Bush's new stump speech

July 31, 2004 3:31 PM

Deconstructing Bush
Bush is rested and back on the campaign trail with his new stump speech in hand. I now find the level of dissonance to be somewhat amusing whereas it once angered me. Poking holes in what his handlers write can be fun for you too! My personal favorite from the current incarnation:
He said he's only going to raise the tax on the so-called rich. But you know how the rich is, they've got accountants. That means you pay. That means your small business pays. It means the farmers and ranchers pay. That's the wrong medicine for this economy, and we're not going to let him prescribe it.
posted by nofundy (36 comments total)

Yep, that's the ticket, the rich have accountants so let's not tax them. They're sneaky and don't pay taxes anyway, so let's give 'em a BIG tax cut! And we all know how rich farmers and ranchers and small business owners are, right?

Heh!

Go for it Defenders of All Things Duhbya. Convince me of how wrong I am about Bush.
posted by nofundy at 3:33 PM on July 31, 2004

You're wrong.
posted by eyeballkid at 3:39 PM on July 31, 2004

No you're wrong!
posted by eyeballkid at 3:39 PM on July 31, 2004

Isn't this fun?
posted by eyeballkid at 3:40 PM on July 31, 2004

.
posted by BlueTrain at 3:40 PM on July 31, 2004

I hear Kenny boy Lay had accountants. And Cheney had accountants that went over and above your normal "trial lawyer and activist judges" type accountant. Them rich people is just too smart for all us common folks!

Is our voters learning?

OK, I'll stop, this is just too much fun! Your turn!
posted by nofundy at 3:41 PM on July 31, 2004

He said he's only going to raise the tax on the so-called rich.

How about not raising taxes? Period.

Top 50% of Wage Earners Pay 96.09% of Income Taxes.

Punish achievement much?
posted by hama7 at 3:43 PM on July 31, 2004

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!
posted by argybarg at 3:46 PM on July 31, 2004

How about reducing the Federal inconme tax rate to 1% or less?

Progressive taxation is the hallmark of marxism.
posted by hama7 at 3:48 PM on July 31, 2004

Only 4% of small business owners would be affected by Kerry's proposal. - from that liberal rag the Wall Street Journal

If $200,000 is so-called rich, what does he consider truly rich? Does he think that any decent self- ethical accountant actually would spend all their time trying to find ways to help their client avoid paying taxes? What say you accountants? Is Arthur Anderson the gold standard of accounting? Did he just lose the accountant vote?
posted by nofundy at 3:50 PM on July 31, 2004

Ooooh! He totally got you there!
posted by eyeballkid at 3:57 PM on July 31, 2004

Punish achievement much?

Considering the level of achievement in this country, I would say no. Not at all.

BTW, are you pretty much admitting that Bush's "accountant" babble is complete BS?

Progressive taxation is the hallmark of marxism.

hama7, are you calling Bush a Marxist? After all, his tax plan supports progressive taxation. Am I supposed to read your posts and do anything other than laugh? Or are your posts supposed to be a serious piece of performance art, rather than a humorous one?
posted by deanc at 3:58 PM on July 31, 2004

General Electric is said to have not paid *any* federal income taxes in the last 50 years. Apparently there have been a number of you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours deals with the government, where GE has provided their services in exchange for tax cuts, or maybe withheld their services from foreign governments in excahnge for tax cuts.

The accountants just make sure the right numbers go in the right boxes, and the math adds up. It is the lobbiests who are responsible for enabling the tax breaks that make it easy for the rich to stay that way.
posted by Kwantsar at 3:58 PM on July 31, 2004

Does he think that any decent self- ethical accountant actually would spend all their time trying to find ways to help their client avoid paying taxes?

That's why my family has an accountant. Which is why we also have an attorney. Any business owner worth his/her salt would do all in their power to legally avoid taxes, especially small-business owners. What bizarro world are you living in?
posted by BlueTrain at 4:00 PM on July 31, 2004

metafilter: You're wrong, no Your wrong!

Oh wait.
posted by delmoi at 4:01 PM on July 31, 2004

Is it actually worth responding to Hama7, or would that just be seen as encouragement?
posted by amauck at 4:10 PM on July 31, 2004

Hama7 knows very well that he's left out the burden of sales and payroll taxes and FICA. To repeat hama7 knows, on some level at least, the he's full of shit.
posted by Space Coyote at 4:20 PM on July 31, 2004

To repeat hama7 knows, on some level at least, the he's full of shit.

As I said, it is obvious that his/her posts are some kind of performance art project. The only question I have is whether they're supposed to be funny or if they just come across that way.
posted by deanc at 4:26 PM on July 31, 2004

look, it's totaly ethical to try to pay as little in taxes as possible. The tax rate, and tax deductions are worked out by the government for various reasons.

Paying extra is simply giving free money to the government, which they'll probably spend on bombs or prison rape promotion programs. And who would want to do that?

Other then sadistic supporters of getting bombed and goin a assrapin'.
posted by delmoi at 4:28 PM on July 31, 2004

If the people give me four more years, this country will be safer. Our economy will be stronger. Our future will be brighter and better for every single citizen. (Applause.) From creating well-paying, good jobs; to improving schools; from fighting terror, to spreading peace and protecting the homeland; we have made much progress. And we will do more. (Applause.)

