Obama’s Grand Scheme

“Everybody has to have skin in the game.”  Everybody?  What does that mean? Is President-elect Obama suggesting that everyone must pay taxes? Of course, I’m cool with that seeing that the top 50% pay 96.54% of all income taxes in this country.

Now that would be change.

Did you catch Obama on “This Week,” yesterday? That’s where all of this shiggedy was shoveled.

“Everybody has to have skin in the game…”

Obama also called for sacrifice.  Which begs the question: Can a country sacrifice its way out of a bad economy? Is that how we got out of the energy crisis of the 1970s? Did sacrifice get us out of President Carter’s malaise, that dismal administration of economic morass?

Seriously, What are you willing to sacrifice to save the economy?

Sacrifice? Not spend???

What's Obama willing to sacrifice? Vacationing in 30 Million dollar Hawaiian homes? Golfing? The 50 million dollar inauguration? Now that would send a message!

When President Carter asked Americans to turn down their thermostats to conserve energy, my father, like a good Democrat, turned ours up! God bless him.

This will be interesting. As Obama resurrects the ghost of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, we will be able to contrast his policies with the policies of Reagan, in real time!

Mark my words… If the economy is to be turned around, a tax cut is in our future! Viva Reagan!

Or will I be compelled to say, Viva Obama?

Comments

[Diana]

I, Diana, do solemnly swear to sacrifice going on vacation for the next 4 years; to turn down my thermostat to a ridiculous 60 degrees during winter; to limit driving my Ford Taurus only to church on Sunday and to eat Spaghettios and grape Kool-Aid only when I get really, really hungry. So help me God.

[syop01]

I, syop01, solemnly swear to sacrifice for the Obamissiah, at least 2 boxes of .45 ACP rounds at the target range a week; to keep my thermostat at a comfortable 68 deg when I'm home, even if its zero outside; drive my full size truck all winter once a week to see my girl in IL; and to eat as much steak as I can afford before my heart threatens to go on strike for the fat and cholesterol overload.

[Derek]

I actually don't think he's talking about taxes. I mean, i wouldn't be surprised at a tax increase happening sometime in his second term, but considering the fact that his admin's proposed stimulus packagage has 300 billion in tax cuts in it, i think it's a hugely bad interpretation to read those comments as a tax increase.

I think it's obvious that Obama is referring to political "skin."

[bartman]

I don't think many are willing to sacrifice anything to get through the tough time, especially not govts. Just check out the news in the past weeks and look at the stupid things cities and stated are trying to get money for all over the country that you and I are oging to pay for.

Ironically, my wife and I just sat through most of the PBS special on FDR a few nights ago and the similarities are stunning between what he said and the One. History continues to repeat itself and we don't learn because we, as a nation, don't remember, mostly by choice, what mistakes were made in the past.

It's hard to make sacrifices when the people benefitting from the bailouts are buying $25m apartments while their underlings lose their jobs and we can't get loans-which was the whole reason we needed the bailouts, or so we were led to believe. Politicians don't enderstand either that when we stop spending and conserve, millions of people lose their jobs. Also when govt spending and taxes go up, millions of people lose their jobs.

I'm not sure if there is a balance. People in govt and business might want to listen to a Dave Ramsey or a Suzy Ormann for a change. But there is a different standard for govt. We need to be prepared to help each other out and realize that the way we thought things should be might not be the right way. When we all chip in by our own choice, much less money gets wasted, relationships are built, communities are strengthened, and we can weather storms together. But not usually when we give to govt and watch it get wasted on various things.

[Derek]

"Of course, I’m cool with that seeing that the top 50% pay 96.54% of all income taxes in this country."

Republicans are brilliant for this argument. Not because it's a good argument, but because it's basically an argument that gets stupid middle class people to think rich people need more tax cuts.

The number you got is from 2003. let's look at other years.

2006: 97.1
2001: 96.03
2000: 96.09
1993: 95.19

tax cuts happen in 2001, and the number jumps up. Higher than Clinton got it up in 8 years. Rich people get tax cuts... and statistically they end up paying a bigger share in taxes. And people like the GOP use this bigger share an excuse to cut taxes for rich people EVEN MORE. It's basically an argument that wealth inequality is a sign that poor people don't pay enough in taxes. That's obviously a stupid conclusion but it's one that a guy like Rush Limbaugh is going to tell 20 million people this is the right conclusion. AND THEY ACTUALLY BELIEVE IT.

But let me give you an extreme example so you actually know what's occurring. Let's say i make 100 bucks a year and bill gates makes a million. we're the only two people in the country. Let's say I pay 100 percent of my income in taxes, and bill pays one percent. You'd be arguing that I need to pay more because Bill is already paying 99+ percent of the tax burden.