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With a peg to the upcoming legislative push for the "Buffett rule" adjustment of tax rates for the very wealthy, the message of the day from President Obama's Chicago-based re-election campaign was this: "Mitt Romney is the beneficiary of a broken tax system, and he wants to keep it that way."
Those were the words of campaign manager Jim Messina, who joined Sen. Dick Durbin and Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin in a conference call to talk about what they dub economic "fairness" in the tax system.
According to Durbin, who hammered Romney on his reported past holdings in overseas banks, fairness is a foreign concept to a candidate who benefited from a "Swiss bank account."
Durbin said of the semi-presumptive GOP that it is "impossible for him to explain or defend" the overseas account, paraphrasing Buffett Rule-envisoner Warren Buffett himself in saying "there are plenty of good banks in the United States."
Participants were pointed in naming examples of Romney's personal wealth (Messina invoked the famed car-elevator in plans for the former governor's La Jolla, CA home), saying that Romney's tax structure "looks out for people just like him."
Another example: Romney's limiting of his tax return disclosure to just two years -- 21 fewer than the number of years worth of documents he reportedly disclosed to the McCain campaign when being vetted for the VP slot four years ago.
"Romney supports tax policies that reward people like him, and now he's just trying to obscure just how much he would benefit by hiding his own financial records," Messina said.
But the campaign demurred when asked by a reporter if Obama would agree to release as many years of records as the 23 it's demanding of his rival, saying only that Romney must live up to the standard set by his own 2008 vetting process.
Obama has released tax records dating back to 2000.
The Romney camp released this statement before today's Obama campaign conference call: “President Obama is the first president in history to openly campaign for re-election on a platform of higher taxes. He has already raised taxes on millions of Americans, but he won’t stop there. He wants to raise taxes on millions more by taxing small businesses and job creators. We appreciate the Obama campaign reinforcing Mitt Romney’s platform of lowering tax rates across the board in order to jumpstart this bad Obama economy.”
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Hello?
You think?
Why is Willard so afraid of disclosing additional tax returns?
If they were good enough for McCain they sure as hell are good enough for the rest of America!
Then, there's the fact Willard's economic guru's are nothing but George W. Bush leftovers... we all know how well THAT worked out for the middle class!
If it is broken, why doesn't the Obama Administration at least try to fix it?
The so-called Buffett Rule has nothing to do with capital gains taxes, only income taxes. It would bring in between $36 and $50 billion dollars to the government depending on who you believe, (Tax Foundation or Citizens for Tax Justice), which equates to at best 12.5 days of deficit spending.
It's just nothing but Obama continuing to make noise about something he knows nothing about.
It looks like we're back to the Left being oh so concerned about Romney's tax returns. If you have nothing to show for a record, this is what Obama will whine about.
And Dickie Durbin joins this circus act with his complaint that Romney benefited from a "Swiss bank account." Anyone can "benefit" from a Swiss bank account. You just have to open one.
The so-called Buffett Rule has nothing to do with capital gains taxes, only income taxes. It would bring in between $36 and $50 billion dollars to the government
30 to 50 billion bucks at the end of a rainbow in a nice bank off shore but JAS1 does not believe in rainbows. Hell, it's just a drop of gold in the pot. Maybe if poor people did not eat one or two days a week ... imagine the food stamp savings.
Or maybe if there was economy that had jobs, they could feed themselves. "Yes We Can" and all.
bama is lot a like you ideo. A lot to do about absolutely nothing.
Tell us ideo, if Obama is so psyched about the Buffett Rule, why didn't he include it in his 2013 budget?
JoAnnaSmith1
Let's look at the alternative: Romney. Horrible job record in Mass. Horrible tax record in Mass. Pushed mass from 10th place in job growth to 47th (out of 50). Cut taxes for corporations while raised fees on the rest of us: created new fees, doubled fees for court filings, professional regulations, marriage licenses, and firearm licenses, and increased fees for many state licenses and services. In all 33 new fees were created, and 57 fees were increased, some that had not been adjusted in over a decade.
TO: John, Tucson, AZ who wrote:
He is, but Republicans don't want anything "fixed" because then it's a whole lot harder for them to misappropriate funds.
Republicans love the U.S. when it's "broken" which is why George W. Bush broke as many things as he could, and messed everything up so badly, including, but not limited to, the American People.
Obama / Biden 2012
JAS1 ... I expect it is difficult to put something in a budget that has yet to exist as law. Kinda like you buying that fleet of new cars on the hope that Romney wins and your income tax is halved.
Hit Romney on the "carried interest" loophole Mr. President! Overseas accounts, inflated IRA due to possible low pricing on class shares and last but not least, demand he put out at least 5 or 6 years of tax returns!
TO: JoAnnaSmith1 who wrote:
I guess you haven't been paying attention. For the past 3-1/2 years Republicans have done everything in their power to STALL our recovery hoping to benefit by STOPPING America and the American People from getting ahead.
Not only that, but the Teabaggers sent "do nothings" to Washington for the specific purpose of "blocking anything that moves" dressed up in the pretext of "JOBS JOBS JOBS" which never happened, just as Republicans had planned.
NOW Republicans want to go BACK to complaining about JOBS?
Hell, if it hadn't been for Republicans we'd be swimming in "Jobs" by now!
Obama / Biden 2012
Well, maybe, but is that any reason NOT to enact it? What if every taxpayer said the same thing?
They could take my entire income, and it wouldn't make more than a second of government spending. Seems futile, somehow, and yet they still take some.
But ... $30 billion here and $50 billion there ... and pretty soon, you're talking REAL money.
[But ... $30 billion here and $50 billion there ... and pretty soon, you're talking REAL money.]
Well, there is that whole instant gratification dealie...Smiffy simply just doesn't understand the concept of "collective pooling".
Romney has not disclosed even 2 years' tax returns---he disclosed 2010 and a "draft" of 2011. I expect the reason he disclosed a draft for 2011 is that the complexity of his return means he requests an extension of time to file his federal return. Those are for 6 months---or October 15. Something tells me Mitt REALLY doesn't want to still be talking about his tax returns in October.
