He never should've compromised initially :(

But glad he's picking up the gauntlet and going to fight it out again. Under 250K, leave them alone. Over 250K, restore them to 1970's levels.

I say dump the whole Bush Tax cut and re write a new one ..That actually will help the people who need it most !

Whatever JH keep telling it like it isn't. Actually the hole you speak of is mostly attributable to the last administration. You must be suffering from amnesia.

The Wealthy do not need tax cuts in order to survive. The only thing they do with their savings from tax cuts is buy expensive foreign cars and go on vacations in foreign lands. Their tax-cut savings is helping the economy of other countries. Middle income Americans would spend their tax-cuts on paying off their bills, having the house painted, putting on a new roof. Lower income Americans would spend their tax cuts on clothes and shoes for the kids, a better meal, and what they owe the landlord.

All tax cuts need to expire. We all need to pay our fair share. The middle class got the biggest cuts and they need to start helping to get us out of the hole that the previous administration has put us in.

FTFY

Many taxpayers already benefit from the Affordable Healthcare Act with health savings account contributions that reduce taxable income, with earnings/interest tax free, and medical expenses (co-pays, prescriptions) paid tax free (not 7.5% of adjusted gross income on Schedule A).

All tax cuts need to expire. We all need to pay our fair share. The middle class got the biggest cuts and they need to start helping to get us out of the hole that this administration has put us in.

I was going to agree with you until you pointed the finger at Obama. Obama tried to end all tax cuts and the GOP said NO. Obama didn't get us into this hole. He's been trying to dig us out!

I invite you all to Google Obama’s and Bush’s effects on the deficit. Please.

To all the Republican supporters:

where are your posts that Obama extended Bush tax cuts in 2010?

While you are writing your post, please include the reasons why he had to.

@JH,

Exactly! Its time for a simplfied tax code eliminating ALL the deductions including child tax credits, Mortgage interest deductions, corporate loop holes, etc..

But that would make for a smaller government which we cant have

Yawn

in palm -- then write a letter to harry reid and demand that the senate take up the proposals from the house so that we can get something done. as long as reid is obstructing progress we are screwed.

i cannot believe that you can make such an incendiary remark comparing someone offering a budget proposal for discussion to the nazi death camps is simply unacceptable and scary that anyone can be as duped as you appear to be by the campaign commercials.

JH - Really?

The middle class got the biggest cuts and they need to start helping to get us out of the hole that this administration has put us in.

I always wonder if the republican middle class folk realize that when the middle class gets tossed under the bus, nobody cares if you're republican OR democrat, we all sink.

And you must be living under a rock. This President in just over 3 years has dug the hole deeper than the last one did in 8.

if you look at raw debt numbers, this statement is false.

Additionally, if you look at new spending numbers instituted directly during the Obama administration and take out spending that occurred during the last 3.5 years but was signed into law by the previous one (e.g., Iraq and Afghanistan wars, etc.) this statement is ludicrously false...

@Sam Adams not true the debt went up under Clinton not down so there was a defict. Bush also had to deal with a recession caused by some of Clintons polcy early in 2001 and got us out with the tax cuts real quick.

Won't deny the wars were a big waste of money though.

Backhouse, wasn't it the Republicans that implemented these tax cuts, the cuts that 80% or more of benefited folks making less than $250k per year? The answer is yes. And don't forget the democrats fought these cuts and would not support them which is why they were done via reconcilliation and are set to expire. Is Obama now trying to take credit for these tax cuts, the same tax cuts he claims ran the economy in the ditch back in 2007? Or are the democrats going to stick to their guns and say all these cuts should expire as they did when Bush was president?

And you must be living under a rock. This President in just over 3 years has dug the hole deeper than the last one did in 8.

And you Backcountry164 must be living under the bedrock that rock came from. Conservatives want him to OWN the economy.... Let him own it, I agree. Just be truthful where our troubles came from in the first place...

“We don't need more top-down economics. We tried that theory ... we can't afford to go back to it,”

Soooooo ready for Voodoo economic theory to vanish into thin air. RR, GBI, GBII ALL (yes I said it, and yes your "hero" started it...) subscribed to this theory and look where it has gotten us.. That crap even brought about the OWS hippy class because of their dissatisfaction with the current state of our economy...

Dug a hole my AZZ!!

That being said, this is all just re-election posturing by the POTUS. Just so happens, I agree with it....

Right On Schedule: The republicanCrimeCartel Created this disaster back in Reagan's time and Perfected it with the Bushies, especially With KingGeorge the VaccumBrained during his NOTORIOUSLY SHAMEFUL Shrubber Reign 2001 - 2008. THEY ARE Causing this Depression we are back into to get people mad at Prez O and vote for Rommel and Whomever his love mate is. YOU KNOW what Rommel's got in mind For US???: A HUGE American military, OTHER PEOPLE's Sons fighting Newly thought up And VERY PROFITABLE WARS for 1-5%ers Riches and Corporate Wealth, And NO American Universal National healthCare System. Even Prez O was "forced" to cut a deal with the powerful health insurance industry. Does ANYONE KNOW what the ceo of United HealthCare took Home for 2008 Salary? Hold onto your hats: $128,000,000 *C A S H* WHILE, Mind You, their paid policyHolders were denied and DIED. The FACT that America HAS NO Universal HealthCare System like THE OTHER COUNTRIES, WHO TAKE CARE OF
THEIR CITIZENS who need medical attention and help instead of fattening the wallets of the EVIL Rich and paying for Unending Wars, IS A NATIONAL DISGRACE. FACE IT Sister and Bother American, Rommel IS ON THE SIDE OF THE FAT INSURANCE COMPANIES And WILL MAKE SURE We Americans Are Denied A Wonderful HealthCare System like in Germany or Israel, WHICH WE AMERICAN TAXPAYERS PAY FOR TOTALLY FREE FOR ISRAELIS. YEAH, A LOT of US are mad at Prez O; The Man Has ROYALLY SCREWED UP LATELY: He let the $4.00+Gas and oil go by without a protest OR Complaint to the Justice Dept Going after the oil companies for Price Fixing And PRICE GOUGING. AND that shaking hands with karzai of afghan
after what he said????? "thanks sucker taxpayers..." NONEtheless HAS ANYBODY got an idea what republicanCrimeCartelSoldierRommel will do to US and ANY economic progress made?? He WILL GUT US LIKE A FLOPPIN' FISH ON THE DOCK.....You're gonna' see Unemployment up to 40% and NO Social Security..Gotta Pay for New Wars And NO MEDICAL CARE At All; republicanCromeCartelPanacea: Sick??, No "health care insurance policy"? awww.. Sick?..Well, DIE QUICK!!!!!
AS "healthcare" policies cost SKYROCKET out of control. And Rommel and his LoveMate Rubio, Like Rommel and Goebbels, are gonna' give you the republicanCrimeCartelPropaganda Lies; You Love Your Family? Don't Go for it. You Don't care?? Go Ahead, vote for these two Politaphiles and see what happens.........................

Here's the rundown on Mitt Romney's devastating record as CEO of Bain Capital, a tenure marked by bankruptcies, bailouts, and mass layoffs — all while Romney and his partners raked in Billions of Dollars in profits for the firm and Romney himself amassed a Quarter-Billion Dollar Fortune.
Romney's Bain Capital Caused Mass Layoffs, Sent Jobs Overseas
Thousands of Americans were laid off by Bain Capital at companies it purchased, managed, and, at least a quarter of the time, drove into bankruptcy, ruining Lives, Destroying Careers and Families including Many Many Suicides While stuffing his pockets, Keeping his Darling son OUT of service to his country with the line "My son is Fulfilling his Patriotic Duty by helping me get elected"...Got that one?? and, Of Course, installing the InHouse car elevator for his "darling little boy's $180,000Ferrari....Listen Up People...This guy IS Count Dracula In carnate. A vote for ANY Republican politico is a vote against Yours and YOUR FAMILY'S Well Being. You can take that to the bank.

Republicans - "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, I want my richy rich tax cuts, whaaaaaaaaaa"

It's about time they ended for the rich.

No more "trickle down economics".

President Obama's new tax cuts are for the 97% of people that are $250,000 and under. This includes the small business owners. This is a tax break for small business owners as well. PRO JOB PLAN!

Romney plan....put more money in his off shore accounts.

Romney lost to McCain.....McCain lost to president Obama

Obama/Biden 2012

There is nothing like gobbledy gook to fry your brain.

Please blame your Faux representatives for leading you up the garden path.

Instead of investing the money from the Bush tax cut, the rich have moved the vast amount of it to tax havens such as the Cayman and Bermuda Islands.

Just Ask Mitt!

Trickle-down economics never works ... other than the rich urinating over the poor ... or the what-so-called Pee Potty of Palin in the Neck.

Compare Bush's average spending level to 0bama's average spending level.

Its a bit different when you aren't only looking at Bush's last year.

I agree, when one neglects the catastrophic economic collapse and the largest recession since the Great Depression (and the dramatic reduction in tax revenue it wrought), Bush's average #'s look far better than Obama's average #'s. It's like saying "if one neglects the two wars Bush started and the huge tax cuts he instituted, he actually ran a surplus every year in office!"

The fact that we are still holding on to a Bush-era policy speaks volumes for the obstructionist nature of the Republican party. Even though the economy nosedived under Bush/Cheney, here the Republicans are crying about tax CUTS for the wealthy being allowed to expire. That's not a tax increase, it's a benefit decrease - God knows the Republican party has earned that for their (lack of) congressional leadership over the past dozen years. If any group in America deserves to be reeled back in, it is the ultra-wealthy. They're not job creators; if they were, America would be seeing the best jobless rate in history, not one of the worst!

If the tax cuts expire or Obama is able to tax the rich more, then those taxes should be used to pay down the national debt. Not used for more give aways, freebies or waste due to fraud in government programs that Obama pledged he was going to stop ( never happened ).

Feisty,

"Aren't the GNOP all in favor of tax cuts?"

Yes, they are, but the Republicans in the House will oppose it now just because it was Obama who proposed it. That's just how they work. :)

If the statement is "ludicrously false", Drowning Grover, prove it. First tell us what the hell "raw debt numbers" are. Are they different from cooked debt figures, you know, as in the debt figures after the administration 'cooked the books'? Facts, please.

"President Obama’s response to even more bad economic news is a massive tax increase," said Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul. "The president's latest bad idea is to raise taxes on families, job creators, and small businesses. Almost half a million fewer Americans are working today than the day Barack Obama took office, and we've just come through the worst job creation quarter in two years."

Letting the tax cuts expire for those earning over $250,000 does not equal a massive tax increase. Besides, if everyone is out of work, they won't be paying taxes anyway. The RWNJs want it both ways, and it doesn't fly.

I don't know how many of you earn more than a quarter million dollars a year, but I can tell you it doesn't affect ANYBODY I know. It is time to let the ultra rich pay their share.

I would comment on Romneycare's proposals, but he is keeping his master plan secret, because the only people he has to be honest with are his bosses, the Kock Brothers.

Bush got handed a 'surplus' because Clinton raided the last of the social security fund to pay down his deficit. The government, as a whole, had a deficit, not a surplus. Clinton's clever bookmaking... ahem, bookkeeping simply shifted the deficit from general funds to social security. And we're paying for it now.

Bush then spend a lot of money, that's very true. Obama then spent even more money, that's also true, and he's planning on spending even more (both from his calls for various projects and the Affordable Care Act).

Romney SAYS he's going to cut spending, but we've heard that before. We'll see.

Romney was wondering what to do with his dog when the family had to go on a long drive....He looked at the dog and said....Well doggy poo, where should I put you on this long drive?.......The dog looked up at him, wagged his tail and went....ROOF....ROOF...........and the rest is history. Now you know how he makes his decisions.

Romney the gazillionaire could have bought another car, could have rented a car, could have hired a dog kennel company to transport the dog...nope.....he took the advice from his dog.

Is this the man you want to answer the red phone at 3 a.m....Is this the man you want in charge of the economy? Hiding assets in offshore accounts? Michelle Bachman just moved into a new home on the floor above a bank. Now she claims her assets over a million dollars!

...Scooby Romney flip flop? Roh Roh!

In 2008 Obama told ABC news that he he didn't care if raising the capital gains tax reduced government revenue because he was more interested in 'fairness'. The same applies today. Raising taxes on higher end earners will not result in higher revenues, only higher expense accounts and less investment. It will, however, raise class envy, anger and dysunity. This is not what a decent presidential candidate should want to show for his time in office. Yet, in an election year when Obumble has little to show for 3 1/2 years except high unemployment, a debt higher than anything Bush left him, and an economy that's treading water, it may be all he has left.

elliot-3020456

What about not spending an ungodly amount of money every year?

Yes... why did the GOP approve increasing the debt ceiling EVERY year that Bush was President. Oh wait, we had to pay for two illegal wars, and the 11 Trillion dollar defecit (up till 2008) was just a mirage.

TAX and SPEND

Yes.... increase tax the middle class and lower capital gains taxes. Its not fair for the romneys of the world to pay the same taxes I pay. Oh and continue tax cuts for corporations by allowing them to export even more jobs overseas. Continue tax loopholes for corporations already making record profits, and spend more money on the military industrial complex so people like CHENEY can continue making profits on the backs of the American taxpayer.

0BAMA/Biden 2012.

The tax cuts for anyone earning $250,000 should expire. Why does the GOP representtives favor extending them? I would look at the income over the past 12 years and you will see the answer, it will affect them.

A fair tax code would be nice maybe establish a tax commission with citizens, governors( ones that know the meaning of the word compromise and debate), veterans, housewives, congressman, senators and people from the treasury. Examine the tax code and close all loop holes. Another commission would look at the budget and point out the " Pork" and give the President a line item Veto. If congress wants to override they can do a vote that is televised and have representatives from the administration there to answer questions, why that line item was vetoed.

If it was up to me the first $30,000 of earned income would be tax free! the Home mortage interest would be reduced to 15 percent for all homes under $500,000 instead of 100 percent deductible for all homes today, there would be no deductions for children( That would fall under the first $30,000 deduction), earnings from investments would be 15-25 percent. All charity donations would be 100% deductible for those who earn under 250,000 and then above would be 50 percent. That would actually raise the deduction for charity donations but it would encourage giving to charity.

We could have a one page form that could be completed online directly on an IRS site, No Turbotax, H&R software required, and no Tax preparer assistance required for most americans. All corporate income could be returned to the US and taxed at 25 percent tax rate, anyone caught hiding money overseas would be taxed at $200 percent penalty, plus back interest and in some cases immediate confiscation of the principal. A few politicians would be bankrupt on that one.

Taxes, are not evil they pay for roads, the Military, education, grants for research for medical cures. It is what the politicians do and say that makes them evil. We need to invest in our nations infrastructure Bridges, roads, creating new industries for jobs here in the USA. We also need to improve our education system and turn out engineers, doctors, nurses but without resources we cannot do the good things and look out for our fellow Americans.

By the way for 2011 I had to pay and additional $4300 dolllars at the end of the year and made less than $120,000 dollars.

$250,000 does not make you rich after you pay the required max Social Security that is over $17,000, plus your healthcare plan (for which you pay 80% out-of-pocket on medical expenses until you reach close to $5,000), plus your city tax, property tax, no credits if you don't have children, forced 401k (which you know you will never see again)....and you live in NYC, New England, CA, HI, etc... $250,000 may be great in rural W. Virginia, but you are poor in NYC and outlying towns. ....I think they should either take the cost of the area you live in into consideration or raise it to $500,000, I assume a family can live on that anywhere in the US.

