Biden: Paying Higher Taxes Is "Patriotic"

Democratic VP Nominee Says Wealthier Americans Should Pay More In Taxes

(AP)  Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden said Thursday that paying more in taxes is the patriotic thing to do for wealthier Americans. The Republican campaign for president calls the tax increases their Democratic opponents propose "painful" instead of patriotic.

Under the economic plan proposed by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, people earning more than $250,000 a year would pay more in taxes while those earning less - the vast majority of American taxpayers - would receive a tax cut.

"We want to take money and put it back in the pocket of middle-class people," Biden said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America."

Noting that wealthier Americans would indeed pay more, Biden said: "It's time to be patriotic ... time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut."

Republican presidential candidate John McCain released a television ad Thursday charging that Obama would increase the size of the federal government amid an economic crisis. Contending that "a big government casts a big shadow on us all," the ad features the image of a shadow slowly covering a sleeping baby as it exaggerates the reach of the Obama tax proposal.

"Obama and his liberal congressional allies want a massive government, billions in spending increases, wasteful pork," the ad says. "And we would pay - painful income taxes, skyrocketing taxes on life savings, electricity and home heating oil. Can your family afford that?"

[spiritwalk]

Taken from the CBS Rules of Engagement:
"no libel, slander, no lying, no fabricating,"

In regards to the political debate it is wrong for you to do that in your opinion posts. That is for CBS to do in their reporting.

You have to get some campaign advertising money or the chance at an exclusive interview before you can libel, slander, lie and fabricate too.

[spiritwalk]

Paying taxes is PATRIOTIC? The last time they trotted out the word PATRIOT we got Homeland Security. What''s next? How about changing the name of the IRS to Homeland Investment. That sounds real patriotic.
Watch out when someone says they''re a patriot. They are always the ones who stay home while sending others to war. Patriot draft dodgers will quickly turn into patriotic tax dodgers.

[clovisbuford]

he rich already are paying alot more than the lower and middle class - it''''s not as if the rich aren''''t paying or are paying less than the little guys.Posted by stanmikitaC at 07:40 PM : Sep 18, 2008I saw warren Buffet on tv the other day , He said it was a class war and his side was winning . He pays an effective 17% tax on his income , His secretary pays nearly 33% . He offered a million dollars to the charity of their choice to any of the Forbes 400 who paid more of a percentage than their their secretary . He still has that million dollars and its been a few months .He gets that we have to have a healthy middle class ,and the growing income redistribution from the middle class to the wealthiest Americans through income tax cuts that mostly benefit the wealthy is not healthy for our country.IN 1940 the effective tax rate on the top of the economic pile was 94% to pay for WW2 , the Iraq war is being fought on chinese credit to the tune of 10 billion dollars a month to be paid for by our grandchildren . The iraq war would be over tomorrow if they did the same thing today and made the feudal oligarchs who are the republican base as Bush said it pay a 94% tax rate . They support Bush don''t they , they are patriots , let them do like the greatest generation and pay like they did in 1940.

[stanmikitac]

The obama plan is a joke...Sure he''ll cut taxes for 95% of Americans - that sounds good on paper(just like tax-cuts for the rich sounds bad), but it will be a disaster. How many of the 95% end up losing their jobs because of the increased taxes on businesses. the left loves to demonize business and people who are sucessful. But the so-called "tax-cuts for the rich" will destroy the economy and obama knows it - he''ll say and do anything to get elected. And unfortunately many people are buying into his bull. obama recently said that he would have to wait on eliminating the Bush tax-cuts because right now it would hurt the economy in it''s weakened state...so how will eliminating these cuts help us later. Tax-cuts for the rich have long proven to be sucessful and have stimulated the economy. The rich already are paying alot more than the lower and middle class - it''s not as if the rich aren''t paying or are paying less than the little guys. obama''s plan is a gimmick to get elected and spells economic disaster for this country(his plan is eerily similar to Pres Hoover''s when he took over a struggling economy - only to dig us deep into the Great Depression). Despite what the obama camp says - McCain and Bush couldn''t be more different.

[downsteamjim]

The Obama Biden economic plans is put air in your tires and a new toaster in your kitchen.

[clovisbuford]

If more peope of both parties reported this kind of trash we might actually be able to let our kids engage in the political process without having to worry about them being exposed to stuff like that.Posted by mbourn2 at 06:24 PM : Sep 18, 2008
One thing most of us can agree on mbourn2 no matter what our positions

[clovisbuford]

"As of September 2008, the total U.S. federal debt was approximately $9.7 trillion[2], about $31,700 per capita (that is, per U.S. resident). Of this amount, debt held by the public was roughly $5.3 trillion.[3] If, in addition, unfunded Medicaid, Social Security, Medicare, etc. promises are added, this figure rises to a total of $59.1 trillion.[4] In 2007, the public debt was 36.9 percent of GDP [5], with a total debt of 65.5 percent of GDP.[6] The CIA ranked the total percentage as 26th in the world. "according to wikkipedia.

[clovisbuford]

Clinton announces record payment on national debt
By John King/CNN

May 1, 2000
Web posted at: 5:13 p.m. EDT (2113 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Bill Clinton said Monday that the United States would pay off $216 billion in debt this year, bringing to $355 billion the amount of the nation''s debt paid down in the three years since the government balanced the budget and began running surpluses.


