Official state of the union discussion thread

[Coach is Back!]

Obama can baffle people but he can't baffle you?  You mean there are people who are stupider than you? 

Yes, to start, anyone who falls for his bullshit (again) and votes for him. We got fucked over once and you want us to get even more fucked over.

[Coach is Back!]

As Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich parse the details of their individual tax returns, hundreds of Capitol Hill employees are taking taxpayer dollars to the bank without paying their share.

Internal Revenue Service data show that 3 percent of Senate staffers and more than 4 percent of House staffers owed taxes in 2010, adding up to about $10.6 million in unpaid taxes. More than 98,000 civilian federal employees were delinquent on their taxes in 2010, adding up to more than $1 billion in taxes owed, according to the IRS.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, last year introduced a bill to require federal employees to be fired if they are "seriously delinquent" on their taxes. Seriously delinquent is defined as outstanding federal tax debt for which a public lien has been filed. The bill was passed by committee in June but is still waiting for a vote from the full House.

"If you work for the federal government and you don't pay your taxes, you should be fired," Chaffetz said in a statement provided to FoxNews.com. "It is totally unacceptable to live on the federal payroll and not pay your taxes.  The Obama administration has totally ignored this cheating. Congress should pass my bill and hold federal workers accountable."

Under current law, only IRS employees can be fired for not paying their federal income taxes, according to Chaffetz's office.

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., in 2010 introduced a similar bill, to make delinquent taxpayers ineligible for federal employment.

"Legislators and government employees should not be exempt from the laws they write and enforce," Coburn said when introducing the bill. "The very nature of federal employment and the concept inherent to 'public service' demands those being paid by taxpayers contribute their fair share of taxes. They should lead by example."

The number of civilian federal employees delinquent on their taxes has been on a downward trend since 2004, but the amount owed has increased significantly -- from just under $600 million in 2004 to more than $1 billion in 2010.

About 2 percent of active duty military and military reservists owed a total of nearly $340 million in taxes in 2010. About 2 percent of retired civilian federal employees and almost 4 percent of military retirees owed a total of $2 billion. 

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/24/hundreds-capitol-hill-staffers-didnt-pay-taxes-in-2010/#ixzz1kRnLnTWf

[tbombz]

Of course he's going to probably win but it won't be on his record. He'll still baffle people with bullshit, they'll fall for it and down further goes the country. The lazy ass liberal who can't fend for themselves or their families will continue to milk the system for all it's worth and that prick will allow it. Dude's a traitor to this country plain and simple.

it WILL be on his record. the republicans are going to try to, have been trying to put the entire recession entirely on Obama's shoulders... but Obama , who up untill now has been quietly and diligently working on real issues, talking to experts, trying to find common ground and work with his opposition, is now coming out of his shell and starting to stand up for himself... his speech last night can be considered the beginning of his campaign.. the thing she said, the reforms he advocated, the statistics and facts about his record as president he brought up.... enough to completely destroy any republican challenger. 


I'm a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That Government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more.


"ive approved less regulations on business in these first three years than bush did in his first three"


I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products. And I will not stand by when our competitors don't play by the rules. We've brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration - and it's made a difference.


So we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back. But we have to seize it. Tonight, my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed