Mr. Obama, Lead By Example!

Now that we are past the national election, and Mr. Obama won for a second term, I offer the following challenge to him.

Obama pounded the "tax the rich" drum ... a LOT ... during the whole campaign. He said that people like him, could pay a little more, and should be taxed more. I have no doubt, they can handle a "little more" in taxes. If it were as simple as that, I'd agree.

But a couple things still strike me as, BULL SHIT!

To start with, I don't recall (please correct me if I'm wrong!) EVER Obama presenting a proposed new and simplified tax code. Let's face it, the tax code LEGALLY provides for a LOT of tax deductions and deferments, most of which only the wealthier people can legally exploit.

And if the deductions are there, why wouldn't anyone use them? Why wouldn't they want to keep more of their own money? I know we do in our house. Even Obama does!

In fact, in the Obama's released tax return for 2011, they earned a combined income of $789,674. But they took advantage of the lawful deductions, and paid $162,074 in federal taxes. Had they just filed a short form, the tax rate for such an income would have been 35%, or $276,385 in taxes. But the Obama's paid just 20.5%, which by the way, was LESS than the President's own secretary's tax rate! (And he pounded Romney for paying a smaller tax rate than his staff!)

I do NOT fault the President for taking all the deductions he was legally entitled to. I DO fault him, for talking as though the rich are somehow evil for not paying more. He's rich ($10 million and counting) and he DIDN'T pay more! And if he thinks he should have, then I'd say, HE COULD HAVE! He could have paid the full 35%, to put HIS MONEY WHERE HIS MOUTH WAS!!

Why didn't he? Because, he TOO wanted to keep as much of HIS money as he could! Simple. Reasonable. Lawful. And paying only 20%, compared to a rate of 28% his own secretary was tagged with, is his own example of a tax system that DOES favor the more wealthy among us.

So, simplify the tax code! Simplify the tax system, so it is more fair. So why haven't they? Two reasons that I see.

1. They, those WE vote into offices, want to keep all the money they can. Both parties do it. And they can even vote themselves raises, and provide additional benefits to themselves. We can't do that!

2. A truly FAIR tax system, in MY view, would have EVERYBODY paying something. Everybody would have some investment into the services and protections the federal government provides to ALL of us. But they, Democrats more than Republicans, do NOT want to piss of the lower income American voters, those who make less than $200,000 per year. And those who pay NO federal taxes, will forever be in the debt of the Dems for never requiring them to chip in!

But, back to my "challenge" -
President Obama, until a new tax code is written and passed, PAY the full 35% for 2012 and on! In fact, be a martyr and make it publicized, and in turn, CHALLENGE all politicians to do the same! LEAD in a new wave of "Patriotic" tax responsibility, and pay the 35%. Or, for those in the other brackets (28 & 33%), pay the full amounts and not take deductions.

Otherwise, I am sick and tired hearing about "taxing the rich"! If Obama wants to do that, then FIX the BS Tax Code, wich is at over 71,000 pages (at 2010 count), and which grew (from both parties) from nearly 17,000 pages in 2006!

Seriously, there is NO way to know how to take advantage of every possible deduction, without paying expensive and knowledgeable accountants! And who can do that, except wealthier people?

Obama, accept my challenge! Stand before the public, and announce that for your 2012 taxes, you will file the short form, and pay your 35%. Then, YOU challenge ALL politicians to follow your LEAD! (Meanwhile, pass a simplified tax code!)

So Lead, or SHUT UP already! (If I were President, and to make a point, I'd wave that 35% paid in front of ALL Congressmen and women, as well as Senators, and by public support and pressure, cause them all to PAY UP!)

BTW - I searched, and of the top 10 Congress persons, 7 were Democrats!    http://www.rollcall.com/50richest/the-50-richest-members-of-congress-112th.html  (To be fair, of the top 50, 31 are Republicans.) Yet, none of them that I know of, have supported a Fair Tax or Flat Tax plan!