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[D.o.s.]

Fun fact:

The reduction in top tax rates appears to be uncorrelated with saving, investment, and productivity growth. The top tax rates appear to have little or no relation to the size of the economic pie. However, the top tax rate reductions appear to be associated with the increasing concentration of income at the top of the income distribution.

Via the CRC.
http://www.ombwatch.org/files/budget/pdf/CRS-Taxes_and_the_EconomyAn_Economic_Analysis_of_the_Top_Tax_Rates_Since_1945-R42729_-09-14-2012.pdf

But, you know, it would be a shame to bring facts, or research, into a discussion that seems to be rooted in that famously incorrect phenomenon known as Common Sense.

  Haha. That would make a great slogan, "ignore your common sense and believe whatever study I can find that supports my argument".

Since most people cite and seek out studies/news reports/other works that serve little purpose other than reinforcing their own world view, your statement makes a little bit of sense.

However, as someone who is not an economist, I trust my common sense significantly less than a group of people who're known for their non-partisan work. I think that's called understanding your own limitations and ignorances.

[LooseCannon]

  Haha. That would make a great slogan, "ignore your common sense and believe whatever study I can find that supports my argument".

I'm going to use which side better understood how to analyze poll results as a measure of who is more likely to ignore common sense and believe whatever interpretation of numbers best supports their side.

[BballTim]

  Haha. That would make a great slogan, "ignore your common sense and believe whatever study I can find that supports my argument".

I'm going to use which side better understood how to analyze poll results as a measure of who is more likely to ignore common sense and believe whatever interpretation of numbers best supports their side.

  So, you're going with the winner of every election, or are you somehow under the impression that this is the first time the loser of an election claimed that the polls were wrong?

[LooseCannon]

I'm claiming that one side is ridiculously worse at math and they shouldn't be trusted as much as the other side when they use numbers in their argument.

[Roy H.]

I'm claiming that one side is ridiculously worse at math and they shouldn't be trusted as much as the other side when they use numbers in their argument.

The side that ran up an unheard of $5 trillion deficit in four years, and then elected their incumbent?

I'm not sure that the "worse at math" thing is helpful.  It's a trite talking point used solely to make partisan attacks.

[BballTim]

I'm claiming that one side is ridiculously worse at math and they shouldn't be trusted as much as the other side when they use numbers in their argument.

  The fact that you think that one side is even remotely trustworthy with their math is fairly disturbing. It's okay that the stimulus was fairly ineffective because they spent close to a trillion dollars without having any idea of the extent of the problem they were trying to solve as long as they claim that their pre-election polling was fairly accurate. Great priorities.

[nickagneta]

I'm claiming that one side is ridiculously worse at math and they shouldn't be trusted as much as the other side when they use numbers in their argument.

  The fact that you think that one side is even remotely trustworthy with their math is fairly disturbing. It's okay that the stimulus was fairly ineffective because they spent close to a trillion dollars without having any idea of the extent of the problem they were trying to solve as long as they claim that their pre-election polling was fairly accurate.

WOW!!!

I couldn't agree with this any more. TP Tim.

The more I read about the stimulus the more it disturbs me. It was sold as a stimulus bill to rebuild the infrastructure, get construction people back to work, and save municipal jobs. Well, it saved some jobs for police and fire fighters but it ended up doing little to no infrastructure rebuilding and cut a bunch of taxes incrementally. Complete waste of money.

[Rondo2287]

So how about this for corporate tax reform, do it the way alot of Europe and Asia does.

No seperate SEC and Tax Filings.  What you use for one you must use for the other. 

[Cman]

I'm claiming that one side is ridiculously worse at math and they shouldn't be trusted as much as the other side when they use numbers in their argument.

The side that ran up an unheard of $5 trillion deficit in four years, and then elected their incumbent?

I'm not sure that the "worse at math" thing is helpful.  It's a trite talking point used solely to make partisan attacks.

I don't think either side is good with math. Or, rather, each side will use "math" to their advantage. And saying one side is better at math than the other is just playing to partisan politics.

Similarly, trying to pin the deficit on one party or another is also playing to partisan politics. 

[LooseCannon]

  The fact that you think that one side is even remotely trustworthy with their math is fairly disturbing. It's okay that the stimulus was fairly ineffective because they spent close to a trillion dollars without having any idea of the extent of the problem they were trying to solve as long as they claim that their pre-election polling was fairly accurate. Great priorities.

We've been over this before, but the stimulus was too much of a compromise in that it was too small and had too many tax cuts.

[BballTim]

  The fact that you think that one side is even remotely trustworthy with their math is fairly disturbing. It's okay that the stimulus was fairly ineffective because they spent close to a trillion dollars without having any idea of the extent of the problem they were trying to solve as long as they claim that their pre-election polling was fairly accurate. Great priorities.

We've been over this before, but the stimulus was too much of a compromise in that it was too small and had too many tax cuts.

  Yet you're trusting of the math skills of the people who planned and implemented it because they claimed to have better polling numbers before the last election. Again, great priorities.

[IndeedProceed]

Am I missing something? What do polling numbers have to do with anything?

[D.o.s.]

I've heard a few different things about the stimulus. That it was too small, that it was too big, too hot, too cold, just right... etc.

For me the biggest problem was no oversight of the bailout spending--if your company is so SOL you need billions of dollars, you shouldn't be able to spend it on executive bonuses ala AIG.

[BballTim]

Am I missing something? What do polling numbers have to do with anything?

I'm going to use which side better understood how to analyze poll results as a measure of who is more likely to ignore common sense and believe whatever interpretation of numbers best supports their side.

[LooseCannon]

Am I missing something? What do polling numbers have to do with anything?

One side tends to be more delusional.  While the other side may sometimes be overly optimistic, one side is more likely to just make up evidence that it is right.  Other evidence includes Todd Akin's understanding of biology and the run-up to the Iraq War.

Official Warning:

Do not engage in partisan attacks, unsupported generalizations, or mockery of opposing viewpoints

Calling one party "delusional" and saying they are "more likely to just make up evidence" is a clear violation of our rules.  If it happens again, you will be restricted from this forum.