The VAT Game

You have likely heard the rumors about the possibility of instituting a VAT (Value Added Tax) to everything manufactured. This tax would be in addition to the current income tax, and could double, even triple the tax burden of every American - and would even tax the poor.

The Congress and the Obama administration says they are "not considering it". That statement, alone, proves that they are or there would be no point in even bringing it up. And they also say that while not considering it, nothing is "off the table". So, they are considering it.

But they also know that a VAT would be the death knell for the Democrat party. If they were to pass it, it would be 5 generations before another Democrat ever made it to a position of power.

So why are they even talking about it? Gamesmanship.

They will not try to institute it before the mid-term elections, because that would insure a Republican takeover of both houses of Congress, which would defeat their real strategy. And that strategy is:

1) First and foremost, try to hang onto a majority in both houses, even though they realize it may only be a slim majority. With a majority...

2) They would then give serious consideration to a VAT, knowing full well that it will never pass. They do not intend for it to pass - yet. Republicans would kill any chance of it passing.

3) Growing deficits would hurt all Americans, and Democrats would point at the Republicans and say, "We tried to pay down those terrible deficits with a VAT, but the "party of no" shot it down. It's their fault" (they are counting on taking the conversation AWAY from the fact that THEY were the ones who CREATED those huge deficits in the first place).

So then we have Democrats looking like they tried to help America (out of the hole they dug), while making the Republicans the fall guys. Hopefully, this would be just enough to tilt public opinion toward getting Obama re-elected in 2012.

And, as a lame duck president with nothing to lose, he would go for broke, and before leaving office in 2016 we WILL have a VAT. And America, as we have known it for 225 years, will be gone forever.

IF it all goes as planned. IF Republicans do not take control of Congress in 2010. And IF the Democrats can change the direction of the conversation before 2012 and pin the blame for the growing deficits on the Republicans.

Frankly, I have hopes that most Americans are a bit smarter than the Democrats in power think they are.

And, no, I am not blaming "Democrats". In general, Democrats are good people. But the Democrats IN POWER are not such good people. They are vicious, opportunist progressives with an agenda to turn America into Europe.

And in case you have not looked lately, Europe has never been as strong, as rich or as great as America. So why would we want to be more like them?

/