American history, as told through the two Romneys
The political debate continues to be dominated by questions involving GOP nominee Mitt Romney and his financial history, more particularly his refusal to release any tax information other than his 2010 return and an estimate of his 2011 taxes.
The decision to withhold the information has begun to perplex even conservative pundits such as William Kristol (”It’s crazy”) to George Will (”He must have calculated that there are higher costs in releasing them).” In many cases, unflattering comparisons are being drawn between Romney and his father, George, who as a candidate for the GOP nomination in 1968 began the modern practice of tax disclosure by releasing 12 years of his returns.
While that debate rages, I thought it might be interesting to study what we know of the two Romneys not for what it might tell us about their character, openness, etc., but about the time and place in which each man lived.
Take a look at the thumbnail financial descriptions posted on the right. The younger Romney, as a passive, non-working investor now drawing upon his success at Bain Capital, collected income in 2010 amounting to 439 times the median household income of his fellow Americans.
His father, during a 12-year period in which he mainly worked as chairman and president of American Motors, earned an average annual income that was 44 times that of the median household income of his fellow Americans. Adjusted for inflation, his average income of $247,743 in 1965 dollars would be $1.7 million today.
In the ’50s and ’60s, a period considered the economic heyday of a free and capitalist post-war America, George Romney paid 37 percent of his income in federal taxes.
By 2010, Romney’s son paid a total of 13.9 percent of his income in federal taxes, this in an America that is supposedly well on its way to becoming a socialist state, with a confiscatory federal government intent on stealing the wealth of its highest earners.
Reality, in other words, directly contradicts mythology, but with little apparent effect. The fact that the “socialist” meme not only survives but thrives despite its obvious absurdity is, I would argue, testimony to the perception-altering power of propaganda. Or as the elder Romney might put it, a case of brainwashing.
– Jay Bookman
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645 comments Add your comment
Jeffrey
July 16th, 2012
5:24 pm
My bet is there are at least two years, probably more, where mitt paid so little in taxes that it is probably close to zero percent. So, he’ll never release them.
Jay
July 16th, 2012
5:25 pm
Oh brother. A lecture on “love of country” from the guy saving up his quarters for a one-way ticket to Singapore?
Recon 0311 2533
July 16th, 2012
5:25 pm
Jay, “demanding”? The problem for Obama and the Democrats no one cares. I’m in favor of you and your fellow liberal Democrats foolishly continuing on because the voters will in greater numbers see this pathetic strategy as really designed to divert attention from Obama’s dismal record.
Aquagirl
July 16th, 2012
5:26 pm
There is this thing called “love of country” Maybe you should explore it
I’ve noticed a distinct preference for Mitt types to explore their love by wielding power, not huddling in a foxhole or other lowly jobs. Funny how that works.
GT
July 16th, 2012
5:26 pm
Jay that may still be his greatest asset, it sure isn’t his personality.
Jm (LL) -pass TSPLOST silly people
July 16th, 2012
5:27 pm
Tbs 5:22 I have money invested abroad
I guess that makes me and everyone else that has a pension fund, 401k, IRA or employee that does business abroad a traitor too
That’s stupid and one can draw their own conclusions from the person who said it
Very silly
Mark in mid-own
July 16th, 2012
5:28 pm
Jay Bookman, I have a couple of questions for you that I hope you could answer?
1) Who paid a higher effective tax rate on the most recent year of tax returns released during their respective runs for the presidency,John Kerry or Mitt Romney? I think the correct answer is Mitt Romney. Can you confirm that?
2) Who paid more money in income tax during 2010, Mitt Romney or Warren Buffett? I think the answer is Mitt Romney even though Warren Buffett has a net worth about 200 times greater than Mitt Romney. Can you please confirm that? Interesting news story there if you think about it.
kayaker 71
July 16th, 2012
5:29 pm
According to Wall St. Wire 24/7, some interesting facts about past presidents and their net worth:
George Washington 525M
John Adams 19M
Thomas Jefferson 212M
James Madison 101M
James Monroe 27M
John Q Adams 21M
Andrew Jackson 119M
Martin Van Buren 26M
Wm Henry Harrison 5M
John Tyler 51M
James Polk 10M
Zachary Taylor 6M
Grover Cleveland 25M
Theodore Roosevelt 125M
Herbert Hoover 75M
FDR 60M
JFK Trusts estimated at 1B
Richard Nixon 15M
LBJ 95M
Jimmy Carter 7M
Ronald Reagan 13M
Slick Willy 38M, now estimated at over 100M
GW Bush 20M
Bozo 5M
Certainly, all 1%ers. And think what our earlier president’s fortunes would have been in today’s dollars. We have a rich history of rich presidents. Why is Romney so different?
