don't bemoan the low taxes, pay more!!!

yesterday, representative john campbell (r, ca) introduced the "put your money where you mouth is" act.

a recognized fiscal leader in congress (and from california no less!) representative campbell says he introduced this legislation to allow individuals to make voluntary donations to the federal government over their taxes due by adding a line to the IRS tax form to more easily facilitate the making of donations.

recently when her and hubby's earnings came to light, hillary said "We didn't ask for George Bush's tax cuts. We didn't want them, and we didn't need them."  indeed. 

on monday the opinion pages of the wsj had this to say in response:

"With friends like Mr. Burkle, clearly they didn't. But her higher tax rates wouldn't merely hit those who make $109 million; they'd soak middle-class families that make $100,000 or $200,000 a year and hardly feel "rich." If the former first lady feels so strongly that she should pay more taxes, we suggest she lay off the middle class and instead write a personal check to the U.S. Treasury for the difference between the Clinton and Bush tax rates. She and her husband can afford it."

this proposed act seems to be the perfect solution, then, doesn't it?

today, in review and outlook the journal seems to agree.  in a small piece on the proposed legislation, they quote rep. campbell saying in regards to the likes of the clintons, babs and warren buffet (there is just NO funny name to call that guy that would be immediately recognizable) "It's a great injustice that citizens wishing to fulfill their dream of paying more taxes cannot simply check a box on their 1040 form to make a donation." 

so now the libs live guilt free AND help to pay down the national debt.  what a country!

the irs already accepts donations and yet last year the total take of donations was only 2.6 million dollars.  apparently these people only want to pay more if the goverment tells them they have to.  seems like even the leftards want to hold onto their own money rather than give it to the government.

in a press release from the council for citizens against government waste (ccagw), yesterday:

"According to a 2007 Harris Interactive survey conducted on behalf of the Tax Foundation, only 2 percent of respondents claimed the amount of federal income tax they pay is too low, compared 58 percent of respondents who said that their taxes were too high.

Citizens already have an opportunity to contribute to a fund within the Department of the Treasury to reduce the federal debt. According to the Treasury, the lowest amount sent to the government was $744,675.06 in 2004, and the most was last year, a whopping $2,624,862.42."

hey, maybe the line on the tax return that they just have to fill in will make it more enticing.  i mean with the current system they have to write out a whole separate check and take it to the post office and they probably won't have a stamp and the machine will be broken (or they won't have the change) and they'll have to stand in line.  sheesh!  i can understand why they don't donate now, it's just not convenient enough.  yeah, that's the ticket!

it would be interesting to me to see the breakdown of the donations given to the irs.  my guess is the vast majority of the money does not come from uber-rich liberals.

btw, i had some great photos for this post, but typepad's being retarded and won't let me insert any pictures.  meanies!

i love this guy's thought process.  put your money where your mouth is, indeed.

Comments

[Eric]

I can just see the scenario:

Joe (or Josephine, no sexism here) Blow figures out his taxes and decides to give a $1000.00 donation. However, he miscalculates and underpays his taxes by $50.00 The IRS would then NOT apply this donation amount to correct this, rather, they would chage him $365.00 in underpayment penalties and then ask for another donation of the remit stub. Classic.

[Karen]

Such a funny post. I had to laugh to keep from crying, I tell you. I agree, this guy has a great thought process!

[Americaneocon]

Nice post, Heidi!

John Campbell's my representative! I met him last summer, when I visited D.C., and my son and I were taken on a tour of Congress with one of his congressional aides. He's a nice guy, and he blogs too! He's posted on the same story:

http://greeneyeshade.townhall.com/blog/g/91dc4b44-8c11-4577-8e81-fd9303ec1a1c

Your blog looks awesome, by the way.

Drop off your links in my Haloscan when you post, and don't forget to keep hammering Obama!!

[heidianne jackson]

karen, it didn't tell me you'd posted. thanks for stopping by! it is sad and funny, too.

[heidianne jackson]

donald, good to see you here. i'll be over to your place shortly.

[heidianne jackson]

eric, once again, you needed to tell me not to have any liquid in my mouth before reading your post. glad to see you're back among the land of living again. see you next week!

[Aurora]

Heidianne, excellent post. Truth is, the liberals want us to pay more taxes. Their general gravitational pull is towards a kind of Soviet-like state where the whole country is pauperized except for an elite political few. Kind of like the old feudal system with aristocrats and peasants. Hill and Bill can have all the money they like but the vast majority of the population has to stay in the peasant category where they belong. And no rising above your station in life.

[Sage]

You can bet your last dollar, you know the one the IRS wants .30 of, yeah that one that Libs will never ever put their money where their mouth is.
Good post

[MK]

Dunno what it's like for you folks up there, but i've yet to hear of the taxman chasing someone for paying too much tax, can't they just overstate their income a bit?

[Norski]

I agree: the voluntary tax isn't feasible now.

