With the Romney campaign running into quite a bit of trouble over the last week, it was probably inevitable that Republicans would try to unveil a new shiny object. And right on cue, one came along yesterday in the form of an audio clip of Barack Obama speaking in 1998.
Mitt Romney was eager to bring it up during an interview on Fox News.
For those who can't watch clips online, Romney, hoping to draw a contrast with Obama, said, "[F]rankly, we have two very different views about America. The president's view is one of a larger government. There is a tape that just came out today where the president is saying he likes redistribution. I disagree."
Yes, we're back to talking about redistribution of wealth. Again. To put it mildly, the right was very excited about this yesterday, hoping a 14-year-old comment would become a massive scandal, overshadowing Romney's disdain for nearly half the country, whom the Republican considers lazy freeloaders.
But this new "revelation" offers more heat than light. If you listen to the 1998 remarks, you'll notice that Obama, at the time, acknowledged the legitimacy of some conservative criticism of government -- he was pragmatic and even-handed, even 14 years ago -- before saying, "I believe in redistribution, at least at a certain level, to make sure that everybody has got a shot."
The "r" word, in conservative circles, is synonymous with some kind of radical communism. I'd like to think adults having a reasonable conversation can get past this nonsense.
Indeed, the right doesn't want to hear this, but they "believe in redistribution, at least at a certain level," too. Few concepts are as interwoven into the American fabric as the notion of redistributing wealth. As Jon Chait noted, "It sounds scary, even though highly popular programs like progressive taxation, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and many others are explicitly designed to foster redistribution."
Most of modern society involves redistribution. When we tax homeowners to pay for schools, that's an example of redistributing wealth. When workers give up some of their income to the state to pay for law enforcement and roads, that's wealth redistribution, too.
The Paul Ryan budget plan is arguably the most ambitious "redistribution of income from the bottom to the top in modern U.S. history."
And yet, by some accounts, this will be the new Romney/Ryan plaything in the coming weeks, even though it didn't work four years ago, in large part because the Republican campaign doesn't think highly of Americans' intellects.
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If the right can look at Dubya's tax cuts and the incredible shift in wealth from the bottom 99% to the top 1% that resulted from them and not call that redistribution, they are not only delusional but downright blind.
Freddie, some Econ 101 for you. There is no shift in wealth, there is no finite amount of money. What you've actually said is that the 1% contributed more than the 99% since the Bush tax cuts.
The short version: If the 1% get a tax cut, it doesn't affect your life in the least.
Questions?
A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's Storehouse of Human Knowledge
Does Preparation H cure baggy eyes?
March 5, 1999
Dear Cecil:
At a recent evening of "girl talk" with some of my friends, the subject of makeup tips came up. One of the women said her mother swore by Preparation H to reduce the dreaded under-eye puffiness we all get sometimes. We all laughed, but afterward I wondered: Does it really work? What's in it that shrinks hemorrhoids and under-eye bags? Is it safe to put it on your face? Why don't you hear Heloise or Tammy Faye or Dr. Laura discussing this sort of helpful hint? Cecil, I know you can get to the bottom of this beauty secret.
— Melissa, via the Internet
Cecil replies:
Better watch it with those puns, Melissa. This one could get ugly.
I guess it's only fitting that many of the people we consulted on this topic turned out to be flaming, uh, sphincters. We'd heard that Preparation H was a favorite trick of models, along with Vaseline to make your teeth shine brighter, surgical tape to create more cleavage, and body glue to keep your straps from falling down and your swimsuit from riding up. But when my assistant Jane called a modeling agency to inquire, the rhymes-with-rich who answered the phone huffed that the Prep H rumor had been around for years and that it was merely a joke made at the expense of models and actresses. Sorry, lady, thought Jane. Sounds like you could stand a little Preparation H yourself.
