Governor Mitt Romney’s choice of Congressman Paul Ryan as his vice-presidential running mate is one of those decisions that seem obvious — if not inevitable — in retrospect, even though it was by no means obvious to most of us beforehand.
Anyone who wants to get a quick sense of who Paul Ryan is should watch a short video of a February 2010 meeting in which Congressman Ryan politely, but devastatingly, “schools” Barack Obama on the utter fraudulence of the statistics that the Obama administration was using to claim that ObamaCare would reduce the deficit. That video is available on the Drudge Report.
As a long-time member, and now chairman, of the Budget Committee in the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan is thoroughly familiar with both the facts and the fictions in the federal government’s budget. In recent years, the fictions have grown much bigger than the facts. But, as Congressman Ryan reminded the president, hiding spending is not the same as reducing spending.
If this year’s election is going to be decided on the basis of hard facts, the Obama administration is doomed. But the Obama campaign is well aware of that, which is why we are hearing so many distracting innuendoes and outright lies about such peripheral issues as what Mitt Romney is supposed to have done while running Bain Capital — or even what is supposed to have happened at Bain Capital, years after Mitt Romney was long gone.
The Obama campaign’s big smear, about how Romney is supposed to have caused a woman to die of cancer, has been exposed as a lie by CNN, hardly a Republican network. What smears like this show is that the Obama administration cannot run on its track record, so it has to run on distractions from the country’s real problems.
When Senator Harry Reid claims that Mitt Romney hasn’t paid his income taxes, and demands that Governor Romney disprove this unsubstantiated allegation, that raises an obvious question as to why the Internal Revenue Service has not prosecuted Romney, instead of leaving that to a partisan politician in an election year.
What makes this a farce is that Senator Reid himself has not released his own income tax records, while claiming that Romney’s release of only two years of his income tax records is not enough, even though it has been enough for other candidates in other years.
If Mitt Romney releases all his tax records going back to his childhood, it will not put a stop to this fishing expedition, much less bring an apology when those records show nothing illegal. It will just provide more material for making more distracting claims to change the subject from the track record of the Obama administration.
When Ronald Reagan ran against President Jimmy Carter back in 1980, he asked the question that should be asked of the voters when any president is seeking reelection: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”
Four years later, when Reagan ran for reelection, he implicitly asked and answered that same question in a campaign commercial titled “Morning in America,” which listed the ways the country was better off than it had been four years earlier. Don’t look for any “Morning in America” ads from Obama. “Mourning in America” might be more appropriate.
This election is a test, not just of the opposing candidates but of the voting public. If what they want are the hard facts about where the country is, and where it is heading, they cannot vote for more of the same for the next four years.
But, if what they want is emotionally satisfying rhetoric and a promise to give them something for nothing, to be paid for by taxing somebody else, then Obama is their man. This is not to say that the public will in fact get something for nothing or that rich people will just pay higher taxes, when it is easy for them to escape taxation by investing overseas — creating jobs overseas.
Even if most Americans do not have their own taxes raised, that means little, if they end up paying other people’s taxes in the higher prices of goods and services that pass along the higher taxes imposed on businesses.
There are no doubt voters who will vote on the basis of believing that Obama “cares” more about them. But that is a faith which passeth all understanding. The political mirage of something for nothing, from leaders who “care,” has ruined many a nation.
2006, Creators Syndicate
“If Mitt Romney releases all his tax records going back to his childhood, it will not put a stop to this fishing expedition, much less bring an apology when those records show nothing illegal.”
But Tom, nobody’s suggesting anything illegal. We’re suggesting (at this point, actually, we are convinced) that the Mittster, as a regular thing, quite legally pays no income taxes. He embodies a significant factor in our fiscal woes. To elect the man President would be wildly nonsensical.
What exactly is our “fair share”?
Mitt Romney has wealth. That wealth, which he earned and paid tax on as he was earning, is his personal property. He no longer needs to earn a salary or wage; he’s “independently” wealthy. He has no obligation to pay federal tax.
