Obama Defends Higher Taxes
By Don | October 31, 2008
Barack Obama defends his tax plan on the campaign trail.
From ABC News’ Jake Tapper.
On the stump this week, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has pushed back against Sen. John McCain’s description of his tax policies.
“The reason that we want to do this, change our tax code, is not because I have anything against the rich,” Obama said in Sarasota, Florida, yesterday. “I love rich people! I want all of you to be rich. Go for it. That’s the America dream, that’s the American way, that’s terrific.
“The point is, though, that—and it’s not just charity, it’s not just that I want to help the middle class and working people who are trying to get in the middle class—it’s that when we actually make sure that everybody’s got a shot – when young people can all go to college, when everybody’s got decent health care, when everybody’s got a little more money at the end of the month – then guess what? Everybody starts spending that money, they decide maybe I can afford a new car, maybe I can afford a computer for my child. They can buy the products and services that businesses are selling and everybody is better off. All boats rise. That’s what happened in the 1990s, that’s what we need to restore. And that’s what I’m gonna do as president of the United States of America.
“John McCain and Sarah Palin they call this socialistic,” Obama continued. “You know I don’t know when, when they decided they wanted to make a virtue out of selfishness.”
It’s unclear if this was a nod to the Ayn Rand book “The Virtue of Selfishness,” with all that the invocation of Rand implies.
It would seem to be, given the themes of Rand’s work, what happens when independent achievers are demonized.
Which would fit with this description of those who want to keep their hard-earned tax dollars as “selfish.”
Atlas may not be shrugging, but Obama is.
According to the Tax Foundation Obama’s plan would increase the number of people who don’t pay taxes by 16 million to 62 million. McCain’s plan isn’t much better in that regard adding 15 million to the list. It looks like both men plan to help those on the lower end through increased tax credits that will remove people from the tax rolls and leave the middle and upper income shouldering even more of the burden.
14 Comments | Post a Comment
Except just today Mr Obama dropped the rate down to $150,000.00 with 3 days left. What will it be down to by Jan, 2009? $42,000.00 has been batted around by some democrats.
To the dumbass who left the first comment. If you want to pay higher taxes, why don’t you? You could just let the Government have your refund at the end of the year. If you don’t get a refund, just send in more money and don’t ask for it back.
Why in the hell should i pay more of my hard earned money to some lazy bum that was to stupid to learn in school when they had the chance? These rotton commie liberals are all the same. They want more money from you so they can give it to people that vote for them. For people who don’t want to work. When it comes to charity they don’t give anything. They are tighter than bark on a tree. Biden makes millions and gives $300 to charity. Obama makes millions and gives less than 1% several years and less than 6% several years.
You dumbasses like Government so much send in more of your money. I have to pay for my mortgage and every other lazy Democrat that couldn’t afford a house but got a loan anyway. Thank that Democrats for that genius idea. Let’s force the banks to give loans to people who aren’t qualified and also who are on welfare. There’s no risk. We’ll just gouge the poor saps who work for a living.
I might just quit paying my mortgage since the government is going to bail out these bums. I might as well take advantage of it too.
And by the way dumbass, property taxes can’t go down because of a drop in property values in the same year. Pull your head out of your ass long enough to take a breath. You might come out of your media driven hypnotic state.
Obama’s Aunt lives in a slum in Boston and his Brother lives in a hut in Kenya. Look how generous he is with his own family. This is the kind of leader we don’t need.
His good buddy William Ayers 1974 book was dedicated to Robert Kennedy’s assassin Sirhan Sirhan. Another of his mentors Saul Alinsky dedicated his book to Satan the first radical.
He sat in a racist white and jew hating church for 20 years but he said he never heard anything that was too radical.
This is a man of no moral character, no compassion, no caring. He just wants to run your life for you. He’s a cold blooded marxist.
KECO, Post 3 & 4;
So, does somebody have to wind you up like that or can you do it yourself?
Why don’t you try to defend your racist canidate TK? Tell me how you can justify voting for a racist? If this was a Republican you would have your lace panties in a bunch.
If your canidate is elected just wait for the lashback. angry white voters that don’t understand why a black man can be a racist and get elected but it’s a death sentence for a white canidate.
It’s worthless pieces of #### like you who are screwing up this country. You don’t give a damm what your canidate stands for or what kind of person he is. Just as long as he’s a Democrat.
You would vote for Hitler you worthless bag of ####.
You’re damm right i’m wound up and i’m tied of taking abuse from my Government. I want them off my ass. I want nothing from them and i don’t want to give them anything because they misuse every dime they take in.
You think real Americans are going to sit around while you and your communist party destroy this country? You think you’re going to take our guns and censor our radio stations. You think business are going to stay in this country while they are robbed blind? You think the rich are going to suffer if their taxes are raised? You people live in a fantasy world where you think you can cure all problems with more money. Money has never cured any of America’s problems and it never will.
Hard work and freedom is what cures problems not Government programs.
This Government sucks not America. America is still great i don’t care what your lousy canidate thinks of his country. I’ve never heard him say one positive word about America ever. I think he’s a racist arrogant asshole who has never done anything but get elected.
