If one was to only get their news from The Huffington Post (a wholly owned subsidiary of AOrweLlian Corp), one would be left with a black and white description of Obama’s budget plan that falls just short of wanting to kill your granny.
For the world of the corporate MSM, profits are generated from Republican power and generating conflict to stir up greater viewership. Both of these are antithetical to our coming together to solving our economic problems as a nation. They don’t want a solution, they want the status quo to continue because it will keep elevating them at the expense of 99% of Americans. And that “running America off a cliff” thing? No need to worry about falling until you hit the bottom.
So, even though the thrust of the Obama budget is across the board cuts AND tax increases on corporations and the wealthy, the game this time with Obama’s budget is to scream bloody murder only at the cuts to the social programs that impact those with moderate to lower incomes. And to damn the tax increases with the faint praise of “modest tax increases”.
The same “modesty” could be applied to some of these social cuts as well but the manipulation is to try and drive a wedge between those who support Obama and Obama, getting hysterical about the cuts affecting likely Obama supporters and playing down the cuts and taxes that affect Republicans.
It is very cynical and folks had better get used to it because this is what we’ll see a lot more of as 2012 rolls around.
Now we know how HP and other conservative outlets want us to view the President and his financial agenda. Meanwhile, witness an AP article from Yahoo which describes a whole different Planet Earth we’re living on (is HP actually just Bizarro World?):
Obama budget resurrects rejected tax increases
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama’s budget proposal resurrects a series of tax increases on certain corporations and the wealthy that were largely ignored by Congress when Democrats controlled both chambers. Republicans, who now control the House, are signaling they will be even less receptive.
The plan unveiled Monday includes tax increases for oil, gas and coal producers, investment managers and U.S.-based multinational corporations. The plan would allow Bush-era tax cuts to expire at the end of 2012 for individuals making more than $200,000 and married couples making more than $250,000. Wealthy taxpayers would have their itemized deductions limited, including deductions for mortgage interest, charitable contributions and state and local taxes.
Obama’s proposal would extend tax credits for college expenses and expand them for child care. A more generous Earned Income Tax Credit for families with three or more children would be made permanent.
The plan would enhance and make permanent a popular business tax credit for research and development, and would provide tax breaks for investing in manufacturing and for making commercial buildings more energy efficient.
In all, the budget proposal would impose about $730 billion in new taxes on businesses and wealthy individuals over the next decade, while cutting about $400 billion in taxes on middle-income families, the working poor and other businesses, for a net tax increase of about $330 billion.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., called Obama’s proposal a missed opportunity to address the nation’s fiscal problems.
“We need a government that finally does what every other American has to do in their households and their businesses, and that’s to live within our means,” Cantor said in a statement. “Instead, President Obama’s budget doubles down on the bad habits of the past four years by calling for more taxes, spending and borrowing of money that we simply do not have.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110214/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_taxes
Now let’s get this straight, top Republicans oppose Obama’s economic agenda because it allows too much spending on social programs and other government spending. And HP also opposes it? Ain’t hard to figure out who’s going home with whom after last call.
This is why it is so hard for America to ever solve it’s profound problems. When someone tries to do what’s needed, when sacrifice is needed for us to prevail, you have the wealthy who demonize sacrifice, the MSM who exploit the outrage over it for profit and the ordinary American who is fine with sacrifice and is frustrated with why it’s taking others so long to sacrifice instead of them.
There is the same mentality here that blew up our economy. There is a day of reckoning somewhere down the line where our deficit spending will reach a point of no return. Instead of putting down the money vacuums for enough time to assure stability, corporations turn them on at double strength to get all they can before the house collapses. Which of course, hastens the collapse.
It is this sociopathy, this utter lack of conscience and responsibility for how they are ruining the nation and the lives of most Americans in their pursuit of greed that needs to be confronted and attacked on a daily basis.
We have met our domestic enemies, and they are US corporations. Not all corporations but those that undermine our economy, press and democracy to satisfy their insatiable greed.
Al Qaeda destroyed the Twin Towers and thousands of innocent lives. Corporate America has destroyed thousands of neighborhoods and Main Streets all across America and destroyed millions of lives.
