"Green flu:" possible?

[Monkeyleg]

If, God forbid, Obama is elected and manages to push through his tax increase on those making over $250,000, I have an idea. Not an original idea, but an idea nonetheless.

Months ago we had a demonstration by Mexicans in the US who didn't show up for work to illustrate their value to our economy. There have been several threats in cities of a "blue flu" if police unions don't get what they want at the bargaining table.

What would it be like if every person who made over $250,000 didn't come to work for a day or even a week? If the person owned a business, it would close for a day or a week. If the person was a CEO, he'd just stay home.

I wonder what the effect would be on our economy?

I realize that getting about 1.5 million people to act in concert is unlikely, but the idea is entertaining.

[Manedwolf]

I think that'd only destroy those businesses. Competitors would take advantage and move sales reps in on their territories immediately.

You just can't do something like that and survive. Of course, you can't pay more taxes and survive, either.

[De Selby]

If, God forbid, Obama is elected and manages to push through his tax increase on those making over $250,000, I have an idea. Not an original idea, but an idea nonetheless.

Months ago we had a demonstration by Mexicans in the US who didn't show up for work to illustrate their value to our economy. There have been several threats in cities of a "blue flu" if police unions don't get what they want at the bargaining table.

What would it be like if every person who made over $250,000 didn't come to work for a day or even a week? If the person owned a business, it would close for a day or a week. If the person was a CEO, he'd just stay home.

I wonder what the effect would be on our economy?

I realize that getting about 1.5 million people to act in concert is unlikely, but the idea is entertaining.

If the Dilbert picture of management is correct, the entire economy would experience unprecedented gains and management would come back on day 2, with a billion charts to explain how this or that management technique was responsible for the boone.

[mtnbkr]

A day or a week wouldn't have any effect at all.  Most folks at that level of pay aren't working on the day to day tactical stuff, but long term strategic tasks (ignoring for now the engineering and creative types who can pull that money down while working day to day tasks). 

It's the folks at my level (or a level up or down) who do the day to day or month to month work that would be missed.  If I went away for a week, some stuff would go undone, but the folks below me would do the majority of the work.  If my direct manager went away for a week, I wouldn't notice.  A month and I might have to get with her manager for purchasing authority and the like, but I'd still be ok.  Someone in my chain of command at the 250k level?  I wouldn't miss them at all.  At best, I'd need their signoff on something once or twice a year (major capital purchases, new contracts, etc).

Chris

[Manedwolf]

A day or a week wouldn't have any effect at all.  Most folks at that level of pay aren't working on the day to day tactical stuff, but long term strategic tasks (ignoring for now the engineering and creative types who can pull that money down while working day to day tasks). 

It's the folks at my level (or a level up or down) who do the day to day or month to month work that would be missed.  If I went away for a week, some stuff would go undone, but the folks below me would do the majority of the work.  If my direct manager went away for a week, I wouldn't notice.  A month and I might have to get with her manager for purchasing authority and the like, but I'd still be ok.  Someone in my chain of command at the 250k level?  I wouldn't miss them at all.  At best, I'd need their signoff on something once or twice a year (major capital purchases, new contracts, etc).

Chris

That's all true. I meant if the actual businesses closed, as said.

Then there's the small business owners who make that because they never take a day off, and are directing everything 24/7. They're going to be badly hurt, too.

[grampster]

What is utterly incredible to me is the fact that Sen. Obama can look the TV camera straight on and say with a straight face that raising the taxes on those making over 250K would actually raise meaningful money.  It won't.  His comments are an attempt to pander to class jealousy and gain him votes.  Period!! 

What is more incredible is the huge number of people who actually are comforted by his comments. 

If Obama, or any politician for that matter, were not such frauds, he and they would be running on the notion of changing the tax code in such a fashion that everyone would pay some federal taxes, from the poorest to the richest.  10% to run the .fedgov.  If that won't support the .fedgov then trim it till it does.

What I have never understood is when confronted with the fact that business, industry and government are having trouble, businesses and industry fold up and go away, but government not only is required to maintain the status quo, it also even grows.

How about rather than having everyone who produces something and makes over 250K protest, we ought to shut the federal  government down for a month every six months?  No pay, no nothing for a month, twice a year.  Would improve everyone's planning skills.  Can't or won't plan?  Too bad, so sad.  Got a soft heart?  Then better yet, just trim every .fedgov budget by 10% a year till the national debt is gone.

[Monkeyleg]

Oh, well. A person can dream, can't he?

Grampster, Obama is promising all sorts of candy to 95% of the population, and promises to have that 5% pay for it. There's absolutely no way that the 5% can pay for everything Obama has promised.

About 12.5% of the population is below poverty level, so they'll pay no taxes at all. My guess is that the remaining 82.5% or so--the middle class--will wind up paying more taxes in the end. In other words, they'll be paying for the "free" stuff Obama promised them.

Why can't people see through this transparent charlatan?

[Manedwolf]

Oh, well. A person can dream, can't he?