I bet Ryan is gona join Mitts cult .Then they can control the tax game for the wealthy .Ryan wants to take all social security and medicare so he can keep the crusades going .As long as we are at war , the congress and the senate members who own the concessions who service the war areas make a fortune .These are the no bid contracts they don't like the people to know about .You know like the 9 K dollar hammers and the 7 K dollar toilet seats .
Funny that you mention poor people / food stamps when record numbers of Americans have been added to the ranks of the poor, record number of Americans added to the food stamp program, SINCE OBAMA TOOK OFFICE.
What is really stunning is that Obama doesn't talk about this, doesn't talk about correcting the problems - he talks about FAIRNESS.
Countries around the world are lowering their corporate tax rates as Obama talks day after day about raising taxes.
America now has the highest corporate tax rates in the world.
So tell us ideo, what is the corporate tax rate in your Canada, how much have they dropped it, what is it dropping to, and btw - how is Canada's economy doing relative to Obama's economy?
Why do you come here to bitch and defend high tax rates in the US when the corporate rate in Canada is going to what - 16%?
Obama and libs love the poor, they create more of them every day.
TO: bob-1805084 who wrote
Oh come on! George Bush had the entire country bleeding jobs, and to this day millions of Americans are still put out of their homes, now you want to complain about a few crumbs some families have gotten (all to their own embarassment) in order to eat!
All I can say is that Republicans have become so cold and callous that I literally want to puke! I am so sure that families would have rather stayed on their jobs, kept their homes, and bought their own food, rather than suffer with being forced into poverty!
What if it was YOU and YOUR family that had no choice because of REPUBLICAN policies that were in place, would you let YOUR family starve?
If it had been up to Republicans, there would have been soup lines going around the block, while Republicans sat back, cussing and spitting while they watched victims of Republicans' "Trickle Down Economics" go broke and then forced into soup lines!
What sick monsters Republicans have become!
Obama / Biden 2012
Well Bobsy, we have fewer write downs for taxation purposes and our big boys pay taxes unlike your GE fellas ... and then we make a @!$%# load of bucks selling you your major addiction.
Come where to bitch? This is the "internets" ... no borders! Got a prob with that? Talk to management. That is what is nice about this webby thing, totally marxist ... suck on it big guy.
What happens in your undies is your own personal business Mick.
American girl,
Food stamp enrollment climbed to an average of 153,000 a month under Bush.
Under Obama, it has climbed to an average 403,000 a month!
As of last December, there were 46.5 million on food stamps - 65% higher than any time in the last 40 years!
Median income has dropped twice as much under Obama as it dropped under the actual recession during the Bush years.
On and on and on ... indicator after indicator ...almost 3 years after the recession ended, real unemployment is around 10% acording to Obama's own CBO.
Obama has been utterly inept, a complete disaster.
Why do you ignore the reality of Obama, why do you try to defend this incompetent?
And you refer to repubs as "sick monsters?"
Warren Buffer and the millionaires and billionaires Obamas's friends get also benefit from our tax code.
When billionaire Warren Buffet called for higher taxes on rich people like him, the liberal media predictably gushed and fawned.Yet when Americans for Limited Government revealed that Buffett's company Berkshire Hathaway has been in an almost decade-long dispute with the IRS over how much taxes it owes, these same press members couldn't care less. According to Berkshire Hathaway's own annual report the company has been in a years-long dispute over its federal tax bills.According to the report, "We anticipate that we will resolve all adjustments proposed by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service ('IRS') for the 2002 through 2004 tax years at the IRS Appeals Division within the next 12 months. The IRS has completed its examination of our consolidated U.S. federal income tax returns for the 2005 and 2006 tax years and the proposed adjustments are currently being reviewed by the IRS Appeals Division process. The IRS is currently auditing our consolidated U.S. federal income tax returns for the 2007 through 2009 tax years."Americans for Limited Government researcher Richard McCarty, who was alerted to the controversy by a federal government lawyer, said, "The company has been short-changing the tax collection agency for much of the past decade. Mr. Buffett's company has not fully settled its tax bills from 2002-2009. Yet he says he'd happily pay more. Except the IRS has apparently been asking him to pay more going on nine years." . This is nothing more than a display o hypocrisy.
America now has the highest corporate tax rates in the world.
--------------------------------------------------------
The thing is Bob, the US has one of the lowest "Effective" corporate tax rates in the world.
[What happens in your undies is your own personal business Mick.]
Snuffy, since you brought up undies, when's the last time you changed yours?
[As of last December, there were 46.5 million on food stamps - 65% higher than any time in the last 40 years!]
You should be outraged bOb...after all, the Republicans did the damage and left it for the Democrats to clean up...if it were left up to the GOP, instead of food stamps for women and children, they'd be coming around with gurneys loading them up with the dead and dying.
Either that or you would simply become a victim of someone looking for food to feed his or her family. Ignorants like yourself are always playing the victim anyway. You should be grateful to Obama...now on your knees (not you Smiffy)...
American Girl the facts are the facts! I dont recall Mr Bush complaining and blaming the Clintons after inheriting the trade center attacks. The planning of which occurred right under their noses. Or the elimination of the Glass stiegal act which was signed by William Jefferson Clinton, setting us up for the biggest financial collapse in history! And oh by the way why has Obama coddled Goldman Sachs The largest player in the largest Ponzi scheme in history?
Bob - You say: Funny that you mention poor people / food stamps when record numbers of Americans have been added to the ranks of the poor, record number of Americans added to the food stamp program, SINCE OBAMA TOOK OFFICE.
What is really stunning is that Obama doesn't talk about this, doesn't talk about correcting the problems - he talks about FAIRNESS.
Bob - 1. What"s Romney's solution to the problem? (Give me some good reasons, and maybe you can make a convert out of me).
2. The Americans added to the food stamp program is the result of the economy 2yrs before B.O. took office.
GT
Democrats took control of Congress 2 yrs Obama took office and Obama was part of that majority. No excuses, no blame.
TO: ssmike who wrote:
Hey, they may have "planned" something, but they couldn't get it done until Bush took office, who had been a personal friend and business associate of the Bin Laden Family ever since Bush and Bin Laden were small children.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
TO: bob-1805084 who wrote:
I mean, you would have literally had to be on some other planet, or living under a rock, to have missed everything that went on under Bush, including McCain running back to Washington and suspending his presidential campaign in order to address the Economic Catastrophy that occurred UNDER BUSH!
