"...people with incomes of like say, 2, 3 million a year and up, and then slowly move it down.”
--Conservative economist Ben Stein on Fox & Friends. Also?
“You do not think Washington just has a spending problem?” Steve Doocy wondered.
“I do not think they just have a spending problem,” Stein explained. “I think they also have a too-low taxes problem. And while all due respect to Fox, whom I love like brothers and sisters, the taxes are too low.”
File this under Choir, Preaching to, Stuff They Don't Want to Hear.
Leave a Comment:
Well Ben, your career in conservative punditry is certainly over. (What? you think that's too obvious?)
Stein must have had a lobotomy. He's been know to jump from sinking ships before, but he usually waits until they are totally under water.
Stein has been attempting to explain this to republicans for the last 3 decades.
Here is a video of Stein explaining voodoo economics (including the laffer curve) to republicans circa 1986.
Note the animated expressions as the reality sinks in to the proto Fox audience.
(youtube)
Really?
Here's another Stein video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXbUA9kjLp4&feature=relmfu
hahaha - The Republicans are now too Republican for Ben Stein! The heart of the party has moved so far that, as Jeb Bush says, not even Ronald Reagan could be nominated today.
If you don't print money or tax income then you have to borrow or rub a magic lamp.
Money has to come from somewhere. Tax cuts. Maybe?
Tax loop holds for the wealthy. Ah ha!
Eliminating the home mortgage interest deduction would increase tax revenue by several hundred $billion$ AND make home ownership unaffordable for most (the American Dream).
Oops. Another loosing idea.
Romney can't explain what he wants to cut because "it's complicated".
It's not complicated.
You can't explain a lie by providing more information.
I don't think your name needs to be Einstein to figure that out.
Onceler- If I had to venture a guess for the reason for Stein's reversal on the Bush tax cut, I would wager he received an answer to why it is sensible to raise taxes during a recession.
The 1% are not in a recession.
In fact, they are receiving record returns on investments. Maybe some of Stein's economist pals filled him in on that little detail that escapes notice of those who are outside that club- including Stein.
I don't know, John. I've seen him often on CNBC and I have never heard him supporting taxing the rich before. Maybe he has two different persona - one for his rich buddies and one for everyone else.
You are right though, the 1% are making record returns. But Stein is also against taxing capital gains, which is basically how the rich categorize their earnings for tax purposes. The "long term" capital gains tax rate is 15% now which is a lot lower than the tax on ordinary earnings.
If Stein has been telling Fox that he wants to "tax the rich", he is being duplicitous considering his history of being against taxing capital gains.
Crackhead.....I would fill in the #5 blank on your second question with the following: eliminate the tax subsidy to the oil companies. Yeah, I know, then the regressives would claim that the price at the pump would go up to $10.00 - $13.00/gal. Uh, guess what.....if we're subsidizing them then we're alreay paying that much. Seeing it on the pump could make a big difference in our ideas about what we want our energy future to be.
Chuck 55, We really do need to eliminate the tax subsidy to the oil companies. Our energy future depends on it. I believe Obama will do a lot to help in the area of energy in his next four years.
He is currently leading in WI, IO, OH, and, I believe, MI. I know he's leading in my state, PA! This country's future depends upon him getting reelected. Congress, even if they are the same T Party people, (God forbid) that are there now, will have less reason to put ideology over the welfare of the country. (I hope). If they do not, they'll be ousted in two years. And may I say, "Good riddance!"
I think taxes need to go up on everyone. Myself (just above minimum wage) included.
Ben Stein advocates taxing the rich on O'Reilly, 8/22/11
Ben Stein advocates taxing the rich on O'Reilly with guest host Laura Ingraham, 6/29/11
Cokehead—That's bad economics. Yes, you can increase revenues by raising taxes on those below the poverty line, but you're also taking their money out of the economy when you do that. When you tax the rich, the consequences are less dire; studies have shown that the wealthy tend to sit on their money rather than spending it. But people living paycheck to paycheck will spend it, helping to increase GDP. And it increases their chances of being able to live without direct public assistance too. No one making minimum wage can afford to support themselves without several roommates or an unusually cheap rental deal, and even then it's cutting it close. Most people making minimum wage are either on welfare or living with their parents.
