When Tax Cuts Failed

In 2012, Kansas passed one of the largest income tax cuts in the state’s history. Today, it serves as a cautionary tale. Read more: www.theatlantic.com/video/ind...
This film was directed by Melinda Shopsin and produced by ITVS Independent Lens. It is part of The Atlantic Selects, an online showcase of short documentaries from independent creators, curated by The Atlantic.
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[@RealStuntPanda]

People complaining about the tax cuts just don't understand: sure the entire infrastructure of the state will crumble and collapse but millionaires will now be able to buy bigger boats!

[@andreanacalhoun9454]

you can keep paying higher taxes if you want to whos stopping you.

[@RealStuntPanda]

emanresu808 You are correct, my apologies. I was in the Navy and we jokingly called our ships "boats" and deployments we called "cruises." Hard habit to break.

[@RobertTempleton64]

Taxes are for the COMMON good - but, as a troll, you wouldn't know better. It is against your designated message and programming.

[@RealStuntPanda]

+Robert Templeton I imagine you're going to delete your comment after you re-read my obviously sarcastic comment. I'm obviously supporting taxes and you lack basic reading skills.

[@zelenplav1701]

And your property.

[@derrickng4017]

I am a business owner and can say with certainty that a tax cut will not push me to hire more. Rather I will simply pocket it. Unless DEMAND miraculously increases, there is no incentive to hire more. When sales are not increasing, why increase my production? That's just a waste of money. If you were in the business of selling lamps. And you sold 300 lamps on a monthly basis with little to no fluctuation. Are you going to hire another worker with the expectation of no increase in sales? So essentially, demand is what drives companies to hire and produce. Edit: I'll put this here since I'm still getting shit takes. We business people can use BEFORE TAX dollars to reinvest and grow our businesses. You'd be fucking dumb to use AFTER TAX dollars for this purpose. My spending is not proportional to the increase of my income. My investments in stock and derivative markets generates less utility than you think. Referencing Rostow's stages of economic growth, we are nearing the final stage. Automation, AI, and Machine Learning is inevitable. A robust welfare system or UBI will be necessary. Lastly, Yang 2020

[@jascvideorambles3369]

You explain it perfectly👏👌

[@derrickng4017]

Peter Gobkoswki Ah, if it is specifically a payroll tax hike, then of course the incentive is to hire less and maybe automate or outsource certain business functions. If it is solely an income tax hike, then it will only affect my EBIT. And if given demand remains the same, laying off people would result in lower revenue aka less EBIT aka less net income. As a sole propritor, if you are smart with the accounting, you shouldn't worry about high taxes.

[@derrickng4017]

Another thing is that we shouldn't raise taxes solely for paying down the debt. Clean up waste and start programs that net save in the long run.

[@Spince28]

Econ 101

[@theuglykwan]

And that is the reason behind Japan's decades long stagnation in case anyone needs a case study of it happening on a country wide scale. Their corporations are sitting on money but without signs of increased demand they are not investing it.

[@anthonydelfino6171]

It's telling that the dairy farmer said point blank that if she received the tax cut, her plan was to mechanize out some of her workforce, which actually will create a job deficit as opposed to an increase in jobs.

[@korona3103]

"Paying for something for someone else" is kind of a spurious idea, especially with healthcare. You pay for others so that when you're the one with the terrible disease others pay for you. Reciprocity is such a core concept of what makes society work. You can attack tax policy but to attack it on that level seems really weird.

[@mcross320]

Don't say society on line, someone is going to turn it nasty by making it socialism. People living together like a fellowship, brotherhood, league, union, association, groups, neighbors, friends with each other is bad, bad, bad! So say republicans, LOL!

[@naderbastani1767]

Korona i

[@zool201975]

its the golden rule that people in power dislike (and their idiot sycophants as they are simply half braindead talking heads.). only do onto others what you like to have done to yourself getting help when you cannot help yourself is what anyone wants.. but a particular (ps) the golden rule should not be used by masochists by the way ;)/

[@mikeb8342]

Quinn Bailey , insurance sounds like a good example...until you realize taxes are compulsory and insurance isn't. I'll take freedom over coercion.

[@zool201975]

"insurance sounds like a good example...until you realize taxes are compulsory and insurance isn't. I'll take freedom over coercion." *well stop paying taxes and live in a cave never ever use public roads.. if the coercion is such a burden to you then also stop using those supposed meager benefits you get from them. go live as far away from those burdens and have the fucking balls to not make use of what others did pay for that you clearly so strongly disagree with.*

[@erzan]

I believe in tax cuts, for *low* income people and *small* business.

[@barnesm7522]

erzan - I agree but middle class needs the largest tax cut. Then increase taxes on the rich.

[@shingshongshamalama]

I believe in progressive rate corporate income tax. Bigger companies should start paying more tax than smaller ones.

[@billyosullivan4514]

@@barnesm7522 Why not decrease goverment spending

[@covfefe1787]

@@barnesm7522 how about eliminate taxes for everyone

[@randombloke165]

Covfefe So you’re an anarchist?

[@NYC1E1]

There are only two types of people that believe tax cuts for the rich and corporations help the economy. The rich that want to become more rich because having 10 20 100 million dollars isn't enough for them (Greed) or the uneducated (Conservatives) that don't get how economics works. Here's a simple solution, companies that want tax breaks should have to show proof that they hired the same percentage of people as their tax breaks or close to it. Or show that they raised employees salary by just as much. But they will never do that because it's not about stimulating the economy, its about stimulating their bank accounts...

[@KayleeCee]

I'll never understand why some people get their panties in a twist over paying taxes. I know that taxes go for schools, police, roads, parks, social safety nets, etc. I really don't mind paying for any of it. My kid goes to school, I drive on the roads, we use the parks and public land, police are necessary, and if it weren't for the safety net programs my grandmother wouldn't have the healthcare that she needs.

[@MrAwsomenoob]

civic virtue is dead in this country everyone is in it for the short term gains at the expense of everyone else, because to some people if the problem doesn't affect them then it might as well not even exist.

[@moxyoonyx2713]

AMEN!

[@johnw8984]

MrAwsomenoob that's because schools haven't taught people what the long-term ramifications are of dumbing down schooling is, it started with Ronald Reagan in 1981 when he did away with the fairness Doctrine for the General Public. The rich want a bunch of idiots so they can pass laws that f*** everybody who isn't rich. Just listen to the way these people talk it's so idiotic "well we need money to run our schools gee how the f*** did this happen???"

[@S2Tubes]

It's easy to say that when you take out more than you put in. People are living longer. There simply aren't enough young people to pay for all the old people. People are going to have to self fund. Governments waste a ton of money, and most people that actually pay more in taxes than they get in services would rather have a greater say in how that money is spent, and it's not to pay for your family from cradle to grave.

[@jackblaisdell4097]

@Jason and Julie Smith the reason that businesses hired you in the first place is because the cost of hiring you was worth it in comparison to the amount of money you earn the company. After all these are the wages you agreed to apon hiring. So what would happen if that job didn't exist? That someone along the line wouldn't have a job. Anything is better than complete poverty, and it's others "greed" that created that job in the first place.

[@frigginjerk]

For Chrissakes, taxes aren't a black hole that makes money disappear. "We're gonna cut taxes!" Translation: "We're gonna cut the funding of health care, schools, roads, and all the other things you take for granted!"

[@marsattacks7071]

But where goes the money from the cuts ?

[@TheArtkaw]

People like the Koch Brothers, Trumps...

[@dcptiv]

Spend less on war & everything will be fine. Look at the 1 thing that soaks up the most money.

[@HairyPixels]

RE TRANSLATION: "We're gonna let people keep the money they earned".

