http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/the-latest-romney-claim-about-bain-capital/2012/05/29/gJQA9RPK0U_blog.html

Keith,  I think you mean larger donation amounts give the wealthy a chance to meet and ask in person, an influential lawmaker, thereby increasing their persuasiveness potential.

However, I think what you just said, was that wealthy people can buy politicians by giving them money, expecting them to do as they say. And, the tricky part then becomes if the politician expects to be rewarded with a repeat donation just for doing their job, anyway. Which when they get caught doing this, they go to jail. That is something I observe, does happen time and again no matter if the politician is Democrat, or Republican.

Poor people do have access to their elected politicians, their currency though, is their vote.  There is hope their opinion matters enough for their reps to do as they say. The common relationship is limited to phone calls, emails and letters, unless you like going to rallies and photo ops.

The problem with money and taxes and the laws will always involve the wealthy and not the poor. Form 1040EZ, is why. What is going in and out is easy to understand. It only gets complicated when one can afford investments and or businesses are involved. The professional tax people hardly, and sometimes don't understand all the laws. And that's what I think is a problem.

Obama flip flops on finance reform
 
Finance Flip-Flop
That\'s interesting coming from the first major presidential candidate ever to forego public financing in a presidential election. Candidate Obama opted out of the public financing system as soon as he realized that he could raise more money than Senator John McCain, and went on to spend more campaign money than any candidate in history.
 
: On January 17th 2009, in an interview with Katie Couric (CBS) Obama changed his position on Killing Osama saying: \"My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him\" he said. \"But if we have so tightened the noose that he\'s in a cave somewhere and can\'t even communicate with his operatives then we will meet our goal of protecting America.\"
 
Obama on talking to the rogue State leaders
 
Obama before: In the primaries, during the Youtube/Cnn debates Obama has said that he would meet with the leaders of rogue countries without preconditions. 
Obama after: During the presidential debates on September 26th he denied the previous statement by saying: “Senator McCain keeps on using this exhample that suddenly the president would just meet with somebody without doing any preparations, nobody has been talking about that”…
 
Obama on tax cuts
Obama Before: Obama and McCain have sparred over tax policy for months. Obama accused McCain of wanting to continue Bush policies by extending the tax cuts for the rich.
Obama after: Obama now says he would delay rescinding President Bush's tax cuts on wealthy Americans if he becomes the next president and the economy is in a recession, suggesting such an increase would further hurt the economy.
 
Obama on conception of life
 
Obama Before:  In his speech on Father’s day in Chicago, Obama discussed the problem of absent black fathers. “We need fathers to recognize that responsibility doesn't just end at conception.” In other words he said that fatherhood begins at conception. 
Obama After:  At the Saddleback Church, Obama was asked by Rick Warren: “when does life begin?” In response, Obama said “answering the question would be above my pay grade”.
 
Obama calls McCain out of touch?
 
Obama Before: During the primaries in San Francisco Obama called people in Pennsylvania "bitter" and suggested that "in small towns of they cling to guns and religion". For these remarks Obama was strongly criticized by the democrats, including Hillary Clinton.
Obama After: During his acceptance speech on August 28, 2008 in Colorado, Obama accused Mccain of being out of touch for allegedly calling people "whiners".
 
 
 
Barack Obama on the Georgia situation
Obama before: “I strongly condemn the outbreak of violence in Georgia, and urge an immediate end to armed conflict. Now is the time for Georgia and Russia to show restraint, and to avoid an escalation to full scale war. Georgia’s territorial integrity must be respected. All sides should enter into direct talks on behalf of stability in Georgia, and the United States, the United Nations Security Council, and the international community should fully support a peaceful resolution to this crisis.” 
Obama after: “I condemn Russia’s aggressive actions and reiterate my call for an immediate ceasefire… Russia must stop its bombing campaign, cease flights of Russian aircraft in Georgian airspace, and withdraw its ground forces from Georgia.”
 
