Obama: Opposing Higher Taxes 'Selfishness'

NewsMax ^ | October 31, 2008 | Phil Brennan

[2ndDivisionVet]

Barack Obama says if you don't want to hike your taxes, you're selfish.

Speaking in Sarasota, Fla., Thursday, Obama said he wanted to change the tax code to help the middle class and charged that in opposing his tax raising programs, Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin were making a "virtue out of selfishness."

Writing in the ABC News Political Punch blog, senior national correspondent Jake Tapper reported that Obama insisted that he has nothing against the rich.

"The reason that we want to do this, change our tax code, is not because I have anything against the rich," Obama said, adding, "I love rich people! I want all of you to be rich. Go for it. That’s the America dream, that’s the American way, that’s terrific.

"The point is, though, that — and it’s not just charity, it’s not just that I want to help the middle class and working people who are trying to get in the middle class — it’s that when we actually make sure that everybody’s got a shot — when young people can all go to college, when everybody’s got decent health care, when everybody’s got a little more money at the end of the month — then guess what? Everybody starts spending that money, they decide maybe I can afford a new car, maybe I can afford a computer for my child.

[mylife]

You are most likely correct.

[mylife]

Ahh Well.
You know they are living high on the hog while Aunt and brother live in squalor.

[USMA '71]

"virtue out of selfishness."

Sounds an awful lot like the title of one of Ayn Rand's best.."The Virtue of Selfishness". Perhaps Obama should read it - I have.

[CanadianMusherinMI]

he is a idiot! so he gives them a little, so they go out and buy a new car, or computer, driving them further in debt. what? so we can bail them out AGAIN?
so if i dont vote for obama i am a racist and if i dont want to pay higher taxes i am selfish and ala biden unpatriotic? man it sucks to me /s
i realize he plans on paying for much of his list with the 80billion a year the government will get stealing our 401k’s, but it wont be enough. obama and congress will thieve some more, until we are all “struggling to be middle class”

here you go folks...dig deep and charitably!
• “Universal,” “guaranteed” health care.
• “Free” college tuition.
• “Universal national service” (a la Havana).
• “Universal 401(k)s” (in which the government would match contributions made by “low- and moderate-income families”).
• “Free” job training (even for criminals).
• “Wage insurance” (to supplement dislocated union workers’ old income levels).
• “Free” child care and “universal” preschool.
• More subsidized public housing.
• A fatter earned income tax credit for “working poor.”
• And even a Global Poverty Act that amounts to a Marshall Plan for the Third World, first and foremost Africa.
His new New Deal also guarantees a “living wage,” with a $10 minimum wage indexed to inflation; and “fair trade” and “fair labor practices,” with breaks for “patriot employers” who cow-tow to unions, and sticks for “nonpatriot” companies that don't.
per the article (http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=302137342405551) that is first term stuff.

[Perdogg]

ping

[mbr]

This man has called me, and most other American’s “racist”, “unpatriotic” and now “selfish”. Guess he must think we are “stupid” as well.

Vote McCain.

[Republican Wildcat]

What were this guy’s charitable contributions again?

[realdifferent1]

according to the Obama campaign (and the New York Post retraction). She left Indiana after her afternoon speech. The receipt is dated 4:04 pm, at which time the campaign says Obama had not yet arrived in New York."

I'm convinced! /s

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

RELATED — for parents and teachers and those inclined to vote for Obama.

http://www.edactivist.com/html/report__edu-stakeholders.html

[ArchAngel1983]

I’ve had the opportunity to travel around the world five times in my life and my belief is that if you can’t ‘make it’ in the United States of America then you might as well put a gun to your head and pull the trigger as many times as you can because you are a born loser!

[SteamShovel]

Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin were making a "virtue out of selfishness."

So being greedy and wanting the government to steal & redistribute money that isn't theirs is not being selfish?

Who's are the selfish ones? Up is down, right is wrong, left is right, black is white, we have gone through the looking glass.

[factoryrat]

SELFISHNESS! How about giving me a chunk of your campaign contributions? I'm needy, one of the poor, dumb, masses. What's that? I'm not hearing a response. Thought so. Hypocrite! I would like none better than to p!$$ on your little red book. Take your commie self back to the hole you crawled out of. We, as Americans have dealt with your kind before. You will not be allowed to succeed.

[maine-iac7]

Why isn't there an ad with this spiel and show how much the ‘bama’s have contributed to charity in the past 20 years - I believe it's 1%

Yeah, he cares about redistributing the wealth - as long as it's ours and not his

[Blacksheep]

If 33% of Americans don't pay taxes now after Obama’s tax plan hits that is likely to grow to over 40%.

What all Americans should be most afraid of is a majority voting block of non-tax-payers.

Hey RNC how bout an ad on this little known diddy!

[ApplegateRanch]

Maybe I should give everything to the poor, then follow Jesus Abu Obi Wan Kalidezkodofyers, with my hand out for a handout.

[ApplegateRanch]

there are a lot of people out there that want pie, right now, and they want you to pay for it.

Rats never seem to think that it might be cheaper & more productive to sign up some of those pie-hungry eaters as apprentice bakers & teach them how to bake more pies.

The solution is not fighting over how to divvy up one pie, but how to make more pies.

Take a tip from the Bible: Jesus & the Disciples ended up with more bread and fish than thy started with, and still fed the multitudes.

Sure, in His case, it was a miracle; but it was still a case of making more, not just splitting up what you already have.

[RayChuang88]

An open remark like that could be just the recipe to cost Obama a close election--does he not remember what happened when the Democrats raised taxes in 1933 and ended up prolonging the Great Depression? He will openly wonder why the amount of money "offshored" by Americans legally balloon to over US$20 trillion just to avoid the clutches of higher taxes from the IRS. US$20 trillion--that amount is far more than enough if we return even half of it to the USA under better tax conditions to end our economic ills in a matter of weeks.

We should be encouraging Americans right now to save and invest, not the other way around. That's why I support FairTax, since by removing taxes in savings account interest, dividend income, corporate income and capital gains income it encourages Americans to save up and keep their financial assets inside the USA, where it does the most good.

[RayChuang88]

There is a famous saying from the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu that Senator Obama totally does not understand: Give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; feed him for a lifetime. Obama wants the former, but in our real world we need the latter.

[cowboyway]

Obama has a lot of gall since he is so very generous with his family and all.

Liberals don't give their own money. They give other peoples money.

[Gvl_M3]

Wow,
Makes you wonder if he even knew there was a book called “The Virtue of Selfishness.”

I’d never heard of it, but now I’m interested in reading it. The reviews on Amazon sound interesting.

http://www.amazon.com/Virtue-Selfishness-Ayn-Rand/dp/0451163931