Conservatives Should Cut Taxes AND Use the Lost Revenue to Justify Spending Reductions

Mandeville, LA – Exclusive Transcript – This is very simple.  I want to cut taxes across the board 20 percent for the American people.  I realize this is going to cost revenue.  Subsequently, I also demand that Congress cuts spending across the board 20 percent to offset this.  We have too much government, not enough private sector.  Why is this so difficult? But, apparently, as I learn on a daily basis, the things I say on this program are not conservative, they’re radical. “Mike, that’s just radical.  You and your little band of angry Ron Paul supporters just don’t get it.  We have to do it Romney’s way.”  No, we don’t.  You have to do it Romney’s way because you’ve convinced yourself. Check out the rest in today’s transcript…

 

Begin Mike Church Show Transcript

Mike:  There is an interesting story from Scott Galupo posting at Economics, Election and Politics.

[reading]

An underappreciated development in this presidential race is right under our nose: We are debating seriously about how – not whether – Mitt Romney will offset the loss in revenue caused by his proposed 20-percent across-the-board tax cuts.

[end reading]

Mike:  Again, folks, this is a non sequitur.  This does not follow.  This is what has to drive – I guess I’m the only conservative left in the world.  If you’re going to propose cutting taxes across the board 20 percent, just acknowledge that it’s going to cost revenue.  Use that as the reason why spending must be cut.  It is a great justification.  I think the American sheeple can understand it.  By and large, if you tell them it’s going to pay dividends, especially as far as their children are concerned, in the future, I think they’ll actually support you in it.  Instead, you have to go through these contortions and do these cartwheels across parking lots, barnstorm into towns and campaign and engage in 15-minute-long explanations of tax policy that bores people to sleep or to tears?

This is very simple.  I want to cut taxes across the board 20 percent for the American people.  I realize this is going to cost revenue.  Subsequently, I also demand that Congress cuts spending across the board 20 percent to offset this.  We have too much government, not enough private sector.  Why is this so difficult? But, apparently, as I learn on a daily basis, the things I say on this program are not conservative, they’re radical.  [mocking] “Mike, that’s just radical.  You and your little band of angry Ron Paul supporters just don’t get it.  We have to do it Romney’s way.”  No, we don’t.  You have to do it Romney’s way because you’ve convinced yourself.  To me, the explanation that he’s giving is self-defeating.  What are you going to cut the taxes for if you’re going to make it revenue neutral?  Why go through all the headache of having to explain I’m going to soak the rich?  No, you’re not.  The rich guys are gonna pay more.  Oh yeah?  Show me.  Why leave it open?  Say 20 percent across the board, 20 percent across the board cut spending as a result.

This is what the Reagan administration and the Reagan team should have done in 1981.  As a matter of fact, David Stockman resigned as the director of Reagan’s budget office because they didn’t do this.  Stockman today, one of the best, most creative and free minds out there in the school of Austrian economic thought.  But again, that’s just little old me talking.  What do I know about constitutions and economics and presidential races?  It’s just pie in the sky.  AG, don’t you think that makes sense?  For your generation, you’re a voter.  You’re 30 years younger than me.  You’re the one that’s going to have to pay all this spending back.  Wouldn’t you support someone that would tell you, “I want to cut your taxes and the spending at the same time”?  Isn’t that something that is attractive?

AG:  Absolutely.

Mike:  Just for your generation, do you think people you went to school with don’t understand it, they can’t add?

AG:  I think that should be crystal clear.  I think one of the other points that I would make, that I’m still struggling to see Governor Romney say let alone President Obama, everything has to be on the table.  Both parties seemingly have these sacred cows on either side that they won’t even consider discussing.  It’s not as if I am hell bent on 25 percent cut everywhere, but I am hell bent on the idea that everything should at least be discussed.  The idea that you can’t discuss, whether it be on the liberal side welfare, social security, Medicare, Medicaid, that that can’t be touched let alone discussed is disheartening, and on the right, the idea that we can’t even look at some of the defense funding in terms of the administrative costs.

End Mike Church Show Transcript