The Big, Fat Lie Behind Romney's Absurd 47% Argument

[Brewman_Jax]

http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/bi...7-argument

From the article:

Quote:Mitt Romney's narrative -- long-popular among right-wing bloggers and talk-radio squawkers -- that 47 percent of households pay no federal income taxes and 53 percent do is the least honest, least factual talking point to ever be taken seriously in our political discourse for a number of reasons. First and foremost among them is this: it's just not true.

According to studies by the Tax Policy Center , six in 10 households that pay no income taxes are working families having a tough year or two. The authors note, “most of these working households... pay federal income tax in other years, when their incomes are higher.” Many take advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), originally a Republican policy that offers a tax break to low-income working parents. According to the authors, “the majority of households that receive the EITC get it for only one or two years at a time, such as when their income drops due to a temporary layoff, and pay federal income tax in most other years.” We have a social safety net, albeit one of the flimsiest in the developed world, and it is doing what it is designed to do – keeping people's heads above water (before the crash, 39.9 percent of households paid no federal income taxes).

In other words, these are not discrete groups. People in the 47 percent (it's actually 46 percent) one year will find themselves in the 53 percent (54 percent) the next year, and vice-versa. These are not different groups of American households separated by different cultures. Those who find themselves in the 47 percent in a given year will, over the course of their working lives, pay a fair share of all taxes, including federal income taxes and those who find themselves in the 53 percent in a given year will, over the course of their lives, enjoy a fair share of government benefits as well .

...

Another group that Full-of-Mitt left out was Big Corp, that rarely pays any corporate income tax. They have battalions of lawyers and CPA's to make sure that does not happen. It would be cheaper to just pay the taxes instead of paying the scores of tax pros in order to AVOID paying.

What about them? Aren't corporations are people, too?

Looks to me like Rmoney was blowing the GOP dogwhistle, as usual.

[jaxx]

Squire Romney doesn't like his peasants. What will he do when he changes the tax codes for his benefit and they all die off from starvation and disease? Who will shine his shoes and make his bed?

I dislike this man more every day.