Will middle-class swing voters vote themselves a tax increase...

[_Jumper_]

...by voting for a candidate who wishes to raise taxes on them? We know each side will get at least 40% of the vote. The remaining 20% are the people that decide elections. Would telling them they need to pay more taxes lead us to a landslide win for the Republicans like it did in 1984, or will it somehow work? If so, what makes you believe they will accept a tax increase.

[poskonig]

1. Yes.

There's information on pollingreport.com showing Americans supporting increased spending in health care, even if it means raising taxes, by 65/25 margins.

edit: the tax increase on the median American is going to be what, 50 bucks?

[Gulf Coast J]

21. Even if it means raising their own taxes?

I really don't think most voters make the connection between paying taxes and getting government services. Most people who favor a more active role of government also believe in a more progressive system of taxation. When government services are paid for by the middle class, I think many more people will want to control spending.

[alexwcovington]

2. People hear "tax" and run screaming

But do they ever actually look at the actual amount? Because removing the Bush tax cuts would just make things the same as they were before -- and we did just fine back then, didn't we?

Gephardt and Dean are right for advocating the repeal of the tax cuts. We need that money for social services.

[Warpy]

3. The middle class is in for a shock

...if those "cuts" aren't repealed. As they continue to take effect, more and more people are going to be hit with a little item called the alternative minimum tax (AMT).

This was originally enacted to make certain that creative tax writeoffs by corporations and plutocrats wouldn't get them off the tax hook entirely, but our wonderful lawmakers refused to put a floor under the amount of income that might be subject to it. As the deductions for things like children, childcare, and collge pile up, that sucker gets activated, giving people a tax increase over and above what those cuts would have returned to them!

Within the next three years, fully 65% of families will be paying that tax hike, and no legislation will be needed to sock it to them.

[Famine]

17. AMT reform

There's already legislation to modify the AMT to keep this from happening. Its somewhat hung up on the fact that changing the rules will lower tax income (and increase the deficit) but the political pressure to fix the situation is so strong that something will eventually pass.

The problem was that there was no inflation indexing so as average incomes have risen more (and deductions have risen in total dollar value)more tax payers fall into it.

It wasn't designed to limit the tax advantages of such a large group. It certainly going to change.

[deminflorida]

4. It will never happen....

Once again, it will be the one issue that will eventually derail Dean.

[janx]

5. LOOK, defending your candidate is one thing,

but spouting Bush talking points is another.

Don't be ridiculous.

[sandnsea]

6. For real health care for all

Maybe. Gephardt is at least promising that, so it might work for him. But people rejected Hillary's health care plan, so I'm not sure that would even work. Oregon just rejected single payer, 60/40 last year. Oregon. And people keep tossing aside the fact that the economy is worse now than it was in 2000. I just noticed my grocery prices have gone up after dropping for a couple of months. People have taken lower paying jobs, just had a survey on that. Putting middle class taxes back to where they were in 2000 would hurt working people and could conceivably hurt the economy too. I don't think those swing voters are going to go for it.

[Hep]

7. I think you're being extremely sensible

I think you're right about health care. It's why I don't support a single payer plan as much as I would like to.

Do you remember a study that came out some time in the last year regarding the perccentage of people IN the middle class who think they're actually upper class? I don't think I dreamt it, although it IS pretty late. If I had that study and if it reflected what I think it reflects... I'd have something to offer.

[FrenchieCat]

8. Hell no!

That's why this is all so stupid. Notice that the media is not talking about the tax increases while they build Dean up.

[Hep]

9. I seriously need to know, because I'm freaking out here.

I see so many people engaging in an act that I can't help but interpret as defending Bush's tax cuts. I need a little clarity here.

[interceptor]

10. Well...

They're separating the tax issue from the President. The reality is that a lot of centrists are not going to vote to raise taxes. Not all Democrats agree that taxes should be raised, nor do all Republicans agree that taxes should be further reduced.

[Hep]

19. Yeah, but

I'm against the tax cut. And most of the nine candidates are in favor of repealing at least parts of it, which is also a tax increase. The left has carried this label for a very long time, the "D's love taxes" label. I think the people are open to reason, that's all.

[sandnsea]

11. 3 basic tax cuts

10% bracket, child tax credit, marriage penalty tax cut. Those are the only 3 tax cuts anybody is defending. They're tax cuts Democrats and people like Olympia Snowe fought for. They're the tax cuts that do the most good for the majority of working people. The tax cuts for the wealthiest nobody cares about, that I know of.

[monarch]

12. The middle class votes itself a tax increase

every time it allows the right wing to reduce taxes on the rich (e.g. estate tax repeal) and on corporations. The money to run the government (including state and local) ends up coming out the middle class in some way or another.

[phillybri]

13. Bingo!

Good pick-up!

[SaddenedDem]

14. Follow and watch Atlanta for your example

For many years now, the sewer system has been crumbling in Atlanta. They are under federal court order to fix it, and Mayor Shirley Franklin tried to take the bull by the horns and do it.

The City Council, the County Government, and the Feds have all told her to "dream on" for the money to fix the problem.

Yesterday, the City Council in Atlanta even voted down a referendum to let the voters decide on a one cent Special Local Option Sales Tax increase to pay for the desperately needed repairs.

Mayor Franklin tried to put in rate hikes to pay for the needed repairs and the city council voted her down.

It's simple - the republicans have done everything in their power to prevent the voice of the people from being heard. They have no intention of allowing the people to vote for a tax increase or rate hike.

[quinnox]

15. This is an important issue

I like a couple candidates with differing views on this question, Gephardt favors a total repeal for health care while Kerry and Edwards favor only more tax on the wealthiest, and keep the middle class cuts in place.

I'm not sure which is the best way, this is getting into the arcane science of economics, but I do worry that Gephardt's position might not be the best for a general election.

I can see the RNC commercials now, "Gephardt wants to raise your taxes"

This can be a potent argument.

[funkyflathead]

16. We can worry about that if Dick gets the nomination

Let's worry about this after we select a candidate.

[JNelson6563]

18. they can repeal our tax-cut

$28 a month more in the paycheck and yet our local taxes increase more than that.

Some "tax-cut"!

Julie

[Yupster]

20. But are people going to believe

that if their monthly withholding goes back up since the 10 % bracket will be back up to 15 %, then it will logically follow that their local taxes will then go back down?

Yeah right.

People know (if they have a mortgage)that their local taxes have gone pretty much every year while federal taxes have gone up, and have gone up while federal taxes have gone down. Taxes just always seem to go up.

Taxes going down is a pretty rare event. People notice it.