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Jim Spence (left) |
Commentary by Jim Spence - President Obama is trying to set the record straight. He wasn’t talking about building businesses when he said, “You didn’t build that.” He was talking about the building of bridges and roads. Fair enough. Who pays for the building of bridges and roads?
The top 25% of all taxpayers, which includes many successful businesspeople, pay 87% of all federal income taxes. Their businesses also pay billions of dollars each year in fuel excise taxes that are most often used to build roads and bridges. The more successful the business person is, the greater their share of the federal tax take is. The top 1% of earners actually pay more than 42% of the entire income tax paid by the top 25%. It is all part of a progressive tax code wherein about half of all American households pay zero income tax.

We took the time to speak to a business person in southern New Mexico about the costs of bridges and roads. He said when he first got into business he borrowed money and built a modest-sized building that was not in a very good location. Though his building was relatively inexpensive, he still paid substantially higher property taxes than he did on his home. As his business began to thrive he looked at a better location. He said, “All of the property located closer to busier roads with access bridges was a lot more expensive. But, we wanted a better location.” He borrowed heavily and paid the price for better road access. His property taxes went up five fold.
The reality is all business owners face substantially higher costs for property if they want to locate their businesses near better roads. Business people pay for the privileges that come with better locations near busy four lane roads.

Let’s return to the president’s statement and put it back into the context he would prefer. Obama would have all of us believe that it is government that builds roads and bridges. He goes farther. Somehow we are supposed to believe that business owners don’t really have a hand in the costs associated with building roads and bridges. His thought processes are preposterous. The truth is business owners pay a disproportionate share of the costs of government including roads and bridges. It is called a progressive tax system. The president is playing intellectually bankrupt shell games for the fool's vote. Clearly his objective is to try to diminish all voter awareness of the facts regarding where most of the money comes from that pays for roads, bridges, and all the other good things he claims government does. Even within the context he prefers, the actions and words of this president are reprehensible.

Taken Out of Context? Let's Put It Back!