Pawlenty is a disingenuous schmuck
Mar. 19th, 2003 07:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
windelinaGovernor Pawlenty was on the radio this morning talking about various issues.
When taxes were brought up - specifically the study that pointed out the discrepancy in tax percentages (those above $275K pay 7% in taxes, those below $25K pay 11%) - he dodged like the weasel he is.
And he didn't get called on it.
What did he do? He started spouting numbers. But they were irrelevant numbers to what was ASKED.
"The top 10% of wage earners are responsible for over 38% of the state's revenue."
Okay. And?
Considering the top 10% of wage earners are billionaires likely, that doesn't seem like they're really feeling the pinch there. Taking $100K (or whatever) from someone who takes home over a billion just doesn't get much sympathy from me.
He made a valid point that top earning entrepreneurs are leaving the state because of our high taxes. But that just proves to my screaming liberal mind that we need to make taxes consistent across states.
Then.
When asked about how to explain the war to children he said, "There's someone over there who can hurt us. He's got something like a knife or a gun. And we have to take it away from him before he hurts us with it."
Mmmmmokay...
How about a more accurate metaphor?
There's a kid over there who might have a knife. We've searched his locker, his car, his jacket but can't find it. We did find a spoon. Based on that, and the fact that he hangs around with the wrong kids, we just know he has a knife. And we're going to expell him from school to make sure it's safe for us.
Of course, in today's panic-ridden, rights-stealing McCarthyistic society - that's not such a far-fetched metaphor.
But it's certainly a more accurate one.
When taxes were brought up - specifically the study that pointed out the discrepancy in tax percentages (those above $275K pay 7% in taxes, those below $25K pay 11%) - he dodged like the weasel he is.
And he didn't get called on it.
What did he do? He started spouting numbers. But they were irrelevant numbers to what was ASKED.
"The top 10% of wage earners are responsible for over 38% of the state's revenue."
Okay. And?
Considering the top 10% of wage earners are billionaires likely, that doesn't seem like they're really feeling the pinch there. Taking $100K (or whatever) from someone who takes home over a billion just doesn't get much sympathy from me.
He made a valid point that top earning entrepreneurs are leaving the state because of our high taxes. But that just proves to my screaming liberal mind that we need to make taxes consistent across states.
Then.
When asked about how to explain the war to children he said, "There's someone over there who can hurt us. He's got something like a knife or a gun. And we have to take it away from him before he hurts us with it."
Mmmmmokay...
How about a more accurate metaphor?
There's a kid over there who might have a knife. We've searched his locker, his car, his jacket but can't find it. We did find a spoon. Based on that, and the fact that he hangs around with the wrong kids, we just know he has a knife. And we're going to expell him from school to make sure it's safe for us.
Of course, in today's panic-ridden, rights-stealing McCarthyistic society - that's not such a far-fetched metaphor.
But it's certainly a more accurate one.