Do you REALLY think that an economy in the type of decline that Republicans put us in would stop on dime! Republicans are just plain foolish, and way too foolish for the White House.
Obama / Biden 2012
Just arrived.
Loved how Jo Anna's critique of the Buffet Rule is "small potatoes" therefore don't start there with the 1%.
Bob with numbers goes off on a riff about food stamps. Stay on topic.
Back to the subject at hand: Romney has enjoyed everything that money can buy and places to put his wealth, off shore and overseas. He is like every other super rich guy but they are not all running for president,he is on his business expertise.
Romney needs to show us his tax returns and how one can make the current tax system work for the super rich while his party complains about the deficit and no new revenue ever!!
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2012/04/09/gas-prices-grow-more-under-obama-than-carter
Obama, the record breaker, strikes again.
Anybody got a rail?
redvirginia
- The economy was already in the tank by the time the Dems took control.
[Anybody got a rail?]
There's always the one that's been embedded in your ear, Moocher...
Wow ... just like the plans and policies Ryan and the repubs promote!
And really, do you seriously want to mention Obama's poster boy of cronyism, Immelt at GE, OBAMA'S JOBS CZAR?
Obama's GE that filed the equivilent of a 25,000 page return, using every loop hole invented to pay no taxes while making billions?
Too funny.
So what does everybody in Canada drive .. Volts? Is Canada run on windmills and solar panels, or do you guys have a sane energy policy?
And btw - doesn't the world have the same addiction?
Why is America broke, making Canada and the OPEC guys rich when he have more fossil energy resources than Canada ... more than all of OPEC combined?
Why is America not getting rich, putting millions of those unemployed to work developing energy ... providing inexpensive energy, the life blood of our economy, to the poor, to business so they can grow and hire ...
...kinda like Canada where it seems to be working a lot better?
What .... you guys don't have a community organizer running the country?
Mickey the Moocher,
What do you think of Obama's terrific deal he negotiated with North Korea back in February?
He's pretty awesome, huh? What, only 45 days later they're about to shoot a missile our way.
Way to lead. Was it from behind or in the behind?>
Obama is a JOKE!
Here is one clue that Romney benefits from the current tax code -- The richest 5% are turning out in record numbers to vote for Romney. Gees, I wonder why...
And two fallacious arguments we see non-stop from the right wing:
1) If we tax the rich 100% it still would not pay off the deficit, therefore don't tax the rich at all. Wow, just how stupid do have to be to reach this conclusion.
2) The right-wing demands ridiculous things from President Obama--aside from his birth certificate--but also his grade point average though we really don't need to know that based on him graduating Magna Cum Laude from Harvard. (Oh, let me guess, the right-wing doesn't know what Magna Cum Laude means). Now, the lack of logic continues regarding tax returns. We don't care what the president earns because he isn't anywhere as wealthy as Romney. But the president nonetheless released over a decade of tax information.
And now this:
LIES -- Prove how/when President Obama raised taxes on any American. And where the heck were you right-wing idiots the other day when the president signed legislation giving breaks to small businesses? And can we puleeze dispense with the propaganda term of "job creators" already? It's complete BS!
Yeah, I've got a rail for you, along with some tar and feathers.
Hi de hi de hi de ho!
American,
You realize that the economic crash was a credit problem in the financial sector right?
So what do you think were Bush's policies that caused the crisis?
His average deficit spending of $251 billion a year?
Was that the problem?
And how does Obama's average deficit spending of $1.333 trillion (FIVE TIMES BISH'S SPENDING) solve that problem?
Or was it the tax cuts that produced the highest revenues in US history?
Why do guys punish the poor and unemployed by trying to defend this epic failure of a president?
TP,
Most of the real taxes are stupidity taxes ... such as paying twice as much for gas as you were before becuase you have an ideologue who's energy policy is to raise cost.
Stupidity taxes such as QE1 and QE2 that devalued the dollar making food, rent, everything for the American consumer more expensive ...
Obamacare that is raising the price of health ...
The delay game is over. The Dems are being forced to put a budget on the senate floor.
The jig is up very soon. Time to man up and go on record. Wait until voters see this turd.
Rob,
Your speculation is showing.:0)
Lets wait and see if North Korea launches the rocket. And where does it go?
Article said that they wanted to get a picture of their terrain for agricultural reasons.:)
Also show the people the son has consolidated his power.
I can wait for actual facts to happen and then the analysis.
Exactly. And since Teapublicans can't be trusted, I would want to see all loopholes removed FIRST, with tax cuts never lower than what would be a wash in exchange for the additional revenue, but preferably keep some of the revenue to pay down the debt.
ideologyspoilstheview-- Yeah, let's talk about GE. The reason Teapublicans won't end subsidies to Big Oil (aside from the fact they receive most of their campaign contributions from Big Oil) is that this subsidy actually applies to all manufacturing and investment in alternative energy. The Dems want to end ALL of these subsidies (i.e., tax expenditures) but the GOP/TP keep blocking this. So if you wanna cry about GE, talk to your Teapublican representatives.
redvirginia-- How many times do we have to explain to you RWNJs that the Dems only gained a narrow majority in 2006 that was not filibuster proof so it means nothing. The Dems only had a filibuster-proof super majority (of 60 votes) for about 7-9 months after the 2008 election until Ted Kennedy passed away.
So as folks can see, in only a matter of a few posts in this one thread, there is no Rule of Reason and only outright lies from the right-wing as to make your head explode.
bob-1805084 -- Though you're a well-known troll, I will only feed you this one small snack because you reference me by name...
Taxes in the US have not been lower since the 1950s, and are small compared to other countries, including tax on gas (which has diminished thanks to fuel efficiencies and why in large part we no longer are generating revenue for roads and bridges).
Your parroted squawking point about the president wanting to raise energy costs is one that's been taken out of context. Those with some intellectual honesty admit that we are drilling at record levels, but drilling at any level will not reduce the price of gas at the pump because oil is sold on a global market. All the president refers to is the "will" to invest in alternative energy, which we should all support if for no other reason than becoming independent over the long term (not to mention protecting the environment).