Get Real
July 16th, 2012
5:29 pm
All smoke and mirrors Jaybo, God forbid that we focus on what really matters…THE ECONOMY
Obama and his campaign team can run but they cannot hide!! His comments on Friday in VA were his dumbest to date…
Jeffrey
July 16th, 2012
5:29 pm
Skyboxification. I really like that.
getalife
July 16th, 2012
5:30 pm
Show us your 1999-2012 tax returns like bill said on fox.
They BOTH suck
July 16th, 2012
5:31 pm
Jm
My point is that I do think a wealthy person can be bought. I have not nor will knock Romney’s wealth. With that said, people are bought in various forms every day without money.
I am not saying he doesn’t love this country, even though I did post about him taking some of his money offshore. I do not think he has done anything illegal, but I WOULD NOT DO IT……. period
And he like the vast majority of politicians have egos, so I doubt this is all for mom, apply pie and chevrolets.
But it does sound good.
Heck Obama can make more than 350k with his credentials. Dog him all you like, but he can be working at a high powered firm as we speak making big BANK. He like Romney has an ego and will do what it takes to get elected.
Using that for “love of country” idea, one can argue with the Obama’s net worth vs Romney’s, Obama “loves” the US more because he doesn’t have that big of a cushion. But I wouldn’t claim that because to me it sounds pretty stupid.
Jm (LL) -pass TSPLOST silly people
July 16th, 2012
5:31 pm
Jay 5:25
yep
I guess you could say I live the country enough to leave it if it evolves into something very different than the freedom loving country it used to be
I can love this country but recognize that times change
If it’s not a good fit for me, ie I don’t share the same values and I don’t think it’s likely to change, well then I guess I don’t belong here
If I can save up enough quarters
Aquagirl
July 16th, 2012
5:32 pm
Jay Bookman, I have a couple of questions for you that I hope you could answer?
Ummmmmm…..John Kerry! Warren Buffet!
This is frakkin’ hilarious.
Jm (LL) -pass TSPLOST silly people
July 16th, 2012
5:33 pm
Jeffrey 5:24 fair bet
There are probably good reasons he may have paid so little (loss carryforwards) but that would get lost in the noise in a soundbite media age
Joseph
July 16th, 2012
5:33 pm
Here we go… Again I ask. Am I supposed to be worried about what Mitt Romney does with his money or worried about what Oblama does with mine?????
They BOTH suck
July 16th, 2012
5:33 pm
Jm
Quit being a RICHARD. I never claimed he was a traitor
That is you words. You love to play the punk and put words in people’s mouth, you do.
Investing in a company overseas is not the same as having accounts overseas. There can be overlap. So a smart man like yourself needs to stop playing dumb and playing people for being dumb
Common Damn Sense isn't Very Common
July 16th, 2012
5:34 pm
JM
where do we send the quarters
They BOTH suck
July 16th, 2012
5:34 pm
“that is your words”
getalife
July 16th, 2012
5:34 pm
willard lost the outsourcing argument.
Joseph
July 16th, 2012
5:35 pm
Divide, distract and smear…. That sums up Oblama’s campaign…. Sad.. Really sad…
Jm (LL) -pass TSPLOST silly people
July 16th, 2012
5:35 pm
Tbs
I’m not arguing that one candidate loves their country more than the other
barking frog
July 16th, 2012
5:36 pm
Quarters for Jm
c/o Jay Bookman
AJC
all donations appreciated
Joseph
July 16th, 2012
5:37 pm
Oblama meets with Springer… Two loons in a pod…
http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/07/obama-meets-with-jerry-springer-129069.html
Jm (LL) -pass TSPLOST silly people
July 16th, 2012
5:37 pm
“Investing in a company overseas is not the same as having accounts overseas.”
Yes it is. All assets are subject to US tax law per the tax code. Tax wise, no difference.
getalife
July 16th, 2012
5:37 pm
No money for a quitter.
They BOTH suck
July 16th, 2012
5:38 pm
Jm
Thanks. While I may go after your posts. I do not put words in your mouth. I would appreciate you do the same.
None of us on here have all the answers and not one person hasn’t been wrong on something. With that said, please refrain from putting words in my mouth.
Opinion or fact: use them to go after me, but words in my mouth.
