Limbaugh, Rosen, Mirror Images

To gain an upper hand with the pubic, communications specialists, including political advisers, radio and TV pundits, celebrities, bloggers, and anybody else with a megaphone will try to trivialize, criticize, vilify, and expose their political enemies using every tool at their disposal..

Demagoguery is a useful and very effective political tool and it will be exploited throughout the year attempting to sway the election.  I enjoy watching it being played about and admire the skills of the best players.  As a lower form of persuasion, with practice just about anybody can get good at it, but the masters perform an excellence that is a joy to watch.


In the heat of the battle, some will go too far and go over the line, exposing themselves to pubic attack by the very enemies they wish to destroy. The enemies will, of course, take advantage of the opening and use the inflammatory remark to turn the tables, and attempt convince the public that the other side is not credible.

To his audience's amusement, Rush Limbaugh baits the left with outrageous remarks and accurately predicts the reactions.  He is very successful and knows exactly how to do this.  He made himself a target and damaged the right when he went too far with Sandra Fluke.  The left created a war on women from his comments projecting those comments onto the republicans.

I listened to his outrageous comments that week, and those who are familiar with him know that he knows better than to seriously connect the use of birth control pills with promiscuity.  He stated on several occasions that if Fluke could not afford the vast amount of birth control pills that would strap a student who could afford the $43,000 plus fees, plus room and board per year to go to Georgetown University Law School, she must be promiscuous.

Knowing that the cost of contraception does not increase with frequency, the comments, although off color, were meant to ridicule through satire, something he quite good at, but a cheap shot, nonetheless.

On CNN, Hilary Rosen, a White House consultant, trying to ridicule the idea that Mitt Romney would ask his wife about women's issues, said that this stay-at-home mom never worked a day in her life, obviously referring to her wealth advantages, not her homemaker work ethic.  The right turned the war on women around by projecting her statement onto all stay-at-home moms creating outrage among many women.

I listened to her comments and understand the context.  I don't know much about her, but although she has apologized, she did not seem to be inferring that stay-at-home moms do not work.

The left will say Limbaugh is worse for using sexual epithets.  The right will say Rosen is worse for denigrating the moms around the country, but if either side was to remove themselves from their tribal connections, they could see that the events are mirror images of each other.

Tax Increases for 2013

With the tax increases to support Obamacare and the expiration of the Bush/Obama tax cuts, unless the world ends in December, we will be hit hard with new taxes on January 1, 2013.

Taxes that will happen unless Congress acts:

Five of the eighteen tax increases in Obamacare will begin next year.
The health care 2.9% surtax on investment income starts
Medicare tax increase.
The death tax will rise.
The Payroll Tax Cut will expire.
The Alternative Minimum Tax Patch will expire.
Tax cuts from the 2009 Stimulus will expire.
100% expensing of business purchases will end.

Bush/Obama Tax Cuts Expiring:

The child tax credit will be reduced from $1000 to $500.
The 10% income tax rate will expire.
Dividend tax rate will increase.
Marriage penalty reduction will expire.
Employer-provided child care credit will be reduced.
Adoption tax credit will be reduced.
Dependent care tax credit will be reduced.
Tax on bonds for school construction will be increased.
Tax on scholarships will be reinstated.
Student loan interest deduction will decrease.
Employer provided education assistance will decrease.
Highest rate going from 35% to 42%.
The 25% bracket will increase to 28%.
The 33% bracket will increase to 36%.

Proposed New Taxes

Capping itemized deductions.
Capital gains tax from 15% to 20%.
Millionaire tax.
Spectrum Tax - a tax on mobile phone and other devices users.
Capital gains earned by managers of investing partnerships increased to their ordinary income rate.
Airplane Tax Hike - depreciable life of aircraft to be extended from 7 to 12 years.
Ten additional tax increases on selected energy companies.