14.9.03
Reuters photo
RUSSERT: If you froze the tax cut for the top 1 percent of Americans, it would generate enough money to pay for the $87 billion for the war, if you did it for just one year. Would you consider that?
CHENEY: You see, Tim, that's poppycock. If we just keep screwing the lower 99 percent, like this - here, let me demonstrate - well, there's plenty of money to finance whatever projects I - and the president - want to carry out.
RUSSERT: Thank you, Mr. Cheney.
No, that's not exactly how it happened, but it's close enough. You can find what did transpire during this meeting of the minds here.
I have to say it was lovable seeing Cheney explain how he didn't mean all of those things he and his buddies assured us about before the war (e.g., that the Americans would be seen as liberators, Iraq swimming in a sea of anthrax, etc. etc.). So I suppose that means we should "trust" the government, but not take what they say literally.
I'm not an economist, but I did find it puzzling that Cheney referred to Russert's proposal to "freeze" the tax cut as "increasing taxes". Also bizarre is Cheney's contention that "an awful lot of the returns" in the top 1 per cent bracket are small businesses. But, then again, under the government's Small Business Administration size guidelines, a "Wired Telecommunications Carrier" with 1,500 employees would be considered "small".
Still, I think Cheney is full of shit.
