Beneath all of the Republican and Tea Party grumbling about taxes, one key fact continues to be ignored. According to the Tax Policy Center, Federal taxes are lower than at any time since 1955. Obama has now reduced taxes by more than any president since Dwight D. Eisenhower.
“For the past two years, a family of four earning the median income has paid less in federal income taxes than at any time since at least 1955, according to the Tax Policy Center. All federal, state and local taxes combined are a lower percentage of per-capita income than at any time since the 1960s, according to the Tax Foundation. The highest income-tax bracket is its lowest since 1992. At 35 percent, it’s well below the 50 percent mark of much of the 1980s and the 70 percent bracket of the 1970s.”
The answer to America’s revenue shortfall is to raise taxes. The US revenue gap could be closed immediately with a tax increase, but Republicans and tea partiers go insane as soon as the prospect is mentioned even in the most delicate manner. The Tea Party set believes to their core that they are being overtaxed, but reality doesn’t match their perception.
In fact, most Americans have no idea that Barack Obama has lowered taxes. According to a 2010 CBS News/New York Times Poll, only 12% of Americans knew that Obama has lowered taxes. 53% thought that he kept taxes the same, and 24% believed that Obama has raised taxes.
Not surprisingly, only 2% of Tea Party supporters knew that Obama had lowered taxes. 44% of them thought that the President has raised their taxes.
The right believes this because they got the idea from Fox News and talk radio. Four days ago, Fox News.com ran a story claiming that Obama is going to raise taxes. The tax increase boogeyman is a favorite of the right, because it is easy to put out there and it motivates their base every time.
The bottom line is that beneath all the GOP spin the fact remains. Barack Obama, not Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush is the greatest tax cutter in American history.
Those that pay the least and get the most from our government in way of benefits are the ones complaining.
I would like to see the statistics as to which ones in the Tea Party Republican group receive any government benefits in the form of Medicare and/or subsidies such as corporate welfare, farm subsidies, Section 8 housing landlord payments, etc.
It’s likely the statitics would be staggering. But I’m sure when results were announced, these same folks would be the first ones to say ‘but we EARNED that’.
I’ve watched the GOP lead their supporters around by the nose for years, but am still amazed. They’re buying into this ‘voucher’ for Medicare nonsense, swallowing what they’re fed hook line and sinker. You can’t fix stupid.
But, fnord, these are the same folks that currently get Medicare and they have been promised that the new changes will not affect them.
Should we tell these folks this is the same group of Republicans that promised to create jobs and stop all that overspending of the federal budget – both of which they have not done yet.
Naw, let the fools find out for themselves – then we’ll see how many motorized scooters, Viagra and those special pumps for Gramps get sold.
The for-profit health insurance companies do NOT want these Medicare patients – and why would they? These are the folks using up the majority of the health care dollars in the pot – and paying very little into that pot for premiums due to the taxpayers subsidizing them.
The GOP’s most promising 2012 presidential contenders—Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Haley Barbour, Mitch Daniels, and Mike Huckabee—have a lot in common. They are all white. They are all middle-aged. They were all governors at one point. And despite a shared tendency to denounce Democrats as inveterate, immoral tax hikers, they all have the exact same skeleton in their closet: a rather inconvenient history of raising taxes themselves.
But, but, they were governors, couldn’t run a deficit due to state constitution, statutes, or both, so they had to do it. And, it didn’t work well at all.
Count on some variation on the above theme ifthis ever becomes an issue.
It doesn’t really matter, does it? Accountability and truth aren’t necessary if you have that little “R” beside your name. The GOP constituency places the bar on the floor for their own — they’ve proven they have trouble even stepping over it and raising it will trip them up every time.
I look at this cartoon and it reminds me the Republican Party is getting exactly what they asked for! Ronnie Raygun got them stuck with the religious nutjobs who don’t know anything but how to pass hateful judgment on others, and now their corporate masters have purchased them the tea bagger nuts. The GOP didn’t get the citizens who wanted to shed light on government corruption, they got the real nut cases. So now they have most all of the single issue wingnuts — abortion fanatics, gun nuts, those who can’t even recognize that taxes are at their lowest in over 50 years, those who hate anyone who worships differently, whose skin is darker / different, those whose compassion is displayed by their desire to make the Middle East a sea of glass. Makes for a really ugly agenda that most people recognize is irrational hate. I think they’re mentally ill.