Topics of quantitative easing and the central bank are too complex to address in a forum like this, but suffice it to say these policies are basically the same from administration to administration, and inflation is usually controlled by interest rates set by the Fed. The price of food and many other items are actually affected more by the price of oil, and the price of oil is more affected by speculation on Wall Street, which is protected by the GOP/TP. So once again, if you don't like rising costs for food, you need to take this up with your Teapublican representatives.
As for health care reform ("Obamacare"), prove that this has increased the cost of health care. In Massachusetts, Romneycare has resulted in lower health care costs. Just because you and other RWNJs say so, it doesn't make it so.
The US Tax Code is 20 plus volumes of over 16,845 pages. It is full of loopholes and government tax handouts. It represents the single most corruption in our government as politicians sell their influence through its many pages. Obama has done nothing but demand higher taxes, as even when the Democrats controlled all three branches there was no talk or movement toward fixing the tax code.
Funny how the Obama administration complains that the Ryan budget doesn't specifically list all the loopholes they would close when there are 16,845 pages in that tax code monstrosity. Although no one in the Obama administration found it the least be troubling that no one actually read the 2732 pages of ObamaCare before it was passed and signed into law.
It is also ironic that the right now the Federal Government is suing Warren Buffett through one unit of his Berkshire Hathaway empire for 366 million in unpaid taxes and penalties. Since Buffett is fighting the suit with the IRS it would appear he only wants everyone else to pay more in taxes. What a bunch of hypocrites, Obama's poster child for higher taxes doesn't want to pay his fair share.
How can anyone actually suggest with straight face that Washington is working for the American people. They had to pass a phoney insider trading bill just to give the people the illusion of adhering to the same laws that apply to everyone else. Obama can't find so much as dime of spending to cut, but we have the GSA wasting tax dollars in videos. When we elect clowns, why should we not expect them to act like clowns?
That'a bull@!$%# and you know it. Don't you realize that most of this came at the end of the Bush administration and the beginning of the Obama presidency, where the economy imploded??? Corporate tax rates in America are high, but the real taxes are pitifully low. It's about bloody time that those companies pay fair taxes.
OBAMA BIDEN 2012
Still blaming Bush after more than three years of the awesomeness that is Obama. Obama's failures will be Bush's fault as long as he is failing. By the logic that it is all bush's fault, we should all just give up on Obama because lib logic means there is absolutely no possible way for Obama to correct what Bush did, not in 4 years, not in 8 years, not in 100 years. Since there is no possible way that Bush's problems can be dealt with by Obama, in a reasonable amount of time "My Life Time", I think we should give some one else a chance.
A question for the Bush blamers.
When will we see the fruits of Obama's policies?
50 billion? Obama spends that in one week, and thats not counting the weekend.
Whoever mentioned N. Korea, I think Jr. just wanted to give Obama a taste of what Sr. gave him, a shot of bend over and brace yourself.
All this blaming - both sides. As soon as we figure out that we are playing right into their hands by the division between us, things will be back to normal. Remember normal? What it was like growing up in this country? I only wonder how it will be from now on living in serfdom as dictated by ALEC and not democracy. ALEC has been around since 1972 and laid low. Leader: Koch brothers, DeVos, etc.. Bush/Cheney/Every republican politician/governor are all members of ALEC. 500 corporations are members of ALEC. Corporations are allowed to sit with politicians and draft bills that are in their best interest. They finalize and make boilerplates and send to all republican governors for implementation. The old fashioned republicans are few/far between except the "average" guy on the street. They still believe that they are fighting Obama and do not realize that there isn't a Republican Party anymore. They are aiding and abetting the destruction of our Democracy by following the leaders of ALEC whose leader professes the ideology of serfdom. Will things ever go back to the life we once knew? Not for a long time!
The lunatic liberal left is not at all concerned with Obama being successful or not, they are only concerned with making sure he does not get blamed for failing. Blame is all that is important to the left, and to date it has solved nothing.
Truth to wisdom from the White House!
Romney plans to benefit even more with his tax plan; breaking the system further to eliminate capital gains taxes, lower income taxes for the wealthy and he's "not worried about the poor" or anyone else for that matter least of all the well-being of the Nation.
Durbin? Senator from Illinois? The guy who, over the weekend, said we all should be driving hybrid cars because regular cara cause tornadoes? THAT Durbin?!?!
Well, considering it was a campaign event for the same guy who believes that ATMs, airport kiosks, and the Internet are what killed all the jobs in the economy, he doesn't look quite that dumb, now, does he?
Ho hum. I guess it's time to recycle failed campaign slogans- so "fairness" is being trotted back out. I guess WTF will come back out of mothballs next, followed by "Obama needs more time to finish the job".
My suggestion is to go back to "hope for change". That really captures the mood of the electorate.
You do realize that hope and change are all about you NoJo ... well I do indulge in the rare fantasy. I would really like to put WTF moments to bed with mothballs, but you insist on posting.
Romney's $$$ has more foreign policy experience than he does.
Yeah, what she said. After all there can be no better training ground for foreign policy then community organizing.
Class warfare and envy. That is all that is left in the Obama arsenal.
"Romney supports tax policies that reward people like him"...
In a sense, that is true. "People like him" who work for a living, in the private sector, who may actually get to keep some of their own money.
Obama's "government-centric' socialist approach is by the Government Nanny State, for the Government Nanny State.
In a sense, that is true. "People like him" who work for a living, in the private sector, who may actually get to keep some of their own money.
So, poor Romney only gets to keep 85% plus of his no longer working for it income ... my heart bleeds.
Lest we all forget, Willard has his money in the Caymans and elsewhere off shore!
...he loves to hide the money from a government that he wants to lead.....Why is it not a really big issue?
TO: Bob in Virginia-5210392 who wrote:
It's been Republicans who are forcing a "class warfare" when Republicans decided that the working class and the poor should be the ONLY ones paying for that Republican Lie Called the War in Iraq.
I guess Republicans believe they really can "get blood out of a turnip".
Republicans' platform of taking more away from the people that DON'T have it is a form or genocide, and YOU want US to vote for cold, callous greedy monsters that we KNOW are going to come straight after us? Not a chance!
Obama / Biden 2012
TO: Bob in Virginia-5210392 who wrote:
Romney never worked a day in his life and he told you so, which is why Romney has absolutely NO feelings whatsoever for those of us who do!
