Revenue, is the buzzword, the catch phrase, the talking point, of the left in terms of the ongoing negotiations regarding the nations debt limit.  The Democrats in Washington and their stenographers in the media want increased government revenue as a part of any deal on the debt limit.  In other words they want higher taxes on the American people.

I find this tax increase equals more revenue talk laughable.

History time and again has demonstrated that higher taxes do not result in more government revenue.  Exhibit A, Maryland passed a millionaires tax, one year later one-third of the states "millionaires" left the states tax rolls all together and state revenue was down nearly the same amount as the tax was supposed to bring in.

Earlier this year Illinois raised taxes on both individuals and business.  If state revenues do anything other than shrink I will be shocked.

Now on the flip-side of the coin, history also shows that lower taxes actually increase government revenue.  As pointed out in Daniel Mitchell's The historical lessons of lower tax rates.  At the start of the 1920's the tax rate was lowered from 70 percent to 25 percent.  In 1921 revenue was $719 million, in 1928 revenue had GROWN to $1164 million.

Before the Kennedy tax cuts the top tax rate was 90 percent, which was lowered to 70 percent.  In 1961 revenue was $94 billion, in 1968 revenue GREW to $153 billion.

Then we have the tax cuts of Ronald Reagan who cut the top marginal tax rate from 70 percent to 28 percent.  What, o' what, happened to Uncle Sam's take?  Well in the 1980's revenue(I am rounding slightly) went from $500 billion to $1 trillion, yes that is right Reaganomics DOUBLED government revenue!

The evidence is clear, the facts are indisputable tax cuts do indeed increase government revenue.

But, the Bush tax cuts added to the debt and the deficit, so claim the political left.  The Congressional Budget Office predicted the across the board tax cuts of President George W. Bush would result in a multi-hundred billion dollar loss in revenue to Uncle Sam.  This CBO projection was off the mark substantially as government revenue, wait for it, INCREASED by over $100 billion, not was $100 billion better than the CBO score, but an actual $100 billion more in revenue than before the tax cuts took effect.

These historical examples of the proper way to increase government revenue, i.e a growing expanding job creating economy, give substance to the words of President John F. Kennedy.

"... an economy hampered by restrictive tax rates will never produce enough revenues to balance our budget just as it will never produce enough jobs or enough profits... In short, it is a paradoxical truth that tax rates are too high today and tax revenues are too low and the soundest way to raise the revenues in the long run is to cut the rates now."

The tax cuts of the 1920's, Kennedy, Reagan and Bush were able to increase revenues because the economy grew and jobs were being created.  GDP growth would hit 10 percent during the Reagan years at one point and averaged 6%, by the time Reagan left office 19 million jobs had been created, and that creation would continue for many more years to come.  President Bush has the record for the most consecutive months of job creation locking in at 4 and 1/2 YEARS.

With the 14 million unemployed, 20 plus million underemployed today, cutting tax rates are what our nation desperately needs right now to get us out of the recession/depression/malaise we find ourselves in.

Congressman Paul Ryan's 2012 budget plan lowers the top tax rate from 35% to 25% and drops our corporate tax rate of 35%, one of the highest in the world, to 25%.  If history is any lesson then the only conclusion one can draw from the Ryan plans tax cuts is that government revenue will increase rather substantially along with the creation of million of new jobs.  An estimate of the Ryan Plan(in whole) puts the job creation number in the first year at one million with 2.5 million jobs being added in the last year of the decade.

I would and do full heartedly support the Ryan plan just for that reason alone.

Then there is the tax plan of GOP Presidential candidate Herman Cain who would bring the capital gains tax rate to zero, suspending taxes on repatriated profits, permanently eliminate the death tax and supports the Fair Tax.  

Now we are really starting to talk about the right, proper means of increasing government revenue, grow the economy, unleash capitalism, and allow the American people to keep more of what they earn.  And make no mistake about it either the Ryan plan or the Cain plan would increase economic activity thusly creating more jobs and hence more revenue for the government.  A win, win scenario for everyone, except tax and spend left-wing Democrats and their echo chamber in the media, that is.