It is an undeclared war with a great deal of camouflage, subterfuge, sabotage, false flags, fragging and of course propaganda. This is the true war we’re in, the others pale in comparison and in some cases, are intended to be distractions (“The War on Terror?” How about “The War on Bad Dreams?”).
Corporate America is fighting with everything they’ve got to win this war against the American People and the politicians that represent them. It’s our duty as Americans to accept that challenge and come together to defeat it.
AdLib…I had just written a long reply and comment to you and when I hit submit…..they could not find this website……for over an hour….so all that effort was lost.
So hopefully this much shorter and more meaningless comment will get through. I thought perhaps Big brother had taken over…….could not get onto any political website, not even HP.
BRAVO!! thank you for putting this blog out here . It is among the finest and most truthful I have seen. After being at HP exclusively for years and watching people get so pissed off about a tilted headline and not even check the article itself, your observances and words are totally refreshing.
Needless to say I welcome the facts and am in total agreement…Thank You 🙂
Referring back to the main article: It would be wise to keep a balanced view. For example, Obama has in fact offered a very deep cut in the Low Income heating program that will severely affect huge numbers across the northern part of this country. If it was all cut out you can count on people dying. In the meantime the richest get their tax cuts.
I feel as though there has been too much reaching out and attempt to compromise. The Dems seem to have no message- and when they do, they are tongue-tied.
Our rights have been compromised by everything from the Patriot Act to the SCOTUS.
Perhaps the budget is not as grim as it’s presented, but when we are spending as much as every other country combined on the military complex.
When corporations like Halliburton are in possession of billions of dollars of no-bid contracts, and no one chooses to take an ax to that stinking piece of pork- I give up.
Bad budget-good budget- it makes no difference..
I am almost bone-weary from all the controversy and hatred.
Today is one of those days.
Today, I will put it all aside and let them kill one another. May nobody win.
This is a link from “BlackWaterDog” regarding the President’s budget. I haven’t had a chance to read the entire article, but I think it explains a lot and why knee-jerk reactions are never good.
http://blog.reidreport.com/2011/02/the-obama-budget-truth-or-dare/
This posting says at the beginning in part “sober assessments are proving the proposal to be less horrible than advertised.” Why should this President be proposing ANY cuts that are horrible to ANY degree ? That is not why we elected him !
Obama’s mistake (if there was one at all) Would be that he thought he could beat the conservatives using rational plans. Conservatives are addicted to their wealth. They will not fight “rationally” or “fairly” …in any way.
You can’t “outfox” an enraged, addicted, charging elephant. You can only “blow it away” with equal brute force…
Hi Peabody, agree with the first part but another way to outfox a charging elephant is to have planned ahead and camouflaged a trap right where it’s about to stampede.
Check out what happens with this budget face off, the Repubs stampeding for slashing things that benefit a majority of Americans to preserve tax cuts for a small minority.
They’re running right into the trap Obama has set for them.
AdLib- In my first engineering class the outgoing Industrial Engineering dept. head, a 90 year old guy who instead of using the powerpoint dusted off the overhead projector. He said the way they catch elephants is to dig a circular pit, build a bridge to the center where a pile of bananas is bait, then when the elephants are happily eating you pull the bridge.
AdLib – excellent, well written post that covers so much of how I feel about what really goes on in this country due to the Republican controlled and owned media in this country! They have cleverly managed to spin stories to push their points of views just to score political points, designed to simultaneously fatten theirs and the rich corporate friends pockets – at the expense of the rest of us.
When I was at HP and watched them with the sensationalized headlines done to constantly bash and discredit President Obama and his administration – I was constantly horrified to always find that Democrats and left leaning posters were so very gullible and bought into a lot of the garbage, and would immediately go on the attack against President Obama. I constantly wrote about the fact that as much as I despised conservatives, I could admire them for being at least loyal to the Republican party, and I’m saying this without in any way intimating that I want Democrats to become sheep-like, mindless followers of our President and the Democratic Party.
But at some point we have to be a little bit more patient and understand that the grave problems that our President inherited when he took office, couldn’t possibly be fixed in 2 years…..especially considering the fact that he had the misfortune of having to work with an opposition party that clearly has no adults in charge, or anyone who appears to care about fixing the very problems they’re mostly responsible for creating.