Cokehead , I have advocated the same thing , one way to look at it is that americans HAVE tightened their belts already , since 2010 we have been under austerity conditions via the u s congress , so we have cut back on infrastructure investment such as mass transit , teachers , school funding etc , and I am willing to constructively pitch in more like yourself
The people who make zero sense in this are the ones who scream for , and insist they deserve tax cuts , and we can never raise the romneys taxes , then in the next breath claim the debt is ruining our nation and economy , it is infuriating to watch these people say these things , and the press never calls them on it
Ben got the red out on Fox in real time. I'll bet they wish they were on taped delay since they had no way to debunk his obvious logic.
I can imagine people in the control booth screaming "NOOOOOOO!!!"
I wonder if FOX is stupid enough to come after one of the smartest lawyers in the country?
Ben Stein maybe smart but I tied him on Win Ben Stein's Money. One of producers thought I should have won.
From Ben Stein's next movie: "...Romney?...Romney?...anyone?...Romney?..."
This is funny! Ben Stein being honest?! What a hoot!
He's in for an a$$ whuppin from Rush Limpball's.
OMG ! Truth, facts and integrity from the lips of a conservative !
Don't tell me that they are starting to use their heads to think instead of just as a place for their friends to put an ashtray or a beer when they are down on their needs giving their friends a ' favor ' job !
WOW ! A day that will live in infamy !
There are a handful that are willing to leave the circus tent.
LOL Sandy ! It's a 3 Ring Circus For Sure :
1: Right-Wing Robber Barons in Ring # !
2: Right-Wing Teapublicans in Ring # 2
3: Right-Wing Puppets in Ring # 3
Ben doesn't want Ben Stein's MONEY? Game over for FOX! Ha ha ha!
Well FOX finally has some NEWS to report...if they will. I'm sure its been cut to ribbons by now!
It's probably a good thing that Ben has his acting career to fall back on.
Has anyone seen him since?
Get Enraged and Engaged:
Mooch the Vote 2012!
;-)
I'm confused...I agreed with something that came out of BS's mouth...I don't know if I need a drink, a shrink or a wormhole back to the universe I was born in.
OMG! Did Bill have a stroke after Ben's truthful words!?!
It's about time a conservative sees the handwriting on the wall!
As soon as the surplus was gone in 2004.....The Bush Tax Cuts should have been gone too, but no......we had to have The Great Recession instead. Jerks!
GWB warned Iraq he was going to attack, but failed to tell the American people about his ambush. Willard wants to finish the job and proclaim Mission Accomplished!
I see what you did there, Kisses and Hugs.
Well played.
They've never believed their BS on the economy: "Among the core social scientists around The Public Interest there were no economists. This explains my own rather cavalier attitude toward the budget deficit and other monetary or fiscal problems. The task, as I saw it, was to create a new majority, which evidently would mean a conservative majority, which came to mean, in turn, a republican majority - so political effectiveness was the priority, not the accounting deficiencies of government." William Kristol 1995
Ben certainly has clear eyes and I sure that after his truthful statement there wasn't a dry eye in the FOX propaganda headquarters.
Ben Stein is still a huge @!$%#ing @!$%#.
Jabba the Limbaugh is waiting to be fed in his lair!
There's only one card holding up Mitt Romney's pyramid of lies, and that is that Republican economic policies create jobs. In a recession no matter how much more money you give businesses if they don't have customers for their products or services, they won't get any return so they won't expand their business and higher more workers. This is exactly what has been happening for the last decade. If you’re trying to fix this by giving tax cuts to everybody the deficit will increase so much that the markets will collapse and everyone will suffer. If you're insisting on tax cuts for everyone, the only way to avoid the deficit exploding is to cut the very programs that are providing the middle class an economic boost that creates the customers businesses need. The government is the only entity they can give a boost to the middle class when businesses can’t and the cost can be covered with cuts that strengthen programs and by asking those who can afford it to chip in a little more. Those who chip in will get this money back tenfold when government investment creates more customers, so they expand their business creating more jobs and making more money. President Obama is the only candidate who has been and still is offering this plan for the next four years.
js1voice: Its the plan of the Koch Party to end the US government as we know it and turn it into a corporatocracy.
You're missing something in the middle, I think. It's the interest on the debt that we need to look out for that drives us (Since WE are the Federal Government) toward insolvency. Right now, the interest on 2, 5. and 10 year T-bills is so low, below inflation, that we could run deficits so long as we spend it on something of value like infrastructure, job training, or the like that returns revenues or savings down the road and make money on the deal.
Goldbugs don't care if the government goes bankrupt, because they don't believe in fiat currency in the first place. Neo-cons and Norquisters don't mind large debt because they think they can squeeze the Feds between austerity and tax cuts, leading to a smaller government over time. There's more than one way to starve the beast and this one is to give it a huge tapeworm in the form of debt service obligations.
