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Be Patriotic, Or Else!
Joe Klein agrees with Joe Biden: They call it "patriotic" for the wealthy to pay more taxes.
This is a wonderful formulation. Suddenly patriotism becomes compulsory.
After all, taxes aren't something we "ask" the wealthy, or anyone else to pay. It is demanded of them and us by law. Whatever the tax rate is, that is what citizens are required to pay.
Anyone who cares to is free to pay the government more than is required. That could be legitimately considered patriotic. Dumb but patriotic.
But voting to raise other peoples tax rates? Not so much.
Its kind of like compulsory volunteerism. Once you've coerced it, it ain't volunteering. What Klein and Biden are talking about isn't patriotism. It's subjugation.
This is a wonderful formulation. Suddenly patriotism becomes compulsory.
After all, taxes aren't something we "ask" the wealthy, or anyone else to pay. It is demanded of them and us by law. Whatever the tax rate is, that is what citizens are required to pay.
Anyone who cares to is free to pay the government more than is required. That could be legitimately considered patriotic. Dumb but patriotic.
But voting to raise other peoples tax rates? Not so much.
Its kind of like compulsory volunteerism. Once you've coerced it, it ain't volunteering. What Klein and Biden are talking about isn't patriotism. It's subjugation.
posted by Spencerblog at
10:13 PM
23 Comments:
Gil - I listened to Biden talking about taxes. I don't recall him saying it was patriotic to pay more taxes. Could you please be more specific and include the quote? Thanks. Bob
Joe Klein says it here:
"McCain and Palin both attacked Joe Biden for saying that it was the patriotic duty of wealthier Americans to pay more in taxes."
If Klein is misrepresenting Biden We'll be happy to correct.
Here's another citing:
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
AKRON, Ohio -- Fired up in a room full of union members, Joe Biden angrily defended both his ticket’s tax plan and his own claim that tax hikes for the rich are patriotic, while urging fellow Democrats to stand their ground on what he said was a values debate.
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"...He then explained his statement, first made at a rally in Sarasota, FL, two weeks ago, that asking the wealthiest Americans to accept tax hikes would be patriotic. "
Nuff said?
Biden said it. I saw the clip myself. He even leaned in and emphasized it when he said it, so it was no slip.
More Lying Lib word games…
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Gil- I researched it, and found the clip on youtube. I like what he had to say. I think he's right. Would you be opposed to those making over $250,000 a year paying more in taxes to help ease the burden on the little guy, and to help return our economy to a healthier state? Or are you happy with the way things are going?
I'll stand by Biden on this one. I'd even be willing to pay more in taxes if I knew my money was being used to help those less fortunate in this country, instead of being squandered on a senseless invasion and occupation in Iraq. If McCain had said it's patriotic to pay more in taxes to support the war on terrorism, would you be crying foul? With the astronomical costs of two wars, and a weakened military, that could possibly be the case. Someone has to pay for it!
dave, it's un-patriotic to punish the rich for becoming so. God Bless them for achieving such status and I hope to join that level one day. Taxing the rich more is nothing but a feel good move to gain votes, it won't do any good for the economy. (Disclaimer - this statement comes from a non-rich individual)
Diano:
What are you talking about "Fair Share"? How fair is a tax system where the top 25% of the wage earners pay about 86& of all income taxes. The top 1% pay about 40% of all income taxes?
The “rich” already pay more than their “fair share” while consuming the least programs and services.
It’s not about “fairness”. With Libs it never is. That’s another common Liberal class warfare lie they use to sell their Socialism.
C. Scott- Looks as though one of the richest men in the world would agree with Biden.
This from Warren Buffet-
“Frankly, an economy where my receptionist pays a lot higher tax rate than, than I do does not strike me as a just economy," Buffett explained to the lawmakers.
Buffett told ABC news that he had three of his wealthy friends calculates their tax rate and they also came up with the 18 percent tax rate.
Buffett offered a $1 million dollar donation to the charity of his choosing if any billionaire could prove him wrong about the tax rate.
I assume that Buffet knows more about finances and taxes than any of us.