[@arno222444]

RE TRANSLATION: "We're gonna make sure you will pay the money you have to pay anyway because you need all these public services to private companies who will optimize their profit by screwing you as much as they can"

[@joem5386]

As a 'former' Kansan, I've witnessed firsthand the effects that Brownback and his Republican cohorts have levied on the state. Straight out of that failed 'trickle-down', supply-side economics playbook cited by Reagan and others since the eighties, this tax-plan was nothing more than a move to concentrate wealth into the hands of those who already garner the lion's share of its tax-related benefits. Such 'businesses' have benefitted not from adding more people to their employment roles (Brownback claimed 25,000 jobs/year) but by using their extra 'income' to boost their bottom lines at the expense of education, highway maintenance and, yes, social services. Now, Trump and his Republican clones have pulled off a similar ruse on American's with tax cut legislation that will end up adding more debt to a burgeoning deficit (estimated now at > $1 TRILLION/year) that will benefit those with the political connectedness that few citizens could even dream of. As for Brownback, he escaped to a position within the Trump Administration as an 'ambassador for religious freedom' (whatever that means) and does not have to deal with the financial catastrophe he left in his wake. Unfortunately, and almost ironically, his former state is the one that will need a miracle to dig itself out of a Republican-led financial quagmire that will certainly loom over the state for years to come.

[@covfefe1787]

simple cut government programs that way the money wont suffer education needs the biggest cut because public education clearly doesn’t work very overfunded and corrupt

[@bobbiecat8000]

@@covfefe1787 you know your not making any sense.

[@maarten1115]

@@bobbiecat8000 I think he was being sarcastic, his username is covfefe and he even uses trumps twitter writing style.

[@omegapointil5741]

Reagan, the slaughterer of Little People in the third world the most corrupt President in history. even invited Pinochet to the White HOuse .... such a creep

[@williemherbert1456]

​@@covfefe1787 No, education funding can't be treated as luxurious treat expenses, rather by cutting this will ended up with low procurement of human resources to be able to face the future better off since education IS essential investment for people. And public schools are designated to not be the best in giving such service, but rather at least giving access to those that have no enough financial cushion, just look at multiple ghost town that are plaguing every corner of developed country's rural area.

[@cb7841]

Reaganomics: "We're gonna get big government off your back!" **Triples the deficit**

[@nakul0888]

really, you a liberal is going to complain about deficit after what obammy has just done. My god, the irony.

[@francoishoudecote1283]

You mean in 2008 ? Saving the American Economy and the American Civilization ?

[@nakul0888]

buhhhaahhhaaa.....yeah right. he just blew back the bubble that just popped. he saved jackshit. why do you think trump got elected? And my god, "saved the western civilization"? Do you live inside some liberal comic book published by the DNC?

[@francoishoudecote1283]

Why do I think that Trump Won ? Let's see. Economic Anxiety and the feeling of not being listened to has driven white male resentment, mostly in Midwest. Because of the low voter turnout. Because Democrats focused more on turning out supporters than growing the base. And... the general belief (Which I think must be at least partly true) that the political elites are corrupted ? I can add Clinton's shady past and maybe ties with Russia. What is your personnal interpretation of Donald Trump's victory ?

[@nakul0888]

Trump won, because the economy sucks. Growth under obama has never passed 3 % at anytime. Obama care skyrocketed insurance premiums. The national debt doubled to 19 trillion. His onslaught of regulations didnt help either. And of course all the social justice racebaiting bullshit played a factor too. His foreign policy sucked even harder. He pulled out of iraq at the wrong time, helping to create isis, he invaded libya for no good reason creating the migrant crisis. I think this would be enough to prove that all in all he was a useless shitty president. Even more shitty than Bush. Didnt think that was even possible

[@jwcarroll6378]

Taxes are what helps run government services. It seems people don’t care until it affects them.

[@kevin7613]

Qlight123 for now. Yes. It’s just a sad world.

[@theQuestion626]

+Qlight123 so just forget about those who do use them yeah...?

[@paulmckeever9193]

These tax cuts have never had a positive outcome. Unless you are wealthy.

[@ClassicFIHD]

Bush 2003 tax cuts increase federal revenue for 5 years straight. Google it!

[@daddymonkey7361]

@@ClassicFIHD yeah but he still manage to bump the economy, and only 30% off the population got the benefits.

[@ClassicFIHD]

@@daddymonkey7361 Only 30%? CNN tell you that? Everybody I know kept about $1,500 to $2,500 from his tax cuts. Not to mention Stock Portfolio and 401Ks I'm paying much less in gas. Home heating oil by me is $1.54 per gallon.

[@philgarza6158]

@@ClassicFIHD Google the amount of money the Bush Adminstration borrowed from China to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[@philgarza6158]

@@ClassicFIHD The intent for farmers and small business owners was to be able and take the money from the tax cuts and hire more workers. With the amount of money you just listed how many workers will you be able to hire? Are you paying them with thoughts and prayers?

[@edwardmaxwell3951]

Dear America, In order to solve your problems, you need to raise taxes on rich people. you'se welcome!

[@rameshkrishnan3254]

And the definition of rich is one slab above my income...😁

[@Ertwin123]

Trickle down economics is like trying to build a house by building the roof first.

[@rollinnolan4646]

Ertwin123 How does it work there, genius? Obama's way sure didn't work. Ever get a job from a homeless person?

[@rollinnolan4646]

Ertwin123 I suppose you support trickle up economics? And plllleeeeaaassssseee explain how that works. Can't get something from nothing

[@GenesisRC]

Funny enough my relatives built their own home by making the roof first lol

[@rollinnolan4646]

Genesis RC & FPV grain bins are built that way also

[@rollinnolan4646]

Muhammad Ahmed WWII brought us out of the Great Depression. The interstate system was built by Ile as a way to be able to move military equipment quicker in case of war. He saw how amazing the Autobahn in Germany was. If there are no wealthy business owners making the equipment, buying the equipment and the supplies to build the interstates. Who would build them? Do you think they were built by hand? Some evil wealthy person had to have the jack. They had to buy the equipment, the materials, hire operators and labor and pay them on his own dime until a project was finished. Before he got paid by the government. I believe that the Rrailroads connecting the east to the west were built with private money. What an economic boom that was to our country

[@stacyely8722]

Trickle-Down hasn't worked since Hoover tried it during the Great Depression. It has never worked and probably never will.

[@abdulrahmanchalya7873]

Herbert Hoover started the new deal

[@jaypatel7426]

hoover raised the top tax rate from 25% to 63%. Learn about history before you go and comment on it.

[@mellio1113]

Stacy Ely:- I think you can take the word "probably" out of your comment.

[@ethanweeter2732]

It could work if done smarter. We needed to cut taxes for the middle class first than the wealthy class after that. Also, you have to make everything private if you make government smaller. Who thinks private prisons are a great idea?

[@bobbiecat8000]

@@jaypatel7426 and fdr raised it even more now thats how you do it.

[@Ayaforshort]

Tax cuts work if they are for the poor. They have more money to spend in the market. Rich people buy stocks and shares.

[@Ayaforshort]

Gene Davidson the poor are using that money to keep the utilities paid. They use that money to fill up the gas tank. To pay for new clothes or buy more food. Do you know how many teachers have to work a second job just so they don't have to be on welfare? And I'm supposed to be sympathetic because you want to gamble your assets.

[@WordsofHarmony]

Gene Davidson thats the biggest lie. Just because you have more money doesnt mean you work harder.

[@AmazingPaladin]

Gene Davidson Yup. Math, english, and science are for god damn commies! Lmao do you read the shit you type?

