Count Basie once said
“It’s the notes you don’t hear that matter.”
And for Barack Obama, it is the words you haven’t heard that matter.
Over the last weeks of Occupy Wall St movement events have proceeded in a predictable fashion. A predominantly white group of spoiled rich kids camped out in Zucotti park has grown into a mob replete with sexual assaults, anti-Semitism, vandalism and violence.
A nice summary of OWS current offenses can be seen here. Among the hits:
NYPD officer: crime and sexual assault ‘more widespread than even they think’
D.C. ‘occupier’ says he’s not anti-semitic, just ‘pro-goyim’
ACORN paying homeless to protest
More proof OWS was not ‘spontaneous’
Barack Obama has made clear his support of the OWS.
“The most important thing we can do right now is those of us in leadership letting people know that we understand their struggles and we are on their side, and that we want to set up a system in which hard work, responsibility, doing what you’re supposed to do, is rewarded,” Obama tells ABC News. “And that people who are irresponsible, who are reckless, who don’t feel a sense of obligation to their communities and their companies and their workers that those folks aren’t rewarded.”
Obama took a million dollars from Goldman Sachs in 2008 and has collected more money from Wall St. in this election cycle than all GOP candidates combined.
The fact that OWS has not condemned Obama and has not formed an Occupy White House group utterly invalidates the entire premise of OWS.
Never mind that.
Obama spurs on the OWS movement with via class warfare.
President Obama called Monday for up to $1.5 trillion in new taxes on “the wealthiest Americans and the biggest corporations,” the major part of a debt reduction plan designed to cut more than $3 trillion over the next decade.
“We can’t just cut our way out of this hole,” Obama said during a Rose Garden speech on the national debt that tops $14.5 trillion.
“If we’re going to make spending cuts, many of which we wouldn’t make if we weren’t facing such large budget deficits, then it’s only right that we ask everyone to pay their fair share,” Obama said.
Never mind that ten years of this millionaires’ tax would pay for only four months of Obama deficits.
Never mind that.
Never mind that no left wing millionaires or billionaire have come forward offering his wealth to the nation’s Occupiers.
Never mind that.
Yet as OWS movement turns malignant and violence spreads, it must be remembered that Barack Obama has not asked for peace. He has not asked that the movement be respectful. He has not asked OWS members not to destroy stores and personal property. He has not asked them to avoid assaulting police officers. He has not asked them not to commit sexual assault.
He hasn’t said a word about that. The question is, why not? As the leader of the nation and a supporter of OWS, it is incumbent upon Obama to plead for reason and for peace. Absent them, Obama tacitly endorses the mob actions.
It’s the words you don’t hear that matter.
See author page
Today’s actions by President Obama’s Super PAC provided even more proof that Mitt Romney is the republican that scares democrats most. This anti-Romney ad buy is $100,000 and it’s far from the first anti-Romney attack ad President Obama’s Super PAC has produced. The continued paid attacks this early in the election illustrate a level of desperation from the Obama administration that makes sense considering President Obama’s record of accomplishment is so weak.
http://mittromneycentral.com/2011/11/02/president-obamas-super-pac-priorities-usa-launches-another-round-of-attacks-on-mitt-romney/
Anyone who doesn’t understand that a class war has been and continues to be waged in America against the majority of the nation’s people hasn’t been paying attention.
It wasn’t the poor, the elderly, students, the working class, the middle class, small investors, financially responsible savers, the average home buyer, or the majority of America’s small business owners who started it.
I disagree about the Dems being worried about Mitt. I think they are blowing smoke and trying to influence the vote towards Romney. He is McCain light and the Dems tore McCain to pieces. If they can convince people that Obama is afraid of Romney, then Romney might win the nomination over more conservative candidates.
The people the dems are really afraid are the true conservatives like Perry and Cain.
It really is the stuff you don’t hear that sends the loudest message.
For instance:
Obama claims people WANT higher taxes.
Obama claims that they WANT to pay more for schools and teachers.
BUT Voters say the opposite!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/30/colorado-faces-nations-on_n_1066165.html
VOTE 2011: Aurora, Colorado voters adamantly refuse to raise taxes to fund public schools
The vote wasn’t even close – by a nearly 2 to 1 margin, Colorado citizens said no to a new tax initiative that was the only statewide tax initiative on the ballot this November.
