Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH), in response to a question on why he wants to lower taxes on the wealthy, and raise taxes on the poor:
TIBERI: Well, it’s hard to lower taxes on people who don’t pay taxes. [Note: This is a repeat of the "half of Americans don't even pay taxes" lie.] As you know, you have the Earned Income Tax Credit, so you have folks who are actually getting a check and not paying income tax…If you don’t have skin in the game, even if it’s ten bucks a quarter, I think it changes the debate on what the role of the federal government is and what the role of state government is.You almost have to step back and catch your breath before you absorb what Tiberi is saying here: The poor (or even discussion of the poor, apparently) don't belong in the American conversation about tax policy - because the actual skin, the actual humanity, the actual status of these poor people as fellow Americans and human beings - doesn't count - only the fact that they're poor and can't pay taxes [which, again, is a lie]. So screw them. Let's wring them more thoroughly for every last cent in their pockets—and let's lower taxes on the wealthy in the meantime. Because the wealthy have "skin" in the game. The kind of skin that counts.
