As the primaries drag on, and the candidates make their cases for Nationwide hot button issues that effect their voter sway, a lot of us focus on the financial crisis that stares down on America. Mitt Romney, for example, has a tax plan that so clearly favors the rich, and from that stems the curiousity [...]

Written By Luke Walker Despite the many unified voices of discontent, echoing from streets wherever the ‘Occupy’ protests persist, in cities all over the world, the question of whether a clear message has been made is still debatable. So, what exactly is the clinical psychology of the ‘Occupy’ movement? Is there a unified message? Does [...]

After Warren Buffett spoke out about taxing the rich more, the rich were polled and overwhelmingly agreed with the billionaire. Here’s more from Wall Street Journal: A new survey from Spectrem Group found that 68% of millionaires (those with investments of $1 million or more) support raising taxes on those with $1 million or more [...]

Not that this is any surprise. Usually when flat tax proposals are put out there, this is the common thread. The rich get a massive tax break and the middle class get the shaft. Here are the numbers… The old system would be replaced by the nines: – A flat 9 percent income tax for [...]

“There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own.” — Over the last 30 years, the income of the richest 1% has skyrocketed. “You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid [...]

Republicans don’t want the Bush tax cuts to expire for the wealthiest, but they’re fine with letting the payroll tax cut that Obama passed last do so? Hmmm… The tax break extension they oppose is sought by President Barack Obama. Unlike proposed changes in the income tax, this policy helps the 46 percent of all [...]

An amazing editorial was published the New York Times yesterday. Not just because Warren Buffett lays waste to nearly every single “taxation kills investment” argument…but because he has lost his patience with those who don’t understand history. To start… While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle [...]

This just in from Jake Tapper… A government official tells ABC News that the federal government is expecting and preparing for bond rating agency Standard & Poor’s to downgrade the rating of US debt from its current AAA value. Officials reasons given will be the political confusion surrounding the process of raising the debt ceiling, [...]

In an op-ed I HOPE will get picked up across the country, Henry Bloch explains why taxes need to be raised on the rich ASAP. From KC Star: I do not understand some Republicans’ resistance to the idea of tax increases on the wealthy. The argument we have been hearing from some politicians about the [...]

It’s pretty basic. Increase revenues and lower expenditures. Here’s more from NY Times: In his remarks, which come after Friday’s bipartisan deal to cut domestic spending by about $38 billion for the remainder of this budget year, Mr. Obama will not offer details but will set deficit-cutting goals, White House officials said. The numbers were [...]

Obama is baiting the trap and if the GOP candidate doesn’t take it in 2012, it could spell trouble for the Dems. Last night the President said this… I have no doubt that everyone will find something in this compromise that they don’t like. In fact, there are things in here that I don’t like [...]

In order to get the votes he needs to make sure unemployed Americans get the relief they need (and deserve) and employed Americans continue to enjoy payroll tax cuts, Obama is cutting a deal with the Repubs on the extension of the Bush tax cuts. As I’ve pointed out previously, this goes against the anti-spending [...]

Why are Republicans insisting that the tax cuts continue when the election appears to have been a referendum on spending? From CBS: The poll finds that 53 percent of Americans want the Bush-era tax cuts extended only for households earning less than $250,000 per year. That roughly matches the proposal put forth by the White [...]

So much for Google’s mantra of “Don’t be evil.” Bloomberg has more… Google Inc. cut its taxes by $3.1 billion in the last three years using a technique that moves most of its foreign profits through Ireland and the Netherlands to Bermuda. Wait, that’s just $3.1B. What about the other $56.9B? Well, the rest isn’t [...]

Kevin Drum shares this sobering chart, which shows the share of total earnings that go to each income bracket. It pretty clearly demonstrates how supply side economic policies have benefitted the rich and the super rich. Meanwhile, everybody else is left holding the bag. Where’d he get the data? The CBO. Here’s more… If you [...]

Bloomberg has some news that reinforces what many of us suspected…the rich save their tax cuts: Hand the wealthiest Americans a tax cut and history suggests they will save the money rather than spend it. Tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 under President George W. Bush were followed by increases in the saving rate among [...]

Not only that, only 54% of Republicans favor them staying in place. Key graph… Obama may not be doing some very popular things when it comes to moderate Republicans and Independents, but keeping this campaign promise seems like a must. Because people aren’t buying the Republicans’ lies about this being a jobs killer because it [...]

Pretty straightforward and helpful for those who don’t realize that they’re taxed at different levels of their income, not just one bracket. See, I’ve discovered, through the course of just asking around, that many folks don’t realize that they’re taxed at different levels. Many think that if they make over a certain amount of money, [...]

Alex Gibney, the filmmaker behind Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room, is back with his take on the Abramoff scandal and it seems like it’ll be illuminating…and scary. Check out this featurette… Basically…Money + Power = Problems. Especially when it comes to the upcoming financial reform legislation. Which is why I’m heartened that the [...]

Michael Boskin is a professor of economics at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. Today, in the Wall Street Journal, he proposes a temporary payroll tax reduction as a second try at a stimulus. He starts his argument with consideration of what would have happened with a temporary payroll tax reduction [...]