You might not be able to fool all of the people all of the time, but Thomas Sowell‘s latest column explores how President Obama attempts to fool “people who have not followed the issues in any detail” on a regular basis.
Another word that sounds good to people who don’t stop and think is “fair.” President Obama says that he only wants the wealthiest Americans to pay their “fair share.” But he says zilch about just what that fair share is, or even how to determine it.
Is the “fair share” of the top 10 percent of income-earners 20 percent of all taxes? 40 percent? 60 percent? Those who talk about paying a “fair share” of taxes don’t want to be pinned down.
This is another blank check that Obama wants. “Fair share” in plain English means “more,” regardless of how large a share of all income taxes is already paid by a fraction of the population, while nearly half pay no income taxes at all.
What President Obama says may not make any sense if you stop and think about it — which he of course assumes that most people will not do. But that does not mean that he is a confused man. He is crystal clear in what he is doing, however confusing his words may be to others.
At the heart of the political games being played in Washington is taking credit and putting blame on the other guy.