[@WouterNederstigt]

I wanted to reply with "Whoah, tax cuts for the poor? That's some socialism here. The only tax cuts we need is for the rich, that's capitalism!" but then I read the comments and I realised that some people would take me seriously. I agree with you, in fact, I believe it to be true that the economy grows when the poor get less poor. You see, when you're poor, you don't spend your money on anything, even when you need it, because you literally have no money to spend. When you do have more money to spend, suddenly you can afford to buy those clothes you need, new shoes, repair your car, maybe eat out, etcetera. Businesses get more customers, so the economy grows. As a businessowner you have more customers, more work, so you hire new staff. Gene's (former) trucking company for example will move more goods, making him to employ more people. That is what I believe to be true what happens when, due to economic reforms, the poor get more money to spend. When the businesses get a tax break, they do have more money to spend on their employees, but the main source of income will still come from their customers. When you, as a businessowner get more money, but not more work, you wouldn't hire more people, but you would spend it on the employees you already have (or put it in your own pocket, that's whats everybody is saying, but I don't think that's realisic). When the money you gain, as was the case in Kansas, unfortunally comes from cutting public spending, (teachers and health workers get laid off, road work is cancelled etcetera) then you as a businessowner will get less work. As was evidenced by the company in the video (although they did work for the semi-public sector). The economy shrinks. Even if your business (in the private sector) is not directly impacted, the employees of companies that are impacted may be your customers. But that's what I think to be true. You most efficiently grow the economy by (indirectly) increasing the demand for work, not by (directly) injecting a sum of money in companies and hoping they will create more jobs (while not taking care of the demand for those jobs). That's my 2 cents

[@geoffdearth8575]

Bullshit. Bill Gates is rich because he got in on the ground floor of something that wasn't even a thing yet.

[@snowbaordguru]

@15:10 This is not unique, this is Reaganomics. She just now started to pay attention. It's been 30+ years of cutting taxes at the top on a Federal level and all we have to show for it is trillions of dollars in Nat'l debt and annual trillion dollar budget deficit. And now we are in a position as a country that the 3 richest Americans own as much wealth as the poorest 50% of the population, and the top 1% own 90% of wealth in the U.S. as of 2017.

[@churchofmagic3733]

Is that a bad thing? The reason why the 1% are rich is because other people willingly and consensually gave their money to the rich.

[@snowbaordguru]

Dra First, it's a wild assumption to make that people are poor because they can't manage money. I would argue that their problem is lacking money to manage to begin with because socioeconomically speaking you are going to stay where you're born. Meaning there isn't as good a chance as there used to be for upward mobility. It's not accountants that save rich people money because accountants do not set the tax code, Congress is the culprit. The Citizens United supreme court case opened the flood gates for the rich to further rig the system by allowing for unlimited bribes to politicians vis-a-vis 'campaign contributions'. The rich rig the system against everyone else when they lower their tax liability, of which the burden gets shifted to those lower down the economic rung. That, plus the Gov programs that benefit the lower echelons which get cut as a result of the lower tax revenues. Less of a helping hand holds millions of people in lower economic status for generations.

[@snowbaordguru]

Dra You said: "Should it be otherwise?" Yes, it should. High economic inequality hurts the economy. Think of the tax brackets and the people who fall into them respectively as a pyramid. At the bottom: the largest group is the middle class, next is the poor, then the upper middle and finally the top. The vast majority of people fall into the first two categories, if the largest two economic populations can't afford to buy anything extra than necessities, business won't sell products. 90% of the wealth is held by the smallest population (peak of the pyramid) and the left over 10% is being shared by 90% of the population. The spending power (economic engine) is concentrated at the top among the smallest population of people. How many fridges can one family buy? How many cars does one family need? Mark Cuban said he buys 10 pairs of jeans a year, and the rest of his money sits earning interest instead of being spent into the economy.

[@churchofmagic3733]

Again, 90% of the wealth is shared by the rich because the poor and middle class consensually gave those rich people their money in exchange for whatever product those rich people were selling, such as refrigerators, cars, land, etc. There's also the fallacy that money that is not being spent is useless money. Supply and demand means that when rich people put their money into banks, those banks can afford to (and usually do) lower the interest rates for the loans they give out. Rich people are also the main source of employment and jobs. They might earn millions and billions of dollars per year, but they'll go bankrupt if there's no one to work their companies..

[@donnydanger273]

Spectre ThirTeen small businesses are the main source of New jobs the ultra rich have their money in off shore accounts or switzerland.

[@endlessadventure541]

When you listen to the comments of average Americans and analyse the level of education and sophistication their words and thoughts demonstrate, you get sick to your stomach. And you realize why America has Trump.

[@arno222444]

Yes I agree it is scary, but I think it has been done on purpose it is much easier to manipulate an uneducated population.

[@acadoe]

In what ways has this been intentionally done? I am not disagreeing, I am curious.

[@arno222444]

If you do not educate the mainstream population well it is much easier to manipulate them against their own interests. I will take only one example in USA the rich people pay much less taxes in % of their income than the middle class. It is obviously unfair but no one seems to be concerned about it.

[@acadoe]

I completely agree with you, but that is not really my question. You said that this was done on purpose, that means that some group of people caused this through their actions. I am asking what those actions were that is resulting in the lowering of education.

[@arno222444]

By cutting the appropriate budget for the public schools and making sure that a "good" education will be very expansive. I am not an historian but here is my guess. Back in the 70's the US education system was good and affordable for the mainstream population but during the vietnam war the anti-war movement started from the US universities. From the government point of view this movement was the reason why they gave up and lost the Vietnam war. Nowadays the world is much crazier and there is much more reasons to protest and fight for a better world but there is very few movements starting from the US universities, why? It is when you are young and a dreamer that it is the best time to fight for a better future..... But now the universities are very expensive, the students who can afford it without having to contract a massive debt are the one who benefit from the system they have no reason to fight for a better world, the students who are not from the upper class they have to contract a massive debt, they have no will to fight for a better future future they need to work hard to try to reimburse........

[@olzt100]

Economic growth comes from a lot of people having money and a lot people having needs. The US economy is backwards by putting a lot of money in the hands of a few.

[@jonjo2598]

olzt100 no, it comes from increasing gdp on a year to year basis. Increasing gdp comes from making production practices more efficient, or coming up with new production processes, newer and better production processes and tech come from long term and short term capital and research and development. Research and development expenses comes from retained earnings, and direct cash infusions from investors. Cash infusions from investors come from savings resulting from consumption lower than income. So it looks to me like consumption reduces investment, and lowers gdp growth. This is broadly agreed on by economists.

[@dumyjobby]

Is not the people who spend that create wealth. Is the ones who invest in new technologies, increase productivity and make all processes more efficient so that the majority can afford those things. The poor spend the money, middle class save it and the rich invest it

[@olzt100]

You need demand before you make any capital investment. You don't have a sale unless you have a customer. America is low savings country and has been most of it's history. What has spurred economic growth in the US has been innovation. Innovation is being stifled in the US because corporations are stealing most of the top minds and buying up large portion of workable patents.

[@dragonhold4]

@Jon Jo @Steve S. @Dimitry Jobby Don't be corporate puppets. "70% of the U.S. economy is dependent on consumer spending (17% from private investment)" ーBureau of Economic Analysis 2017 Think. No person invests to lose money.

[@dragonhold4]

A humble plan: 1. Incentivize, indiscriminately to revenue, through effective tax rates, companies that have a Gini Index under a certain threshold. ex: 15% tax, regardless of revenue, if < .34 Gini 2. International trade agreements that enforce a minimum level of labor standards.

[@burdine26.120]

"This election was lost four and six years ago, not this year. They [Republicans] didn’t start thinking of the old common fellow till just as they started out on the election tour. The money was all appropriated for the top [the rich] in the hopes that it would trickle down to the needy. Mr. Hoover [the President at the time of the great economic crash of 1929 who preceded President Franklin D. Roosevelt] was an engineer. He knew that water trickles down. Put it uphill and let it go and it will reach the driest little spot. But he didn’t know that money trickled up. Give it to the people at the bottom and the people at the top will have it before night, anyhow. But it will at least have passed through the poor fellows hands. They saved the big banks, but the little ones went up the flue." - Will Rogers, November 27, 1932

[@stephencody6088]

So basically this "expirement" has been tried by Republicans for almost 100 yrs now and it's never worked.God people in Kansas are dumb.

