Steve Benen with a piece on how a Republican survey of the Tea Party activists found they don’t seem to know much about the things that have them so upset:
Bruce Bartlett reported today on the survey’s results, and found that for an anti-tax group, “they don’t know much about taxes.”
Indeed, it appears much of the Tea Party crowd is simply clueless about the issues they claim to care the most about, wildly exaggerating federal tax rates, how much a median family pays in taxes, and what’s changed since President Obama took office.
In short, no matter how one slices the data, the Tea Party crowd appears to believe that federal taxes are very considerably higher than they actually are, whether referring to total taxes as a share of GDP or in terms of the taxes paid by a typical family.
Tea Partyers also seem to have a very distorted view of the direction of federal taxes. They were asked whether they are higher, lower or the same as when Barack Obama was inaugurated last year. More than two-thirds thought that taxes are higher today, and only 4% thought they were lower; the rest said they are the same.
As noted earlier, federal taxes are very considerably lower by every measure since Obama became president…. No taxpayer anywhere in the country had his or her taxes increased as a consequence of Obama’s policies.
Little addition, including the superrich who can pay 80 percent tax with no pain.
Bless Obama and his rich buddies. I can assure you that if Obama becomes a saint between now and the next election, he will not receive one penny or vote from me.
I despise Ralph Nader, but he will get my vote before a hellhound sponsored by the rich.