taxes, the federal income tax on wages, and the compliance burdens associated with each. They pay no more hidden taxes on goods or services, and used goods are tax free. There is no income tax on their Social Security benefits.
The income tax imposed on investment income and pension benefits or IRA withdrawals is repealed. Pension funds, IRAs, and 401(k) plans had assets of $12 trillion in 2004. An income tax deduction was taken for contributions to most of these plans. All beneficiaries and owners of these plans expected to pay income tax on them upon withdrawal, but are not required to do so under the FairTax.
All owners of existing homes experience large capital gains due to the repeal of the income tax and implementation of the FairTax Plan. Seniors have dramatically higher home ownership rates than other age groups (81 percent for seniors compared to 65 percent on average). Homes are often a family’s largest asset. Gains are likely to be in the range of 20 percent.
The FairTax makes the economy much more dynamic and prosperous. Consequently, federal tax revenues grow. This makes it less likely that federal budget pressures require Medicare or Social Security benefit cuts.
How does the FairTax help seniors who have paid taxes on their retirement savings or invested in Roth IRAs?
Simply put, the FairTax is a revenue-neutral proposal, raising no more money than does the current system. The FairTax only changes where the money is raised, not the amount.
Additionally, some erroneously believe that people who have invested in Roth IRAs will never pay taxes on this money again. They may not know it, but they are paying corporate income taxes, employer payroll taxes, plus the associated compliance costs that are hidden in the price of every retail purchase they make. Under the FairTax, these hidden taxes are driven out of retail prices. And note, they can determine the amount of tax they pay through their own lifestyle choices.
Furthermore, used goods are not taxed because they have already been taxed once — when they were new. Therefore senior citizens, like all Americans, do not lose purchasing power, but gain it instead. Moreover, the FairTax preserves the purchasing power of Social Security benefits, and seniors receive a monthly prebate so they don’t pay taxes on the purchase of necessities. Tax-deferred investments get a one-time windfall. Savings invested in any long-term, income-generating asset such as a stock, real estate, or a long-term bond that can’t be called, increase substantially in value. Finally, complex estate planning is an artifact of an earlier age.
What about the home mortgage deduction?
The FairTax has positive effects on residential real estate far beyond this narrow question. Today’s homeowners, if they itemize (and 70 percent do not), pay their interest with post-Social Security/pre-income tax dollars. They then pay their principal with post-SS/post-income tax dollars. Those who do not itemize get no advantages at all. Under the FairTax, all homeowners make their entire house payment with pre-tax dollars.
With the FairTax, mortgage interest rates fall by about 25 percent (about 1.75 points) as bank overhead falls; this is a huge savings for consumers. For example, on a $150,000, thirty-year home mortgage at an interest rate of 7.00 percent, the monthly mortgage payment is $999.12 for principal and interest. On that same mortgage at a 5.25 percent interest rate, the monthly payment is $830.01. Over 30 years, the 1.75-percent decrease in interest rates in this instance results in a $60,879 cost savings to the consumer. Finally, first-time buyers save for that down payment much faster, as savings are not taxed.
Under the FairTax, home ownership is a possibility for many who have never had that option under the income tax system. Lower interest rates, the repeal of the income tax, the repeal of all payroll taxes, and the prebate mean that people have more money to spend and have an increased opportunity to become homeowners.
Does the FairTax improve compliance and reduce evasion when compared to the current income tax?
The old aphorism that nothing is certain except death and taxes should be modified to include tax evasion. Tax evasion is chronic under any system so complex as to be incomprehensible. As a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), tax evasion in 2001 is beyond 2.6 percent, compared to 1.6 percent in 1991. This represents over 16 percent of taxes due. Almost 40 percent of the public, according to the IRS, is out of compliance with the present tax system, mostly unintentionally due to the enormous complexity of the present system. These IRS figures do not include taxes lost on illegal sources of income with a criminal economy estimated at a trillion dollars. All this, despite a major enforcement effort and assessment of tens of millions of civil penalties on American taxpayers in an effort to force compliance with the tax system. Disrespect for the tax system and the law has reached dangerous levels and makes a system based on taxpayer self-assessment less and less viable.