Jane wanted to experiment on her own person but rarely gets puffy eyes. However, she is a resourceful woman. From her report: "OK. Dick was out playing volleyball, the cats were fed, the phones were unplugged, the bath was drawn, and I started thinking. I thought about the phone call I'll get someday saying 'Daddy died.' I thought about how the nuns demeaned me as a child. I thought about all my other problems. And I bawled and bawled and bawled, hot tears splashing everywhere.
"OK, out of the tub. Boy, was my face blotchy and puffy. Hah! I gingerly patted some Preparation H around my eyes. Let me tell you, this is not a pleasant-smelling product for one's dainty little face. I looked hard at myself in the mirror, then five minutes later, and then in another five minutes, and another five, etc. Each time I saw the same thing looking back at me: not just puffy eyes, but puffy, shiny eyes. I felt like. . . ." Well, like a three-letter word for a donkey, but this struck me as an unfortunate choice of terms. Anyway, the stuff didn't work.
A spokesperson for Whitehall-Robins, maker of Preparation H, informed us that the product "helps shrink hemorrhoidal tissue and is not meant for the area around the eyes. There is no clinical evidence to support that it reduces eye puffiness." She said they get this question less frequently than they used to, perhaps because Prep H has been reformulated. One of the ingredients that supposedly reduced puffiness was "live yeast cell," but this is no longer part of the recipe.
Actually, it's debatable whether anything will help puffy eyes, which result from fluid retention caused by allergies, stress, etc. The ingredient in Preparation H that supposedly reduces swelling is phenylephrine HCl, which is used in nasal decongestants to constrict blood vessels. However, according to Paula Begoun, author of The Beauty Bible, Preparation H doesn't work where it's supposed to work, so what are the chances it'll work in the minimal concentrations you'd use on your eyes? Jane emphatically concurs, and Cecil politely assumes these women know whereof they speak.
So what does work? Paula's tips: (1) Sleep with your head slightly elevated to minimize fluid retention. (2) Avoid booze and salty foods, which can cause water retention. (3) If you have allergies, take antihistamines and don't rub your eyes. (4) Remove any makeup carefully to avoid getting particles in your eyes. (5) To avoid dryness that can lead to irritation and puffiness, use a moisturizer. If nothing works and this is a chronic condition, cosmetic surgery may be your only recourse.
— Cecil Adams
Thanks so much for your condescension, Shooter.
The 1% did get a tax cut, a massive one, during the Bush administration. The deficit soared and the economy tanked. This had a MAJOR effect on my life, thank you very much. I'd prefer not to go through that again, as I will almost certainly lose my business if that should occur.
Questions?
"If the 1% get a tax cut, it doesn't affect your life in the least." Exactly Shooter. Very astute, and thank you for exposing the fraudulent notion that the "job creators" will all of a sudden create a wealth of new jobs if we just lower their tax rates again. I can't believe I'm saying this but you're right. It won't affect our lives in the least.
Do not scratch hemorrhoid.
Do not scratch hemorrhoid.
Do not scratch hemorrhoid.
Do not scratch hemorrhoid.
(And you are wrong, bartender. Yes, it will. In an extremely bad way.)
Sorry for your loss Freddie, but as this chart shows the full tax cut in 2003 increased jobs for everyone else.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nSTO-vZpSgc/TUw6hMzI7OI/AAAAAAAAKdo/Lv53LLi50Cs/s1600/nonfarm-payroll-2011-01A.png
"There is no shift in wealth, there is no finite amount of money."
Yeah, right. Money grows on trees, but the poor are just too lazy to pick it.
Meaning of... 'potentially' and 'realistically'
A young boy went up to his father and asked him, "Dad, what is the
difference between 'potentially' and 'realistically'?"
The father thought for a moment, then answered, "Go ask your mother
if she would sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars. Then ask
your sister if she would sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars,
and then, ask your brother if he'd sleep with Brad Pitt for a million
dollars. Come back and tell me what you learn from that."
So the boy went to his mother and asked, "Would you sleep with Brad
Pitt for a million dollars?"