Today, as Americans submit their tax returns, the wealthiest earners will each reap hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax savings.
As part of a law passed late last year, the Bush-era tax cuts for the richest Americans were extended for two years. The estimated cost to the government of that portion of the tax deal, $42 billion this fiscal year, exceeds the stated $38 billion value of the savings from the federal budget cuts lawmakers approved last week.
Thought the financial crisis was bad? Wait till the debt ceiling caves in.
Timothy Geithner does not want the market to smell his fear. “I want to make one thing perfectly clear,” he said Sunday. “Congress will raise the debt ceiling.” But if there was truly so little doubt, Geithner wouldn’t have been peppered with questions about it on the Sunday shows.
Raising the debt ceiling may be economically necessary, but it’s politically lethal. Only 16 percent of Americans want the debt ceiling raised, according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. Sen. Marco Rubio said he wouldn’t vote for an increase unless it included “a plan for fundamental tax reform, an overhaul of our regulatory structure, a cut to discretionary spending, a balanced-budget amendment, and reforms to save Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid” — everything on the conservative agenda, basically.
And this is where things get dangerous. Republicans and Democrats both bear substantial blame for the country’s rising deficits. The Bush tax cuts and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit and our various wars — none of which have been paid for, and all of which are ongoing — are major contributors to our mounting debt, and all were passed by Republican majorities. The debt ceiling had to be raised seven times during the Bush years, and the policies that helped drive those increases — not to mention the financial crisis that followed them — have not been undone under Obama.
But the GOP wants to pin the debt on the Democrats, and it wants major concessions in return for its vote. Democrats, however, aren’t going to agree to the GOP’s plan to deny partial responsibility for the country’s debt and hold the country’s credit rating hostage in order to reshape the government along more conservative lines. Fear over exactly this sort of political gridlock is what led Standard Poor’s to downgrade the nation’s credit outlook to “negative” Monday.
To understand the danger posed by the debt ceiling, it helps to understand the financial crisis.
There is a regular Republican on the WE opinion line that actually stated he receives the farm subsidies from the government but he was complaining that by the time it all came out – he about broke even.
So, if this is true – then why take the farm subsidies in the first place?
This person is a known Republican and just loves to rant and scream about all the overspending by the feds but I guess he has yet to figure out if he would follow Nancy Reagan’s advice and Just Say NO to those farm subsidies he gets – he would not be a part of the problem.
Or maybe his core principles do not apply to himself?
indy – from what I’ve read of agricultural subsidies a dollar amount is set prior to harvest as a base price for whatever the farmer is raising/growing and if it sells for less than that the govt makes up the difference PLUS there’s an additional amount the govt tacks on just because we want farmers to keep farming.
If the WE opinion line commenter is just breaking even WITH farm subsidies he would probably have to call it quits without it. This is exactly why these things are in place. So lets cut back on helping the family farmer and poor working slobs. Cut the entitlements (as opposed to tax cuts) because they’re bankrupting America.
Heavy on the Sarcasm, please.
Looks like their is pushback from the established GOP against The Donald….
Pay close attention to the section about Trump’s book which advocated universal health care.
I wonder if the Tea Party people know about that? Or does a new-found birther believer ‘trump’ someone who wants universal health care?
What an interesting political poker game that is developing….
On second thought, maybe the Tea Party Republicans don’t really care about the rich guy’s beliefs as long as he brings his beautiful green money with him to the mad hatters party.
Money talks and B.S. walks ……that has yet to fail.
I am posting this link because I think it pertains to the cartoon above – the agenda. I think this racism ugliness in the GOP is just but one part of their agenda.
And these folks can sit back and profess all they want about how they are sorry for doing crap like this but they are sounding like they are only sorry because they got caught.
Pay particular attention to the part of this latest apology as to when they profess to be ‘imperfect Christian’. WTH does that have to do with it?
I’m tired of these fake Religious Right Republicans using their religion as their excuse for being not only insensitive, mean spirited and hateful – but it makes them sound utterly stupid.
And I am insulted by these fake Christians demeaning the real Christianity message of love your neighbor as yourself.
What part of this email this buffoon spread on even remotely comes close to showing God’s love?
BTW – How many times has this happened in the past 2 1/2 years since Obama got elected?
