Palin The Wealth Spreader: Gov. Imposed Oil Windfall Profits Tax To Allow Alaskans To ‘Share In The Wealth’
Palin The Wealth Spreader: Gov. Imposed Oil Windfall Profits Tax To Allow Alaskans To ‘Share In The Wealth’
In recent days, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK), has begun referring to Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) as “Barack the Wealth Spreader,” referring to his proposed tax plan that would provide greater tax relief for lower income individuals than those with higher incomes. Obama recently explained his support for progressive taxation, saying, “I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”
Palin contends that Obama’s characterization of his tax plan revealed him to be a “socialist” who wants to “redistribute” American wealth. Palin argues that the Obama tax plan “discourages productivity,” will “punish hardwork,” and will “stifle the entrepreneurial spirit.”
Watch a compilation of Palin’s recent comments about the Obama tax plan:
Conservatives in the media have echoed Palin’s sentiments, insinuating that Obama is a “Marxist” and referring to his tax plan as “welfare.”
But Palin’s criticisms of Obama’s “spread the wealth” remarks are ironic, as she recently characterized Alaska’s tax code in a very similar way. Just last month, in an interview with Philip Gourevitch of the New Yorker, Palin explained the windfall profits tax that she imposed on the oil industry in Alaska as a mechanism for ensuring that Alaskans “share in the wealth” generated by oil companies:
And Alaska—we’re set up, unlike other states in the union, where it’s collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs. … It’s to maximize benefits for Alaskans, not an individual company, not some multinational somewhere, but for Alaskans.
In fact, Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share (ACES) program, which manages the redistribution of oil wealth in Alaska, brings in so much money that the state needs no income or sales tax. In addition, this year ACES will provide every Alaskan with a check for an estimated $3,200.
As Hendrick Hertzberg notes, “Perhaps there is some meaningful distinction between spreading the wealth and sharing it…but finding it would require the analytic skills of Karl the Marxist.”
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55 Responses to “Palin The Wealth Spreader: Gov. Imposed Oil Windfall Profits Tax To Allow Alaskans To ‘Share In The Wealth’”
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Republicans Good. Democrats Bad. She has a very simplistic view on life.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:04 pmWell, technically she is an Icecream-Socialist.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:06 pmHow can Good Christian Sarah get her glasses on with those huge logs in her eye?
October 27th, 2008 at 3:07 pmWell, she is definitely spreading something. I think the farmers around here have a machine that does the same job with the stuff that cows leave behind
October 27th, 2008 at 3:07 pmSo I guess that makes Governor (bling-bling) Palin a socialist!?
October 27th, 2008 at 3:09 pmnow if we could only get the government to up our clothing allowances too ;).
October 27th, 2008 at 3:09 pmI'm going to edit Palin's statement a little, to make it clear that what she was addressing as a great program for Alaska is what she is now calling "socialism."
"And the United States, we’re set up, unlike some other countries in the world, where it’s collectively Americans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs. … It’s to maximize benefits for Americans, not an individual company, not some multinational somewhere, but for Americans."
October 27th, 2008 at 3:13 pmSarah isn't confused as it's clear that the wealth Sarah is spreading in Alaska isn't for the same reason Obama's talking about. Sarah only spreads some of the wealth to keep criminal Republicans in contol of Alaska. Look give the people a tax free State and a check for 3,200 dollars to keep them in line. Notice how the Eskimo's aren't on Alaska's share the wealth plan. It's called Republican selective sharing and that's what Sarah is talking about. As President, Sarah would share the wealth just as Bush/Cheney are doing today. Sarah see's a Pottersville in the US future.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:19 pmjohnfyounger Says:
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now if we could only get the government to up our clothing allowances too ;).
Try the RNC. I hear they give very generous clothing allowances.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:19 pmSarah Palin: the gift that keeps on giving!
Palin/Bachmann in 2012!!
October 27th, 2008 at 3:20 pma moose in every pot!
October 27th, 2008 at 3:20 pmRather than just cutting checks to Alaskans, I much prefer the Norwegian plan for oil revenues. They use their oil money to fund an array of social services, including free national health care and a fully funded retirement plan for every Norwegian.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:22 pmFrom the New Yorker Magazine linked to above:
“At least in Europe, the socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives,” McCain said the other day—thereby suggesting that the dystopia he abhors is not some North Korean-style totalitarian ant heap but, rather, the gentle social democracies across the Atlantic, where, in return for higher taxes and without any diminution of civil liberty, people buy themselves excellent public education, anxiety-free health care, and decent public transportation.
