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NNN0LHI

(67,190 posts)
Tue Dec 20, 2011, 09:23 AM Dec 2011

Paul Krugman, Robert Reich, Jim DeMint and Rand Paul on the Payroll Tax Cut [View all]

http://mediamatters.org/research/201109080024

September 08, 2011 1:28 pm ET

Memo To Gretchen Carlson: Economists Say Cutting Payroll Tax Would Boost Employment, Economy

<snip>Krugman: Payroll Tax Cut Would Give Money To People "Who Might Very Well Spend It."

An August 30, 2010, CNBC article quoted Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman as saying:

"If you give a temporary tax cut to wealthy people who are likely to be highly liquid, they are not going to spend very much of it at all," Krugam {sic} said. "Give a temporary tax cut to corporations, who are sitting on piles of cash, they are not going to spend any of it."

A payroll tax cut would be better, since it would put money in the hands of people "who might very well spend it," he added. "But basically, I would take whatever we can, except that those high end tax cuts, corporate tax cuts, are going where the problem isn't; it's just a waste of money," Krugman said. {CNBC, 8/30/10}

Reich: Eliminating Payroll Tax Would "Get The Economy Moving Again."

In an August 25, 2010, interview on America Public Media's Marketplace, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich noted that eliminating payroll taxes would "get the economy moving again." From Marketplace:

But here's an idea that might command everyone's support: Eliminate payroll taxes on the first $20,000 of income. Payroll taxes, you recall, include Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance. Make up the revenue loss by applying the payroll tax to incomes above $250,000.

This would immediately stimulate spending by adding to the paychecks of just about every working American. Right now, 80 percent of Americans pay more in payroll taxes than they do in income taxes. And lower-income workers, who would receive the largest proportion of the benefits, are more likely to spend the extra cash than are people with high incomes.

...

So how to get the economy moving again? Eliminate the payroll tax on the first $20,000 of income and apply it to income over $250,000 for two years.

How to keep the economy moving? Do this permanently. {American Public Media, Marketplace, 8/25/10}

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http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/12/07/383989/republicans-payroll-tax-undermine-social-security/

Republican Senators Push False Argument That Payroll Tax Cut Will Undermine Social Security

By Travis Waldron on Dec 7, 2011 at 2:10 pm

As some Republicans, including Majority Leader Eric Cantor (VA), are growing worried that opposing a payroll tax cut extension will undercut their message as anti-tax zealots, other Republicans have opposed the extension at every turn. Despite their staunch opposition to raising taxes on millionaires, these Republicans have cycled through the reasons to avoid providing a tax cut to the middle class that would allow the average family to pocket an extra $1,000 a year.

The latest argument to emerge from the GOP has been that extending the payroll tax cut would undermine Social Security, since payroll tax revenue goes directly into the Social Security Trust Fund. Multiple Congressional Republicans have adopted that theory of late, including South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint (R), who put it to use on CNBC last night:

DEMINT: Republicans are always ready to cut taxes, as you know. We don’t think it’s a good idea to do it by raiding Social Security.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R) made the same argument on Fox News earlier in the day:

PAUL: Well, you know, Social Security is $6 trillion short of money. So the president is advocating reducing the amount of funding to Social Security when they’re already $6 trillion short. So it doesn’t really make any sense and it really argues that he’s going to bankrupt Social Security even quicker by reducing it’s funding.

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Out of these four guys which ones do you tend to give the most credibility to?
32 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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The payroll tax cut is the best stimulus we can get. dawg Dec 2011 #1
Exactly, it is stimulus by "stealth" zipplewrath Dec 2011 #3
It appears to me... kentuck Dec 2011 #18
Only ones possible zipplewrath Dec 2011 #19
It is a direct stimulus that will go into the economy. mmonk Dec 2011 #2
as is the republicans were concerned about social security spanone Dec 2011 #4
Debating with Gretchen Carlson trumad Dec 2011 #5
it's a bad idea. matmar Dec 2011 #6
Are you saying Paul Krugman and Robert Reich are both wrong? NNN0LHI Dec 2011 #8
I'm saying Bernie Sanders and Peter De Fazio are both right. matmar Dec 2011 #10
Wait, ProSense Dec 2011 #11
to answer your question with a question.... matmar Dec 2011 #12
Are you saying that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was wrong? Chef Eric Dec 2011 #26
You're right. The short-term advantages will have a price, and that price will be TOO STEEP. Chef Eric Dec 2011 #17
Thanks for posting. n/t ProSense Dec 2011 #7
Another iteration of the arguments for the cuts. SS not affected. rgbecker Dec 2011 #9
Robbin Peter to pay Paul... kentuck Dec 2011 #13
I dont. I thought Reich was an idiot in 1992 but aletier_v Dec 2011 #31
That people on this board think Robert reich is wrong abelenkpe Dec 2011 #14
Wrong. matmar Dec 2011 #15
You have a problem comprehending the op? abelenkpe Dec 2011 #24
Almost seems like when Krugman or Reich say something even slightly critical of Obama they are smart NNN0LHI Dec 2011 #16
Give me a scenario.... matmar Dec 2011 #20
Far as I am concerned we can let the wealthy pay for it all NNN0LHI Dec 2011 #21
I like the idea of eliminating the cap on SS matmar Dec 2011 #22
No one is suggesting we could only do one and not the other NNN0LHI Dec 2011 #23
That is what we should do abelenkpe Dec 2011 #25
I'm all for it. matmar Dec 2011 #27
You can like that idea all you want. Trying to get it implemented is another story. cherokeeprogressive Dec 2011 #28
I am an ideas guy NNN0LHI Dec 2011 #32
Ya can see why Rand has been quiet lately...his comments are crap ,,,prolly was told to STFU awhile opihimoimoi Dec 2011 #29
OMG. Its true. Tea Party is trying to wreck the economy to win 2012. aletier_v Dec 2011 #30
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