OH YEAH!? Not if I have anything to say about it, comrade!

Not only do lying liars rely on Lenin’s repetition principle, they rely on people being generally inattentive, uniformed and eager to believe anything consistent with their existing opinions.

I say that as someone who’s as inattentive and uninformed as anyone on most topics. But I do know a couple of things, and I set them forth herewith.

Note: All quotes are from “Revisionist History” by Peter Wehner.

Did the President mislead us into war?

Come on, people! Everyone thought Saddam had the WMDs! Big difference between relying on information that turns out be wrong, and lying about it.

Some pre-war quotes:

Iraq has continued its [WMD] programs in defiance of U.N. resolutions and restrictions. Baghdad has chemical and biological weapons as well as missiles with ranges in excess of U.N. restrictions; if left unchecked, it probably will have a nuclear weapon during this decade.

— 2002 National Intelligence Estimate

I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in [Saddam's] hands is a threat, and a grave threat, to our security.

— John Kerry, in voting to authorize use of force

We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.

— Ted Kennedy

In the four years since the inspectors, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability and his nuclear program.

— Hillary Clinton

I think all of our governments believe that Iraq has produced weapons of mass destruction and that we have to assume that they continue to have weapons of mass destruction.

— Wolfgang Ischinger, German ambassador to the U.S.

See, even countries like Germany that opposed the removal of Saddam believed that he had the weapons.

Is democracy in Iraq a post-war rationalization?

More pre-war quotes:

A liberated Iraq can show the power of freedom to transform that vital region, by bringing hope and progress into the lives of millions. America’s interests in security, and America’s belief in liberty, both lead in the same direction: to a free and peaceful Iraq. . . . The world has a clear interest in the spread of democratic values, because stable and free nations do not breed the ideologies of murder. They encourage the peaceful pursuit of a better life. And there are hopeful signs of a desire for freedom in the Middle East. . . . A new regime in Iraq would serve as a dramatic and inspiring example of freedom for other nations in the region.

— President Bush, Feb. 26, 2003

President Bush sketched an expansive vision last night of what he expects to accomplish by a war in Iraq. . . . The idea of turning Iraq into a model democracy in the Arab world is one some members of the administration have been discussing for a long time.

— The New York Times, Feb. 27, 2003

As the GOP drifts further to the right, and becomes more starkly the party of the wealthy, it is gaining support among the working class.

I have never seen a wholly satisfactory explanation for this trend, which now spans two generations. . . . Republicans, of course, will argue that it’s simply the working man’s understanding that the GOP has the better argument, i.e., that the best way to help the working class is to shower the rich with tax breaks. But the Bush administration has been showering the rich with tax breaks for more than four years, and the working class has nothing to show for it.

— Timothy Noah, “Conservatism As Pathology”

Often-Repeated Lie #1

The first lie is that “rich” people are not paying their fair share in taxes. In fact, as everyone knows, the income tax is a progressive tax — the more you make, the more you pay.

A look at a summary of federal individual income tax data for 2002 (this seems to be the most recent data available) makes this obvious:

• The top 1 percent of earners paid 33.71 percent of the federal income tax, the top 5 percent of earners paid 53.8 percent, and the top 10 percent of earners paid 65.73 percent.

• The top 50 percent of earners paid 96.5 percent of the federal income tax, meaning that taxpayers in the lower 50 percent paid almost nothing.

Often-Repeated Lie #2

rich, adj.: having abundant possessions and especially material wealth.

— Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

The second lie involves the deliberate misuse of the word “rich.”

I imagine that someone like Timothy Noah, in using the word “rich,” would like you to picture in your mind people who have more than enough money to satisfy any normal set of needs and desires.

But in the context of the income tax, you don’t pay taxes on money you have, you pay taxes on money you earn. You could have a zillion dollars in a vault like Scrooge McDuck and your income tax bill on that would be zero.

So “rich,” in this context, doesn’t mean rich, it means that you have a high income relative to other taxpayers.

How high is “high”?

Well, using the 2002 numbers, an AGI of $92,663 would have put you in the top 10 percent of earners who paid 65.73 percent of the taxes.

I live in Southern California . . . maybe that skews my perspective . . . but I don’t think most families making $92,663 a year consider themselves rich.

Often-Repeated Lie #3

Timothy Noah divides America into two distinct groups: 1) the “rich,” who are being showered with tax breaks; and 2) the “working class,” who have nothing to show for it.

In other words, rich people don’t work, and working people aren’t rich.

Which group am I in? Let’s see . . .

I went to college, I got a job, I went to night school, I went to grad school, I’ve worked hard for 20 years to keep my skills current, and as a result of all this, I’m able to make a decent living as a software consultant.

My wife is not from this country, not a native English speaker, but by working 12 or more hours most days in a commission-based sales job, she too is able to make a decent living.

We seem to be “working class” people, and yet, according to the income tax code, based on our combined income, we are considered “rich.”

Those tax breaks I’m supposedly being showered with? I have no idea what they are. I do know that a lot of deductions available to most taxpayers are phased out in the higher brackets so we don’t get them.

This “soak the rich” nonsense really bugs me. It’s based on lies and contempt . . .