For people who budget their yearly income and try to put some money into savings as well, getting hit with a higher tax burden (when you are at the $250,000 line, not the millionaire status), seems a bit unfair, just because the government made itself broke (I know I am oversimplifying), doesn't mean that tax payers want to empty their meager savings account to pay more taxes - give people some time to adjust, if they don't adjust to their reduced income, that's their fault, but now they have only 6 months to re-evaluate a budget so that they don't owe the Feds more than they have saved and put in with their W-2?

I am only talking about people who are at the bottom of this scale, $250,000 is not close to CEO pay... yet they both have to put in the same $17,000+ for Social Security...that hits the person at the bottom of the $250k a lot harder and it is not counted as a negative on a tax form...

If the statement is "ludicrously false", Drowning Grover, prove it. First tell us what the hell "raw debt numbers" are. Are they different from cooked debt figures, you know, as in the debt figures after the administration 'cooked the books'? Facts, please.

In total dollars, Bush added $6.02T to the National Debt (9/1/2001 - 9/1/2009), while Obama added $4.08T (9/1/2009 - 7/9/2012). This is what I meant by "raw debt," and why I called the statement "false."

Of course, Obama has not enacted $4T in NEW spending as much of that $4T comes from the continued Bush Tax cuts and multiple wars. This is why I called the statement "ludicrously false."

http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/NPGateway

the bs from the left gets deeper every day. Four years ago President Kardashian said the 'Bush tax cuts' were the cause of the recession!!! lol. Two years ago, Barry had to be dragged kicking and crying to the table to extend those horrible tax cuts! Now we see a guy in desperation saying the tax cuts Should Be Extended.... like that was his idea all along! lmao!

Most Americans can see through Obama's election year lies.... it's just the wacko left that is in denial!

It is all about rhetoric!! Change “That's why I believe it's time for the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans to expire.....” TO "It's time to impose an additional tax penalty on the wealthiest Americans...."

This is where SO MANY have it wrong!! The wealthiest Americans are NOT getting a tax cut so they pay less than the average taxpayer....they are NOT being taxed at a higher rate anymore. There is a difference. They still pay way more than most. I know a small business owner that falls into this category ...why should they have to pay a higher percentage than the majority?!?!

Ramona, health care spending accounts were in place long before the ACA was passed. This is nothing new. From what I read the ACA will elimnate the pre-tax contributions to these.

SURE, why not? EVERYTHING else this brainiac has touched has turned to $@#! why not one more "great" idea from the bright one!! No one that makes under $250,000. will see a tax increase, not one thin dime! OH, wait, forget about the OBOZOcare. I will have the most transparent admin. in history! "UNTIL" the public finds out about some of the under handed things that i've done. This "prez" makes me PUKE! THE ENEMY OF THE STATE HOLDS THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE LAND!

Aren't the GNOP all in favor of tax cuts?

Wasn't Obama against the Tax Cuts, wasn't Obama who blame Bush for the Tax Cuts, but now he is in campaign for reelection and the Tax Cuts will hurt the economy has he know, so he will ask to extend the tax cot.

OBAMA IS DOING THE SAME THAN BUSH

Obama keep GITMO open

Obama continue the war in Middle East.

Obama continue the Bush tax cut

Obama extend the Patriot Act.

Obama continue working with Halliburton

Obama continue the job to Kill Osama , with intel provided for Bush

Obama continue with the bailout to American Automakers that start with Bush

Obama continue overspending , adding 5 trillions of Dollars in debts

Obama can't blame Bush , he is doing the same.

Tallin,

you mention a family. Are you taking a tax deduction for these children? I myself have none. Why should my earnings go to pay for your kids. They're your decision not mine.

I worked over 40 years as a nurse. My total income for all those years does not come close to a million dollars. Now that I am retired, I would gladly pay more in taxes, rather than see the wealthy get another break!

Hey how come none of you libbies have noted that Nancy Pelosi wants that $250,000 figure to be upped to $1,000,000 !!! You see, Nancy really doesn't want to pay more taxes, nor do her many mega rich friends in the Bay area of Cali.

Well said Will!!

It's time the middle class gets a break, we are the ones who will get this economy running again, not the wealthiest, we got 10yrs of tax breaks and they were suppose to provide jobs, but no instead they hoarded their earnings instead of hiring, so those so called job creators are all about greed.

SOOO....

When's the killin gonna begin???

I don't mean figuratively, I mean LITERALLY! When are you pelple going to start blowing each other away??

The way I see it, both parties are responsible for the mess we have created in our economy, and there is plenty of blame to go around. THAT MUCH you guys make apparent.....

But this country is so divided over petty minutiae it's quite likely that we'll hammer ourselves into another revolution, this time the lines will be drawn upon immovable ideological stances. It will conservatives vs. liberals, or "Rethuglicans" vs. "Libtards"........[sigh]

So, back to the question...when are you keyboard pussies going to shut off your computers, grab a rifle, and start blowing the f--- out of each other???

Personally, I've already begun the process of "quitting money". that's right, I'm well on my way to living independently and self-sufficiently, and everyone else can go to Hell. Go bicker over your stupid economics few of you truly understand. Go scream until you're blue in the face about your petty and cruel social issues. Go ahead, stomp your feet, bang your fist, and try to "educate" everyone around you what being a REAL American is all about. Hardly anyone here on this forum knows...and it doesn't matter anyways....Our "leaders" are all in the same boat, but most of you are too short-sighted to see it. I'm slowly unplugging from the world of bulls--t. You can have it all.....

ramona-418376

"Many taxpayers already benefit from the Affordable Healthcare Act with health savings account contributions that reduce taxable income, with earnings/interest tax free, and medical expenses (co-pays, prescriptions) paid tax free (not 7.5% of adjusted gross income on Schedule A)."

I'm sorry, but you are incorrect.

HSA deductions off of AGI started prior to 2009 (check 2008 1040 for verification, line 25), before Obama was even elected. Assuming that all tax deductions associated with healthcare was part of ACA is a gross misinterprectation of facts.

Next thing you would say is that having medical deductions on Schedule A was also part of Obamacare....

Yes. Of course. We, the 99%, don't understand how their incomes keep rising while ours decrease.

We don't understand how we've done everything right - college, home-buying, 401ks, and we still can have homes underwater. We don't understand why when *our* homes go underwater, we end up homeless, but when it happens to the 1%, they can just use other "financial instruments" to turn it into a benefit for themselves.

We don't understand why the labor of your big CEO is worth hundreds of times more than his or her employees - and our understanding fails even more when their companies post losses, and the CEO "leaves" (read: is terminated) and still ends up with up to millions in severance.

In the entire world, only Republicants in the US are proud to tout as their achievements their exploitation of the poor and unqualified support to the undeserving rich.

Bush tax cut is welfare for the rich, and the cheekless rich are proud to call this welfare as the reward of their hard work.

It's time to join the civilized world of fairness.

OK Libbies, please explain to me how the “Bush” tax cuts are so bad? I am giving you statistics from the governments own Office of Management and Budget.

Year-------------------Tax receipts (revenue) in constant FY 2005 (Billions of dollars)

1999-------------------2,136.4

2000-------------------2,310.0

2001-------------------2,215.3

2002-------------------2,028.6

2003-------------------1,901.1

2004-------------------1,949.5

2005-------------------2,153.6

2006-------------------2,324.1

2007-------------------2,414.0

2008-------------------2,288.1

2009-------------------1,899.0

2010-------------------1,927.9

2011-------------------1,998.7

Estimates

2012-------------------2,089.4

Source: Office of Management and Budget, Historical Tables, Table 1.3 whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/historicals/

Now, I understand most of you don’t like to see facts presented to refute your indoctrinated talking points but it’s time you all stepped into the land called reality and leave the Obamaland of crazy European Socialism.

I know graphs seem to confuse you so lemme splain it to you.

1999-2000 were the last, and highest, revenue years under the Clinton tax rates, 2.1364 trillion and 2.3100 trillion respectively. After the dot-com recession and 9/11 that Bush inherited revenues plunged to a low of 1.9011 trillion in 2003. As the mean, nasty, unfair Bush Tax cuts began fully in 2003 something very unusual happened. Revenues began to rise, again. The high-point in FY2008 not only exceeded the highest Clinton FY2000 it was the highest in our history. Actually, as you can see, the revenues from the low of 2009, 1.8990 trillion, have been growing to an estimated 2.0894 (estimated for this year). This phenomenon is happening with nearly 23 million Americans under/unemployed. Imagine how high they’d be with a normal 5.6% unemployment rate?

I understand these facts refute every argument you can throw at the tax cuts costing us revenues but facts are indeed facts. Even if you go to the OMB site and compare tax receipts in current dollars, the Bush tax cuts blew past Clintons best year (2000) in 2008 by $500 billion dollars.

So, why are we still generating deficits of over $1.3 trillion dollars or more?

SPENDING!!!!!!

I’ll wait for your feeble attempts to discredit the OMB numbers.

...inflation. It's okay Jim, you almost had a point.

@Jim

The Bush tax cuts were followed by low GDP growth, negative median wage growth, and little job growth. Even before the Great Recession, growth in the Bush business cycle was the weakest since World War II. And the cuts cost about $2.6 trillion between 2001 and 2010, according to the Economic Policy Institute—adding to a debt future generations of taxpayers will pay for, plus interest.

By Bush's own metrics, then, the tax cuts were a BIG failure.

FYI:

Republicans live in an alternate reality. All those tax cuts for the wealthy were from borrowed Chinese money.

Sigh-2041658

...inflation. It's okay Jim, you almost had a point.

Read the post. These are inflation adjusted numbers to FY 2005 dollars.

Ty to keep up Spanky.

President Obama is a great, great President and a smarter politician than anyone the GOP has to offer.

How often does "The Boner" and "Turtle McConnell" have to eat crow before they give it up?

Bush tax cuts, 2 unfunded wars, and Medicaid expansion - plus interest - accounts for about 10-11 trillion of what we currently owe.

The President presents a good, fair deal. Capital gains taxes also should be at least 30%. Ever gonna get serious about fixing this economy the Congress must come to understand the difference between illusion and reality, both parties.

Jeez you libs are clueless. Do you really think Obama gives a fly sack of turds about the middle class? The is a 1%'er along with all of this pals. He will say anything to get elected. Then his group of followers talk about how he is the most intellegent man to ever hold office, need proof on that. He is a career politician, how can anyone take what he says seriously? This country is in deep sh-it no matter who gets elected.

The problem with the Revenue Chart are the following (not accounting for);

1. inflation

2. fuel prices

3. Afgan war

4. Iraq war

5. TARP

6. Stimulus

7. Supplment D

"Mr. Obama recently announced that his reelection slogan is “Forward!”

This slogan has been used previously by Stalin, The Hitler Youth, and Chairman Mao during China's Great Leap Forward. Forward! was also the title of Vladimir Lenin's publication and the name of a newspaper edited by Benito Mussolini."

"The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again" -- George Santayana

@Irish21, if you want us to vote for Mitt, then where is his plan???? He promised to have plans to rescue our economy since his Republican Primary. Where is it? It would seem that it should be fairly easy since he hired the 60% of the staffers from GW Bush's finance team!

All he has to to do is to make photo copies and change the dates? Even so, he still has not come up with a plan... So you are asking why aren't the LIBS following a leader without a proposal or a plan???

DUH!

Who's the moron that repeats a fox news lie " President Obama spent more in three years than bush did in 8 years....... cry cry cry."

Yeah President Obama spent more - IF YOU COUNT UNFUNDED MEDICARE PART D, PUTTING TWO UNFUNDED WARS ON THE BOOKS THAT BUSH TOOK OFF THE BOOKS & THE TWO UNFUNDED BUSH TAX CUTS. If you included all the previous Presidents mess then yes he did spend more.

But if you just included the polices President Obama put into law it would actually be far less.

HCA - Will save 10 billion a year

AUTO LOAN - Paid back and then some

RECOVERY ACT - The economy is creating jobs instead of lossing 750,000 a month. (paid for)

FINANCIAL REFORM ACT - Wall street can't crash the economy. Money saved.

Equal pay for equal work - More income in the household puts more spent in the economy. (Save)

Wars which President Obama did not create - End One and Ending another - Money Saved if you compare bush on putting it on the books.

Is there any other BIG FAT LIE I CAN BEAT DOWN TODAY?

We were just in Washington DC this weekend, I think we all need to review the opening of one of the greatest documents
ever written:

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary
for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with
another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal
station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent
respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes
which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are
instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the
governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these
ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute
new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its
powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety
and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established
should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all
experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are
sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are
accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations,
pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under
absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such
government, and to provide new guards for their future
security.

We all need to stop defending our chosen elected
official or party, and start to defend the tax payers of this country.
The scumbags in Washington know with all of us out here defending them
regardless of party affiliation they just need to sit back, remember "DIVIDE AND
CONCOUR". All you have to do is look at the resent news, $53,000,000.00 stolen
from a small Illinois town, Solendra $500,000,000.00 down the toilet, double and
triple dipping of over inflated government pensions at 80% for life,
$500,000,000.00 in Midicare fraud and these examples just happened within the
last 6 months just imagine how much more money is wasted every day!! The
buffett tax plan, what a joke you on the left keep backing the Dem's with
raising the rich(whatever that means)taxes up to 30%, how about dropping
everyone else down to the 15% level!

WAKE UP EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!! We do NOT have a
taxing problem they have a SPENDING
problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have a revenue problem.

You don't cut taxes and go to war twice.

We've cut expenses, now we need to raise revenues.

We've seen what cutting alone does. Look at England, now in a double dip recession as a result of cuts alone.

thturd,

Not sure where his plan is......would like to see it also and I would like Romney to give us a little more substance. To the second part of your post......????? You are following someone who doesnt have a plan......OBAMA!!!!! They havent passed a budget in 3.5 years. Please tell me what his plan is, maybe i missed it along with the rest of America. Face the facts we have a choice between a crap salad and a crap salad. Obama has not shown me one thing that would make me want to vote for him....same with the first time around. Couldnt find out anything about the guy and I am not one to be fooled by fancy talking and false promises. I was not a huge fan of W and disagreed with alot of what he did, that is what most intellegent people do. Our job as voters is to be critical of everything the candidates do and say. Its easy for both Romney and Obama to get up there and use Pedros line from Napoleon Dynamite, "If you vote for me all of your wildest dreams will come true". The sad thing is that people actually fall for this line of garbage.

no Mike, you have a spending problem... Our government is an extension of ourselves. Have some accountability and balls. We voted them into office, yet you have an issue of holding your representatives accountable!

Tell us exactly what the politicians that came into office 2 years ago do? Didn't they promise to create more jobs and stop the spending??? So why the F' are the likes of you choose to focus your inabilities to control your own Representatives, but blame it on President Obama??? Irresponsible of yourself!!

Turd,

I think what Mike is saying is that spending in Washington is out of control and I agree 100% with him. These clowns dont pass a budget and keep spending like drunken sailors in a whore house. It is both sides of the isle. They dont care because they know they can keep spending whatever they want and raise our taxes.

its -- why has barry not had george arrested if they were illegal wars??

barry has run up more deficit spending in his short term than george did in a period more than twice as long.

an interesting thing is if he does get another term then he will have added more to the debt than all of his predecessors combined. that will be his legacy along with the disaster of ACA.

For all those over $250,000 that Odumbo and the libbies continue to vilify, if you are running a small business or employ people, go ahead a lay-off enough libbies to make up for Odumbo thinking you aren't doing enough, you fair share.

"The problem with SOCIALISM is that eventually you run out of other people's money". What don't you clueless people on the left not get about Greece or Europe?!

Ohhh look, ANOTHER one year temporary "deal" from the liar in chief.

Just another Obama gimmick to get your vote.

Let all the Obama tax cuts expire.

