Today on AOL's cover page brought to you by that liberal left wing owner Huffington, Puffington Post, there was an article touting Obama's much needed bump to get him re-elected. They touted how people don't realize how much money they saved thanks to his tax Relief, Unemployment Insurace Reauthorization and Job Creation Act. Below is an except from it plus some interesting comments by readers follwed by some of my comments.
While many have been hoping for some kind of tax cut from the fellows running for president, we've already been enjoying one. The payroll tax cut that President Obama enacted through The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 reduced the bite taken out of our paychecks taken for Social Security by two percentage points (from 6.2% to 4.2%) . For the average American family, that amounts to about $1,000 per year.
Where It Went
The NFCC survey also revealed how those who were aware of the hidden bonus in their paychecks put the surplus funds to use in 2011:
- 53% paid down their debt
- 24% paid off past-due bills
- 12% increased contributions to retirement accounts
- 9% saved most of the money
- 3% treated themselves "to something special"
Those who weren't aware of the bonus probably didn't fritter away the money. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index rose 3% during 2011, with food prices rising nearly 5%, gasoline rising 10%, and fuel oil surging 18%. So whether you noticed the bump in your paycheck or not, some of it probably helped you fill your car with gas, heat your home, or put food on the table.
Be Proactive -- and Prosper
john
Did i read this right? He took 2 per cent away from money earmakrked for Social Security ... when social security is on the brink of financial failure ? This is something we should be applauding? What's wong with you?
dal
So since when is not paying as much into the already failing social security system a tax break? Give me a real tax break or just a break like you did for the corrupt banks and wallstreet, take the interest money you made with my tax dollars and send me a cut! now that would be nice.
jokinok1
Social Security is going broke. So..let's reduce the amount everyone pays into it. Someone explain how this is a good idea. Now, if they had reduced the amount of income tax withheld, I could see that.
milliereal
What a joke! No body near me got a $1000.00 Bonus! Who do you think you are kidding the left? Huffing Post is in the pocket of Obama! Worst President in History! Lies and more Lies. We need truth and it is hard to come by. Wake up and get right you Democrats! Quit trying to feed smart people a pack of lies! We don't buy it and never will!
roy1229
A thief not stealing all my money and leaving a little is not a raise or a bonus.
rxpharmd
Lets see....$1000 a year extra for the average family. Gas goes from $1.85/gallon to $3.85/gallon....bread winner drives average of 385 miles per week...do the math...puts the average family over $1000 in the hole this past year based on a car getting 20 miles to the gallon.
I'd like to add to some of the comments especially the last one here. When Obama took office gas was $1.85 a gallon and now is teetering around $3.50 a gallon and expected to go up to $5 by the summer. That's a 90% increase in gas prices so far and Obama rejected the Keystone pipeline and any oil imports from Mexico which would keep prices down. Now with Iran shutting off gas imports to France and the UK and threatening to shut down the straights of Hormuz we are in serious trouble. If Isreal attacks Iran (and I can't blame them. If someone threatened me with wiping me off the face of the earth I'd want to retaliate too) gas prices will go even higher. It's Obama's gas prices now. He's earned it. He can't blame Bush anymore.
Also umenployment was 5.6 % when Bush left office. When Obama came in it started to rise and he said if we passed his 700 billion stimulus package it would't go above 8%.Well we passed it and it went up to 10% and then down to 8.5 and is expected to go back up to 9% Come the summer it will no doubt rise again with college kids being out and companies laying off. If you count people who have given up or are no longer receiving benefits it is a lot higher.
So we have record debt, record unemployment, record deficits, more people on food stamps than any time in history, gas prices rising and the Obamas just took their 16th vacation in three years. Like the bumper sticker I saw on a truck yesterday said, "There's No Hope in Socialism."
I was recently watching a DVD of my favorite TV show from the early 80's called "Wiseguy." Some of you may remember it. It starred Ken Wahl as agent Vinnie Terranova (pictured above) for the Organized Crime Bureau who infiltrated, undercover, domestic and international crime syndicates and power crazed international drug and arms dealers and brought them down.
Who can forget such colorful characters as Ray Sharkey as mobster Sonny Steelgrave manipulating and strong arming his way to the top or Kevin Spacey as international arms and drug dealer Mel Profit whose income exceeded the GNP of more than half the countries on earth. Even former senator Fred Thompson appeared in a few episodes. In re-watching these shows today I noticed they had a very patriotic and conservative lean to them which is more than I can say for many shows today with the exception of NCIS.
In one scene of an episode Vinnie confronts a rogue agent of the CIA, Roger Lococco played with excellent finesse by William Russ and in speaking why these smaller countries oppose us Roger says, "They want what we have only they dont want to get it by initiative. They want it by insurrection."
