Question #1: how the hell did this story make it past the Washington Post editors and actually get published, including being shown on the front page of the Web (though not front page in the dead tree edition)? Small businesses feel squeezed by Obama policies
Last year, even as he struggled through the worst of the recession, Chris Upham said revenue at his District-based real estate and construction businesses doubled — allowing him to hire two agents.
But Upham said he hasn’t increased his staff thus far in 2010 and he doesn’t expect to for the remainder of the year.
That’s because his taxes rose sevenfold. And he said he anticipates they’ll increase again if the Bush tax cuts for people earning $250,000 and above expire at the end of the year.
As small businesses try to plot their recovery, attention is turning to what many owners consider burdensome policies — higher taxes, new accounting procedures and health-care mandates. Even as the government tries to help with an array of small-business initiatives, many owners say the intervention is as much a hindrance to hiring as the faltering economy.
We could probably get into the discussion yet again on how an economy is stimulated, but, too what point? Obama, elected Democrats, and all their lemming like followers live in their own little world of Keynesian economics, and are simply clueless as to how an economy really works. Massive government intervention and temporary fixes do not work. Recessions happen. The entire world felt the impact. This was not limited to the USA alone. For the most part, the ruling class could have simply said “OK, we will pass legislation to keep the 2001/2003 tax cuts till 2012. We want universal health care, but, we will limit ourselves to a few key, and simple, fixes, such as no dropping insurance for people who get sick. We’ll provide a small, targeted stimulus, aimed at infrastructure and small businesses”, as well as simply not talking about things such as cap and trade and other economy harming ideas. Then go out and talk positive. It works.
They would also have needed to address the conditions that made the economy worse. Other countries, such as Greece, saw their recession turn devastating because of government policies, and are working to fix them. In the USA, the burst housing bubble issues needed to be addressed, and still haven’t been even considered.
Welcome to Obamanomics, the longest recession since the Great Depression, with no end in sight.
And we must Never forget, the dims controlled congress the last two years of the Bush presidency. And deficit numbers grew faster during those last two years of dimocrat control, than during the previous 6.
And Bush tried to do something about the Fanie Mae mess at least 13 different times, but the dimocrats fought tooth and nail to make sure those reforms Never got thru. Worked out well, eh?
Would anyone with half a brain open a business or hire someone in this economy? People are so confused by the One that they have no idea as to what stupid or destructive move he will make next.
when the American economy was strongest our income taxes were higher for the uber wealthy as high as 80%
Yeah, ‘lil LIAR, I recall how NY was BROKE while taxes on the rich were that high, back in the 70s. It was even a major theme in at least one sitcom.
Funny how things picked up AFTER those levels of taxes were dropped…..
Ryan,
Where do you come up with this crap? The period when the taxes were as high as you are saying were during the FDR administration and for a few years after. That was called “The Great Depression”. The taxes likely helped to keep us in the depression which only ended in the early 50’s. During the 60’s the rate was high but the debuctions were numerous and we were able to reduce our tax burden. It was only in the 80’s that the deductions were eliminated but the rate went down. As a consequence the economy took off. Through most of the last century the tax has been high and the economy has been kept down. It is only now that the govenment has finally broken the financial system and we are entering into a second depression and likely the end of our system. Economist are begging the government to stop spending money and reduce taxes, the two have to go together.
Besides, how fair is it to have 40% of our country receiving some form of government payment and vote to take away money from those they view as wealthy? That does not seem like a republic, more like a communistic state. The more I look at our government and country, the more I think that we are not really free. In fact, I am beginning to think that thanks to people like you we are under a very tyrannical government. My only consolation is that in the near future, you will be hurting very bad.