We really have to be smarter about not supporting our President in his efforts to better the lives of all Americans – because as I’ve also often said at HP – if anyone who believes in our Democratic principles think that paving the way for a Republican President in 2012 is worth it, we will all see for ourselves that nothing could be further from the truth.
I’ve often said I am a strong supporter of President Obama, and I can’t wait to proudly cast my vote for him again in 2012….and I will never deviate from that! Have I been disappointed by President Obama at times? Absolutely, but not enough to not understand appreciate the insurmountable task he has in running the country!
AdLib, thanks again for your thought-provoking post!
I understand the human nature of criticism. I get it. People tend to only see the things they don’t like to see. Not me because of my life story but most people are like that.
But to hear the Pavlovian responses you hear at HP that this budget makes Obama a secret Republican are pure above the fold hyperbole. Republicans are offering ZERO tax increases and ZERO investments. Not to even mention the GOP are far more draconian in the cuts they are asking. So that simplistic meme is absolutely factually wrong yet it’s repeated over an over like the big lie.
Again the MSM corporate media including AOL are missing the real story here. Republicans have no strong leader in their ranks and like with HCR I doubt very much they will offer a budget of their own because the Republican establishment and teabaggers never agree on anything. They got elected for jobs jobs jobs and deficit reduction but they still would rather sit on the sidelines not offer anything to stay under the radar and let the media cut Obama with 1000 cuts.
Agreed. And I don’t think it’s accidental that the MSM isn’t publicizing that much more accurate story.
They want Republicans in and Obama out so they can finish the job that was started in the fall of 2008, kill the golden goose, grab all they can and let the masses turn on each other.
We won’t let that happen, no Repub is winning the WH in 2012, it’s going to be a real fight for the future of this country and there will be a huge wave of people blocking those corporations from advancing any farther on DC.
Thanks so much islandleogirl!
We are indeed on the same wavelength. I have been just as dismayed by the malleability of our colleagues at HP. Now, even after the pied piper of division has revealed herself to be a Republican in Dem clothing…many are still dancing to her tune.
They have been played, the goal was to undermine Obama and the Progressive agenda and in truth, it did not succeed. Much was accomplished in just 2 years, much more than in most 8 year presidencies.
But we can’t accept the game of division and hold resentment towards our fellow Dems, we need to unify again to win strongly across the board in 2012.
Another issue is Cay Johnston, tax.com, blogger. He says that families making $6,000 pay 4% in taxes which went up after the December tax deals…This makes no sense at all. While he may be a very well informed tax guy… working with families in that tax bracket, I know that this is a falsehood, and wonder what his agenda could be to spread such lies. Those that make from $6000-$12000 don’t have 4% for taxes and may not pay any taxes at all once they receive child credits.
He says: Consider a single worker who makes $6,000. That was the average wage of the bottom third of workers in 2009, the Medicare tax database shows. Killing the Making Work Pay credit in favor of the payroll tax cut amounted to a tax increase of $252, or 4 percent of total income.
I know that the families that I work with do not pay that..so where is he getting this information. According to him, it’s a pdf file he has inserted on his tax.com website.
Perhaps it’s reality versus academics or it’s just all hyperbole. All of it!
I suspect it’s like the so-called “fair tax”, Its insane proposal is based on the current “average” tax of (approx) 27% for a median income. However, poverty-level families curently pay less than that (can’t quote the exact number, but something like 18%.)
That means the “fair tax” would significantly increase taxes on poverty-income families. Not surpising, since most supporters of the “fair tax” hate the poor….
Great article AdLib! Now how do we persuade those less enlightened to understand it?
Thanks MIVOTE!
I think a combination of repetition and time passing, as people see the economy improving and the Repubs in Congress and running for President going mental, I think the wayward Obama supporters will come home.
Bernanke that’s Obama’s guy is quoted as saying “Job recovery is several years away.” Jobless improved economy wont bring the strays home it will just keep them home.
Sorry for the source but the quote is valid, funny how google is subtle editing results for those like me just looking for the reference, I suppose I need to look harder.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/49173.html
Hi everyone, just picked this out from the Repubs budget “suggestions”
Rep Cory Gardner (R-Colo)
Would DENY salaries to Fed employees who develope HC exchanges under last years HC Bill.
It is one of a series of amendments aimed at impeding the implementation of the HC Bill.
