tschmath Loc: Los Angeles

In all of the hyperbole about raising taxes on the wealthy, whom the Republicans mis-named job creators, I've often wondered why no one has ever talked about the fact that people don't create jobs, demand creates jobs. I've always thought that we could eliminate all taxes on anyone who owns a business, and it won't result in a single new job if no one is buying what they're producing.

I came across this video today and it perfectly states the obvious truth about so-called job creators. And what's so important is that it's by a guy who could be called a job creator, and he debunks the whole idea. Check it out:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/17/nick-hanauer-ted-talk_n_1524435.html

It seems to me that taxing the wealthy and reducing taxes on the middle class is exactly what the job creators should want. More income in my middle-class pocket means more spending by me which increases demand, which increases profits for the job creators, and results in more jobs creating more demand and the cycle repeats.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

The Bush tax cuts for the rich went into effect in 2001, eleven years ago. If tax cuts for the wealthy really created jobs, why is the unemployment rate so high?

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

But see you are using logic and reason and those who like to mislead and confuse by calling the rich "job creators" don't.

Must be that old smoke n mirrors trick a/k/a "trickle-down economics" voo doo economics thing - that or just pure human greed.

gmcase Loc: Galt's Gulch

I was never hired by a demand though demand and supplying it is the crux of any economy.

micro Loc: Texas

The "job creators" own the media and fund political campaigns - (especiall since Citizens United).
What they don't own is our votes!

tschmath Loc: Los Angeles

Demand created the need for the job, a human being just filled it.

gmcase Loc: Galt's Gulch

It takes capital, hard work and knowledge to supply the demand. It doesn't happen spontaneously. There are makers and takers. Only a fool believes he can consume more than he produces without the deficit being extracted from someone else's work. Of course jobs are created by demand. When you punish the productive they cease producing and that lowers demand. Need, or demand, creates or produces nothing until a PERSON produces a good or service to supply the demand and without a profit it wouldn't happen, at least for very long. When the pain of producing exceeds the reward guess what happens? I know many business people who are sitting on their hands until a more favorable climate exists to take risk.

Danilo Loc: Las Vegas

"Demand" does not just fall from the sky! People create demand, which in turn creates jobs. It would be an error to leave people out of the equation.
If you have a supply and no demand, normal capitalism will soon eliminate the supply.
While the wealthy may be paying a lower tax rate (due to intelligent filing procedures), their overall tax contribution is far greater than those "classes" below them. Why have the "middle class" not benefited from this already?
My pet peeve: Americans are Americans, all this class and that class clouds the unity which used to exist among us all. It's just a way to justify envy.

travlnman46 Loc: Yakima WA

Hi tschmath: I keep promising myself not to get sucked into these fruitless discussions, but here I go again. I can only speak for myself and my own experiences.
To begin with I am self employed and have been since 1988. My income is very modest by any ones standards well under 30 grand a year, at one time I had sales territories from Alaska to California and in most of the western states. I personally had gone in and built a customer base then hired individuals to maintain and grow the business from that base. Under normal circumstances it should have taken a rep 6 weeks to call on their customers. Some of the people I hired did continue to grow their customer base while others just burned out the ones I had established. Those that did grow their base were sucessful. Which in turn earned both the rep and myself a very good income. How ever changing government regulations and rising gas prices eventually forced all of us out of business. Now I'm not rich and never have been but it does take not only money but hard work to be in a position to employ some one. The business person has a couple of choices either keep his business small enough to work it by them self or hire some one and deal with all the government regulations. After once having gone the route of trying to hire people and putting up with the government and some people actually to lazy to work. I decided this time When I bought my present business to run it entirely by myself. Oh I could expand it and do 20 or even 30, possibly even more times the business volume I currently do. I could have crews of people working. Why don't I do that. In a word the "GOVERNMENT". It just isn't worth the head aches caused by the bureaucrats and their regulations. Indeed I could be a job creator, I've just chosen not to, if you don't understand why then there is nothing more I can say and until you start your own busisness and try to hire others you never will understand my point.... You say the wealthy aren't job creators. That's only partially true, they do indeed create jobs, many of them are invested in a variety of companies and those companies provide jobs so rich people do create jobs in that respect they also create jobs even if only in how they spend their money. I've never known a broke person to buy a new Caddy, or a big motorhome, or an airplane, or a big boat, or start a big business. I could go on and on the point is, how many people are employed because they bought something. How many of the so callled working middle class have stocks in theses big companies. In reality they, the small stock holder own the companies, and if enough of them don't like the CEO there are stock holder meetings to fire them all you need is a large enough block. The rich and big companies aren't my enemy but big government and crooked politicans scares me to death.You know over the years I've heard the cry that the wealthy aren't paying their fair share. My question is what do you consider a fair share for them to pay? Hmmm 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% at what point will the government be satisfied with how much they take away and at what point does the person they are taking it away from say enough is enough and I'm just not going to earn the money if all that I earn is taken away by the government or I'll invest out of the country where they can't take it away... I've said this before if you truely want fair taxation get rid of income tax altogether and put in a national sales tax, I'm not talking a Value Added Tax or VAT I'm talking a flat rate sales tax. The more money you spend the more tax you pay. Simple clean and fair, unfortunately it will never happen. To many government employees would lose their jobs... Well I've said my piece agree with me or not.. People will continue to have their oppinions and I'll continue to have mine. My biggest question is how did the govenment and the people survive before we had income tax... Any body know the answer to that?

BigBear Loc: Northern CT

Travlnman - You really have summed up the bottom line on what the government is doing to the people's financial health. And that has a lot to do with the people's emotional wellbeing as well.

Thank You !!!

DEBJENROB Loc: DELRAY BEACH FL

How could a national sales tax be fair? Example ... you make $ 30k per annum .... you go to Dunkin Donuts to buy a cup of coffee ... the next on line makes $ 300k .... he pays the same tax as you do ..... is that fair .... also .... low income people with cash create jobs .... why .... because they spend ..... middle class people with extra cash, reduce debt or save .... rich people with extra cash invest .... neither create jobs.....

BigBear Loc: Northern CT

Are you saying the money middle class and the rich spend don't create jobs because it isn't low income money ??

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

Perhaps you mean, to FILL the demand. Supplying demand is very easy.

Cheers,

R.

DEBJENROB Loc: DELRAY BEACH FL

No .... historicaly ..... the poor save less than those who are not defined as poor .... the poor have more children(these are generalizations) .... spend more on those "widgets" that create jobs ..... if I buy a suit for $2000 ... think of it ... how many jobs will that create .... but if I take that same $ 2000 and buy jeans for $ 15 and shirts for $ 5 ... that creates jobs ..... in fact during the Bush Presidency .... checks were sent out by the government to stimulate the econmy .... Business Week did a study as to where the mony went ... most recipents saved or resuced debt .... that is why that effort to stimulate the econmy was a failure ..

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

no military - no safety net - no centralized systems of communication or interstate commerce - much much fewer people - much much smaller government -- no drones and only a few corporations.....oh and a lot of people just died sooner