Posted by
THE UNREPENTANT LIBERTARIAN on Sunday, March 01, 2009 2:54:56 PM
Gordon Brown hopes to forge a partnership with President Barack Obama in Washington this week, to call for a “global new deal” to lift the world out of recession. As he prepares for his first White House visit since the president’s inauguration, the prime minister has hinted that he is ready to make further tax cuts to boost the UK economy.
Gordon Brown does not cut taxes. He moves the tax burden around. The Maastricht Treaty, which effectively still is the EU constitution, mandates that every EU member state balances its budget each year. That means, by definition, that a $100 tax cut for Joe must be "paid for" by a $100 tax increase for Jill. Brown has adhered to this throughout his career as Chancellor of the Exchequer (Treasury Secretary) and as prime minister. So let no one be fooled - there are no tax cuts coming out of his administration.
And now for the globo-socialist juice in this London Times article.
Brown is under pressure to persuade American political leaders to sign up to bold aims for the G20 summit of industrial and leading developing nations, which is to be held in London next month. Many US politicians believe economic policy should put America first, and have shown little interest in concerted global action. Brown will argue for a renewal of the transatlantic relationship, with the two powers working together to solve global economic problems.
And what problems might he be referring to...?
The prime minister will borrow from the rhetoric of Franklin Roosevelt, who introduced the government-financed New Deal to tackle the US Depression of the 1930s. He will argue that his 21st century “global new deal” will also require public spending on a huge world-wide scale.
Let's repeat that one:
He will argue that his 21st century “global new deal” will also require public spending on a huge world-wide scale.
And who is going to spend that money? The governments of poor countries do not have any money to spend, primarily because they do not respect the individual and economic freedom of their citizens. Instead, they are corrupt, authoritarian leaders who amass wealth for themselves while leaving their peoples behind. The poverty problems in the world correlate very strongly with totalitarianism, collectivism and government corruption. More government spending by the U.S. and U.K. taxpayers in those poor, corrupt countries will only benefit the incumbent tyrants. And since Obama has already shown that he has little respect for individual freedom he will put no freedom strings on the money (seized from American taxpayers) that he intends to give away to anti-democratic leaders in Africa and Asia.
A poor country does not become wealthier by receiving welfare checks from taxpayers in wealthy countries. They still do not pay for their own expenses - someone else does. This does not help them elevate themselves from poverty. On the contrary, it is another form of colonialism where the kind Uncle Barry comes to town and gives out what he thinks the people of the poor village needs. And when Uncle Barry finally runs out of money because he has - as he pledged during the election campaign - taxed the heck out of the American people, then Uncle Barry will come no more to the poor village. The villagers will once again be left as poor as they were before Uncle Barry started giving away the American people's hard earned money.
The only sustaianble remedy for poverty is individual and economic freedom.
Many US politicians believe economic policy should put America first, and have shown little interest in concerted global action. Brown will argue for a renewal of the transatlantic relationship, with the two powers working together to solve global economic problems.
The prime minister will borrow from the rhetoric of Franklin Roosevelt, who introduced the government-financed New Deal to tackle the US Depression of the 1930s. He will argue that his 21st century “global new deal” will also require public spending on a huge world-wide scale.
Writing in The Sunday Times today, Brown calls for “universal action to prevent the crisis spreading, to stimulate the global economy and to help reduce the severity and length of the global recession”.
His stress on continued economic “stimulation” will increase speculation about next month’s budget. No 10 sources said that, while no final decision had been taken about further tax cuts, the prime minister would do “whatever it took” to pull the UK out of recession.