[TheRealThing]

How did Laffer and his "curve" power the financial stream from the 1980's until today?

Tax Rates are 40-50% higher today than in 1987. And have been 25-30% higher than then otherwise. I mean, today, millionaires pay about 50% when all things are considered. In 1987, they were paying only about 28% marginal rate at the federal level.

Tax rates have risen steadily (except for the slight dip during Bush years) since 1988.

I agree with Laffer on his assessment of taxation and fiscal policy. But to say that he's responsible for the growth thats occurred in the past 15-20 years, isn't factually sound.

As far as trumps tax plan -- its crazy. You can't drop taxes drastically on everyone and everything. And remove 50 million people from the taxpayer base. And expect a lower deficit. Laffer even agrees with that. We shouldn't be removing people from the base, but instead, ADDING people to it. The traditional conservative approach to tax reform is as follows:

1)Simplify.
2)Flatten.
3)Broaden.

Trump doesn't flatten it, and certainly doesn't broaden it (He narrows it drastically). And "simplify", doubtful. He hasn't issued enough information on it to determine that yet. Just a few numbers and ideas, is NOT a tax plan. Its a campaign promise. However, its dead on arrival. No congress will ever pass it. Especially not this congress.

We need a real leader, who has fought for conservative values year after year for longer than just the past 6 months.

Trump supported the largest tax in american history. A 5 trillion dollar tax increase, for just one year!

Trump supports universal healthcare, and has said that has not changed.

Trump was pro-abortion.

Trump supported Hillary Clinton with speeches, funds, and fundraisers.

Trump dodged military service with deferrments.

Trump has an F rating from Club for Growth -- the benchmark in pro-growth policies.

The list goes on and on and on. Do you want more?

LOL, list whatever you want.

I was there and I saw Reagan's financial policies turn the nightmare of a 12% inflation rate and a 13.75 mortgage interest rate from the Carter Administration, into the following;
EXCERPT---
"Interest rates fell from over 20 percent down to 10 percent, and in the first three months of 1983 the economy had a rate of growth equivalent to 2.6 percent per year. In the second three months (quarter) of the year the economy grew at an annual rate of 10.9 percent. In 1983, inflation was only 3.2 percent – down from 10.3 percent in 1981. And for last half of 1983 and into 1984 the economy's growth rate hovered between 5 and 7.4 percent." http://www.fsmitha.com/h2/ch37-reagan2.htm

The two names I remember Reagan using most often from the era are Laffer and Friedman. The financial sted of this land, was basically on cruise control from the days when Reagan's economic policies righted our ship of state, until 2007.

No disrespect intended there Ronald, but I will take the word of Art Laffer over your views about the viability of Trump's economic visions. What I said with regard to US growth wasn't narrowed to the past 15 years, after all, 7 of those belong to Obama. I said that the economic policies initiated under Reagan healed the US so well, they set the stage for the great era of growth we have known since those days, which amounts to around 27 years by my reckoning, that would exclude the last 7 which pulled a vacuum.

I got some advice once from a brilliant business man of my acquaintance. I didn't want to employ a certain individual based on what I knew about him at the time, from days past. The advice? "There's been many a bird straighten up and fly right." Frankly, I happen to be one of them. Trump has changed his ways and straightened up to fly right. He has gone to reasonable lengths publicly to explain his enlightenment.

In view of the alternatives represented in last night's Democratic debate, I for one feel very comfortable with Trump over any of them, most notably would be Hillary. As I have said on more than one occasion recently, my fav is Ted Cruz. But, I'm going to support nominees that I THINK, have the potential to get the mess straightened out and hope one of them gets the nomination.

I believe though the Clinton Era is hailed as a great economic achievement, a few legislative efforts of the day began the unraveling of the magic of Reaganomics. Things got worse under W, and then they got MUCH worse under Obama. In other words, I'll grant you that the momentum of the Reagan Era has dissipated away. It was not my intention to state otherwise.