The mother replied, "Of course, I would! We could really use that
money to fix up the house and send you kids to a great university!"
The boy then went to his sister and asked, "Would you sleep with Brad
Pitt for a million dollars?"
The girl replied, "Oh, good heavens! I LOVE Brad Pitt and I would
sleep with him in a heartbeat. Are you nuts?"
The boy then went to his brother and asked, "Would you sleep with
Brad Pitt for a million dollars?"
"Of course," the brother replied. "Do you know how much a million
bucks would buy?"
The boy pondered the answers for a few days and then went back to his dad.
His father asked him, "Did you find out the difference between
'potentially' and 'realistically'?"
The boy replied, "Yes, 'Potentially', you and I are sitting on three
million dollars, but 'realistically', we're living with two hookers
and a future congressman."
Bartender, The converse is true as well. Hike taxes on the 1% and your life won't change a bit. Oh and let's not forget 85% of the tax cut went to everyone else.
As for wealth creators, keeping tax rates where they've been for the last decade would be just fine.
Things to do in the bathroom stall...
1. Stick your palm open under the stall wall and ask your neighbor, "May I borrow a highlighter?"
2. Say "Uh oh, I knew I shouldn't put my lips on that."
3. Cheer and clap loudly every time somebody breaks the silence with a bodily function noise.
4. Say, "Hmmm, I've never seen that color before."
5. Drop a marble and say, "oh shoot!! My glass eye!!"
6. Say "Darn, this water is cold."
7. Grunt and strain real loud for 30 seconds and then drop a cantaloupe into the toilet bowl from a high place six to eight feet. Sigh relaxingly.
8. Say, "Now how did that get there?"
9. Say, "Humus. Reminds me of humus."
10. Fill up a large flask with Mountain Dew. Squirt it erratically under the stall walls of your neighbors while yelling, "Whoa! Easy boy!!"
11. Say, "Interesting....more sinkers than floaters.
12. Using a small squeeze tube, spread peanut butter on a wad of toilet paper and drop it under the stall wall of your neighbor. Then say, "Whoops, could you kick that back over here, please?"
13. Say. "C'mon Mr. Happy! Don't fall asleep on me!!"
14. Say, "Boy, that sure looks like a maggot"
15. Say, "Darn, I Knew that drain hole was a little too small. Now what am I gonna do?"
16. Play a well known drum cadence over and over again on your butt cheeks.
17. Before you unroll toilet paper, conspicuously lay down your "Cross-Dressers Anonymous" newsletter on the floor visible to the adjacent stall.
18. Lower a small mirror underneath the stall wall and adjust it so you can see your neighbor and say, "Peek-a-boo!"
19. Drop a D-cup bra on the floor under the stall wall and sing "Born Free"
20. When you're in a bathroom stall take a Snickers candy bar with you and when someone is next to you, squish it in your hand and reach under the stall wall and say "You got any more toilet paper over there, This side's completely out."
Largenose, Actually money grows at the Fed. Push a button and billions appear out of nowhere. Literally, billions appear out of nowhere.
Which brings up an interesting possibility. Our Govt, if allowed by Congress, can print another trillion dollars. It's enough to send every household in America with a tax return.... $10,000.
Why would I suggest this? Because I'm tired of seeing all this money going to prop up the banks. Bernanke just announced unlimited money printing. Why the hell should it go to banks every time, it certainly isn't working. $10,000 on the other hand would cure a lot of ills, generate a lot of spending, and generally give everyone a respite from the conceit Washington has answers.
...are we reading the same chart? There's a gigantic cliff right there in 2008.
A hobo comes up to the front door of a neat looking farmhouse and raps gently on the door. When the farm owner answers, the hobo asks him, "Please, sir, could you give me something to eat? I haven't had a good meal in several days."
The owner says, "I have made a fortune in my lifetime by supplying goods for people. I've never given anything away for nothing. However, if you go around the back, you will see a gallon of paint and a clean paint brush. If you will paint my porch, I will give you a good meal."
