Even Forbes Says Rich Can Pay More

Robert Lenzner, blogging at Forbes (Forbes?!) via nc links:

The 400 richest Americans used to pay  30% of their income on the average to Uncle Sam. Today, they pay 18% on the average, according to Steve Rattner, a Wall Street financier, who just presented these figures on Mornings With Joe,MSNBC.
The main reason for the drop in their tax rate of some 40% is the tax cuts by George Bush in 2003, taking the rate paid on dividends and capital gains down to 15%. This reduction in the investment class’s taxes powered the bull market in stocks from the fall of 2003 until the fall of 2007.
Shockingly, the plan to raise the debt ceiling collects nothing from the wealthiest Americans to reduce our budget deficit. The Republican right wing holds the Obama White House hostage. It’s a sad day for the principle of sharing the pain equitably.

When Forbes is allowing such things to be posted, you know things are crazy.  I posted the whole thing, because it amazes me that more people aren't saying the bleeding obvious.  Obama has been terrible in this drama, by selling out the poor and the elderly while only trying to get very small sacrifices from the wealthy and corporations.  If it wasn't for the presence of the Republicans, who are just cruel in their willingness to crush those with nothing while protecting those with everything, he would look like a villian.  Instead, he looks like the reasonable guy in the room, because the rest of the room is filled with insane, serial killer types.  His proposals are so much more conservative than Reagan's in the 80s, it is amazing.  Yet the lunatic fringe in charge of the Republican party is so far out there that they consider him further left than Marx.  I hope the rural areas that the Tea Party dominates realizes that they will be poorer overall after Tea Party ideas are put in place, because they are net recipients of federal spending, while the coasts are net contributors.  But hey, you get what you deserve.