Where did THAT come from?

[Bug-Eyed Earl]

I was talking to my brother the other night about taxes, and he said that Democrats will ALWAYS take more out of your pocket.

Since the Democratic party is not a monolithic block, but a diverse group, I find it hard to believe that you can make such a statement about a whole party and have it be accurate.

So where do you think he got this idea, and how well does it hold up factualy? Charts and figures would be fantastic.

[Rogue 9]

Well, perhaps he gets it from the fact that Republicans always try to shove through gigantic tax cuts? Of course, that's what the Republicans want him to think. I don't know if its true or not. You always have to look hard at political matters, especially when it concerns the tax code.

[DPDarkPrimus]

If he's a rabid Republican, then that's all the explanation you need.

[Darth Wong]

Perhaps you might want to suggest to him that Republicans like to spend huge amounts of money while disregarding the need to pay for it all, and then leave the Democrats holding the bill at the end of the night.

[Joe]

It's true, but at least the Democrats are honest about it. The Republicans will throw you a bone once and a while but in the end your taxes are going to be raised (they were higher at the end of the Reagan years then they were at the beginning), assuming you're a member of the increasingly small proportion of the population that actually has a real income tax liability.

[Stormbringer]

Perhaps you might want to suggest to him that Republicans like to spend huge amounts of money while disregarding the need to pay for it all, and then leave the Democrats holding the bill at the end of the night.

Not really, both parties are good at playing the game. Neither is any better in that regard and there have been a number of times Democrats left Republican administrations holding the bag. And of course the mother of all oustanding debt generators, Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid, is a Democratic creation.

[tharkûn]

JFK cut taxes heavily. In 1964 Kennedy lopped off about 2% of GDP in tax cuts, Reagan did about 1.5% in 1981, and Bush 2%. Or put another way Kennedy gave back 8.8% of the government's budget, Reagan 5.3%, and Bush 8.1%.

You might also try telling him to look for who voted for the Reagan, Kennedy, and Bush tax cuts. In every case democrats voted for it.

Certainly Republicans are more prone to cutting taxes, but that democrats always want to keep more of your money ... utter bunk. If you go back to the Civil War I beleive the positions are actually reversed.

[Darth Yoshi]

Of course, that may just be the fact that the Democrats were called the Republicans back then. Although I may be wrong about that--I forget when the modern Republican Party formed.

[revprez]

Certainly Republicans are more prone to cutting taxes, but that democrats always want to keep more of your money ... utter bunk. If you go back to the Civil War I beleive the positions are actually reversed.

The income tax's history is spotty before the constitution was amended. One was passed during the Civil War by Republicans to support the effort, and subsequently put to bed ten years later. Grover Cleveland bent to populist and progressive interests in his party and tried to institute one before getting smacked by the Supremes in Pollock v. Farmers L&T. Democrats remained the first, best friend of the income tax ever since.

Rev Prez

[revprez]

Of course, that may just be the fact that the Democrats were called the Republicans back then. Although I may be wrong about that--I forget when the modern Republican Party formed.

The modern Republican Party was started in 1854 in Jackson, Michigan.

Rev Prez

[Darth Wong]

Of course, that may just be the fact that the Democrats were called the Republicans back then. Although I may be wrong about that--I forget when the modern Republican Party formed.

I'm not an American history expert by any means, but I believe the Republican Party was basically Abraham Lincoln's baby, and that before it, the prevalent right-wing party had some ridiculous name like "The Whigs" or something like that.

[Joe]

Of course, that may just be the fact that the Democrats were called the Republicans back then. Although I may be wrong about that--I forget when the modern Republican Party formed.

I'm not an American history expert by any means, but I believe the Republican Party was basically Abraham Lincoln's baby, and that before it, the prevalent right-wing party had some ridiculous name like "The Whigs" or something like that.

It was the Whigs, although the Democratic party was arguably the more conservative party of that era.

[Straha]

He's a moron. Every party in power always tries to leech as much as possible from you, whereas the party out of power bitches and moans about spending.

[Darth Wong]

It was the Whigs, although the Democratic party was arguably the more conservative party of that era.

Oh yes, I forgot that at the time, the Democrats were the pro-slavery right-wingers. Quite a change from the modern situation.

[tharkûn]

Mike:
"I'm not an American history expert by any means, but I believe the Republican Party was basically Abraham Lincoln's baby, and that before it, the prevalent right-wing party had some ridiculous name like "The Whigs" or something like that."
Eh Lincoln is the guy who won big for the Republicans, people like Fremont lead more in the early days. Prior to Lincoln winning the Republicans took control of the lower house in congress.


"Oh yes, I forgot that at the time, the Democrats were the pro-slavery right-wingers. Quite a change from the modern situation."
Not really the Democratic party since its establishment has been a populist party, today they cater to women and minorities because that is where the votes are. Then they catered to white bigots because that was where the votes were. Maybe I'm cynical, but I just view the Democrats as whores who have picked up better clientale over the decades.

RP:
"The income tax's history is spotty before the constitution was amended. One was passed during the Civil War by Republicans to support the effort, and subsequently put to bed ten years later. Grover Cleveland bent to populist and progressive interests in his party and tried to institute one before getting smacked by the Supremes in Pollock v. Farmers L&T. Democrats remained the first, best friend of the income tax ever since. "

I thought the copperhead democratics decried the tax as unconstitutional and the like. I thought for the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction the democrats opposed federal taxation.

[RedImperator]

Of course, that may just be the fact that the Democrats were called the Republicans back then. Although I may be wrong about that--I forget when the modern Republican Party formed.

I'm not an American history expert by any means, but I believe the Republican Party was basically Abraham Lincoln's baby, and that before it, the prevalent right-wing party had some ridiculous name like "The Whigs" or something like that.

The Republican party started off as a mish-mash of political castoffs at a time where the Democrats were the only political party. The Whigs fell apart in the mid 1850's over the slavery question. Some familiar modern elements were in place from the beginning: big Northern business interests and anti-immigrant America-firsters were early supporters of the party.

[The Aliens]

Well, left-wingers in general increase taxes and put the money towards social programs (or at least try to), but its an inaccurate blanket statement to say tat's always the case.