I'm sooo shocked . . . .

[Ben Kenobi]

taxes have been too low.

Clearly, an audit is called for.

[Zkribbler]

Cancelling the Bush tax cuts is "not raising taxes on the middle class"?

What is this, bizarro world?

He said he was going to cancel the Bush tax cuts on the top 5% of wage earners. But by the time he reached office, the economic situtation was so bad, he said he wouldn't cancel them. He'd wait until they expired under the statute which created them.

I can't see how this is any different then Bush Sr. saying 'no new taxes'.

Because Obama never said, "No new taxes."

He said he'd stimulate the economcy by cutting taxes for 95% of taxpayers. He did. He said he'd raise taxes for the top 5% -- he back off that position. He said he'd cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term -- this is pretty much a promise of higher taxes, massive cuts, or both (or Reagan's voodoo economics).

If you claim he lied, quote the words which he used to lie with. I hereby throw down the gauntlet!

[MikeH]

I'm sure Ben can make something up if he doesn't find any.

[DinoDoc]

If you claim he lied, quote the words which he used to lie with. I hereby throw down the gauntlet!

I know you’ll hear the same old claims that rolling back these tax breaks means a massive tax increase on the American people: if your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime. - Feb. 24th 2009

[DinoDoc]

Anyone who believes pre-election promises is an idiot.

That one was made after the election though.

[Zkribbler]

...rolling back these tax breaks...

Obama was referring to rolling back the tax breaks for the top 5%. And indeed, if those taxes would have been rolled back -- which ultimately they were not -- that roll back would not have increased the taxes of those making under $250,000/year by a single dime.

[BTW: For the sake of argument, I'm willing to assume that Obams is at some point going to raise taxes on the middle class. The Opening Article merely says that option has not been ruled out.]

[Patroklos]

Z, you need to put the koolaid down. There is no way of getting around the fact that Obama promised no increased taxes for pretty much everyone at the same time he was advocating expanding the government by leaps and bounds (and legacy expansions at that). It was retarded when he suggested it before his election, it was retarded when he suggested it after the election, and it is retarded for you to deny that now.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

I know you’ll hear the same old claims that rolling back these tax breaks means a massive tax increase on the American people: if your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime. - Feb. 24th 2009

That pledge was broken even before it was uttered.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123353218922437447.html?mod=loomia&loomia_si=t0:a16:g12:r1:c0.499265:b0

[Mint]

Z, you need to put the koolaid down.

Too late for that. It sounds like he's been taking it intravenously.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Z, you need to put the koolaid down. There is no way of getting around the fact that Obama promised no increased taxes for pretty much everyone at the same time he was advocating expanding the government by leaps and bounds (and legacy expansions at that). It was retarded when he suggested it before his election, it was retarded when he suggested it after the election, and it is retarded for you to deny that now.

Quite right.

And this is one of the few times Ben is right ( ). Obama promised not to increase taxes on the middle class. To say it was assumed that he wouldn't raise taxes on the middle class for like a year and then raise them to balance the budget is... well, lets just say retarded doesn't begin to cover it.

[Japher]

Democrats raise taxes - FACT!

It always happens, any Dem who says they won't raise taxes has sheit for brains. The Dems love their social programs and think they can fund them from the money tree that grows in the backyard of the White House. Unfortunately, when they get there they realize that George Washington chopped that tree down years ago.

[rah]

Obama promised middle-class tax cuts to fight the Bush depression. Obama delivered on his promise of middle-class tax cuts to fight the depression.

Anyone who thinks, in light of Bush's legacy of deficits and in light of the stimulous spending necessary to counter the Bush depression, that taxes wouldn't be have to be raised sometime in the future to pay down the national debt IS A ******!

I'm sure glad the dems had absolutely nothing to with the economy. It was 100% Bush's fault.
Which I guess is about par for the course. If things get better, it's Obama's fault, if it doesn't, it's still Bush's fault. Win Win.
And I guess you're calling Obama a ****** here since he was promising no new taxes for families making less the 250K. By your definition, he's either a ****** or a liar. Since he's a politician I'll assume the latter.

[ZEE]

it will honestly take about 5 entire generations of human beings to fix the damage caused by organized religion, power hungry lazy old people in control of useless corporations and governments, and the daily brainwashing of our "cultures" by the media to give everybody false sense of securities.

IF we start right now.

This wasn't Bush's fault, it wasn't Obama's fault. It was greedy and insane idiots faults thousands of years ago that started this train wreck.

[Straybow]

OOo, that's a helpful thought. Blame the Europeans for being screwed up before they even discovered the New World!

[ZEE]

basically, yeah