[@TahtahmesDiary]

Thank you for introducing me to Will Rogers, he seems like an interesting guy and I wasn't sure what I was going to watch this evening, might as well learn something!

[@vospecv8928]

"Today, it serves as a cautionary tale." That tale was way too late as the GoP was able to pass it along to the U.S. as a whole. Are we winning yet?

[@bridgetnegrete8187]

Ummm ... why was this considered an "experiment"?? I mean, really - How short is our memory?? This has been the cornerstone of Reaganomics and led to the awful economy that our parents experienced.. Tell Emma Green (writer at The Atlantic) that I haven't talked to Mrs. Wade since our country's "Tax Cut" (oh! sorry, "Tax Reform", as it's being called now), but I'd really like to know how she feels about the direction that this country's moving in, and how we can pump the breaks now.

[@frankscott1860]

Let's see, cut taxes therefor cutting incoming revenue but NOT cutting spending? I am not an economist but even I am smart enough to know it's a recipe for disaster.Another thing that's especially galling is to hear some moronic politician call social security @ medicare entitlements. Idiots with zero integrity and arrogant attitudes.

[@JohnQBrown]

Brownback doesn’t know the part of the scientific method that says to abandon the hypothesis when the experiment disproves it.

[@Holypikemanz]

Obama doubled the national debt, how short is your memory, human garbage? A liberal talking about economics, now that is a good joke. "tax, welfare, entitlements!" bribing people for votes is the only way you trash get elected.

[@JohnQBrown]

Do you have a nonpartisan source detailing how Obama's policies resulted in a doubling of the national debt? Does this source explicitly outline his policies, and not the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? Use your thinky parts, now, son.

[@Holypikemanz]

Obama started two wars in Libya and Syria, (those cost money and Obama said he was going to get us out of middle eastern wars) but I guess I need a cnn "non partisan" source for that? You are such a slimeball. You were in a coma for 8 years and you didnt have a single fking principle in all that time, so now its time for you to stfu.

[@JurassicRaptor1993]

Money never trickles down, if nothing else, it bubbles up to the very top!

[@ryanedwards7487]

"I think that they've raised our property taxes and things way too high." I seriously don't understand how half of these people don't forget to breathe. Your taxes pay for all that stuff you rely on. Roads..taxes. Affordable electricity...taxes. Sanitation...taxes. Good schools for your children...taxes. Healthcare and Medicare / Medicaid when you need it...taxes. How about, since they are interviewing you at a rural restaurant in the middle of Kansas...farm subsidies...TAXES. I'm sorry you can't grasp that concept...but food, energy, roads...all of that is only possible because of your "too high" taxes. Taxes are what we pay to ensure our government and social structure works.

[@robertpreskop4425]

Best of luck trying to educate all these right wing conservatards of these true facts. They will just blurt back with stupid ideas like privatization of everything and more Christian prayer to hope that their idiocy works!

[@aaronlampkin284]

Y’all just don’t get it... (I’m not right wing btw)

[@kova1577]

@@robertpreskop4425 hey bud, nobody and I mean NOBODY in America is a Christian. Christianity you see nowadays is a subversion and a hedonistic shitty cult

[@maarten1115]

@@aaronlampkin284 Compelling argument. Since when are left wingers against taxes though?

[@Mike-vk2ni]

So make business and rich people pay nothing while the poor people keep footing the bill how does that pay for all those goods and services you keep spouting as if you know nothing lol

[@tmgclips5300]

That health care CEO actually needs to stfu. If he really felt bad he shouldn’t scam people with mark ups as high as 140%

[@jooky87]

Fantastic well spoken people. Why can’t we just learn from their experience? The federal tax cut clearly will have similar results.

[@KingBobXVI]

The saddest part of this video is how many of them do believe the legislators who implemented the cuts had their best interests at heart... One look at the numbers shows exactly what the intent was - very minor cuts for the poor - 1.55% less for money made over $60k, 0.5% for people making under 30k, and up to 3.25% saved on your second $30k of income... but 7% less for pass through businesses like LLCs and S-corps? Or in other words, a 25% cut for the upper bracket, 14% cut for the lower bracket, about 50% for the middle bracket, and a whopping 100% cut entirely for passthroughs. It doesn't take much to figure out what the intent here was. No shit the guy running a C-corp or other local businesses got very little, if anything, from the cuts, especially considering he was working with government contracts that obviously couldn't be funded. Tax cuts like this are malicious, through and through. We've tried it before, it failed before, it failed here, it'll fail again. We already know that to stimulate growth via taxes we need to cut taxes for the poor and lower to middle classes because they'll actually spend their new savings and get money actually moving, while the rich will hoard it and save it in secondary markets rather than actually invest. This is so well established and consistent, it's entirely foolish to assume any of these people pushing trickle down ever have anyone's interests in mind other than their own.

[@TahtahmesDiary]

I noticed this too. I'm very confused how anyone looking at this on paper fell for it, so I have to assume the media didn't do its job explaining fully what this meant and people themselves didn't look into it or ask the (right) questions.

[@jenneast8611]

In all my years, I have NEVER seen any examples of "trickle down economics" working. It seems to lead to stagnation more often then not.

[@omegapointil5741]

whether it works or not isnt the point, just keep funneling that money to republican donors

[@Yessir822]

I'm a Kansan living near KC and I've seen the devestation Brownback has brought down upon us.

[@benseput9053]

As for the theory that tax cuts encourage business to hire/invest in expansion, I think the opposite is actually true, at least as far as corporate taxes. Higher taxes encourage reinvestment in the company, because you're not taxed on money put into the company, only if it's taken as profit.

[@MrMarinus18]

A progressive corporate tax would also disincentive price gauging which is rampant in the US. Price gauging is when a company gets such a dominant hold on the market they can raise prices for no reason other than to make more money because they no longer have to fear losing customers. Also what creates prosperity above all is investments. There is also the fact that capitalism is a flawed system and so we need to make our system so that it can account for those. One of the biggest is that profit is an upwards distribution of wealth. Workers work and consume but the cost of consumption is higher than the wages paid to make it. That overtime channels more and more wealth upwards. However capitalism depends on the spending power of those at the bottom and as this is eroded the system eventually collapses which it did in the great depression. The taxes put on corporations and the way they are used in terms of free infrastructure which still has paid people working on it and individual welfare recycles money back to the bottom. The taxes on corporations need to be high enough to balance out the trend of upwards wealth redistribution. This is also why mandating minimum wages and supporting unions for even higher wages is neccecary to further facilitate the purchasing power of those at the bottom.

[@Mikey-fi8bb]

So lets look at it: what are we hoping to gain from tax policy be it tax cuts or otherwise? - a decent standard of living for the population. Rather than trying this round about way of giving money to the corporations and the rich to hopefully eventually create enough value to eventually employ people so that they could then afford a decent standard of living, -how about we prioritize the basics: ensuring people have they need - a roof over their head, some level of health care, and enough food to survive. The goal would actually be accomplished and if anything more successful businesses could be created because individuals would be able to take risks without so much concern over whether or not they could keep a roof over their heads.

[@acadoe]

The problem is, there are many Americans who don`t care about improving the standard of living for the population. Some people only see people like them as American and there are others who only care about the fortunes of those closest to them personally and don`t care much what happens to the rest. To these groups of people, it makes alot of sense to have tax cuts because it literally translates to "stop giving my money to people I don`t care about".

[@loveflying4488]

Yup...and everyone starves in the end. Of course none of the historical attempts were effective because "I" wasn't heading the attempt...