In a written statement, Clinton said the $216 billion payment represented the largest debt paydown in American history, and he said that the federal government''s long-term debt is now $2.4 trillion lower than projected to be when he first took office.

However, the U.S. government still has a long way to go before it pays down the entire national debt, which now stands at $5.7 trillion.
the clinton yrs. note the deficit is 5.7 trillion dollars.

[mbourn2]

If more peope of both parties reported this kind of trash we might actually be able to let our kids engage in the political process without having to worry about them being exposed to stuff like that.

Taken from the CBS Rules of Engagement:

There%u2019s legal language nearby. Here''s the plain English: no libel, slander, no lying, no fabricating, no swearing at all, no words that teenagers use a lot that some people think aren''t swearing but we do, no insulting groups or individuals, no ethnic slurs and/or epithets, no religious bigotry, no threats of any kind, no bathroom humor, no comparing anyone to Hitler, Stalin or Pol Pot. We expect heated, robust debate, but comments should be polite and civil. We consider this to be public space so behave and write accordingly.

[mbourn2]

I certainly do not support Obama but this last coment crossed the line. This one was reported for abusive language. Posted by NObama_SUX at 06:19 PM : Sep 18, 2008

[mbourn2]

Clovisbuford, I saw the page you were talking about... Interesting but I think those rates would be a disaster for the economy. Standlee5, I would be more than happy with a sliding scale from 5% to 30% of earnings starting above $10K but I doubt that most of my friends from the left would go for that. (I guess I do not know that since I cannot get anyone to give me a number that would be too high for them to support.) If memory serves I think the top rate is currently 35 percent. Lets bump that number up to say 40%%u2026 Who here would support a constitutional amendment to limit the combined tax rate (Federal, State and Local) to 40%? If we did that we would also have to limit sales tax to keep the system from becoming regressive... How about a combined sales tax limit of 8%? For the most part that would give our friends on the left a very healthy bump in taxes on the rich%u2026but, the catch is, we never have to deal with this issue again. ALL levels of government would be forced to live within those limits? Any takers?

[clovisbuford]

Did you know Bill Clinton was investigating ways to tax folks on the value of any accumulated equity that may have built up in their homes???
Posted by NObama_SUX at 05:52 PM : Sep 18, 2008
did you know your party has doubled the national deficit in just 8 years that took us 230 years to get to. We are fighting a 10 billion dollar a month war you probably support ,financed on credit from the chinese, not even part of the annual budget and you want to talk fiscal responsibility,leaving it to our grand kids to pay for it . step up to the plate big man , pay your share . and get off that republican crack , quit listening to rush and hannity on your smoke breaks at the 7/11. The continued cut and paste, flooding the comments section shows your intellectual depth.

[aceshigh333-2009]

Yea, yea. Biden has more politcal experence than Palin. Ok. But, Palin has more experience than Obama, deal with it.

Dem. ticket is as upside down as a sub-prime mortgage.
Obama, a disaster waiting to be elected.....

[clovisbuford]

Posted by NObama_SUX at 05:46 PM : Sep 18, 2008
oh look the kids got out of detention and their mom has left them alone to go get a six pack . the trolls are out that ends rational discussion on this page for now

[clovisbuford]

I am still not seeing a number. What is the tax rate that you would absolutely not go above? This is why I do not buy the "it%u2019s only a slightly more" argument." I have never been able to get anyone to give me a stopping place.

Posted by mbourn2 at 05:18 PM : Sep 18, 2008
I was wrong, in 1940 the very top income earners payed 94% income tax to help pay for the war. These days even though"this is the gravest danger we have ever faced" we are fighting this one on credit, money borrowed from the Chinese at the tune of 10 billion a month , I guess the big money boys back then were patriotic Americans . If that tax rate was forced on the richest of Americans today , how quick would we be out of Iraq?In fact if our kids were being drafted to relieve our stretched to thin military how quick would we end this nonsense? By the way i got this from tax history page that I googled

[clovisbuford]

People really thinks this guy is suitable to be VP?
Posted by StLouisMan3 at 05:21 PM : Sep 18, 2008
He has been overseas before last year. He has visited more that 3 countries including Ireland , where he more than just a refueling stop. He has actually met a few world leaders, He knows what the Bush doctrine is . He is well versed in foreign affairs . while He doesn''t see Russia from his from porch , He has been there and Georgia , don''t let that one confuse you.

[standlee5]

Why can''t we all just pay on a sliding scale from 5% to 30% of earnings starting above $10K. Even poor should pay a flat rate for earnings under $10K of like $10. Then everyone has contributed and everyone has ownership and nobody can complain about being goughed by the govt.

[ibzjem]

People really thinks this guy is suitable to be VP?

Posted by StLouisMan3 at 05:21 PM : Sep 18, 2008

Over Palin? ABSOLUTELY!!!

[clovisbuford]

I dont even think the tax rate in the US has ever been above 50% on an individual I could be wrong on that one . Warren Buffet says the tax percentage on His class of wealth right now is 17%. He also says it is a class war and His side is winning hence his support of the inheritance tax etc. Even he knows the importance of the middle class and keeping America the land of opportunity, I know Canada''s tax code is higher than ours and they aren''t hurting and get national health care to bot vs. or 45 million uninsured Americans

[mbourn2]

I am still not seeing a number. What is the tax rate that you would absolutely not go above? This is why I do not buy the "it%u2019s only a slightly more" argument." I have never been able to get anyone to give me a stopping place.