No job = No Income = No tax cut = No help.

Public spending = Job = Money in Hand = Food & Shelter.

Tax cuts don't help the needy.

Synoia January 6, 2009 - 11:48am

is that empirically, it doesn't work.

Stirling Newberry January 6, 2009 - 6:15pm

then do tax increases not depress the economy?

I'm told the reason we don't have a pay-as-you-go system where taxes are adjusted to pay immediately for the entire federal spending budget, is that the economy would suffer.

Asking this question another way: if "tax cuts for the rich" benefit ONLY the rich, then do tax increases for the rich hurt ONLY the rich?

Julian Brookes January 7, 2009 - 5:38am

77% of Americans blame media for making economic crisis worse

Richard Scheff, a national expert on corporate liability and white collar crime issues, warns media that they could potentially be exposed to liability despite apparent constitutional protections:

"Although statements by the media are protected by the First Amendment, the survey results [see article] demonstrate that the public believes that the press bears some responsibility for the lack of confidence in the economy. One would hope that the media would act less out of self-interest in these times of national crisis," said Mr. Scheff, vice chairman and partner with Philadelphia-based law firm Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads.

"If only we would stop putting attention on this, it would all go away." It's called the Ostrich Plan.

tjfxh January 6, 2009 - 12:03pm

The First Amendment only "apparently" protective. Good to know! Also that public belief can determine culpability.

At least sand is plentiful.


They sicken of the calm, who knew the storm.

Raja January 6, 2009 - 12:11pm

Where was the 77% that instead should have blamed the media for pretending that everything was just great up until a few months ago and thus making sure that this whole credit crisis took the population by surprise? Is it possible that the media is only reporting the gloom because by now it has absolutely no choice?

Aguilar January 6, 2009 - 6:13pm

And then after that little Caylee disappeared, and then after that came the Olympics, and somewhere in there was Dancing With the Stars, and then the media had to spoil everything by spreading around stories of economic recession.

The problem with the media is that the bread and circus American public discovered there is not as much bread going around, but the media failed to provide larger, longer, and more exciting circuses. What this country needs is not a change in the tax rates, but a change in television programming.

Numerian January 6, 2009 - 6:19pm

It does not inform, it manipulates


Tolerating prostitution is tolerating abuse and torture of women and children.

adrena January 6, 2009 - 6:20pm

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