My God, are we still in grade school and this is what still passes as comical on the part of the GOP? When will the grown ups return to the Grand Old Party and kick their grade school bullies and thugs to the curb?
“Frank Bailey’s BLIND ALLEGIANCE TO SARAH PALIN, written with author Ken Morris and Alaska political blogger Jeanne Devon, pitched as a “chilling exposé” of Palin;”
Not to be outdone…
“NYT bestselling author, syndicated columnist, and conservative political commentator Ann Coulter’s DEMONIC: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America; “
Here’s another plank in that agenda pictured in the cartoon above.
Let’s review -shall we? This is the same governor that took that labor mural down awhile ago – remember?
Hmm, do you think this doing away with child labor laws has any connecction to the Tea Party Republicans’ insatiable quest to deport all illegal immigrants also?
let’s see – decimation of the working class, getting kids to work longer hours for cheap labor and getting rid of the illegal immigrants – hey WWJD???
“No one can seriously believe that the constitution’s authors intended to create a right to same-sex marriage. They didn’t even count the blacks or women as people”
Do these idiots even think for a second before they open their mouths, anymore?
How does the tea party still pass as a grassroot movement on network tv? Why do americans have this problem of connecting the dots between Dick Army the promoter, and the Koch bothers the financiers? I keep hoping the people will wake up. Watching Rachel last night it looks like the tea bagger nuts rallying cry is waning, but I’m sure once the elections get closer the corporations will fire things up with hugh amounts of money. Whats ticking me off the most lately is the way Obama is having to do most of the work selling the progressive philosophy. The rest of the democrats just don’t seem to capture the news. It concerns me that maybe their are more blue dogs than we know.
There are two tea parties. There is the original movement and then there is the Corporate Tea Party of which you spoke about.
I see the media shaping up the debate as a civil war within the GOP.
And on some level, I think the media is correct about that. But the media also has to get those ratings – so let’s see – which person shall we cover today – the nutty right-wingers or the serious person who wants to find solutions to our problems.
Sad to say – nutty right wingers get high ratings…..
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
Beneath all of the Republican and Tea Party grumbling about taxes, one key fact continues to be ignored. According to the Tax Policy Center, Federal taxes are lower than at any time since 1955. Obama has now reduced taxes by more than any president since Dwight D. Eisenhower.
“For the past two years, a family of four earning the median income has paid less in federal income taxes than at any time since at least 1955, according to the Tax Policy Center. All federal, state and local taxes combined are a lower percentage of per-capita income than at any time since the 1960s, according to the Tax Foundation. The highest income-tax bracket is its lowest since 1992. At 35 percent, it’s well below the 50 percent mark of much of the 1980s and the 70 percent bracket of the 1970s.”
The answer to America’s revenue shortfall is to raise taxes. The US revenue gap could be closed immediately with a tax increase, but Republicans and tea partiers go insane as soon as the prospect is mentioned even in the most delicate manner. The Tea Party set believes to their core that they are being overtaxed, but reality doesn’t match their perception.
In fact, most Americans have no idea that Barack Obama has lowered taxes. According to a 2010 CBS News/New York Times Poll, only 12% of Americans knew that Obama has lowered taxes. 53% thought that he kept taxes the same, and 24% believed that Obama has raised taxes.
Not surprisingly, only 2% of Tea Party supporters knew that Obama had lowered taxes. 44% of them thought that the President has raised their taxes.
The right believes this because they got the idea from Fox News and talk radio. Four days ago, Fox News.com ran a story claiming that Obama is going to raise taxes. The tax increase boogeyman is a favorite of the right, because it is easy to put out there and it motivates their base every time.
The bottom line is that beneath all the GOP spin the fact remains. Barack Obama, not Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush is the greatest tax cutter in American history.
http://www.politicususa.com/en/obama-great-tax-cutter
Those that pay the least and get the most from our government in way of benefits are the ones complaining.
I would like to see the statistics as to which ones in the Tea Party Republican group receive any government benefits in the form of Medicare and/or subsidies such as corporate welfare, farm subsidies, Section 8 housing landlord payments, etc.
It’s likely the statitics would be staggering. But I’m sure when results were announced, these same folks would be the first ones to say ‘but we EARNED that’.
Yeah, sure……..
I’ve watched the GOP lead their supporters around by the nose for years, but am still amazed. They’re buying into this ‘voucher’ for Medicare nonsense, swallowing what they’re fed hook line and sinker. You can’t fix stupid.