He does make money when he invests his property that has already been taxed. We tax these earnings at a lesser rate because the investments support others in creating wealth and jobs for all Americans. This option and tax “break” is available to ALL Americans. If you have a savings account or stocks that give a dividend you too pay at the lower rate.
The contribution (fair share) this man makes is huge compared to most Americans. In addition to his wealth being invested (in support of others) he gives generously to charities and his church. He served without pay as governor and as the director of the Olympics in Salt Lake.
The “Mittster” pays no “income taxes” because he has no income. He did, however, pay a hefty amount in interest and dividend income…one figure I saw recently was $6 million dollars in the last two years. That isn’t chump change for investment income. Interest income on my money market account didn’t come anywhere close but I paid 15% on it in addition to my federal income tax.
Mitt Romney is a target because of his wealth. Shame on the collectivists for their greedy covetous desire to take his wealth from him. Shame on them for saying he has not “paid a fair share”. Shame on them for suggesting he has done something untoward to cause our fiscal woes.
MISMANAGEMENT OF THE PEOPLES MONEY HAS CAUSED OUR FISCAL WOES.
MAKING PROMISES (ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS) THAT CANNOT BE KEPT WITHOUT CREATING MASSIVE DEBT IS THE CAUSE OF OUR WOES.
CREATING GIVEAWAY PROGRAMS THAT INVITE OTHERWISE ABLE BODIED PEOPLE TO BE DEPENDENT INSTEAD OF WORKING IS THE CAUSE OF OUR WOES.
ALLOWING OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM TO BECOME THIRD RATE IS THE CAUSE OF OUR WOES.
CREATING POLICY THAT FORCES BANKS TO MAKE LOANS TO PEOPLE WITHOUT THE MEANS TO REPAY THEM IS CAUSING OUR WOES. (yes, this insane practice continues under HUD)
ELECTING A MAN BASED ON HOPE AND CHANGE HAS CONTRIBUTED TO OUR CONTINUING NON-RECOVERY AND HAS CONTRIBUTED TO OUR FEDERAL AND OUR PERSONAL WOES.
“What exactly is our “fair share”?”
His? You mean?
It’s very, very simple. Any of the previous year’s income lost in bad investments we forebear to tax. Upon what’s left, he pays the same 18% that I do.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/01/does-mitt-romney-pay-enough-taxes.php
Spokesman Jay Carney said: This only illuminates what (Obama) believes is an issue, which is that everybody whos working hard ought to pay their fair share. That includes millionaires who might be paying an effective tax rate of 15 percent when folks making $50,000 or $75,000 or $100,000 a year are paying much more.
No one earning $50,000 or $75,000 can possibly be paying much more than Romney on either a percentage or (of course) an absolute basis, since the top marginal rate is 15% up to $70,000 in taxable income. Moreover, the Obama administrations longstanding desire to raise ordinary income tax rates to the pre-Bush level would have zero impact on capital gains, and its suggestion that capital gains rates should be raised to 20% would still leave them well below ordinary income rates at the same income level.
Here’s an interesting chart of proposals by both candidates (scroll down for chart):
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/tax-proposals-obama-vs-romney.aspx
Obama would put a 30% interest dividend tax rate on the wealthy…a real job/economy killing rate! He’d make this ordinary income for the rest of us below the 200/250 mark…what an a-hole, discouraging savings and investment for those who need it most.
There is nothing “fair” about government taking money from some to give to others.
Charity is a personal responsibility…family is a personal responsibility. It’s da*n time Americans started takijng these responsibilities seriously again…THEY WON’T AS LONG AS IDIOTS MAKE NOT WORKING SO EASY!
“There is nothing “fair” about government taking money from some to give to others.”
Yes, we know how resentful you are about the efforts of the rest of us to keep the poor people out of the gutter. But the soldiers, scientists and air traffic controllers have to be paid too, and Romney ain’t holdin’ up his end.
Somebody who thinks he should have all this stuff without paying for it, IS NOT somebody we need in the White House just now.