And, I think your assumptions about the demographics of giving are spot-on.

That said, I have to give Campbell credit for taking a step toward the idea that people who pay taxes should have some say in how much the taxes should be.

It's a start, maybe.

[courtneyme109]

Taxes. Time for a do over.

[Debbie]

Welcome back, you've been missed. Yes, the liberals want us to pay more taxes (there are some liberals in both parties).

[Gayle]

I'm sure Hillary doesn't need any tax cuts! LOL!

Great post, Heidianne. Please accept my apologies for not being around, but my old pc died. Had to get a new one and I'm still busy trying to get it personalized.

Isn't it odd that there are some liberals in both parties but no conservatives on the Democrat's side? At least none that I know of. Their are middle-of-the-road libs, but not conservative libs. Of course "conservative" and "liberal" is a contradiction of terms.

[Robert (ConservativeCommentary)]

I always wondered my someone in the media doesn't ask this question when people put forth tax cuts with the rationale that "people who make ____ or more can afford it and don't need the money":

"Would you tell us exactly how much you paid above your required taxes, since you can afford it and don't need the money?"

[G-Man]

Tsk tsk tsk, silly girl! The libs don't want to pay more taxes... They want YOU to pay more taxes. Of course once you've paid it, then they will just divvy it up and pass it out to themselves.

[Norski]

I ran into a reference to your habit of thorough research.

Kudos.

If more people didn't follow the 'my mind is made up, don't confuse me with the facts' philosophy, I think we'd have a better, if less colorful, world.

Since that's not going to happen, keep on blogging!

[Defiant_Infidel]

Perhaps the warm, encompassing arms of our noble liberals should be able to designate individuals for whom they will additionally pay due taxes for in their entirety? Who knows, they might actually do it, too... at least a few of them, say, every four years or so...

[Uncle Joe]

Nice post, as usual. Liberals and progressives put more stock in what they feel and what they intend to do than in what they actually do. It soothes their consciences. They are much better at telling everyone else what they must do. Look at lord Al Gore. There isn't a jet plane in the world that he wouldn't fly in at a moments notice. But, "YOU need to decrease your carbon footprint."

Liberals seek equal outcomes, not equal opportunity. The voluntary tax just doesn't make them feel better than others enough for them to practice it. Now, driving a hybrid, that's got sex appeal. They can show that off. It feeds their smugness.

The real problem progressives and liberals have with the voluntary tax is that it leaves the power to practice it in the hands of the individual. That gives too much power to the individual. The government must force you to pay for it to be really appealing to them. It's not really about the taxes. It's more about who has the power. There is just something about the government taking away personal liberty that just really turns them on. When you voluntarily pay more taxes, it's just too "conservative". They don't like it when people have power that they feel belongs to the government.

[Goat]

John is a great addition to the RSC and his blog is a great place to keep up with all the shenanigans going on in the House. The liberals like the loophole game as it is a tool to use for political leverage. John's blog is here.
http://greeneyeshade.townhall.com/blog

[Otto - American Interests]

Liberals oft grumble about businesses going offshore and the poor state of local industries but do not realize that higher taxes merely exacerbate the process. Hilary, Obama whatever…how are new jobs going to be created with more tax not to mention stricter environmental regulations.

Lower taxes actually shift the economic power from government to individuals; their families and their businesses. Self-governing individuals will always prove to be a better form of economic stimulus than regulators and bureaucrats. Recall the old and proven adage, it must pay to work, to produce, and to invest. The result provides us with stronger economies and greater tax revenue in the end.

[Gayle]

I wonder why libs feel so darned guilty about everything, Heidianne? Like Uncle Joe said, they have to sooth their conciences. Why? What is it that they are doing that makes them feel that way?
I have to wonder if they believe the government should run their lives because they're incapable of running their own?

Great post! :)

[Sage]

hell yeah!
I heard that and was hi 5'n him.
Libs are losers
one and all

[The Griper]

awww come on folks, a voluntary tax is foolish. you need to remember that it was failure on the part of states to voluntarily support the federal government that resulted in the need of the Constitution in the first place.

be honest with yourselves, you could have a rate of 1% and there'd still would be some that would complain it was too high. people don't mind taking money from government but they will always complain about giving it to government.

[Scout's Honor]

Yep, the taxman does not chase down those who overpay. We are case in point. Just never got around to filing 2006. We knew we overpaid (Human Resources always has full taxes taken out of husband's bonus), but never got around(okay we are lazy) to figuring out how much. Did the taxes last week, the IRS had over $5000 of our American dollars for over 2 years. Maybe we should charge them interest. Ha! Are we going to let them keep it? Uh, hell to the no.

However, if the Clintons are feeling generous, go for it. I do find it funny that the news says her campaign treasury is in the negatives. Why doesn't she put her money where her mouth is if she thinks she's the best candidate for president, eh?