That quote could be applied today too, even more so. These terrorist and Islamic countries that portend to hate us do so because they are jealous of us and want what we have only instead of working for it and earning it like we did over many generations, they want it all now thru jihad . Obama is also part of the problem with his going over to the mid-east countries on his apology tour and bashing us, calling us arrogant and dismissive to them and his redistribution of wealth thoughout the world and to people here all with there hands out saying, "gimme, gimme, gimme O annointed one."
What is even more dangerous is Obama has announced he intends to cut our nuclear arms by 80%. This at a time when other countries are building up and China will have more nukes than us now. Iran president Mamood Ahmadinejad has said he intends to wipe Isreal off the map and cripple the United States. With rogue countries like this mouthing off so recklessly, it is imperative we show strength and strong arm initiative and not cower like Obama is doing. If you want respect in the world you have to do it thru strength and military superiority and weaponry. Obama is leading us down a destructive suicide path of self defeat.
I have included a link to a listing of characters and shows of Wiseguy for any fans out there and also some you tube videos of Kevin Spacey as Mel Profit. Be sure to check them out :)
Wiseguy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kevin Spacey in Wiseguy - YouTube
Wiseguy (1988) - Season 2 Intro - Version 1 - YouTube
This republican primary has sure been one hell of a roller coaster ride and one wonders if they will all be able to unite against a candidate when it is finally over and a candidate chosen.
First we had Rick Perry, Michelle Bachman and Herman Caine all in the lead at one time or another and all brought down and forced to resign by skullduggery means by the media. Rick Perry was attacked because of this racist remark on a rock on some land he owned and he didn't prepare enough for the debates so he eventually quit. Michelle Bachman who I admired for raising over 20 kids they adopted as well as her own was brought down by her religious quotes repeated in the media and husband's religious up bringing so she resigned. Then came Herman Caine who was brought down by these women the media brought forth accusing him of misconduct with him then suddenly disappeared as soon as he dropped out.
Now from last place Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney come to first place with Newt winning South Carolina and Fla.Thus began an intense battle between Romney and Newt attacking one another. Newt on Romney's association with Baine Capital which put a lot of people out of work and Romney attacking Newt for his association with taking contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, etc. The media plays this war between these two up big as if it was a pro wrestling match for the excitement and attention and ratings
Now all of a sudden from behind comes Rick Santorum winning three states all at once. Rick Santorum???? I agree with Donald Trump here when he said "Rick Santorum lost his senate seat by 20 percentage points, more than any other senator in history and now he wants to be president?" Sure Rick is a nice guy and a great father to his six or seven kids, but no way can he defeat Obama. People say they want a conservative in there, but I think you need a person with a broader appeal to get more voters and Newt and Romney stand a much better chance than Santorum. Give me a break.
Supreme court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently told Egypt not to follow the U.S.Constituition as a model for their constituition saying she prefers they use a model like South Africa. That was a deliberate attempt to have a fundamental instrument of government that embraced basic human rights, had an independent judiciary... It really is, I think, a great piece of work that was done. Much more recent than the US constitution - Canada has a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It dates from 1982. You would almost certainly look at the European Convention on Human Rights. Yes, why not take advantage of what there is elsewhere in the world?," Ginsburg said. I think this is a disgrace coming from a supreme court justice who is sworn to uphold the constituition of the U.S. Our founding fathers adopted a system that would protect our country and human rights, freedom and dignity for all. She is a leftist judge anyway so it figures she would say something as outlandish as this. It looks like Egypt is headed for a theocracy anyway with Sharia law being in place so I suggest Ms.Ginsburg go over there and live if she's not happy with our constituition....Obama claims he's getting better as time goes on, but said in an interview with Matt Laur before the super bowl that the way the founding fathers constructed the constituition impedes him from bring about the change he wants. What does that tell you about this America hating president and his objective for this country? hmmmm? He has always said that we aren't a fair country to be so powerful and called us 'arrogant' and 'dismissive' when he spoke to the middle eastern countries that time in 2008 after he was just elected. He has stated wants us to be more like the European countries. Well he's accomplishing just that with his out of controls pending where we now spend more than we take in. Five trillion in new Obama spending in just 3 1/2 years bringing the natrional debt to 15 trillion. And he called George Bush "unpatriotic" for spending 4 trillion in 8 years. We are headed towards what is happening in Greece now thanks to him. What's frustrated people is that I've not been able to implement every aspect of what I said in 2008. Well, it turns out our Founders designed a system that makes it more difficult to bring about change than I would like sometimes. But what we have been able to do is move in the right direction," Obama said.
I'm getting 'better as time goes on'... *
Ruth Bader Ginsburg To Egypt: Don't Use US Constitution As A Model... *