Obviously, the McCain campaign is trying to link socialism with totalitarianism, which when you look at France, Sweden, Canada, Finland, etc. is certainly not the case. In fact, all are capitalistic countries with strong social protections. As for me, I would be willing to pay quite high taxes if they paid for the level of public education, health care, and so on that we can see in Europe. As it is now, my taxes go to pay for many things I find absolutely abhorrrent, and have absolutely no choice in the matter either.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:22 pmIt's really very simple -- IOKIYAR.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:22 pmAlaska’s Clear and Equitable Share (ACES) program, which manages the redistribution of oil wealth in Alaska, brings in so much money that the state needs no income or sales tax. In addition, this year ACES will provide every Alaskan with a check for an estimated $3,200.
and you don't get what she's saying???
she's talking about taking money from the taxpayers, the people...
her state takes money from the oil companies...
i'm all for that too.
i'm not sure of the argument here...
we need apples to apples, and this ain't it.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:22 pmJudging from her $150,000 spending spree, I'd think of her more as a monarchist than socialist.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:23 pmWell, that settles it. Sarah Palin is a socialist. So I'm voting for her.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:23 pmSOCIALIST, MARXIST, FASCIST, LIAR, THIEF, THEOCRAT...
....geez, calling someone names is fun.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:26 pmralph the wonder llama Says:
Well, that settles it. Sarah Palin is a socialist. So I’m voting for her.
Damn, she IS a socialist so I HAVE to vote for her. Ouch that hurt.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:28 pmIn nine days her insanity will be irrelevant except to the unfortunate people of Alaska.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:29 pmHYPOCRISY! THY NAME IS PALIN!
October 27th, 2008 at 3:30 pmOkay, katy, that's a fair observation. Here's my take on it:
McCain/Palin don't care about whether Obama is really a socialist or not. (They probably know that he's not.) They're only interested in whether calling him a socialist will move the needle in their direction.
They have seized on the reasonable phrase "spread the wealth" as proof-positive that he's a socialist. Yet she has used almost the exact same phrase very recently. If you truly understand socialism, perhaps you can explain how taking money from corporations to distribute to citizens is less socialistic than taxing wealthy citizens in order to fund services for all? I don't see a difference in terms of my understanding of "socialism".
In short, McCain/Palin have made a really stupid argument, and based on the standards of proof they rely on in making that argument, it can just as easily be applied to them.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:31 pmWow, she used the word entreprenurial in a sentence.
Can see the cue card now
EN(on)TRE(tray)PRE NAR EE OOO.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:31 pmtony andlido
Ah, Buckie Boy, that was FUNNY!! :D
October 27th, 2008 at 3:31 pmShe's robbing Joe the DerrickRigger to pay the lazy, no good for nothing slobs in, wait a minute! Not everybody in Alaska's a welfare queen!
October 27th, 2008 at 3:32 pmWhatever it is Sarah the sexy seperatist has been spreading it hasn't been candor and honesty.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:34 pmThe real worry is that there aren't enough misinformed voters watching Pox news to allow Diebold or the supreme court to elect a republican again.
Tough talk coming from a professional freeloader.
Next Palin baby name: Mooch.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:35 pmRU are you kidding , Alaskans are so rolling in welfare they actually dress their mooses .
October 27th, 2008 at 3:37 pmThe odd thing is that the GOoPers don't even realize that the only things they fear about Sen. Obama, aside from the obvious racial bigotry, is that which they make up; while discerning people object to the stated positions Flippy and Chippy claim as their own.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:39 pm...only in North America 'socialism' is seen as a bad thing and a derrogatory term. But then again, the last two elections were not democraticly run.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:41 pmI never considered myself a socialist. Not even close.
But after watching my 401k take a dive, paying 30% more for health insurance that I buy, and learning that all Alaskans get $3,200 this year while not paying state income or sales tax, I'm thinking that a touch of socialism is exactly what I need!
While irony is completely lost on someone with the intellect of a fruit fly, and her running mate, McCain, too, I am finding that the more they discuss the concepts they deride as "socialism" the more voters I encounter who are willing to give it a try.
