Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
Mike Murphy ·
July 14, 2011 at 7:48pm
I know the knee jerk reaction of many here will be to dismiss the argument and just call names: RINO, Sell-out, liberal media conspiracy... blah blah. But I know Al Hoffman well. His credentials are very strong: Good conservative. Worked with him twice to help elect Jeb Bush, best conservative Governor FL has ever had. Al has not been carping on the sidelines, but in the tough front lines of helping a great Republican conservative win and change FL. His take on the debt crisis is here. I could not agree with him more.
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Comments:
Jul '10
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
Sorry, Mike, but our problem isn't too little revenue, it's too much spending.
Not a nickel of tax increases.
Apr '11
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
As I understand it, the Democrats aren't offering a compromise. They want a tax increase with no spending cuts.
Jun '11
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
What's wrong with S.163 introduced by Senator Toomey?
"Full Faith and Credit Act - Requires the authority of the Department of the Treasury to pay the principal and interest on debt held by the public to take priority over all other obligations incurred by the government in the event the federal debt reaches the statutory limit."
It gives us plenty of time to keep negotiating.
Toomey is another good conservative and actually understands how the debt markets work.
Jun '11
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
One more thing: if this is such a dire, plane crash type of situation, why hasn't the Government paper market sold off and driven real interest rates through the roof?
The Progressives used the same scare tactics with Global Warming and the Eugenics -ooops! - I mean the Healthcare Plan.
Don't believe the hype. There's plenty of time to work this out.
Sep '10
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
The heart of Hoffman's proposal is the sentence "---- (Republicans) should open the door to tax increases — but only if every $1 in new taxes is applied to deficit reduction and is matched by at least $4 in real spending cuts, including entitlement reform." The critical word in the sentence is "real". Most of us over here are mindful of the old saw "every time we reach across the aisle to the Democrats, they steal our watches."
May '10
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
Kenneth: Sorry, Mike, but our problem isn't too little revenue, it's too much spending.
Not a nickel of tax increases. · Jul 14 at 10:53am
Yes. Yes. Yes.
May '10
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
Look,
We are spending too much money. Period. Spend less. Period. IF the Republicans raise taxes they are toast. Period.
Mar '11
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
Knee-jerk reaction - Bachmann for President :-)
Jan '11
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
Well, you knew what my reaction was going to be, at least. Look, Mike, if your thinking is that Republicans are going to be hurt politically by holding steady to those things which need to be done, then I think you're misreading what's going to actually happen. President Obama may attempt to try and spin this as Republican obstruction but GOP leadership has to step up and state the case of where this path leads. Voting Americans need to be told that promises are going to be broken and what the consequences of status-quo are going to be. If the GOP leaders play their cards correctly, this will be the sobering dialogue that has to happen. If the punishment is four more years of Obama then I would certainly welcome it just to say we're being responsible. Being responsible could increase the majority in the House and lead to the taking of the Senate; I think some needed honesty would be rewarded. Not sure what your motives are if you happen to see this drastically differently.
Gridlock is good!
Jun '11
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
Mr. Hoffman's problem is that he makes the incorrect assumption that raising tax rates will increase revenue. In fact, closing certain "loopholes" won't create any additional revenue for the federal coffers. For example, taxing the use of corporate jets would create thousands of unemployed people not revenue.
So, Mr. Hoffman may be a "good conservative" to you, Mr. Murphy. But he doesn't know anything about the Laffer Curve or the classical economic theory upon which it's based.
Cut spending AND tax rates if you want a growing economy and a shrinking debt. The choice being thrashed around in DC is a totally false one.
Jan '11
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
I seriously wonder what the numbers would look like on this thread if it had the standard 'like' feature just as mere comments do and had a 'dislike' feature as well. Pencil me in for the 'dislike' as I would knee-jerk my mouse button on the hyperlink.