Obama / Biden 2012
I work pretty hard for a living as does my husband and we are paying an effective rate that is more than 15%. Sure would be nice to have Mitt's bracket.
"People like him" who work for a living, in the private sector, who may actually get to keep some of their own money.
-------------------------------------------------
The funny thing Bob, is that I also work for a living in the private sector (notice its usually late when I hit the boards), yet Mitt paid a lower effective tax rate on his income than I did. Seems a guy who makes millions could at least pay the rate I pay.
isn't this the same Romney who said he can relate.." He is unemployed too."
Chucky, Is it Romney's fault that his tax rate is lower than yours? Did he write the tax code that set the tax rates? Was he ever a member of congress, the ones that actually writes the tax codes? I believe the answer is NO. Invest your money and then you can get the same tax rate as everyone else that gets capital gains. Obama has been President now for over three years and I have yet to see him request an increase in the rate except when he makes one of his class warfare speeches.
sfcret, not blaming Romney. I'm blaming the pinheads in congress, both sides, that seem to have no problem with millionaires paying a lower effective rate than the middle class. I've never before supported a flat tax, but I'm getting close. It would be less regressive than what we have now.
TO: Steeler Fan-380417 who wrote:
There's an old saying: " If you wanna live like a Republican, you have to vote Democratic."
Republicans are never gonna tax the rich! They'd rather see ALL working people in devastating decline than to tax mega-millionaires with even one more penny, and you know darn well there is absolutely NO WAY Mitt is going to raise taxes on himself!
Obama / Biden 2012
Bob, do you really think that having the rich pay the same rates that they did in the 90s is class warfare??? The top 20% of Americans control 93% of all earned income in America, with half of that owned by the top 1% alone. How the hell is that fair????
Romney and his stupid rich cronies have controlled America's wealth and income for decades ever since that idiot Ronald Reagan supported trickle-down economics. Like Obama said, it's not class warfare; it's common sense.
Romney and his buddy Paul "I think the poor are immoral" Ryan are the real instigators of class warfare. Romney's tax plan cuts taxes on the rich by $150,000 while raising taxes on those who make $40,000 or less. Ryan proposes to cut taxes by $2 trillion, which disproportionately affects the wealthy, while cutting spending on safety nets like Medicaid and Medicare and on services like education. Where is the @!$%#ing class warfare NOW, right-wingers????
OBAMA BIDEN 2012
CLASS WARFARE MY ASS
Rocky has recently obtained the Progressive Party of Oregon's nomination for President of the United States! He is conducting a nation-wide drive to raise funds and support so he can continue acquiring ballot access throughout the country. Help us sustain the momentum by contributing to Rocky's campaign through volunteering and/or donating at www.voterocky.org.
When the presidents says everyone should pay their fare share (30%) does he really mean everyone? Because a 30% tax rate across the board would be pretty painful...
Have you all noticed how all these right-wing supporters are all miserable. They are always so worried about themselves and what they have. Scared to death that someone will steal a dollar from them. They are just never happy. They want to make sure no-one touches their medicare but on the other hand are quick to support Ryan and his plans to take it away from others.
Ramboet ... you will notice in one post they will complain about the poor not getting a job and in the next post complain about a lack of job creation.
Yep. Can't quite fit the facts into their world of FOX NO NEWS fiction.
Ramboet,
Right-wing supporters are all miserable. They are always so worried about themselves and what they have. Scared to death that someone will steal a dollar from them. They are just never happy.
That's not true, and judging people by their political affiliations is not only short sited, its counter productive.
This article is prefect example of stereotyping.
Note: I don't agree with it, I am just pointing out how hurtful it can be.
Republicans Myths, Liberals are actually less compassionate and more selfish than conservatives, according to surveys of liberals and conservatives cited in Peter Schweizer’s “Makers and Takers: Why Conservatives Work Harder, Feel Happier, Have Closer Families, Take Fewer Drugs, Give More Generously, Value Honesty More, Are Less Materialistic and Envious, Whine Less . . . and Even Hug Their Children More Than Liberals.”
The surveys include the General Social Survey, which regularly asks thousands of Americans their attitudes on a range of issues. Conducted by the University of Chicago and the National Opinion Research Center, the survey is considered among the most authoritative in the world.
Responding to this survey, some 71 percent of conservatives say they have an obligation to care for a seriously injured spouse or parent, compared with 46 percent for liberals. Asked if they would endure all things for the one they love, 55 percent of conservatives say yes, compared with 26 percent of liberals.
Schweizer writes that self-described liberals and Democrats, who profess to be tolerant, are much more likely to embrace stereotypes of Jews than conservatives or Republicans.
Some 45 percent of self-described “strong” Democrats or liberals agree with the statement that Jews are inordinately rich and money-driven, compared with 36 percent of strong Republicans and conservatives.
Schweizer cites similar research — all ignored by the mainstream media — to show that even when they are in the same income brackets, liberals are far more likely to complain about their jobs, families, neighbors, health, and their relative wealth than conservatives.
Liberals are also much more likely to say that money is important to them, according to the surveys Schweizer cites. They are two and a half times more likely to be resentful of others’ success and 50 percent more likely to be jealous of other people’s good luck. Given that Democrats such as President Obama have said they favor wealth redistribution, that should not be surprising.
Schweizer notes that when Reich ran for governor of Massachusetts in 2002, his tax returns revealed income of more than $1 million, but he contributed just $2,714 to charity, or less than 0.3 percent.
In contrast, George Bush gave 10 percent of his income to charity in 2005. In 2005, Barack Obama made $1.7 million, or 2.5 times what Bush made that year, but gave the same amount to charity as Bush did. That same year, Dick Cheney gave away 77 percent of his income to charity.
“The media have perpetuated these myths about conservatives over the years,” Schweizer tells me. “And the media were very comfortable passing these things along because they conformed to their world view.”
Newsmax.com
TO: thetotas who wrote:
WHEN did Republicans decide they were even willing to be productive?
Republicans have ABSOLUTELY REFUSED to be productive, even in a small way, over these entire 3-1/2 years because they believe that their own political existence relies entirely on forcing failure on America and the American People.
Got news for Republicans, you've been failing the American People for more than 20 years! ENOUGH! Just say NO to the GOP!
Vote a straight Democrat Ticket !
