Bloomberg today:
“The Obama administration cut taxes for middle-class Americans, expects to make a profit on the hundreds of billions of dollars spent to rescue Wall Street banks and has overseen an economy that has grown for the past five quarters.
Most voters don’t believe it.
A Bloomberg National Poll conducted Oct. 24-26 finds that by a two-to-one margin, likely voters in the Nov. 2 midterm elections think taxes have gone up, the economy has shrunk, and the billions lent to banks as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program won’t be recovered.”
You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy. But you cannot have both.
Whatever Works 
Do you really think the media is failing Moe?
I think the American Media are doing an admirable job of making corporate america’s agenda the agenda for the average citizen.
How else would you have people actively protesting against measures (universal healthcare) that would benefit the vast majority of them? How else would you have commentators on television say, with a straight face, that Obama is a socialist? How do you get ordinary people protesting the taxation of the rich at a reasonable rate? Heck, on a more basic level, how do influence people to protest most programs that encourage egalitarian society? No, Moe, I think the media has done a spectacular job.
Unfortunately though the spectacular job has been in service of the elite of society, as opposed to the interests of democracy and the majority of the population.
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No argument from me. Consolidation of ownership – all over the world actually – should have people terrified. But they have other things to worry about – you know, pretty blondes get murdered sometimes and that required at least 11 days of wall to wall coverage.
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Ms. Holland,
” “The Obama administration cut taxes for middle-class Americans, ”
Partially accurate. There are all kinds of new taxes coming next year. Obama’s tax cuts to the middle class are pitiful next to them. Then you have Obama’s tax increases on the rich . Anyone who believes that will not cause job losses in the middle class, knows nothing. Then you have the estate tax increase. Better die before the New Year if you have a business or other assets, over $1 million. Sounds like a lot. Not if you have a farm or business you want to leave to your kids. Uncle Obama will take his cut.
The Arbourist,
” How else would you have people actively protesting against measures (universal healthcare) that would benefit the vast majority of them? ”
Is that why the Obama administration is giving out waivers to companies like McDonalds. ?
” How else would you have commentators on television say, with a straight face, that Obama is a socialist? ”
Because he talks and walks and acts like a duck, I mean a Socialist.
” How do you get ordinary people protesting the taxation of the rich at a reasonable rate? ”
Are all Atheists class warriors ?
” No, Moe, I think the media has done a spectacular job. ”
Other than FoxNews and talk radio, Obama has owned the Media. You are in denial. You are in rationalization mode. Americans are rejecting Obama. You cannot admit that so it must be the media’s fault for painting a false portrait of our beloved fearless leader.
Actually you are right. The media did paint a false portrait. Americans figured him out anyway. Just a little late .
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[There are all kinds of new taxes coming next year.]
So Obama did not raise taxes. That’s not partially accurate; it’s accurate.
[Obama’s tax increases on the rich ]
Ditto. Obama did not increase taxes on the rich. Saying he did is not true.
[Obama has owned the Media]
That’s as pure nonsense as anything I’ve heard lately. Rupert Murdoch, Conrad Black, Disney and General Electric own the media. Obama owns Wall Street.
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Ms. Holland,
” Ditto. Obama did not increase taxes on the rich. Saying he did is not true. ”
You are driving me to ____distraction, yea that is a safe word. I believe you are playing word games. Do you mean that so far the Government has not collected those higher taxes? ? OK. He has done nothing ,,but talk of raising taxes on the the ” Rich ” .
Be unObama-like. Be clear. He has threatened raising taxes on the rich for 21 months. He is too stupid to know that his threat is what has frozen up the private sector. If you read any business publications all of this is obvious. There is a $trillion dollars in corporate money that will stay on the side lines because of this threat. Also , your Party the Democrats adjourned Congress without a budget so they could campaign. If they cared at all about the country instead of their political hides, they would not have done that. Uncertainty is the enemy of the economy.
There are $Billions in foreign earnings that evil corporate American Companies canl not bring home and pay out to American stock holders or spend in America because they will pay a 35% tax penalty. Even the Western European Socialists are not that stupid with their companies.
Krugman will not tell you that.
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Alan, you can’t keep saying that Obama ‘will’ raise taxes and say that it means he ‘has’ raised taxes.
Intentions are not actions. Ask me how much I care about the multinational corporations failing to invest because they’re afraid to lose a few cents on a share value.
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Ms. Holland,
” Ask me how much I care about the multinational corporations failing to invest because they’re afraid to lose a few cents on a share value. ”
I wish you were at least a Mutual Fund investor as I am. It’s hard to persuade you of anything when you think the way you do. Corporations compete for capital from investors,,,,like me. This does not make them evil. It does not make me evil. Corporations are an efficient vehicle for taking invested capital and creating wealth.
US corporations compete against foreign corporations. By the way, a 35% tax penalty on returned foreign profits is just a tad more than a few cents on a shareholder value. At any rate Barak Obama thinks like you and it has hurt him politically. If he was not so anti business, a $trillion dollars would come off of the sidelines and be spent in the US. That is a stimulus that would work and not run up the deficit. It would lower the deficit. Trickle down economics.
If he stopped threatening Corporations, he would be as popular as two years ago, because we would all have jobs.
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[If he was not so anti business, ] Then why is Wall Street his biggest supporter? Goldman Sacks practically elected him.
You know who’s competing with corporations these day? Me. I’m competing with corporations for citizenship.
Watch out for the oligarchy that’s headed our way.
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