MANASSAS, Va. — President Obama, on a recent campaign trip through the crucial swing state of Virginia, recited an assertion he made again during Wednesday’s debate: that he has cut taxes for the typical American family by $3,600.
That is news to many voters — among them Don Woodson, a landscaper loading cases of soda into the back of a sport utility vehicle outside Costco last week.
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Funny how the Globe considers it news that something that should help the president seems to be missing from the public dialogue. Thankfully, the Globe springs into action to correct the situation. Never in my life has any media source been such an advocate for any candidate. It is pathetic. If Romney receives a strong bounce in the polls, you can expect more "news" stories like this.
The payroll tax cut was certainly done to help people. But good intentions are not the answer to whether a policy is successful. The payroll tax cut has NOT restored our economy to health, and has placed our Medicare and Social Security Trust Funds in deeper jeopardy.
The true source of bringing the economy back to life is for the people who hold over 1 trillion dollars of idle cash to start investing in the most productive workers in the world. It is their less than patriotic motives that is holding down recovery. A true entrepreneur takes some risk. Not these so called citizens. They are waiting for the government to give them a sure deal and big tax breaks to boot. The main role of government during down times is to relieve suffering to those who are suffering. Republicans think you give more to those who are not, hoping they will loosen up their investing. They want to turn the US into their charity. We should not let them. Republicans can not have it both ways. Either the private sector creates jobs or it is the government's job to do it. It is the former in my opinion and the government's role in a down economy is to make sure food, shelter, and opportunity is preserved until the semi-citizens wake up to their full responsibility to make the nation prosper.
It's really just terrible, Richmond12. The Wall Street Journal and Fox would never write such stories to boost the GOP.
Starving the Social Security Trust Fund is not a good idea. The money not being collected isn't being credited to future social security recipients. This lowers future retirement benefits. Another awful fiscal decision by the Administration.
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Do your home work before giving anyone credit for doing something. the payroll tax cuts were paid for by increasing the GSE fees for anyone getting a mortgage. This resulted in higher interest rates for borrowers. he is doing it again right now. the news ones go into effect 12/1/12 but are already priced into the rates by most lenders. GSE fess are fees charged by the government to guarantee the loans backed by fannie and freddie. The Globe's continued backing of the presidents is doing a disservice to everyone who is considering who to vote for. Get your facts stright before writing an article!
So if you do not fit the "typical American family" your screwed? They what is an "Typical American Family??
The President should always give tax cuts in the form of lump sum rebate because Americans won't believe it when they get smaller amounts of in their periodic paycheck. Bush administration may have been smarter about this.
Ah, another day another puff piece about our dear leader. Tomorrow I'm sure there will be some feel good story about Liz Warren. There should be a picture of the Democratic party mascot on the top of the first page of every edition of this shameless shill of an "objective" newspaper.
News to many of us? Damn right its news to many of us, as suburban America faces another week at the pump bleeding away $4.00 every gallon of gas ( on its way to $5.00 as Promised). Thank you for my $20.00 a week peek at reality.
Did these Obama tax cuts add to the deficit or was it only the Bush cuts that added to the deficit? Just wondering?
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Your headline is warped...go to the last paragraph of the article - the one that points out that we are all about to take a $3400 PER YEAR hit if the Bush tax cuts are not renewed - and ask yourself one question: Which Presidential candidate has pledged to KEEP the Bush cuts, and which one has stated that he wants to end them? Hint: President Obama is NOT the friend of the taxpayer.
Which Massachusetts Senator is holding tax cuts for the middle class hostage in order to making sure the tax cuts for the rich are preserved? Yeah, Scott Brown, that's who.
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$20 a week when gas is $4 a gallon. Gee, thanks, Barack!
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Work harder if you want more money, stop crying to the government to give you more.
Soclal Security Tax cuts in 2011 and 2012 only hastened the insolvency of the Social Security fund.. way to go Barry!
the dislike do not like the truth....
That's true, and I was opposed to it. I don't expect to agree with everything Obama does, nor do I expect everything I want to be part of his program. We can't always get our way.
That's what democracy is all about -- you vote for a candidate who's the best match despite some disagreements you might have with him/her, or you allow yourself to be a supplicant as if your candidate is a god. There are an awfully lot of the latter posting on this board who have suddenly become Romney worshipers.
