Clinton: 'The rich are not paying their fair share'

politico ^ | Thursday May 27, 2012 | Ben Smith

[Bigtigermike]

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a rare foray into domestic politics today, offering her view that — given America's high unemployment — wealthy Americans don't pay enough taxes.

"The rich are not paying their fair share in any nation that is facing the kind of employment issues [America currently does] — whether it's individual, corporate or whatever [form of] taxation forms," Clinton told an audience at the Brookings Institution, where she was discussing the Administration's new National Security Strategy.

Clinton said the comment was her personal opinion alone. "I'm not speaking for the administration, so I'll preface that with a very clear caveat," she said.

Clinton went on to cite Brazil as a model.

"Brazil has the highest tax-to-GDP rate in the Western Hemisphere and guess what — they're growing like crazy," Clinton said. "And the rich are getting richer, but they're pulling people out of poverty."

Both Clinton and Obama campaigned for president on promises to allow the Bush tax cuts for wealthy Americans expire this year, a plan that is now part of Obama's budget. The move will effectively raise taxes sharply on people earning more than $250,000.

The Administration's new formal strategy document makes the case that domestic economic strength is crucial to influence abroad.

[sten]

your ‘fair share’ is determine how exactly? by how much you use? is it a percentage that matches everyone?

no.

the left thinks it has a moral right to take whatever they want from ‘rich’ people (anyone making $150k/yr or more) and give it to those not making as much.

i see that as stealing personal property and an afront to my civil liberties. honestly, how can it be seen any other way?

to say someone making $150k/yr or more is being taxed ‘the same as everyone else... making $150k/yr or more’ is the EXACT same thing as saying ‘of course you’re sitting on the back of the bus... with all the other black people’. it’s just a qualifier to single out the group they wish to attack or hold down.

of course, the dems have a long history of attacking the civil rights of minority groups... and the ‘evil rich’ are a minority of 5%

[Moby Grape]

According to IRS publications, the top 1% of wage earners pay 39% of all collected income tax. The top 50% of wage earners pay 96.4% of all taxes.

Knowing that 47% in this country pay NO income tax, just how much more do this idiots EXPECT to “rich” to pay?

The GOP has REALLY missed the boat by not pointing this fact out 24-7.

[IrishCatholic]

Hmmmm, I wonder how many services the rich use on the public dime.

[mortal19440]

If her Brain was half the size of her ass or cankles she might be able to have a real thought. POS

[JohnD9207]

Geez and this psycho hose monster and her husband are pimping a dinner with Bill to finish paying off her campaign debts of a little less than 1M. With a couple of million in the bank, just who isn’t paying enough???
Damn Clinton whores!

[JohnD9207]

Geez and this psycho hose monster and her husband are pimping a dinner with Bill to finish paying off her campaign debts of a little less than 1M. With a couple of million in the bank, just who isn’t paying enough???
Damn Clinton whores!

[JohnD9207]

Sorry for the double post, and I meant to say a couple of hundred million in the bank.
Geez???

[rockinqsranch]

You’re going to need to go underground again Hillary. Just disappear, out of sight, out of mind again for weeks, maybe months until you think everybody has forgotten your stupid Marxist remarks once again.

Go reinvent yourself once again Hillary will ya, so we don’t have to look at your almost Helen Thomas image again. Thanks in advance.

[wac3rd]

When the Chinese fund you for selling military technology, you need to be in prison, not moving your cankles all over the globe appeasing dictators.

[COBOL2Java]

Hillary, you still declaring Bill’s worn underwear as a tax deduction?

[rlmorel]

I think you misunderstand the situation...:)

It is trickle down economics, but in this model, wealth goes from normal working Americans like you and me, downwards, to arrive at something lower than whale turds.

Down it would go, until it is deposited in the pockets of people like Hillary, Bill, Obama and Pelosi.

[rlmorel]

Okay, THAT imagery made me spit out my drink...

[meyer]

No, they’re not paying their “fair share” - they’re paying way above their fair share. When the deadbeats that make up the base of the democrat party start paying the same proportion of their income that Bill Gates pays, then we can say that the rich are paying their fair share.

[rlmorel]

It is absolutely useless to point this out.

Just amazing.

Like you, I see that data you posted describing the breakdown of taxpayers, and that data tells the dire situation our society is in, with the same richness, certainty and clarity that this graph below illustrates a point:

For people who pay attention to such things, the graph shown above is an icon and masterpiece, in much the same way people see Michaelango's David or Pieta.

The reason I bring it up is that this graph is an icon to people who work with data. That graph achieves the amazing goal of being able to express the exact meaning of data in nearly a single glance.

When you view this graph, you capture immediately how much Napoleon blundered, and how terribly his men suffered. You can nearly feel the biting cold, the disease, the misery, the death.

It is my opinion, that this data shown below:

According to IRS publications, the top 1% of wage earners pay 39% of all collected income tax. The top 50% of wage earners pay 96.4% of all taxes.

is every bit as powerful, clear, and concise as the graph above describing Napoleon's retreat from Waterloo.

It tells the story plainly. You can almost see the bread lines, gray skin and glum misery if nothing is done to change this situation.

[highlander_UW]

I wish someone would push democrats to define "fair share".

Personally, I'm poor, but I am a Christian, and it's a sin to covet the property of another...in Christ I am rich...and all the money in the world can't buy that.

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

Broken record.

[BookmanTheJanitor]

Clinton went on to cite Brazil as a model.

Who wouldn't want to be like Brazil?