Mitt Romney has too long a record of pandering to plutocrats to have a chance at successfully lying to deny it. A while back, his claim to be unemployed just like them to a group of Floridians drew chortles of disbelief. So he no longer tries. Now he lies trying to justify it. If his infamous claim that “corporations are people too” was not enough, he has added more. One is the implication that we aren’t rich, because we’re too stupid.
In a New York Times op-ed today, billionaire investor Warrenn Buffett renewed his oft-made call for tax increases on the ultra-wealthy. “While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks,” he wrote. “My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress. It’s time for our government to get serious about shared sacrifice.”
Today, 2012 GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney — who has a personal net worth between $190 million and $250 million — rejected that argument. Reprising a version of his “corporations are people” argument from last week, Romney claims that Buffett’s taxes are higher than he says they are because he, as a business owner, bears the burden of the corporate income tax [Murdoch delinked]. (This argument comes from a piece by the Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Moore, who explicitly believes that the poor need to pay higher taxes to finance tax cuts for the rich.) Romney went on to claim that raising taxes on the wealthy would actually be a tax increase on small businesses…
Inserted from <Think Progress>
Raising taxes on the poor and middle classes to support welfare for millionaires, billionaires and corporate criminals is becoming standard Republican fare. Look what Republicans are doing at the state level, wherever they have complete control.
Ed Shultz has the big whopper.
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Dang! I wish I was smart enough to inherit millions and have all those loopholes that Republicans refuse to close!
If Romney is the sanest of the Republican field, as I often hear, Republican sanity had gone south to the land of the tinfoil hat.
11 Responses to “Romney Defends Socialism for the Rich”
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If, as Romney and a few others, now try to claim that “Corporations are people, my friend” – then I say, “Papers, Please!”
I demand to see the Long Form, Certified Copy of the Birth Certificate.
And if you’re not a domestic corporation, then I demand to see your Naturalization or Immigration Papers.
No papers?
Call the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prosecute the lot of them, seize the assets that they’ve accumulated during their illegal stay and deport their illegal asses
No papers? Then get the hell out of my country!
Excellent point!
LOL funny!
What both Rob and Ann said!
The American way of life is now, and always has been, based on self-interest. This will not change. If you give the power-mad a chance it will become worse.
I agree, Blue. The irony is that so many have been duped to act against their own self-interest.
On average, are rich people smarter than poor people? Probably yes. On average, rich people are better educated, have traveled more, and have a greater variety of life experiences, all of which increase their intelligence. But so what? Does that mean we should raise “taxes on the poor and middle classes to support welfare for millionaires, billionaires and corporate criminals…”? NO! Taxes should not be based on intelligence. Taxes should be based on income.
A fallacy– the rich are not more intelligent— the truth is they do have access to the best in education , travel etc– and the experiences that broaden them- –
The rich are not smarter– that statement by that fool infuriated me-
Whether we agree depends on what we mean by smart. Rich people have more opportunity to become learned, but if they were smart, they would realize that maintaining a strong missle class is in their best interest, long term.
There is only one category wealthy people are smarter than the rest of us: how to use unscrupulous behavior for personal gain.
They have accomplished that achievement too well.