Obama carried Colorado easily with a nearly 10-point margin in 2008.
Can Obama LISTEN?
Can Obama LEARN?
One wonders.
From the Bloomberg article, Thirty Top Companies Profited Without Paying Tax, Study Finds, dated today:
Since the SCOTUS recently determined that corporations have the same constitutional rights as a person, perhaps they should have the same responsibilities and tax obligations as a person.
Time to put unions from the most basic local all the way up to the Hoffa, Trumka, SEIU national headquarters under the same scrutiny as corporations are required by Sarbanes-Oxley and along with their itemized income statements, profits and loss, cash flows versus accrued expenses the margins of profitability are identified and disclosed for tax purposes. Union siphon dues demands on workers collecting in the multi-billions of dollars and those collections are segregated by arcane tax laws from incurring a tax payment liability to government.
Obama and his administration – Congress and Senate all = Rot for America…
I have it with the lot of them…
Same goes for Bloomberg…and many state and federal supporters of this [Liberal/Left Brainwashed ROT]….
Obama Remains: One Big Ass Mistake America!!!!!!!!!!
@ Greg
This may shock you Greg, but I agree with you. As a matter of fact, I think there was quite a bit of outrage right here on FA when it was learned that GE paid no taxes last year. Republicans are pushing for tax reform to close loopholes like this. It’s called lower the rates, broaden the base, and close the loopholes. Someone else proposed this at one time and it worked rather well.
http://biggovernment.com/jpollak/2011/11/04/racism-occupy-activists-clash-after-internal-survey-shows-occupywallstreet-81-2-white-1-6-black/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BigGovernment+%28Big+Government%29
Apparently some people are noting the unspoken words re: OWS.
A reporter sat in on the Community Board 1 last night.…..
Time to ascertain what lies before us here, much falls back to the previously used Stalinist gambits “ORGANIZE – ORGANIZE – ORGANIZE” which carrys with it a quantitative assumption that the ones who can organize the most garner the greatest power. This remains an olden falacy proffered by the central control because real power comes from the same and usual sources; that being, existing and accumulating wealth so those few with real money form the inner circle central committee POLITBORO5. At the NYC action there is a #1 hidden behind text messages to the POLITBORO5 who consist of the on-site operatives. Reported previously the the tents in ObamaVille have formed 60 committees and sub-committees discussing sanitation, supply chain needs, and politics-public affairs. These are the means of group management divide and control; meaning, get the action groups scattered into smaller fragments so the central controllers maintain a tighter grip . Violence is very predictable as the POLITBORO5 closes its fist on the action groups but note the violence invariably explodes outwards and never implodes. Those radicals within the radicals who mouth off are quickly shouted down then ostrasized by some outrageous label like “Enemy of the People” The POLITBORO5 team and tour to monitor all the action groups internal activities which is then conveyed back to #1. The oft told tale of the Flame and the Butterfly needs repeating because as #1 be the wick and POLITBORO5 the flame there happens the stage of eradication when a budding butterfly occupation protester asks too many questions, gets too many ideas snugging too close to the flame that perhaps has linked the links which identify the one who is #1.
Surprise surprise. The injured Fister was apparently wounded by his commrades and not a stun grenade/tear gas canister.
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/209973.php
@Greg, sometimes your lack of sense and smarts about business and taxes in general scares the willies out of me. In fact, in April of 2010, Forbes did the 2009 taxes for the top 25 US businesses… and in a format even the braindead could handle… in pictures.
Out of the top 25, four paid no taxes in 2009 because of businesses losses, and/or how their corporation is structured so that their profits are derived out of the country. Those four would be GE, B of A, Rubin’s Citibank (guess destroying the housing market wasn’t satisfying enough for Clinton’s Treas Sec’y, he had to also take down Citibank), and Valero Energy… who took a bath on their Delaware City refinery in 2009, and laid off 500 workers.
Ford paid the lowest % in taxes that year… 2.3%… because of the losses they took during that era.
Here’s the real 2009 world for you, in order of their size, and percentage of taxes paid as relates to their *before deductions* profits. They pay an effective 35% tax rate on determined taxable income, after deductions.
And keep in mind that some businesses may have not yet filed their 2010 taxes yet… including GE.
