That’s not a typo! The election campaigns, the Presidential, House and Senate cost $6 billion, mostly spent on “attack” ads. Just plain obscene! How many hungry families in this country could we have fed, even housed, or put to work with 6 billion dollars? The election system in this country has become totally skewed. A system based on how much money a candidate can garner to even be considered a candidate, which has automatically precluded other viable candidates for so long. Other viable candidates are automatically ignored and have little, if any, visibility whatsoever.
We desperately need to reverse Citizens United by Amendment or whatever means possible -- an imperative. There is, in fact, an Amendment pending and you can sign onto the Petition for an Amendment to Citizens United at www.movetoamend.org. In addition, election reform is a MUST. Our election system is a sham! We need to get the money out of the election process, set dollar limits for Presidential races, House and Senate, as well as set limits of air time. And, apparently, Dylan Ratigan, formerly of MSNBC TV, has already thought about it and come up with “Get the Money Out” http://getmoneyout.com Go there and sign up.
This is all without mention of the redistricting (gerrymandering) and all the illegal attempts to suppress voting using inordinate measures to do so. We need to press for laws to be enacted to prevent the kind of suppression attempts we’ve seen in this past election. No citizens should have to have such experiences, as it is their inherent right to vote, period.
B. E. Murphy
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He's just fine with letting unions, scumbags like George Soros (who funded Move on.org) and campaign fund "bundlers" like the folks from Solyndra bribing Dems for favors bribe his candidates as much as they want. He just wants conservative groups crippled. He's about as far from "liberarian" as you can get!
I ask this: How much money did the Koch brothers dump into the Tea Party?
Do you really think and believe that spending $6 billion on election campaigns is O.K.? You don't think that's beyond overboard? Do you really think and believe that it's O.K. for mega-corporations, not just here in the U.S., but elsewhere in the world, have the right to contribute to our campaigns? Are you trying to say that that's a just and fair way to conduct elections? Unions? Obviously, your stance towards them is clear. And if you had your way, you'd have no representation for workers whatsoever . . . . and the results would be? You know the answer to that! Nonetheless, you have still missed the point, or have chosen to!
Clinton found a way to launder money from the Chinese interests to whom he gave away missile technology (Remeber Loral?) and Obama was able to get foreign money through numerous indiviual conduits. The fact is that the solution to lessening the influence of those who hate America and wiosh to see it wweaker, less prosperous and less influential (like Obama and Soros) s to educate the public about the realities of TRUE fairness, the value of freedom and liberty. That will take resources because we have network news misinforming and deceiving the public daily. We're currently running a $1.3 TRILLION deficit that has done little to correct our structural problems, so investment of a few billion to remove those creating this "debt bomb" by educating the people is money well spent, esepcially when it's voluntarily given. The problem is that in November the message was lost by the Romney, GOP house and Senate leadership because they are still part of the problem, not the solution!
Your 3rd paragraph is asinine. Corporate greed and the Military Industrial Complex are the real reasons we have difficulties with progress. I firmly believe in education, and monies should be there to educate our children properly. Mainstream media is a source of constant misinformation because of its corporate ownership/consolidation and its very slanted views. I don't know where your deficit figure comes from first of all. The deficit was driven up by the Bush Adm.'s two unfunded wars, the Bush Tax Cuts (for 10 years alone, cost Americans $2.4 trillion, plus an additional two years at $600 billion), a Bush Adm. pharmaceutical deal for drugs, the recession caused by the reckless and criminal banksters and more, all inherited by the current Obama Adm., and the constant call for more monies to fund those wars and others of our aggressive (illegal) adventures elsewhere and more continue to add to that deficit. And, your point was?
Tell me, what is Obama's plan to deal with his huge deficit that will decimate programs and prosperity for our children in the future? His "tax the rich" plan will only raise a MAXIMUM of $65 billion per year. That won't even make a dent in his $1.3 trillion annual deficit. If you are more concerned about who's donating money to fight his evil, destructive policies, than fixng his budgetary mess, you'r part of the problem, not the solution! THAT'S my POINT!
