"If Obama wins, it'll be bad for you."

[GrizzlyMan]

These words were spoken by my Republican father tonight who is of course talking about taxes. He is my dad so I love him and in a way, growing up a Republican was a very good thing for me because I went to college, got to be around all kinds of people, saw the folly of Republican principles and crossed the aisle. It didn't take long. I was a dyed in the wool Dem by Sept. my freshman year.

My wife and I make about $80k a year. We have no children and very little debt in a state with a notoriously low cost of living. In short, we have a very very nice lifestyle that allows us to travel frequently and to virtually anywhere we want. We're not frugal, but we're smart with our money.

That said, I'm not worried about Obama raising my taxes and it's not just because I fall well outside his 200k threshold.

I'm not worried because it would be worth it to me. It would be worth it to me to see us be able to fund social security, head start, WIC and every other program that helps people. It would be worth it to me to ensure we have a strong military and a sound infrastructure from sea to shining sea.

So they will never get it. Tell me I'm going to pay more, and I don't care. I don't want a fucking tax cut. I want to do what I can to help my country. Period. Whatever it takes.

The one good thing about my dad politically is that he genuinely likes Obama as a person and he couldn't care less about gay people getting married or people having abortions.

He does not like McCain.

"What an asshole," he says.

[BlooInBloo]

1. "dyed"

:rofl:

[GrizzlyMan]

2. Oops

But thanks for bumping

[BlooInBloo]

6. :)

[LynnTheDem]

3. He doesn`t want you getting a tax cut...that doesn`t sound fatherly!

At least he`s a good judge of character. Although why he`d vote for an asshole that`s the same as the asshole we`ve had the past 8 years is kinda weird.

[GrizzlyMan]

7. I think he wants to get a tax cut and I'm sure he would like me to get one

But I think the issue is he doesn't believe Obama can cut taxes and do what he wants to do so his conclusion is that he will raise them.

Of course he said the same thing in 1992 and proceeded to make quite a bit of money in the market under Bill Clinton and a big chunk of it was lost thanks to Bush's economy.

He doesn't plan on voting. We don't live in a swing state so I suppose it doesn't matter. My mom is voting for Obama.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. It's as though taxes were the boogey-man...

The evil to end all evils...

My husband and I stand to pay more under Obama's tax ideas, and I too could care less...

I'm with you...we need to fix so many things here, and I'm ready to help.

Whatever it takes.

Well said!

K&R

[MercutioATC]

5. As a single parent making about $150k, I wholeheartedly agree.

I, too, fall under the "rich" line...but I have enough for me and my son and I don't care if I pay a little more if it helps get us ALL where we need to be.

None of us truly succeed unless all of us succeed. I'm happy to contribute to make that happen.

[tblue]

8. Taxes are what you pay to live in a civil society.

And there's no other type of society I'd wanna live in. Like you, I don't mind paying my fair share. I wish people weren't so shortsighted. Your dad sounds like one of those 'low taxes' fiscal conservatives. Did he not prosper during the Clinton years? Tell him Obama is surrounded by Clinton's econ people.

[GrizzlyMan]

9. He made out like a bandit under Clinton

About the time the stock market took off, my grandmother passed away and left him a substantial sum of money. He grew that to over 2 million over the next 5 years. Under Bush, he's lost about 35 percent of that.

He's a huge Warren Buffet fan so I think that he'll come around eventually.

[Athens30603]

14. That thinking, though, can be easily reversed

and be used to justify the incivility(i.e. lack of police protection, bad schools, etc) toward areas whose tax base produces very little revenue. I know you didn't mean it that way so please don't take offense. It just seems a dangerous way to phrase the issue.

[TheKentuckian]

10. three cents on the dollar above 250,000

when people are already hurting and sinking. How am I supposed to care one iota if I have to chunk up a few extra dollars than the people trying to feed their families on minimum wage?
I'm especially dumbfounded that all of this crazy smearing chatter is coming from a candidate and the people supporting that aren't even running on a flat tax. They aren't arguing principle but pennies. Apparently, they believe in exactly the same thing but want to keep at it is and that being the case, where do you get the urge to to make accusations of "the other" with cries of Marxism, Communism, and Socialism? How is that you have the sense of gall that allows you to believe you are not complicit in the system that you have by definition created and intend to maintain?

That is some twisted thinking. How on God's green Earth can they operate on such a level of disconnect that would allow this babbling nonsense to cross their lips?

Look you don't want to pay the three cents on the dollar over 250,000? That's fine, debate that point and tell the American people you need that new boat this year rather than to give a struggling people some relief that will help them heat their homes or even just to have a chance to treat their kids to McDonald's when they had a good report card.
Take responsibility for what it is you want.

[eshfemme]

11. LOL @ your dad's succinct summary of McCain.

He sounds like he just needs a little push to be able to see Obama's strength. LOL but your dad sounds awesome even if he ends up not voting for Obama.

[GrizzlyMan]

12. Thanks

I think I can get him to go blue by 2012. Hopefully just in time for Obama's re-election bid. It's been a work in progress.

[eshfemme]

15. I'm totally sympathetic because I have a dad who voted for Bush twice

We ridiculed him for his choice starting from 2000 and really started working at him from 2001. We didn't make it in time for 2004 but around last year he basically turned to me and essentially capitulated and told me that next time, he'd vote along with us. (BTW, everyone else in the family is a Democrat) So yeah, totally understand what you're going through.

I found a great deal of success once I knew his hot button issues like his pro-Taiwanese independence stance, which couldn't tolerate Bush's close partnership with China and the exploding deficit that was borrowing mostly from China. Powell's statement in support of China's One China policy in direct contradiction to decades of American neutrality, which was tacit approval of Taiwan's murky status quo, was also a great help.

[Athens30603]

13. Any increased tax revenue...

...will likely only pay the interest on our enormous debt. The US is in such a financial hole, though, that many of the programs we hope will be funded might not ever see any money.

Don't mean to be a downer. Sorry. :(

[No Elephants]

16. It is not about sharing the wealth either. It's about paying for what you use. IMO, the wealthy

use a heck of a lot more of everything goverment and the planet offers than do the non-wealthy. If you are in the jet set, how about paying your fair share of your carbon footprint, police, fire, road use, airport use, harbot use, etc.? Hmmmm? How about all that stuff?