Un-effing-believable.
Are these Repubs naturally stupid or do they have to practise?
Fi – they are bred that way.
That kind of stupidity can’t be found in nature, it could only come from years of dedication to sniffing glue.
I suspect you are right, enjoyed your post.
Beautiful ad lib: the failure to mention the tax increases is the game being played to separate obama’s supporters from obama; thanks for pointing it out.
Thanks Dbos! It is such blatant manipulation and propaganda, we need to cut through the MSM BS machine and connect with real people, we do have the truth on our side.
Even normally sensible Andrew Sullivan went totally name calling and hyperbolic mode by saying the president is selling out 30 year olds because he’s not making SS solvent past 2029 in the “greatest financial crisis” the US ever had.
I guess he got all fired up at CPAC.
Ya gotta love the right wing. From Americans for Tax Reform.
I would love to here from these clowns how taxing international corporation profits take jobs from the US.
What they totally fail to mention is that all these taxes are not going to be used for any spending. These tax increases are going to be used to make up for the AMT fix. So in essence they are taxes to pay off tax breaks to the middle class. Which mean the net tax increases are really ZERO.
So, the RW decries all the giveaways and taxes and the stealth RW (the MSM including HP), claim it’s an attack on Obama’s constituency.
A scissors action. We need to break them at their hinge, expose the connection. More people are turning off the MSM and turning to the internet and their circle of friends.
Just like Egypt: The Planet, Facebook, Twitter, let’s use social media to reach, build and educate.
I must be slow ….. I don’t see what’s wrong with those tax increases *snark*
Oh and props for an excellent article, AdLib!
Cheers kellyk311!
It’s like a drug I say; the dramatics of all the politics since Obama came into office that is. I can’t recall a time when more people were more interested and more involved, which is good and bad. It was like waking up from a nightmare that continued on into reality (The transition of Bush to Obama).
I mean, so many people are just so in the dark about how everything works… its pretty depressing actually. There is no excuse for it! Here is the whole world of information, right at their fingertips, and still people refuse to inform and educate themselves about the inner workings of this world we live in.
I’ve never really identified with any one party, because I am more of a Carlinist, George that is. We are the blind, hungry masses willing to be fed any bullshit that sounds slightly appealing all for the sake of entertainment value. You can’t even watch the news anymore, no, instead it gets SOLD to you.
If I had a dime for every time I’ve tried to get people to watch this and realize it isn’t just a comedian talking, but a man telling you the truth, I’d be in ‘The Big Club.’
Love that vid, Kelly. He really says it like it is. The real war has nothing to do with anything but money and “class.”
Kelly, Even though what Carlin says is true, I have trouble picturing myself as one of these completely helpless blindly accepting peons. Of course the “owners” don’t care about me but I don’t care about them either. The people that own this country spend all their time trying to own more of it…one could argue that they’re prisoners too, of their own greed. I don’t care about that stuff. I live a pretty simple life and don’t need a lot of big expensive toys. I’ve got what I need. I don’t want to sit around thinking about all the billions that the “owners” have and that I don’t have — it’s just crazy-making. What would I get from that except to become cynical and hopeless? I don’t want their life, and they’re gonna die one day just like me.
Agreed, although it’s much more than just toys, it’s access to quality, affordable healthcare, education and being able to collect the social security that we pay into.
That is where I was headed. They all have us chasing this ‘dream’ of owning the biggest TV, the newest phone, the latest version of, well, whatever.
Meanwhile, our most basic needs aren’t being met for the most part, and we happily ignore those for the sake of having all of those above items that don’t give a person a quality of life.
The worse part is in the noise of the debate thanks to the hysteria key elements of the budget are not even understood. There is a huge tax increase on the rich and big business in the president’s proposal on order of $321 billion over 10 years that will be used to reconcile the AMT which would have come directly from new borrowing.
But we still hear the narrative “on the heals of extending the Bush tax cut” progressives are mad at the spending cuts. When that extension itself has been mitigated by almost half in the proposed budget.
Excellent point, KQ. I haven’t read the budget or even a detailed summary of it. Your post is the first mention I’ve heard of those tax increases. Ed Schultz is on TV right now, bloviating against it. I think he is anyway, I have it muted, which is how I always handle Ed.