The thing that I don't understand is how, when speaking about his own taxes, he has carefully parsed the issue of taxes. He has NEVER said how much he has paid in income taxes. His claim about tax rates was that he pays a lot to the Mormon church and in taxes.
Well no doubt. When you buy a yacht, you have to pay a lot in sales taxes too. So when the debate raged on about Romney's taxes (and his lack of full disclosures), people wanted to know what rate he paid in income taxes since he HASN'T BEEN WORKING and all but $250K of his income has been from investments.
He has been quite evasive on this score, but when speaking to rich people who paid $50K to hear him speak (which already calls the audience's judgment into question - I mean pay $50K for a great orator will you) he denigrates this mythical 47% who don't pay income taxes.
He is a businessman, someone who was a governor, if anyone out there who should know more than me about U.S. tax policy and who pays which taxes, it should be Romney. Low-income people always pay more taxes proportionally than middle- and upper-class people. ALWAYS. When you count sales tax, etc. this is always the case.
So it is fine and dandy for him to get cute on how much he pays in income taxes, but when talking about "others" he gets to denigrate them.
It is dangerous for someone to lead this country who has such a lack of regard of so many of the country's populace and to think that some of the country should be held to different standards than other members of the country.
there seem to be some prevailing thought that most people, without the incentive provided by needing food and shelter, would not work at all.
Well to quote Ann Romney, "Neither one of us had a job, because Mitt had enough of an investment from stock that we could sell off a little at a time."
And see, having stocks to sell is exactly like living in a homeless shelter and eating at soup kitchens. If you just have food and shelter given out willy-nilly, who would ever want to get a job???
"How am I going to get someone to harvest my crops if I don't hold their next meal over their heads? Cause no one would work for me of their own free will."
I don't think most people get the difference between not paying income taxes but paying other taxes.
I think this is very true. I didn't really understand the difference until, after another recent brouhaha over taxes, I finally did a little research into what distinguishes payroll taxes from income tax -- I'd been thinking of them all as the same thing.
unless Obama gets caught literally screwing a pooch.
Not worried about that. He likes Bo, but he doesn't
like
Bo, AFAIK.
Actually, I think some people do. What about the guys that win the lotto and don't quit their jobs(Ok, maybe they just don't want to burn through the money. But maybe it's more than that.)
And I don't know if I'd be *tons* happier if my benefits got bigger(A little...woo hoo, f2f, right?) But I know I always look for a chance to make a contribution, and etc.
Speaking of things I'd do if I were independently wealthy, my alumni association is sponsoring a 14-day cruise to Antarctica. Now if only I could remember where I put that extra $10,000 I had lying around...
there's a lame gum-wrapper, jumble-style "Cool cash" joke in there someplace.
Jessica,
you wait a few years, the price will probably come down because it won't be as cold or inhospitable.
you wait a few years, the price will probably come down because it won't be as cold or inhospitable.
Oh god, this is hilarious and depressing and so true.