Gil & C. Scott- From a Ben Stein column
The question is simply this: Do we want to step up to the plate like responsible people — I hate to say this, but the last responsible people who actually did this were named Bill and Bob (Clinton and Rubin) — and shoulder our responsibilities? Or do we just kick the can down the road a bit and leave the mess for our children and their children?
And if we do raise taxes, should people who are barely getting by pay them or should people who are getting by very nicely pay them?
I don’t like taxing rich people or anyone I like. But our government — run by the people we elected — needs the revenue. Do we pay it or do we make our children pay it? Dwight D. Eisenhower — and Bill Clinton — knew the answer: You behave responsibly and balance the budget except in rare circumstances.
Somehow, Republicans (and I am a Republican) have forgotten this basic lesson of adulthood. Maybe Senator McCain is grown up enough to remind us of the real urgency of personal and national responsibility. Or maybe not.
Suddenly patriotism becomes compulsory.
If patriotism were compulsory a lot of LibDems would be in jail.
Although, it their defense, many of them see “patriotism” as attacking the President of the United States and aiding our enemies bordering on treason, things of this nature. They call it “dissent”. They think backwards like that. But then no one ever said that Libism isn’t a mental illness.
I wonder how well they sleep at night knowing that the ONLY thing keeping the FBI from kicking their doors in and whisking them away to Gitmo is ONE sentence fragment written in 200 year old ink on a document they have no respect for?
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This whole debate about being patriotic and paying more taxes by the "rich" is nauseating. How about government spend less and allow the economy to grow. Raise those taxes so that the top 25% pay 95% (instead) of 86% of all income taxes and the middle class will start to lose jobs. This is nothing more than a ploy by the democrats to inject a little class envy into this election. They have already done it with race and religion.
By the way, during the Clinton years when the Jap economy was sucking wind, it was Clinton who suggested lowering taxes in Japan to get the economy going and it worked. Also Buffett is an ass. He pays a lower rate because it is capital gains where he makes money. He can be patriotic and pay extra if he wants, but he doesn't. He takes the saved money and reinvests it and creates jobs.
Liberals are liars peddling the liberal lie.
Scott
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or, we could go the left's direction with health care and let the gov't grow even bigger with "Donkey-Care". Wanna see taxes rise then? Can't wait.
Good column today, G.
Loved the shots about the Lying LibDems word games and their attempts to change the meaning of "patriotism"!
And indeed taking up arms for one's country is much more patriotic that sitting around attacking one's own country and president and calling it “dissent”.
(Maybe I should have gotten a nod?)
The Socialist LibDems of today sure have come a long way from J "ask not what your country can do for you" FK.
This is nothing more than a ploy by the democrats to inject a little class envy into this election. They have already done it with race and religion.
Try reading this again, DDD. Mr. S. is correct, the Left has indeed injected class envy into this election just as they have injected race and religion into this election.
If we weren't moderated now I'd call you an unflatering name that rhymes with midiot! Lol...
And Socialist Liberalism is never the answer.
I think we all know my position on the "rich" paying their "fair share" of taxes.
One question for David (I point you out here as you mention this)and everyone else... Could you provide me a link to where both candidates tax plans are discussed in actual numbers and not ideas? I haven't been able to find any site which states what deductions along with amounts the low, middle, upper class with be able to claim along with their respective tax bracket percentages.
I can't really decide on my own who's is better when Obama is discussing capital gains with O'Reilly in figures (welllll, 30% is too much, but 15% is too little, somewhere between sounds good).
I must say I think it's impossible to lower taxes for 95% of American's when less than 70% pay any tax to begin with.
I must say I think it's impossible to lower taxes for 95% of American's when less than 70% pay any tax to begin with.
Kinda like how the Socialist LibDems wanted to include those who never paid taxes in the stimulus plan tax “rebate”. By definition, one would have to have paid something in order to get a “rebate”. They just saw another chance to blindly spread the wealth to those who didn’t deserve it. Socialism.
I must say I think it's impossible to lower taxes for 95% of American's when less than 70% pay any tax to begin with.
Kinda like how the Socialist LibDems wanted to include those who never paid taxes in the stimulus plan tax “rebate”. By definition, one would have to have paid something in order to get a “rebate”. They just saw another chance to blindly spread the wealth to those who didn’t deserve it. Socialism.
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