Comments on: Revealed Preferences http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/02/27/revealed-preferences/ Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:28:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: HispanicPundit http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/02/27/revealed-preferences/#comment-173222 HispanicPundit Thu, 28 Feb 2008 01:37:19 +0000 http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/02/27/revealed-preferences/#comment-173222 It's moderates like you that make life difficult for partisans like me. ;-) It’s moderates like you that make life difficult for partisans like me. ;-)

]]> By: LaurenceB http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/02/27/revealed-preferences/#comment-173217 LaurenceB Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:59:07 +0000 http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/02/27/revealed-preferences/#comment-173217 I wish you wouldn't frame it as "right vs. left" HP. I think it's pretty much universal that no one wants to pay higher taxes, and that everyone thinks the government should spend less. Where or not I am "right" or "left" is mostly irrelevant in this particular discussion. I don't want to pay more taxes, but I am willing to pay more taxes if I feel the money is being spent wisely. I think that's generally true of most Americans - right or left. I wish you wouldn’t frame it as “right vs. left” HP. I think it’s pretty much universal that no one wants to pay higher taxes, and that everyone thinks the government should spend less. Where or not I am “right” or “left” is mostly irrelevant in this particular discussion.

I don’t want to pay more taxes, but I am willing to pay more taxes if I feel the money is being spent wisely. I think that’s generally true of most Americans - right or left.

]]> By: HispanicPundit http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/02/27/revealed-preferences/#comment-173208 HispanicPundit Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:39:36 +0000 http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/02/27/revealed-preferences/#comment-173208 I don't think the tax cuts have done much either way...but as a general principle I do side more with tax cuts than tax increases. I think the people are much better at spending their own money than government is at spending it. See <a href="http://hispanicpundit.com/2006/05/26/quote-of-the-day-261/" rel="nofollow">here</a>. I don’t think the tax cuts have done much either way…but as a general principle I do side more with tax cuts than tax increases.

I think the people are much better at spending their own money than government is at spending it. See here.

]]> By: Gerardo http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/02/27/revealed-preferences/#comment-173202 Gerardo Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:39:11 +0000 http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/02/27/revealed-preferences/#comment-173202 Much like Bush's tax cut policies have this economy booming...especially for the working and middle classes..right HP.. Much like Bush’s tax cut policies have this economy booming…especially for the working and middle classes..right HP..

]]> By: HispanicPundit http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/02/27/revealed-preferences/#comment-173201 HispanicPundit Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:17:27 +0000 http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/02/27/revealed-preferences/#comment-173201 Okay - but even that still doesn't invalidate McArdles point. After all, the connection between increased taxes and government functions one likes is always loosely connected. So in the end, it's true, "What most of us [the left] are really in favor of is higher taxes on other people. If we wanted higher taxes on ourselves, we’d give the money to charity". Okay - but even that still doesn’t invalidate McArdles point. After all, the connection between increased taxes and government functions one likes is always loosely connected.

So in the end, it’s true, “What most of us [the left] are really in favor of is higher taxes on other people. If we wanted higher taxes on ourselves, we’d give the money to charity”.

]]> By: LaurenceB http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/02/27/revealed-preferences/#comment-173191 LaurenceB Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:50:34 +0000 http://hispanicpundit.com/2008/02/27/revealed-preferences/#comment-173191 If I were given the choice of donating to a charity or donating the same amount of money to a government function <i>which I could designate</i> I would probably donate the money to the government. Therefore, the issue (at least in my case) is not that I don't want higher taxes on myself (as McArdle suggests), but rather that I don't think the government would spend my additional taxes the way I want them to be spent. An interesting poll: Ask a sample of Americans to construct a simple, hypothetical federal budget that would conform to their best wishes, then compare that composite budget to the actual one. I'm sure this has been done somewhere by someone - I'd love to see it. If I were given the choice of donating to a charity or donating the same amount of money to a government function which I could designate I would probably donate the money to the government. Therefore, the issue (at least in my case) is not that I don’t want higher taxes on myself (as McArdle suggests), but rather that I don’t think the government would spend my additional taxes the way I want them to be spent.

An interesting poll: Ask a sample of Americans to construct a simple, hypothetical federal budget that would conform to their best wishes, then compare that composite budget to the actual one. I’m sure this has been done somewhere by someone - I’d love to see it.

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