 
Barack Obama on Running for Higher Office
Obama Before: "You know, I am a believer in … in knowing what you’re doing when you apply for a job. Uh, and I think that … if I were seriously to consider running on a national ticket, I would essentially have to start now, before having served a day in the Senate. Now there may be some people who are comfortable doing that, but I am not one of those people.” — Barack Obama, November 8, 2004
Obama After: Sen. Barack Obama stood before a cheering crowd in his home state Saturday and announced he will seek the 2008 Democratic nomination for president. "…I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States of America." (May 2, 2007 Springfield, Illinois)
 
 
Barack Obama on Offshore Drilling
Obama Before: Barack Obama has spoken out against offshore drilling since Sen. John McCain in June proposed striking down the federal moratorium banning offshore oil and gas drilling to help alleviate high gas prices. "When I'm president, I intend to keep in place the moratorium here in Florida and around the country that prevents oil companies from drilling off Florida's coasts," Obama told reporters in Jacksonville in late June. "That's how we can protect our coastline and still make the investments that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and bring down gas prices for good."
Obama After: Obama now says he's "open" to oil drilling. Obama said Friday that he would be willing to compromise on his position against offshore oil drilling if it were part of a more overarching strategy to lower energy costs. "My interest is in making sure we've got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices," Obama told The Palm Beach Post early into a two-day swing through Florida.
Barack Obama on Jerusalem
Obama Before: At The Annual AIPAC Policy Conference, Barack Obama Says Clearly That Jerusalem Should Be The "Undivided" Capital Of Israel.
Obama After: One Day After The AIPAC Conference, Barack Obama Said The Future Of Jerusalem Would Have To Be Negotiated By Israel And The Palestinians.
 
Barack Obama on Troops Withdrawal from Iraq Timetable
Obama Before: In The Primaries, Barack Obama Committed To Withdrawing Troops From Iraq Regardless Of The Advice He Received From Commanders On The Ground. Obama: "Because the commander-in-chief sets the mission, Charlie. That's not the role of the generals. ... Now, I will always listen to our commanders on the ground with respect to tactics, once I've given them a new mission, that we are going to proceed deliberately, in an orderly fashion, out of Iraq, and we are going to have our combat troops out. We will not have permanent bases there. Once I have provided that mission, if they come to me and want to adjust tactics, then I will certainly take their recommendations into consideration. But, ultimately, the buck stops with me as the commander-in-chief." (Sen. Barack Obama, Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Philadelphia, PA, 4/16/08)
Obama After: In July 2008, Barack Obama Said He Will Continue To "Refine" His Iraq Policy. Obama: "I've always said that the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed...And when I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies."
 
Barack Obama on a Threat from Iran
Obama Before: Barack Obama speech on May 18, 2008: Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don't pose a serious threat to us.
Obama After: Barack Obama speech on May 20, 2008: Iran is a grave threat. It has an illicit nuclear program. It supports terrorism across the regions and militias in Iraq. It threatens Israel's existence. It denies the Holocaust.
 
 
 
Barack Obama on "Tapping in the Strategic Oil Reserves"
Obama Before: "I have said and in fact supported a congressional resolution that said we should suspend putting more oil into the strategic oil reserve but the strategic oil reserve I think has to be reserved for a genuine emergency," he said on July 7, 2008
Obama After: “Sen. Obama has looked at this issue, he recognizes that Americans are suffering, that we have a unique situation with rising gas prices and this is one occasion where we need to look at this strategically and he made the decision that we need to tap the strategic petroleum reserves.”
 
 
Barack Obama on Jeremiah Wright
Obama Before: Obama's denial during the Sun-Times March 18, 2008 interview -- was fairly specific. He said: "I put out a statement today very clear about my clear rejection of the statements [by Wright] that have caused controversy. I'll be honest with you. I wasn't in church when any of those sermons were issued."
Obama After: During his speech in Philadelphia on March 18, 2008, Barack Obama said the following about his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright: "Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in the church? Yes."
 
 
 
Barack Obama on NAFTA
Obama Before: During The Primaries, Barack Obama Pledged To Unilaterally Renegotiate NAFTA. He called NAFTA “devastating and a big mistake”. 
Obama After: In The General Election, Barack Obama now Says His Words Were "Overheated And Amplified." The presumptive Democratic nominee backed off his harshest attacks on the free trade agreement and indicated he didn't want to unilaterally reopen negotiations on NAFTA.
 
