Our disingenuous president suggests he can magically solve all our fiscal woes by taxing the rich (“The Tax Class O Must Have Skipped,” Michael Barone, PostOpinion, April 21).
A quick check of the facts (2008 IRS data) proves otherwise.
Today, we have an annual deficit of $1.6 trillion. Taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $114,000 and up paid federal taxes of $721 billion in 2008.
Even if we double those taxes, we would still have a deficit of $200 billion.
Until the next election, the trick will be twofold.
First, tease out of President Obama the truth that, when it comes to tax increases, everybody is “rich.” Second, accept the fact that once Obama’s done taking everybody’s money, he’ll still have to cut spending wildly.
Brian Daniel
Manhattan
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In order to understand Obama’s view of the economy, we first have to look at the man himself.
Obama has no clue what he’s doing and is unfit to be president. This community organizer, with no experience other than running his mouth and using scare tactics, has been nothing but a disgrace for the United States.
It’s time for change, because Obama is in way over his head and the people are the ones suffering for it.
Joe DePascale
Brooklyn
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The president is advocating changes in tax policy that will increase the tax liability for high-earning individuals.
He doesn’t need additional moral authority to prod Congress to act on this proposal. His position has been on the table since he was elected more than two years ago.
J. MacLeod
Green Cove Spgs, Fla.
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I guess Obama’s speech about how everyone should pay their fair share of taxes isn’t working — at least not as far as his buddies go (“Bush Tax Cuts Are Bam Boon,” April 19).
After telling us that he thinks millionaires would agree to pay more in taxes, Obama used a tax attorney to make sure he himself didn’t have to.
Can we expect people like Oprah, Barbra Streisand and Nancy Pelosi to send fat checks to the treasury? Or will they behave like the “do as I say, not as I do” liberals they are and resort to a tax attorney to protect their millions? My bet is that they stick with the accountants.
Chris Michaels
Morganville, NJ
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Obama lamely attempts to justify the forced confiscation of billions of dollars worth of hard-earned income from millions of peaceful Americans by whining, “I don’t need another tax cut.”
But when Obama filed his 2010 tax returns, he made sure to take the so-called Bush tax cut for himself, even though doing so was not required.
Obama makes Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon look like paragons of honesty.
M. Kalinowski
Clifton, NJ
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Since Obama considers those earning over $250,000 “rich,” and since he hates them and capitalists, why does he not tell them to stop making contributions to his campaigns?
John Brindisi
Manhattan
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Obama’s spending has put us close to America’s demise.
Maybe it is the Chicago syndrome, or maybe he wishes to be different from Presidents Ronald Reagan and John Kennedy, who cut taxes to bring us out of misery.
I guess Harvard’s teachings didn’t sink into Obama’s noggin.
Richard Bucco
Bloomfield, NJ
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Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt and sundry other limousine liberals have no qualms about taking advantage of the tax loopholes created by their lobbyists, though they preach differently.
I, and millions of others, pay my fair share of taxes, and there aren’t any loopholes for us.
Let’s stop talking about tax increases and revise the tax codes.
Walter Murray
Clearwater, Fla.