Sep '10
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with Mike's take, you have to admire his persistence in putting a stick in the mouth of the wolverine by putting a Rockefeller button as his Ricochet avatar.
Sep '10
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
The Founding Fathers designed a system of government that made grand schemes tough to engineer. Being screamed at hot, sweaty, late night negotiations with petulant amateur tyranists is why public service is a vocation, not a retirement package.
I believe Mike that you said in a previous thread that Michelle Bachmann wants to confiscate Rob Long's porn. Fine. The consituency that disagrees with you thinks government spending is Washington's porn and they want to turn off the supply to clean up the addiction.
All is fair in love and avatar.
Jul '11
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
Mike, what about the fact that Mr Obama is liar does not register to you. The man is so opposed to "real" spending cuts and reform he will not do it. Of course the 4/1 ratio would work wonders if applied by an impartial individual. David Walker, former comptroller general for four presidents recently had meetings with Joe Biden, Ben Bernanke, and Alan Greenspan about our fiscal crisis(touting his 4/1 program)and the only individual who understood him was Greenspan (who fears his tainted legacy). Mr Walker would apply these cuts and revenues to perfection and all would be fine. Trusting Mr Obama makes you look foolish. Mr Obama will never take this issue seriously, for goodness sake look at how childishly he has handled himself. He does not care beyond his re-election, of this I am positive. You are dead wrong and naive to think this is anything other than a political football in spite of our massive crisis. Let the boys play football and the adults will hopefully fix this in 2013.
May '10
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
Many good points above. Felix highlights the main fault in Hoffman's thinking: Obama isn't interested in compromise. This is a political hammer with which to beat Republicans, and Democrats will happily destroy America's economy so long as they can pin the blame on Republicans.
If there is a 4:1 deal, I doubt the promised cuts will materialize.
Sep '10
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
One more thing. I agree with the Thucydidean take on human nature: human nature doesn't essentially change over the long span of human history and war acts as a kind of viceclamp on the human soul, grinding out the appearances and showing you the essence of a person up close and personal.
These budget negotiations appear to be doing the same thing. Virtue, vice and everything nice is being strained through the vice clamp of history before our very eyes, and its no time to go wobbly.
Fame lasts 15 minutes, infamy forever.
May '10
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
Exactly my thoughts. Perhaps Mike thinks he's just having fun tweaking us. Mr. Murphy's problem, as with many pundits today, is that they see this coming election through the prism of the past elections.
Eau contraire. This one feels VERY different...and I started as a young volunteer in 1968. The Republicans are being given one final chance to keep their promise to the PEOPLE WHO HIRED THEM. The alternative is that they become the Whig party.
You have been warned...there are many more Republican voters than Republican pundits. (PS...Frank Luntz's focus group last night was a warning...)
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
I have been warned? I'm howling over that one. Listen, there are far, far too few GOP primary voters to win a general election. But too many in the party now thing the whole election is simply a big GOP primary. I hope we don't have to lose the House, Senate and WH to learn this, but...
Luntz focus groups are a joke. Voodoo. Real/serious focus groups are not done in front of camera on TV. Like testing your stereo under-water. It's just a chimp act for cable TV and nothing more.
The Rocky button is indeed a gag; thought I'd see how many Rico-cadets have a sense of humor. So far, results are mixed, but I'm hopeful.
Dec '10
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
Todays loopholes are yesterdays incentives. I have personnelly taken advantage of the solar credit, manufacturing credit and home mortgage interest. Either these incentives are important or they are not. I would be in favor of eliminated all the credits above as well as ethenol, childcare, dependents under 17, earned income credits etc.
How about eliminating all of them and start the debate over as to whether they are important enough to bring back or not. Shared sacrifice and all that.
Sep '10
Re: Al Hoffman in NYT on Debt
This just in:
Nobel Prize Committee has just announced the Nobel Prize in Literature to Iowahawk for his Twitter Feed on the Debt Ceiling Crisis. Raises question of VP Whitehouse run.