[@randallkoskubar2303]

mark k i assume here that you are referring to stalins magical powers to stop the rain? or rich landlords burning fields to resist collectivization? the soviet union failed for a reason, and it wasn't the Marxist Leninist methodology, it was america's rich doing everything it could to make sure a new system that would deprive them of their luxurious way of life didn't disappear. america started an arms race with the soviet union, forcing them to invest more and more into their own military industrial complex to avoid being invaded and destroyed by the imperialist american threat. the argument that socialism doesn't work is invalid, because it does. it has failed many times because america went in and did everything it could to stop it from rising. america has overthrown dozens of democratically elected governments around the world, because they were a threat to the rich of america. look at China and Cuba. both are stable socialist countries. China is well in its way to becoming the new world leader, now that trump has pulled america to the sidelines. every year in china, the wealth gap between the richest and poorest grows smaller. china is ending poverty in its borders, showing the world that renewable energy sources work, better than fossil fuels, and if we are lucky, will simply call in all of america's debt to it and take over.

[@davidcadman4468]

why is North Korea and Iran having problems feeding their people, other than the fact that they have to arm to prevent what happened to Iraq, Libya and Syria happening to them, by the American greed for resources and desire for regime change to 'protect the World'!! Not to forget the Economic War of Sanctions. America, and it's "Allies" are a Terrorist Nation, a blight upon the planet.

[@LilithM09]

Many Americans and politicians have convinced themselves that somehow 20% of the population can make up the spending done by the other 80%. Depending on what report you read, to be considered "rich" in America you need to make about $100,000 a year or double the average median income which bumps it up to about $120,000 which only about 10 to 20% of the entire US population makes. Again this number fluctuates depending on the source of the report. These are the people who benefit most from any tax plan being pushed by the Republican party at them moment, they don't care about the little people who can't financially support them.

[@bozanimal5576]

Education level is the greatest leading indicator of long-term economic success for a community at any size, be it a small town or an entire country. When you cut from education you are directly reducing your future economic potential and the prospects for your children.

[@commentingaccount1383]

Q: When do tax cuts fail? A: Almost always, especially cuts for the excessively wealthy

[@peccatumDei]

per the Laffer Curve, tax revenue would be zero if the tax rate were either zero or 100%, with the ideal rate lying somewhere in between. We can argue about where that maximum is, but we already know that voluntary compliance is generally good up to the 20% rate. After that, people tend to make substantial changes in their economic life, in order to minimize the tax bite. Let's be real, Production and Demand are the Yin and Yang of economics, they must be in balance for the economy to thrive.

[@timhaldane7588]

Exactly. The economy is strongest the more people occupy the middle class. It should be obvious - money obtains its value through the effort required to acquire it. In the middle class, people have enough income for discretionary spending, but must keep working to maintain it. The poor do not have disposable income, which narrows significantly the areas where they do spend money and restricts the ability of businesses to grow. The rich can ride on the money they have, which diminishes the overall value of money and effectively makes the poor even poorer. Ergo, it should be difficult to stay poor, and difficult to stay rich, with the most significant adjustments at the extremes in order to nudge everyone toward the center. How is this such a difficult concept?

[@AmericaSpeaks1]

But we all know that the Laffer Curve is Junk Economics that has no basis in fact. Along with supply side economic theory advanced by Jude Wanninsky, a political writer, not an economist. newrepublic.com/article/145331/art-laffer-intellectual-rot-republican-party

[@TahtahmesDiary]

Humans couldn't get as far as we have without working together. Many people forget this. Us pooling our money together to give each other roads, education, and eventually healthcare when the USA catches up with the rest of the modern world, etc etc is one of the ways we keep humanity going into the future!

[@TheJevardo]

The sad and disastrous thing is that these kids lost a lot in the time the school budgets were cut, and you can never take back that lost time in education.

[@robertjackson4121]

The governor never listed the annual income of each employee take hourly rate x 2000 hours = annual wage. He did not list jobs lost due to budget cuts... Schools cities counties state budgets that are 85% salary...

[@FiremarshalM1]

Appreciate this. It seemed very fair & balanced discussion of the possible consequences of the federal tax cut, treating respectfully people while high-lighting policy devoid of partisanship. Subscribed! 🙂 And will be looking forward to learning more. Thank you, M

[@rhysburmann4794]

Thanks Trae. You make me feel better everytime I watch you.

[@wavedash-]

What a sad story. Kansas could've been a teachable moment. But not only were they ignored, they'll have to suffer all over again. Because in reality, teachable moments don't work if people have no interest in learning.

[@stoojimcstooj2622]

It's OK....once Trump fails in his tax-cut program he can be made ambassador-at-large for religious mythology.

[@leonsingleton4674]

Trumps tax cur have the economy booming and jobs returning the democrats taxed out of America.

[@alphablitz1024]

Yeah. If the economy stays good, he'll be reelected easily, unless they find collusion. We'll see what the economy does.

[@derekbirmingham2244]

Stooji McStooj I'm trump tax cuts have grown the economy at 3%

[@jwfcp]

The economy is running on obama's fumes. You may not know, but business expenses are tax deductible, so a high tax rate is no impediment to growth, however, lower tax rates are effectively a bribe to not grow, thats why you see growth petering out.

[@torchandhammer]

When the massive Trump tax giveaway to the wealthy and foreigners does take effect, we will soon see the terrible recession that has always been triggered every time this type of tax giveaway has been done. It's not rocket surgery. It's been done many times before and it's always failed massively. Duh. Hope you enjoyed 2008. Get ready, it's coming again. Meanwhile, you will see your taxes, fees and costs rise because you ain't rich. This plan is a $6 Trillion tax cut for wealthy corporations but it includes $4.5 Trillion in tax INCREASES. That's the part you're getting. Then there's a couple more Trillion that's they just didn't bother to account for. You'll pay for that too. Just like Kansas.

[@ashknoecklein]

When have tax cuts succeeded?

[@graemesydney38]

Bennett; that's a simplistic argument from a simpleton.

[@graemesydney38]

Troll alert - get a life McCoy

[@leonsingleton4674]

Weehawk; Right now fool.

[@RobotShlomo]

Sweden, Denmark, modern Germany, Great Britain, France, Spain, Norway, Finland, Japan, Iceland, the Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, New Zealand, Ireland, Switzerland. And don't give me "oh, but they don't have freedom". I've been to a lot of these countries, they're just as "free" as we are.

[@flinch622]

Anytime they bring rates back down to a proven window sorted out in the middle ages: the sweet spot for revenue collection is somewhere between 17 and 19% tax rate. Go higher, and business stops happening, or people start cheating. Go lower, and the government flat out gives up revenue. Our main problem today is that people don't look past the income tax rate, when there is a gargantuan kaleidoscope of other taxes out there not included in that. To that end, the few that get paid to breathe on the income tax scheme give that back plus more via everything else they do. And dont forget the leveraging effects of regulation: the authorized tax rates are effectively doubled and worse, as the rates get applied after the embedded compliance costs to the consumer get passed on. Both states and the feds stay silent on this because each problem created by the other causes effective taxes to go up without a vote or any messy debate.

[@Alfaomegabravo]

There are some questions to be asked, 1. What taxes will be cut and which groups will get more money to spend? 2 What will these groups likely spend the money on? 3 What are the government cutting back on to pay for these tax cuts?

[@Tsum1923]

I had a public education in Kansas and was taught enough about the Great Depression and the whole early stage of the 1900s, to highlight how the trickle-down method does not work due to a mixture of greed and things being worse than what that system could correct in the first place. unless they quit teaching and erased all information about this right around 2010 I have no clue why anyone is surprised by this.

[@phiksit]

I guess Brownbackistan wasn't enough of a cautionary tale. Now their going to Make America Trumpistan.

