Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obama is acting like he is personally giving us roads and other infrastructure.

I have no idea how you're getting this from his statement. Some people really are beyond reason's grasp, I guess.

Count me as another person beyond reason's grasp.

You guys and gals do know that if we were to tax the rich at, say, 100% of income, the crash course trajectory that the country is on is only delayed a few years, right? And if you tax the rich and confiscate all their wealth, we delay a bit longer but still are in trouble, right? You do know this, don't you? This is why some on the right want to see commitments to structural changes to the things that are driving the problem: entitlements.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you listen carefully to what he said, he wasn't saying that you didn't build your business. He was trying to say that your business benefitted from the infrastructure that it uses (roads, bridges, the US mail, public schools which educate your employees) and you didn't build that.

You didn't build any of that. The taxpayers did. Good infrastructure is helpful to business and the economy. We need taxes to pay for it.

It was a badly drafted statement, but it was accurate.

I know this may be hard to understand but businesses and the people that work in them actually do pay taxes.

You're starting to see the point. Infrastructure costs money. We need taxes to pay for infrastructure. That infrastructure doesn't just benefit individuals. It benefits businesses and the people who work in them. It's a joint effort.

Maybe he should have said "You didn't build that ALONE."

Anonymous wrote:Obama is acting like he is personally giving us roads and other infrastructure.

I have no idea how you're getting this from his statement. Some people really are beyond reason's grasp, I guess.

Anonymous wrote:Well, then why don't we all pay 100% taxes, and then Obama can give us whatever he thinks we deserve?

Or, let's pay no taxes at all. Let each one of us fare for ourselves.

Well, then why don't we all pay 100% taxes, and then Obama can give us whatever he thinks we deserve?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get sorry weary of right wing republicans who claim they are self-made men and women. They are Americans who were blessed enough to grow up in America where we have a strong infrastructure of roads and schools, and where people abide by the rules of law.

By and large the wealthy do not fight, bleed or die in our wars and they don't want to pay for them in the form of taxes. Right-wing republicans want all of the benefits of being Americans, but they don't want to share in any of the burdens.

Wealthy Americans enjoy their abundant wealth and paying a few more percentage points in income taxes will not diminish their quality of life one bit.

Stop complaining and start doing your fair share to keep this country great.

What is that fair share? If 50% of people pay no federal income taxes and the top 20% pay almost 70% of the federal income tax, how much more do you think is fair?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304356604577338122267919032.html

Don't confuse fairness with equity.

50% of the people pay no federal INCOME taxes because they are too poor. (And they pay plenty in other taxes).

We have a progressive tax system that places more burden on people with the ability to pay more, and appropriately so.

Since 1979, most income growth has gone to the top 1% of earners. Their income grew by 275%.

That 50% of the population you disdain so much? The share of income going to higher-income households rose, while the share going to lower-income households fell.

http://www.cbo.gov/publication/42729#.UAa8hgXvAco.facebook

To answer your question: The people whose share of income has outpaced everyone else can afford to pay more. And they should.

Obama is acting like he is personally giving us roads and other infrastructure. Last time I checked, those things are paid for by taxpayers.

Having seen my Dad build a business (a retail paint store) from scratch when I was 15, I can say that the vast majority of people have no idea what it takes to start a business and keep it successful. When he opened the store, he literally worked for 4 months without even one day off . He took Thanksgiving Day off, and then worked straight through until Christmas. He didn't take a vacation for at least a few years, no 4-day weekend if July 4th was on a Tuesday, not getting off early to come to our sports and activities. He did all this after managing someone else's paint store for 20 years. Now, he has two stores, a few employees, can go in 4-days a week, and can vacation twice a year. And my blood boils every time I hear someone tell him, "You're so lucky that your business is successful, and you can vacation so much." He's too polite to call them on it, but he'll tell me after, "Working 12 hour days has really made me lucky."

The roads that lead to his store were paid in part by his taxes he was paying from when he was 18 (homeowner taxes from when he was 21). They are kept up by the sales tax he is required to collect from his customers. Obama is acting like the roads and power grid belong to him and he's just letting us use them.

