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Today’s headline might seem absurd given that U.S. annual federal spending now exceeds $7 trillion, while states and localities spend additional trillions each year. And of course the burden of paying for big government will be with us forever, as federal debt alone rapidly marches toward $39 trillion, not even counting all of the entitlement promises made by Washington politicians. But what’s new is that even on the political left, few politicians will even try any more to make the case that government programs are worthy of support from the average taxpayer. How long can federal programs survive if both parties agree that most Americans shouldn’t be required to fund them? The Journal’s Richard Rubin noted last week: A tax-cut competition is raging inside the Democratic Party. Out of power and seeking ways to capture the attention of a restive, financially strained electorate, Democrats are floating sweeping policy changes that would relieve millions of people of any federal income-tax payments. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.) plans to detail a proposal that would end income taxes on individuals making under $46,000 and married couples making under $92,000. Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) proposed a “Keep Your Pay” plan that would more than double the standard deduction to $37,500 for individuals and $75,000 for married couples while increasing the child tax credit and the earned-income tax credit. Given the history of these two gentleman in assaulting taxpayer affordability, voters should be extremely skeptical about the potential for relief in the event that these two legislators become part of a new Senate majority.
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