Obama's "tax the rich" plan? It is not a "tax the rich" scheme! After 12 years of the Bush Tax cuts and all the ill-afforded tax loopholes by the Tax Code, it is simply time, really, way past time, that the top 2% begin paying their "fair share" of the taxes. It is you who took the message and went off on a tangent! You really did not "get" the message, period!
Here's the facts regarding how "the rich" are paying far MORE than their fair share, "Let’s see, according to the latest IRS data, which takes into consideration all forms of federal taxation, the top 5 percent paid 40 percent of all federal taxes despite earning only 26 percent of all income. Further, the top 1 percent paid 22 percent of federal taxes while earning just 14.3 percent of household income. As you can see, it is difficult to comprehend how anyone can conclude that the wealthy aren’t already paying a disproportionate share of the taxes in our country. Now let me address the concerns of the Warren Buffetts of the world, who lament that their federal tax rate is lower than their secretary’s: again using the latest IRS data, people who make $1 million or more had an average tax rate of 20.4 percent in 2010; filers who earned $30,000 to $50,000 had an average tax rate of 4.8 percent; and those who made between $50,000 and $100,000 paid 7.7 percent. These figures show that the more you make, the more you pay — exactly the result our tax system is designed to produce." Please note that these figures include payroll taxes, NOT just income taxes. If you just consider income taxes, the "rich" are even more unfairly treated. the top 1% pays about 40% of all federal income taxes, and the top 10% pays about 70% of the income taxes.
Here's how it works. When deciding whether to make a taxable event such as selling a stock, business or investment property, there's a "tipping point" on return that makes making the taxable event worthwhile. For example, if you set a goal of a 20% after tax return on a long term investment and the captital gains rate is 10%, the value of the invetment has to be 22% to make the transaction worthwhile. If the captial gains rate is 20%, the value has to increase by 24% to make the transaction happen. If the return before tax is 23%, you make the sale when the Cap gains are 10%, but NOT at 20% capital gains rate. The result of the higher rate is that you've LOST 2% from the aborted sale, and the lower rate would have INCREASED revenue by the 2% lower tax. If you don't understand this, you have no business discussing the issue with any authority, and you should have NO business affecting tax policy
". . . . . The adults were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of "$$$$$$$" danced in their heads.. . . . . .. "
That's the typical "moveon" MO, and you're not very good at it yet. I have no problem with those who, through no fault of their own, find themselves needing government assistance after a long career in givng more than they take as do upper income people. What I DO have a problem with is those who drop out of school because they're too lazy to do the work, become parents on the public dole before they pay a nickel in taxes, and create a generational culture of living off the sacrifices of others, you know, the people Obama and moveon count on to vote for them in massive numbers every election! Those of us paying MORE than our fair share are getting pretty sick of your dishonest claim about us NOT paying our fair share, and it's time we fought the "big lie" you're spreading at every opportunity.
As to the "theme," I'm glad you "got it!" Plus, I believe to spend monstrous amounts of money on elections is just plain wrong!c
Tell us about your bonuses and short selling to buy back later in insider transactions of securities etc. It sounds like u need to sell your second and third home pay the millions in fines and take a enema to clean out the system, how many clients and investors have been screwed who have drank your KOOL AID and now have no rainy day fund or retirement?
The problem is that people first need to become aware and understand the waste and inefficiency, which no one is going to get through mainstream ("MSM") media . . . the MSM lets you know as much as THEY want you to know and that's that (owing to specific corporate ownership). But there are many sources that people, if they choose to do so, can find the truth, including radio stations/TV stations that expound the truth. Anyway, I've gone on a bit more than I cared to, but the point of it all is this: Taxes? There should be equitable "sharing" of them, on a pro rata basis based on income. As to our grievances with paying them, that is where YOU, ME and ALL AMERICANS come in. Given the controls exhibited by our government today (corporate and MIC controls), it is up to us, the PEOPLE to voice our discontent with the way/means our monies are being spent, and if we continue to be "snookered" in, i.e., paying our taxes, and witnessing inefficiency, waste and illegal behavior. Criminals don't stop being criminals, unless and until they are "arrested." So far, in 12 years, there have been no "arrests." So, of course, the criminals continue to be criminals and the problems continue resultantly!