So the hobo goes around back and a while later he again knocks on the door. The owner says, "Finished already? Good. Come on in. Sit down. The cook will bring your meal right in."
The hobo says, "Thank you very much, sir. But there's something that I think you should know. It's not a Porsche you got there. It's a BMW."
Freddie that's the start of the subprime/financial crisis. Job losses are typical in crisis.
Now before you go on a Bush rant, Democrats had a lot to do with the crisis. Robert Rubin, Clinton's TreasSec singlehandedly kept derivatives from being transparent, and instigated the repeal of Glass Steagal. Janet Reno threatened banks for not lending to minorities regardless of risk. Bush had his moments but he wasn't alone.
Two old ladies have played bridge together for many years, and naturally they have gotten to know each other pretty well. One day, during a game of cards, one lady suddenly looks up at the other and says, "I realize we've known each other for many years, but for the life of me, I just can't bring it to mind... would you please tell me your name again, dear?" There is dead silence for a couple of minutes, then the other lady responds, "How soon do you need to know?"
Shooter in advanced economics you should study TVM.
Here I'll help you out with the basics on income type:
If one is taxed more than the other, that favors the less taxed one.
Labor taxed by fixed FICA (15.3%) plus AGI income tax ranging from 10% to 35% - typical household ranges from 22% to 38% effective taxes.
Investment as low as ZERO and high as 15%. - zero when there is no "ordinary income"
Tax advantage Investment by 2x inflation.
Now what is different is that you can not compound TIME, so hours, week and years are finite, however investments can be compounded to increase at an increasing amount overtime, and using derivatives can multiply other economic factors to increase the return at a higher rate than simple inflation plus risk - magical money!
Inflation causes most people to assume that the nominal values are increasing for their labor so they just conclude they are "making more". In reality the costs via inflation cause the increased money per period to be "just keeping up".
With investments the rate of return for favorable investments will well exceed the rate of inflation, ensuring your former status as a simple millionaire is now safely ensconced in billionaire status.
Case in point Mitt Romney had the same amount of time as everyone else to make money, he made much more, how -- simple with investments rather than via labor.
If you continuously lower the taxes on investments you lower the cost of TVM which increases your return above inflation. That is how tax policy redistributes wealth, if you use Investments to make money you can increase the amount faster than if you use labor to make money, and the taxes will always favor the investor with today's tax policies.
Got it?
This is not the way. It will never be gotten. Understand that.
A cowboy rode into town and stopped at a saloon for a drink. Unfortunately, the locals always had a habit of picking on strangers, which he was. When he finished his drink, he found his horse had been stolen. He went back into the bar, handily flipped his gun into the air, caught it above his head without even looking and fired a shot into the ceiling.
"Which one of you sidewinders stole my horse?!?!?" he yelled with surprising forcefulness. No one answered. "Alright, I'm gonna have another beer, and if my horse ain't back outside by the time I finish, I'm gonna do what I dun in Texas! And I don't like to have to do what I dun in Texas!" Some of the locals shifted restlessly. The man, true to his word, had another beer, walked outside, and his horse has been returned to the post.
He saddled up and started to ride out of town. The bartender wandered out of the bar and asked, "Say partner, before you go... what happened in Texas?" The cowboy turned back and said, "I had to walk home."
Soon after the 2008 election, a wealthy GOP farmer acquaintance commented about the socialist Obama taking over the government of the takers. This, coming from a guy that has taken literally millions of dollars in crop subsidies over the years, seemed highly ironic to me, but blindly passed his lips without any self awareness. This year you and I will be paying about 10 billion dollars in crop insurance to farmers, many if not most Republicans, who have suffered losses to the drought. And who will be receiving the highest crop prices ever seen. Funny how this redistribution thing is always presented as a one way street, from the makers to the takers when in the real world it all gets circulated around in our big economy to the benefit of all.
not exactly following this- are you saying that crop insurance (more likely revenue insurance) is free? the producer pays (depending on the level of coverage) a significant premium for such insurance- if you have no crop- you do not get the highest crop prices- you get the return based on historical yield provided for under the policy-
When will some reporter ask Mitt Romney if he's one of the 47% who pay no Federal Income Tax?
