WASHINGTON (AP) - One of President Barack Obama's campaign pledges on taxes went up in puffs of smoke Wednesday.
The largest increase in tobacco taxes took effect despite Obama's promise not to raise taxes of any kind on families earning under $250,000 or individuals under $200,000. This is one tax that disproportionately affects the poor, who are more likely to smoke than the rich.
To be sure, Obama's tax promises in last year's campaign were most often made in the context of income taxes. Not always.
"I can make a firm pledge," he said in Dover, N.H., on Sept. 12. "Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes." He repeatedly vowed "you will not see any of your taxes increase one single dime."
Now in office, Obama, who stopped smoking but has admitted he slips now and then, signed a law raising the tobacco tax nearly 62 cents on a pack of cigarettes, to $1.01. Other tobacco products saw similarly steep increases.
Since no one could tell me where all the bailout/stimulus money was coming from, I found my answer... huh?
By the way... we give GM all this bailout money months ago because we couldn't let GM go to bankruptcy. now...It's OK to let them go to a "soft" bankruptcy once the Government has taken over. So we basically wasted that previous money?
And since we have fired a CEO, why havent the CEO's of banks gotten pink slips? or the heads of the Labor Unions? I'm guessing that the campaign money they donated put them into a TOO BIG TO FAIL status, huh?
1 comment:
Better question to me, Jerome, is if industry CEO's get the ax for failure, what consequence should Obama levy for his failures to date? Failed vetting process -- over and over, even after saying "I'll take responsibility for getting it fixed" -- any consequence??? Obama pushes us taxpayers to give billions to auto companies to prevent bankruptcies and what's the plan now / where has the money gone? Any consequence??? Biden OFFICIALLY appointed by Obama to be in charge of the stimulus bill... think Biden is going to soon get fired for the continuing souring of the jobs market/ailing stock market/missing stimulus funds??? Theoretically, if Obama is going to run the government as he wishes to do so with private businesses better be a whole lot of heads rolling soon, including his own resignation less success hit us tomorrow.
Seems like consequences are only going to apply to those on the OTHER side/not in political favor... but if IN favor than you can get free passes, such as Turbo-tax Geitner, Sebelius, etc...
What's letting me sleep at night, your faithful readers may ask? The fact that the insanity, hypocrisy, lies, and socialist pushes we're seeing now will make the slate ripe for a refresh in the 2010 mid-term election. Would have thought Obama would be smarter than to let things go so out of control so quickly. And as for giving you props, you're dead on with the cigarette tax and look for MANY similar punishing taxes to come... just hope your readers and the US public will be able to do some very simple math when their whopping $13 a week pay increase shows up but they're turning it over and more to pay for hidden usage fees. Reminds me of that old saying PT Barnum penned... the every minute one ;-)
Your Florida friend,
John
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