The FairTax reduces rather than increases the problem of tax evasion. The increased fairness, transparency, and legitimacy of the system induces more compliance. The roughly 90-percent reduction in filers enables tax administrators more narrowly and effectively to address noncompliance and increases the likelihood of tax evasion discovery. The relative simplicity of the FairTax promotes compliance. Businesses need answer only one question to determine the tax due: How much was sold to consumers? Finally, because tax rates decrease, tax evasion is less profitable; and because of the dramatic reduction in the number of tax filers, tax evaders are more easily monitored and caught under the FairTax system.
Is there any provision in the FairTax bill to prevent both an income tax and a sales tax?
The short answer is that there is no provision in the FairTax bill (HR 25) that would prevent having a national sales tax and the income tax. However, the FairTax legislation does three things that effectively dismantle the income tax: (1) it abolishes the IRS, (2) it repeals all statutory language having to do with taxing income and payroll (i.e., the Internal Revenue Code), and (3) it eliminates the filing of annual income tax returns to the federal government for over 140 million Americans. The 16th Amendment does not “require” an income tax, it only “allows” one, and the FairTax will have broken that egg in a million pieces. It would be extremely difficult to put that egg “back together again.” Once the FairTax is enacted it would be an extremely daunting task for Congress to make people start filing income tax returns again. There would be a public uproar. Once the American public has experienced the freedom from filing income tax returns it’s hard to imagine them tolerating going back.
Furthermore, the sponsors of the FairTax are totally dedicated to the permanent repeal of the income tax. No current supporter of the FairTax would support the FairTax unless the entire income tax is repealed. There is a separate bill, HJR 16, which repeals the 16th Amendment to the Constitution but it must go through a different adoption process than HR 25. HJR 16 has to be passed by a two-thirds vote of members of both the House and the Senate and be approved (or ratified) by three-fourths of state legislatures (38). We are currently laying the organizational groundwork for this push and have already started the educational process at the state level.
Finally, the reality is that we already have both an income and a type of sales tax today. All of our U.S. produced goods and services are burdened with an “embedded” tax due to the cascading of income and payroll taxes paid by U.S. employers to the U.S. Treasury at every step of production. Of course, these costs are passed on to the ultimate payer, the customer. It’s fair to call these embedded taxes a “sales tax” because we pay it every time we buy any goods or services — we just don’t see it. The FairTax eliminates these embedded taxes, resulting in a single-rate national sales tax visible to all.
GO MIKE GO!!!! FIGHT THE IRS it is Orginized crime
If business don’t remove the built in Taxes from the cost of these goods and services, their competitor will and will take ALL of their business!!! the Market will ensure this happens.
ITS AWESOME!!!!!
EVERYONE!!!!
Mike is willing to fight the IRS for US!!! LETS FIGHT FOR HIM.
Go to :
https://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Contribute.Home
and CONTRIBUTE TODAY!!!
EVERY little bit helps!!!!
STOP the rich elite from buying the presidency!! They can’t outspend us if we all come together and give a couple bucks!!
GO HUCKABEE!!!!
Clinton made the comment that they were ‘good friends’ with McCain?? Also, if McCain were nominated the Presidential debates would be ‘civil’ ???? lol After all - McCain is one of them.
Good strategy Bill…
Bill and Hillary both know that if McCain is nominated they will win hands down.
On the other hand they should be worried about Mitt Romney with his intelligence and experience … they would have their hands full. Romney is ready for it.. bring it!!!
Conservatives… save our Republican Party!!!! Revive our economy!!!
We the People want Mitt Romney!!!!
Do you think they are going to come out and say we don’t want Romney or we can’t beat McCain of course think the way the Clintons work They really do want McCain so they say McCain is the one that can’t be beat BECAUSE he is one of THEM look at his friends LIBERMEN he is so far to the left open your eyes people CLEAN UP WASHINGTON VOTE MITT ROMNEY HE HAS FRESH SMART NEW IDEAS AND DOES OWE THE OTHER WASHINGTON PEOPLE ANYTHING AND THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE AFRAID OF SO VOTE FOR REAL CHANGE CLEAN UP WASHINGTON IF ANYONE CAN DO IT MITT ROMNEY CAN HE CAN TURN IT AROUND DID YOU SEE WHO MC CAIN JUST PICKED UP ALL OF THESE PEOPLE ARE PICKING UP ENDORESMENTS ASK YOURSELF WHY I.O.U. of Washington so don’t be fooled CLEAN UP WASHINGTON VOTE FOR MITT ROMNEY
Romney . . . the choice of “We the SHEEPle!”