Grampster, Obama is promising all sorts of candy to 95% of the population, and promises to have that 5% pay for it. There's absolutely no way that the 5% can pay for everything Obama has promised.

About 12.5% of the population is below poverty level, so they'll pay no taxes at all. My guess is that the remaining 82.5% or so--the middle class--will wind up paying more taxes in the end. In other words, they'll be paying for the "free" stuff Obama promised them.

Why can't people see through this transparent charlatan?

Because he's promising free stuff.

[taurusowner]

Then there's the small business owners who make that because they never take a day off, and are directing everything 24/7. They're going to be badly hurt, too.

They would suffer more than you can imagine.  Think of every small business that gets food shipments from big suppliers.  Fast food chains that close because they can't get ingredients.  Auto parts stores that can't get inventory.  Every small business out there that sells products would run out of inventory and have nothing to sell within days.

When you fark with the people who provide all of the jobs in the country, you're farking with said jobs.  That's a dangerous move.  Obama doesn't seem to get that.

[Boomhauer]

Obama doesn't seem to get that.

Oh, he and his ilk get it all right. And that's what they want...

It's just a nice side benefit that promising stuff like this will get him plenty of votes from idiots.

[GigaBuist]

When you fark with the people who provide all of the jobs in the country, you're farking with said jobs.  That's a dangerous move.  Obama doesn't seem to get that.

Take a look at the maximum income tax rates in the US over the 20th century.  They were upwards of 70-80% in the 50's, 60's and into the 70's.  Possibly even as early as the late 40's. I forget offhand.

What I'm getting at is that we've survived under it before... in fact I'd say we flourished.

[K Frame]

"in fact I'd say we flourished"

The only reason we fluorished in the post war years is because the United States had the worlds ONLY major industrial base and economy that wasn't broken by 6 years of a world war.

[Scout26]

Who is John Galt ??

[Manedwolf]

When you fark with the people who provide all of the jobs in the country, you're farking with said jobs.  That's a dangerous move.  Obama doesn't seem to get that.

Take a look at the maximum income tax rates in the US over the 20th century.  They were upwards of 70-80% in the 50's, 60's and into the 70's.  Possibly even as early as the late 40's. I forget offhand.

What I'm getting at is that we've survived under it before... in fact I'd say we flourished.

And if you were an entrepreneur, would you stick around for that? Or take off to Dubai and manufacture elsewhere?

[taurusowner]

Exactly.  All of the Left's ideas about using "the rich" as an unending source of income for all of their plans hinge on the single idea that "the rich" have to stick around to be taxed.  But they don't have to stick around.

What happens when your boss or business owner closes the place you work and leaves the country?  You're screwed.  Now what happens when everyone's bosses and business owners close up shop and leave? 

[Jamisjockey]

If we and the people in our team don't work, we don't get paid.  No sick leave for the self employed.

[Brad Johnson]

What is more incredible is the huge number of people who actually are comforted by his comments are so effingly, retardly, rediculously, incredibly, and abysmally stupid they actually think it's a solution, and haven't taking the one or two seconds needed to conclude that most of them will end up out of work because of it. 

There.  Fixed it for you.

Brad

[lupinus]

What is more incredible is the huge number of people who actually are comforted by his comments. 

[GigaBuist]

And if you were an entrepreneur, would you stick around for that? Or take off to Dubai and manufacture elsewhere?

Apparently they stuck around.  I'm not aware of any mass exodus from 1950-1970ish.

This puzzles me.

[grampster]

Gig,

It was because of what Mike said.  America was the only industrialized nation in the world after WWII.  The rest of the world needed to be rebuilt.  Most of the small businesses supplied that industrial giant and other small businesses supplied the small businesses that supplied the industrial giant and so on and so and scooby dooby doooo.............

[GigaBuist]

D'oh!  I didn't see Mike's reply, just Manedwolf's.

Yeah, that makes perfect sense to me.

[Gowen]

Take a look at the maximum income tax rates in the US over the 20th century.  They were upwards of 70-80% in the 50's, 60's and into the 70's.  Possibly even as early as the late 40's. I forget offhand.

What I'm getting at is that we've survived under it before... in fact I'd say we flourished.

The difference was there was every write off you could imagine.  Interest paid on credit cards, car loans, etc. this brought the tax rate down to something manageable.  When Regan cut the taxes, the dems cut out the write offs.

[MechAg94]

All someone has to do is go ask Bill Clinton what happened to his Middle Class Tax Cut, and he will then say that he never really promised one.  

[MicroBalrog]

Gig,

It was because of what Mike said.  America was the only industrialized nation in the world after WWII.  The rest of the world needed to be rebuilt. 

And other nations had higher taxes.

That today practically no nation has an income tax margin over 50% is a result of America's 'Reagan revolution.'

[RoadKingLarry]

Who is John Galt ??

I finally got around to reading that a couple of weeks ago. The parallels to today are amazing and a little scary.