Taken from the AP, another, like hundreds of other such stories the last couple years, that CNN won't tell you about the economy, and the New York Times won't put it on the front page (because Clinton's not president):
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The federal deficit has improved significantly in the first three months of the new budget year, helped by a continued surge in tax revenues.
In its monthly budget report, the Treasury Department said Friday that the deficit from October through December totaled $80.4 billion, the smallest imbalance for the first three months of a budget year since The budget year ends Sept. 30.
Tax collections are running 8.2 percent higher than a year ago while government spending is up by just 0.7 percent from a year ago. Last year's spending totals were boosted by significant payments to help the victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes.
The Treasury said for December, the government actually ran a surplus of $44.5 billion, the largest surplus ever recorded in December and a gain that reflected a big jump in quarterly corporate tax payments.
The $80.4 billion deficit for the first three months of the current budget year was down 32.6 percent from the imbalance for the same period a year ago of $119.4 billion.
Reality: Tax cuts happened, government revenue increased. I guess those who said the opposite would happen were . . . wrong.
For entire story, go here.
8 comments:
The rich--like you--SHOULD be taxed! You should be forced to help those of us not making over $7 an hour!
It seems that the media doesn't think we want to hear facts. They think that they're boring. They want us all caught up in the emotion of an issue. The problem is, that when you go by your emotions on this you end up wrong. You have to look at it from an economics stand point, not who's gonna feed the poor.
Anonymous, out of love, I guess I should show you the respect of giving you a straight answer to your post. so here it is:
The rich like me?
huh. Well, I guess I am rich. I have a home, I have food, I have family, I have cars. You're right, I am rich, at least compared to the majority of the people of the world.
but, so are you. you have a home, you have a bed, you have food and clothes. you even have a computer.
did you know that in the southern hemisphere of our globe, there are people living in rags, hoping to have something to eat?
I try to help, small though it might be. Tell me why paying more taxes to my government will help the truly poor. As for you, go get a better job and stop being so bitter. it won't help anything. I am not your enemy and I'm also not your meal ticket.
As for paying taxes, i don't know what the color of the sky is in your world, but I, Mr Rich Guy, am being taxed to the hilt. I pay taxes on my income, taxes on my property, taxes on everything I purchase, taxes on my cell-phone, taxes on my gas (and another 12 cents a gallon there now that Rendell is back), taxes on my cable bill. I pay school taxes, utility taxes, tolls, and on and on. Soon, I'll paying taxes on my taxes.
You know what? Your boss is paying a lot in taxes, too. Maybe if he wasn't taxed so much, he'd give you a raise.
And what are Harrisburg and Washington doing with my taxes? ARe they spending them wisely? or are they going to pork, pork, pork, and to waste, waste, waste?
No, anonymous, I pay enough taxes. It's time for the government to start making better use of the billions they have.
And as for being "forced" to give you money by the government, what you think is justice is oppression.
You want a better job? Then go figure out how to make yourself more valuable to an employee. That's what I have done, and at a high cost to myself and my family. I am happy to give to help the truly needy, and do so all the time, if I must say so. But you are not truly needy. You live in a great country and are able to work.
It's up to you to get a better job, not me to get it for you. No one did that for me and I certainly do not owe you.
Oh please. People like you and Scott don't get people like me. You speak of cable and a cell phone. Well I don't have either! And I'll bet you both have BOTH! I don't own a home like either of you. I don't have the "perfect freakin partridge family" life like the both of you. I don't have a good relationship with my wife and to tell you the honest truth my kids are little hellyians. But you guys don't "get it". You really don't. People like you both that do "have it all" really DO need to help people like me. If the minimum wage was raised to say $10 an hour (which is way less than you BOTH make!) it would help me a lot! But you both bitch about it being raised to $7 an hour! And, by the way, you said you've made yourself valuable to your employer "at a high cost to your family". What does that mean? Your family does not suffer. Your kids do not know hunger. What do you mean about "high cost to your family"? You're a pastor for god's sake! You preach, you do a sermon. What "cost" to your family??!!!!
Everyone, I am answering anonymous not for his sake, for he doesn't seem to care what I say. But he raises good questions so it's worth it for a wider discussion.
Let's see what we can clarify:
Partridge Family? Hmm. For starters, the partridge family's father was dead and they were a rock band. How that relates to me, I'm not sure. I think I would have gone for Leave it to Beaver family.
In any case, in my family of origin, in the last few generations and there is divorce, alcoholism, parental adandonment, drug abuse, and many other issues that need not even be made public. I didn't grow up in a buffy and jodi home (family affairs, another t.v. show).
Do I resent the raise in the minimum wage? not really. economically it will be a wash. It is just a waste of time in the long run. Raise the minimum wage to 100 dollars an hour for all I care. the economy will adjust and 100 will be worth 7 dollars today. So, to anonymous and all others out there, enjoy your raise.
I myself left home at 17 under less than ideal circumstances. I had 300 dollars and an old car and no place to go. I went to stay with people society would call trash, but I was like them, so what's the difference?
If it wasn't for Christ in my life, no telling where I'd end up. all the schooling in my life came by "hook or by crook." My parents didn't ship me off to school after high school. what I did I had to manage on my own.
as for being a preacher, it is not a lucrative job. you normally start near your ceiling as far as pay goes. but in order to do it, we sold literally everything we had, lived without cable (just like anonymous --in fact, I should note that until I lived here, I never had cable. we have it now because it is our internet connection for cyberschool). Then, we moved to South Carolina and bought, on credit, a 60 foot long trailer, and lived in it, struggling to get by and get groceries. I borrowed 30 thousand dollars in student loans to get to school.
we did buy our first house. Thank God for it. Although, whether you buy or rent, a roof is a roof and either is wealth compared to most of the people in the world.
As for anonymous' relationship with his wife and kids, I am sorry that it is not harmonious. It is a great challenge for us humans to raise families and live together. I have seen in my life that economic circumstances aren't what makes the difference in this area. Poor and rich alike have messed up families, and the minority of poor and rich have strong families. I can only say to that that no matter how it is, God can help repairing things. Anonymous, I'd rather be friends than enemies. Why don't we get to know one another. Perhaps I can pray with you and be of help, if only a little.
Jealousy of what other people have is, in the long run, the recipe for unhappy living and divisive politics.
May God bless us all with grace.
Anonymous,
I've been acquainted with Mike since he started at Harvest, and I would much rather see him decide how to help the poor with his own money than some crook in Harrisburg, who's never been worried about where his next meal is coming from.
I have every confidence that Mike does give his money in ways that do real good, instead of make some politician more electable, but since he, (rightly so), doesn't announce to the world when he gives, I can only assume based on what I see in his character and hear him encourage others to.
Thanks, Jim! :0)
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