Disturbing Michele Obama Video

Parent Cafe
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It really depends on how you define middle class. Obama’s plan actually results in increased after-tax income for everyone but the top 1% of Americans. See [url=<a href=“http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411741_updated_candidates.pdf]here[/url”>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411741_updated_candidates.pdf]here[/url</a>] for an excellent analysis. I’ll sum up the specific part that I’m referencing, though (page 30 for Obama and page 36 for McCain):
The number in parentheses represents the percentage difference between current tax rates and what they would be under various plans. The first number is for Obama’s and the second is for McCain’s, though I only have the actual dollar amounts for Obama.</p>

<p>The lowest quintile of Americans will pay on average $698 less. (-5.8%, -.8%)
The second quintile will pay on average $1589 less. (-5.1%, -2.5%)
The middle quintile will pay on average $2132 less. (-3.7%, -2.5%)
The fourth quintile will pay on average $3354 less. (-3.4%, -3.2%)
The top quintile is broken down more to see how it changes. The people in the 80-90 group (i.e. those that make more than 80% of Americans but less than those that make more than 90% of Americans) will pay on average $5007 less. (-3.3%, -3.6%)
The people in the 90-95 group will pay on average $6070 less. (-2.8%, -3.6%)
The people in the 95-99 group will pay on average $6250 less. (-1.7%, -3.8%)
The top 1% will pay on average $38,419 more. (+1.9%, -6.4%)
The top .1% will pay on average $301,444 more. (+3.3%, -7.4%)</p>

<p>Now, to give some scope to those numbers besides just the top 1% etc., here’s how the salaries of those groups breaks down:</p>

<p>Lowest quintile: $19,740
Second quintile: $38,980
Middle quintile: $69,490
Fourth quintile: $117,535
90%: $169,480
95%: $237,040
99%: $619,561
99.9%: $2,832,449</p>

<p>So, in essence, anyone making less than $600,000 per year is going to pay less in taxes. I don’t believe that’s middle class. Personally, I’d put middle class somewhere around the middle quintile (it’s even got middle in it’s name! :D). Also, to compare it with McCain’s plan, you will benefit more under Obama’s plan than you will McCain’s plan if you make less than $169,480 per year. I don’t consider that middle class, either.</p>

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LOL! You are desperately trying to change the meaning of her statements & soften the impact. Michele Obama is racking up quite a few statements that are “uniquely revealing” about her character and views.<br>
Just a few that rankle me:
America is “just downright mean.” We are "guided by fear,” we’re a nation of cynics, sloths, and complacents. “For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country.” </p>

<p>This is context. </p>

<p>She is a wealthy woman with a housekeeper, personal trainer, and ivy league degrees. She lives in a mansion. Her husband will be the Democrat nominee for President of the United States in a few short weeks. Yet she is incredibly negative and sour and ungrateful.</p>

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<p>Still as JHS says, obviously didn’t read the whole speech. Picking and choosing. Yeah, it is beneath you.</p>

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<p>Here’s how I understand things:</p>

<p>Liberals like JHS, Kluge, Garland etc, amongst many others, want Obama to win or perhaps more precisely want the Republicans to loose. No one on this board for more than a week can doubt this. So, from time to time they make remarks that, to me, are way over the top about John McCain and his supporters on this forum. A sloppy sauce as Kluge might say. If you touch it you’ve got a mess on your hands.</p>

<p>Republicans on this board do the same to Senator Obama. Constantly. It is how it is done, I guess.</p>

<p>So, why should anyone here feel entitled to feign indignation?</p>

<p>I do not think either of the Obama’s hate America. I think they have a different vision of America. I rather like both of them. I’ve said so repeatedly. I liked Michelle’s speech and did not think that her remark “It makes you feel justified in your ignorance. That’s America” was all that important in context – just lazy rhetoric from an otherwise brilliant speaker, African-American Ivy league grad, community organizer and possible first lady of America --it’s all fair game. </p>

<p>As for Kluge, I can do no more than to apologize for my obvious lack of talent when writing down my opinions and thoughts on this forum, such as they are. In my line of work --woodworker/carpenter-- I don’t really do that much writing and I was never a very good student. And unlike many of you here, I am certainly not a trained lawyer, professor etc. I am, as I have said, far better with wood than paper. I build things to use not to read. I am impressed by the writing of many of you.</p>

