Obama makes a big deal about not raising taxes on any family making less than $250,000 a year. While much can be said about the economic effects of this policy, the fairness of raising taxes on those who already pay most of the freight, and related issues, they are not the central issue.
The central issue is the American people have every reason not to believe the President in this most fundamental point, a point on which he said “make no mistake’. Why should they not believe him? Because he has already broken his promise, already broken his word, already made his mistake. When he signed the SCHIP expansion into law, he signed a huge increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes. One need not be a fan of tobacco companies or smoking to note that this tax is paid almost exclusively by those earning less than $250,000 a year. He has already raised taxes on the non-rich. Why should anyone believe him now when he says he won’t raise taxes on these same taxpayers again? Continue reading…
