Obama: Rich People Paying Higher Taxes is Patriotic, Shared Sacrifice not Socialism

July 22, 2011

Talk about newspeak! Here’s another video of President Obama during his town hall, explaining how it’s patriotic to pay higher taxes, and how shared sacrifice is not socialism. He also blathered about people buying cars and paying for college, as if it’s the job of the rich to pay for those things for others.

Partial transcript via Politico:

“This idea of balance, this idea of shared sacrifice, of a deficit plan that includes tough spending cuts but also includes tax reform that raises new revenue, this isn’t just my position, this isn’t just the Democratic position, this isn’t some wild-eyed socialist position,” Obama said. “This is a position that has been taken by people of both parties and no party.”

I don’t see him sharing in any sacrifice.

via Fox Nation

Tags: obama, patriotic, socialism, taxes, townhall, video

7 Responses to Obama: Rich People Paying Higher Taxes is Patriotic, Shared Sacrifice not Socialism

andy42302 on July 22, 2011 at 4:38 pm
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It’s interesting how the blind sheep from the right will cry “socialism” when they’re really saying that they kowtow for the affluent.
Actually, as many adults well understand, the real issue isn’t about spending but rather about paying bills that we’ve already incurred. It’s understandable that spending has its place on the table in the budget talks but what we’re seeing from the Tea Party folks is a head in the sand binary conclusion that it’s the only variable in the equation. Conveniently, this helps the GOP maintain their “hands off our wealthy campaign contributors” mindset while promoting their agenda of cutting food stamps, education, and ending Medicare as we know it.
At the end of the day, our real problem isn’t a present spending issue but rather a revenue problem. The GOP started 2 expensive wars while unprecedentedly lowering taxes, mainly for the most wealthy. Republicans changed a law in 2006 as part of creating Medicare Part D, privatizing the negotiating process at a cost to tax payers of $100 billion, with no means of paying for it.
If you recall, just 10 years ago, their was no deficit and we were on track to eliminate the national debt altogether by 2010. Then came the tax breaks where GWB promised us that “Tax relief will create new jobs. Tax relief will generate new wealth. And tax relief will open new opportunities.” That obviously, was proven to be an abject failure. It will be 10 years ago this August 1, 2001, that the Associated Press reported that the Treasury Department was tapping $51 billion of credit in order to pay for the budgetary cost of the first round of Bush tax cuts.
Perhaps the biggest failure was lowering taxes while starting wars. Abraham Lincoln understood that he had to raised taxes to pay for the Civil War. McKinley knew this and promptly raised taxes to cover the Spanish-American War. Wilson pushed through huge hikes due to WWI. WWII, Korea, and Vietnam all contributed to tax hikes from Presidents of both parties. GWHB possibly committed political suicide by raising taxes after the Kuwait invasion. This is what Presidential leadership is. It’s doing what’s right for the country verses what appeases wealthy contributors or sounds nice to the voters.
Taxes today are lower than they have been in over 50 years. Accordingly, Federal revenues have dropped to 15% — a 50-year low. As poll after poll after poll after poll shows, American workers do not want to bear this entire burden on their own. They have loudly demonstrated that they expect the wealthy to contribute. They are justified in their demands. It may prove to be in the GOP’s best interests to listen to their constituents.
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- michigan on July 22, 2011 at 4:57 pm
  What, whom or how do you define “wealthy”?
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  - andy42302 on July 22, 2011 at 5:41 pm
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    My definition of wealthy is irrelevant. Pertaining to my post, there has been debate on raising taxes on those making over $250K and that’s been discussed as high as those making $1 million. Looking back at the Bush/Clinton years, the Bush tax cuts slashed about $50K from those making $1 million while giving those that made $50K a tax break of about $20 bucks. Considering that the Clinton years created 23 million jobs and left us with a surplus, perhaps returning to those days, or at least consider debate of those days, would be a great place to start.
    Again, what I, you, or the moderators here construe as wealthy, while debatable, is irrelevant. Policies that have been proven to be successful in contrast with policies such as the tax breaks for millionaires that have proven to be an abject failure, should be the argumentative issues. Hopefully I answered your question. I look forward to your rebuttal but I expect a simple click on the “dislike” with the usual cowardly return-head-to-sand non-response that’s so prevalent here.
    Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: 0 4
Lonely Conservative on July 22, 2011 at 5:48 pm
Did you say something?
Like or Dislike: 2 1
Soldier4110 on July 22, 2011 at 8:55 pm
This President has frequently used tortured rhetoric that means nothing…….him doing nothing. He has even built on the various tortured rhetoric statements. At least when he talked to Joe the Plumber way back in 2008, he said his plan was to “distribute the wealth.”
Like or Dislike: 2 0
- Lonely Conservative on July 22, 2011 at 9:36 pm
  I’m sure his rhetoric has been tested on politically illiterate focus groups who think it sounds good.
  Like or Dislike: 0 0
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