Then add on the tax increases from Obamacare.

And we can prove once and for all that burdensome taxation coupled with reckless spending equals death to our economy.

Liberal Socialist will learn that trickle down and trickle up economics fails to deliver growth.

I was thinking back to the recessions of my lifetime:

Reagan in 1981 and again 1982. We had double digit inflation and interest rates. We had all sorts of tax rates (higher) and all sorts of deductions. Reagan cut taxes, reformed taxes by eliminating deductions, he cut interest rates. What happened? 7% growth. Added debt.

Bush 1991. We had a mild recession. What did we do? Cut interest rates further. First time in the 5% range. We recovered just in time for Clinton to take office. Again we had 4-5% growth. Added debt.

Clinton 2000 - Bush 2001, after the dot com bust and 9/11 our economy was smoldering. Bush demanded a tax cut and pushed rates lower. We recovered to 4-5% growth. Added debt.

Bush 2008 - Obama 2009, housing bubble burst. Rates already zero. Massive spending through shovel ready stimulous. We added taxes and uncertainty. We recovered to 2% growth. We added massive debt. What has Obama done? QE1. QE2. Does he really want QE3 and 4? He has given our economy nothing but doubt or rather a lack of a stable playing field.

In all four cases, a recession occurred. A strategy was executed. In the first 3 cases, successful growth ensued. In the case of Obama, fear mongering, class warfare inciting, vilifying corporations and success, forcing a green agenda, forcing a healthcare powergrab, overtaking industries (auto), and what do we have? A double dip recession and no plan on what to do.

Romney wins and the economy takes off.

Obama wins and the final nail is driven.

You can tell FiestyRedHead either has no job or she works for the goverment, one in the same. SHe is always first with the liberal comments to the democartic talking points, Obama Sniffer....

Here we go again!

I don't know what the big battle is over...

Aren't the GNOP all in favor of tax cuts?

Why wouldn't giving certainty & relief to the middle-class sail right through Congress?

Am I missing something? lol

We'll see who is willing to put their rhetoric where their mouths are....

No, I don't think you're missing something.... I think you have something extra.... I'm guessing one chromosome.

You're obviously retarded.

Republicans are not against extending the tax cuts for the middle class. They're against raising taxes on the people that employ the middle class during a recession, which would cause them to lay people off, and would cause massive ripples through the economy as we head into a double dip recession.

Obama knows this. And he's preaching about it because it's an election year, and it plays right into his fight to make idiot liberals hate the people that pay their salaries. Make somebody else the badguy, so they don't notice his absolute incompetence.

Nomore...

Doesn't take much research to see that there is more revenue available by allowing the tax cuts to expire across the board than just letting them expire for the top 2%.

As I recall, obamas big argument in 2010 was that over ten years eliminating the tax cut on the 2% would add $800 billion in revenues. Golly gee, seems that analysts puts the 10 year increase in revenue by completely eliminating them at around $3.5 TRILLION over 10 years. Hmmmm, seems that the 98% would have a much greater impact on a 10 year revenue stream than just the wealthy alone. Or isn't $2.7 trillion greater than $800 billion?

I have no problem in seeing them expire across the board and yes our GDP will take a hit. It is past time for our politicians to give us the straight talk on economics.

Seems like the lefts mantra under obama has become "why worry, someone else will pay"

Solutions539

But if you just included the polices President Obama put into law it would actually be far less.

HCA - Will save 10 billion a year

A new study by a Medicare trustee in April shows that the law will actually increase deficits, over the next ten years, by between $346 and $527 billion.

AUTO LOAN - Paid back and then some

In its monthly report to Congress, the Treasury Department now says it expects to lose $23.6 billion, up from its previous estimate of $14.33 billion on the auto bailout.

RECOVERY ACT - The economy is creating jobs instead of lossing 750,000 a month. (paid for)

4.4 million jobs created, saved or whatever measure you use, at a cost of an $863 Billion stimulus equates to a cost of $196,136 per job. Only in a feeble mind can this seem successful.

FINANCIAL REFORM ACT - Wall street can't crash the economy. Money saved.

We have no way of knowing what Frank-Dodd will or won’t do unless it is stressed. It has been conservatively estimated that the Dodd-Frank bill will generate 5,000 pages of new rules. Banks will be subject to at least 30 new or expanded regulations as a result of the enactment. This will add to banks’ already high compliance costs and limit revenue opportunities.

Equal pay for equal work - More income in the household puts more spent in the economy. (Save)

Women working for Senate Democrats in 2011 had an average salary of $60,877, whereas male staffers made about $6,500 more.

Wars which President Obama did not create - End One and Ending another - Money Saved if you compare bush on putting it on the books.

Bush started Iraq and ended it. On Nov. 27, 2008, the Iraqi Parliament ratified a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States that set a course for an end to the United States’ role in the war and marks the beginning of a new relationship between the countries. The pact called for American troops to pull out of most Iraqi cities by the summer of 2009 and set the end of 2011 as the date by which the last American troops must leave the country.

Afghanistan, the “good war” according to Obama, is expected to last years.

@Irish21, Given Mitt's verbal comments which is tax cut for everyone. That to me continuation of Bush TAX cut, which is a continuation of what has happened for the past 6-8 years. Unfortunately the past 6-8 has not fared well. The difference is that President Obama is now closing both theaters of war (hence a reduction in military expenditure). So what were evidence that the tax cuts across the board spurred our economy or our GDP? So were there evidence that war help our economy (GDP) as so many Republicans insisted that was what pulled our country out of the GREAT DEPRECESSION?

I don't see evidence supporting both of these. So, till then I will go with someone with a plan that has so far halte the Great Recession and reduced our military spending. Healthcare is awash, because it is a bipartisan healthcare plan (used and proposed by both parties - no matter how the Republicans refute it right now).

How can Obama or Romney or any other politician talk about tax cuts when we have a looming healthcare program coming up, a deteriorating infrastructure, social security, a dying economy, little if any job market and corporate america along with the wealthy bailing out to foreign lands? How about those representatives in D.C. giving up some of their benefit packages and dealing with the real issues instead of continuing their partisan bickering. Work for all of us Americans or none of us. It appears they've chosen the latter.

This Left/Right, Rep/Dem crap has got to go!

It is like comparing Orwellian philosophy to Huxleyan philosophy. Either way, WE get SCREWED!!!

So until more people get an understanding of the above, WE will continue taking up the pooper-chute.

More pathetic. More enslaved.

Sorry, I did not clarify when I mentioned that it is "you" when I was writing in response to Mike's arguement of spending is the root of the problem...

You is this case was actually referring to US, the tax payers. It is us who choose to elect the political officials into office. It is us who do not demand to get $ out of our election process. It is us who do not demand! I also need to clarify that whinning is not a demand. The solution is simple... cap and limit campaign contributions.

As for gov spenditure... Government is not a business. It is not there to produce a profits. It is there to protect Americans. There are no other spenditures.... IT IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE. If you don't bleive me than how is it that we go into war when there is not enogh in the budget? Unfortunately, it is just that simple. Rememeber the last time the GOV became a business???? It was during Colonial times, when the English Monarch is using tax as a leverage to generate more profit for the Monarchs and their contributing corporations (East Endie Tea Co & others...), yes that was the real reason for our independence (taxation without representation or contributing to corporate & monarch profit without result... that is why we seperated out religion and corporations completely out of our government)... in my opinion.

.

Okay, you wanna know what I think??? It's time we as a people (yes, rich and poor, Democrats and Republicans) stop deluding ourselves with the idea that we can cut taxes all we want and still have enough money to keep this country going. It's flat out insane. Now, some people on this vine have a point; increasing taxes on just the wealthy won't have as big an effect as increasing them on everyone. I agree with that; that is why I say let them expire in 2013. Others on this vine have another good point; the wealthy and the big corporations have been coddled by our government over the past 30 years with lax regulatory policies and massive tax cuts. I personally say let the tax cuts expire, reform the tax code, and raise rates across the board. Then we reform entitlements, cut defense spending, and then we will have a balanced budget. Problem solved.

OBAMA BIDEN 2012

ItsAboutTime,

Yes.... increase tax the middle class and lower capital gains taxes. Its not fair for the romneys of the world to pay the same taxes I pay.

Just why do you feel that the rich should pay a higher tax for just having more money than you do? The way I see it this is the most ridicules argument I have ever heard. The rich already does pay more than you do in taxes, by the way. The capital gains tax is a flat tax rate based on investment time and your tax bracket. My tax bracket is 28%, so I pay 28% for short term and 15% long term. Next year 2013 that goes up it will be 28% short term 20% long term and 18% for 5 year capital gains. This is how it should be as this is money you make on investments, which most of us use to retire. So your claim that they shouldn't pay the same tax as you do is invalid as they currently do not pay the same tax as you do. That being said we should all be taxed at a certain rate, flat tax, and not on a sliding scale. Just because I am successful and you are not does not mean I should pay more in taxes. Why should I do I use any more services, that I do not currently pay for if I am rich, then any other person? No I do not so why would I be taxed more just because I have gotten off my as* and not relayed on the government to hand me a check.

Oh and continue tax cuts for corporations by allowing them to export even more jobs overseas. Continue tax loopholes for corporations already making record profits, and spend more money on the military industrial complex so people like CHENEY can continue making profits on the backs of the American taxpayer.

This should be thought of in the right context. Say you own a business and then the government says next year businesses that sell X will be required to make there item using X, or reduce their output of X. Now the subsidy’s that they give you for this are supposed to help with the initial cost of making the necessary changes to be able to produce X the way the government says that you have to. The subsidies are known where near the cost to make the changes though. Now say the government says in two years your companies that makes X will be required to regulate the X of the product you are making and X on the process of making the product X. So now you have to spend more money to do this but now these cost are part of your everyday operation cost as you have to hire new people to keep track of X and X. Now you look at China and you say wow I can make X over there not because the labor is cheaper, but it is, but because you do not have to keep track of X and X anymore nor do you need the equipment to be able to make X the way the US government say that it must be made. If you make X in China though without having to go thru all of those things you have to in the USA you can still sell your product in the USA without the regulations. It is not the company’s fault that it wants to make a profit it is our governments fault for allowing products made oversees to not follow the same stringent requirements that have to be followed in the USA. The USA is making it an unfair playing field for companies to be able to follow USA regulations and still be competitive

Shuklack,

Bush tax cuts, 2 unfunded wars, and Medicaid expansion - plus interest - accounts for about 10-11 trillion of what we currently owe.

This is not the case and please post your source when making such ridicules claim. Here is a source that says that the Afghan war and the Iraq war cost a Total of $900 billion up to year 2010 when it was put directly in our Federal Budgets. So even if we doubled it would have cost $1.8 trillion far you were just a mere 83% off of the mark on this one you must be a Lib, and that is with doubling the known cost up to 2009.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget_of_the_United_States

Bill1488

ItsAboutTime,

Yes.... increase tax the middle class and lower capital gains taxes. Its not fair for the romneys of the world to pay the same taxes I pay.

Just why do you feel that the rich should pay a higher tax for just having more money than you do? The way I see it this is the most ridicules argument I have ever heard. The rich already does pay more than you do in taxes, by the way. The capital gains tax is a flat tax rate based on investment time and your tax bracket. My tax bracket is 28%, so I pay 28% for short term and 15% long term. Next year 2013 that goes up it will be 28% short term 20% long term and 18% for 5 year capital gains. This is how it should be as this is money you make on investments, which most of us use to retire. So your claim that they shouldn't pay the same tax as you do is invalid as they currently do not pay the same tax as you do. That being said we should all be taxed at a certain rate, flat tax, and not on a sliding scale. Just because I am successful and you are not does not mean I should pay more in taxes. Why should I do I use any more services, that I do not currently pay for if I am rich, then any other person? No I do not so why would I be taxed more just because I have gotten off my as* and not relayed on the government to hand me a check.

I am not so sure. Of course the rich pay more than me, but absolute values aren't a very good tool because the rich make more money than you. Essentially, 10% of $50,000 is more than 10% of $500,000 in economic terms. Flat taxes are not very fair; in fact, they are regressive. The less money you make, the more you are taxed. A progressive tax system is, in my opinion, the best because it states that everyone pays from their own ability; the wealthy can pay more, so they do, the poor cannot pay more, so they pay less. Not to mention the fact that flat taxes could increase income inequality and lead to uneven economic growth.

OBAMA BIDEN 2012

Imagine a huge gigantic pie. A pie larger than Texas. A pie even larger than Alaska. A pie roughly the same size as the continental United States, Hawaii and Alaska combined. A pie that is the richest(by far) in the entire world. There are 313 million American people that must have a portion of that pie merely to survive.

Among them are helpless, hungry American children living in abject poverty. Seniors that worked hard their entire lives to see their savings and even their homes taken when they become ill. Millions of hard working American people with wages so small that they must decide whether to eat this month, pay the rent or cloth their children. They can only afford to pay for one of three until they are forced to watch their children go hungry, homeless or wear rags in the dead of winter.

Please bear with me and picture that gigantic, rich pie once again. Realize that only one out of ten of us eat most of that pie. !0% of the American people consume 90% of the pie. The remaining 90% of us much share only 10% of the pie. Realize that only 30 years ago, that same 10% only consumed 30% of the entire pie. Still a staggering figure, but the 90% managed to lead decent lives and many survived by sharing the remaining portion of pie. Please explain what happened with wealth redistribution during the past 30 years?

We are now told that correcting that horrible imbalance is wealth redistribution and socialism. We are told that the top 10% earned every bit of that 90% and only lazy, worthless Americans would demand that balance be restored. We are told that most of the pie is gone and the 90% must now make do with far less to give even more to the top 10%.

The fact is that the pie is just as large and rich as ever. The top 10% have most of it hoarded away as they demand an even larger piece of the pie until we agree to break our backs in hard labor for little enough crumbs to barely sustain us. Our hungry young and ailing seniors can't die soon enough. Only the healthiest of us will survive. That keeps us low maintenance to increase their bottom line.

All of us still have a stake in re-apportioning the pie(resources) that belong to all of us by our American birthright and hard work. The cowards among us fear losing even the crumbs as they vote for the bought and sold Republican leadership. Those of us that are brave Americans will stand up proud to vote against the Republican puppets of the greedy 10% to restore America once again to her former glory. The land of opportunity and freedom for all.

#1.46 Tallin

Insurance CEOs increasing premiums, enriching themselves with multi million dollar salaries and denying paying customers payment for their medical bills. Hedge fund managers gambling with people's retirement money in losing funds. Execs running multi billion dollar international companies, paying themselves exorbitant wages, hiding profits off-shore, sending jobs overseas to 2 dollar a day jobs in sweat shops instead of hiring American workers and not paying one dime in taxes. All this going on while Middle Americans are losing jobs, homes, bank accounts and their lives and working FAAAAARRR more manual labor hours than any white collar worker.

Now PLEASE tell me again how the wealthy have "earned" their wealth?

Freshiee,

Essentially, 10% of $50,000 is more than 10% of $500,000 in economic terms.

You cannot say the above and the say

Flat taxes are not very fair; in fact, they are regressive. The less money you make, the more you are taxed.

It just does not make sense how can you be tax more on less if the tax is a flat 8%. You cannot.

A progressive tax system is, in my opinion, the best because it states that everyone pays from their own ability

Exactly! Socialism the phrase "from their own ability" comes from the great Marxist, Socialist, and Communist Karl Marx's. If you don't like America that much then you is free to leave we are not a socialist country nor by our constitution shall we ever be.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_each_according_to_his_ability,_to_each_according_to_his_need

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx

Commonsencse101,

The cowards among us fear losing even the crumbs as they vote for the bought and sold Republican leadership. Those of us that are brave Americans will stand up proud to vote against the Republican puppets of the greedy 10% to restore America once again to her former glory. The land of opportunity and freedom for all.