What can we take away from reality, when stripping out lib/prog anti-capitalist, anti-corporate talking points? That evil corporations do, indeed, pay taxes.. and those in disfavor with the lib/progs (like oil) pay the most. Then profits are distributed to their shareholders, who also pay taxes.
However, like all businesses and our tax codes, out of country revenue is treated differently/separately/or not at all, and business losses one year mean that a company may not pay one year, while paying big time after another year of success.
But then, since most corporations are figuring out that it’s much cheaper to headquarter outside the US for the regulations and tax codes, we’ll find more and more of them doing what GE does.
However your classification (and in error when it comes to Boeing) of all corporations being freeloaders is nothing more than ignorant hyperbole.
Basically, any information that conservatives don’t like seems to be automatically categorized as liberal/progressive, anti-capitalist, anti-corporate propaganda. I think that might be an example of what is commonly known as a defense mechanism.
Here’s the Citizens for Tax Justice web site. The corporate tax study article is there, along with a link to the study itself, and a lot more besides. Anyone who wants to have a look is free to draw their own conclusions.
No, Greg. That isn’t a categorization. That is a direct reference and description of you, based on your time and comments here at FA. A bit disingenuous for you to play victim, considering your archives of comments here, don’t you think? You are anti-capitalist, anti-corporate and most definitely pro wealth redistribution, according to what you feel is a proper amount of “too wealthy” which… despite many times of asking.. you can’t tell us what that is.
The Forbes study is based on specifics records from these companies and their 2009 taxes. And being as you’re too lazy to post the direct link to the study from the not so non-partisan CTJ, let me point out that it clearly says on pg 3 of the 71 pg report that the figures cited are an “average” summary of three years, and all corporations.
Did I, or did I not point out that a company pays an effective 35% of their taxable income, which is not their gross profits, but profits after legal IRS business deductions? When a company experiences a loss instead of a profit, they aren’t going to be paying any taxes, oh naive one. Not to mention that the past three years has been economic recession, so profits are less apt to be on the books.
And that the Forbes shows you what the effective rate paid compared to their gross profits… noting that the majority of companies in 2009 paid a hefty chunk of taxes that bears no resembles to the carefully packaged and nuanced “17%-18% average” rate you want to bandy about, with your CJT pals.
It’s sleazy, dishonest, and has the agenda to promote anti-corporate hatred.. which you, yourself, constantly parrot. Go find a dumber audience, Greg. This crap don’t hit our windshields, because we’ve figured out how you game the numbers for propaganda.
Here’s another real laugh… just to point out the CTJ agenda of hate corporations… a cause true to Greg’s heart. On pg 5 is the “headline”:
uh… one of those is Exxon. Is not Exxon on record, specifically, for paying a 47% tax rate in 2009… fully 12% over and above the effective 35% tax rate?
Sleazy, dishonest and a very overt agenda. Yup… find a dumber audience, Greg.
Man oh man.. this “study” is a hoot… on pg 6, another rockin’ headline:
Take, for example, Walmart.. the #1 largest company in the Forbes 2009 tax profile I linked. Their “total subsidy” for the three years was $2511 in millions. In 2009, they still paid 34.2% of their total gross profits, before deductions, that year.
Proctor & Gamble, #20 on the Forbes countdown, got $3158 in millions, and still paid 26.3% on their gross profits, before deductions that year.
Where’s the beef, Greg? Maybe what you should be focusing on is Obama’s pet money man, Immelt (GE and NBC… also of MSNBC infamy). Apparently being the POTUS pet has perks.
Mata, thank you. From what I can see greg knows what he is posting is BS and he doesn’t care. He is here to throw his ideology in our faces and little else.
As always, you’re welcome, HR. Just can’t stand the headline soundbyte educated, spreading sleaze. Gets on my nerves…. LOL
I don’t think this place draws a dumb audience. As I suggested previously, I think people are perfectly able to draw their own conclusions.
Regarding Exxon and 2009, the spin is thine. Here’s an article about that to consider. The 47% represents the taxes Exxon paid globally–not what Exxon paid to the United States government.
Still goes over your head, eh Greg? Why, when a company loses money in the US, but makes money outside the US, should they pay taxes to the US? This should be a harbinger for you that the US makes it very profit unfriendly, compared to other nations, and the US is losing out because of a nanny Congress.