Jasmine,
If Romney is nominated it will fracture the Repubican Party. Plus Romney will not win a single state, well maybe Utah, not even his home state. The Republican party will need the middle America red states. No Republican can win without them. That’s where gun control is the third rail.
All the secret whispers in the world, and money to pay people like you will not sell him to the common folks in the middle America red states.
Sorry, it’s not my idea, it’s just the facts of politics as they exist.
Taxes and Fees
A survey of states by the National Conference of State Legislatures found Massachusetts led the nation during Romney’s first year, raising fees and fines by $501 million. New York was second with $367 million. Nine other states raised fees and fines by more than $100 million.
“We renamed him ‘Fee-Fee.’ He was so unwilling to raise taxes that he was wanting to put all these fees in place instead,” Hachey said.
“It’s a shell game,” said Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. “He (Mitt Romney) can still say he didn’t raise taxes, but fees are taxes by another name. It’s a trick.”
Romney’s fees could also grate on some of those he is courting as he seeking the GOP nomination, including gun owners.
Under Romney’s plan for Massachusetts, the cost of registering firearms would have jumped from $25 to $75. He also called for increases in the cost of firearm identification cards, application fees for a license to carry firearms, and gun dealer fees.
Gun owners said they felt unfairly targeted by Romney’s proposed increases. Democratic lawmakers applauded Romney’s proposal — ultimately raising the cost of gun licenses to $100.
“We certainly shouldn’t be paying anything for our Second Amendment right, because it’s a civil right,” said Jim Wallace, executive director of the Gun Owner’s Action League.
Boston.com - August 2007
2nd Amendment
In his 1994 US Senate run, Romney backed two gun-control measures strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups: the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period on gun sales, and a ban on certain assault weapons.
“That’s not going to make me the hero of the NRA,” Romney told the Boston Herald in 1994.
At another campaign stop that year, he told reporters: “I don’t line up with the NRA.”
And as the GOP gubernatorial candidate in 2002, Romney lauded the state’s strong laws during a debate against Democrat Shannon O’Brien. “We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts; I support them,” he said. “I won’t chip away at them; I believe they protect us and provide for our safety.”
Today, as he explores a presidential bid, Romney is sending a very different message on gun issues, which are far more prominent in Republican national politics than in Massachusetts.
He now touts his work as governor to ease restrictions on gun owners. He proudly describes himself as a member of the NRA — though his campaign won’t say when he joined. And Friday, at his campaign’s request, top officials of the NRA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation led him around one of the country’s biggest gun shows.
Boston.com - January 2007
Abortion
The National Review article, by John J. Miller, also noted that Romney said during his gubernatorial campaign that he would “fully protect a woman’s right to choose” abortion but now says his “political philosophy is pro-life.” And it quoted Romney adviser Michael Murphy as saying: “He’s been a pro-life Mormon faking it as a pro-choice friendly.”
WashingtonPost.com - June 2005
When he ran for US Senate in liberal-leaning Massachusetts in 1994, Romney said abortion should be ‘’safe and legal.” As a candidate for governor in 2002, he said he would keep the state’s abortion rights laws intact and has since said that he kept that promise. But this year, as he began preparing a potential run for president, Romney said he is ”in a different place” than he was when he first ran for office in 1994 and has stressed that he is ”personally prolife.”
Boston.com - July 2005
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43TVmSoaQ7c&feature=related
Like Frist, John McCain, the Republican senator with the highest national profile, has reversed his position on the issue and now supports an expansion of the research.
“It’s a very complex scientific issue,” McCain (Ariz.) told NBC’s Tim Russert earlier this year. “But for us to throw away opportunities to cure diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and many others I think would be a mistake.”
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), another possible presidential contender, is a longtime critic of the House approach.
“The vote in the House to allow taxpayer-funded destruction of young human lives is deeply troubling,” Brownback said. “We all have a duty to protect the innocent, and this vote represents a failure to recognize the scientific fact that stem-cell research that destroys embryos kills young human children.”
TheHill.com - October 2005
That doesn’t sound like a 100% Pro-Life voting record to me.
In 2004, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said he opposed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage:
Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona broke forcefully with President Bush and the Senate GOP leadership Tuesday evening over the issue of same-sex marriage, taking to the Senate floor to call a constitutional amendment that would effectively ban the practice unnecessary — and un-Republican. “The constitutional amendment we’re debating today strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans,” McCain said.
