Senator Barack Obama |
Senator John McCain |
Summary • The rich didn't need the Bush tax cuts |
Summary • McCain opposed the Bush tax cuts because they weren't matched by spending cuts |
There's no doubt that the tax system has been skewed. And the Bush tax cuts--people didn't need them, and they weren't even asking for them, and that's why they need to be less, so that we can pay for universal health care and other initiatives. But I think this goes to a broader question, and that is, are we willing to make the investments in genuine equal opportunity in this country? People aren't looking for charity. We talk about welfare and we talk about poverty, but what people really want is fairness. They want people paying their fair share of taxes. They want that money allocated fairly. One of the distressing things about Katrina was the fact that we have not made systematic investments. And the only way we're going to make it is by making sure that those of us who are fortunate enough to have the money actually make a contribution. |
I voted (against) the (Bush) tax cuts because I knew that unless we had spending under control, we were going to face a disaster. We let spending get completely out of control. Those tax cuts have to remain permanent, otherwise people experience a tax increase. We let spending get out of control. We presided over the biggest increase in the size of government that with--since the "Great Society." We let it get out of control. I we had had the spending restraints that I proposed, we would be talking about more tax cuts today. We would be talking about more tax cuts. The trust and confidence in our base was eroded. I will restore that trust and confidence because I will restrain spending along with further tax cuts. I'm very proud of my record. If you look at those organizations that grade people, my record is very, very high for a consistent record of being a fiscal conservative. But I'm going to stop the pork barrel spending, and we're not going to have any more "Bridges to Nowhere." |
June 28, 2007 |
January 24, 2008 |
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Who does Senator Obama think he is to say people didn't need the Bush tax cuts? It's none of his business, and it's none of the government's business. Apparently enough people accepted them for there to be enough votes in the House and Senate for them to pass. It wasn't a Presidential decree. As for fairness, what's so fair about the government shaking down its most productive citizens to pay benefits to those who are least productive? If Obama wants to give his share of the tax cuts back, he's free to do so. And as for Senator McCain, at least his opposition to them is tied to something rational, i.e. a lack of spending cuts.
