You are the 47 Percent

By Joel Mathis in the Los Angeles Daily News, September 23, 2012

Are you married? Have a job? How about a kid or two? Did you get a tax refund last year because your status as a working parent made you eligible for an Earned Income Tax Credit?

Congratulations: Mitt Romney thinks you’re a welfare-addicted bum.

See, when Romney talks about that 47 percent of Americans who don’t pay income taxes, he’s talking about you.

You may not think that’s true, because of course you pay plenty of taxes – there’s the payroll tax that comes out of your check every week, the fee that goes to pay for Social Security. And of course, the world is a maze of taxes for you: Every time you fill up the gas tank or buy a birthday gift for the kid, the price is a little higher because of the extra few cents that goes to the state or local governments.

Surely Romney’s talking about somebody else?

Somebody who sits at home and waits for a government check they didn’t earn?

Nope. He’s talking about you.

See, to get to that 47 percent number, Romney has to include folks who actually work but didn’t officially pay income taxes because they didn’t earn enough, or because they qualified for the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Nearly two-thirds of Romney’s laggardly 47 percent paid payroll taxes.

And to state the obvious: You generally have to be on a payroll to pay the payroll taxes. You have to have a job.

Now: Romney obviously wasn’t taking you into account when he said that 47 percent is “dependent on government” and “entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it.”

Which is the problem: Romney wasn’t taking you into account. He and the rest of the Republican Party have been so solicitous of so-called ‘job creators” that they’ve treated job doers rather shabbily. It’s something to think about when you vote in November.

Prayers for Obama

I received this cleaver tounge-in-cheek email today.

Obama Is the shepherd I did not want.

He leadeth me beside the still factories.

He restoreth my faith in the Republican party.

He guideth me in the path of unemployment,

For his party’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the bread line,

I shall fear no hunger, for his bailouts are with me.

He has anointed my income with taxes,

My expenses runneth over.

Surely, poverty and hard living will follow me all the days

Of my life, And I will live in a mortgaged home forever.

I’m glad I am American,

I am glad that I am free!

But I wish I was a dog,

and Obama was a tree!

Where does one get this sticker?

PRAY FOR YOUR PRESIDENT !

Psalm 109:8

My wife and I were in slow-moving traffic the other day and

We were stopped behind a car with an unusual Obama

Bumper sticker on its bumper.

It read: “Pray for Obama Psalm 109:8”

When we got home my wife got out the Bible and opened it

up to the scripture. She started laughing and laughing. Then she

read it to me. I couldn’t believe what it said.

I had a good laugh, too.

Psalm 109:8 ~

“Let his days be few and brief; And let others step forward to replace him.”

At last — I can honestly voice a biblical prayer for our

President! Let us all bow our heads and pray.

Brothers and Sisters… can I get an

AMEN! If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you haven’t been in bed with a mosquito.

The Real Mitt Romney

Wow!

Mother Jones magazine obtained this video clip. It tells what Mitt Romney thinks about 47% of us.

Responding to a question from a donor about how he could triumph in November, Romney replied:

There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax.

Romney went on: “[M]y job is is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

How stupid can this man be?

As reported by the Associated Press;

According to the TaxPolicyCenter study, 38 million — half of those who owe no federal income taxes — escape owing money to the IRS because their income is too low. For them, merely using the standard deduction, personal exemptions and other basic parts of the tax code allow them to avoid income taxes.

Overall, 93 percent of those who owe no federal income taxes earn $50,000 annually or less. But 5 percent of them earn $50,000 to $100,000 and the rest — around 430,000 nonpayers — earn more than $100,000 annually. That includes 4,000 households earning more than $1 million a year, thanks largely to tax exempt interest, reduced rates on capital gains and dividends and other deductions.

This entire event is not going to derail the Romney campaign. Obama made his remarks about some people clinging to their guns in 2008 and it made little impact on his win – but we all know what he really believes and that comment will have an impact on this election.

The question is: what does Romney stand for and what would he do as president? Unless he can provide convincing answers his chances to win the election are considerably diminished.

Sure, Go Ahead and Vote for Mitt Romney

Neither candidate for president is acceptable to me.

Barack Obama spent his time focusing on a new health care law instead of focusing on the economy. We all know how that turned out. Unemployment is still over 8% and we have health law that large numbers of Americans do not like.

Mitt Romney is a very wealthy businessman who made his money maximizing the profits for his employer, Bain Capital. Companies do not concern themselves with the number of jobs created. They concern themselves with maximizing their profits. As governor of Massachusetts, Mr. Romney created a health care program that is almost identical to the Obama plan. For reasons that I do not understand he now opposes that plan for the entire nation. While governor, Mr. Romney supported abortion rights but today he opposes abortion for any reason. ON a host of other issues Mr. Romney has switched his views from those he held when governor and as a candidate for senator. That earns his the title of “flip-flopper.”

Let’s look at what has happened in the Obama administration which is a good indicator of his second term. Let’s consider what a Romney administration is likely to do based upon Mr. Romney’s own words.

1) Obama has not brought about the revival of the economy. Then again it was WWII that brought the USA out of the Great Depression. FDR was unsuccessful in his efforts.

2) Both political parties have outsourced the jobs we need for those lacking technical skills. Neither party has put in place significant re-training programs for the unemployed.

3) Both political parties have willingly provided tax deductions and subsidies for big business.

4) The Christian coalition wants to take America back to the 1950s. Those were the days when obtaining an abortion wasn’t legal anywhere in the nation.

5) Trickle down economics were a failure. Thirty years ago CEOs and other top corporate managers earned 20 times the average worker pay but today they earn 200 times the average worker pay.

