AP Fact Check Conclusion: President Obama Incorrect on How Much Rich Pay in Taxes

AP Fact Check: Are the Rich Taxed Less Than Secretaries? 

I have to say I am very surprised to even see the AP take something like this up. They usually steer clear of doing fact checks like this because they know it will hurt the Left, but this time they came out, hit the nail on the head, and have shown the American people that the President, along with Buffett, is not being truthful to the people of this nation. The truth is right there in black and white for the President to see, and the truth is that the rich are already paying their fair share. The fact that there is not enough money left to pay for everything is not the fault of the rich not paying enough, but the fault of Washington spending too much. Taxing the “rich” even more is not going to solve our problems, fixing the tax code and making it fair for everyone is the only way to go.

The facts are what they are, and the AP has laid them out for everyone to understand. 10% of the households with the highest income pay more than half of the federal taxes in this nation, which shows that the President is not telling the whole truth when he goes out stumping for the new tax increases that he is looking for. The other argument is that the tax code is set up to benefit those of higher incomes. This is the case in a few instances, but the IRS reports that only 1,470 house holds in America with income over $1 million paid no federal taxes in 2009, while there were 237,000 returns that were at the $1 million mark or over (AP). That is less than ONE PERCENT of those making over $1 million a year, something you have not heard from the President, have you?

What we have heard from the President is what we have been hearing from him since he was elected. At first he wanted to go after the rich, then he realized that would not happen because the Republicans would stall. So, he backtracked and told the American people that it was not wise to raise taxes in the middle of a recession. Now, less than a year later and even while the American people struggle to find jobs and employers are not hiring, the President has changed his course again and now is in favor of the tax increases that not so long ago he said would hurt the economy. We thought John Kerry was bad, but President Obama has taken over the title of flip-flopper in these times of economic uncertainty. We do not need a flip-flopper, we need a leader. Obama is not one!

The Republican candidates for President MUST start speaking up about the lies that this President is trying to push onto the American people. Those who have studied this know that he is not telling the whole truth, and for those on the Left who have said for such a long time that we were not telling the truth now need to answer why they were not looking into the facts like the rest of us were. This is not new information or a breaking news story, these are the facts that have been there the whole time. The problem with those on the Left is that they HATE facts, and it ruins their view of the world. If they had to admit that their stance was flawed, they would also have to admit that the Republican stance on taxes is closer to the best way to go than their plan. Since we know the Democrats will never do this and they will keep pushing a plan that will never pass, they have decided against working with the other side and have decided instead to play a class warfare game with the American people. We have to educate those who have no idea about the facts and let them know that the President is pulling a fast one. This is not about the poor, this is about taxing the rich even more so the Democratic base is happy with President Obama. This is nothing more than a campaign ploy to get re-elected, and if the people are not told the real truth by those in the campaign on the Republican side the Democrats may be able to get away with what they have been trying to push off as the truth.

This is a battle we all have to take on, as well. All of you that write blogs, do podcasts, or just have the occasional debate with the friend need to know the facts and bring it to the debate. This is not about taxing the rich so they pay their fair share. That is what those on the Left would like you to believe, but we know that they already do pay their fair share. Look at the corporate tax rates in this nation, and they are the highest you will find anywhere. Look at what those who are making over $1 million are paying, and tell me they are not paying enough. If you can tell me with a straight face that they are not paying enough into the system, and actually have a good argument, I will listen. From where I am sitting, however, the arguments are old and they do not stand up to the true facts in the debate over taxes. Yes, we do need a better system of taxation and it needs to be debated, but the fact of the matter is raising taxes on those who already pay most of the taxes is not good policy, and will not move America forward.

(Make sure to catch Shawn's new podcast, "Losing My Political Mind" starting later this week on Blog Talk Radio. Check the show page for more information.)