And if he says "No", then ask him to prove it.
I agree, if only Mr. Romney would have put his tax issue behind him a long time ago, he wouldn't be facing such a morphed monster as the age old issue of redistribution! He's of the crowd that says "don't take my money, I inherited it fair and square. Take the money of those who'll never know the joys of luxury. They'll not know any difference!"
What brazen contempt and disdain this candidate seems to hold against me and my family! Good day, sir!
I shan't be voting for thee, Mitt Romney! -Kevo
Hobgoblin - A commonly occurring phantom that occupies the one point you never thought of .
I am pretty certain this is the same argument earnest young birthers out from their little birther holes put forward . Ah yes with their sour and crumpled dispositions affecting their wardrobe it reminds one of Borscht and cabbage . Comfort food and comfort philosophy from the rugged individuals of the rock ribbed flinty right .
Just as a point of accuracy, Romney did not take his father's inheritance. Neither did his wife from her father.
However, Romney did get private schooling, and college, and his first home, and rich stocks & investments... all from his father as a "pre-inheritance", if you will.
It's easy to be a self-made man when a fortune is spent bringing you to that adult point in life, and you have no fear of failure because of the million dollar safety net.
Oops. I'm sounding like a bitter 47%-er. Sorry.
No offense intended, but you're sounding like an uninformed boob (though I hope that this was intentional snark on your part). Willard & Ann did, of course, take their fathers' inheritance - just because they then used the entire amount to establish trust funds for their own children, rather than spending it on themselves, doesn't mean they didn't take it. See? That's "accuracy".
Although, your point about "pre-inheritance" is certainly one well-taken. When I heard Ann relating the anecdote about how they actually had to sell some stock to "get by" while Willard was in school, I could only think sarcastically, "yeah - that's rich".
Vulture/Voucher 2012
Proving Two Rights DO Make a Wrong!
;-)
When the money flows uphill, that is Capitalism.
When the money flows downhill, that is Socialism.
When the money spreads out in a wide delta, "watering all the crops", that is the America the Founders envisioned.
Economics never met a law it couldn't corrupt .
Anybody else find it disturbing the way the right "redistributes" lies? They pass on emails to each other containing total fabrications that are easily fact checked but they never do check them. They continue to tell those lies long after the proof of them being lies has come out.
A republican it seems is someone who can hold a rock in his hand and call it a rose with fervent belief and call those who question him as to why it has no roots or stem or bloom liberal propagandists.
Do you have a particular lie in mind or are you just ranting?
It's funny, Paul, how when some Romney shhit hits the fan, the wingnuts have nothing to say till the next day. Then after they've received the talking points from the Right Wing Noise Machine, they're all SAYING THE SAME THING. This NEVER fails to happen. These ignoramuses sit around being dictated to by the likes of Fox, Limbaugh, ..., and then they repeat it.
Which pack of right wing lies would you have Paul S. choose from? That could take all day and LONG into the night! Rant away, Paul S.!!
For crying out fu king loud.
Do not engage hemorrhoid.
Do not engage hemorrhoid.
Do not engage hemorrhoid.
Do not engage hemorrhoid.
...
And as for the velvet tones from the golden mic'd Rushbo...wait...I can't go on...the heart palpitations caused by the Master's voice are just too great...I'd better go find some cowering liberal for a good old fashioned smackdown!!!
Give me a break!!!!
Still waiting for a lie. Pick one, any one.
This is why I didn't show up for work yesterday. I was cleaning out my wife's grandpa's cellar and found 12 bottles of his home-bottled grape wine under the steps. My wife told me to empty the contents of each and every bottle down the sink, or else. I agreed to do the unpleasant task.