Come on dude
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
July 16th, 2012
5:39 pm
People are TIRED of the waste, fraud and abuse in government entitlement (and other) spending and of the government taking their hard earned money and just giving it to others. Buckle that belt ………. fugality is in !
And yes libs., if the American people through their elected representatives want to freeze or cut back on federal pensions (although at least they were earned !) so be it. I can handle it.
I give 10% of my gross (yes gross !) to charitable institutions ………. voluntary giving is one thing but involuntary giving is another.
Enough is enough !
Just saying..
July 16th, 2012
5:39 pm
Honestly, the political price he’s paying, fresh off winning the delegate count, is mind boggling. And completely self-inflected. The guy’s been running for President for 8 years. Did he imagine he’d get a pass? What kind of calculation is this? If there’s bad news in those returns, only one guy had complete control over them.
GT
July 16th, 2012
5:39 pm
Even if O had a dismal record, which if true would be a lot cheaper campaign for Big Bucks Romney, what makes anyone think that Romney is a dismal stopper. I realize we don’t see this guy all that much, he is like a nerd on rush day, but he has got to be the best looking no personality guy that ever sail these waters. Say what you will about Kennedy the man had a great personality. Dismal you ain’t seen dismal til you spend this record, Romney is about as stiff as a corpse.
Jm (LL) -pass TSPLOST silly people
July 16th, 2012
5:39 pm
Common frog
Lemme know when you send 5 or 10 million quarters in
barking frog
July 16th, 2012
5:39 pm
getalife
Jm is self deporting.
They BOTH suck
July 16th, 2012
5:39 pm
Jm
Really? So every American with an off shore account pays US taxes on that money?
JohnnyReb
July 16th, 2012
5:40 pm
Where is the character of Obama, his surrogates, and supporters?
It is in plain sight and it is not flattering.
Obama cannot run on his record so his campaign cooks up this outrageous canard trying to vilify Romney for being successful.
It does not matter that Romney was no longer at Bain during the period of question. Bain did nothing illegal. Only in the mind/eyes of Liberals is making money a bad thing.
The issue is not that American companies take work overseas but why they do so.
Apparently, Moonbats put winning above all else at all costs. I believe that is found in Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals,but they will deny it.
No, they aren’t socialists – at least in their minds.
Lucifer
July 16th, 2012
5:40 pm
“A rich man can’t be bought.” Perhaps the most ludicrous statement I have ever heard. Just because a man is wealthy doesn’t negate his need to grow even wealthier. Some of these billionaires want to become trillionaires. And many times alternatives to money, such as power, is the currency of corruption. So, what crap – “a rich man can’t be bought.” PURE POPPYCOCK!!!
getalife
July 16th, 2012
5:40 pm
frog,
He is begging for quarters to quit his country.
Sad.
pogo
July 16th, 2012
5:41 pm
Another piece by Jay to deflect the reality of the misery that Obama is inflicting upon this country. That is what Jay and the Obama campaign have been reduced to since Obama has nothing else to offer. He has made a bad situation worse. Anything to divert what a complete and abject failure the Obama administration has been. Innuendo is the calling card of Chicago politics and apparently for Jay and the Democratic party. It doesn’t matter if it is factual or if it is make believe, just as long as they introduce doubt. They are hinging the whole Obama campaign on the premise that if they throw out enough garbage on Romney that the swing voters will believe them and turn the election. We do know that Obama will lie. We do know that Obama has made the American economy worse. We do know that record numbers of people in this country are on government assistance because of Obama. What perplexes me even more is that supposedly intelligent people fall for these small-time political tactics and in that way perhaps I give the American people more credit than they deserve. And Jay, you are one of them. Of course you will have to live with your decision to support the liar in chief. And so will your children.
getalife
July 16th, 2012
5:42 pm
reb,
But Obama…..
Too funny.
They BOTH suck
July 16th, 2012
5:42 pm
“People are TIRED of the waste, fraud and abuse in government entitlement (and other) spending and of the government taking their hard earned money and just giving it to others. Buckle that belt ………. fugality is in ”
Can we assume that you didn’t vote for Chambliss and Isakson? Don’t know who your Congress person is, so can’t call them out.
I did vote for Isakson, I must confess, but Chambliss not in a million years.
Common Damn Sense isn't Very Common
July 16th, 2012
5:43 pm
It’s more expensive to buy a rich man than a poor man
- Thomas Jefferson
They BOTH suck
July 16th, 2012
5:43 pm
Jm
I am not saying what they are subject too, I am saying are they paying it.
You know that answer.