This is so funny coming from you I bet you don't even believe the BS you wrote. The Rep is about less government control over our lives. Government keeps growing and keeps spending above it means. Obama did the same excite thing you are saying that the Rep do, he bought and paid for his presidency with trillions of dollars from tax payers to all the green companies that where his top contributors in 2008.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/06/green-scam-80-of-green-energy-loans-went-to-obama-donors-19-companies-went-bust-video/

Evergreen Solar
SpectraWatt
Solyndra (received $535 million)
Beacon Power (received $43 million)
AES’ subsidiary Eastern Energy
Nevada Geothermal (received $98.5 million)
SunPower (received $1.5 billion)
First Solar (received $1.46 billion)
Babcock & Brown (an Australian company which received $178 million)
Ener1 (subsidiary EnerDel received $118.5 million)
Amonix (received 5.9 million)
The National Renewable Energy Lab
Fisker Automotive
Abound Solar (received $400 million)
Chevy Volt (taxpayers basically own GM)
Solar Trust of America
A123 Systems (received $279 million)
Willard & Kelsey Solar Group (received $6 million)
Johnson Controls (received $299 million)
Schneider Electric (received $86 million)

So as always you see things very onside. The problem is the career politicians we keep re-electing. Once they get to Washington and then keep getting re-elected they are no longer looking out for the people they represent; instead it becomes about what they do, say and promise to get re-elected. Why because being in Washington, DC allows you to make money above and beyond what you are paid, like you were allowed up until recently to be involved in insider trading if you were in Congress without it being a criminal offence. It is both sides but how can you spew the things you spew about Rep when Obama has spent $5.2 trillion dollars already in under 3 years, while calling Bush unpatriotic for spending $4.5 trillion in 8 years. Obama is a liar and a hypocrite.

Look at Scott Walker he campaigned on certain promises got into office made the tough cuts. Now the state has a balanced budget and a surplus but once again those bad Rep for balancing the budget. What did he get for his hard work you Lib Dem that say you are for a balanced budget tried to have him recalled. The funniest thing is that he won again by an even larger margin. So all you Libs that say you are for balancing the budgets are only saying that if we leave you program that suck us dry alone.

Jakrabt,

Execs running multi billion dollar international companies, paying themselves exorbitant wages, hiding profits off-shore, sending jobs overseas to 2 dollar a day jobs in sweat shops instead of hiring American workers and not paying one dime in taxes. All this going on while Middle Americans are losing jobs, homes, bank accounts and their lives and working FAAAAARRR more manual labor hours than any white collar worker.

The companies in America are so over burdened with regulations that are set by Congress. These same companies can go to China and make the same product without all the regulations, which is why our jobs are leaving; these regulations are almost all ways from Dem Congress. Companies cannot compete in the goods market when the USA allows China and other countries to disregard all the regulations that are forced upon companies in the USA. These regulations cost American Businesses millions to be able to support the regulations all passed on to the consumer at a price. Now if China can make that same product for far less not because the labor rate is so low in China, because it is low but not the reason, but because you do not have the burdens of all the regulation, but you still get to sell you product here in the USA. Now that is just not fair and that is why companies keep moving operations overseas.

Look at Apple from the Great Dem Steve Jobs all made in China. I suppose that is ok because he is a Dem and we are talking about those damn Rep, so let’s not confuse the issue with facts.

Now PLEASE tell me again how the wealthy have "earned" their wealth?

Just because you do not do manual labor does not mean you don't earn what you make. Here is something you and every one of your Lib friends should do instead of bitching about how bad you have it because you do manual labor while this CEO just sits on his fat as* and gets money for nothing. Try finding a skill or knowledge or idea that is highly desired and you too can be one of the people you say does nothing to earn their money. In the meantime keep thinking it is other people's fault that you are where you are in life, when it is probably your fault that you did not go to school or college or are just the type of person that does just enough to get by. If it is not one of those reasons then what is it? Try working three jobs and taking the money from the third and saving it while living on the other two jobs wages. After a few years of saving every dime from the third job you should have enough to open a business. I know there is some reason this cannot be done by you right. Then work one job and go back to school oh there is another reason this cannot be done by you, right. See the pattern people that want something for nothing bitc* about what others have; while people that do put the fu*8ing head down and find a way. You could go out after work and collect bottles and cans save that money until you have enough for a business. So don't say it is someone else that is an excuse used by Lib.

Just a reminder to every Lib Clinton is the one that started the housing bubble while encouraging banks to lend money to low income families with no money down. I don't care who you are if you were told here you can own this house and you can do so while putting zero down. That is not the banks fault that is your fault for your lack of good judgment. Everyone knows that at a minimum 20% should be put down on all house purchases. Again it is all the damn bankers and all those people that bought the houses have no culpability. WRONG. Here is some advice get out there and find a way to do it instead of wasting all your time blaming someone else for your short comings.

http://spectator.org/archives/2009/02/06/the-true-origins-of-this-finan

Without conditions to include any action of congress, the President promised the nation that the 2012 federal deficit will not exceed 229.27 billion dollars. To do this the President must reduce current expenditures by more than 1 trillion dollars right now. One or two trillion dollars of new revenue over the next decade is not going to begin to keep the President's promise. I want the President to explain how he is going to keep his promise to the American people. FY 2012 will be over soon. I want the President to present a plan to the American people showing what it is going to take to pay back all of this money that we have been borrowing. It was the President that said that deficit spending shows a lack of leadership. It is the President who said that if he could not fix the economy within 3 years that he did not deserve a second term. All hail the Chief!

They can't spin it. With the increase of taxes from Obamacare keeping the tax rates where they are wouldn't even cut anything.

They can't spin it. With the increase of taxes from Obamacare keeping the tax rates where they are wouldn't even cut anything.

newsflash, many middle-class taxpayers, especially those with jobs, already have healthcare and hence will not see a single cent in "obamacare taxes."

Other news flash, taxes on health care if they are to go up, only go up on the rich. Another reason Republicans don't want them.

There is no spin, its no tax cuts for the wealthy, got it !!!

Yet one more news flash, for the two above. ObamaCare has DOZENS of new taxes that will hit ALL GROUPS. The rich, the middle class, businesses, corporations, non-profits, etc. It's not just about income tax, people.

The GOP had a good tax plan last time. If you really want to hit the people that are dodging their high taxes, cut the tax benefit for multiple homes and give the wealthy a small income tax CUT. If balanced properly, the wealthy who pay high income tax like they should won't see their taxes increase at all, it'll just shift from income to those second and third homes. People like George Soros, however, who pay capital gains tax rather than income tax, will only see their benefits from multiple houses go up in smoke.

But nooo, the Dems couldn't allow something logical and targeted like that to work, at least not coming from the 'do nothing', 'party of no' Republicans.

Eric the spinmeister, When the Bush tax cuts went into effect many years ago, those cuts reduced income taxes on ALL those who were paying tax. Lower brackets were reduced from 15% to 10%, I believe. Upper brackets were reduced as well, but exemptions were phased-out as income levels rose.

This is merely another round of class warfare to distract from the weak job numbers report that Obama wants to spin and spin again. Obama's economic policies have failed and unemployment remains high. House passed jobs bills are not even being brought up in the Senate where Democrat Harry Reid is sitting upon them !

Eric, the post by C. Smith at #2.6 just effectively "stole your lunch" and then "ate it right in front of you" ! LOL !! You'll have to read the bill to see what's in it Eric !!!

I did not intend to put a duplicate entry on here.

.

@Drowning

newsflash, many middle-class taxpayers, especially those with jobs, already have healthcare and hence will not see a single cent in "obamacare taxes."

Newsflash, once employers find out its cheaper to pay penalties than provide healthcare, millions of americans will be paying these taxes. don't be so dense.

DrowningGrover - an estimated 40% of US companies are predicted to drop employer-sponsored insurance (about 12K/worker) and opt to pay the fine (about 3K/worker), so that completely dismantles your argument.

The bs from the FR left gets deeper every day! Four years ago President Kardashian said the 'Bush tax cuts' were the cause of the recession!!! lol. Two years ago, Barry had to be dragged kicking and crying to the table to extend those horrible tax cuts! Now we see a guy in desperation saying the tax cuts Should Be Extended.... like that was his idea all along! lmao!

Most Americans can see through Obama's election year lies.... it's just the wacko left that is in denial!

Taxer in Chief..., Spender in Chief..., all the president has is class warfare... After nearly 4 years this is all he has to run on...

In 2010, Obama ran around the cou try spouting the same baloney. Then, as now, he also wanted no more discussion on HCR, as the issue was settled.

Ask swarms of democrats who lost their cushy jobs that year how well it worked.

Obama, by his own admission, has visions. Given that he is repeating a failed strategy hoping for a different outcome, it's safe to say the pressure of doing a job for which he was and is hopelessly unqualified has finally gotten to him- he's snapped his twig.

Yet one more news flash, for the two above. ObamaCare has DOZENS of new taxes that will hit ALL GROUPS.

name one. I do know there are some out there, just looking for clarification.

DrowningGrover - an estimated 40% of US companies are predicted to drop employer-sponsored insurance (about 12K/worker) and opt to pay the fine (about 3K/worker), so that completely dismantles your argument.

source?

Newsflash, once employers find out its cheaper to pay penalties than provide healthcare, millions of americans will be paying these taxes. don't be so dense.

Hell, it's FAR cheaper right now for companies to provide NO health insurance as the penalty doesn't even exist yet. So by your logic, NO companies would provide health insurance currently. Using Arthur66's #'s (I don't know if they're true, this is purely for arguments sake), it costs roughly $12k/year per employee, so a company could save $12k/year per employee currently by dropping coverage. Once the penalty is in effect, they could only save $9k/year. I wonder why they currently provide coverage? Hmm...

** Unbelievable... Obama would tax air for hard working, successful Americans before he ever considered getting rid of any useless, federally subsidized programs or tried to find out how many low lifes are scamming the disability act. He would tax successful Americans @ 90% before he evere considered asking the 47% who pay no federal income tax to kick in even 5%. In 1982, about 80% of working individuals paid federal income tax. Now, only 53% do. What does that tell you about who we have elected and what they traded for votes?

Weird the President again can't even get his own party to go along with him and then blames the Republicans for not getting anything done.

And the usual morons blindly agree.

Hey how come none of you libbies have noted that Nancy Pelosi wants that $250,000 figure to be upped to $1,000,000 !!! You see, Nancy really doesn't want to pay more taxes, nor do her many mega rich friends in the Bay area of Cali.

WCA -- Romney would be Bush's twin when it comes to policy.

1. Start a war.

2. Increase defense spending (BTW That would be a Keynesian approach.)

3. Give out massive tax cuts to the rich and corporations.

DrowningGrover,

source: http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/How_US_health_care_reform_will_affect_employee_benefits_2813

SeekingSanity, your post reeks of a liberalism-as-a-religion ideological elitist. There is 15% real unemployment, the American worker is desperate to keep his job and is not in a position to leverage his company's benefits against another company's regarding ESI.

@DrowningGrover

name one. I do know there are some out there, just looking for clarification.

Tanning tax

I wonder why they currently provide coverage? Hmm...

For the same reason they pay everyone more than minimum wage. If you want quality employees you've got to provide incentives. Honestly the whole idea that you'd get health insurance from your employer is friggin ridiculous but people have come to expect it so companies have to offer it. But there comes a point when the additional expense just isn't worth it. When you're losing money on an employee you might as well just let that person go.

When it comes to my political views of being conservative or liberal, I look at one thing and one thing only. How has a political agenda affected me personally? And personally, I got screwed by the Bush Tax cuts. And I voted for the man. All politics aside, tell me how it is fair that being retired (although my pension is a great one at $129K a year taxed about 26,645 last yr) how is it fair that I pay 21% taxes and someone with an adjusted gross income of $1,000,000. per year pays 4% more. That is what the Bush Tax cuts did. And it also led to a 3.3 Trillion deficit that has affected all of us in this country over the last 10 years. When George Bush enacted the first adjustment in 2001 which is responsible for 1.3 trillion, we, the tax payor was not supporting two wars. And the second adjustment of 2003 for job stimulus failed misserably. Big corporations got cuts with the idea of the "trickle down effect" that they'd make more money henceforth, hire more people....didn't happen.

This country cannot afford to keep the Bush tax cuts, which were set to expire in 2010, but congress held Obama's feet to the fire over a budget and he caved in. Democrats and Republicans alike better start understanding that the American people have had enough of the party line bickering. Each party has a fundamental difference in points of view of government and policy. But in the end...aren't both sides supposed to work for us. We put them in office, we pay their salary and provide their health insurance, It's about time to stop the party politics and figure out what is best for the people of this country and not play party poitics with agenda's for winning elections.

And Mr. Romney...if you want my vote....put your money where your mouth is and pay your fair share of taxes just like I have to and the rest of the people commenting here. Get your money back from off shore accounts and pay taxes on it the way all of us have to, then stand up in public in fadded jeans with rolled up sleeves and try to act like you understand what REAL AMERICANS feel like in this misserable economy and try to remember all the faces of the people your company layed off and sent into poverty when the companies they worked for, for generations where bought by you and you "out sourced" their job overseas.

SeekingSanity, My Employer has already told us that when our fiscal year is up next April they will not be offering health insurance as a benefit. We have less than 50 employees so the way they explained it they won't have to pay the penalty. They did say that they will research the market and increase our salary accordingly.

Obama please get serious about leading this country out of the mess we are in and do something to reform the idiotic tax code. One year extension of the Obama tax cuts for some people will do nothing. Raising taxes on millionaires for one year will not create one job. Bashing Bain Capital will not create one job. Personal attacks on Romney will not create one job.

This is nothing but this week's transparent attempt to buy votes with the taxpayer's own money by the Panderer-In-Chief. This guy quit governing two years ago when he took a "shellacking".

"Using Arthur66's #'s (I don't know if they're true, this is purely for arguments sake), it costs roughly $12k/year per employee, so a company could save $12k/year per employee currently by dropping coverage. Once the penalty is in effect, they could only save $9k/year. I wonder why they currently provide coverage?"

Grover, You obviously haven't read the ACA. There are onerous and burdensome regulations about the coverage requirements for ESI that will take effect in 2014 that are not in effect now.

When they DO take effect, companies will choose to rather than pay MORE to cover employees under these strict requirements, they will drop the coverage and simply pay the fine. It's cheaper and less burdensome on the business.

Millions of Americans, not only the ones who do not have insurance now, but millions who will be dropped by ESI will enter the exchange.

This is a bad bill. It's a multi-trillion dollar leviathan that will not lower premiums nor improve the quality of our care.

Lorraine - "This country cannot afford to keep the Bush tax cut"

So you are for increasing all Americans taxes? How do you think that is going to effect the economy?

I have an idea, how about we only raise taxes on those making more than $128K.

That would be great I don't make that much.

Dear drowning Grover, (actually, I LIKE Grover. Could you drown Elmo instead? I cannot stand him), you asked for one example of the taxes included in Obamacare- here are 21

http://news.investors.com/article/616549/201206281902/supreme-court-confirms-obamacare-massive-tax-burden.htm?p=full

One that is not addressed is the mandate tax. My issue with it is, there are many people, (Warren Buffet comes to mind. Also Donald Trump, the Gates family, and others of their income strata), who chose to forego health insurance, choosing to pay the bills when they come due.

So, will they pay for insurance,mor will they pay the fine? Either way is fine for them- I suppose they will decide which is more cost effective.

Now we come to the others who are uninsured- those who cannot afford it. They WILL NOT be paying a mandate tax- they cannot afford that, either, and are very likely to be getting welfare already in the form of refundable tax credits- so, who, exactly, do you suppose will be paying the costs of their government assisted premiums?