 
 
Barack Obama on FISA
Obama Before: In October 2007, The Obama Campaign Pledged He Would Filibuster "Any Bill That Includes Retroactive Immunity For Telecommunications Companies.
Obama After: Barack Obama Now Supports A Bill Reauthorizing Electronic Surveillance That Grants Immunity To Telecommunications Companies.
 
 
Barack Obama on DC Gun Ban
Obama Before: During An Interview, Barack Obama Acknowledged His Support For The D.C. Gun Ban. (Leon Harris and Sen. Barack Obama, Forum Sponsored By ABC And Politico.Com, Washington, DC, 2/12/08)
Obama After: In June 2008, Barack Obama Said He Thought The D.C. Handgun Ban Was Unconstitutional. Obama: "It looks to me that the D.C. handgun ban overshot the runway. That it went beyond constitutional limits." (Bloomberg's "Taking Stock," 6/26/08)
 
 
Barack Obama on Cuban Embargo
Obama Before: In January 2004, Obama Said It Was Time 'To End The Embargo With Cuba Because "It Had Utterly Failed In The Effort To Overthrow Castro." 
Obama After: Speaking to a Cuban American audience in Miami in August 2007 Barack Obama said: "As a president, I'll maintain the embargo it's an important inducement for change because we know that Castro's death will not guarantee freedom."
 
 
Barack Obama on Public Financing
Obama Before: In "Presidential Candidate Questionnaire," Obama said: "I have been a long-time advocate for public financing of campaigns combined with free television and radio time as a way to reduce the influence of moneyed special interests." 
Obama After: In The General Election Barack Obama Has Declined Public Financing, Calling It A "Broken System." "In a web video emailed to supporters, Obama asks his supporters to help him 'declare our independence from a broken system.
 
 
Barack Obama on Welfare Reform
 
Obama Before: Barack Obama was Against The 1996 Federal Legislation That Enacted Welfare Reform. In 1997, Barack Obama Said He Would Have Probably Not Supported Federal Welfare Reform Legislation. "'I am not a defender of the status quo with respect to welfare,' Obama said on the floor of the Illinois state Senate on May 31, 1997. 'Having said that, I probably would not have supported the federal legislation, because I think it had some problems."
Obama After: In His Television Ad, Barack Obama Touts His Role In Slashing Welfare Rolls. Barack Obama aligned himself with welfare reform, launching a television ad which touts the way the overhaul 'slashed the rolls by 80 percent.
 
 
 
 
Ari Fleischer was the first Press Secretary for President George W. Bush
• Voted against increasing the debt limit; then supported raising it.
• Campaigned against the Bush tax cuts; then extended all of them.
• Promised to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term; then proposed trillion dollar deficits.
• Vowed the unemployment rate would be below 8% if his stimulus was passed; but then it broke 10%.
• Promised shovel ready jobs; then admitted they weren’t shovel ready.
• Said if you like your health plan you can keep it; but then threw seniors off Medicare Plus and employers are now saying they’ll dump people onto the public exchange.
• Promised to have health care negotiations on live TV, but then reversed himself.
• Indicated Bush violated the Constitution; then carried out warrantless wiretaps, indefinite detentions, secret renditions, quadrupled drone attacks, and kept Guantanamo Bay open. Voted against the Patriot Act, but then supported its extension.
• Said lobbyists wouldn’t work in the White House; then gave them waivers to work there.
• Vowed to take public financing for his 2008 campaign; then refused public financing when he realized he would receive more money without it.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/republican-security-council/the-top-10-obama-flip-flops-by-ari-fleischer/171275079638338
 
 
 In the words of Harrison Schmitt, a former US senator and Apollo 17 astronaut: “It’s bad for the country. This administration really doesn’t believe in American exceptionalism.”
 
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100083104/the-u-turn-president-barack-obama-top-ten-flip-flops /
 
 
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"http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/what-s-fact-and-what-s-opinion-in-the-discussion-about-bain-and-mitt-romney-20120905"

LOL...great minds think alike: “greedy, bloodsucking Wall Street pirates who extract huge fortunes for themselves without adding value to society...”

