| Fact Checking the Palin Speech |
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| by Carolyn Barta | Fri, Sep 5, 2008, 11:07 AM |
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Media Matters, the progressive Web site that seeks to correct conservative misinformation in the media, is hot about mistatements in the speech by GOP veep candidate Sarah Palin. The group is Web-blasting the media and supporters of its Web site with an AP story that challenges some of Palin's remarks, including the one that Barack Obama has "authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate." The AP story notes that Obama does have a more meager record than John McCain. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. In Illinois, Obama was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation. The fact-check story also challenges claims that Obama would raise taxes and Palin's earmark claim and also refers to other speeches that exaggerate her role in Alaska on energy and the National Guard and suggested she got more votes for mayor than Joe Biden did running for president. Go to the jump for more examples from the story. PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere." THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere." PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars." THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded. Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families. He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise. MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson. THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population. MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC. THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations. FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States." THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.
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Comments (11)
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written by Dallasite1 , September 05, 2008 Obama has stated very clearly that he plans to raise taxes. His plan to remove the cap on Social Security/self employment tax will kill small business in this country. He plans to raise the capital gains tax from 15% to 28%. His so-called tax cuts for the middle class include tax credits for people who don't pay taxes. That isn't a tax cut; that is welfare. For all his talk, he's still just a hard core tax & spend Liberal at heart.
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written by Bob , September 05, 2008 George W. Bush avoided being a "tax and spend liberal" by becoming a "tax and borrow" conservative for 8 years. He accompanied his "tax cuts" with trillions of dollars of borrowing to pay for it all. Now, who is going to repay all that money that he "borrowed"? Where is that money going to come from? At least you get an honest answer from Obama--not from McCain.
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written by Happy GOP , September 05, 2008 Nobama will certainly my busines. I have 19 employees and had planned to hire 2 before year end - $40K salaries. Now, we are waiting to see if Nobama wins and America loses. If Nobama wins, we will probably start downsizing to compensate for the additional payroll costs Nobama proposes.
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written by michael a. , September 05, 2008 I think the cap now on SS taxing of wages is $150,000. In other words, people making over that only pay taxes on the first $150,000. That's not right. And Obama thinks that over $250,000 is wealthy and plans to raise thier taxes... neither of those proposals affects you Happy GOP.
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written by Dallasite1 , September 05, 2008 It is currently at $94,200, and those people are already in a 28% income tax bracket. Since self employed people get to pay both halves of the SS & Medicare tax, it makes it an effective marginal tax rate of 43.3%. If they commit the sin of actually earning over $164K, then it jumps to 48.3%. Now you may think that it is fair to take almost half of everything a person earns, but it will destroy small business in this country. How can you grow a business if you don't have anything left over to reinvest in it? No, that's not right.
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written by byx , September 05, 2008 So, DS1, where do you propose we get the funds to balance the Federal Budget, and start paying off the trilions in debt? Or should we go down Argentina's route and just default, and tell the world to go to Hades.
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written by michael a. , September 05, 2008 So Dallasite, I actually pay that tax which is called self employment tax. That half that you have to pay because there is not a matching employeer, in fact, you are them. That amount is tax deductable as an expense of doing business. You would only pay that on yourself. If you employ someone, you are already paying the tax on employees. Do you wish to keep charging the national debt from the Chinese? Did you like the show they put on with your money at the Olympics?
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written by ElHombre , September 06, 2008 "If Nobama wins, we will probably start downsizing to compensate for the additional payroll costs Nobama proposes." If McCain wins, he'll continue the Bush admin's econimic policies. That means you won't have to worry about taxes of any kind. Because the sinking economy will put you out of business. Back on topic: It's always good to hear actual facts being presented in a news story. Even if it does raise the typical conservative 'facts have a liberal bias' complaint.
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written by Right Wing Republican Volunteer , September 06, 2008 Carolyn, I am amazed that you would report a story from "Media Matters". Media Matters is well known for having a terrible record for truth and veracity. You are too good as an analyst/editorialist/reporter to have your name linked to a story originating with them.
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written by jb , September 06, 2008 the cap now on SS taxing of wages is $150,000. In other words, people making over that only pay taxes on the first $150,000. That's not right.[comment by miachael a] Some might contend that forcing individuals to pay for something they will never receive is not right. Social security was set up as old age insurance plan, NOT welfare redistribution. Those making over a certain amount will never see a penny of the increment over the base line [if ss even stays solvent]. From an economics perspective, I simply do not buy the premise that making EVERYONE less well off will actually help the poor. ANY economic index of the world shows that the poor are far more well off in free economies than less free. Robbing peter to pay paul -a flawed economic ideolgy - make make you feel compassionate, but it is not sound in terms of cost/benefit. But hey, feel free to keep your caricaturized image of "the heartless conservative" if it makes you feel better about yourself. Write comment
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