[@sancellevance7864]

So true

[@zoidlrrr4633]

That’s the plan. MAGA!

[@allgoo1964]

Tiwaking Tiwaking says: "THIS TRAIN HAS NO BREAKS!!!!" == I think you meant to say "train has no brakes." But that's okay, there are many foreign language speakers online. I understand.

[@allgoo1964]

Zoidlrrr says: "That’s the plan. MAGA!" == Do you call the Great Depression a great America? MALA!!(make America lousy again) or MAMA!!(make America miserable again) Which would you choose? You'll enjoy eating dandelions.

[@briantyson6138]

@@allgoo1964 I think they were being "Allegorical."

[@Lexomm1]

"Ideally it would help the quality of life." You would think it should, oh wait, it went to the cuts for the rich. Oh well, maybe next time. Ohh - K.

[@101perspective]

I was born and raised in Kansas. It drives me nuts seeing the utter stupidity of how politicians run this place. It is like they have zero vision. For example, recently I was looking into getting solar for my house. I quickly discovered that it wouldn't be cost effective. Why? Because they just passed a bill to allow electric companies to charge people more if they have solar... thus eating away any cost benefit of getting it. Think about that. One of the best places in the US for solar and they are taking action to slow down, if not straight up stop, the use of it. There are many other things like this I see. For example, Kansas could easily dominate the pot industry if they legalized it here. I mean, they have thousands upon thousands of acres of farm land which are being wasted on other crops that we don't even need. Heck, we pay some farmers NOT to grow stuff.

[@bobbarkeriii2597]

THE LAUGHTER CURB: The more you lower taxes, the higher tax revenues become....until we can all climb onto our unicorns and ride off into the sunset.

[@timweatherill3738]

Forgive me, my American friends, but I feel that collectively (and I have had lots of conversations with Americans of all stripes) you've got a very distorted view of taxes, and what taxes can provide for your society. It is particularly tragic when your aversion to taxation (and frankly nobody likes paying taxes!) directly affects your children & their education and your health care system (which is, sadly, something of a grim laughing-stock around the developed world). The children will be the adults in very few years: do you really want a nation run by poorly educated people? Or a nation of bankrupts due to illness? Of course not, I hope!

[@tomasbickel58]

Why not? - if you are rich. As Trump said: He loves the poorly educated.

[@tylerrue3108]

The only people that ever benefit from tax cuts are the wealthy. They do a great job of telling the middle and lower class that cutting taxes will help them immensely, but you'd be hard pressed to find a single instance where that was actually the case. Taxes pay for almost ALL of the programs that help middle class and low income people. Rich people don't want to pay into that because they don't feel that they make use of those programs, but what they don't seem to care about is that they made their money not all by themselves but through the efforts of themselves alongside others who helped them get where they are. On top of that, if you take care of people, they are happier and more productive, meaning the exact same result for the rich: more money. So in a way, it's insulting that these people keep pining about taxes being too high because it feels like they're trying to keep people poor and uneducated and in fear for their jobs. That sounds like borderline slavery and it's evil and wrong.

[@ThatGuyDownInThe]

raise taxes, businesses move to an area with less taxes, lose total tax revenue as a whole. what is so hard to get?

[@jascvideorambles3369]

Or just use Land Value Taxation.

[@jwgmail]

It seems really obvious that the tax cuts should be tied to something, such as hiring. If you don't hire more people, you don't get the tax break

[@obfuscated3090]

As a comfortably retired product of the era when the US invested aggressively in education and infrastructure AND IT PAID OFF I find the current situation unfortunate. To succeed, copy success and the US has fallen behind instead of leading the pack which it will never do again. Our entire culture has changed because of a combination of populist ignorance and elite greed. It's easy to buy the opinions of Americans if you pander to them so that's what's done. America today is vicious, ignorant and stupid. In several decades the cycle may swing the other way, but in the meantime I recommend finding a place where YOU have personal advantage and can weather the waterfall of idiocy. Flyover country will stay that way because its residents tend to be simple religious fanatics who are easily manipulated. They deserve what they get.

[@badnews7593]

“Tax the rich feed the poor til there are no poor no more. “ Some singer

[@xxxxxx-kk7mh]

Good song

[@Beery1962]

10:59 "Who doesn't like a tax cut?" Well, anyone who has lived in Europe and seen that taxes pay for so much more than private business can ever provide. When we all pay more in taxes, we get a nation that actually cares for all its people. And that's why, in the US, we have crumbling infrastructure and no security when the next financial crash comes along. Rugged individualism is a delusion - at some point, EVERYONE is vulnerable, and if you don't have a support structure when you fall down, you don't get back up.

[@robertpreskop4425]

This latest financial catastrophe in Kansas should be the final judgment on Reaganomics, IT IS A GRAVE, DISASTROUS FAILURE!

[@martinwelsh958]

I think they've been doing this trickle down economics thing wrong for a while now. If it's ever going to work, then you shouldn't be lowering corporate tax or anything but you should make it cheaper to operate in your country/state/county. So you have lower business property tax, cheaper utilities (like electricity, waste, etc) and the such - that attracts capital to be spent in your state, because it's a low startup and low operating costs - and then you tax the shit out of them (not too violently, obviously) when those operations become profitable. All the while making money from income tax. Ultimately, this is why companies move overseas - the initial startup costs and operating costs are so low. China for example: they have a lot of cheap power (and a lot of it renewable as well, from hydro and now from solar), they have cheap labour, they have cheap import costs, and such. That company end up having a higher profit from running out of China, and so pay more taxes - but ultimately China is so much more appealing because of the low buy-in cost. So my (mostly uneducated) proposal to actually make trickle down economics work: - lower property tax for companies - make utlities as cheap as possible - improve education, so you have more available work at higher skill levels (lowering income at that level because of more competitiveness) - arrange with industry groups to develop infrastructure (ie, government pay some, industry pay some) All the while: - increasing taxes on purely the profits of companies

[@karstenszajner6043]

Great video on why proper funding of public goods is better for us all.

[@oceannavagator]

Interestingly, trickle down theory was what Herbert Hoover believed in. We never seem to remember how bad of an idea this is.

[@dantaylor7344]

"Yes let's thank God for his blessings are raining down upon me......................wait that's not rain!" Reaganomics

[@bitbloop]

media benefits from outrage. if it bleeds; it leads. this is why media more often reports on the minority of cases where people abuse a system which aims to be as altruistic as possible, which, for obvious reasons, generates significant outrage from anyone who feels they are being forced to contribute and their personal funds feel like they're being stolen. sadly, media often fails to give any coverage to the majority of people who use the system honestly and truly depend on the system to be contributing members of society. many people seem to be under the illusion that the majority of their taxes go to useless programs, overpaid bureaucrats and inefficient allocation systems. this is not their fault, due to the aforementioned media issue, the problems with the system feel like they're much larger than the things that work. in reality, your school district, health system, museums, public assistance programs, public sanitation, transport, roads, postal service, environmental protection, public safety all depend on state and federal assistance and these things will be cut if funds are low: because you can bet that the military-industrial complex lobbyists will ensure the defense budget will not be the one to take the hit. Even much-maligned "pie-in-the-sky" NASA funding has actually been a very good investment when we consider that many of the serious advancements in today's high-tech industries (solar, microprocessor, materials, aviation) had their start during various NASA initiatives. It's sad to see America giving up all of these things to try a fundamentally-debunked myth again, which will only serve to (perhaps) increase stock prices (not a good measure of economic growth, let alone the living standards of the people) and deplete public resources. It is in a corporation's interests to only reinvest the bare minimum required and reap the rest in profit, this is not a rising-tide-raises-all-boats situation. Multinational corporations have no allegiance to your country and will readily hide these profits in tax haven destinations with the help of international law firms adept in finessing the byzantine tax code, where the funds sit idle.

