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Forum Post: A Fairness Quiz for the President Is it fair that some of Mr. Obama's largest campaign contributors received federal loan guarantees?

Posted 12 years ago on Feb. 7, 2012, 8 p.m. EST by utahdebater (-72)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

By STEPHEN MOORE

President Obama has frequently justified his policies—and judged their outcomes—in terms of equity, justice and fairness. That raises an obvious question: How does our existing system—and his own policy record—stack up according to those criteria?

Is it fair that the richest 1% of Americans pay nearly 40% of all federal income taxes, and the richest 10% pay two-thirds of the tax?

Is it fair that the richest 10% of Americans shoulder a higher share of their country's income-tax burden than do the richest 10% in every other industrialized nation, including socialist Sweden?

Is it fair that American corporations pay the highest statutory corporate tax rate of all other industrialized nations but Japan, which cuts its rate on April 1?

Is it fair that President Obama sends his two daughters to elite private schools that are safer, better-run, and produce higher test scores than public schools in Washington, D.C.—but millions of other families across America are denied that free choice and forced to send their kids to rotten schools?

Is it fair that Americans who build a family business, hire workers, reinvest and save their money—paying a lifetime of federal, state and local taxes often climbing into the millions of dollars—must then pay an additional estate tax of 35% (and as much as 55% when the law changes next year) when they die, rather than passing that money onto their loved ones?

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Associated Press Is it fair that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, former Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel and other leading Democrats who preach tax fairness underpaid their own taxes?

Is it fair that after the first three years of Obamanomics, the poor are poorer, the poverty rate is rising, the middle class is losing income, and some 5.5 million fewer Americans have jobs today than in 2007?

Is it fair that roughly 88% of political contributions from supposedly impartial network television reporters, producers and other employees in 2008 went to Democrats?

Is it fair that the three counties with America's highest median family income just happen to be located in the Washington, D.C., metro area?

Is it fair that wind, solar and ethanol producers get billions of dollars of subsidies each year and pay virtually no taxes, while the oil and gas industry—which provides at least 10 times as much energy—pays tens of billions of dollars of taxes while the president complains that it is "subsidized"?

Is it fair that those who work full-time jobs (and sometimes more) to make ends meet have to pay taxes to support up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits for those who don't work?

Is it fair that those who took out responsible mortgages and pay them each month have to see their tax dollars used to subsidize those who acted recklessly, greedily and sometimes deceitfully in taking out mortgages they now can't afford to repay?

Is it fair that thousands of workers won't have jobs because the president sided with environmentalists and blocked the shovel-ready Keystone XL oil pipeline?

Is it fair that some of Mr. Obama's largest campaign contributors received federal loan guarantees on their investments in renewable energy projects that went bust?

Is it fair that federal employees receive benefits that are nearly 50% higher than those of private-sector workers whose taxes pay their salaries, according to the Congressional Budget Office?

Is it fair that soon almost half the federal budget will take income from young working people and redistribute it to old non-working people, even though those over age 65 are already among the wealthiest Americans?

Is it fair that in 27 states workers can be compelled to join a union in order to keep their jobs?

Is it fair that nearly four out of 10 American households now pay no federal income tax at all—a number that has risen every year under Mr. Obama?

Is it fair that Boeing, a private company, was threatened by a federal agency when it sought to add jobs in a right-to-work state rather than in a forced-union state?

Is it fair that our kids and grandkids and great-grandkids—who never voted for Mr. Obama—will have to pay off the $5 trillion of debt accumulated over the past four years, without any benefits to them?

Mr. Moore is a member of the Journal's editorial board.

Why are you complaining? The 1% pay much more income taxes than the bottom 99%. GIVE IT UP YOUR MOVEMENT IS DYING. BTW I am not beating on Obama with this.

14 Comments

14 Comments


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[-] 1 points by Skippy2 (485) 12 years ago

Fix the system by voting out All incumbents. A rookie liar and thief is easier to catch than a professional politician with many years experience.

[-] 1 points by richardkentgates (3269) 12 years ago

Is it fair that people are on here beating their heads about how to use this movement to fix this country and you want to beat everyone over the head with the faults of politicians? Last I remember, it's the politicians job to defend their reputation, not mine.

[-] -1 points by utahdebater (-72) 12 years ago

I'm not beating on Obama, I just thought that these statistics were very telling.

[-] 1 points by richardkentgates (3269) 12 years ago

I don't care if you beat on Obama. Just don't have it in your head that this is anything but flaming or that it's our job to defend him. His actions are his actions. Vote for him or not, the problem is far to big to pin fixing it on one politician, even the president. And saying he is a liar is saying he's a politician, no news there.

[-] 0 points by utahdebater (-72) 12 years ago

I'm not saying it's your job to defend him, I'm pointing out gaping holes in OWS logic.

[-] 1 points by richardkentgates (3269) 12 years ago

LMAO. and according to some, we are all socialists. I'm a business owner and a pro-capitalist liberal. Fiscal conservative and social liberal. I have two websites in support of this movement and share some ideology with the TEA party. There are more like me in the movement than you know, simply because the social conservatives make it impossible to deal with the economy and policy, we chose Occupy over alternatives.

[-] 0 points by utahdebater (-72) 12 years ago

I am so confused where you're going with this.....

[-] 1 points by richardkentgates (3269) 12 years ago

I guess I'm trying to say, your post on Obama is a waste of time and forum space. Anyone that expects a politician to act anything but, isn't worth convincing anyway.

[-] 0 points by utahdebater (-72) 12 years ago

Didnt i already explain that this isn't about obama?

[-] 1 points by richardkentgates (3269) 12 years ago

I must have read the threads title wrong.

[-] 0 points by FarIeymowat (49) 12 years ago

You can beat on Obama all you want, I don't mind. You won't change the true believers minds though. They are sold out on the idea of taking from others through the government. To the liberal, yours is mine. To the liberal wrong is right. To the liberal, taking by force is charity. To the liberal, free is someone else paying my way.

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[-] 0 points by Chugwunka (89) from Willows, CA 12 years ago

You give it up. You ask many valid questions. But the Obama worshippers will just start calling you names. They can't defend that clown and they know it.

[-] -1 points by utahdebater (-72) 12 years ago

Good point.

[-] -1 points by oakwasenuf (66) 12 years ago

You forgot the obamacare waivers he handed out to supporters around the country. Believe this practice has stopped due to the outcry.