Not satisfied to simply make money by raiding companies and ruining the lives of their employees, here's an account of Mitt's having actually cost American consumers money by ripping off the FDIC: 

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-federal-bailout-that-saved-mitt-romney-20120829

Yeah, he's a real business success story alright.  

Geeez, Sitamom, how do you find time to post all these L-O-N-G messages?  Seriously are you employed by one of the right-wing websites? So far, no facts, just opinion pieces. Where do come up with all this stuff? BTW Schmitt is a republican, what else would you have expected him to say?

Let's see....  Just coming out Romney paid 1.9 million in taxes, donated 4 million (you know, that's called charity) but only claimed a little of 2 million in deductions so his tax rate remained 14%.  Anyway, Romney paid taxes of around 20% for a number of years & donated millions & millions to charity.  Romney has been vetted by the best & the only thing they can come up with is his tax rate--wow, not many people can stand up to that kind of scrutiny.

Anyway, don't we have bigger problems in our country??  The Middle East is burning with hatred for us.  Guess Obama can stop patting himself on the back for healing the world.  So much for that. 

Instead of "forward" a better slogan for Obama would be "I don't do critical thinking", "I Like Simple", Guess I wasn't as smart as I thought I was"

Here we go:
I guess Harry Reid's annonymous friend was wrong, wrong, wrong

• In 2011, the Romneys paid $1,935,708 in taxes on $13,696,951 in mostly investment income.

• The Romneys’ effective tax rate for 2011 was 14.1%.

• The Romneys donated $4,020,772 to charity in 2011, amounting to nearly 30% of their income.

• The Romneys claimed a deduction for $2.25 million of those charitable contributions.

• The Romneys’ generous charitable donations in 2011 would have significantly reduced their tax obligation for the year. The Romneys thus limited their deduction of charitable contributions to conform to the Governor's statement in August, based upon the January estimate of income, that he paid at least 13% in income taxes in each of the last 10 years.

Additionally, the Romney campaign is releasing a summary of 20 years of taxes, between 1990-2009, detailing their tax expenditures during those years:

• In each year during the entire 20-year period, the Romneys owed both state and federal income taxes.

• Over the entire 20-year period, the average annual effective federal tax rate was 20.20%.

• Over the entire 20-year period, the lowest annual effective federal personal tax rate was 13.66%.

• Over the entire 20-year period, the Romneys gave to charity an average of 13.45% of their adjusted gross income.

• Over the entire 20-year period, the total federal and state taxes owed plus the total charitable donations deducted represented 38.49% of total AGI.



http://www.atr.org/days-taxmageddon-a7203

100 Days Until Taxmageddon

Sunday will mark the start of the 100-day countdown to “Taxmageddon” – the date the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect.  They will hit families and small businesses in three great waves on January 1, 2013:

First Wave: Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief

In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted several tax cuts for small business owners, families, and investors (later re-upped by President Obama and Democrat Congress in 2010).  The following tax hikes will occur on January 1, 2013:

Personal income tax rates will rise on January 1, 2013.  The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which the majority of small business profits are taxed).  The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent.  All the rates in between will also rise.  Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again phase out, which has the same mathematical effect as higher marginal tax rates.  The full list of marginal rate hikes is below:

-The 10% bracket rises to a new and expanded 15%

-The 25% bracket rises to 28%

-The 28% bracket rises to 31%

-The 33% bracket rises to 36%

-The 35% bracket rises to 39.6%

Higher taxes on marriage and family coming on January 1, 2013.  The “marriage penalty” (narrower tax brackets for married couples) will return from the first dollar of taxable income.  The child tax credit will be cut in half from $1000 to $500 per child.  The standard deduction will no longer be doubled for married couples relative to the single level. 

Middle Class Death Tax returns on January 1, 2013.  The death tax is currently 35% with an exemption of $5 million ($10 million for married couples).  For those dying on or after January 1 2013, there is a 55 percent top death tax rate on estates over $1 million.  A person leaving behind two homes and a retirement account could easily pass along a death tax bill to their loved ones.