But, fnord, these are the same folks that currently get Medicare and they have been promised that the new changes will not affect them.
Should we tell these folks this is the same group of Republicans that promised to create jobs and stop all that overspending of the federal budget – both of which they have not done yet.
Naw, let the fools find out for themselves – then we’ll see how many motorized scooters, Viagra and those special pumps for Gramps get sold.
The for-profit health insurance companies do NOT want these Medicare patients – and why would they? These are the folks using up the majority of the health care dollars in the pot – and paying very little into that pot for premiums due to the taxpayers subsidizing them.
2012 GOP Presidential Candidates Raised Taxes
The GOP’s most promising 2012 presidential contenders—Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Haley Barbour, Mitch Daniels, and Mike Huckabee—have a lot in common. They are all white. They are all middle-aged. They were all governors at one point. And despite a shared tendency to denounce Democrats as inveterate, immoral tax hikers, they all have the exact same skeleton in their closet: a rather inconvenient history of raising taxes themselves.
But, but, they were governors, couldn’t run a deficit due to state constitution, statutes, or both, so they had to do it. And, it didn’t work well at all.
Count on some variation on the above theme ifthis ever becomes an issue.
It doesn’t really matter, does it? Accountability and truth aren’t necessary if you have that little “R” beside your name. The GOP constituency places the bar on the floor for their own — they’ve proven they have trouble even stepping over it and raising it will trip them up every time.
I look at this cartoon and it reminds me the Republican Party is getting exactly what they asked for! Ronnie Raygun got them stuck with the religious nutjobs who don’t know anything but how to pass hateful judgment on others, and now their corporate masters have purchased them the tea bagger nuts. The GOP didn’t get the citizens who wanted to shed light on government corruption, they got the real nut cases. So now they have most all of the single issue wingnuts — abortion fanatics, gun nuts, those who can’t even recognize that taxes are at their lowest in over 50 years, those who hate anyone who worships differently, whose skin is darker / different, those whose compassion is displayed by their desire to make the Middle East a sea of glass. Makes for a really ugly agenda that most people recognize is irrational hate. I think they’re mentally ill.
But fnord, God wants the Middle East destroyed – didn’t you get that memo?
That is why the Religious Right hijacked the GOP – to give their blessing on the holy war.
Cost Of Tax Cuts For America’s Rich Exceeds Value Of Budget Cuts
Today, as Americans submit their tax returns, the wealthiest earners will each reap hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax savings.
As part of a law passed late last year, the Bush-era tax cuts for the richest Americans were extended for two years. The estimated cost to the government of that portion of the tax deal, $42 billion this fiscal year, exceeds the stated $38 billion value of the savings from the federal budget cuts lawmakers approved last week.
continue —
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/thought-the-financial-crisis-was-bad-wait-till-the-debt-ceiling-caves-in/2011/04/15/AFOJ3z4D_blog.html
There is a regular Republican on the WE opinion line that actually stated he receives the farm subsidies from the government but he was complaining that by the time it all came out – he about broke even.
So, if this is true – then why take the farm subsidies in the first place?
This person is a known Republican and just loves to rant and scream about all the overspending by the feds but I guess he has yet to figure out if he would follow Nancy Reagan’s advice and Just Say NO to those farm subsidies he gets – he would not be a part of the problem.
Or maybe his core principles do not apply to himself?
correct me if I am wrong, but don’t farmers have to apply for those subsidies?
If one strongly feels they just break even – then why bother and Just Say NO.
Maybe we can make that a new bumper sticker for the Anti-Tea Party – If you hate government t handouts – then JUST SAY NO to yours.
indy – from what I’ve read of agricultural subsidies a dollar amount is set prior to harvest as a base price for whatever the farmer is raising/growing and if it sells for less than that the govt makes up the difference PLUS there’s an additional amount the govt tacks on just because we want farmers to keep farming.
If the WE opinion line commenter is just breaking even WITH farm subsidies he would probably have to call it quits without it. This is exactly why these things are in place. So lets cut back on helping the family farmer and poor working slobs. Cut the entitlements (as opposed to tax cuts) because they’re bankrupting America.
Heavy on the Sarcasm, please.
Looks like their is pushback from the established GOP against The Donald….
Pay close attention to the section about Trump’s book which advocated universal health care.