Nice to see the Globe writers out campaigning for their guy.
You did not talk about how the payroll tax totally undermines the integrity of Social Security !!
And Obama calls Romney a liar??? Well, this is what the Obama-enlisted Boston Glob propaganda sheet says about what should be a basic premise of the Chicago hack's presidential re-election campaign: "The president’s statements often make it seem as though the $3,600 is the amount of annual tax reductions. That is not the case. Rather, it is the net reduction for a typical family making about $50,000, adding together the benefits over all four years." Some would call such claims 'exaggeration'... others 'political hyperpoliticizing"... still others most accurately, "plain pure lying"... In other words, some people would consider Barack Obama the commander-in-lying. . .
That's emotional excrement that has nothing to do with thinking logically. A little reason would say that both candidates have feet of clay, but to you they're God versus the Devil. Get your brain out of your back pocket and use it.
the Globe will post any article to help get Obama elected. Same for Warren, Tierney, etc. The so called tax breaks were not enough to get most people out of debt or pay their mortgages. That is why they did not notice! It was good for gasoline at record levels or heating oil. Massachusetts is a lost state, Menino and the Globe. Two dinosours that need to replaced.
Obama cut taxes for the middle class. Spin it any way you like it, it's still true.
And notice the tax cuts were targeted all wrong such that not a SINGLE job was created in the process! Get Obama out of there!!!!
Consumers drive the economy. It is utter ignorance to think tax breaks for the rich help the economy if no consumer can buy goods or services. Dozens of middle class families being able to go out to dinner keep your local restaurant in business.
They get the money to buy those goods and services from rich people who employ them. If you want 'jobs' you MUST cut spending! Increasing tax revenues does not create jobs. Decreasing spending is what creates jobs. And this country is going absolutely nowhere until you discover the difference...
Twenty bucks a week? Do the math. Two and two still equals four, doesn't it? Gas in Boston is nearing $4.00 per gallon, which wipes out more than $20.00 and food prices have almost doubled in four years. Lower and middle income American taxpayers are being fleeced out of their hard-earned dollars and doing nothing about it. President Obama seems like a nice person, but he doesn't have a clue on how to manage the country. His administration is subsidizing oil companies (and other campaign contributor cronies) with billions of tax dollars, the oil companies are fleecing the public and the campaign coffers are benefitting from a stand-by-and-do-nothing attitude, which will only get worse. Does this seem like a quid pro quo? Official corruption and high crime in government is the new normal in America and no one can or will stop it. They don't even try and hide it. Don't count on "hope and change" for oil and food prices to go down. It won't happen. dougkinan@yahoo.com Boston, Massachusetts
near me the gas prices is now $4.09...and in the last 3.5 yrs my gas has gone up $100.00 per month....(for one car)...so what do families do that have to drive their kids around & shopping etc.?
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There's just no pleasing some folks.
payroll tax cuts when the social security fund is going bankrupt....pandering for votes and not being realistic....but then he figures he will not be in office when it blows up just like the housing bubble did. Maybe he can talk about the 21 new taxes in the Obamacare bill.....especially the tax on medical devices...(hips, knee's etc.)
Most people don't even realized that the payroll tax cut actually hurts the bottom line of social security. That payroll tax cut did not extend to employers - they still pay the original rate. The amount save by workers is so small on a weekly basis that most peopl really didn't even notice.
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Obama distributed the tax cuts in a manner that did the most to stimulate the economy, rather than in the way that made him look best.
There's just no winning with some of you, is there? And if $20/week (5 gallons of gas, each and every week) is so worthless to you, why don't you send it back?
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“I think they’re meaningless, because $20 a week doesn’t help anybody,’’ said another shopper at the Costco in Manassas, Daniel Winn, a retired marketing and sales executive. Like the Woodsons, Winn is supporting former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
Of course, if you tried to raise Mr. Finn's taxes by $20 a week he'd squeel like a stuck pig.
This guy shops at Costco, but he doesn't need an extra $1000 a year. Right. I guess self-awareness isn't his strong suit.
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Gave it right back thanks to the gas price increases since he's been President.