Obama / Biden 2012
American Girl,
Do you ever read what you write? Are you so blinded by your hate that you refuse to open your eyes to see? Its not one sided, both sides are responsible for this mess, and both sides will need to work together.
And you wonder why nothing gets done in Washington.
Have a nice evening.
i like how the GOP candidates never say that Obama is attacking the rich or even the wealthy. they always, ALWAYS, fill that slot with the phrase "job creators." its amazing. what about those who hit the powerball. they are wealthy are they job creators? or pro athletes? until they accept that what creates jobs and a robust economy is a middle class with disposable income, we will never be the same america. the only real job creation in the past 12 yrs is in other countries and alot of wealthy people got even wealthier. us here IN america have gotten poorer.
Hey Pitts, how does what you say argue for higher taxes? Or do you have another point all together?
i was just talking about how they use different phrases for the word rich. my argument for higher taxes is simply there shouldnt be two tax codes. one for working, rich or not, people and one for millionaire investors. they shouldnt get to pay less taxes than everyone else. the whole capital gains tax and earned interest tax scheme is wrong. if they payed within the same system as everyone else maybe then we could talk about lowering rates. they dont and the system we have leaves most the rich paying lower rates than the poor.
TO: Paul W-396258 who wrote:
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T PAY THE BILLS WITH "TAX CUTS" IT TAKES REVENUES TO PAY THE BILLS!
Holy Crap! Some folks are just dumb as a bag of hammers!
Obama / Biden 2012
Oh Geesch! My mistake! Iwas thinking if we didn't SPEND WHAT WE DONT HAVE we wouldn't have bills to pay. But hey, entitlement costs, doesn't it?
Are you as blonde in intellect as your picture portrays?
ANYBODY BUT OBAMA 2012
Pittsburgh----if the wealthy were all job creators, where are the jobs?
Football players, actors, lottery winners all have income that is taxed at the full rate. Those who invest their money in capital investments are generally the ones who create jobs. Does every dollar invested create jobs? No, not by a long shot. However, a good chunk of it does. If we change the tax laws to get at that money in the long run it will have a very negative affect on our economy. And what for? So the government can continue to spend it at an ever increasing rate? Increasing taxes isn't going to fix our long term problems. I don't think we necessarily need to cut government programs/spending but we do need the government to operate more efficiently. I would love to see a study done on how much the government spends to deliver a single dollar to it's program's respective recipients.
Let's not fix all the pork. Let's not fix all the waste. Let's not put our government on the same diet that the rest of America is on. Instead, let's raise taxes so the pig that we call the federal government can chow down on our dollars.
What's the sector with the most job growth during Odumbo's reign? Did someone say "federal government?" Does anyone out there believe that that growth actually HELPED our economy to grow and sustain itself?
Raising taxes does NOTHING to help this country get back on it's feet. It just gives bureaucrats more to spend at Las Vegas bashes.
actually the government has been losing jobs and is smaller than when obama took office. what most of our taxes get spent on is war and the defense industry. until we decide to not invade random countries without having a way to pay for it we will continue to have this problem. the social programs are costly but they are taxed separately from income taxes. another thing a lot of the money taken in by the federal gov. goes back to the states to help aid them.
President Obama has called for cuts across the board at the same time as asking for increases in revenue. That is the sensible way to solve the problem. Raising taxes alone nor cutting alone will do it.
Yes, Bush screwed up the presidency like eveything else he has ever done. But that silver spoon he was born with and daddy's connections save his stupid behind time and time again. But he is no longer in office and Obama is. He needs support and ideas from BOTH sides of the aisle that will accomplish job creation. The trickle down theory has been tried since the 80s and we have seen that it obviously doesn't work. We are told that if the rich are allowed to get richer they will create jobs......well.....we are still waiting... where are all the jobs.... Oh that's right they created jobs alright, in COMMUNIST China and COMMUNIST Vietnam, and in India and the Philippines but not in the US. So when are those folks going to create jobs here?
These aren't just rants but people who are awake can clearly see what the problem is. If you are well off, bully for you, many people aren't. Those welfare queens are now being joined by people who until the recession when they lost their jobs who must get food stamps to eat, sell their homes because they no longer have an income to afford the homes. Get the middle class back and working and help the poor get meaningful employment that gets them ot of the poverty, even while working, and things will be fine. Tax breaks for the middle class while raising taxes on the upper income people and companies whose headquarters are off shore to avoid taxes and we're off to a good start.
Pitts: Government growth:
http://federalemploymenttips.blogspot.com/2011/01/growth-in-federal-government-employment.html
Yes, there's been some cuts, but net, there's been an increase. A quote, from the above article:
Since January 2008, net of census hiring, the federal government has grown by 3.5 percent, gaining 98,000 jobs.
The above is from Jan 11. From another article this month:
Overall, however, federal government employment is about the same as in mid-2009. And in 2008, the feds added 84,000 jobs. So don't say the government has been losing jobs. That's just plain not true
Are you kidding me!!! Romney supports a budget that gives the top 1% a tax cut during a time period when most Americans are sharing in the burdens in an unstable economy. It does not make sense under no circumstances that the rich will take a gain during a time period when the country is trying to recover. President Obama is correct and it is time for the top 1% to take up some of the burdens like most Americans.
The Republican Party utterly do not make sense these days. They (Republican Party) see no compromise under any circumstances. They make themselves appear to have no heart for the poor or middle class individuals in our society. They make themselves to appear to have an attitude of a narcissists. Romney's tax return and where he banks his money shows what he represents.
If the country is going to recover then all Americans should share in some of that burden including the rich. It is not about trying to balance a budget based on a tax increase for the rich it is about sharing the burdens with all Americans and so forth.
Ok I will play! What has Obama done for the middle class?
That is exactly my point!! It does not matter if he did or did not do something for the middle class; the point is the middle class and the poor are willing to sare in the burden to help restore our economy.
hellodock
good point buddy one that ssmike is too stupid to understand. i mean holy @!$%# mike way to swing and miss the point completely right there.
Hear Hear Ramboet, right-wing supporters are all miserable, in fact I read an editorial in my local newspaper sent in by a reader who wrote in with a title of 'repeal Obamacare" then wrote "health care is not a right, if you can't afford healthcare why should I have to pay for your healthcare"... not only are the right-wing miserable, they're just plain stupid.
