On Taxes - Pt. 2

As an initial matter, let's notes that the American Enterprise Institute is a conservative think tank. It does not support liberal ideas, nor does it seek to defame Republicans with "fake news" or some other such partisan trick.

James Pethokoukis lamented yesterday at aei.org that the GOP can't come up with any serious ideas. I encourage anyone to click through and read what he has to say. A few snippets:

Doing big things in Washington is never easy, as the Republicans are currently demonstrating. But doing them is much harder when the plans themselves are so flawed. And make no mistake: Both the GOP health and tax plans are troubled policy at best. That’s the main reason Republicans are struggling — it’s the policy, stupid.

Look out for that drive-by Liberal Media!

You would think Republicans would be on safer ground with tax cuts. But their plan should be a non-starter given that it apparently would reduce federal revenue by $500 billion a year. And the only specific “pay for” so far — eliminating the state and local tax deduction — would cover maybe a third of that amount.

So, wait . . . am I to understand that all of the piety from Paul Ryan and company about the national debt was insincere? For shame!

So whatever the benefits of some individual pieces of this tax plan, it is fiscally and intellectually incoherent in its totality. It also makes a joke of the GOP’s supposed deficit worries during the Obama years.

From the American Enterprise Institute's mouth to God's ear!

Both the GOP’s health care and tax efforts show, if not an intellectually fatigued party, then one unwilling to speak truth to its voters: Tax cuts almost never pay for themselves. Universal health insurance coverage is a proper societal goal. ObamaCare isn’t to blame for slow economic growth. The future U.S. tax burden is far more likely to rise than fall. Trying to maintain policy fictions — whether to appease Fox News, talk radio, or voters with misplaced expectations — gets you a week like this one, a week full of bad politics and bad policy. And with little sign that GOPers are ready to acknowledge these hard truths, this bad week is unlikely to be the last one.

This card-carrying liberal couldn't have spoken it better himself. Although, columns like this one make me question whether I'm really a liberal or whether I simply can't stand the rank and pervasive dishonesty of one side of the political debate and thus default to the other side.