You know a politician is lying when his lips are moving

Mar 03, 2009 12:21

"Despite President Obama’s promise that “If your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increase a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime,” his new budget raises 45 percent of its revenue from energy taxes that will be paid by everyone who fills a gas tank, pays an electric bill, or buys anything that was grown, ( Read more... )

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javasaurus March 3 2009, 18:16:45 UTC
I think you are manipulating language to make your point. Taxing an industry which has been making record profits due to loopholes in current legislation may lead to that industry raising prices and a greater cost to the consumer. That is not the same as taxing the consumer, nor should it be portrayed as such. Also, Obama was talking about federal income tax, and I don't most people would interpret that statement otherwise. Certainly Obama cannot control local taxes, for example, and they may go up.

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javasaurus March 3 2009, 18:18:03 UTC
I just went back and looked at your post again. I didn't realize the first time that you were quoting, so assume my comment above is directed at the author of the comment, not you.

(Okay, it's nougat.)

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rsteachout March 4 2009, 20:29:03 UTC
As far as I'm concerned, a tax is a tax if I end up paying for it regardless of where it starts or what it's called, whether a fee, surcharge, or anything else. That's been my opinion ever since Acct. 101 in college; because regardless of what it's called or where it's aimed, it still ends up hitting me in my pocketbook.

DC is also notorious for how it manipulates and twists language. Only in federal budget debates is it common for increases to be called cuts, and overspending to be characterized as fiscal restraint.

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javasaurus March 4 2009, 20:59:10 UTC
Sorry, but I really cannot agree. A tax is when the government comes to you and says, give me your money! You have no choice. With the oil companies, they may pass their burden on to their customers, but you can choose to be less of a customer, or in an extreme case, not a customer at all. That choice, no matter how burdensome, makes all the difference.

I find it interesting that you comment about DC manipulating language, yet you are choosing to define "tax" in a way to meet your own argument.

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