Anyone with half a brain knows that we who have insurance coverage pay for those without by way of premium increases, and less than steller care, they don't understand the basic fact that if everyone had insurance coverage premiums would go down but at the very least stabilize, don't they understand that our hospitals could offer better care if they didn't have to run in the red due to 50 million uninsured Americans.
Not only are the right-wing clueless, they're greedy, they're racists, and they are out for the top 1 to 2%... Their mantra is ME ME ME, while Democrats are for WE and the United States of America which includes everyone of every background.
Obama/Biden 2012
Any body but Obama in 2012!
Donnay, the pot calling the kettle black... I mean, really. No racism there, huh? And as for the guy who wrote in, why SHOULD he pay for your health care? Be specific.
Paul and ssmike
the point he made is so god damn obvious and clear that even i can understand it and im 17 but then again i am in AP and honors courses but still my god you 2 have some serious thinking to do if you have any brain cells left.
Paul to answer your question he already does through the premiums that were stated that you clearly ignored cause it didn't fit your flawed opinion. my god Paul asking questions he already answered before you even had to ask!? what the hell does it take to reason with someone like you!?
Let us return to the tax rates of Saint Ronald of Reagan or that savior (and I'm being serious) of freedom and democracy, Dwight D. Eisenhower. These gentlemen made the Republicans go "sploosh" in their undergarments every day of the week and twice on Sunday. With the revenue from those rates, deficits should disappear and all will be well.
Finally, Republican policies to believe in.
(don't let the crickets be your chorus R's)
I second that. IT's about damn time.
OBAMA BIDEN 2012
Obama Biden gone in 2012 is what u mean
Nope, Obama Biden 2012.
But I'll give you the gone part, for Republicans gone in 2012.
OBAMA BIDEN 2012
GOP GONE IN 2012
donnay,
Do you know any miserable stupid republicans personally? I have friends that are republican and democrats, and I embrace them equally.
Oh, FYI, none of them are stupid or miserable. Go figure.
Why is everyone always wanting to see someones tax returns? It doesn't prove a damn thing. I believe most that are calling for Romeny to release more tax returns are just jealous or plain nosy. There is no law or requirement for anyone running for any office to release his tax records, only have to file a Federal Financial Disclosure. Seven individuals running for President & VP did not release their tax returns since 1968.
Only seven for POTOS or VPs running since 1968?! Good grief. That's an an incredible percentage. Makes one wonder what they needed to hide.
Yeah.
My brother was laid off at EDS/HP last month after 28 devoted years there. Now he has to pay 30% income tax on his unemployment compensation. He is supporting 2 families. Rabid Republican voter. Hard core Catholic. Wouldn't vote Democratic if Mother Theresa was running on their ticket.
However, the CEO that profited from shipping his job overseas gets to pay a 14% tax on his billion dollar bonus that he'll be paid for screwing my brother.
If that sounds "unbroke" to you then, maybe you need a new dictionary.
Yes, Romney benefits from the broken tax code and many top tier American's take advantage of this perk. Every one-percent-er takes advantage and president Obama has tried to make hay out of the "Buffett Rule". The tax debate will take center-stage along with "Seeking Independents" in November. Having heard that Romney is a velcro candidate, I wondered what has stuck to Romney? He like the tall trees the right height; his wife drives two Cadillac's; his California mansion has elevators for his cars and he like to fire people who do not provide good services. When he released his tax return for 2010, it was disclosed he paid 13.7% on 21 million in income, while the average Joe would pay a higher percentage on $100,000.00 dollars of earned income. Of course Romney has Tax lawyers and accountants well versed in tax law passed by the Congress. This is the same Congress(112th) who still want to limit any increases in taxes to the top 1% of Americans. The TEA-GOP-Republican "War on Obama" has taken flight with millions of dollars to be spent lying about president Obama and creating false appraisals of the president's accomplishments. Romney will run against president Obama and he is not the preferred choice of most TEA-GO-Republicans. America has been warned about the concentration of wealth in the hands of fewer and fewer people and the concentration of power in stricter, less compassionate hands. Get involved locally to control your lives. Get registered, get involved, vote! Then get out the vote! The power of control is at the local level and the TEA party have used their tactics to garner more local control in multiple states. States like Virginia, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. Your state might be next! If you are happy with the way Congress has run the country under the TEA-GOP-Republican leadership, stay home, don't vote and hide your heads under the pillows. If you are ready for a change and sick and tired of the one sided, confrontational legislation coming out of the state houses and Washington, get involved, get registered, vote and get out the vote!
Man are you jealous! I take it you like your food stamps? Romney already paid income tax on everything he made while working in the real world. The money you are referring to, is investments not wage earnings.
NOBAMA in 2012
Many on the right are still doing flips over Obama's birth certificate. Despite all certified papers proving he is a U.S. citizen they still persist.
So where are these people now? About Romney's tax returns and how much he is worth, where the money is offshore, and what companies he has a fiduciary interest in?
Why aren't they screaming and yelling and jumping up and down demanding he release more than one tax return?
Nothing has been certified. Just excepted by his Democratic party.
Nothing credible regarding his birth certificate. But you don't care because you Love Obama and love is blind. It's all about the slogan "Hope and Change" but you have no idea what Obama's Hope or Change is, do you?
Why was the President SSI card issued from a state he never lived in? Why hasn't he shared his college transcripts? don't say I'm being foolish, I've just borrowed a page from your playbook.
Romney pays taxes. He pays what is legal to pay. No more and no less. I do not understand what the problem is.
The problem is that many liberals that post here are jealous of anyone more successful than they are. They don't understand that welfare can't make you rich. And you can't buy beer with food stamps.
You ignorant moron. I don't give a whit what Romney makes however when he pays half the percentage rate that I do then I care. I also care when Bush gave two tax cuts aimed primarily at the richest among us knowing full well that the revenue coming in would not equal what was going out. I care when Romney's plan to gut the middle class in favor of the top 1% while making the deficit worse yes I care.
Do you also care when illegals don't pay federal income tax? Do you also care when the government gifts your tax dollars to welfare queens? Do you care when the federal government allows government agencys to blow a million dollars at a conference in Vegas under Obama's watch? Do you care that Obama blows you tax dollars on failed green energy companies.
