The 2024 election cycle may well come to be remembered as the one where voters had to make serious decisions about priorities.
Case in point, while former president Trump is campaigning on eliminating taxes on tips and on exempting Social Security retirement payments from taxation, his opponents in the Democratic party and mass media are campaigning on race.
Eliminating the tax on Social Security checks is a huge win for seniors and demonstrates Trump’s commitment to supporting them. The move will undoubtedly increase his appeal among older voters who are particularly concerned about their financial security. pic.twitter.com/81Z7xxRd36
— Anna Danilova (@Anna_Danilova__) August 1, 2024
The news about eliminating taxes on tips and Social Security payments is likely welcome news to seniors and others who have experienced rising inflation eating away at their household budgets without mercy.
With the national debt exploding past $35 trillion for the first time on Monday, spending and taxation remain real issues deserving serious focus.
In the meantime, both the Kamala Harris campaign and much of the legacy media is melting down over Trump’s recent appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) conference in Chicago.
Both Trump and Harris were invited to attend the conference and Trump accepted but Harris declined the invitation.
After making the former president wait for 35 minutes while trying to fix problems with their audio equipment, Trump was greeted by an openly hostile reporter who began her questions with an accusation of Trump being racist.
Trump refused to take the bait and instead trolled the journalist with a mixture of humor and bluntness.
🚨President Trump GOES OFF on reporter at NABJ interview after getting hostile with her first question trying to claim Trump is ‘racist’:
“You don’t even say hello, how are you? Are you with ABC? Because I think they’re a fake news network.. I love the black population of this… pic.twitter.com/Zu72bMqzyM
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 31, 2024
This sparked a flurry of angry headlines from mainstream media and official spin from Harris’ campaign HQ accusing Trump of “disrespecting” the Vice President, in particular, and blacks generally.
Fans of Trump were happy to see him push back against the wokeness that has come to define the left. His opponents, on the other hand, discovered yet another reason to be outraged.
The bigger question before all voters this coming November is this: Will contrived outrage be enough to pay your bills at the end of the day?
In addition to eliminating the tax on Social Security payments, Trump and the GOP should propose that all tax deferred retirement accounts such as 401Ks and IRAs should be converted, on a tax free basis, to Roth accounts. That would eliminate the tax on withdrawals from retirement accounts. This would be a huge boon to retirees. In addition, all contributions to such accounts should retain the annual tax deductibility that traditional IRAs and 401Ks offer. Finally, no limits should be imposed on contributions. Combined, this would constitute a revolution in retirement savings in America.
Bills for raising revenue originate in the U.S. House of Representatives, not the White House. I understand, as others do, what Trump is trying to accomplish, but the widespread ignorance about constitutional separation of powers needs to be eradicated. A recent study demonstrated why we are in such deep trouble. Americans are stupid about the Constitution! More than 70% of those polled could not name the three branches of federal government. One of the key arguments against the Obamacare fiasco was that Article I., Section 7. was not followed, because Obamacare originated in the Senate which rendered the bill unconstitutional. Taxation is one of the most powerful activities in which the federal government engages. Let’s at least get the “Who” part, right?
I am very sorry that Trump hasn’t advocated that foreign remittances be heavily taxed in this country as well. Along with tariffs, it might help to restore balance to a government and a system that desperately needs recalibrating on the tax front. I would also like a list of “repeal” measures for the Congress to take up during a Trump administration such as legislation which has led (as previously warned by civil libertarians) to the surveillance state creation. As a radical originalist, I’d also lay the groundwork to repeal both the 16th and 17th Amendments and amend the 14th Amendment to clarify that illegally present foreigners and their progeny can never obtain American citizenship, prevent dual citizenship (yes, even for Israelis), then amending the 26th to raise the voting age to 25. We need to restore distinctions between the rights and privileges of citizens and illegally present foreigners and build a citizenry which comprehends the duties as well as benefits of U.S. citizenship.