KECO, Post 6;
You have no certitude whatsoever of who I will actually vote for. You are, however, a pretty good imitation of the profane and similarly out-of-copntrol “Jack H. Hansen”.
Over-the-top-blind-partisan-blowhardism!
Have a nice weekend!
Hey Keco:
You need you meds adjusted.
And your tantrum is as misguided as you are.
Perhaps moreso.
[You realize when you invoke Nazi/Hitler you have already lost. It’s called “Godwin’s Law”.]
Please seek out your pharmacist NOW.
After Tuesday you are going to be REALLY angry.
Somebody tell the big O I said thanks. I have been waiting FOREVER to have a president who will rule by what feels good rather than the rule of law.
He said he wanted to change our Constitution, and he has obviously been preparing for it his entire adult life. If he wins he can get a leg up on it. It is so exciting to see someone realize their childhood dream.
For those of you uncomfortable with change; don’t worry, it’ll be like a frog in a pot of water. You won’t know what happened until it boils up.
How could I forget our small business owner who loves his profit? Profit IS good, my man. HIstory has shown us that when taxes on companies that provide goods or services go up, the cost of those same goods and services go up. Your profit may exist, but it will be less than you calculate because you will pay more to do business. When the minimum wage, cost of goods, health care costs, and taxes all go up something has to change.
Again, spreading the wealth around is not a function fo the American Constitution. Fair does not mean equal although it does feel good to say it and hear it. If all of these happy people who want to help everyone would contribute to charities in their neighborhoods and local communities, we would not consider looking to the government as Mommy. Respectable charities give between 80-97cents of donations to the recipient. If you give directly, the recipient gets a whole buck. IF the government does it, they control who gets it and when, AND the recipient gets about 30 cents or so—I can’t recall the exact number. Where does the other 70 cents go? Wasted.
By now, I trust Obama to reflect rationally before making a move.
So I keep hearing that Obama defends higher taxes… I don’t know about you but I have a “strong feeling” that Obama doesn’t plan to ruin us all. If he supports higher taxes that means he has a strong logical reason for it. Has anybody thought about it?
If one accepts the concept that “prices of goods and services will always rise over time” as a legitimate element of capitalism - - then, doesn’t it seem logical to expect that taxes will rise, also - - assuming, of course, that the ‘government’ (at any level) is providing necessary and/or desired services over their whole (and diverse) client spectrum?
Why don’t people get as bent out of shape about the price of gasoline - - or cell phone service or computer games or cable/internet service or guns or booze or illegal drugs - - as they do about taxes?
There are organized anti-tax protest groups all over the place - - but nary a peep is heard about the ridiculously rising costs of a lot of other necessities or niceties in the marketplace.
???
October 31 at 5:30 pm | #1 | Link
I’ve owned and operated my own small business(es) for 47 years.
Today, at lunch, the subject of “Obama’s higher taxes” came up and a dippity-doo, puppy-yuppy, ten-years-out-of-college, numbers sort-of-guy said to me - “You know, if Obama raises taxes and if you make an extra $2,000,000 of TAXABLE INCOME next year, you’ll have to pay an extra $60,000 in taxes!”
To which I said, “Yeah, so?”
If I made an extra $2,000,000 of taxable income next year and paid my extra 3% tax on it - for crissakes - I’d STILL BE UP OVER ONE-AND-A-QUARTER-MILLION MORE than this year!
Hell! I’ll take that deal, any day, every day!
Paying 3% more on taxable income is not a problem - and in my 47 years of small business ownership, I’ve considered taxation no differently than I have any other cost of doing business.
In fact, unpredictable “free market” increases in heavy and other equipment costs; increases in various outside professional services costs; increases in various energy costs; the increases in non-interest-related financing costs; wild speculation in real estate and the stock market; ever-increasing compliance costs and, especially, increased insurance costs, affect my business decisions W-A-Y the hell more than a 3% federal tax increase would!
And, in reality, if there’s a particularly onerous tax that is regularly arbitrary, capricious, unfair and which really does cause a decline in both personal finances and small business - it’s the damned local property tax! It’s W-A-Y more discretionary, discriminatory and economy-busting than will be Obama’s proposed 3% tax increase on taxable incomes over $250,000!
In my area, which is GOP-dominated (maybe 3 to 1), and which hasn’t voted for a Democratic candidate for president since 1944, property taxes went up some 350% between 2003-2006 - - and they haven’t gone down one damned bit over the last two years - in spite of the free-fall in real estate values! A 350% property tax increase over three years is a helluva lot more damaging to personal finances and small business than is a dinky 3% taxable income increase over $250,000!
All the yapping, yammering, chattering and spouting over a 3% tax increase (on taxable income) for extremely well-to-do people (in the first place, only 1/2 to 3/4 of 1% of working Americans make a taxable income of over $250,000 per year) is just standard partisan GOP hot-air!
(Just like 40 years of bitchin’ about ACORN - with no significant convictions - even with a GOP president, GOP dominated FEC and GOP attorney general for 24 of those 40 years!)
???