The same people who are paying their refundable tax credits, that's who.

This means that either the deficit is going to blow another hole in the stratosphere, or my taxes are going up- and yours, if you are a member of the dwindling taxpayer class.

Stay with me here- the liberal rant is that, now, when one of the uninsured goes to an emergency room, we all pay. Well, again, I find it hard to believe that, say, Bill Gates goes to a hospital for an appendectomy, and the taxpayers foot the bill. That said, given that taxpayers are going to subsidize the insurance policies of the uninsured who cannot afford premiums- how, then, does the status quo change?

More employed bureaucrats, that's how. A whole new rank of government employees, enforcing a law the majority rejects.

One more reason for Obama to be shelved n 2012.

The day after President took office 14-15 repub politicians met and pledged to vote against every bill that would help President Obama make the economy better. They pledged to take the economy down to make President Obama a one term president. They actually used words saying hey had to act like the Taliban do, like the insurgents. Paul Ryan, Cantor, Gingrich and Jim DeMint were 4 of them that pledged to take the economy down. That is the same plan Bin Laden put in writing to destroy the United States. Take the economy down. Newt Gingrich said that meeting sowed the seeds of the 2012 election. Record obstruction and voter Suppression laws by republicans trying to take the economy down and trying to prevent the young, the elderly and the poor from voting. All to win the election. Putting repubs above the nation economic recovery. Traitors.

Reference : Richard Draper new book.

Vote President Obama/Biden 2012

@DrowningGrover

newsflash, many middle-class taxpayers, especially those with jobs, already have healthcare and hence will not see a single cent in "obamacare taxes."

Unless of course they need a "medical device" such as a pacemaker or prostetic limb etc, OR they have any medical bills since they will be able to deduct less of them, OR if they use a flex spending account to pay their medical bills since those will now be capped at $2,500, OR if you have an IRA since cap gains tax will increase OR if you do a whole host of other little things like tanning for example.

But yeah, other than those things and of course the dozens of regs that have yet to be written, middle class won't see "a single cent in Obamacare taxes"

btw, did you take possession of that bridge Obama sold you yet?

DROWING GROVER

Companies get to write off the amount of money they spend on health insurance as a cost of doing business, which brings down their AGI and they pay less taxes. Most large companies need that deduction in their bottom line, it's a tax break for them. That figure of approx. 12K per year you stated gives them quite a bit to write off. If they reduce that to the $2000 penalty tax, they are still losing $10K per employee per year. In retrospect, companies already providing insurance for employees have nothing to gain in cancelling insurance under Obamacare, but they will have a more competative market to where they can probably pay less. Once a government alternative plan is in effect, and people choose to stop being ripped off paying 300-400 or 1,000 per month for a family to just $255 and $155 per dependent, private health insurance companies will have to lower rates to become competative and stay in business, how else can they remain on the NYSE and try to make 400% profits for their exec's and investors.

AUT--

Insurance premiums skyrocketed in the last decade and with an average of an 8% hike each and every year.

In 1986 or 87 EMTALA, an unfunded mandate enacted by Congress costs everyone an

additional $1000 on their insurance policy to pay for freeloaders using the ER.

NJNB -- What is the Republican plan to pay for those who cannot afford insurance???

Tax all those with employer sponsored insurance.

Here is another HIDDEN tax in the ACA.

Medical Deductions at 10% of income,instead of the current 7.5%,in 2013. A TAX RAISE of 2.5% on ANYONE deducting MEDICAL EXPENSES.

The spinmeisters here are Republicans: " Obamacare adds trillions in deficits ".

Politifact.com rated as FALSE.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jun/28/mitt-romney/mitt-romney-says-obamacare-adds-trillions-deficit/

Watch the Republican lies on health care continue to come in..........

Limbaugh- "Obamacare is . . . the largest tax increase in the history of the world."

Rated PANTS ON FIRE LIE !!!

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jun/28/rush-limbaugh/health-care-law-not-largest-tax-increase-us-histor/

star that is good stuff, but the Repubs have NO power and PBO can't even get his own party to go along with him, but yes by all means blame those with the least power.

Tanning tax

fair enough, although this is not a bad tax imo. Tanning beds cause cancer, period. We tax cigarettes, why not tanning? And this tax will effect a very small, minor segment of society.

I figured you'd bring up the home sales tax (3.8% for profit generated over $500k), surprised you picked this one :)

DrowningGrover,

source: http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/How_US_health_care_reform_will_affect_employee_benefits_2813

Interesting read. To be fair, however, even the study admits:

To reiterate, the survey reported in the McKinsey Quarterly was not an economic forecast, but rather a measure of attitudes intended to understand the factors involved in employer decision making regarding employee benefits.

and its in regards to the attitudes about things they may do post 2014 (when the survey was conducted in Jan/Feb 2011). Based on the survey methodology reported, I think this report clearly overestimates the number of employers that will drop coverage in 2014 and beyond, although some will undoubtedly do so (and promptly lose much of the best employed talent)...

There is 15% real unemployment, the American worker is desperate to keep his job and is not in a position to leverage his company's benefits against another company's regarding ESI.

This statement I most certainly agree with, however I don't see the American worker taking the elimination of healthcare benefits (without increased compensation) sitting down, poor economy or not. If you wanna see fire in the streets, employers should do what you're suggesting. OWS will look like a clown dress rehearsal (if they didn't already).

This guy is like some idiot who doesn't know how to play Euchre. He keeps throwing out his trump card thinking one of these times he's going to get it right. The problem is he doesn't have any trumps.

Obama knows that he cannot get support for ending all of the tax cuts. And he believes, rightly I think, that the 97 to 98% who make less than $250,000 could still use the break. Alas, he has the gaul to think that people making more than $250,000 (who are paying less federal taxes than they did under Truman, Ike, and every other president) could pay 3% more. Of course, we know that tax policies now are really academic, because the Grover Norquist crowd, (all of the GOP House and most of the GOP Senate) will NEVER vote to raise taxes on anything - or even let temporary tax breaks expire. So, I must admit that since the GOP has made the issue of revenue streams irrelevant, you might as well propose a popular tax scheme. The GOP will vote to cut all taxes and give all the remaining revenue that is collected to the military. Their buget scheme is fascism light. Not light in emphasis on a complete love affair with bombs combined with a desire to storm the gates of hell, just light on the revenue to build the bombs, the drones, the killer satellites, etc. Romney will simply campaign on the idea that all taxes can be cut much more and that a surplus will be created. His business experience tells him that such a strategy works for about four to eight years - then his bloodless host begs for bankruptcy as he moves on to the next victim (taking the pension funds with him).

Sorry, dupicate post.

Pit one group of Americans against others. Yep, that's the unifying leadership we elected 3 years ago. Demonize the wealthy because everyone knows it's all their fault that the economy is so bad because they are all just greedy. I am sorry, but this is just pathetic. It's like our president is a 12-year-old bully on the playground, playing everyone against everyone else to get his own way. He knows 100% without a doubt that what he is spouting has ZERO chance of actually happening, so why does he spout it? Because he's got to keep his base worked up.

Here's a really novel idea. Focus on leading the country and finding solutions to the problems. Quit demonizing those who you call your adversaries and extend your hand to them and start working together. REALLY working together. And if the people see that you are REALLY trying and the other side isn't, then they will replace the other side and not you.

The people are SICK SICK SICK of the partisan bickering. They are SICK of the constant tearing down. They are sick of the criticizing. Say what you want about George Bush, but he NEVER engaged in this personal, petty, destructive, method. I wish we had him back.

Grover, You obviously haven't read the ACA. There are onerous and burdensome regulations about the coverage requirements for ESI that will take effect in 2014 that are not in effect now.

I have read it. Your logic presupposes that added regulation will increase HC cost, it likely will (HC costs increase yearly anyway at a rate far greater than inflation, so this is not news). But it's not as if HC costs aren't already very high, and companies could already save thousands of $$'s by dropping their employees, yet they choose not to.

I don't see this changing very much in 2014 and beyond because ESI is a major factor in hiring and attracting talent. Companies that don't offer insurance and choose not to raise compensation in its place will not be very attractive places to work.

What's wrong White Collar Auto?

Are you disappointed that the Democratic controlled Congress of 2010 pushed through more tax cuts for small and medium sized businesses than Republicans have even proposed over the last 20 year?

I only wish Republicans today believed in President Reagan's approach to taxes. President Reagan said believed it was un-American for Wall Street execs like Romney to argue that their earnings were "special" and should be treated differently than an auto worker and every other real American's paycheck.

President Reagan called for all Americans to rise up and fight against people like Romney who believe in make over $1 million every month but paying a lower tax rate than the rest of us.

If you love Romney so much, why don't you quit your job and earn a living like he does?

Lorraine, that is wonderful how you went and proved your lack of knowledge.

"That figure of approx. 12K per year you stated gives them quite a bit to write off. If they reduce that to the $2000 penalty tax, they are still losing $10K per employee per year."

Since you don't understand how taxes work.

A tax write off of 12K will reduce their tax burdern by 12K and lets say a company is magically paying 25% in taxes their tax burden on 12K is 3K. 3K + 2K penalty is 5K. 5K is 7K less than their are paying today. They could give the employees a 5K raise and still come out 2K ahead.

That lesson was free

btw, did you take possession of that bridge Obama sold you yet?

nah, he tried to give me the one in Brooklyn, but I sent it back. I'm holding out for the big red one in the SF Bay Area...

starsailing, when the choice is between a Republican that has served as governor successfully and a President that has proved he cannot lead and has a track record of 3-1/2-years of failed policies, it is clear that for the sake of this nation, reelecting Obama is not in the best interest of this country. Romney was not my choice, but it would be difficult for him to be a worse President than the one in office now, who I voted for in '08. Bitterly disappointed in this failed Presidency.

OK Libbies, please explain to me how the “Bush” tax cuts are so bad? I am giving you statistics from the governments own Office of Management and Budgets.

Year-------------------Tax receipts (revenue) in constant FY 2005 (Billions of dollars)

1999-------------------2,136.4

2000-------------------2,310.0

2001-------------------2,215.3

2002-------------------2,028.6

2003-------------------1,901.1

2004-------------------1,949.5

2005-------------------2,153.6

2006-------------------2,324.1

2007-------------------2,414.0

2008-------------------2,288.1

2009-------------------1,899.0

2010-------------------1,927.9

2011-------------------1,998.7

Estimates

2012-------------------2,089.4

Source: Office of Management and Budget, Historical Tables, Table 1.3 whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/historicals/

Now, I understand most of you don’t like to see facts presented to refute your indoctrinated talking points but it’s time you all stepped into the land called reality and leave the Obamaland of crazy European Socialism.

I know graphs seem to confuse you so lemme splain it to you.

1999-2000 were the last, and highest revenue years under the Clinton tax rates, 2.1364 trillion and 2.3100 trillion respectively. After the dot-com recession and 9/11 that Bush inherited revenues plunged to a low of 1.9011 trillion in 2003. As the mean, nasty, unfair Bush Tax cuts began fully in 2003 something very unusual happened. Revenues began to rise, again. The high-point in FY2008 not only exceeded the highest Clinton FY2000 it was the highest in our history. Actually, as you can see, the revenues from the low of 2009, 1.8990 trillion, have been growing to an estimated 2.0894 (estimated for this year). This phenomenon is happening with nearly 23 million Americans under/unemployed. Imagine how high they’d be with a normal 5.6% unemployment rate?

I understand these facts refute every argument you can throw at the tax cuts costing us revenues but facts are indeed facts. Even if you go to the OMB site and compare tax receipts in current dollars, the Bush tax cuts blew Clintons best year (2000) in 2008 by $500 billion dollars.

So, why are we still generating deficits of over $1.3 trillion dollars or more?

SPENDING!!!!!!

I’ll wait for your feeble attempts to discredit the OMB numbers.

Tom.........no power....record filibusters?...No Power?.......Held the nation hostage destroying credit rating just to extend tax cuts for the rich....No power? Blocking taking away tax breaks for jobs taken over seas...No Power?....Blocking giving tax breaks to companies that would bring companies back from off shore....no power?.......Blocking ending subsidies for big oil when big oil Ceo's said they did not need them...No Power?.........Blocking giving 911 responders healthcare while wrapping themselves in flags and taking photo ops with firemen until exposed on tv show...no power?

Like Republican Alan Simpson said about his repub party, show me a person who won't compromise and I'll show you a blockhead.

Lani when repubs just asked Bin Laden what he thought of Obama as a world leader, he responded.......glurg blub blub gurgle....

Obama is simply trying to hide from the dismal jobs numbers and keep us distracted for a few more months. Taxing the wealthy at a higher rate won't raise much revenue from the really wealthy, they know how to shelter their money too well. It will hit the $250k to one million per year earners pretty hard. Notice the word EARNERS, why has it become fashionable to hate successful people. When I grew up becoming wealthy was something to aspire to. Now it seems like asking for a handout is in vogue.

The Affordable Health Care Act is cruel joke being played on the American public. Sure we need health care reform, but the new law simply makes it worse.

@Jim

The Bush tax cuts were followed by low GDP growth, negative median wage growth, and little job growth. Even before the Great Recession, growth in the Bush business cycle was the weakest since World War II. And the tax cuts cost about $2.6 trillion between 2001 and 2010, according to the Economic Policy Institute—adding to a debt future generations of taxpayers will pay for, plus interest.

By Bush's own metrics, then, the tax cuts were a BIG failure.

FYI:

Republicans live in an alternate reality. All those tax cuts for the wealthy were from borrowed Chinese money.

BTW....I believe that Brooklyn bridge went to/sold to Arizona...yes?

When I first saw all the women in the picture flanked around Obama I thought it was John Edwards.

Feisty which one are you in the picture standing around Obama slobbering?

@Diamond....

The first 6 years under Bush, the Republicans controlled all three branches of government.

They did nothing to stop the bubble. The did nothing to improve education. They did nothing to fix the immigration mess. They did nothing to fix the healthcare crisis. They did nothing but run up debt for bridges and wars to nowhere. In other words, they left a huge mess to clean up and a huge unpaid bill.

BTW....I believe that Brooklyn bridge went to/sold to Arizona...yes?

That was the london bridge I believe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Bridge_%28Lake_Havasu_City%29)

But you're correct, I would have accepted that one from Obama as well if the Golden Gate is/was unavailable...

Star - "Like Republican Alan Simpson said about his repub party, show me a person who won't compromise and I'll show you a blockhead."

Really have the Dems been compromising?

Lets see PBO's policies were SO GOOD he couldn't get 1 Republican to break ranks? Because that is all it would have taken, but he needed more than ONE because he couldn't even get his own party on board.

So if you want the other parties vote you have to give them something, and he never did. How about all those budgets that have gotten passed in the Senate, oh wait they haven't, How about the Senate passing PBO's budget, oh wait that didn't even get 1 vote.

So if you want to control all three branches of the Government for 2 years and 2/3 of the branches for 4 and whine and complain, you have that right, but just know you look like an idiot to most everybody else.

a track record of 3-1/2-years of failed policies, it is clear that for the sake of this nation, reelecting Obama is not in the best interest of this country. Romney was not my choice, but it would be difficult for him to be a worse President than the one in office now, who I voted for in '08. Bitterly disappointed in this failed Presidency.

Gee, Lani....I wonder why Obama hasnt gotten anything done!??!?!?! Could it be that........

The republicans have filibustered President Obama over 100 times the first year he was in Office. The GOP/Tea Bangers have filibustered Obama more in the in the past 4 years, than all of the past 50 yrs combined!!!