[@andreanacalhoun9454]

@1ICHIR0 the abled bodied needs to work i dont care about your welfare.

[@danielduckington5789]

To be fair. this is what you get when you vote for Tax cutters. I would say when you vote Republican, but then this has happened with Democrats as well

[@leonsingleton4674]

Democrats love to tax the hell out of you.

[@RobertTempleton64]

And they typically get things done - though these days they are as bad as the 'drown-the-government in the bath tub' Republicans. Our taxes are supposed to ensure homogeneous safety, growth, systemic stability, and ubiquity of services throughout our nation for the general populace. None of the politicians in power at this point care about this at all.

[@cmdraftbrn]

only when a moronic republican gets termed out of office right as the shit hits the fan.

[@PiitaaDerbez]

Vote for a Justice Democrat to put an end to this nonsense. Corporate democrats are just as bad!

[@kevinmorrison9569]

Worked in Texas.

[@dlewis8405]

Thank you Kansas for showing the rest of the country what not to do. Sometimes the meaning of your experience is to serve as a warning to others.

[@CIARUNSITE]

All videos about tough subjects should have a sloth being fed grapes in the middle to break it up. Lmao.

[@metatron4890]

This didnt age well

[@cyntogia]

As with most things there is an inverted bell curve. Too much taxation and it hurts the economy. Too little and it fails in its job to provide needed expenses for the government. Keep in mind that taxation can be and often is excessive and as such is theft from the people.

[@myusernameissoobnoxiouslyl1466]

I agree. Some people think tax cuts leads to recessions

[@jascvideorambles3369]

Tax cuts themselves don't lead to recessions, but the inevitable Spending cuts needed down the road do tend to trigger recessions.

[@thequeenh3607]

you sir(?) are a moron

[@CadetGriffin]

How would having a high net interest (from high debt, from taxes giving government less than they spend) lead to a better economy in the long run and not just in the short term?

[@anzna]

There are so many good people in this video. 😍 Their thoughtfulness and insight gave me hope.

[@se7ensnakes]

Most of our money today consist of signed promissory notes that banks have acquire for free. During the 1800s the courts said that “AN UNCONDITIONAL PROMISE TO PAY IS CASH”. This was an effort to make gold certificates legally valid. But the banks took it a step further. The public go into a bank looking for credit to buy a house. What the bank does is to take their promissory note deposit it in a transaction account where it is converted into an expendable note in the form of a check. Imagine, if you will, that in every bank foreclosure the bank gets an absolutely free house, or that all our federal income tax revenues goes to this secret cabal by way of getting free treasury securities. Otherwise exactly how does the base money aggregate pays for 21 trillion dollar of suppose treasury securities? The cabal does not pay for anything but they have all the control. Subsequently this secret banking cabal who are behind the government control transportation, the gas you pay at the pump. They control the economy, education, the food supply, jobs, the judicial, the military, the entire voting process through television, the health industry. It appears that on March of 1915 they began to take over the news sources. Walk into any modern city and the financial district. You are looking at the seat of power. The fancy buildings and offices are what controls the city. These corporations are homologous and follow the dictate of shareholders from Super Entities. Look closely at these financial centers because it is they who make the important laws. The pet projects of this cabal is the implementation of total private bank control of the manufacture of the world's money. The expansion of Israel and subduing states that they may be in conflict with. The populace are like cattle arguing about capitalism vs socialism, gold vs fiat currency, and the sex and racial exploits of politicians. Their shoe laces tied to each other stumbling every which way and are led to argue about nearly irrelevant events. You may believe that this post is an exaggeration but the truth is worse than what is said here. Education rarely touches on the person behind the curtain.

[@IizUname]

But Milton Friedman... REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE... But muh freedom to be selfish... REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[@thebestofallworlds187]

Thomas Sowell is what a lot of people need on this page.

[@rgood1204]

@@thebestofallworlds187 - f that Tom.

[@governm3nt697]

M-maybe if weh just cut deh taxes and get rid of reguwations, the private market will fix everything o-o

[@theQuestion626]

+Vlavitir glutginskiya and mine was simpletons like yourself think that private corporations are some kind of magnanimous entity that will bless you with more money if their taxes are cut? Funny how that isn't what has happened and never has happened prior. At best they will give you pennies and horde billions for themselves. I'm perfectly fine with paying taxes as long as they go into supporting me, infrastructure and education. oh and by the way your "hard earned cash" tends to get wiped out when inflation hits after cutting taxes for those who make more money than God. Which is exactly what has happened after the Trump tax scam

[@PhrontDoor]

Rule 1 of planning Tax Cuts.. If you assert that revenues lost from the tax-cuts will be somehow 'made up' by trickle-down... then put that as an obligation in your original plan. Make it such that you are SO sure that your tax cuts will still allow education to remain uncut that it's in the law "no cuts to education spending".

[@KamilaDalmate]

Nothing like experimenting with real people’s lives.

[@AmineSamus]

libertarian/right wing economics fails again? color me shocked

[@SidneyChism]

This video is very heavy on the bias. They say the tax cuts failed. They talk with schools, healthcare institutions, a zoo, and a big business. What do these entities have in common? They all rely on money from the government. The government gets its money from tax payers. They interviewed old people that probably get Social Security and Medicare from the government, that again gets its money from the tax payer. They mentioned one small business that saw a huge tax break. They didn't talk to anyone to see if that company hired more people, thus creating more tax payers. The dairy farmer saw no benefit from the tax cuts. Anything is a failure if you only talk to those affected the worst. All those school kids had nowhere to go on Friday? Did the school wait until the last bell on Thursday to tell the parents?

[@MrMezmerized]

"very heavy on bias" -- Yet you are the one blindly assuming they only talked to those affected worst. Got any statistics to back that up? And one of the core issues was government funded institutions suffering severely under budget cuts, yet you take issue when they shine a light on it. Seriously?? Particularly education and healthcare are crucial for a functional society. It negatively affects nearly every person either directly or indirectly. "Did the school...?" -- Deflective nitpicking. Even if it was a late call so parents couldn't prepare, what really matters is the school having to fire teachers etc, and then it still wasn't enough so they had to resort to extreme measures like cutting 1/5th of the lessons, also meaning the teachers still employed, saw a 1/5th salary cut. Even if a fair amount of businesses noticed a significant boost... overall it's just not worth it. Not even close.

[@SidneyChism]

MrMezmerized, you are left to blindly assume that they only talked to the worst when that is all they present to you. I don't need statistics. Statistics is what they need to present. I do take issue with, and shine a light on, a propaganda piece. Teachers are paid a contract negotiated salary. They did not see a pay cut with a shorter work week.

[@MrMezmerized]

@Sidney -- Nothing you say makes sense. Another option is to blindly assume it is NOT the worst and the only rational option is to not assume anything beyond what has been provided, without further research. But since you have zero interest in data (at least not when you don't like it), all you have is baseless assertions exposing your own bias. No doubt there are businesses that benefited, but the loss of revenue is crippling the state of Kansas to the point that basic necessities like elementary & highschool education and accessible healthcare particularly in poorer areas are slashed. And America pretty much sucks at those already, compared to similarly advanced nations (oh shit, more inconvenient data) "They did not see a pay cut with." -- More baseless assertions? But okay, since you apparently know everything without requiring any factual basis.... what made shutting down the school on Fridays worth it, if not a significant reduction in salary payments? Can't be the rent. So.... water and electricity?

[@SidneyChism]

The schools were shut down on Friday to save on utilities and hourly wages (the support staff) is what I was told by school administration. The state requires X number of hours of instruction. Those hours were added to the remaining days of the week.

[@peterdavid6946]

IF I WERE 20 AGAIN KNOWING WHAT I KNOW NOW.... I WOULD NEVER GOT MARRIED. I WOULD NEVER HAD KIDS. I WOULD HAVE KEPT A BUSINESS AS A TAX SHELTER.

