"Close all the loopholes"

[No Elephants]

Wingnuts like Joe Scarborough and David Brooks have a new refrain.

"If you want the rich to pay more taxes--and I do--close all the damn loopholes."

This pronouncement is usually followed by something "But Obama {or "the Democrats"} won't do that."

DU friends, do not be deceived by this.

It is their way of wanting to sound rational and fair while protecting the rich and pretending that everything is the fault of the Democrats.

How do I know this?

First, there is no such thing as closing all tax loopholes. First, the lobbyists would never let that happen.

Second, as soon as a new kind of tax provision is even floated, tax lawyers and accountants are combing through it to find the loopholes--and then they start charging big bucks for continuing education courses to teach their colleagues about the loopholes they found. So, the rich people take advantage of the new loopholes while the poorer folks may miss out on them. And, if there are no loopholes (unlikely), they'll take advantage anyway. Just ask GE and the Helmsleys.


Third, the House is full of Baggers and a fart can't make it out of the Senate these days. Beside that, taxes are the favorite issue of every Republican.

Does ANYone serously think an entire new tax code, revised from front to back, will ever make it to any President's desk these days? I'm pretty sure people who discuss politics every day, like Scarborough and Brooks, don't believe a new tax code is ever going to get passed.

So, as usual, they are being deceptive.

Democratic strategist Mark Shield had a great response to Brook on this: "Just because you can't do everything doesn't mean you shouldn't do something. This should be done and it's better than nothing."

[Leopolds Ghost]

1. Close ALL the loopholes!

[No Elephants]

2. Sure, and, until that happens, make the rich pay a fair share.

[Leopolds Ghost]

3. As you said... closing all the loopholes won't happen.

[No Elephants]

4. No, it will not happen. But I can make believe as well as Brooks or Scarborough.

Close all loopholes, but, while we're working on that, make the rich pay their fair share.

[dtexdem]

5. And some of those "loopholes" are necessary equalizers.

Some have heavier costs for important things and need their taxes to be adjusted for that. As an example, retirement accounts, medical spending accounts, and so on allow for special situations: e.g., tax freedom for some heavy medical expenses (although the medical spending accounts are near-totally inadequate ways to allow for them), and tax-deferral for retirement monies allow fairer taxation accounting for the sharp drop in income most of us experience at retirement. Moreover, some "loopholes" do incentivize what we have defined as "positive behavior" -- e.g., not taxing interest payments for home purchases. In short, there are many good reasons for some so-called "loopholes," and the "no loopholes" rhetoric is a facade to protect the unneeded loopholes the rich have had legislated for themselves -- by calling for "no loopholes," all are lumped together, needed with unneeded.

[No Elephants]

6. And we know which set of "loopholes" is likeliest to be eliminated

[KoKo]

7. Exactly.....but, it sounds so good to Repugs Ears to hear "Close all the Loopholes"

Repugs...AGAINST EVERYTHING...unless it advantages themselves.

[No Elephants]

8. Sounds perfrect to Senator Mark Pryor, too. And maybe Akaka and Lieberman.