I wonder if the Tea Party people know about that? Or does a new-found birther believer ‘trump’ someone who wants universal health care?
What an interesting political poker game that is developing….
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/Chocola-Trump-president-ClubforGrowth/2011/04/18/id/393276
On second thought, maybe the Tea Party Republicans don’t really care about the rich guy’s beliefs as long as he brings his beautiful green money with him to the mad hatters party.
Money talks and B.S. walks ……that has yet to fail.
I am posting this link because I think it pertains to the cartoon above – the agenda. I think this racism ugliness in the GOP is just but one part of their agenda.
And these folks can sit back and profess all they want about how they are sorry for doing crap like this but they are sounding like they are only sorry because they got caught.
Pay particular attention to the part of this latest apology as to when they profess to be ‘imperfect Christian’. WTH does that have to do with it?
I’m tired of these fake Religious Right Republicans using their religion as their excuse for being not only insensitive, mean spirited and hateful – but it makes them sound utterly stupid.
And I am insulted by these fake Christians demeaning the real Christianity message of love your neighbor as yourself.
What part of this email this buffoon spread on even remotely comes close to showing God’s love?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/18/racist-obama-email-califo_n_850754.html
BTW – How many times has this happened in the past 2 1/2 years since Obama got elected?
My God, are we still in grade school and this is what still passes as comical on the part of the GOP? When will the grown ups return to the Grand Old Party and kick their grade school bullies and thugs to the curb?
Wow – Boehner and fellow Republicans have no trouble finding the $500,000 in our out-of-balanced- budget to pay for this wasteful spending.
Wonder why they can’t just take $500,000 away from one of their corporate buddies and call it a day??
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/19/house-republicans-500k-defense-marriage-act_n_851035.html
From Publishers Lunch:
“Frank Bailey’s BLIND ALLEGIANCE TO SARAH PALIN, written with author Ken Morris and Alaska political blogger Jeanne Devon, pitched as a “chilling exposé” of Palin;”
Not to be outdone…
“NYT bestselling author, syndicated columnist, and conservative political commentator Ann Coulter’s DEMONIC: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America; “
I still cannot get that picture of Ann Coulter with that eye patch she wore a few years ago out of head.
And does she ever wear anything but that tight, short black dress with the stiletto heels?
I hear that look sells well on certain streets in Washington……
Here’s another plank in that agenda pictured in the cartoon above.
Let’s review -shall we? This is the same governor that took that labor mural down awhile ago – remember?
Hmm, do you think this doing away with child labor laws has any connecction to the Tea Party Republicans’ insatiable quest to deport all illegal immigrants also?
let’s see – decimation of the working class, getting kids to work longer hours for cheap labor and getting rid of the illegal immigrants – hey WWJD???
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/19/paul-lepage-child-labor-laws_n_851113.html
Quote of the day:
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX):
“No one can seriously believe that the constitution’s authors intended to create a right to same-sex marriage. They didn’t even count the blacks or women as people”
Do these idiots even think for a second before they open their mouths, anymore?
Heh…
I wonder if Rep Lamar Smith even knows how many of the Founding Fathers had mistresses?
Now how is that supposed to strengthen traditional marriage?
How does the tea party still pass as a grassroot movement on network tv? Why do americans have this problem of connecting the dots between Dick Army the promoter, and the Koch bothers the financiers? I keep hoping the people will wake up. Watching Rachel last night it looks like the tea bagger nuts rallying cry is waning, but I’m sure once the elections get closer the corporations will fire things up with hugh amounts of money. Whats ticking me off the most lately is the way Obama is having to do most of the work selling the progressive philosophy. The rest of the democrats just don’t seem to capture the news. It concerns me that maybe their are more blue dogs than we know.
There are two tea parties. There is the original movement and then there is the Corporate Tea Party of which you spoke about.
I see the media shaping up the debate as a civil war within the GOP.
And on some level, I think the media is correct about that. But the media also has to get those ratings – so let’s see – which person shall we cover today – the nutty right-wingers or the serious person who wants to find solutions to our problems.
Sad to say – nutty right wingers get high ratings…..
A suggested blog for the harder-core geeks among us: http://kmandla.wordpress.com/
You have been warned. 🙂
Sigh. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110419/ap_on_re_us/us_houston_school_gun
So very sad. A kindergartner.