Mr. Obama has recently taken to talking about everything but what matters.
This is a “calculator” on the White House Web site that attempts to get us to focus on his millionaire tax obsession. (Update October 20, 2012: The “calculator” has been removed from the White House Web site, remarkable.)
It is outright laughable. Mr. Obama claims there are 55,000 millionaires that pay a lower effective tax rate than millions of middle-income Americans. And then asks, “How many millionaires paid a lower effective tax rate than you?”
My resentment runneth over! My envy is at a peak! My concept of “fairness” is so insulted by this outrage that I just might have to spend more time frothing than working. Better yet, I will become a “community organizer” and run for President.
Karl Rove has made clear the nonsense of the Buffet rule in the Wall Street Journal.
Mr. Obama offers his “calculator” as if it matters. As if the capital gains and dividends that resulted in a lower effective rate were not net of a 35% corporate tax rate on the earnings underlying the gains and funding the dividends. As if this income was not realized by taking real risk that created and supported jobs. As if these so called millionaires are the same people every year (they are not). As if these taxpaying millionaires did not represent only 1% of the 145,000,000 tax filers who did not already pay 21% of the taxes. Can you say, “canard?”
Isn’t it time the media and the public and the politicians call Mr. Obama out for playing dodge ball while failing to lead?
The obvious and important issues of the Presidential and Congressional campaigns are DEBT, SPENDING, and JOBS. DEBT, SPENDING, and JOBS. DEBT, SPENDING, and JOBS. DEBT, SPENDING, and JOBS.
Come on Mr. Obama. Get with the program.
Follow-up: The above in pictures can be found here.