UPDATE: There’s been a correction to Lautenberg’s speech. Reporters in attendence said that he used the word “waste” instead of “rich”.
Maybe he should try to enunciate his words so that there’s no confusion. In the post below, I have crossed out some previous words and replaced them with an updated response. However, my response to his stupidity regarding the rich not paying “enough” and his hypocrisy about relinquishing more of his money to the government, still stands.
The incredible self-loathing Left. This is the kind of moron so common on that end of the political spectrum.
At a town hall event in New Jersey:
Questioner: “How much money is taken or can be taken from illegal gains such as drug seizures and applied to replenishment of beaches and improving the quality of beaches in New Jersey?”
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ): “There is that opportunity along the way, but there’s another place to get your money. That’s to get it from people like me who made money from the infrastructure, the human infrastructure that the United States has. And we ought to pay more in our taxes for the values, for the things that we’ve got as a result of the extraordinarily middle class of this country.
“It’s offending [sic] that say ok ‘you can’t take care of your family, too bad.’ Go to Warren Buffett. You heard him say the other day that the richest man in the America, if not the second or third one, he said that we ought to pay more for the privileges that we wealthy have in this country. Its a tough fight but we got to eliminate the
richwaste. We’ve got to eliminate the fraudulent practice. We’ve expanded things that have no value.”
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/08/19/dem_senator_we_got_to_eliminate_the_rich.html
Hey Frank, let’s start with YOU.
Source: http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/CIDsummary.php?CID=N00000659&year=2009
Personal Finances
Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), 2009
Net Worth: From $49,083,204 to $104,690,018
Rank: 8th in Senate
Assets: 172 totaling $50,083,204 to $105,190,019
Liabilities: 1 totaling $500,001 to $1,000,000
Transactions: 77 totaling $10,098,077 to $18,670,003
Income: 2 totaling $184,959
Do you just want to eliminate increase taxes for yourself, or for all of the eeeeeeevil rich people who invest, take risks, own businesses, create jobs, and hire people; the ones who worked hard, persevered, and succeeded to achieve the American dream?
Frank, anytime you think you’re not paying enough, don’t wait for the government to raise your taxes. Write out a big, fat check to the IRS in the amount you think is enough.
Edited to add: If you really want to get down to the nitty gritty of eliminating waste, here’s some suggestions, Frank.
How about cutting stupid shit like THIS, and THIS, and THIS, and THIS.
That’s some of the worst waste this taxpayer has ever seen.
For what it is worth, Fox Nation disabled their link to the video. The audio is not that great to begin with but I do not hear the word rich. Reporters who were onsite said he did not say rich.
Note the link I posted previously is from a local conservative blogger. He did post the video initally but after it became apparent that there was an error made he bascially did the right thing and retracked it to his credit.
BobEnglish,
I just listened to it again, and I tell you what, it still sounds like “rich”. Maybe he should try to enunciate his words so that there’s no confusion. After reading the correction at RealClear Poltics, I’ve changed the word “rich” to “waste”. My response to his stupidity regarding the rich not paying “enough” and his hypocrisy about relinquishing more of his money to the government, still stands.
SFC MAC
News websites including the local blog site in NJ run by a conservative blogger have either taken the video down or noted that is not what he said. I included a link to that blog. Even the first guy who originally uploded it now notes that he was in error. Local reporters who were in attendance said he did not say “rich”.
But if you want to let all of those facts get in the way of your beliefs…so be it.
BobEnglish,
DID YOU LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THE AUDIO?
Apparently not.
I don’t know why it was pulled, but I played it 3 times with earphones to make sure I got it right.
SFC MAC
Actually he did not say that…but I’m sure that will not stop people from saying that he did. Try listening to the video.
http://www.moremonmouthmusings.net/2011/08/19/lautenberg-video-goes-viral-then-gets-corrected-or-pulled/#comments
BobEnglish,
Listen VERY CLOSELY to the audio. I did. Right after he makes the statement:
This immediately follows:
Clean the wax out of your ears. There’s no retraction or apology necessary.
Cheers,
SFC MAC
He clearly said “eliminate the waste” and the person who originally posted this admits he was wrong. Maybe next time, people will actually listen to the audio before attacking someone for something they did not say.
I will be looking for the retraction and apology.