[@Spiritfba]

Conservatives in America: Government can’t provide social services like healthcare for all or affordable education without going bankrupt. Europe: hold my beer.

[@vhsprojektblue4221]

OHHHHH MY GAWDDDDDD THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN!!!!!

[@keeganmoonshine7183]

Literally. Investing in children is something that China, Japan, Korea, and other asian nations have done so much better on average than the US and it has paid dividends for them and how fast their economies have been able to grow. If you want the future of America to be 2nd place behind China and other growing economies then continue cheering 4-day school schedules...

[@dainironfoot5198]

'cause I mean, how important is the future of your country really, am I right?

[@capitalismisgood543]

Tax cuts work when spending is cut too.

[@nakul0888]

Hong kong, singapore, dubai, taiwan, seoul , shanghai, are all places where it worked spectacularly. close to half a billion people came out of poverty when china and india embraced capitalism to a certain extent. I think thats enough evidence .

[@jonathanhansen3709]

Kansas did that. It lead to the death spiral their in now.

[@nakul0888]

kansas didnt cut spending. It cut just the taxes. Whatever problems kansas have now it aint even close to what seattle , detroit, baltimore faces. Nobody defacates in streets in kansas.

[@jonathanhansen3709]

nk Absolutely it did. Cut school spending to the bone. Makes me wonder why they didn’t just eliminate state income tax Nevada if it works so well. California has raised taxes and spending, and contrary to the trickle down mythology is booming compared Kansas.

[@nakul0888]

Jonathan Hansen lol people are leaving Cali in droves. It’s ranked the worst state on quality of life. Ranked worst for ease of doing business.It’s got the largest homeless population and the highest poverty rate. Ironic isn’t it . A state that’s supposed to be all about takin care of poor but only in which people can afford to live.

[@c0nd0rd4myt]

This video should be applauded for getting a large variety of viewpoints on the issue and allowing everyone to express their thoughts in a non-argumentative way.

[@ngpb17]

the problem is that mentality that taxes go to help someone else.

[@krom6017]

Stupid to cut taxes, I really want to pay at least 80% or more of my weekly wage to the government. The government has a proven track record in managing money and spending it wisely.

[@xkeepersvk]

Krom Krom i want to pay 100%, just give me my weekly meal tickets.

[@bobblueford]

How can you expect people that have spent years cutting corners, using loopholes, and hiding their money in offshore banks, to be generous with more money and give some back?

[@BlueSky-oe4fn]

Same for me. When the recession happened, they put a stop on our raise. Now that we're are earning some revenue. The company is looking to open another facility instead of giving us the raise. Also, they put a hiring freeze. The reason why we have + revenue is because more ppl have $$ to expend shopping with us, but my boss doesn't want to hire more ppl bc he said that they are planning to save $$ to open another store. So, this is what I'm see. Customer are getting mad @ us for not serving them on time, which means in the long run we'll lose them. Another thing, because of not enough workers, we are stuck doing 2-3 person job, this mean that we get a higher chance of us getting hurt. It gets worst when one person get sick and no one else we can call to cover that shift. This lead to a high rate revolving door of workers, when they do decide to hire. In the meantime, everything in my life is going up. Companies won't take care of u. It use to be Union but now our Union is broken too.

[@martainroth2588]

When the budgets keep doing down, why don't they effect the governors office first. If the people who make the laws get effected first then the laws become much different.

[@brianbriggs6479]

It's because you don't ever say we have to reduce the salary of the writer of this article from 125K to 100K so we can raise the guy who drives the truck and delivers the paper salary to 75K

[@Ventosis]

It doesn't trickle down, it trickles up.

[@bosoerjadi2838]

"We took the chance. We tried something different.." Yes, but trying without learning is pointless. A rat can run a maze forever, trying a different route every time, unless it learns which routes turned out to be dead ended. As for the Kansas tax cuts experiment, we can say that we learned it hasn't worked as expected, until now. The video does not show why it hasn't worked, but it did show how it didn't work. Apparently some sectors of service are critical to the community and can only survive by/are completely dependent on income from public spending. Increased net income for individuals and corporations did not translate into sufficient additional funding of those services. I wonder if the radical experiment has been set up to scientifically learn from it, no matter which outcome, generating hard data on sensible predetermined variables. A measurement at the start and measurements how the variables progress over time. We could have learned which services are critical, how much does the state minimally need to ensure those services, where does the added personal income actually go into, how much deficit can a state endure for how long, etcetera. That would have made it somewhat worthwhile, however it remains sorry for the Kansans. I sincerely hope it wasn't just a blind-faith jump from a cliff, hoping for the best and we meet each other in Bolivia.

[@jrusselison]

Their tax cut policy is like an experiment with fire where you use no protective equipment 😃

[@80sruler]

I’m for tax cuts though find it amusing why anyone in Kansas thought a tax cut would attract business - why would a business want to locate there - or Nebraska, Arkansas, Missouri or any of the other 50% of unappealing states

[@heidielliott4396]

In 2010, our class sizes were 21. In 2012, we had 32 kids per class. It was rough.

[@peterreiss5937]

Impossible to listen to with the noise in the backround. There was a time when people could just talk.

[@Juliett-A]

Holy crap, people remembered my birth state exists in a context other than the Wizard of Oz. Naturally, it's for something terrible.

[@mikejohnson9606]

The major reason is because the ACA took most of the money. The ACA was an increase that forced more middle class to pay more than any tax cut could. Most people that make 50 to 70 thousand had to pay 15 thousand to pay for healthcare insurance. Any tax cut benefit didn't create growth because of the ACA.

[@pandasaurus2874]

Does anyone else ever say okay we’re at 4:36, how many minutes until it hits 10 mins. I’m always doing that even if I don’t even notice

[@adrianaadrian6759]

The problem is that politicians do not really understand when and why you need to cuts taxes and when to increase them. It is all a balancing act, in times of economic downturn you cut taxes, spending and lower interest rates in order to allow for people to gain more spending power and the economy grows. Then once the economy is strong you raise taxes to make up for the losses.

[@TheBigGSN5]

Taxes pay for civilization. If you don't pay tax, how do you pay for civilization? Do you WANT to be a corporate slave?

[@aaronking5076]

Businesses hire when they have increased demand. Tax cuts result in service cuts (medical, but also a lot of other services). Service cuts remove disposable income from families. Families that have less disposable income buy less stuff. When people buy less stuff, demand falls. When demand falls, employers hire fewer people.

[@andreasanchez125]

taxes as how much of your income goes to somebody else? That's such a bizarre way to think about it

[@DeaPeaJay]

Federal taxes are COMPLETELY different than state taxes.

[@flatwhitewith3]

Regardless of their leanings on tax issues, people should appreciate the sincerity and humanity of this piece, which tries to gauge the impacts on education, health and other services at a very personal & community level, and the same with intended beneficiaries of the cuts. It is also, incidentally, a beautiful portrait of small-town and rural America, showing the open and generous qualities that earned quiet admiration from the rest of the world since the Second World War. Watching that piece was so refreshing compared to the highly-charged, tribal, indignant 'talking heads' commentary that seems to dominate the national US media. A lot of it is very well-researched and intelligently presented, but it's easy to see why many Americans have become polarised into red/blue, Fox/non-Fox media worlds, sustained by commentary and debate that often doesn't get past breaking news, headlines and talking points. I have only been to the US once, but guess that most Americans are sick of their political and cultural civil war, and the stereotyping and dehumanisation of those who take another view on an issue, or vote a certain way. That is not unique to America, but it seems to have reached a point where it's tearing at people's faith in their democracy and the fair rule of law. So thank you to the producers of this very considered and heartfelt story about a topical policy issue, and I hope you can do more like this.