Tim Daneliuk wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:
SNIP


Not sure that penalizing them for deficit spending is necessarily a
good idea. Sometimes that helps the economy.


This is arguable. The government produces nothing, hence cannot
add to the GDP.

The effect is indirect.

But even if it did so, the Federal Government
has no Constitutional authority to "help the economy".

Comes under "promote the general welfare".

Step Three
----------

Instantiate a flat tax like the Fair Tax via a Constitutional
Amendment that forbids the institution of *any* other kind of tax.

So no protective tariffs on foreign trade even if other countries
do
enact such tariffs?

Right. Tariffs are yet another attempt to "manage" economics.

So it's OK for the Chinese to charge a 30 percent tariff on American
goods imported into China but we have to let them bring theirs into
the US without the same disadvantage? Sorry, but there's a difference
between "managing economics" and "levelling the playing field".

The "Fair Tax" proposal seems to be a 23% sales
tax, which is a "soak the poor" scheme.

Go reread it. It does no such thing. It rebates *everyone* the
amount of money a "poor" family would pay in taxes. This means
the truly poor pay no taxes.

I see. Sounds simple, but now it's yet another "soak the rich"
scheme.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)