Go figure....the GOP congressional leaders have pressured the nonpartisan CRS to table their report on tax disparity prior to the election. The report proves that the favorite conservative meme, of low taxes for the rich = trickle down benefits for everyone else is pure nonsense. Actually you don't even need a report to confirm this. You just need to have lived an average middle class life for the last 20 years. Here is the "money" excerpt....would love to see any winger on here attempt to dispute it.

"The results of the analysis suggest that changes over the past 65 years in the top marginal tax rate and the top capital gains tax rate do not appear correlated with economic growth. The reduction in the top tax rates appears to be uncorrelated with saving, investment, and productivity growth. The top tax rates appear to have little or no relation to the of the economic pie.
However, the top tax rate reductions appear to be associated with the increasing concentration of income at the top of the income distribution. As measured by IRS data, the share of income accruing to the top 0.1% of U.S. families increased from 4.2% in 1945 to 12.3% by 2007 before falling to 9.2% due to the 2007-2009 recession. At the same time, the average tax rate paid by the top 0.1% fell from over 50% in 1945 to about 25% in 2009. Tax policy could have a relation to how the economic pie is sliced—lower top tax rates may be associated with greater income disparities.

A report that would likely conclude there is no direct correlation between tax cuts and economic growth, and the republican congress nixes the report in its entirety. Shocker!! Unfortunately for them, this issue has already been studied and the conclusion is the same. And the same can be said for tax increases. There are far more powerful and influential forces that drive the economy. Taxes are a footnote. Nevertheless tax cuts are at the heart of the Republican economic plan, so this study would be quite damning. I bet this isn't the end of this story.

Heres an exercise. Ask a business owner what he or she'd prefer: a 10% increase in demand or a 10% tax cut. Id bet that 99.999% would take increased demand. The reason the rich want a tax cut is the same reason everyone does - more money for them!!!! But instead they claim it will spur economic growth as a cover for just wanting more money. I think there is a nuanced distinction though. I'm not sure it has been studied, but it makes common sense: if you make $1,000,000 and get a tax cut, it likely won't make a significant impact on your finances.. But if you make $30,000 and live paycheck to paycheck, and then get a tax refund, you'll likely go and spend it before it even clears the bank. There is likely a threshold where a tax cut/refund doesn't make much of a difference. As my old millionaire boss said, "these tax rates mean nothing to me. Give me an extra $100k and it'll just sit in an account somewhere. But give the receptionist $2,000 and she'll go buy a car, new furniture, a new appliance or something else she needs. She needs the money, not me, and she'll spend it, unlike me."

sylvias mother: Nov. 1, 2012 - 4:47 PM EST

More juvenile GOP stunts in the US Congress. Mitch McConnell is a heinously disgraceful political hack. His words and deeds are beneath the dignity of the US Senate. He needs to do something about his wattle neck so we don't have to see it.

It would be nice if you KNEW that Mitch McConnell is IN the SENATE.

Sandy Levin is IN the HOUSE.

His brother Carl is a Senator.

In fact the entire Levin family is in politics in Michigan and feeding at the taxpayer trough.

"Sandy' just married at his Martha's Vineyard summer home.......NOT in Michigan .....But Martha's Vineyard.

Now how does a "Congressman" afford a second home on Martha's Vineyard?

What is "disgracefull is the fact that Obama watched or was informed of the 4 murdered people IN Benghazi .... NON-Media is complicitin a cover-up.

The NON-MEDIA is no longer TRUSTED at ALL.......They are all Paparazzi.....Slling their stories they were educated by leftist professors to do.

The "stunt" is that Sandy Levin of the HOUSE is pullling the "STUNT" to take attention off the election.

Congress is NOT in Session so SANDY Levin is NOT in Washington.

He's campaigning IN Michigan so he can spend his summers in Martha' Vineyard.

Uh skint: I know that Sylvia's mother can defend herself but I must ask. Where does your little snipe come from, exactly? She mentioned McConnell was in the Senate. She made no reference in his comment to either Levin. And for the record, BOTH the Senate and the House of Representatives are part of the two-chamber Congress. You don't appear to be as well informed as youTHINK you are.

I would like answers on those the NDAA, Why we need the TSA going down our Pants, why they are now on railroads and the Freeways. and Why the DHS just bought over 1 billion rounds of ammo.

Wow, GOP hiding from the public a study that shows trickle-down economics is a proven failure. Well there are two more studies to point to: H. Hoover and W. Bush. Can't hide some facts or re-write all history. When reality conflicts with right-wing ideology, wingers lie and re-write history.

Hey fool ! Why do you list yourself as an independent when if fact you are so fast in bending over to the republicans ? Oh ! I forgot , the GOP became the party of liars !!! And as the many faces of Romney this is just another of yours .

How does an employee of the CRS have enough excess cash to donate $5k to one party?

None of the partisan comments here have, so far, pointed out the complaint has great merit. It would be like the CBO saying the stimulus didn't work and then finding out the author of this study was a max contributor to Romney.

What has happened to our ability to think critically?

"I want answers about the Benghazi cover up and Fast & Furious."

Sure. The State Department screwed up in Libya. You can expect a senior official (below Hillary Clinton) to be held responsible and be relieved of their duties. No emergency cable ever reached the level of Clinton or the White House. They almost never do. That is the role of mid-level management.

Same could be said for the straw purchase crackdown initiated under the Bush administration. Someone in the ATF/FBI made serious mistakes and we lost accountability. Obama or Holder were not directly involved in the program. Of course the real question is why we don't track legal firearms by the serial numbers intented for that purpose. There would be no need for Fast and Furious then. If a firearm is found at a crime scene, as a responsible gun owner I want to know where it came from and who owns it.

The study only confirms what most Americans already know from seeing it in action for the last 30 years: trickle down economics doesn't work for the lower 98% of the population.