But yesterday, ABC reported that McCain confided to Jerry Falwell that he would support such an amendment:
McCain “reconfirmed” to Falwell that he would support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman if a federal court were to strike down state constitutional bans on gay marriage.
ThinkProgress.org - March 2006
So which is it Senator McCain, for or against an amendment???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2eZ4-8a3zA
McCain is a liberal … how do they say ‘posturing’ as a conservative… Huckabee as well.
Another thing Huchabee, something that is really beginning to bother me… there are many denominations/faiths and it seems you act as though you are the only man running that emraces God and has faith. That is not true by any means. Seems you are the only man of ‘faith’ that is using ‘religion’ to manipulate the people for votes… and that just isn’t right. The more you talk about it, the more offensive it becomes - but I guess you continue because you realize that what votes you do get seem to depend on it.
Mitt Romney is the only candidate that has high standards. He’s never been divorced (I think the only candidate), is true to his wife and family and will be true to his country. He has proven that he is responsible, dependable, true and has high standards. I am sure this will hold true with his Presidency. I trust him.
I appreciate very much the way Romney sticks to the issues and tries his best always to stay away from personal attacks - like Huckabee’s attack on McCain about his age through Norris. As much as I dislike McCain I think that jab was totally uncalled for - but typical of Huckabee - pretty sly that one.
Romney is successful as a family man and a business man. Something that a couple of other candidates have shown jealousy over - which is unbecoming of a Presidential candidate.
Romney has proven he is smart and has the know how, stamina and courage needed to bring this country together. We need someone on the government who will really care about us, and I believe him when he described how he felt horrible when it was necessary to call lay offs if a business venture happened to run into trouble. He’s the same man that shows up at the opening of a new business venture with pizza in hand for all the floor workers and joins in with them anticipating what the day would bring. He loves his family, he loves his job and he loves people.
I have no doubt that in his heart he wants us all to do well and have a good life.
Romney knows - and he cares - and I want him on our side fighting the fight for us.
Romney is an honorable man. I know that there would be nothing to be ashamed of if he represented the us as President of the United States. We could stand proud once again.
Mitt Romney believes in a nation under God - By the People and For the People…. there is no doubt.
God help us… Vote for Mitt Romney!!!!
Quick and to the point:
Fees vs. Taxes… Fees are charged to those that use certain services. Those that do not use those services do not pay a fee. Seems to me that having a fee schedule that had some relation to the cost of the service makes too much business sense, so those that cannot understand that concept, keep on with your insane comments bashing Romney on this point.
Whisper at the Debate.. Clearly a voice picked up from the audience. The day that MSNBC could be smart enough to calculate that by defending Romney would somehow insure a democrat win in November is the day that they get an audience that is larger than the population of Boise Idaho.
Give me a break.
Religious Bigotry… Huckabee hands down takes this one. Of course he hasn’t shown his true colors for a while now, but prior to the Iowa caucuses as he was needing to energize his base. What Southern Baptist Minister doesn’t know everything there is to “know” about anti Mormon doctrine? For Huckabee to have the ability to look into the camera and say” I don’t know much about Mormons but don’t they believe Jesus Christ and Satan are brothers?” puts him right in the class of another ex Arkansas governor, the immortal “I did not have sex with that woman” Slick Willy Clinton. Must be something in the water down there. Huckabee, a lie, outright lie, and religious bigotry at its worst. Remember, the lie was that he knew very well that his statement that he didn’t know much about the Mormon’s was an outright fabrication. Come clean Huck, and I might even respect you. I do like the fair tax.
McCain… Calls Romney a flip flopper???? Wow, supports the Bush tax cuts when he was only one of two Senators (Rep) to vote against them? A convenient reformation, or just a big belly flop? The flip and flop list goes on, Amnesty, Secure the Border first, vs Comprehensive Immigration (road to citizenship)
Mitt Romney is the only candidate that has experience in both government AND the private sector. I will take that over a CAREER politician any day of the week. We have too many career politicians in Washington now. That is the problem.
To JLuman,
Very nice post, I commend you.
Romney in 08 and Beyond!
Mrjimbo, is your real name Buzz Lightyear? What’s with “Romney in 08 and Beyond”?
To infinitity, (or Kolob), and beyond, Buzz!