In keeping with the spirit of the Ryan/Romney plan, I blog with little detail and a whole lot of opinion. Why? I like to broaden the discussion to the "big picture". And, like the Ryan/Romney plan, the big picture is ever-evolving and not bound to the "fact-checking" that pesky details can attract.
Today we heard Willard Mitt Romney explain his "tax plan". Make no mistake, Mitt assures Americans that the wealthiest will continue to pay their exceptionally low taxes AND everyone else will pay even lower taxes! Or did he say "the Middle Class" will get a tax cut? Oh, my mistake, the ever-shrinking Middle Class will get a "tax cut", he says. So that first leaves us wondering, "what about the working poor and the poor?" I suppose Mitt or Paul will fill in that detail later, although a quick review of their vague and ambiguous "budget plan" (which is a plan to develop a budget based on some generalities and a budget that has passed the House although that budget isn't really the budget that Romney and Ryan propose) suggests that the working poor and the poor will contribute more in taxes and lose pretty much any benefit from a "safety net" they may be currently receiving or have been promised in the future. But that is only "suggested" of course and shouldn't be considered as fact, although the "safety net" is most assuredly going "broke" anyway due to President Obama's "failed leadership" according to the Republican candidates...are you getting the picture?
It's hardly an exaggeration of the typical Romney or Ryan interview, really. A whole lot of words built around a talking point that might or might not apply to the actual question. Sure, it happens all the time with pundits, but these two "yay-hoos" are supposed to be taken seriously as candidates for Leading the Free World. And speaking of diplomacy, in relation to the Free World, Mr. Ryan has developed a bad habit of beginning his rambling dissertations with the statement, "You are mistaken". In diplomatic terms, that's called a brick wall. From that point forward, no one is listening on either side of the argument and in the case of Face The Nation, it BECOMES an argument instead of a simple interview. Not Ready For Prime Time Ryan is in for a shock, he really isn't considered "credible" beyond the Fox News "bubble" and even Fox is beginning to doubt his integrity. The debate with Joe Biden should be compelling TV and I'm fairly certain it will be a historic meltdown. Be sure and tune in.
But here's the thing that has me so very curious. What exactly is the premise for Romney's burning desire to reform the tax code while assuring Americans it will mean either "no changes to your taxes" or a "tax cut for the Middle Class". I mean, doesn't that sound like a whole lot of legislator time to "not change" things? There's more than one explanation, but what if he's thinking of making those tax shelters and tax havens less attractive? Of course, if this was the premise then Mr. Romney-bucks is going to avoid any mention of the Caymans, isn't he? In fact, he's avoided any mention of his repatriation plan altogether. To the point that no one even bothers to ask about it...or maybe they're prohibited from asking when they sign the obligatory Romney "prenuptial agreement" before being granted his presence before a microphone? Either way, he's smart enough to know there's a HUGE chunk of wealth outside of our economy that belongs IN our economy, including his own. Does that sound too "reasonable"? That he's planning to increase revenues by taxing a massive increase in Capital Gains after a "freebie" repatriation? While Ryan proposes no or low Cap Gains tax, Romney says he's sticking at 15%. While I have little reason to believe Romney really has ANY plan, it's entirely possible he's stupid enough to keep this somewhat "moderate" proposal all to himself...until the debate. And then he wouldn't be so "stupid", unless our President has cut him off at the pass.
There's a million reasons I could be way off base, but that's the beauty of the Big Picture and projected outcomes. It's ever-evolving and fact-checking will never dictate the conversation. Tomorrow, Paul Ryan's plan to open the Janesville Plant, Nationalization of General Motors!
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