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McCain: 'Many Americans Are Not Paying Taxes At All'

jedreport.com — Q: "Independent economists say that Barack Obama is actually cutting taxes for about 90% of Americans, do you agree with that?" McCain: "No because many Americans are not paying taxes at all" Video after the jump.

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  • PaulMorel, on 09/16/2008, -1/+44out of touch much?
  • BioCanadian, on 09/16/2008, -0/+42I swear that man will destroy the USA and the world if he is elected President. His comments reflect how his "tunnel vision" of the facts make no sense. His response...utter nonsense. Everyone pays taxes in some form no matter what your income level..that is the reality. When are the American people going to wake up to the facts??
  • diggeradoo, on 09/16/2008, -2/+37McCain/Palin = Unstable/Unable
  • arnold23, on 09/16/2008, -0/+27McCain must know a lot of people who live in the forests! Sheesh! Even if all you do is drive to the supermarket, you pay gas and road taxes... and that's just for starters.

    What is showing up here is that if you start off at the most receptive point of your life as a dunce, and "manage" to graduate 894th out of a class of 900, then the odds when you reach 72 are that you will be even more of a dunce, as your faculties decline
  • crosstimes3, on 09/16/2008, -0/+25Not a good time for old John, this really is an unjustifiable statement. The Obama campaign must regret pouncing on the fundamentals comment so soon after this beauty.
  • marabout40, on 09/16/2008, -0/+21Sir McGaffe-a-lot, you should avoid doing interviews like your pitbull.
  • BishkekBuddy, on 09/16/2008, -0/+23You know what, I think the guy was actually telling the truth... LOTS of people making over a quarter of a million aren't paying any taxes at all... they leave that sort of plebian task to us, the lesser mortals..
    • rhabd0mancer, on 09/16/2008, -0/+2But they still pay gasoline tax when they fill up their yachts.
    • Testiculese, on 09/16/2008, -2/+2Still pay :
      property/school taxes
      sales taxes
      gas tax
      luxury tax?

      They just have loopholes for income tax to get around most of it, or they know the truth about the illegality of income taxes and don't pay them because they aren't law in the first place.
  • fuzfoot, on 09/16/2008, -0/+17Heck. The people watching his statement on CNN were paying taxes on their cable bill just for the priveledge of hearing McCain tell them many people pay no taxes.

    Ughh. My brain is starting to swell up with all the stupid getting shoved into it.
  • Hillsfar, on 09/16/2008, -0/+23Most of the ultra-wealthy, like McCain and his wife, shelter their investment and other income in many ways so that they pay a far lesser proportion of income than regular W-2 wage earners. Even Warren Buffet says this is unfair because he paid a smaller percentage of his income compared to his own secretary.

    I'm reminded of George W. Bush interrupting a reporter because the reporter had prefaced a question on economics with, "With gas prices approaching $4 a gallon..." Bush had said, "Wait a minute! You said $4?!?"

    Both clueless.
  • Arishia, on 09/16/2008, -0/+12Am I missing something here, or was his response a non sequitur?
    • RickHavoc, on 09/16/2008, -0/+9I'm afraid the McCain morons aren't going to know what non sequitur means.
    • dontshiver, on 09/16/2008, -0/+5I agree but I've read the whole transcript and nothing else really makes sense either. You can find it here: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0809/16/ltm ...
      • orelses, on 09/16/2008, -0/+6He just went on to say that Obama has voted for tax increases in the past (so has John Mccain) so because of that Obama isn't going to keep his word on tax cuts. Thats Mccain's "argument" at least. Mccain has had well over 60 position changes on issues within the last 12 years. (thats not even half of his senate career). So i'm not sure who is most likely to go back on their word.
  • meese, on 09/16/2008, -0/+14Well, the McCains did forget to have the taxes paid on one of their houses for 4 years.
    • mcfriendly, on 09/18/2008, -0/+1That is an easy mistake to make when you have 7 houses. I had the same problem with my ONE house and the IRS also understood the difficulty of such complex math :)
  • niradg, on 09/16/2008, -0/+10This is a common far-right talking point that has no basis in reality.
  • naspeeddemon, on 09/16/2008, -0/+7My head hurts!!!! how are some people so out of touch with reality!!!!!!
  • ZeroCubed, on 09/16/2008, -1/+9Bye Bye Mr. Straight Talk Nice Guy
    Picked a Palin over Romney
    That was clever, nice try
    But USA's
    is thinkin' you're a small fry
    sayin'
    "The vote Obama's got is mine"
  • Kizilbash, on 09/16/2008, -0/+13Hahahahaha, seriously guys, are the Republicans taking the piss? These candidates are the worst since Caligula's horse.
  • magus_melchior, on 09/16/2008, -0/+11Hey, Johnny Mac-- You don't mind if I call you Johnny Mac, right?-- let me fill you in on some things about ordinary Americans earning less than 250 grand a year.