The GOP is the Party, that for "some" reason, has a personal, not political hatred for the President, which is stronger than their love for America or Americans!

Meanwhile , Romney is not making public who he wants for VP slot. That is because Rove and Norquist have not told him yet.

Michelle Bachmann was seen riding in a Chevy Corvette over the weekend and now is claiming she was "vetted" for the VP job.

Tommy boy, ...guess you do not have a tv. President Obama was on tv night after night asking repubs for ideas. None. He went before repubs on tv and debated repubs asking for plans and wuppped their butts. They had no plan. The plan is ...for repubs...not to have a plan.

GOP-

They did nothing to stop the bubble. - They tried google the debates

The did nothing to improve education. - Both parties passed no child left behind - It was terrible but both parties passed it.

They did nothing to fix the immigration mess. - Completely agree with you

They did nothing to fix the healthcare crisis. - Again both parties passed Med D, again it was terrible but both parties passed it.

They did nothing but run up debt for bridges and wars to nowhere. - Again Agree and PBO has continued both of these.

In other words, they left a huge mess to clean up and a huge unpaid bill. - Again Agreed and the Dems didn't nothing to stop this when they had all 3 from 2008 - 2010.

So in conclusion both parties has contributed to the downfall of American, and yet people keep cheering their own party on, maybe it is time for somebody similar to Ron Paul?

Why do people collapse posts? Are you so immature you can't handle what others says even if they don't agree with you?

those bringing in above $ 250,000 per year includes every small business in America. Wake up idiots.

JimSpence:

I note that in 2005, five years after the last full halcion year under Clinton, revenue was still down 6.8%. It was still down 15.6% in 2004. This was the epoch of TWO wars. (Of course, W. made his deficit look smaller by keeping the wars off the books with special appropriations and by raiding the SS trust fund). Yes, you fight wars with 10% less revenue and you get the disaster that W. gave us. Strangle that baby in the bathtub - just like Reagan's cabinet joked.

those bringing in above $ 250,000 per year includes every small business in America. Wake up idiots.

/palmface

no... it... does... not. It includes something like 4% of small businesses last I saw the #'s reported, although I cannot find a link to that article quickly at this time.

We tax profit, not revenue...

@DrowningGrover

fair enough, although this is not a bad tax imo

The tanning tax is the perfect example because it has been in place long enough for us to see what it does. As to be expect, like ALL revenue estimates, it has not raised nearly the money it was supposed to, in fact after the first 9 months it brought in 1/3 of the projection. This was one of the taxes that was going to pay for Obamacare, if they all under preform, and they all will, where do you suppose the money to make up the difference will come from? How will they pay for Obamacare when the taxes set up to do so don't even come close?

this is great, funny stuff.

how interesting is it that the Bush tax cuts were so evil, and that is what caused all of our recession problems and economic disaster. But the demos will spin that around, STILL, SOMEHOW, HAHA. Go ahead and keep blaming Bush for all of the problems, but then go and EXTEND HIS POLICIES !!!

just more political campaign propaganda, and all you blind fans will just roll over and take it and continue to support, even though in the back of your minds, you know the truth, and you know this is crazy. You know how ridiculous this is and this whole disaster, but keep defending it until the end because you don't want to admit that maybe you should have voted differently, and maybe you should this time.

here is your hope and change...

more of the same ??

go figure

and people like "GOP Pumpkin Head" hilarious that all you can do to defend is repeat the statements in your head;

"....I wonder why Obama hasnt gotten anything done!??!?!?! Could it be that........

The republicans have filibustered President Obama over 100 times the first year he was in Office. The GOP/Tea Bangers have filibustered Obama more in the in the past 4 years, than all of the past 50 yrs combined!!!"

keep telling yourself that, blame all your problems on the other guys, "it's not my fault, it's theirs", jeez really ? stop embarrasing yourself, you only make yourself look more childish. My kids can come up with better crap than that.

Let's have a look at Obama's friends:

Trumka- AFL-CIO $300,000 yr.

McEntee-AFSCME union $479,000 Yr.

John Niccollia- United food & Commercial union $527,000 Yr.

Scardelletti- Transportation & Communication union $693,800 Yr.

McClathy- Boilermakers union $607,000 yr. and this clown has his brother, sister, cousin, son and his niece pulling in over $100,000 each.

Will they receive ' FAIR SHARE ' waviers????????????

GOP Pumpkin Head

@Jim

The Bush tax cuts were followed by low GDP growth, negative median wage growth, and little job growth.

Even if what you claim is true revenues still eclipsed Clintons best year. Of course you Liberals forget the effects that the dot-com recession Bush inherited from Clinton and 9/11 had massive impacts on the Bush economies.

There is no question that what President Obama proposed is politically calculated toward the middle and lower class voters. My question is why is that a bad thing?

If it was I, I would sit around and allow the whole Bush tax cut to go aground completely, because this was the result of a negotiation led by our Republican House. This was what was agreed upon. If the Republican wants to fix this, then first clean their own House. Cleaning would mean 2 things: (1) purge the obstrutionists (2) increase campaign so that you have a super majority...

Removal of Bush's tax cut would put everyone back on a slightly more level playing field... If you don't like that, then the only other way is to provide the middle class with greater tax breaks to match that of the higher earners...

So far the experiment of the RICH creating more jobs is an utter failure!

Notice how the article is about ending tax cuts for the rich, and the Republicans steer you to health care.

Notice how they say this is a tax increase when it isn't.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/

Hey Jim Spence --

$312 billion of those dollars under Bush came from a one time repatriation of Corporate Profits overseas. Now spin that.

Correction: Taxes on that amount went to revenue.

The Durable Medical Equipment tax will also hit everyone.

GOP Pumpkin head -

The first 6 years under Bush, the Republicans controlled all three branches of government

Wrong! The GOP lost the Senate on the Gore tie break January 3, 2001. Regained control January 21, 2001 with the Cheney Tiebreak, lost it again June 6, 2001 when Jim Jeffords jumped ship, and got it back November 6, 2002 when Jim Talent beat Carnahan.

I'd say more but someone else did a nice rather civil tone showed how the Matchbox cars really aren't lined up in a row like you think they are.

Turd - "

Removal of Bush's tax cut would put everyone back on a slightly more level playing field... If you don't like that, then the only other way is to provide the middle class with greater tax breaks to match that of the higher earners...

So far the experiment of the RICH creating more jobs is an utter failure!"

What? so you are OK with 50% of the population having to pay income tax again?

Your second point, couldn't it be said that the last three years have proven the Government trying to create jobs is a utter failure? Because if it is not the only thing you could be saying is that Government just needs to spend more because 3 trillion a year isn't enough.

The "Bush tax cuts" have been the tax rates for the last ELEVEN YEARS! They are no longer the "Bush tax cuts". They are the prevailing tax rates! Obama had the white house, senate, and house from 2008 to 2010 and could have EASILY raised taxes but he didn't. Why not? Because, as he put it, "Everyone knows you don't raise taxes in the middle of a recession." So now what is the story? Everything is blamed on the "Bush tax cuts". I am so tired of the ignorance around this issue. Dems, if you want to raise taxes, then be honest with the citizens and go for it. You had the chance and could have done it, but you had no stomach for it and didn't do it.

"Mr. Obama recently announced that his reelection slogan is “Forward!”

This slogan has been used previously by Stalin, The Hitler Youth, and Chairman Mao during China's Great Leap Forward. Forward! was also the title of Vladimir Lenin's publication and the name of a newspaper edited by Benito Mussolini."

"The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again" -- George Santayana

Mr. Obama recently announced that his reelection slogan is "Forward!"

This slogan has been used previously by Stalin, The Hitler Youth, and Chairman Mao during China's Great Leap Forward. Forward! was also the title of Vladimir Lenin's publication and the name of a newspaper edited by Benito Mussolini."

Is that what Faux Noize, Beckerhead, Fatbo, Boortz and Lush is saying now??

Only racist the Tea Trash Party and the Christian Taliban would make such ridiculous connections! LOL!!

I imagine with all the money the GOP/Tea Tools siphon from hillbilly rednecks and KKK racists in America (like Spiddas), they can afford to hire 17 paid trolls to spread GOP lies, play the victim card and distort facts......

Democrats are rats, they offer no value to society...only live off of it like leeches. Earn a dollar, they'll take it and give some slacker a new entitlement. Reap a profit, earn a dividend...they will tax that too.

Run a business....ooh, state might need to heavily regulate your business to the point of extinction, or find a way to take over the industry entirely and have a state run system.

All in favor of Democrats slow march to socialism...please leave. Plenty of poorly run countries in Europe who over promised healthcare and retirement benefits- you would feel right at home there.

I would certainly hope B.O. wants to extend the existing tax cuts now that he has added the largest TAX INCREASE in U.S. history via Obamacare.

More worthless rhetoric from the panderer in chief.

Nice lie Pjam, but its not true.

All rated FALSE on politifact.com:

"75 percent of the Obamacare tax falls on the middle class."

" ‘Obamacare’ puts the federal government between you and your doctor."

A company with "20 employees" could go "out of business" because of health care law requirements to buy insurance.

"Obamacare is . . . the largest tax increase in the history of the world."

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/

The dude is a snake. Even seems to be somewhat of a trojan horse.

Spiddas..........the word "forward" was also used by John Wayne in a gazillion Calvary movies. So President Obama is a hero like John Wayne in all his movies.......Thanks for reminding me. Here's more quotes for ya..."Tippicanoe and Tyler too." "Beware of the dog with a crooked hind leg." "A penny saved is...well...not that much anymore." "Remember the Alamo.".....the point is.......the word forward has been used by saints and sinners etc....who the hell cares how you try to link what the meaning President Obama is using the word for, to your chosen fear words..............booga booga...fear.....fear......monster under you bed......

Hey Pumpkin Head ...

Party always comes first for people like Layton. You are a disgrace

Where did THAT come from????? Why am I a "disgrace?" You don't know me and/or didn't read what I posted or have posted. Thanks for the insult though just another daily cup of crude from someone claiming to know me and what's best for me.

GOP Pumpkin Head: Learn some history about about Socialism (aka Communisim), maybe you wouldn't embrace it so much.

Thank you for your wisdom QuidMccarthy! I am sure people are doing search on your request right now!

@Layton...Im sure Pumpkin got confused. Dont get upset. We are all on the same team.

One more time.....Back by popular demand.........Five, Six, Seven, and eight and kick and turn.......

Romney has a plan?

Romney has a long term plan alright...and that plan is not to have a plan, and to not talk about his plan of not having a plan, because every plan that Romney planned, was not the plan, that he previously had planned. The plans he did have were also the plans he did not have before he said they are his plans. The plans he didn't have were the plans he said he had when he needed to have plans because he had no plans.

Prresident Obama/Biden 2012....you can plan on that!

@QUID12

Does calling those who want a piece of the action, a "socialist" and "commie" really make sense? We want some free enterprise action too, that's all. Our current system doesn't suffice anymore in a more populated country/world. It's not socialist to want to participate in the money making action.

If " SHARE THE OPPORTUNITY " IS SOCIALISM, OK, I'M A SOCIALIST. We want a piece of the action too, and does that makes us communists??

WHAT ARE YOU REALLY SELLING HERE QUID??

Do everyone a favor, go manufacture something pertinent to humanity other than your skewed political caca.

This slogan has been used previously by Stalin, The Hitler Youth, and Chairman Mao during China's Great Leap Forward. Forward! was also the title of Vladimir Lenin's publication and the name of a newspaper edited by Benito Mussolini."

Lol, silly conspiracy theories pretty much sum up your platform, don't they?

Republican Gov Scott Walker used "Forward" as a slogan during his campaign. I guess that means he's a communist in moronic conspiracy-ville as well?

I mean really, taking ridiculous Beck-connections seriously is an admission of insanity or extreme gullibility.

More money for them to squander. More for GSA parties, etc. More for the people who pay no federal income tax. More for ships and planes not needed. If I thought the money would be well used, I would pay more but it won't. Squander, squander,squander.

@KelleyB - thanks for that ... I wondered! With an avatar like Pumpkin Head has I was shocked to say the least that he/she thought I was affiliated at all with the GOP. I'm TOO POOR to be a Republican! :)

KelleyB - If you want to participate in the money making action of free enterprise maybe you should get off your rear end and go out and do something for yourself instead of waiting for the Government to give you something. Get off the computer and make something of yourself instead of whining and complaining.

So the President still wants to raise taxes on the "rich". He has been wanting to do this well before he took ofice but congress has not gone along with his idea. This is not new. What I want to know is how the President is going to keep his promise to the people regarding the deficit. Without conditions to include any act of congress, the President promised that the 2012 federal deficit would not exceed 229.27 billion dollars yet his own White House is predicting that the deficit will exceed 1.3 trillion dollars. That is more than 1 trillion dollars than what the President promised. With more than 15 trillion dollars of current debt and massive deficits predicted for at least the next decade, I estimate that this additional debt will end up costing the tax payers more than 9 trillion dollars to repay if in 170 years. FY 2012 will be over soon. I want the President to explain how he is going to keep his promise. All hail the Chief!

StarIdot..........the word "forward" was also used by John Wayne in a gazillion Calvary movies. So President Obama is a hero like John Wayne in all his movies.......Thanks for reminding me.

John Wayne was a Republican and proud of it!!

Obama has made numerous attempts to quote Lincoln
SO WHY DOESN'T OBAMA USE THIS FAMOUS LINCOLN QUOTE:
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.... Abraham Lincoln

Obama/UN loving/Socialist Forward Idots!!!

{buzzer sound}

I don't get my news from Faux News or any of the "right-wing" propaganda mouthpieces. They are no different than the falsehoods spewed from the "left"! The problem is, most people are NOT bright enough to see that it's actually us versus them, and they are beating us via the oldest tactic in the book.... Divide and conquer.

George Santayana was right:

"The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again"

Congressional Record--Appendix, pp. A34-A35
January 10, 1963
Current Communist Goals
.....
15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.
16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum.
.....
24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."
.....
29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."
31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture."
32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
.....
36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].
.....
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It looks like the Third Peril of Washington's Vision is about to come to pass...

Good call, WelcomeUSA

Love the headline ELECTION YEAR FIGHT tell me that politicians are compromising and I would call that a headline and a joke. In all fairness to BOTH parties the person in control in this case BO is going to go out of their way to make the other party look bad that would be politics as normal. The geniuses that are running this country and the puppets in the unsupreme court make my grandchildrens squabbles look mature and sensible, our country is being run by people who behave worse than we would tolerate out of our children so why do we tolerate it out of them. Fire them (it is call election) and get responsible adults to run this country if you can find some that are willing to try.

The argument by the republicans is that we need to cut taxes on the wealthy so that they'll create jobs. The democrats don't buy it because, as they point out, the period of greatest business expansion came with tax rates that were very high, and because both the '29 depression and the '08 depression happened during periods when the wealthy were doing extremely well. Right now, for instance, while we have seen an explosion of new millionaires, we yet have a very weak job market, and a rapidly declining middle class. To dems, this means that the extremely costly and debt-swelling tax cuts for the wealthy have not worked, and should be ended.

While the right wing is busy attributing dark and mysterious desires for social engineering to their opponents, my discussions with democrats always ends up at this un-mysterious bottom line: if they believed that cutting taxes on the wealthy was in any way a boost for the middle class, their platform would be to cut taxes even more.

To this end, the skeptical dems in power have floated a compromise: rather than just giving the wealthy more and hoping they'll create jobs in America, why don't we give them more (cut taxes) when they actually create jobs in America, as an incentive to do what the republicans say they want?

Would such a compromise be acceptable to the republicans on this list?