PEACE
October 27th, 2008 at 3:41 pmso lemmie get this straight: flailin palin is a socialist married to a domestic terrorist? WTF, is this the "i'm rubber and you're glue" strategy flailin's employing?
October 27th, 2008 at 3:42 pmHow about redistributing wealth to the mortgage cos without even requiring them
October 27th, 2008 at 3:45 pmto modify mortgages. That's what Paulson just did to the tune of $7.7 Billion
with PNC who was balking at modifying mortgages, just like all the other good
corporate citizens. What they fear is a new "bottom up" strategy,
rather than their usual "top-down". Did you know that Bancruptcy judges
already have the power to modify second, vacation, or investment home loans (and
luxury boat loans)? It is not socialism to ask that the same rules be applied
to primary residences. Check it
out:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/101965-hedge
-funds-threaten-to-block-mortgage-modifications
PPPssssssttttt, I heard sarah palin wants to change the last line of the pledge of alligence to "with welfare and meth for all".
October 27th, 2008 at 3:46 pmStill passing this one around :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03fcGelz8Hw
October 27th, 2008 at 3:49 pmLets not forget Paulson sharing the TAXPAYER WEALTH with Billionaire investors and millionaire executives of Wall Street firms!
October 27th, 2008 at 3:49 pmSarah the Socialist. In her tiny mind, handing out checks of more than one thousand dollars to each and every Alaskan resident is fine and dandy. It certainly isn't "socialism.' Naah, it would only be socialism if it was done by a Democrat in the Lower Forty-eight. Down her she would call it "communism." Heck of a hypocrite there, Sarah the Socialist.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:50 pmNot a surprise since...
McCain-Palin are LIARS, HYPOCRITES and FRAUDS.
McCain-Palin are LIARS, HYPOCRITES and FRAUDS.
McCain-Palin are LIARS, HYPOCRITES and FRAUDS.
McCain-Palin are LIARS, HYPOCRITES and FRAUDS.
McCain-Palin are LIARS, HYPOCRITES and FRAUDS.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:50 pmThe problem with Republicans is they don't usually understand the words they use, and ignore the definitions when they don't like them... Who needs a fact, when you have an "opinion" as a conservative. The old "We have to agree to disagree" b**sh*t that they always tote out when you decimate their arguments with facts. They're too lame to even feel pity for!
October 27th, 2008 at 3:51 pmralph -
In short, McCain/Palin have made a really stupid argument, and based on the standards of proof they rely on in making that argument, it can just as easily be applied to them.
i understand THAT... but she's playing to her idjit audience,
October 27th, 2008 at 3:54 pmand they don't...
and thanks!
October 27th, 2008 at 3:54 pmlet's be fair, everyone! flailin palin practices the "hurray for me, f-u" brand of socialism.
Who's paying for the handouts she's giving in alaska?
those of us in the lower forty eight when the oil companies recoup their losses by adding it into our costs.
Who's paying for the bailout of wall street?
again, those of us who go to work daily and don't make 20 million a year.
who paid for her new wardrobe?
the RNC...wouldn't that be government providing for your needs sarah?
ten bucks says the slimy skank "donates" her new wardrobe to unwed pregnant girls...mainly her daughter
October 27th, 2008 at 3:57 pmI hope Keith has another one of his special comments regarding Palin and this very subject. Why in the hell is Palin getting away with doing the same thing that she is saying Obama would do?
You can call it "sharing" the wealth or "spreading" the wealth - it's the same damn thing.
Man, I'm sick of this crap already. Where is the fu(king MSM in calling Palin out on this?
October 27th, 2008 at 4:03 pm"BANG"... argument dead.
Nice one.
October 27th, 2008 at 4:03 pmHow about redistributing wealth to the mortgage cos without even requiring them
October 27th, 2008 at 4:04 pmto modify mortgages. That's what Paulson just did to the tune of $7.7 Billion
with PNC who was balking at modifying mortgages, just like all the other good
corporate citizens. What they fear is a new "bottom up" strategy,
rather than their usual "top-down". Did you know that Bancruptcy judges
already have the power to modify second, vacation, or investment home loans (and
luxury boat loans)? It is not socialism to ask that the same rules be applied
to primary residences. Check it
out:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/101965-hedge-funds-threaten-to-block-mortgage-modifications
republicans hate facts Says:
The problem with Republicans is they don’t usually understand the words they use, and ignore the definitions when they don’t like them…
exactly.