    We don't enjoy paying taxes, but we do it because we want the government to function according to the Constitution and to provide for the things we ask for-- and if we don't, the IRS and FBI are going to come after us. We don't want that. We're glad that you're for lower taxes, and that's all well and good.
    There's a problem with your response here. By saying that "many Americans are not paying taxes at all", you're accusing a lot of your own countrymen of tax evasion and/or fraud. I'm sure you'll reflexively deny that, but it is becoming harder and harder for you to deny the things you are saying.

    Again, we don't like paying taxes, but that does NOT mean that we in general avoid paying them-- that behavior is more prevalent with people and firms that rely on investments for "income". If you are not ready to answer the hard questions from an increasingly hostile media (which is understandable given that your campaign was boneheaded enough to try to manipulate them an order of magnitude more than usual), I suggest you borrow Palin's quarantine period and brush up on your arguments and talking points.
  • thepoliticalcat, on 09/16/2008, -0/+13He's talking about himself - he pays no taxes on his 100 per cent disability pension of approximately $60K; no health care deductions or payroll taxes on his Senatorial salary; plus he gets to enjoy all the benefits of wifey's $100 million fortune which is handled by multiple corporate layers and shell corporations in order to avoid paying taxes.

    Remember Leona Helmsley? Taxes are for the little people like us.
  • kayk815, on 09/16/2008, -2/+6Out of Touch ----- because I have no idea who he is referring to????
  • CharlesDance, on 09/16/2008, -0/+4Is there a full video anywhere so I can make my own judgment and get a perspective of the context and the rest of the answer?
  • plaguepony, on 09/16/2008, -5/+2If he is referring to the income tax, he is correct. The Majority of Americans don't really pay direct income tax. They pay Medicare and Social Security Tax, but receive basically all of their income tax back from the government. The bottom 50% of American's already receive much more from the government in direct funding then they pay in income tax.
    • hoadhead, on 09/16/2008, -0/+1The average Republican likely pays 10X the taxes of the average Democrat so just why aren't they voting for Obama?
    • plaguepony, on 09/16/2008, -0/+1That is unlikely. Nearly all republicans have the same income as nearly all democrats. There is not that large of an income gap between them. There amount of standard deviations that would create an income discrepancy of 10X means that almost no voters make that much money. There very wealthy exist, but in very small numbers to directly, eg though their own votes, to matter much in an election.
  • netneutrality, on 09/16/2008, -1/+5When US tax dollars are used in a never-declared war that the citizens are against, to kill people in countries on the other side of the world that have got nothing to do with the US anyway, why should anyone want to pay tax?
  • Iaianrocks, on 09/16/2008, -1/+5sounds like McCain thinks everyone acts like him ** cough Cough * Offshore bank account anyone ?
  • cheesejaguar, on 09/16/2008, -3/+3Google the term "lucky ducky." There are about 40 million "taxpayers" in America who pay no federal income tax.
    • Testiculese, on 09/16/2008, -0/+2edit: never mind. I don't pay income taxes, but I don't fall into the lucky ducky category.
    • jitterbits, on 09/17/2008, -0/+4I don't know how anyone could refer to someone who is so poor they are officially below the poverty line as "lucky", regardless of whether or not they pay taxes.
  • hoadhead, on 09/16/2008, -5/+1As long as the democratic party is seen as champions for gay marriage and abortion they will have a difficult time winning elections.
    • MindyB, on 09/17/2008, -0/+3No--the Democratic Party is seen as champions for Equal Rights for all Americans---just like the Constitution mandates. Gay Americans are still Americans and as such are deserving of the same rights all Americans are granted under the Constitution. Democrats are also champions of women's rights and women's reproductive rights.
      Democrats do not promote abortion-we support a woman's right to chose.
    • Dalhectar, on 09/17/2008, -0/+3As long as politics is seen in terms of abortion and gay rights, corporate interests will be able to manipulate political institutions and the real issues that America faces will never be resolved.
    • ZeroCubed, on 09/18/2008, -0/+3I guess if you're neither, a woman or GLBT, then you just see it that way. However, Mindy is right - Americans are Americans - just as blacks are Americans, Hispanics (legal ones anyway) are Americans and so on. A person shouldn't be discriminated against because of gender or sexual orientation. Forget the fact that you may (if you do) consider fetus as 'life', and reconsider the fact that people have the right to do whatever they want to their bodies no matter how disturbing other people find it. There are lots of people who don't like tattoos, but there aren't any laws denying people 18 and over from getting a tattoo. And how would you like it, if you were told you couldn't marry the person you loved, because of something so trivial as physical traits (color of skin, what kind of genitals they have, or even hair and eye color) or their religion, or anything else for that matter - how would you like that? To have a girlfriend or boyfriend for years and yet when they're in the hospital, you can't visit, or say goodbye if you need to.