Once again, I’m not saying Romney has done anything illegal. I would say he hasn’t.
j nes
July 16th, 2012
5:44 pm
Despite what the Obama campaign might want voters to believe, Mitt Romney’s record as a businessman is stellar. The tax records he has not released and the multimillion-dollar bank accounts Romney holds (including the recently closed Swiss account) do not tarnish his success; they simply prove it.
A good executive in the private sector turns a profit for his company—period. Mitt Romney did just that for Bain Capital, whether he left in 1999 or 2002, and he was handsomely compensated for his work. There is controversy as to whether laying off thousands of workers and outsourcing labor to foreign countries led to Bain’s fortunes during Romney’s reign, but in the world of private equity, these practices are both common and well within the government regulations that Romney now ironically claims are so problematic to a successful American economy.
Considering his accomplishments, American voters should not be surprised that the Republicans’ blue-blooded, white collared nominee is running on his business record alone. It is understandable that he does not cite his actual governing experience–where he successfully implemented a health care mandate and created fewer jobs than 46 other states. Instead, Mitt Romney (the business opportunist) has been relegated to preaching that America’s negative balance sheet offers him a chance to do what he does best: financial engineering, the euphemistic term for what was once known as hostile takeover.
But there is a major crack in Mitt Romney’s foundational premise: America is not a business, and even if it were, it would be the kind of struggling business that corporate executive Romney chopped up and sold for spare parts—or worse, declared bankrupt. These are not options for America the country, and that is why CEO Romney is not the right man for the job of President. Maybe Governor Romney can still give it a shot.
from politicdiscourse.com
barking frog
July 16th, 2012
5:44 pm
getalife
Jm is just looking for a
better life like the millions
of immigrants that want to
take his place when he is
gone.
Lord Help Us
July 16th, 2012
5:44 pm
JohnnyReb, were you outraged at the ’swiftboating’ of John Kerry?
JohnnyReb
July 16th, 2012
5:47 pm
getalife – so you are OK with the Obama campaign trying to destroy Romney with lies? Well documented lies. That they care more about winning than the truth. You are OK with a man like that being POTUS?
Martin the Calvinist
July 16th, 2012
5:48 pm
You know, Jay has never expressed how high a tax rate is fair, I know you’ve advocated a return to the Clinton rates for all Americans. I know you’ve never said how large should be the US gov’ts budget, to what percentage of GDP or a number figure. I know under the current tax system I pay no income tax and get a return every year, I think that is more common than some millionaire only paying 13.9%. We currently take in about 2.3 Trillion a year, I think that’s too much, I don’t want a large intrusive heavy spending gov’t. We can’t sustain it……
They BOTH suck
July 16th, 2012
5:48 pm
“JohnnyReb, were you outraged at the ’swiftboating’ of John Kerry?”
All that was true. Thought you knew that. Book came out and everything.
j/k: I thought it was deplorable. With that said Kerry is nothing more than a politician’s politician.
They BOTH suck
July 16th, 2012
5:50 pm
JR
The recent attacks are BS, I am with you. With that said, the Romney campaign has already been caught telling a few “stories” themselves.
Are you good with it? Throw stones, they are coming back in big boy politics. Sucks that all sides do it, but Romney and his team are surely not the ones that need to be crying about dirty play
Jm (LL) -pass TSPLOST silly people
July 16th, 2012
5:50 pm
Getalife 5:40 hardly
JohnnyReb
July 16th, 2012
5:50 pm
Lord Help Us – there is a difference between a candidates campaign versus a PAC making accusations. In Kerry’s case, it was a PAC, not Bush. In this case, Obama is right in the middle of it. Another example of him having no class, which I have stated her numerous times.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
July 16th, 2012
5:50 pm
SoCoBro: On the surface, they are both one and the same. They are capitalists who are/were good at what they did during their era in US history. The real story is the de-evolution of what we call capitalism. During the elder Romney’s period, capitalist did not bite the hand that fed them, i.e. they understood and realized that a strong country allowed them to benefit from their endeavors
Hoover, Republican Pro-Business Pro-small government, once said the only thing that was wrong with capitalism was capitalists.
nelsonh
July 16th, 2012
5:52 pm
In the entire history of American politics, the choice has never been clearer, the failed economic policies of the current administration for 4 more years or a new frontier forged by a proven businessman. CEOs of large companies are expected to make a lot of money. The CEO of LLY John Leighliter has taken in $50,000,000 the last four years, but the shareholders are prospering[5%] dividend and 22% appreciation the last two years. With a leader everyone prospers, that is the way the USA will prosper under Mitt Romney. He will give up his tax returns, it will only show what a smart, shrewed businessman he is.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
July 16th, 2012
5:52 pm
If anything, it looks to me like Teresa Heinz Kerry sports a bigger sack than Willard Mitt Romney does
Amen Brother Joe. Amen.
