Today I posted the following on my facebook page. It started a flame war with an old high school friend who is a GOP/TeaParty/WingNut/Romney supporter. Follow me below the fold for the fun and please add you comments.
BB: that is so funny that you call this out. It is legal, but hey, what about all the people in the Obama administration that haven't paid their taxes. Tim Geitner comes to mind as one. (he is in charge of the Fed) Oh yeah, Warran Buffett, owes millions in back taxes. Oh right, forgot to mention that GE doesn't pay much in taxes because they are run by a HUGE Obama doner. Hmmm, the hypocrosy is very clear.
Me: I agree with you, all government officials should disclose their tax records. Do you agree or disagree with Romney's refusal to disclose tax returns, something that has been common practice in presidential politics for decades? For Romney, rules are for everyone else. His attitude towards his tax filings reflects this: just because other candidates have released their returns, that means nothing to him; he is not beholden to political tradition, to the niceties which bind us as a society. He sees the Presidency as his personal plaything, as his by God-given right. He says he worries about the "poor and the middle-class that are finding it hard to make a bright future for themselves." Nothing in his actions betray that concern as a legitimate, driving force. From embracing the Ryan budget to vowing to repeal ACA with nothing to replace it, his actions show that he cares not a bit for the concerns of the "poor and middle class".
Me: John McCain saw his returns, and chose Sarah Palin. What could be contained in those documents that made McCain choose someone even more woefully unprepared for high office? That's a question to which we all deserve an answer.
about an hour ago · Like.
BB if he paid his taxes then I don't have a problem with him being Rich and not releasing his tax records. It is just a toy that the media uses to attack people they don't like. btw, I thought he did release his tax return from last year and the media had a hayday with it. The democrats want him to release the tax returns from years and years ago, so they can continue to demonize him because he made a lot of money at Bain Capital.
BB ok, big question: What has Obama really done for the "poor and middle class?" really, what?
Me: Well, the IRONY is that the GOP "birthers" demanded to see President Obama's birth certificate. We only want to see Romney's tax records. Seems fair right? You DO see the irony, right?
BB: that was orginally used by Hillary Clinton. hahahaahah!!!! And there is a requirement to be a US Citizen from birth. Anyway, that is not the issue here. What has Obama done for the "poor and middle class""
Me: “Mitt Romney wants you to show your papers, but he won’t show us his.” Romney supports Arizona’s immigration law, now mostly invalidated by the Supreme Court save for the “show me your papers” provision, which requires police to check the immigration status of anyone who looks “reasonably suspicious.” The GOP presidential candidate has also come under fire for refusing to release more of his tax returns.
BB: ok, obviously you didn't want to answer my question. Stop attacking Romney and tell me what Obama has done for the poor and middle class?
Me: Here are FIVE THINGS President Obama has done for the middle class. #4 is one of my favorites - but that's just me being a liberal hippie socialist.
1.The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will set and enforce clear, consistent rules to hold banks, credit cards, mortgage lenders, and others accountable and protect consumers from abuses and deceptive practices.
2.President Obama signed into law tax relief to make college more affordable. As a result of the American Opportunity Tax Credit, families can receive up to $2,500 in tax relief each year for college expenses. A family of four earning $75,000 would receive an extra $4,400 in tax relief for college expenses over the President’s first term.
3.President Obama negotiated a bipartisan agreement that led to a payroll tax cut for 160 million working Americans, giving them in effect a 2 percent raise through the end of 2012. A family earning $50,000 got a tax cut of around $1,000, or about $40 with every paycheck.
4.The Affordable Care Act – President Obama’s landmark health reform law – is already making the health system more secure for American families. The law allowed children and young adults to stay on their parent’s insurance through age 26, and recent reports have indicated that as a result approximately one million additional young Americans now have insurance coverage.
5.The Recovery Act that President Obama signed into law also invested in historic reforms to our K-12 education system, providing $4.35 billion for the Race to the Top Fund, a competitive grant program designed to encourage and reward states that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform and achieving significant improvement in student outcomes.
BB: This list is so funny. That stuff doesn't help all poor and middle class. Most people's health care have gone up. You now have an even harder time getting money for anything, including college(which is a small percentage of people), the K-12 money goes to the big union, NEA. Fred, you just can't admit it. Obama has done NOTHING for normal americans. He has only given money to his political friends and unions. LOL!!!!
Me: With Romney’s proposed reductions in federal spending, it’s likely that Medicaid would be cut by $153 billion by 2016, the food stamp program would have to throw 10 million low-income people off the rolls, and a key program supporting poor children’s health would face cumulative cuts of $946 billion through 2021. Romney is living in a “dream world” when he claims his Medicaid cuts won’t hurt the poor. And Romney’s tax plan suggests his focus is really on the wealthy, as it includes massive giveaways to upper-income earners and investors, while doing almost nothing for middle- and low-income Americans.
Me: Help millions of American families save up to $2,200 next year: stand with President Obama to urge Congress to extend middle-class tax cuts. http://OFA.BO/...
Stand up for the middle class
my.barackobama.com
Join President Obama to tell Congress to extend tax cuts for American families...
BB: i bet you are scouring the websites to find this information to give to me. lol!!! You don't think it would be slanted a particular way coming from my.barackobama.com would you? btw, medicaid is a state's program so the state's are responsible for funding it. All states have become dependant on federal dollars to run them.
Me: I don't have to "scour websites." Unlike most of the GOP, I don't need to go on a wild goose chase. You asked me for things the president has done for the middle class and I gave you 5 facts. Sorry you're not happy with them. I'm glad you can choose your own alternate reality. Good luck with that.