      It's not gay marriage and abortion Dems are fighting for, it's human rights. 100 years from now, they'll probably be fighting for the right for people to have sex and/or marry aliens.
    • Arrowette, on 09/18/2008, -0/+2You mean, they'll have a problem in states where pro-totalitarian bigots outnumber rational people.
  • Muzikal203, on 09/16/2008, -1/+5I've been paying taxes since I was 15. Maybe McCain is the one not paying HIS taxes. . .
  • RileyCourage, on 09/16/2008, -1/+5I'm not trying to play devil's advocate here, but, this ridiculous comment is simply a red herring. Do we really think McCain is such a dumb-***** that he doesn't think EVERYONE pays takes on cheeseburgers and beer? OBVIOUSLY, he was referring to income taxes, which many Americans do not pay. Can we really look at an out-of-context, 13-second video clip and determine that McCain doesn't understand the basics of our tax system? I think not.
    • MindyB, on 09/17/2008, -0/+2But the question was about Obama's tax plan that would reduce the taxes of 90% of all working Americans. Those who don't pay taxes are usually those who don't have taxable incomes, like some disabled people, people whose incomes fall below the taxable amounts.
      No matter how you want to rationalize McCain's goofy answer it doesn't take away from how out of touch and stupid he sounds.
  • dinot, on 09/16/2008, -1/+5What I want to know is: HOW THE ***** IS THIS RACE EVEN CLOSE????
    • hoadhead, on 09/16/2008, -3/+1As long as the democratic party is seen as champions for gay marriage and abortion they will have a difficult time winning elections.
      • dinot, on 09/16/2008, -0/+4Good point.

        As long as there are enough single-issue morons out there who see the democratic party as champions for gay marriage and abortion they will have a difficult time winning elections.
    • MindyB, on 09/17/2008, -0/+2Much of it has to do wtih race!
  • aztuscani, on 09/16/2008, -1/+1Where do the 10 to 30 million undocumented citizens factor into this income tax equation?
    • MindyB, on 09/17/2008, -0/+1First of all, McCain said, "many AMERICANS don't pay taxes"
      10 to 30 million?! The official estimates are between 8-12 million. Besides,undocumented immigrants all pay sales taxes when they purchase things-and they purchase a huge amount of stuff!. Most of undocumented workers do pay taxes, they either use a tax ID number or a made up social security number--either way, most do pay income taxes, they rarely file returns and therefore never get refunds. Also, most also pay Social Security taxes, and that money sits in the coffers of the Social Security Administrations as surplus--undocumented workers are not eligible to collect Social Security, therefore their payments benefit American citizens.
  • apastafarian, on 09/16/2008, -1/+3He's right, many Americans don't pay taxes. Children below working age, the disabled, and the homeless poor all have no income thus pay no taxes. Maybe McCain will find a way to tax them too?
  • wishninja, on 09/16/2008, -1/+5"When I was a POW in a cage for five years I didn't have a chair and I never had taxes."
  • wishninja, on 09/16/2008, -0/+5Cindy is in default on one of her homes. Taxes are so small of a worry for them they simply forget to pay them.

    http://www.newsweek.com/id/143775/
  • algaeturd, on 09/16/2008, -0/+5Many corporations don't pay any income taxes but this man is crazy. Sheer craziness from a man who gets confused when the clouds pass over him.
  • PatchAdam, on 09/16/2008, -0/+4Not paying taxes, you say Senator?

    I'm certain the IRS would love to be informed as to just whom these people are that you happen to know are "not paying their taxes."

    That alone is either a lie of omission or a confession in passing, Senator.
  • msk275, on 09/16/2008, -0/+2Someone explain this to me.... is this a joke?

    I'm lost in what his point is..
  • wendelgee2, on 09/16/2008, -0/+4The point is, I was chairman of the commerce committee. Every part of America's economy, I oversighted. I have a long record, certainly far more extensive of being involved in our economy than Senator Obama does. -John McCain

    Thanks for nothing, jerk.
  • MindyB, on 09/17/2008, -0/+3McCain is getting really senile! The Obama tax plan will reduce taxes for 90% of workig Americans!
    What the heck was McCain talking about? "No because many Americans are not paying taxes at all" WHAT?!
    McCain/Palin? Thanks But No Thanks!
  • littlegurugirl, on 09/18/2008, -0/+1There is no way that this type of person worthy of leading our country, much less qualified. What he has to say about who pays taxes is something I don't care to hear, he owns 9+ houses, I can't afford to buy one, not only does he not identify with the average American, but then he says stupid things and lets you know where he is really at. I am also not really willing to deal with the Reagan defense of "I cannot recall" because McCain is so old, crusty, and ends up senile. VOTE OBAMA!!
  • Arrowette, on 09/18/2008, -0/+2I went over a comparison chart between the two candidate's tax policies, and Obama's is much more favorable for all people/families making $115,000 a year or less.

    Did you guys know that senior citizens who make more than $35,000 or so if single and $42,000 or so if married can have EIGHTY FIVE PERCENT of their social security benefits taxed, right now, under this administration, the tax-cutters? That's freaking CRIMINAL. Seniors who make that little money can barely afford basic living expenses, much less their astronomical prescription drug costs. McCain's tax plan does nothing to change the current tax policy for social security benefits. Obama's, however, proposes NO taxes AT ALL for seniors making less than $50,000 a year.

    This fact needs to be in advertisements all over Florida!
  •  

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