Higher tax rates on savers and investors on January 1, 2013.  The capital gains tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 23.8 percent in 2013.  The top dividends tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 43.4 percent in 2013.  This is because of scheduled rate hikes plus Obamacare’s investment surtax.

Second Wave: Obamacare Tax Hikes

There are twenty new or higher taxes in Obamacare.  Some have already gone into effect (the tanning tax, the medicine cabinet tax, the HSA withdrawal tax, W-2 health insurance reporting, and the “economic substance doctrine”).  Several more will go into effect on January 1, 2013.  They include:

The Obamacare Medical Device Tax begins to be assessed on January 1, 2013.  Medical device manufacturers employ 409,000 people in 12,000 plants across the country. This law imposes a new 2.3% excise tax on gross sales – even if the company does not earn a profit in a given year. Exempts items retailing for <$100.

The Obamacare Medicare Payroll Tax Hike takes effect on January 1, 2013.  The Medicare payroll tax is currently 2.9 percent on all wages and self-employment profits.  Starting in 2013, wages and profits exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 in the case of married couples) will face a 3.8 percent rate.

The Obamacare “Special Needs Kids Tax” comes online on January 1, 2013.  Imposes a cap on FSAs of $2500 (now unlimited).  Indexed to inflation after 2013. There is one group of FSA owners for whom this new cap will be particularly cruel and onerous: parents of special needs children.  There are thousands of families with special needs children in the United States, and many of them use FSAs to pay for special needs education.  Tuition rates at one leading school that teaches special needs children in Washington, D.C. (National Child Research Center) can easily exceed $14,000 per year. Under tax rules, FSA dollars can be used to pay for this type of special needs education.  This Obamacare cap harms these families.

The Obamacare “Haircut” for Medical Itemized Deductions goes into force on January 1, 2013.  Currently, those facing high medical expenses are allowed a deduction for medical expenses to the extent that those expenses exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI).  The new provision imposes a threshold of 10 percent of AGI. Waived for 65+ taxpayers in 2013-2016 only.

Third Wave: The Alternative Minimum Tax and Employer Tax Hikes

When Americans prepare to file their tax returns in January of 2013, they’ll be in for a nasty surprise—the AMT won’t be held harmless, and many tax relief provisions will have expired.  These tax increases will be in force for BOTH 2012 and 2013.  The major items include:

The AMT will ensnare over 31 million families, up from 4 million last year.  According to the left-leaning Tax Policy Center, Congress’ failure to index the AMT will lead to an explosion of AMT taxpaying families—rising from 4 million last year to 31 million.  These families will have to calculate their tax burdens twice, and pay taxes at the higher level.  The AMT was created in 1969 to ensnare a handful of taxpayers.

Full business expensing will disappear.  In 2011, businesses can expense half of their purchases of equipment.  Starting on 2013 tax returns, all of it will have to be “depreciated” (slowly deducted over many years).

Taxes will be raised on all types of businesses.  There are literally scores of tax hikes on business that will take place.  The biggest is the loss of the “research and experimentation tax credit,” but there are many, many others.  Combining high marginal tax rates with the loss of this tax relief will cost jobs.

Tax Benefits for Education and Teaching Reduced.  The deduction for tuition and fees will not be available.  Tax credits for education will be limited.  Teachers will no longer be able to deduct classroom expenses.  Coverdell Education Savings Accounts will be cut.  Employer-provided educational assistance is curtailed.  The student loan interest deduction will be disallowed for hundreds of thousands of families.

Charitable Contributions from IRAs no longer allowed.  Under current law, a retired person with an IRA can contribute up to $100,000 per year directly to a charity from their IRA.  This contribution also counts toward an annual “required minimum distribution.”  This ability will no longer be there.

Read more: http://atr.org/days-taxmageddon-a7203#ixzz278PmA2hi

"Mitt Romney became fabulously wealthy on the backs of working people without having ever contributed anything to society...no products, no innovations, no nothing."

Yes, Keith, real estate investment is a much nobler profession.  Just ask Donald Trump.