One of the responses to yesterday's "Stimulate Me" post, was what I would consider the standard conservative Republican answer:
"Only long term fixes that do not add to debt can change consumer sentiment which in turn stimulates the economy. Examples are permanent tax incentives and pro business legislation."
First of all, I question how "pro-business legislation" and "permanent tax incentives" would affect "consumer sentiment," and aren't instead just further giveaway corporate welfare.
But even more, it got me to thinking about how all these hard political positions -- frankly on both the right and the left -- seem to have little real world effect on my business.
I try to envision just what 'tax incentives and pro business legislation' would actually help or hinder my everyday business, and I'm damned if I can come with anything significant.
Admittedly, I'm a pretty small business, but I can scale up 5 or 10 times and still see little or no effect from legislation of any kind. Most of what I read about are Economy of Scale measures, that -- when you get right down to it -- benefit BIG, BIG corporate entities.
I'll tell you what, I'll feel sorry for corporations when they start paying the same rate of taxes that I do. But as far as I can see, while corporations have the legal rights of individuals they sure don't pay the same rate of taxes as individuals.
Sure, it would dramatically contain their growth. Maybe they'd have to charge the same prices as me. Maybe they'd have to try harder to get their workers, if the playing field was more level, and they'd have to offer higher wages and benefits.
I know, I know -- they'd send even more of their work overseas...but what kind of fucked up answer is that? Not that it seems to matter -- they have been doing that as fast as they possibly can already.... If that is their answer, then tax them out of existence.
But it seems to me that many of those "pro business legislation" and "tax incentives" helped enable corporations to move their workforce over the borders, instead. We're broke, and we can't buy the damn goods, and the conservative answer seems to be -- "let's do more of that, because it's worked so well for the average citizen...." Average citizen being someone who earns more than 100k a year.
I'm not just slamming just the Republicans here. Both parties are enabling big corporate interests above all else -- who have returned the favor by buying influence. I haven't seen much trickle down in the way of wages and benefits for the working class. They're completely arrogant about management bonuses and wages. But they've managed to frame the argument in a way that the little guy -- small business owners and blue collar voters -- have often chosen a side that if they would just think about it a little more -- has absolutely no benefit to them.
None.
Tax increases? 3% more for people who earn five times what I earn? As a small business owner, I'm supposed to be concerned about that?
The argument against the local and state measures that supposedly drive away 'business' don't really apply to the vast majority of businesses -- even businesses five or ten times my size. (Or if they do, those businesses are so shaky from other factors, that the legislation is the least of their problems.) Which is why they probably aren't crucial for a business staying or leaving, growing or shrinking.
I'm just saying, I wish that voters would take a step back, and instead of solidifying into hard political positions would ask themselves -- do these measures actually affect my position in any way? Or are they scaled at a much higher level of income and size? And why the hell am I voting for a position that -- if anything -- probably detracts from my own best interest?
I say this as a liberal -- but I think most voters on all sides of the political spectrum ought to try to look past dogma and look at what's actually happening on street level.
"Only long term fixes that do not add to debt can change consumer sentiment which in turn stimulates the economy. Examples are permanent tax incentives and pro business legislation."
First of all, I question how "pro-business legislation" and "permanent tax incentives" would affect "consumer sentiment," and aren't instead just further giveaway corporate welfare.
But even more, it got me to thinking about how all these hard political positions -- frankly on both the right and the left -- seem to have little real world effect on my business.
I try to envision just what 'tax incentives and pro business legislation' would actually help or hinder my everyday business, and I'm damned if I can come with anything significant.
Admittedly, I'm a pretty small business, but I can scale up 5 or 10 times and still see little or no effect from legislation of any kind. Most of what I read about are Economy of Scale measures, that -- when you get right down to it -- benefit BIG, BIG corporate entities.
I'll tell you what, I'll feel sorry for corporations when they start paying the same rate of taxes that I do. But as far as I can see, while corporations have the legal rights of individuals they sure don't pay the same rate of taxes as individuals.
Sure, it would dramatically contain their growth. Maybe they'd have to charge the same prices as me. Maybe they'd have to try harder to get their workers, if the playing field was more level, and they'd have to offer higher wages and benefits.
I know, I know -- they'd send even more of their work overseas...but what kind of fucked up answer is that? Not that it seems to matter -- they have been doing that as fast as they possibly can already.... If that is their answer, then tax them out of existence.
But it seems to me that many of those "pro business legislation" and "tax incentives" helped enable corporations to move their workforce over the borders, instead. We're broke, and we can't buy the damn goods, and the conservative answer seems to be -- "let's do more of that, because it's worked so well for the average citizen...." Average citizen being someone who earns more than 100k a year.
I'm not just slamming just the Republicans here. Both parties are enabling big corporate interests above all else -- who have returned the favor by buying influence. I haven't seen much trickle down in the way of wages and benefits for the working class. They're completely arrogant about management bonuses and wages. But they've managed to frame the argument in a way that the little guy -- small business owners and blue collar voters -- have often chosen a side that if they would just think about it a little more -- has absolutely no benefit to them.
None.
Tax increases? 3% more for people who earn five times what I earn? As a small business owner, I'm supposed to be concerned about that?
The argument against the local and state measures that supposedly drive away 'business' don't really apply to the vast majority of businesses -- even businesses five or ten times my size. (Or if they do, those businesses are so shaky from other factors, that the legislation is the least of their problems.) Which is why they probably aren't crucial for a business staying or leaving, growing or shrinking.
I'm just saying, I wish that voters would take a step back, and instead of solidifying into hard political positions would ask themselves -- do these measures actually affect my position in any way? Or are they scaled at a much higher level of income and size? And why the hell am I voting for a position that -- if anything -- probably detracts from my own best interest?
I say this as a liberal -- but I think most voters on all sides of the political spectrum ought to try to look past dogma and look at what's actually happening on street level.