Good point but they have all been coming at it from all directions at once. Woolard is clever and if he gets in he would sell the plans of economic destruction and make go down well. Than we can say good bye to the middle class. They would all have jobs though, getting killed overseas in the next preplanned war. As wages would drop and people would live in condos and forget ever about gaining any real equity ever again.
Hey X, are you still in here?
Hello Dawn! How great is this! Our old format! I feel like I've come home!
If Romney gets into the white house we will come to understand what it really means to sacrifice. He will expect sacrifices from 98% of us so that the elite can finally enjoy the fruits of their deception.
I fear we will all be Koch puppets. We won't have a choice.
They need more fruit. What they consider "good paying jobs" most consider poverty. OH, that's what they want.
Evening everybody.
I used to like Ben Stein before I knew his politics, then I disliked him and now I like him again. I will no longer mute the Clear Eyes ads until he goes off the deep end again.
Who buys more Clear Eyes? More for Ben $tein's MONEY!!!
The scary part is that BS is just as much of a loony wingnut anus as ever. It's just that the mainstream of the Republican Party has Left him far, far behind.
DC Sessions,
If Romney gets elected, we will all be left far, far, behind; 98% of us.
The thing no one including poor ol' Ben (may they find all the pieces someday)isn't saying is that Yes Washington has a spending problem Its called The Pentagon
If you want to shrink the deficit in any meaningful way, let alone balance the budget or cut the debt it's just NOT going to happen without cutting defence spending. Period.
Drought forecast 2012/2013 Human its what's for dinner!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/us-drought-growth-2012-winter_n_1903478.html
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/season_drought.gif
Looks to me like we need to invade Cuba!!!!!
curious if anyone knows how many hundreds of millions of dollars romney stands to gain personally with his tax plan if he's elected?
Damn. Here I am in Phoenix Arizona (which is not a bad approximation to Hell) and I didn't bring my long underwear and parka to work today.
And in the next breath, Stein will endorse Romney. The guy's an embarrassing intellectual mess.
The Fox brand seems to be fraying a bit around the edges; this is the latest example. Chris Wallace asking real questions of conservative candidates, Shep Smith reporting unbiased news.. Not all the time, but sometimes. What's going on? Is it somehow related to ad revenue?
They are just making mistakes.
Can they make a mistake cleaning their guns, please ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUycqixNLxA
Mitts tears......
Maybe they're remembering how to do arithmetic again? Really people? Mitt Romney has got to be the worst Republican candidate, as Santoram used to say. I think there are a lot of people suffering from short term memory.
i was just thinking of this yesterday - it seemed to me during the laborious primaries that republicans wanted anyone BUT Mr Romney to be the candidate, and just 6 weeks ago the republican pundits were all screaming that his campaign was failing. Then ONE lying performance at a debate against a preoccupied President and the GOP is all about Mitt. Talk about short term memory.
May miss the show tonight --too busy reading reviews of binders on Amazon. Have to be sure I get in the right one!
Poll Question No respect?
Hell Woolard doesn't even have respect for himself. He's nothing but a fake rich punk who will kiss anyone's ass who might help him get elected. He lacks a consciences but its all part of his religion and thinks he is the hero from the White Horse Prophesy. REALLY HE DOES!
Get real here folks, Ben's calling a turd a turd here on this campaign issue.... They're gonna increase taxes on the rich...... While our attention is focused on them getting their just desserts.... they'll get congress to pull the middle class tax deductions and then call it "shared sacrifice".
Neither of these goobs have any plan on how to reduce the debt or control spending. Obama may have stopped the bleeding, but hasn't done sh!t in terms of helping the recovery.
stknmov,
Excuse me, but over 5 million jobs is a start! We were bleeding 800,000 a month when Obama took office. Look at the charts! Not to mention some of us now have health insurance!
5 million only covers 6 months of losses (1/8th) of his first term. Health insurance is not recovery, it's a benefit (although good one) that is not fully funded til 2014 (and barely at that). Neither of these goobs (even with the help of Bill Clinton) can produce that kind of recovery.
The math ain't working.
Perhaps if the Republicans had put Country before party we would have seen a bigger stronger recovery. See we will never know because the Cowards in Congress were collecting their Government paychecks, getting their Government health insurance and did nothing to help "we the people" who were not getting paychecks, lost our health insurance and in many cases were loosing our homes.