Morningstar’s footnoted blog reports that the Fed-Ex ” total compensation for the chairman, president, and CEO, Frederick W. Smith, jumped to $13.68 million for fiscal 2012, compared to $7.26 million in fiscal 2011. The other NEOs received total compensation ranging between $5.7 million and $7.7 million, with each of the top five executives getting an increase of more than 60% from his prior year’s total.”

6) Supreme Court appointments are critical to the future of the nation. Conservative justices would overturn Roe vs. Wade and other progressive rulings.

7) Conservatives would end the Medicare and Social Security programs that have enabled working people to live their retired lives without fear of serious illness or starvation.

8) The GOP, based upon its leading members, would enlarge the military and challenge any nation that dares to defy the United States.

9) A Republican administration would reduce all government regulations. Would reduce taxes for corporations. Would support “drill baby drill.” Would build a fence along the Mexican border from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.

Personally, I do not believe either party cares enough about the average American to significantly improve their situation.

The Democratic Party just does a better job of conveying that they are the party with concern for all Americans. Can we believe them? Do we have choice?

Barack Obama Then and Now

This video confirms what you thought. Barack Obama has the same thoughts and ideas today that he had four years ago. There is nothing new. I wrote back on December 21, 2008 that we might be inaugurating a new president on January 20, 2013.

No Sale at the Democratic Convention

Every national political convention is exciting. I am certain that all those people who were at the Democratic Convention were thrilled to be there. They are the group that will return home and spearhead the next 60 days of hard campaigning.

The Democrats do put on a far more emotional event than Republicans. It probably has to do with the kinds of people, their culture, that makes Democrats.

Bill Clinton was the star speaker at this convention. If there was ever a man who could win a third term as president of the United States, this is that person. But, he is not the candidate.

Too many people are unhappy with the Obama administration for his re-election to be an easy path. There was nothing I heard in his speech tonight that gives me hope that he can turn this nation’s economy around in the next four years. Then again, there was nothing in the Romney speech that gives me that kind of hope.

A lack of specifics in the candidate’s plans leaves me sad and disappointed. Unless there is some dramatic event before November 6, I will struggle to decide my choice before that date.

Michelle Obama’s Message – We Are One Of You

Michelle Obama did an excellent job of telling all of us that she, her family, Barack, and his family are all just like the average families of America. Her message, Honesty and Hard Work Count. It was a well presented message.

It was a good message for the First Lady to present to the nation. It just did not discuss the fact that too many Americans are either unemployed or under employed.

As a start to a political convention this event was well done on day one. I am quite sure that the rest of this convention will be equally well done. Conventions don’t solve problems.

President Obama will have to offer details of his plans for a second term. Mitt Romney gave us no detail on his plans. There is no evidence that either of these men can deliver an American recovery

Romney Didn’t Make the Sale

Larry Kudlow, Finance guru and TV host on CNBC, says so!

You have probably seen Larry Kudlow on television. He is a well educated and well spoken finance expert that is hard to ignore. He is the opposite of Jim Cramer. Mr. Kudlow provides his own opinion along with interviews with many really smart guests. Kudlow’s doubts are my doubts.

In summary here is the gist of his post on townhall.com.

Did Mitt Romney make the economic sale at the Republican National Convention? Did he convince people who are living at the margin or unemployed and discouraged that he has the answers to the economy? Frankly, I don’t think so.

he (Mitt Romney) did not talk about his 20 percent across-the-board personal tax cut plan that would help the middle class enormously. He never mentioned it, and he went into no detail on the business tax cut plan.

He talked about a jobs tour. I frankly have no idea what a “jobs tour” is.

I didn’t hear anything new. I didn’t hear anything specific, and it troubles me.

ON BIG BUSINESS: I think he needs to be more specific. It’s not about big business — it’s really about small business.

Bill Kristol, Fox News Pundit, Questions Tax Cut for the Wealthy

Back in 2001 and 2003 President George W. Bush pushed his income tax reduction laws through Congress. The theory behind those tax reductions was the government was running a surplus and the economy needed a boost. What was the result? Higher net income for business and the loss of American jobs to China, India, and other nations. The result is that business leaders tell the American people we are no longer a manufacturing society, we are now a service society. Those services translate to lower paying jobs for the middle class. What middle class? Those jobs are the jobs of the poor!

Even Bill Kristol is now questioning the idea of even lower taxes for business.

By Igor Volsky of Think Progress on Aug 11, 2012 at 3:42 pm

Bill Kristol, who had predicted that Mitt Romney would name Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running-mate, expressed some concern Saturday morning that Republicans may have a hard time defending the GOP budget, which disproportionately cuts taxes for the rich.

“It’s the tax cuts for the wealthy, where Republicans have not done a particularly good job of defending it and I think you’ll see Democratic attacks focus on that side of the equation,” he said. The Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Moore agreed, but noted, “who’s better to defend those policies that Paul is, I mean he knows this stuff better than anyone.”

Paul Ryan’s infamous budget — which Romney embraced — replaces “the current tax structure with two brackets — 25 percent and 10 percent — and cut the top rate from 35 percent.” Federal tax collections would fall “by about $4.5 trillion over the next decade” as a result. To avoid increasing the national debt, the budget proposes massive cuts in social programs and “special-interest loopholes and tax shelters that litter the code.”

But 62 percent of the savings would come from programs that benefit the lower- and middle-classes, who would also experience a tax increase. That’s because while Ryan “would extend the Bush tax cuts, which are due to expire at the end of this year, he would not extend President Obama’s tax cuts for those with the lowest incomes, which will expire at the same time.” Households “earning more than $1 million a year, meanwhile, could see a net tax cut of about $300,000 annually.”