GT
July 16th, 2012
5:53 pm
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801 giving away that money is suppose to heal the soul, obviously it didn’t take with you. Chill baby you going to die some day, people, by the way, are tire of dying too, but that don’t seem to slow it down none. You ever seen a u-haul behind a hearse 031188541/5811/1801 (hope I spelled that right) can’t take it with you or as Steve Jobs once said you come in this world alone and you leave alone. So get tired all you want to my man because ultimately you are going to get all the rest you need.
JohnnyReb
July 16th, 2012
5:53 pm
They Both suck – unfortunately, the Romney campaign is showing signs of painting themselves in a corner and having to flip flop or stretch the truth. I’m not OK with that, but believe it pales compared to what is coming from Obama.
BTW – hope you and yours are doing well.
kayaker 71
July 16th, 2012
5:54 pm
Jobs, my friends, jobs….. that is what will decide this election. Bozo and Bookman keep dodging the main issue….. the economy. Bookman is so preoccupied with Romney’s money that he ignores, purposefully, that we have had over 8% unemployment for the last 42 months. Nothing that Bozo has done has created more jobs. The real rate is more like 12 or 13% if you count the ones who have just quit looking. Anything but the economy….. women, Sandra Fluke, birth control pills, latinos, Mexican illegals, tax returns, out sourcing of jobs, Bain Capital,…… anything but the economy. But it won’t go away, will it libs? It just hangs around like a 50# weight on your back. The elephant in the living room….. the emperor with no clothes. Bookman won’t touch it…. Bozo ignores it. But it is still there. Wouldn’t you be humiliated as a president if you still had domestic growth at 1.6%. Any true American would. Hell, Mexico is at 4% and they’re fighting a drug war all over their country. I hope the American electorate is not so ideologically stupid so as not to see through all of this sham.
TaxPayer
July 16th, 2012
5:55 pm
Well, given that the average con household makes an average annual wage of about $45,000 and pays an average federal income tax of about 5.25% of their AGI while Mitt pays a whopping 14% of his AGI, I can understand why cons think they need to pay more so Mitt can pay less.
ty webb
July 16th, 2012
5:55 pm
“the younger Romney, as a passive, non-working investor now drawing upon his success at Bain Capital,”
kudos Jay, that sentence just oozes with resentment…and for that alone, I give Romney mega kudos.
Common Damn Sense isn't Very Common
July 16th, 2012
5:55 pm
There once were many capitalists that were truly up from the bootstraps types
Not so many now, mostly are fairly well off types that started with investments from their parents
up from the parents bootstraps maybe
They BOTH suck
July 16th, 2012
5:57 pm
JR
Thanks for the reply. Doing well and hope things are going well for you and yours.
TaxPayer
July 16th, 2012
5:58 pm
Republicans ran on a jobs campaign in 2010. When can we expect to see them deliver a jobs bill to President Obama for his signature. How many years does it take Republicans to come up with one little piece of legislation.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
July 16th, 2012
5:58 pm
Now I know why you call yourself Mama. Maybe you’re going through menopause.
More repuglican attacks on women Recon? When will you thugs LEARN?
Martin the Calvinist
July 16th, 2012
5:59 pm
“I can understand why cons think they need to pay more so Mitt can pay less.”
Taxpayer, this “con” is for lower tax rates for everyone…. your statement lacks sense..”
JohnnyReb
July 16th, 2012
5:59 pm
TaxPayer
July 16th, 2012
5:55 pm
Well, given that the average con household makes an average annual wage of about $45,000 and pays an average federal income tax of about 5.25% of their AGI while Mitt pays a whopping 14% of his AGI, I can understand why cons think they need to pay more so Mitt can pay less.
____________
What a load of crap. Taxpayer, you clearly know Mitt’s income is from investments and he pays the legal rate just like thousands of Liberals who do exactly the same thing.
Lord Help Us
July 16th, 2012
6:00 pm
JohnnyReb, that is splitting hairs…
The swiftboating of Kerry was deplorable, the swiftboating of Max Cleland even more so.
Obama is playing politics with the issue of Mitts finances. I don’t like it either, but to be outraged at one and not the other is illuminating…
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
July 16th, 2012
6:01 pm
Question – How many years does it take Republicans to come up with one little piece of legislation.