.
i found this yesterday, via C&L.:
Spreading The Wealth
Barbara West from WFTV in Orlando, Florida, as well as throngs of screeching gomers outside of various McCain-Palin rallies, seem to really, really hate the idea of "spreading the wealth." And you know what? Maybe they're right.
Stay with me here. [...]
http://www.bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2008/10/spreading_the_w.html
October 27th, 2008 at 4:04 pmBREAKING NEWS:
Steven found guilty of making false statements. All seven counts.
But I wonder if that’s considered a bad thing in Alaska. (see Palin, Sarah)
PEACE
October 27th, 2008 at 4:04 pmOne of the problems is that the understanding and theories of socialism is very little known in the U.S. Combine that with the propaganda fed to the American populace following WWII, and we have an abysmal ignorance about socialism.
Socialism is not a discrete philosophy of fixed doctrine and program; its branches advocate a degree of social interventionism and economic rationalization, sometimes opposing each other. Another dividing feature of the socialist movement is the split on how a socialist economy should be established between the reformists and the revolutionaries. Some socialists advocate complete nationalization of the means of production, distribution, and exchange; while others advocate state control of capital within the framework of a market economy. Social democrats propose selective nationalization of key national industries in mixed economies combined with tax-funded welfare programs; Libertarian socialism (which includes Socialist Anarchism and Libertarian Marxism) rejects state control and ownership of the economy altogether and advocates direct collective ownership of the means of production via co-operative workers' councils and workplace democracy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism
I'd like to point out that programs which are considered "socialistic" by the Right such as Medicare and Medicaid are anything but. The taxpayer pays for these resources via deductions from their paychecks, but the associated industries pay NOTHING. They agree to accept lower reimbursement amounts if they participate, but they can also opt out of accepting Medicare/Medicaid patients for all but emergency care. The creation of "managed care" back in the 70's was supposed to be a cost containment measure, but they were allowed after a time to become pro-profit entities, and were also allowed to exclude anyone with pre-existing conditions as well as limit medical procedures requested by a physician.
October 27th, 2008 at 4:04 pmi am sure flailin palin will make some stupid comment about how she's so glad that stevens has been found not guilty.
October 27th, 2008 at 4:08 pmBozo The Neoclown Says:
i am sure flailin palin will make some stupid comment about how she’s so glad that stevens has been found not guilty.
Beauty! "Stevens' conviction is proof that he's committed no illegal acts."
October 27th, 2008 at 4:13 pmIOKIYAR
Not to mention, has anyone looked at how many federal dollars Alaska gets back for every dollar it pays ? And how that varies from state to state ?
October 27th, 2008 at 4:26 pmThis is a good point. I think it is great that Alaska shares the profits of its mineral wealth, but it is very socialist and anti-individualistic. It also means a governor of Alaska doesn't face quite as tough of a choice in raising revenue as in other states.
But if Republicans are serious about being anti-socialist and pro-individual and pro-business, shouldn't they suggest doing away with that tax on oil and redistribution to citizens, so that oil companies get to keep ALL the profits they make and residents of Alaska can live by their means, like they always say they do? I'm not for it, I'm just saying it is supposed to be their ideology. But then, so is balancing budgets.
October 27th, 2008 at 4:37 pmIn relation to this check out the monetary system expounded by Richard C Cook that has something quite similar to a "share the wealth" system.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=5615
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=5494
I think this is worth looking at.
October 27th, 2008 at 5:04 pmThank you for finally pointing out the obvious. One of the reasons she supposedly raised the amount of the checks this year was because of the increase in heating bills. But if that was true, why did the additional money also have to be sent to every child in Alaska? She was just buying votes and should own up to it. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/09/22/080922fa_fact_gourevitch?printable=true
October 28th, 2008 at 1:04 amUnbelievable! Is there really an honest politician left. Or is that an oxymoron. High taxes raises taxes, destroys jobs, lowers salaries, and discourages investments. No wonder she wants drilling on ANWR. So she rake in a windfall at the expense of the 350 million other Americans that need cheaper reliable energy. Why is her plan any different than Obama's? Now I don't feel so bad that she lost.
November 16th, 2008 at 9:05 pm