I withdrew the cork form the first bottle and poured the contents down the sink, with the exception of one glass, which I drank. I extracted the cork from the second bottle, did likewise, and drank one glass, just to check the taste to see if the old fellow knew his wine making. He did.
I then opened the third bottle, and poured it, too, down the sink, but not until drinking one full glass to check the purity. It was very good. I did this, also with the fourth bottle. One glass for myself, and the rest down the sink. I pulled the bottle from the cork of the next, and drank one sink out of it and threw the rest down the glass. I pulled the sink out of the next glass and poured the cork from the bottle, then corked the sink with the glass, bottled the drink and drank the pour.
When I had everything emptied, I steadied the house with one hand, counted the bottles, corks, glasses and sinks with the other, which were 29, and as the house came by I counted them again, and finally had all the houses in one bottle, which I drank. I felt so foolish that I couldn't go upstairs and congratulate my wife to tell her what a great winemaker her grandpa was. I will do that after climbing the basement steps the next time they come by.
Let's start with the lie about death panels or Obama's birth or..
The one I heard about that claims the Health Care act is going to well--
from http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jul/25/chain-email/3-8-percent-tax-real-estate-transactions-health-ca/
A 3.8% sales tax on real estate in the health care law? This chain email's claim just won't die
Let it go, folks...
The widow takes a look at her dear departed one right before the funeral and, to her horror, finds that he's in his brown suit. She'd specifically said to the undertaker that she wanted him buried in his blue suit; she'd brought it especially for that occasion, and she was distressed that the mortician had left him in the same brown suit he'd been wearing when the lightning bolt hit him.
She demanded that the corpse be changed into the blue suit she'd brought especially for that purpose. The undertaker said, "But madam! It's only a minute or two until the funeral is scheduled to begin! We can't possibly take him out and get him changed in that amount of time.
The lady said, "Who's paying for this?" Seeing the logic to this argument, a very reluctant mortician wheeled the coffin out, but then wheeled it right back in a moment later. Miraculously, the corpse was in a blue suit.
After the ceremony, a well-satisfied widow complimented the undertaker on the smooth and speedy service. She especially wanted to know how he'd been able to get her husband into a blue suit so fast. The funeral director said, "Oh, it was easy. It happens that there was another body in the back room and he was already dressed in a blue suit. All we had to do was switch heads!
Paul, you got me on that one. There is a 3.8% tax applicable to real estate - but it's on profit, and currently profits are sheltered. Snopes does a better job of explaining the shelter. If the shelter gets repealed, it's a different ball game.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/realestate.asp
That said, you're really going to give that much credit to a chain email? I hadn't heard that one before. Got another?
here's what paul is talking about, folks
False Viral Emails are Overwhelmingly a Right-Wing Phenomenon
Paul Farhi Washington Post
David Emery of About.com estimates that more than 80 percent of the political e-mails that he’s vetted over the past decade were written from a conservative point of view. “The use of forwarded e-mail to spread [false information] around is overwhelmingly a right-wing phenomenon,” he said.
Snopes turned up 46 viral e-mails regarding Bush during his eight years in office. By contrast, in just four years as a candidate and as president, Obama has been the subject of 100 such chain e-mails. The difference is not just in number but in kind: Twenty of the 46 Bush e-mails checked by Snopes turned out to be true, and many of these flattered or praised him. Only 10 e-mails about Obama have been true, and almost every one of them has been negative.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/when-it-comes-to-e-mailed-political-rumors-conservatives-beat-liberals/2011/11/17/gIQAyycZWN_print.html
Yes, we know. But the facts do not matter to the aliens. The aliens and hemorrhoids do not learn from facts. They just keep rehashing the same nonsense no matter how many times they've had to learn the nonsense isn't true. That is tedium.