In 2009, Exxon paid an effective rate of 47% of their profits. None of that profit was made in the US because oil prices were high (Exxon cannot refine enough US oil to serve the nation’s needs, so they have to buy it on the open market like everyone else…), the US doesn’t allow for the E&P (where they make their profits). This, however, is not the same as claiming that these corporations don’t pay taxes. They do… when they make a profit.
Now I sure wish you’d get your sources straight.. or at least read beyond the damned headlines. Because even according to your own partisan, agenda laden CTJ source, Exxon paid US federal taxes 3 out of their 4 year period…. have a gander on pg 36 for the Exxon US stats:
2008 – 28.2%
2009 – -38.3% (loss in US)
2010 – 13.4%
TTL three year average of taxes paid for US profits – 14.2%
Again, I’m going to have to remind you that these rates are based on their total profits, pre legal IRS deductions. The reality is that, after their deductions, they pay 35% rate on the net.
Now, if you want a productive discussion, instead of whining, lying and spinning, you might want to turn to a common goal we all have, and that is IRS tax reform. However I will warn you, I do not support the US collecting taxes on profits of any corporation made outside the US. I would, however, be very much in favor of the US allowing for the profitable E&P exploration in US territory, so that we too can benefit as other nations do… as well as encouraging other corporate division profits. But then, you’ll have to kick out your icons in Congress for that to happen.
Oh yes, Greg… via your own link about Exxon’s losing year in the US. Turns out they paid almost half of what they paid out to foreign countries in other US taxes…
Did you masquerade as a punching bag this year at Halloween? If not, it’d be a great fit for you next year….
@MataHarley:
Twasn’t too terribly long ago that the Gregster tried to sell us a bill of goods about News Corp and their tax refund that never existed.
That tale turned out to be false too:
What tax refund would that be Greg?
Oh, you mean the one that never existed?
Don’t look now, but your meme is broken.
@MataHarley:
They annoy me too, but you’re far nicer than I am about it .
Maybe I’m being silly, but I don’t think my “cause” is so wonderful or important that lying to convince others is justified. Guess that is why I’m not a leftist.
HR, I think many here would argue that I am “far nicer” is far from the truth. But hey, it’s all perspective, right? And most depends upon how hypersensitive the subject being addressed is.
@MataHarley:
Haha, true. It’s just that I know how they view me compared to you.
And this is the problem we have with the current tax code. The rates are too high and there are loopholes everywhere. The tax code provides congress with the power to help their friends and punish their enemies. There should be a low corporate tax rate, somewhere in the vicinity of 10%, with no exemptions. No breaks for hiring unicorn ranchers, no breaks for anything.
The same thing should happen for personal income taxes. I do believe there should be some exemptions charity and mortgages. But if it was low enough, I could even see those being done away with. And I believe everyone should have to pay something, even if it is only $10 a year. No earned income tax credit.
@Greg: The queston is why they were legally allowed to pay no tax. Possibly due to past year losses that are legally carried forward against future tax obligations or other very reasonable explanation. But after all, it is CONGRESS that writes the tax code and the CONGRESS has been mainly a democrat majority for the last 40 years. So why are all the Dims going wild now??
Public corporation, unions are not required, must report quarterly to stockholders and the public at-large their financial and internal affairs. In the course of doing business many motions are presented by members of the boards which get shelved pending an extensive legal review and opinion. Some motions before presented and carried require duplicate legal opinions plus feasibility analysis by the external, working with the internal, auditors. Whenever a corporation profits its shareholders become subject to duel taxation; being, there is the corporate tax on the profits and dividends are subject to personal income taxes. Some corporations pay no corporate income tax but do distribute dividends which do get hit. Apple Computer paid beacoup taxes but Steve Jobs paid no income tax because his compensation from Apple was in options which he separately financed for his own personal cash flows requirements. If paid enough I will scrub through the boring task of reading corporate reports and when clarification needed contact the operational executive for explaination.
What is ready is for union locals and the national AFL-CIO, Teamsters, SEIU labor organizations to be subject to the same scrutiny. They are required to report their affairs to the Department of Labor but from that hole in bureaucacy nothing ever emerges.