How any politician can stand up and complain about the rich having to pay a few taxes has got to be kidding. I don't know how many times people have to say it over and over and over that the trickle down, job creating has not happened since the Bush tax cuts were implemented for the wealthy. It has done NOTHING but create a huge deficit for this country. Not one Republican can look any of us in the eye and prove that it has done anything else.

Snakebones - What the are actually saying is if you don't extend the tax cuts, that there will be less jobs created. When you take the money out of the hands who pay for things, they have less money to pay people to do more things. Less money to spend means less jobs.

It's that freaking simple!

.

The wealthy have had the Bush tax cuts in their pockets for over 10 years. What has that done? Record profits and a failing middle class and a giant deficit to pay for those tax cuts. Bottom line, the rich are greedier and they have shown what they want to do. Get even richer, cut wages, trash unions and have slave labor like China. That's what they are aiming for laughing all the way to the bank.

Obama is quite the comedian and spinner, he says...

“We don't need more top-down economics. We tried that theory ... we can't afford to go back to it,” Obama said. “That's why I believe it's time for the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, including myself, to expire.”

WTF does he think raising the taxes on only the wealthiest is, its top down economics as well. Then take into account how well government spends and distributes money and he thinks this is a better way to inject money into the economy.

Geezz obama, quit playing for votes and get a clue. Go after what Tip O'niel and Reagan did in 1986, tax reform across the board.

One and done in 2012...OMG

DB Akron - The philosophy you describe is indeed very simple, as is the counter-demonstration that in reality, it hasn't actually worked to create jobs and boost the middle class.

The compromise I described says that you don't take money out of the hands of those who pay for things, when what they are doing with their money is actually creating jobs. My question was: is that an acceptable compromise?

This Left/Right, Rep/Dem crap has got to go!

It is like comparing Orwellian philosophy to Huxleyan philosophy. Either way, WE get SCREWED!!!

So until more people get an understanding of the above, WE will continue taking up the pooper-chute.

More pathetic. More enslaved.

Snake bones

Obama's threatening to raise taxes, as increased regulation costs, and they are headed toward swallowing costs of the ACA. When the storm is coming you don't throw on a swimsuit and jump in the swimming pool do you? Seems to me you stay out of the water.

logico

So, brother, where do you cash your welfare check?

Where do you cash yours? Hoping to run into him?

Soooo the word "brother" is racist now too???

MakesSense-3389651

Soooo the word "brother" is racist now too???

Haven't you heard? Every word is racist unless it praises the anointed one.

@logico

So, brother, where do you cash your welfare check?

Yep it's confirmed, most racist are brain dead. That must be an "ef" up way to live life.

thanks Mr. President?...........he is not covering your back....american families on the average have lost nearly 40% of their wealth during the three years of the obama regime......obama needs to become a community organizer in chicago again or wherever he came from....ROMNEY 2012!

Some of ya'll remind me of that preacher in Alabama having his whites-only church conference. Which, by his own words - is totally not racist whatsoever, and that there is nothing racist about whites being superior, they just are... "fact". The conference is also culminating in a totally not racist cross-burning. It seems to be the new thing.

"Mr. Obama recently announced that his reelection slogan is “Forward!”

This slogan has been used previously by Stalin, The Hitler Youth, and Chairman Mao during China's Great Leap Forward. Forward! was also the title of Vladimir Lenin's publication and the name of a newspaper edited by Benito Mussolini."

"The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again" -- George Santayana

Mr. Obama recently announced that his reelection slogan is “Forward!”

This slogan has been used previously by Stalin, The Hitler Youth, and Chairman Mao during China's Great Leap Forward. Forward! was also the title of Vladimir Lenin's publication and the name of a newspaper edited by Benito Mussolini."

Is that what Faux Noize, Beckerhead, Fatbo, Boortz, Lush is saying now??

Only racist the Tea Trash Party and the Christian Taliban would make such ridiculous connections! LOL!!

What has Obama done for anyone other than his personal friends? His Obamacare tax has raised the cost of health insurance for everyone. Buying GM and Chrysler did nothing but put every tax payer deeper in debt, no jobs were at risk. His idea of "wealth redistribution" has been tried in most Communist-based government and has failed every time. His foreign policy mandates have further isolated the USA from the other countries of the world. He couldn't even make himself fufill most of the campaign promises of the last election; He has not authorized any new money for stem cell research, nor has he reversed any of the Bush domestic or environmental policies. He is good at saying he has (or will) done something but as usual, saying it so does not make it so.

This nation would have been much better off if we did not have Obama as President.

Why any female, any GLBT person, any senior citizen, any Hispanic, anyone who has to work for a living, anyone with any real ethics and integrity would vote Republican is beyond me.

We should all be grateful that the economy is doing as well as it is in spite of the Republicans' absolute refusal to cooperate in the recovery process. Of course it's been hard and times are still tough for many Americans. But do you have any idea how bad it could have been?

And what have the Republicans focused on during this crisis?

• Requiring trans-vaginal sonograms prior to abortions, restricting abortions, trying to refuse birth control to be included in health insurance and limiting access to women's healthcare
• Refusing to require equal pay for men and women
• Condemning gay marriage and homosexuality
• Trying to cut and/or eliminate Social Security (IT IS NOT BROKE folks, don't listen to their lies!)
• Creating VOTER SUPPRESSION -especially in battle-ground states
• Trying to enact hateful legislation towards immigrants
• Refusing to sign the Dream Act into law
• Trying to dissolve unions, state by state
• Continually reducing taxes for the wealthy while turning their backs on middle-class America
• Nearly SHUTTING DOWN the USA with their ridiculous antics regarding the debt ceiling fiasco
• Refusing to sign the Jobs Act into law

And for all you Evangelical, bible-thumping, self-righteous, far-right leaning "Christians" out there who were so afraid that the President was secretly Muslim and would enact Sharia law here in the US, do you have ANY idea what the real beliefs of the Mormon religion are? Do some actual research and you'll be freaking out at the thought of Romney becoming President.

So that pretty much leaves the racists and those that cannot think on their own to vote Republican this time around. The racists? The Republicans can have them. Thankfully, the attempts by the Republicans to destroy education thereby turning us into a nation of mindless followers will not have taken hold yet.

Right, America? Right?

Obama/Biden 2012

{buzzer sound}

Sorry Punkin Head, I don't get my news from Faux News or any of the "right-wing" propaganda mouthpieces. They are no different than the falsehoods spewed from the "left"! The problem is, most people are NOT bright enough to see that it's actually us versus them, and they are beating us via the oldest tactic in the book.... Divide and conquer.

George Santayana was right:

"The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again"

genefmller,

You are really off base. So please enlighten us as to how Romney the flipper will fix everything? Seriously, what will he do for the middle class? We all know he'll cut taxes even lower for the rich. He comes right out and says that's what he'll do. Please explain to me how that will help all of us????

Amy, negotiating? He backed down, a little, when the Church pointed out his lackey's order was BLATANTLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL. And the new order is still unconstitutional, it just won't cost the Church any money, so some are saying to settle for it.

The gay-activism is just pandering to his liberal base. Do you really think he waited this long for those things because he was too busy?

As for immigration, he's also caused more trouble for the people trying to identify and deport illegal immigrants. Here, he's trying to play both sides against the middle. It isn't working very well for him, though. His attacks on immigration control are much more public than his immigration work.

So being "rich" is evil huh ? Shhhh ! Don't tell all those players in the NBA !! I wonder if they know "brother" Obama wants to take some more of their money ... so he can "redistribute the wealth" !

I guess my head is in a hole

NORQUIST PLAN PREVENTS ANY negotiation or compromise by republicans.

REPEAT.....NORQUIST PLAN PREVENTS ANY negotiation or compromise by republicans.

Unless repubs remove their names from the pledge ANYTHING they say about tax reform is pure B.S.

Repubs pledged to the oath of office they were elected to, then like traitors, they pledge to king Norquist putting him above the nation and the people. DUMP NORQUIST PLEDGE! A few repubs have started doing this. Election time coming.

Obama / Biden 2012

@C. Smith

AH SHAT UP ALREADY!!!

SeekingSanity - I think you lost your Sanity. The only thing this President is for is for HIMSELF, He doesn't give a darn about the Middle Class. It's all about election and if he gets re-elected our independence is gone, the consitution is gone. We need him out of the White House before we loose all our freedoms.

Obama for the middle class?!?! WHoa...

all he has done is decimate the middle class, because that is the mind set he can control...and the mind set that shakes there heads up and down like a bobble head everytime he opens his big lying, deceiving, vote pandering mouth....but I see many people praise him on their prayer rugs.....

ROMNEY/Biden 2012 THINK FOR YOURSELF PEOPLE>>>or try to...gosh

"Mr. Obama recently announced that his reelection slogan is “Forward!”

This slogan has been used previously by Stalin, The Hitler Youth, and Chairman Mao during China's Great Leap Forward. Forward! was also the title of Vladimir Lenin's publication and the name of a newspaper edited by Benito Mussolini."

"The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again" -- George Santayana

Rexola - Bobble Heads? are you really serious? You sound just like a clone of Rush Limbaugh and Foxnewz

Nothing more to be said.

If President Obama is re-elected, he will finish what he has started, the destruction of the United States of America. Then he can re-name it Obamamerica.

Spiddas - You are pitiful - Hate destroys the Hater.

thepittsmn - no actually seeking sanity in the GOP but as you and others on this site prove daily, there is no sanity to be found in the republican party.

Spiddas - if you morons didn't have stupidity to fall back on you'd have absolutely NOTHING! And, you support - Mitt - no surprise there!

Obama/Biden 2012

Give the rich a tax break, so they can continue to to save for the hard times we are in. Thanks to the party of NO is the reason we are in this mess.

A little sensitive, are we? {sarcasm}

All I did was just point out HISTORICAL fact. Non-critical thinking individuals never seem to like that very much, do they?

Nowhere did I mention anything "hateful". Yet Betty feels insulted because her demigod has been outed.

And actually Seeking, I support Ron Paul. Easy to jump to conclusions without facts, ain't it? {rhetorical} Paul is the only REAL threat to both "tapped" candidates. Because when you take a close look at both of them, Mitt is no different than Obama.

Both of you have completely proven George Santayana to be correct in his postulation. How gullible you are. That is what's pitiful...

Notice how Obama insists on raising taxes on that pesky rich 1% even though the revenue generated amounts to virtually nothing but holds the specter of further harm to the economy. This is the same rational he used for calling for increasing the capitol gains tax even when informed that the government receives more revenue when the capitol gains tax is lower, than when it is higher, he insisted "it was a matter of fairness". To whom, I wonder.

Further, Obama is clear that out of compassion for the middle class and the poor, he wants what he refers to as the "Bush tax cuts" extended for one year. What's up with that? Does his compassion for the middle class and the poor only extend for one year? Does anyone care to speculate why Obama won't propose making these tax cuts permanent? The obvious answer is that he intends to eventually raise taxes on everyone, just as soon as he can get away with it.

Is there anyone with a portion of their brain functioning that still believes Obama isn't a Socialist/Marxist?

I see that everyone has ignored a very simple fact that starting in 2013 anyone who has a job where their employer pays part or all of the employees healthcare, that amount shows up in box 12 on your 2013 W-2. The question remains on how the IRS will interpret that amount, will it be considered as now being taxable income for all or just a few? Looks like we will find out when the IRS publishes their instructions and work sheets.

"no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase, said Obama. If you do not buy health insurance, you will have to pay a federal tax . - but I will only vote for the candidate with the "smallest" amount of assets.

President Obama has taken many unpopular stands, just because it was the right thing to do: supporting gay marriage, lifting the ban on gays serving in the military, deporting more illegal immigrants in three years than Bush did in eight (even though Hispanics are a part of his base,) negotiating with the Catholic Church to make sure all women have access to birth control through their insurance, and, the big kahuna: signing healthcare legislation with an individual mandate, modeled on Massachusetts's RomneyCare.

sorry for the double post - bubblegum!

Uh, HUSSEIN ..... the elections of November, 2010 sent a message that U.S. citizens did NOT want Obama's power to be unchecked. They WANTED a restoration of political balance to restore "separation of powers". Even Scott Brown's election prior to November 2010 conveyed a message.

Liberals were simply REFUSING TO LISTEN to that message ! The "obstruction" was intended to stop his nonsense. You clowns still have not figured it out !

jim-1455434 - and the 2012 election will send a message to the GOP - you're out of touch with reality and we are done with the obstructionists in Congress. We're voting as many Republicans out of office and re-electing our President.

If the GOP EVER gets a clue about how to work to help the country - they may get back in. Oh, I understand a clown is now the mascot for the GOP. Very fitting!

Obama/Biden 2012

@Seeking Sanity...

The GOP/Tea Trash do believe in freedom. " Republican freedom ". The freedom to suspend demockracy until they've achieved their target. Fleecing whatever's left to be fleeced. It's gonna get interesting when the people have nothing left to take.

That's when " LET EM DIE " will be sung thru golden megaphones by republican vigilantes at their latest new Soylent Green opening. Even profiting off of us when we're dead. When we're just food to be fed to rest of the forgotten.

double post

Will higher taxes on the wealthy create more jobs? Not a chance...The wealthy will make sure they maintain their bottom line, even if they have to lay off more workers...Taxing the rich more doesn't even come close to making a dent in the deficit. If the wealthy decide to cut expenses by laying off their middle-class employees, then less revenue will be available for the government to take from the middle class and the unemployment numbers will also increase. Higher unemployment numbers will further be a burden on the economy. It's obvious that Obama is trying to sway the masses with more of his never-ending campaign propaganda. Obama needs to go, or change his philosophy. This does not give Mitt a free pass. If he has a reasonable plan, he better clearly spell it out to the voting public, or we will be stuck with four more years of record setting deficits.

Ursula, the so called trickle down effect never worked, to many greedy people. Besides wealthy doesn't create jobs, Middle class does, Middle class thrive so does job growth the economy and so forth. Corporations hire to be bigger , faster and better than their competition but overall the when Middle class thrive and buys goods, that's what creates jobs. But the middle class is tapped out spending almost 40% of their savings just to survive.

jim (aka Kirk) - your ignorance never fails to amuse me. Pathetic but amusing. There are a lot of people disgusted with the GOP and there will be fewer of them in congress after November. I am a lot more "mainstream" than you and your little low information voters will ever be.

Go ahead and whine away. November is coming quickly and Romney STILL can't sell his snake oil - even to the GOP!

Obama/Biden 2012

Funny you should make this claim for what the wealthy would do if their taxes were higher. History shows us that your assertions aren't what happened under President Clinton when he raised taxes on them. The economy turned from a deficit (he followed Bush 1...who, incidently, raised taxes as well as did Reagan, numerous times) to a surplus, employment went up and everyone was better off. The Democrats are more skilled in understanding how to fiscally run the government, period. When are you going to realize just how expensive wars are? President Obama has been stuck with paying for the cost of the Bush II wars, beings as they were unfunded...along with the huge tax breaks for the rich and the donut hole prescription bill for the elderly and the Recession that occurred under Bush II. We would not be in nearly as bad a place as a country if the Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire, like they were supposed to, instead of being doubled down on!

NoLimit - because there are many just like me out there who are ready to get rid of the obstructionists that the GOP have become. Look at the polls - 68% believe we are on the wrong track and put the blame squarely on the GOP!

Obama/Biden 2012

If milk is on sale for a week, and then goes back to the normal price, is that a price increase? Nope!

Why does the GOP insist on calling the end of the discount period a "tax hike"? Oh, because their contributors (and sometimes they themselves) will have to pay more. Crybabies!

Sen. Barack Obama, March 2006

“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. … Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here’. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.”

