THE LAST LAFF:

What we could learn from John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush: Lower taxes increase government revenue (Klaus Rohrich, July 13, 2006, Canada Free Press)

It seems that every 20 years or so social democrats have to relearn the same lessons. Laid out by three American presidents over the last 40-odd years, the lesson is that lower taxes increase government revenue. Voodoo economics? No, it’s proven to have worked three different times and each time the results have been the same.

The latest evidence that low taxes are good for the economy is the announcement by the U.S. Treasury Department that U.S. government revenues will be $274 billion higher than anticipated this year and are expected to be $243 billion higher the next year. Despite all the nay saying and hand wringing on the part of American Democrats, the Bush tax cuts have stimulated the economy to the extent that new jobs have been created through increased investment resulting in a corresponding increase in government revenues.

The Dems, of course, see the glass as half full, protesting that only "the rich" are benefiting from the tax cuts. Be that as it may, the increase in government revenues is in large part due to "the rich" paying a lot more in taxes because of their increased investments. But it isn’t only "the rich" who benefit. Those with more moderate means are also benefiting in terms of new jobs being more readily available. And, while the poor may not be reaping the rewards of investment income, they also pay the least in taxes.

This phenomenon occurred both in 1962, when John F. Kennedy (Senator Edward Kennedy’s smarter brother) instituted the biggest tax cut in American history and again in 1986 when Ronald Reagan cut income and investment taxes to the bone. It’s now reoccurring under Bush 43.