Answer – None. Cause they were never serious about a jobs bill in the first place.
Tom Middleton
July 16th, 2012
6:02 pm
Your commentary, Jay, reminds me of the famous quote from John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” at the very end:
Ma Joad: “Rich fellas come up an’ they die, an’ their kids ain’t no good an’ they die out. But we keep a’comin’. We’re the people that live. They can’t wipe us out; they can’t lick us. We’ll go on forever, Pa, ’cause we’re the people.”
GT
July 16th, 2012
6:02 pm
Nope if you got a crook running for office, you may and in some of these right wing situations that is a big may not vote for him. Now why is that man not showing his taxes? I think Judas may have gotten some GOP votes in the day, strange how these people vote. Morals don’t turn them on as much as advertised, but I don’t think they can carry a crook to office anymore. I still think tricky Dick could have won that primary though, it was made to order for his kind of politics.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
July 16th, 2012
6:04 pm
Taxpayer, this “con” is for lower tax rates for everyone…. your statement lacks sense..”
You can’t have it all. It’s sad but true.
To which much has been given, much is expected.
Time for the 1% to pay their fare share.
F. Sinkwich
July 16th, 2012
6:06 pm
So it seems that if only the Mittster paid 37% in taxes all would be right in this world.
This economy would be growing at 5%, unemployment would be under 4%, and gas would be a buck a gallon.
Wrong.
This economy sucks because we have a euro-socialist president who is in the process of “fundamentally transforming” this great land into a third world cesspool like Greece by rewarding failure and punishing those who dare to succeed.
O’bozo calls our constitution a negative document. He refuses to acknowledge our exceptionalism. He acquiesces
TaxPayer
July 16th, 2012
6:07 pm
Wait a minute. Weren’t cons on here recently complaining about how nearly 50% of people pay no federal income tax! Now a couple of them are attacking me for posting the facts about what percentage of AGI another portion of the population pays in taxes as compared to the poor wealthiest that have to pay so much. Well, here’s some data for you: Filers with an average AGI of $150,000 only paid an average of 11.78% of their AGI in federal income taxes in 2009. They can afford to pay at least 14%, like Mitt. Right!
F. Sinkwich
July 16th, 2012
6:07 pm
tour enemies.
Pathetic.
Tundra Dude
July 16th, 2012
6:07 pm
j nes, wrote, in part:
America is not a business, and even if it were, it would be the kind of struggling business that corporate executive Romney chopped up and sold for spare parts—or worse, declared bankrupt
As prez of USA, Inc., Romney would probably “spin off” non-productive states, (almost all the Southern Red states)
He would get rid of non-paying customers, (elderly, disabled, welfare mooches) put them on ice floes/rafts.
He’d sell off/privatize our roads, bridges, utilities and surplus Fed lands.
We could be living in a Lean and Mean Paradise, very soon!!
JohnnyReb
July 16th, 2012
6:08 pm
Lord Help Us – I did not state being OK with what happened to Kerry. I did not give any money in making it happen. On the otherhand, I can’t think of a more deserving recipient. Oh wait…wait… maybe Chuck Schumer.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
July 16th, 2012
6:09 pm
Tom M. – nice quote.
Today’s society reminds me very much of The Hunger Games. Where only a few rule (ruling class); and the rest, (99%) are left hungry and starving and have to kill each other of for a few scapes of food.
That’s because the ruling class LIKED to keep us hungry and fighting amongst ourselves — that way they took the onus off of them, and put it on us.
Its amazing that with record drop losses in the past TEN YEARS, (way before Obama set foot in office); how some people can say that by further cutting the “job creators” tax rates create jobs!
Where are all these jobs after 10+ years of this way of thinking? Why are some people so mired in rhetoric that they can’t see the forest for the trees?
GT
July 16th, 2012
6:12 pm
A little of that Euro problem is Wall Street selling them toilet paper and calling it sound investments. One thing about the old Communist, if someone had sold them that garbage they would have been shot at dawn. In this world the seller got a bonus.
Tundra Dude
July 16th, 2012
6:12 pm
inmate # 0311:
What was the tax rate during our Revolution ?
Axshullly, it was very low b-4 the Rev. Once it started, taxes tripled.
Take it from a “Tea Party” economist:
Tricked on the Fourth of July
by Gary North
http://lewrockwell.com/north/north1002.html
JohnnyReb
July 16th, 2012
6:13 pm
TaxPayer – every wage earner needs to contribute no matter how small their income. The fact that nearly 50% pay no federal income tax is revolting, especially when Moonbats think people who have more should pay even more.
