In their second debate on Friday in Lynchburg, former
governors Tim Kaine and George Allen sought to differentiate their policy
positions from one another even further, taking on issues such as the
environment, health care, the real estate tax, and assistance for U.S. farmers.[1]
The discussion in Lynchburg was sponsored by the Virginia
Farm Bureau and 2 forest-product associations.[2]
Allen unsurprisingly stated, “Let’s give the death penalty
to the death tax,” a reference to the estate tax that was only paid by 14,700
estates in 2009.[3]
Thus, the estate tax applies only to a minority of very wealthy Americans, a
group that Republican political candidates like George Allen seem more than
happy to coddle.
On the issue of health care, Kaine said, “I would absolutely
not repeal” health care because its benefits to seniors and young adults are
obvious. Not to mention that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently
released a report concluding that repealing the new health care law would add
$109 billion to federal budget deficits over the 2013-2022 period.[4]
Yes, repealing President Obama’s health care reform would increase the deficit
over the 2013-2022 period by over $100 billion!
Again not surprisingly, Allen criticized the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) for its alleged “anti-coal” policies that are
supposedly costing Americans jobs. Like any good Republican, Allen failed to
give sources for his claims and failed to notice that the price of natural gas
is the real reason why coal is on a rapid decline in the U.S.[5]
Is the EPA also orchestrating a massive conspiracy to assist their friends in
the natural gas industry (immense sarcasm)???
As if Virginians without an ideological axe to grind didn’t
already know it, the 2nd debate between Tim Kaine and George Allen
again confirmed this truth: the latter lives in a world of hyper-fantasy that
is rarely punctuated with actual facts and interest in the wellbeing of average
Virginians or Americans. After all, why is the estate tax in general even an
issue when so few Americans have to even concern themselves with it?
Obviously
it’s because wealthy backers to George Allen would like to see the tax given
the “death penalty.”
If George Allen is elected to the U.S. Senate, we’ll all
certainly be sitting in the electric chair!
[1] http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-politics/2012/jul/29/kaine-allen-speak-to-farm-group-ar-2092286/
[2] http://vafarmbureau.org/
[3] http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/key-elements/estate/how-many.cfm
[4] http://www.cbo.gov/publication/43471
[5] http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/07/06/512192/king-coals-throne-under-threat-us-natural-gas-generation-rivals-coal-in-april/?mobile=nc
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