That's why it's time for another joke:
A guy sticks his head in the barber shop and asks, "How long before I can get a haircut?" The barber looks around the shop and says, "About two hours." The guy leaves. A few days later, the same guy sticks his head in the door and asks, "How long before I get a haircut?" The barber looks around the shop full of customers and says, "About two hours." The guy leaves. A week later, the same guy sticks his head in the shop and asks, "How long before I can get a haircut?" The barber looks around the shop an says, "About an hour and half." The guy leaves. The barber looks over at a friend in the shop and says, "Hey Bill, follow that guy and see where he goes." In a little while, Bill comes back into the shop laughing hysterically. The barber asks, "Bill, where did he go when he left here?" Bill looked up and said, "To your house.
This is the sort of thing Team Romney has sitting in piles to bring out when they need to change the subject when the Lyin' Sack of Mitt gets in trouble because of his Willard-ness. And the media is easily lead around by the nose because it's made up of mediocrities.
President Obama, as quickly as possible, needs to address the 47%, particularly that 47% who aren't working.
He needs to tell them that they AREN'T no good, lazy, leeches.
Otherwise, I am worried about what will happen with our nationwide suicide rate. Many of these people are already at an emotional low, simply because of the economic circumstances they are trying to deal with. Not being able to find work is bad enough; but, then Romney comes along, and kicks them while they're down...at their lowest point, he kicks them again. Can they withstand it? Will they withstand it?
Please, Mr. President, speak to these people. Let them know that you feel their pain. Give them something to help them hang on to. Denounce the words of Mitt Romney.
Otherwise, I fear for the fate of these people. They are the lowest among us, and need a lift. They don't need to be further kicked by Mitt Romney.
That 46.4% (and the tradition is to round down, not up!) includes 6,000 millionaires and active duty US military as well as college students and seniors living on nothing other than Social Security. These are not the "lowest" among us.
I am referring to that portion of the 47% who are out of work, and can't seem to find employment. They are the ones who I believe the president needs to address. They are already at an emotional low. I'm afraid that Mitt Romney's comments may be emotionally unbearable for them.
--
Monitor the nationwide suicide rate. It may go up after Romney's remarks. Obama needs to speak out for these people. Romney doesn't yet represent these people. Obama does!
Let's talk redistribution - as in States that pay more to the Federal government then they get back in spending - you know redistribution.
Here's a link from The Economist I live in NY and we'd like our nearly $1 trillion back - THANKS.
I'm talking to you AZ, LA, KY, VA, MD, ND, AL, MT, WV, MS, NM! Redistribute it back to the richer states....
All the states could use some redistribution now. Used to be called revenue sharing. Pretty much died under Reagan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=tCAffMSWSzY#t=28
And you posted this hate-motivated collection of out-of-context, innuendo-filled, false and misleading quotes and pictures to show ??? how extremists filled with hate choose to show an American President who governs and supports all Americans, not just those who vote for him or believe that the less you pay in taxes (unless you pay none), the "better" it makes you than other Americans...or were you just trolling hatefully this day?
nothing was taken out of context...they are all BOs words.....nice clip of Maddow in the movie 2016...everyone in America should see it
Gawd I miss Sarah Palin. She was just plain hilarious where Mitt is disturbingly sincere about himself.
Mr. Romney, I do not think there are enough firefighters in this country to douse the firestorm you have created. Your team, I am sure, are scrambling to find any derogatory remarks from the President toward the people of this great nation. Good luck on that one. Redistribution of wealth is not a bad idea when it comes in the form of the elites paying a higher rate(their fair share), shutting the door on corporate welfare and giving the middle class a break. For the past 40-50 years the middle class has been sucked dry paying for the short falls created by the rich getting excessive tax breaks, loopholes and off shore tax havens. At the same time paying for the poor to survive. In essence the middle class became the bill paying class. This country is financially in the crapper due to Cheney/Bush spending trillions on two wars that were not payed for. The well is running dry and you plan on giving more tax breaks to the rich and raising taxes on the bill payers and the low income people. You have alienated nearly half the population, called the Hispanic and African Americans a threat to society, insulted the Muslim world, made a mockery of foreign policy and refuse to show your financial history. What's next sir?