<p>All the best. </p>

<p>.</p>

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<p>I think you’re too modest about your writing skills, woodwork.</p>

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<p>Woodwork–if the best you can come up with as uber-liberals on this site, is me, grouped together with JHS and Kluge, then us liberals are doing a pretty awful job of keeping up with the slimefest going on.</p>

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<p>I really can’t say: you just happened to be the three most prominent liberals in this particular thread. I made the assumption that you were all liberals, if I am wrong I apologize. </p>

<p>And I never, ever use the word “uber.”</p>

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I guess it’s true what they say… never bring statistics to a political debate… :O</p>

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<p>And I never, ever, imply I am quoting unless I use quotation marks…“Woodwork”.</p>

<p>You did not specifically refer to this thread; it was a list of those “on this board” who frequently make “over the top” remarks about McCain. And like I said, you picked a fairly sedate bunch to make that statement about. I think I’m actually pretty circumspect in that respect.</p>

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<p>Thankfully the rich can carry the load for all the deadbeats in the country. Will they at least get a thank you card?</p>

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<p>If I could make $3 million a year but was required to pay an extra $300K in taxes for the privilege – well, I’d be the first in line wanting to sign up for that deal. Even if I had a huge state and federal tax burden that took two thirds of my earnings, leaving me with merely a million in after tax dollars, I would be a very happy camper. </p>

<p>When you start looking at current and proposed tax rates in terms of overall percentage of income, the uber-wealthy have and always have been profiting off of the backs of all of the minimum and low wage earners who provide all of the services and help manufacture the goods that the rich people want to spend their money on.</p>

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<p>Here’s the take of a well known conservative, Republican, Ben Stein:</p>

<p>[Everybody’s</a> Business - A Familiar Tax Tune, but It’s Not Mine - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/business/10every.html?ex=1376107200&en=aadde720eb075051&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink]Everybody’s”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/business/10every.html?ex=1376107200&en=aadde720eb075051&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink)</p>

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Wow, I thought that Ben Stein was more than a little ridiculous in Expelled, but that was actually pretty intelligent.</p>

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<p>Well said Ben Stein!</p>

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<p>Ben Stein said what I’ve tried to say on different threads, but I was accused of being a Communist, if I recall correctly, or perhaps a Socialist. Good to know that a Republican in good standing agrees with me! At least, I don’t think he’s been accused of apostasy…yet.</p>

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<p>Yeah marite, but he’s kinda in show business, you know. Aren’t they all socialists and flaming liberals?:rolleyes:</p>

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<p>Hey, Woodwork. I challenge you to find a single negative thing I have written about John McCain, other than to say that I consider him a conservative republican. To my knowledge I have never, not once, not here or in real life, questioned his character or intelligence. In fact, I have gotten into some heated fights with friends about his take on the Iraq war (I rather trust him on that), and I remember getting into a fight on CC similar to this one with mini over mini’s harping on a statement McCain made that apparently confused Sunni and Shiite Muslims.</p>

<p>I don’t expect you to pay attention to everything I say, but I would prefer that you not make things up and attribute them to me, either.</p>

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<p>“I remember getting into a fight on CC similar to this one with mini over mini’s harping on a statement McCain made that apparently confused Sunni and Shiite Muslims.”</p>

<p>He has done a lot more than simply confuse Sunnis and Shias once. Three times he has stated that Al-Qaeda in Iraq was supported by Iran, even after being corrected. It isn’t simply a matter of mental confusion (although he seems to show that on a regular basis as well): it is either an inability to comprehend details after security briefings (of which he has received many), or he simply isn’t interested in the details, a very dangerous quality in a future commander-in-chief (as I think we have learned over the past 8 years.)</p>

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<p>It’s also my impression that when it comes to presidential policy-making, he appears uninterested in details.</p>

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<p>Well, for those who smirked that JM did not know about computers, it appears that he has a laptop (or maybe it’s Cindy’s?) and a cellphone. In fact, he is overly attached to his cellphone, as per the article in the NYT.

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<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/us/politics/10mccain.html?_r=2&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/us/politics/10mccain.html?_r=2&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;