So if Obama doesn't realize that those comments are offensive, he is out of touch. But it's not class warfare. Really, it's not , he's just demonizing rich, successful people. Not class warfare at all...

Anonymous wrote:I get sorry weary of right wing republicans who claim they are self-made men and women. They are Americans who were blessed enough to grow up in America where we have a strong infrastructure of roads and schools, and where people abide by the rules of law.

By and large the wealthy do not fight, bleed or die in our wars and they don't want to pay for them in the form of taxes. Right-wing republicans want all of the benefits of being Americans, but they don't want to share in any of the burdens.

Wealthy Americans enjoy their abundant wealth and paying a few more percentage points in income taxes will not diminish their quality of life one bit.

Stop complaining and start doing your fair share to keep this country great.

What is that fair share? If 50% of people pay no federal income taxes and the top 20% pay almost 70% of the federal income tax, how much more do you think is fair?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304356604577338122267919032.html

Anonymous wrote:If you listen carefully to what he said, he wasn't saying that you didn't build your business. He was trying to say that your business benefitted from the infrastructure that it uses (roads, bridges, the US mail, public schools which educate your employees) and you didn't build that.

You didn't build any of that. The taxpayers did. Good infrastructure is helpful to business and the economy. We need taxes to pay for it.

It was a badly drafted statement, but it was accurate.

I know this may be hard to understand but businesses and the people that work in them actually do pay taxes.

If you listen carefully to what he said, he wasn't saying that you didn't build your business. He was trying to say that your business benefitted from the infrastructure that it uses (roads, bridges, the US mail, public schools which educate your employees) and you didn't build that.

You didn't build any of that. The taxpayers did. Good infrastructure is helpful to business and the economy. We need taxes to pay for it.

It was a badly drafted statement, but it was accurate.

Freeman wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Collectivism is for weak nations. Celebration of the individual is the revolutionary ideal that built the greatest nation to ever cross the horizon of this world.

E pluribus unum: "Out of many, one." That sounds a lot like collectivism to me. That's also been the motto of the US since the time of the American revolution, and it is still present on the Seal of the United States. Do you understand what that means? Our nation was founded by many great individuals WORKING TOGETHER to build something greater than they could achieve separately. We commonly refer to our Founding Fathers, not just a single individual, when we talk about those times as well. We celebrate individualism when warranted, but not individualism at the expense of everything else.

yes. Conservatives really should get a clue about this.

Anonymous wrote:Romney is screwed, and it is because he's trying to please people like the OP when he should be connecting with people in the middle of the political spectrum.

It's cute that the wingnuts discovered how to use photoshop this campaign cycle. At least you have that.

lol. this.

Anonymous wrote:Collectivism is for weak nations. Celebration of the individual is the revolutionary ideal that built the greatest nation to ever cross the horizon of this world.

E pluribus unum: "Out of many, one." That sounds a lot like collectivism to me. That's also been the motto of the US since the time of the American revolution, and it is still present on the Seal of the United States. Do you understand what that means? Our nation was founded by many great individuals WORKING TOGETHER to build something greater than they could achieve separately. We commonly refer to our Founding Fathers, not just a single individual, when we talk about those times as well. We celebrate individualism when warranted, but not individualism at the expense of everything else.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Collectivism is for weak nations. Celebration of the individual is the revolutionary ideal that built the greatest nation to ever cross the horizon of this world.

We won WWII with collective action. So much for that idiotic line of argument.

NP here. I totally support previous PP's desire to be completely independent. Please accept our congratulations as you move on to find a deserted island and start your own civilization, PP! I idolize you and would hate for you to be a hypocrite and use our power grid, roadways, public education system, healthcare system, museums, police, military, all previous technological advances, vaccines, etc. You're so bold, what a hero!

Anonymous wrote:Collectivism is for weak nations. Celebration of the individual is the revolutionary ideal that built the greatest nation to ever cross the horizon of this world.

We won WWII with collective action. So much for that idiotic line of argument.