By the way, I am a Republican of 35 years.
Great coverage of the 47% issue, but what's missing is that people of upper, middle and lower income classes vote democratic, just as they do republican. So not only was it an insult to say of the 47% that they are lazy (this point is well made on MSNBC), but it is also an insult to people who do pay fed income - to assume they don't vote for Obama - and for that reason alone!
Would like to see a segment interviewing a cross-section of Obama voters stating 1) whether they pay fed, and 2) what's their primary reason for voting for Obama. Just... Jay Leno-style, off the street: "I'm Joe, a lawyer, voting for O for foreign policy." "I'm Sue, single working mom, concerned about education." etc.
Why? because there are a lot of righties, including Rush, who believe Romney was right. They need to know the 47% who will already vote for O are not correlated with the 47% who don't pay fed.
"I'd like to think adults having a reasonable conversation can get past this nonsense."
Well Steve in the words of Jessie Jackson "keep hope alive". The right most especially the corporate elite feel that they have contributed and therefore deserve to have a bigger share of the pie; and the sheeple, they've just been seduced into believing the propaganda.
Trickle down economics has never worked and it never will. The elites only want more and will reinvest into the economy.
Sorry-- They will not reinvest
I can't believe it's not more controversial that the GOP and its standard bearer are now open foes of progressivism in taxation. It should be considered a BFD that he GOP wants to abandon the redistribution that is the heart of progressive tax. We used to think 10% of a working man's salary was not the same thing as 10% of a millionaires.
America, sadly, appears to be toast.
Do not forget that the GOP are keen on redistributing the blood and limbs of young Americans so they can feel powerful. Oh yeah, and make an obscene pot of cash on the deal as well.
Hello Dick Cheney!! How much strain is Willard's inept campaign placing on that new heart??
Things for Vulture/Voucher seem to keep going from bad to worse. I'm waiting for Willard to release a decade's worth of tax-returns, just to change the subject... :D
Vulture/Voucher 2012
Proving Two Rights DO Make a Wrong!
;-)
Whoah...that just might be a brilliant campaign strategy. Nothing else seems to be working. "Welcome to America, babies" WTF'nF???????!!!!!!!!
What in the world do they need all their money and possessions for anyway? Why not do something good with your money, what better way than to help your fellow citizens, they don't have any problem contributing to their churches... Oh, yeah that's another tax write-off.
How would a system of taxation that doesn't redistribute wealth work? To accomplish that, we'd all have to pay the same amount, not the same rate, of taxes right? Mitt with this $250 million of wealth, Doug in the middle class and the poorest person in the country would have to pay the same amount to government and get the exact same amount of benefits from government. Right? Otherwise, we are redistributing wealth because some are paying in more than others and some are getting out more than others.
How does this make any sense at all as a concept for running a country? If a candidate says he or she supports less income redistribution, that makes sense. If a candidate says he or she supports no income redistribution, it's just nonsense.
The best solution is a simple flat rate. No loopholes, deductions, tax havens. Everyone simply pays the same percentage on their yearly income. Then we could abolish the IRS and save this country billions each year. Not to mention that the government will have more money than they ever did. Just saying!
Also, I would like to know if Mitt would be in favor of an unemployed, quadruple amputee from the Iraq War receiving some type of government benefit. Should a Bronze Star recipient who was blown up during service receive any government assistance for health care or any government disability or unemployment assistance?
If Mitt says yes, then he is in favor of some level of redistribution of wealth because money from other citizens will be redistributed to help support this veteran.
Redistribution has historically been forced on the working class to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. It must hurt when putting the shoe on the other foot looms large. Godspeed Mittens!
Make a bee line to the theater to see Maddow in the movie 2016. It's GREAT!!