G O P

R V E

E E O

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If Congress approves the spending, they should be approving the means to pay for it. The only reason we have debt is Congress buys things and refuses to pay for them. The budget got balanced in the 90's because a Democratic Congress and Bush I put PAYGO in place and then Clinton and Democratic Congress increased tax rates. The budget balancing went out the window because Bush II and the Republicans got rid of the Clinton tax increases and let PAYGO expire.

@ SeekingSanity #7.11, Oh here we go again..... back to the same dementia of thinking Kirk and I are the same person ?

First, you live in liberal Chicago where politics and corruption go hand in hand. You are not even close.

Second, the old, tired, worn-out libtard talking points of trying desperately to call those with different opinions from yours as "low-information" is merely self-serving. You are so far from reality that I can predict your phrases.

I can't wait for you to tell us again how someone will "mop the floor" with somebody. I suggest you put down the pom poms and take the cheerleader outfit off ... it hasn't fit for a long time !

Wow you guys don't get it ! The problem with the economy is the rich need to pay more taxes- that will put us in the black ! RFLMAO !

The top 1% is paying less in taxes now as a % than they did in the 70's due to all the loopholes that republicans have gotten them. End this as many of us in the middle class are paying a larger % than they are. Republicans only want to help the rich! If they want to help then do what Econ. #101 says to do. "Make cuts, but increase revenue." What would you do if you were in debt?

Salvia58 - you must have missed buffets memo to obama on the buffet rule. The rich can't bail out the economy. They don't have enough assets, but everyone together can turn our debt around.

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Clwyd...

and the top 1% are contributing a larger % of income revenue in the form of federal income taxes than in the past, got a point? BTW - best review who passed all those allowable deductions, it was all bipartisan

Republicans are doing their best to make sure the young don't vote by setting up voter suppression laws all over the country. Students going to college will have a hard time voting and getting registered because ALEC set up this idea for republicans to put in place. Republican leaders pronounce the less voters there are, the better chance republicans have a chance to win.

Meanwhile, Romney and repubs have no plan...except to take the economy down as they pledged.

The first economic plan from the republicans ...was to blow up the economy so president Obama would not have a second term. Newt said it was the first seed sown for the 2012 election. 14-15 republicans secretly met the dat after Obama took office to pledge to vote against every bill that would help the economy recover. They pledged this saying they wanted him to be a one term president. They pledged to take the economy down just to destroy the presidents plans for recovery. Bin Laden wrote down the same plan and executed 911 to take the economy down to destroy the nation. These repubs, Ryan, Cantor, DeMint, and Gingrich pledged to act like the Taliban, to act like the insurgents do,(their own actual words) to prevent President Obama from a second term. Acting like the supreme terrorist of all time Bin Laden. Traitors. Deliberately sabotaging the recovery. Ref Richard draper new book.

Ryan repub Plan...Kills socoial security and medicare. Repubs want to destroy the Post Office and privatize that also.......Take down America and give more tax breaks to the rich 1%. Romney for a worse tomorrow today!.

Vote President Obama/Biden 2012

President Galt -- That's BS. Companies will not lay off more workers if tax rates for the rich returned to the rates during Clinton. Companies hire or lay off based on supply and demand. Demand comes from the middle class. Strengthen the middle class and everyone does better, including the rich.

The same goes for other "uncertainty" BS being spread by rightwingers. Companies are not hiring or laying off based on corporate taxes, regulations, or when ACA goes into effect in 2014. Companies are taking those variables into consideration in their business plans, but they hire based on demand -- period!

I'm all for lowering corporate tax rates to global levels, but only if capital gains is taxed as earned income. I'm all for lower tax rates for the middle/working class, but only if tax credits like the mortgage deduction and child credit are ended. One or the other, low rates or tax credits but not both -- governments have to have revenue to operate.

TruePatriot: You're right companies won't lay off more workers but they won't be hiring any more either. In case you haven't noticed, the middleclass has all but disappeared so I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for consumer demand to increase anytime soon.

jim-1455434.........And what has that now Republican controlled House done since the election of 2010 ? Absolutely nothing ! Not even an attempt at anything meaningful !

"Obamacare is already a major tax increase on people with incomes over $200,000 is going to take effect on New Year’s Day, as part of the Affordable Care Act: raising $20 billion in 2013, increasing to nearly $40 billion by 2019."

That's a tax increase of about $300 Billion over 10 years on the 'rich'. And now Obama wants even more money to spend? Just more money to waste.

Do we really want to drive all of the investment capital overseas? We already have lots of prominent investors renouncing their US citizenship because tax rates are lower in foreign countries. Even Liberal economists say that raising taxes on ANYONE in a recession will hurt the economy - but all Obama has on his mind is "Let's tax the rich even more", even though they already pay 70% of all income taxes paid + the new Obamacare tax.

Obama is just trying his old 'class warfare' rhetoric on the voters in a desperate bid to win reelection - no matter how bad it might be for the economy.

No, The class warfare comes when us "Common People" look and see that incomes for the top 1% have increased nearly 1000% in ten years while the loss of benefits and health insurance has left the middle class down 20% in earning power! Int he past 20 years the wealth of the top has been multiplied almost 25 times.

This is for all the GOP who think they somehow have the monopoly on government power and voter feelings.

I'm a moderate independent, I'm neither conservative nor liberal, if I had to chose a political ideology I'd be more libertarian. I'm also from Maine, which should explain my moderate position. This puts me into the "swing voter" category, the category that actually decides major elections. No matter what Republicans / Conservatives will vote Republican / Conservative, their pastors and lawyers tell them to do it. Democrats / Liberals will always vote Democratic / Liberal, don't know what their equivalent is of a political leader ... maybe their Starbucks owner or something.

Due to those above facts, Romney / Obama are not battling for your vote, their either had it last year or they didn't. Their now battling for my vote (and other swing voters like me), and these are the votes that will decide the upcoming election. There are more then enough swing voters to sway an election, it's also why elections tend to come down two 10% or less difference.

Now that that's been straightened out. What do swing voters see when they look at our choices? Neither are particularly good. Obama is still too green in politics to effectively get things done. Politics has nothing do with whats best for the country, it's all about what individual senators / representatives can get out of it. The President needs to play each group off one another to get stuff done, Obama came in entirely too naive thinking he could go with a compromising policy and play nice. What he should of done is have various congressmen (women) investigated for possibly wrongdoing while at the same time threatening to cut funding via administrative action to their pet projects. That's just how politics are. It's looking like he's finally learned a little bit of the game after four years of having his a$$ kicked.

Romney isn't any better, he's nothing but a puppet for the GoP leadership, just like McCain and Bush were. The GoP is an extremely centralized and organized political party, it's real leadership is not elected and primary consists of wealth bankers and financial investors. They write party policy and it's distributed to all members who must go along with it or risk having their position contested. Thus only Republicans who are extremely secure in their position, who know they can beat off any GoP challenger with their own resources (party resources will go to the challenger to remove the non-compliant incumbent), are able to act independently. The two senators from Maine are good examples (were for Snow) of this, they would never of lost an election and thus could afford to be moderates and challenge the party line.

Realizing that Romney would just be a rubber stamp President for anything the GoP leadership wants (banking / investment managers) is a very sobering thought. That group destroyed our economy so that they could get rich. Bankers / Fund managers made a killing on the recession, mostly by betting against funds they knew to be bad (sometimes selling those very funds). So voting in Romney would result in more financial headaches, namely in the form of more taxes on the middle class and less on the wealthy. Voting Obama in will result in four more years of political stalemate, unless people also kick out the Republicans brought on in 2010.

What a flip flopper this President is.! First he claim no tax increase during this economic hardshipo and now he changes his tune. If the GOP ever flip flopped boy the Left/media would have a feild day on the subject. I hope the small businesses start laying off so that unemployment % goes up.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Spend,spend ,spend. This President loves to spend tax payers money and now this country is broke there's no money coming in for more of his welfare programs. Why don't Obama just put everyone on welfare and begone with private businesses all together. Obama has the balls to rip Mitts credentials and yet this President has no clue about operating a business or hiring.. The American people create jobs not the Government, oh thats right unless its all union which is a free pass under Obama but for small /big private businesses , Obama has to tax them to death.This class warfare is getting pathetic, this liar always attacks the rich on the GOP side but not the Rich fatcats from the Left. But Obama don't mind having his hand out for $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ from those evil rich fat cats. Were's GEORGE CLOONEY, WARREN BUFFETT, how come they weren't standing behind Obama when he was talking about tax increases.?

The problem wih the liberal rant on this issue is that a significant number of "households" with income over $250,000 are in fact small businesses that file their business taxes with their personal taxes. Do we really want to raise taxes on small businesses when unemployment is over 8% for the last 40 months?

Sorry Mr. President, you are either going to be a leader or a Community Organizer. You are either for economic growth or not. Tax increases hurt economic growth. So you either leave ALL the current tax rates or you let them ALL increase. No class warfare here. Its an "all or nothing".

what's unfair -even Millionaires get the tax break on the first 250k...4% more on every $1 after that-they would rather give the money to super pacs I guess. I am so out of touch -I think I'll look into hiding money in an off shore account today..wear a flag pin too ...and get with the program..

Imagine a huge gigantic pie. A pie larger than Texas. A pie even larger than Alaska. A pie roughly the same size as the continental United States, Hawaii and Alaska combined. A pie that is the richest(by far) in the entire world. There are 313 million American people that must have a portion of that pie merely to survive.

Among them are helpless, hungry American children living in abject poverty. Seniors that worked hard their entire lives to see their savings and even their homes taken when they become ill. Millions of hard working American people with wages so small that they must decide whether to eat this month, pay the rent or cloth their children. They can only afford to pay for one of three until they are forced to watch their children go hungry, homeless or wear rags in the dead of winter.

Please bear with me and picture that gigantic, rich pie once again. Realize that only one out of ten of us eat most of that pie. !0% of the American people consume 90% of the pie. The remaining 90% of us much share only 10% of the pie. Hardly a family gathering. Realize that only 30 years ago, that same 10% only consumed 30% of the entire pie. Still a staggering figure, but the 90% managed to lead decent lives and many survived by sharing the remaining portion of pie. Please explain what happened with wealth redistribution during the last 30 years?

We are now told that correcting that horrible imbalance is wealth redistribution and socialism. We are told that the top 10% earned every bit of that 90% and only lazy, worthless Americans would demand that balance be restored. We are told that most of the pie is gone and the 90% must now make do with far less to give even more to the top 10%.

The fact is that the pie is just as large and rich as ever. The top 10% have most of it hoarded away as they demand an even larger piece of the pie until we agree to break our backs in hard labor for little enough crumbs to barely sustain us. Our hungry young and ailing seniors can't die soon enough. Only the healthiest of us will survive. That keeps us low maintenance to increase their bottom line.

All of us still have a stake in re-apportioning the pie(resources) that belong to all of us by our American birthright and hard work. The cowards among us fear losing even the crumbs as they vote for the bought and sold Republican leadership. Those of us that are brave Americans will stand up proud to vote against the Republican puppets of the greedy 10% to restore America once again to her former glory. The land of opportunity and freedom for all.

We can't do that, then the poor people might have to find jobs, and live within their means.

Ok, I know poor people have it hard, especially these days. I know because I've been there. That being said, though, when so many people would rather buy new clothes, big screen TVs, and fancy cars than live within their means, it's easy to hate. You know what played a BIG role in the housing crisis? So many poor people that had bought houses they couldn't afford and, unless they just weren't paying attention, KNEW they couldn't afford. Owning a home may be part of the American Dream, but the reality is that America doesn't build the homes that most of these people could actually afford.

That's another soap box for me. So many cities and counties have passed senseless, stupid laws restricting new housing construction to a certain size or LARGER because they want the tax income from them. That's not just stupid, that's greedy and damaging. These are the people that really need to be voted out.

elliot: Many millions of unemployed Americans did stop spending so much. Why do you think the food stamp lines have increased so much.

elliot...........I agree, but exactly where do you make meaningful cuts without creating even more damage. People love to cry about things like foreign aid, but the fact is that is a very small part of the budget and if it were cut to zero it would not solve anything. Much of it is money well spent to protect U.S. interests. Do we cut Medicare ? Sure we can trim it and cut waste and fraud, but no real cuts are going to happen, old people vote , and they paid Medicare taxes for many years and still pay 25% of cost in premiums, so you can't just take it away. Are you ready to cut Medicaide ? Most recipients are small children and single mothers, do we really gain much from cutting their access to health care ? I do think that the whole Social Security system is being destroyed by many people getting SSD who actually could be working and support themselves but are too lazy so they get on the disability role and suck off the taxpayer teat ( I refer to the many phony cases, not legit disabled, it is way too easy to get on disabled roles ). Do we cut defense ? Answer is yes, we should, but every congressman and Senator with a military base, shipyard, defense factory, etc will fight that like crazy, so it won't get done. There are many weapons systems that the military does not want or need according to their own people, yet congress still spends billions on them. I say stop all government pensions and have them contribute like the rest of the country to their own 401K's and their own health care. If Medicare is good enough for the rest of us, it should be good enough for government employees. If Social Security is good enough for the rest of us, it should be good enough for government employees ( including congress ). Real, meaningful long term cuts in spending must be made, but I would like those who propose these cuts ( I am talking about politicians mainly ) to say exactly where and how much they want to cut. If they don't have the political backbone to stand up to the people and tell them exactly what and how much will be cut, then they should just shut up, because that means it is just talk with no plan for action. When a politician says we will cut spending, please tell me what weapons systems we are stopping, what bases we are closing, what contracts we are not renewing, what medical services we are cutting out ( how about those rascal scooters people use to run up and down the Walmart aisles ), what pensions we are going to lower or eventually do away with, what 20 year retirements we are going to end. Social programs, military and interest on the national debt are the three biggest parts of the budget, lets hear exactly what part of those is going to be cut.

Defense is one of those expenses that mostly stays at home. Soldiers spend money, on rent, food and they buy stuff. Same thing with contractors and DoD civilians. Base's contract out to local communities for everything from maintenance and construction to administrative functions. Weapons programs I can understand, many are unwanted but kept on by Senators getting campaign money. Can't really blame them when you remember that those employees are spending money on the local economy.

Ultimately defense is one of the few government expenses that actually goes back into the country, though wars do tend to waste lots of money.

Have you thought this through? Would you rather have our hard earned tax dollars be deployed to kill innocents of failing nations or deployed to rebuild our badly failing infrastructure? Do you really think that our great efforts and massive treasury depletions left Iraq in a better place? Modern Iraq had running water, sewer systems and electricity under their dictator. Most of them have none of that now. Why in the hell were we there in the first place?

Do you really think that the loss of brave, young American lives and our tremendous loss of revenue will leave the Afghanistan people in a better place? The Taliban are ready and eager to assume their previous stance the moment we leave. They were poor and weak before we emboldened them. Now, they are much more powerful by stealing the powerful weapons we left behind.

I will never understand the determination to force other nations to conform to our ideal of democracy as their terrorist acts curb our own freedoms. We deplete our treasury and sacrifice the lives of our very best in a useless attempt at reforming their way of life as we forgo many of our own liberties to combat their acts of terrorism. That's like paying $2.00 to get into a bad movie and then paying $10.00 to get out. That may work out fine for the theater management (U.S.military industrial complex), but makes complete asses out of the rest of us.

We are busily hiding as they use our own resources to force us into even greater hiding. Who wins this conflict and who loses? Think of this every time you face a two hour early arrival schedule to go through airport security and scanning that exposes your most private parts. Osama Bin Laden has been triumphantly smiling for years at the scope of victory he could never have imagined. He lost the battle, but won the war thanks to the cowardice of the American people. His body may be dead, but his spirit lives on forever in our fear of terrorism.

Or a Fox news watching redneck.

DITTO!!!