Hey corybud, Calling someone an "ignorant moron" is sort of a double negative which makes it a positive. If we apply your way of thinking to Rydberg's formula for converting the hydrogen atom to quantum law you would have Rydberg's constant 1.097 * 107 m-1 squaring itself which will not do! Please from now on, NO Double Negatives!!!
All Americans have the exact same benefit that Romney and everyone else enjoys. You pay income tax on everything you WORK FOR AND ARE PAID but you only pay 15% on what you invest and the subsequent investment gains. Nothing new here at all. The more you invest the higher the return. More class warfare coming from the Obama camp. You have already paid taxes once on the money that you invest. You are taxed twice. Income, then investment. More BS from Obama.
That just goes to show you how important you are, since tax experts and economists are so wrong. Is your name Grover by any chance?
Well said, too bad the under achievers(liberals) still don't get it.
Affinity, I already told u once to go crawl back in your hole. Or maybe try getting a job
Can soneone please post the bill Obama presented to fix the tax structure that he submitted as a congressman.
Small business owners file a Schedule C with their individual tax return. If the GOP wanted to protect these "job creators," they would make it specific to income on Schedule C. Instead, they want to cut the marginal tax rates for ALL tax-payers, which includes lots of rich people who create NO jobs. Tell me, has Mitt Romney created any jobs since he left the "private sector" all those years ago? The answer is "no." And yet, his huge income gets taxed at a rate under 15%.
Im gonna guess Mitt has bought far more things than you have since he left the private sector, cars, houses, electronics etc etc. All fo those things create jobs, so yes despite liberal rhetoric, even non business owning rich people create jobs, its called spending.
Have you created any jobs or are you the typical liberal public servant just waiting to collect your pension or the standard brainwashed college dope?
Yes as a matter of fact my Wife and I are both getting ready to start collecting our "pensions" however it's called retirement and after working for over 40 years and paying into the system we earned it.
Also yes we did help create jobs through paying our taxes. Our taxes helped support the teachers that taught your kids. Helped build and maintain the roads and bridges we all drive on. Helped put police on the street to protect us all. Helped support the military that protects our country and everyone in it.
When did you jackass republicans get the idea that only the rich pay for stuff and should get off cheaper than everyone else? Even us plain old working stiffs pay to support this country and usually at a higher percentage of our income. Everyone alive pays taxes in one form or another even the poor and the unemployed.
So you proved my point, he did create jobs by spending, im also willing to bet he spent more than anyone on these boards. just because people dont respect what he bought because they cant afford them, doesnt mean jobs werent needed to supply them.
And if your retirement is in the form of a government pension, then you are taking out more than you put in.
Corybud, Jackass Republicans? Better a Jackass than a plain old @$$. Just kidding! Really! Or not. Yes of course I'm kidding! Not. Maybe. I'm beginning to sound like a liberal! What the?
Small business owners file a Schedule C with their individual tax return. If the GOP wanted to protect these "job creators," they would make it specific to income on Schedule C. Instead, they want to cut the marginal tax rates for ALL taxpayers, including several hundred thousand wealthy people who create ZERO jobs. Tell me. Is Mitt Romney, in his current capacity as a politician, a "job creator"? No, yet his income is huge, and he pays under 15% in taxes. No wonder the Ryan plan is "marvelous" to him.
How many people, in all fifty states are working for him and his campaign? Are they all volunteer's or were they hired? Envy can be crippling. Grow up, he's a self made extremly successful, proven leader.
Thats not envy dahl, thats straight up jealousy and hatred.
I voted Democrat in 2008. I HOPE Obama understands that I plan to CHANGE my vote for a new President that will serve all Americans. OMG: Obama Must Go!!!!
I assume that means you'll be doing a write-in vote...
Q: When President Obama served as a Senator what legislation did he bring forth to reform our current tax code? What legislation has he promoted with both houses for legitimate reform as our Countries leader?.........Hello?.............Hello?
but he says he wants it dahl, you must not be privy to the liberal knowledge that rhetoric is as good as action.
Mitt Romney said that Obama raised taxes on millions of Americans and plans to raise taxes on millions more. All I can say is that Obama is one sneaky bastard! I was not aware of this and I doubt that anyone in congress is aware of this either. Can someone please explain how he pulled this off? I was not aware that the president had that kind of authority.
corybud, I distinctly remember you using that same logic against Bush a few years back.. Only in reverse. For the sake of honesty, try to define your hypocrisy prior to posting.
What money? ETCH-A-SKETCH doesn't have any money except what his wife gives him & corporate SUPERPAC gives him! That's why he wants to be OUR LEADER, so he can steal from the 99% American People! They've had all the corrupt corporate political rule they can stand!
99% American People, VOTE STRAIGHT DEMOCRATIC, the life you save may be your own!
Yea vote for union rule and taxpayer debt, great idea. i love supporting retiree pensions.
Hey TR Rose II, You are living (I think) breathing proof that media spin is alive and well! Etch a sketch! Etch a sketch... my ribs are hurting!!! Etch a Sketch!
It's really sad; but, if you don't earn $1000000/yr, you are no better than anyone else - except the upper class. ALEC's members subscribe to serfdom (Koch brothers ideology). If you think Obama (not a member of ALEC) is the worst that can happen to you, think again. There is NO republican party anymore!!! All ALEC members are under the name Republican; but, they do not subscribe to Abraham Lincoln's Party Politics. 500+ corporations are members. They sit with the republican politicians and draft bills which they want to further their purpose and pass them to governors who implement them. Is this really the world that you want to live in? The republican party is no more....we are ALL opposed and fighting ALEC members. AT&T is next...499 to go. Bill Gates/Kraft/Pepsi/Coke all pulled out; but, we need to get the other corps OUT!!! That list is available at alecexposed dot org Walmart, ALL Pharmaceutical, Health Insurers....Please see the site and stop wondering what's wrong with the picture!
Thank you! Finally someone with a clue. People, even the Corporate members themselves, didn't know what this sneaky top secret mess is up to! Now that it's out they're running away as fast as they can. Except as you said, Wal Mart! Hahaha! Never shop there anyway. Everything they sell is junk. You can buy a name brand item you love like a Nikon camera and it will fall apart in a couple months. Buy the same model from another source and it will last for years and years!