The tax code has been manipulated to produce Welfare. Clinton reduced welfare rolls but the tax code brought them right back in. If a person does not pay federal income tax, s/he is in effect on welfare.
DebbieDoRight - The Only Thing Wrong With Capitalism; is Capitalists
July 16th, 2012
6:14 pm
We could be living in a Lean and Mean Paradise, very soon!!
Uh oh not me! I live in a “red state”! Darn.
Jay
July 16th, 2012
6:15 pm
JohnnyReb, that phenomenon that you so despise is the direct result of the Bush tax cuts (and of course the recession).
Nice to know that you want to raise taxes on the poorest of Americans, while saving the Mitt Romney’s of the world from that terrible hardship.
Tundra Dude
July 16th, 2012
6:16 pm
it looks to me like Teresa Heinz Kerry sports a bigger sack than Willard Mitt Romney does
I heard she calls Mitt trailer trash
Lucifer
July 16th, 2012
6:16 pm
Here’s my reason for disliking Willard and why I think he is slippery as snot. It goes back to his attack ad months ago, one of his first, in which he places McCain’s words in Obama’s mouth. Remember it? McCain said during his campaign if they kept talking about the economy they would lose the election. Well, Obama later quoted McCain’s quote in an ad of his own. Then the Mittster intentionally deleted Obama’s reference to McCain, and went with an attack ad making it as if Obama had said these words himself. This is the pinnacle of sleaze. When Willard was asked by reporters about the obvious outright lying ad, he said “Well, what is sauce of the goose is sauce for the gander.” What the hell does that mean? Somebody is hitting the sauce alright, and it ain’t Barack. The Mittster is slimy, greasy, dirty, filthy, dishonest, a thug, cheat and liar. He would tie his own mother on the roof of his car and travel across the continent if it would win him the election. His is a despictable life form. Now, please excuse me as I go shower.
Martin the Calvinist
July 16th, 2012
6:16 pm
debbie do right, the gov’t by far has stolen more from the American people than the “1%ers”, if you were to sucessfully seize all wealth from millionaires and billionaires you’d still not solve our country’s fiscal issues……it’s time we stopped gov’t from fighting the war on poverty, they are getting their butts handed to them……
DebbieDoRight - The Only Thing Wrong With Capitalism; is Capitalists
July 16th, 2012
6:16 pm
Weren’t cons on here recently complaining about how nearly 50% of people pay no federal income tax!
They’ll repeat anything their daddy LimpBalls tells them to. Even if it makes no sense. Even if it’s a damn lie. They’re like parrots.
Tundra Dude
July 16th, 2012
6:18 pm
We could be living in a Lean and Mean Paradise, very soon!!
Uh oh not me! I live in a “red state”! Darn
Last time I checked, Jawja’s the only Southern Red state that’s not a net importer of Federal funds.
Jm (LL) -pass TSPLOST silly people
July 16th, 2012
6:18 pm
Rule #1
There are suckers and suckees
No amount of government protection can fix that
Don’t be a sucker
Read the fine print and think it through
JohnnyReb
July 16th, 2012
6:19 pm
Jay, the phenomenon of people paying zero federal income tax started long before Bush took office.
The Bush tax cuts went to everyone, not just those who make more.
No one is stating that low income should start now paying federal income taxes, however, it is just as ridiculous to raise taxes on the people who are also paying the lions share.
If you Libs would look at spending cuts with the same drive you do raising taxes, there might just be some middle ground.
Truth-O-Meter
July 16th, 2012
6:19 pm
Didn’t you love hearing Romney demand an apology from Obama. This was a slow day for the president because he should have told Romney, “what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.”
And did Romney apologize to Newt and the others when he trashed them to kingdom come during the primary?
JohnnyReb
July 16th, 2012
6:22 pm
DebbieDoRight – the figure of almost 50% not paying any federal income tax is not a lie or myth. I have posted links here numerous times showing the breakdow, but like many things contrary to Liberalspeak it is ignored by most. Apparently, you are in that group.
DebbieDoRight - The Only Thing Wrong With Capitalism; is Capitalists
July 16th, 2012
6:22 pm
debbie do right, the gov’t by far has stolen more from the American people than the “1%ers”,
Oh so it was the government that shipped all those jobs overseas!! It was the government that caused all those Wall Street traders to play peek a boo with the stock market! It was the government that made those good ole boy companies like Enron go bankrupt, steal from their investors, and hide all their gains!!! It was the GUBMINT that caused Bernie Madoff to invent that highly lucrative ponzi scheme and to steal billions from old people, school districts, retirement funds, friends and acquantances!!