Too bad he didn't provide any of those things in his first four years. It's so funny that Bush can't run on his record, except with headspinning bs (like the fastest growing economy in 20 years garbage)--they were planning that this would be a victory lap, with Iraq a shiny new democracy, and everyone happy and working, and a strong economy due to his tax cuts, and the convention was going to be the crowning glory. Hah!
posted by amberglow at 4:31 PM on July 31, 2004

"General Electric is said to have not paid *any* federal income taxes in the last 50 years. Apparently there have been a number of you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours deals with the government, where GE has provided their services in exchange for tax cuts, or maybe withheld their services from foreign governments in excahnge for tax cuts."

No. Over the last three years GE paid: US income tax 4.2 billion, Overseas earned income tax $2.3 billion, and has deferred provisions of $4.2 billion. Financial footnote.
It's a publicly traded company. You can look this stuff up. It's on the Internet and everything...
posted by arse_hat at 4:38 PM on July 31, 2004

it is obvious that his/her posts are some kind of performance art project

It certainly seems that way given the links he tends to rely on. I was sure that the discussion of Marx he linked to was going to go into detail about the connection between communism and Satanism, but alas, no luck.
posted by amauck at 4:44 PM on July 31, 2004

Progressive taxation is the hallmark of marxism.

So, its a choice between Marx or Mussolini then? :-)

There's lots more nuggets to poke holes in and laugh at if you can stomach reading the speech.
posted by nofundy at 4:49 PM on July 31, 2004

Heh, he said "fabulous."
posted by planetkyoto at 4:50 PM on July 31, 2004

Don't let hama7 concern you, he's just one of these "taxes are theft" types, which in my opinion sits him right next to his good friends, the "property is theft" types. If only he would be a good little comrade and admit it.
posted by Jimbob at 4:58 PM on July 31, 2004

In a country full of stupid people, a president could lower taxes, increase spending, then campaign about how people are getting more and paying less.

In a country full of stupid people, everyone can overlook half-trillion dollar annual deficits and scream 'four more years' until their party finally loses and then they can grouse about the higher taxes they have to pay and the military cutbacks they have to withstand for the small matter of a 'balanced budget.'

I hate countries full of stupid people.

The trouble is that you can look at your paycheck every month and curse taxes, and you can go to the hospital and curse the state of medicare, but you never get a bill on your doorstep or a collection agent calling you on the phone telling you about the $1800 that you, your spouse, and each of your kids will have to pay eventually to support the disparity between what Bush taxes and what Bush spends in this year alone.
posted by kfury at 4:58 PM on July 31, 2004

Metafilter: Is it actually worth responding to, or would that just be seen as encouragement?
posted by bob sarabia at 5:00 PM on July 31, 2004

It is the lobbiests who are responsible for enabling the tax breaks that make it easy for the rich to stay that way.

Look, for fuck's sake this is simply the most stupid thing that you could have said. Seriously, it's up there with "the Jews are poisioning the wells".

Please take it as read from someone who spent three years at one of the most highly regarded lobbying shops in the world that you're talking through your arse. Seriously, you are. If you're going to criticise a profession, at least spell it right...
posted by dmt at 5:05 PM on July 31, 2004

Can't we just setup metafilter.com to redirect to johnkerry.com and be over with it?
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 5:07 PM on July 31, 2004

I have to speak on behalf of the rest (some) of the non-Americans here: I can't fucking wait for this election to be over.
posted by Quartermass at 5:10 PM on July 31, 2004

Wait, so jews aren't poisoning the well?
posted by bob sarabia at 5:11 PM on July 31, 2004

hama7, are you calling Bush a Marxist?

Yes, if he supports progressive taxation. Yes.

It is the lobbiests who are responsible for enabling the tax breaks that make it easy for the rich to stay that way.

What business is it of yours if a rich man is rich? Nobody has the right to take from you that which you have earned, and for which you have worked.

The only fair tax is a Fair Tax, which is a national sales tax, not an income tax!
posted by hama7 at 5:16 PM on July 31, 2004

I have to speak on behalf of the rest (some) of the non-Americans here: I can't fucking wait for this election to be over.

Some Americans too!
posted by thirteen at 5:17 PM on July 31, 2004

Fair Tax!
posted by hama7 at 5:17 PM on July 31, 2004

You're making a big assumption that everyone who's rich has worked for it hama7. It's tough believing eventhat everyone who's rich and has worked has been paid what they're worth. The brutal truth is in the pudding - there are lots of lazy fucks in cooshy jobs who are living in first-world countries, who had rich ancestors who have a hell of a lot of undeserved money. There are several billion human beings who work their arses off each and every day in dangerous, difficult, degrading and physically exerting jobs just to buy rice and tinned food for their family.

This reveals a lot about your sense of humanity.

Once again, your belief that there is some direct, linear relationship between how much of a good worker one is, and their intrinsic value, makes you sound more like a Communist than you realize.
posted by Jimbob at 5:25 PM on July 31, 2004

Funny that haha7 didn't link to his own MeFi post on the fairtax idea. Perhaps because of the sound beating that idiotic fantasy subsequenetly received.
posted by Space Coyote at 5:34 PM on July 31, 2004