Gee, thanks for breaking that down for me!! You are one smart dude!
Tom Middleton
July 16th, 2012
6:22 pm
DebbieDoRight@6:09: “That’s because the ruling class LIKED to keep us hungry and fighting amongst ourselves — that way they took the onus off of them, and put it on us.”
Good one, Deb. Like you said, they’re always going to try; but if you believe Steinbeck, we’re always going to win overall. Let’s hope so anyway!
pogo
July 16th, 2012
6:22 pm
From the Weekly Standard;
Jeff Zients is the head of the Obama administration’s Office of Management and Budget. “Like Mitt Romney, the man who would unseat his boss, Mr. Zients (rhymes with science) got his professional start at Bain Consulting,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Zients has only praise, it would seem, for Bain:
After graduating in 1988, Mr. Zients started as a consultant at Bain & Co. in Boston, where he “fell in love with Bain’s culture, teamwork…and analytical rigor,” according to a Bain alumni newsletter. (He didn’t work with Mr. Romney, who already had left to start Bain Capital.)
At Bain, Mr. Zients reported to Mary Menell, four years his senior, who became his wife, with whom he now has four children. They were married in Mrs. Zients’s homeland of South Africa, with Nelson Mandela, her parents’ friend, in attendance.
Mr. Zients left Bain to return to Washington and become an entrepreneur. He helped run Advisory Board Co., a research firm, and its spinoff, Corporate Executive Board, which together grew to more than 1,000 employees, and launched an initial public offering for each. In 2002, Fortune magazine named Mr. Zients in its list of the 40 richest Americans under 40. His net worth is conservatively estimated at around $200 million.
As I have said before, Obama knows his base and he is playing people like apparently Jay for fools. Or perhaps they are like Obama and don’t care what the truth is as long as they can win. Bain certainly seems to have touched many, many people in Obama’s inner circle just as the big banks did with people like Geithner and the many lobbyists he has hired (even though he said he would never hire a lobbyist).
TaxPayer
July 16th, 2012
6:23 pm
Everyone should pay something, says JohnnyReb. Hey Johnny. Did you know that in 2009, 18,233,331 returns reported an AGI between $1 and $9000. Now, in 2009 a “single” filer claiming a personal exemption of $3650 and a standard deduction of $5700 would owe no federal income taxes on the first $9350 of AGI. Of course, if those earnings were all wages, then they would still get stuck with those nasty entitlement taxes.
PJ
July 16th, 2012
6:24 pm
Truth-O-Meter @6:19 pm
The President should say to Mitt “sorry , yeah, you sorry”
Truth-O-Meter
July 16th, 2012
6:24 pm
Lucifer @ 6:16
Sorry I didn’t read your post before placing mine. We both remember the “what’s sauce…” comment when he totally distorted the president’s words. I still remember his smug demeanor when he said it.
From my understanding it is a take off on “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” In other words you get what you give. Of course now Romney is getting it and is whining the whole time.
Lord Help Us
July 16th, 2012
6:24 pm
‘No one is stating that low income should start now paying federal income taxes’
Really?!? I have seen it thrown out on this blog so many times, I was surprised to read this…
TaxPayer
July 16th, 2012
6:28 pm
My 6:23 should have stated that those 18,233,331 paid no federal income taxes.
F. Sinkwich
July 16th, 2012
6:28 pm
“NEW YORK – Stocks closed lower, falling for the seventh day out of the past eight days after a report that U.S. consumers are cutting their spending.”
Gee, I wonder why that happened.
Oh, yeah.
O’bozo’s economic euro-socialist policies.
Doh.
Martin the Calvinist
July 16th, 2012
6:28 pm
Sorry Debbie the capitalist hater, I supposed leninist communism is more your taste, tell me how many years does it take for a congressman to get a retirement check from the gov’t, tell me how many bridges to nowhere were built and funded by gov’t or fake alligators places in parks in lubbock texas, Solyendra, ect, ect?
DebbieDoRight - The Only Thing Wrong With Capitalism; is Capitalists
July 16th, 2012
6:29 pm
DebbieDoRight – the figure of almost 50% not paying any federal income tax is not a lie or myth.
I’ve likened it to more of a “Sasquatch sighting” — many people have claimed to have seen it; but surprisingly none have had the sense enough to pull out their cameras/camera phone and take a picture of it.
Its like that tree in the forest — if it falls and no one heard it..etc., etc., etc……..