Do We Have A Ninja In The White House?
By Thomas D. Segel
March 9, 2009

Legend has it that in 14th century feudal Japan, ninja were employed by various ruling daimyo or shogun to silently work their craft against unsuspecting opponents in the darkness of night. The ninja was a master in the art of stealth or the skill of going unperceived. It is told in various stories that a ninja could almost invisibly move up behind his victim, slit the unknowing target's throat and vanish, still unseen.

The feudal lords of early Japan outwardly had a strong code of honor. They always treated an opponent with dignity, respect and even friendship. If any hostilities arose, battles were always waged in the light of day and face-to-face. Since it was not honorable to have sneak attacks or assassinations, ninja were hired...and always secretly, never admitting who had employed the use of their dark arts.

It could very well be that we now have a new version of a tax-ninja in the White House. Though all public pronouncements repeat time and again the Administration mantra that "Ninety-five percent of Americans will receive a tax cut, " this is far from being the truth. Some quick math will prove that a planned stealth tax attack will really turn that pledge into a lie.

Take, for example, the average median household income in the United States, which is estimated to be around $50,000 a year. This family would qualify for that promised $13 to $20 a week increase in take-home pay. Using the larger of those figures the net gain per year would be just over $1,000.

However, the administration's plan is to quietly introduce a cap and trade tax on all CO2 emissions caused by business. Since coal is a major target of this tax and coal provides about 75% of the fuel used to generate electricity, all electric companies get hit with a huge tax.

Autos discharge huge amounts of carbon dioxide, so this industry, already in a state of collapse, is heavily taxed. The same is true for oil refineries, factories and even farming or ranching.

In fact, when you consider oil, gas, electricity, and other means of production...the most generous estimates are this cap and trade tax will drive up the cost of everything from food to fuel and manufactured goods to utilities by between 15% and 20%. So, that $50,000 household income has now been taxed an additional $7,500 to $10,000, depending upon the final increased cap and trade tax costs to each family.

Now the family that received a $1,000 annual increase in take-home pay finds itself struggling to keep its head above water with an additional $6500 to $9,000 out-of-pocket expense, due to stealth taxation.

The Obama Administration also wants to increase federal gasoline taxes by 10 cents a gallon. If your family drives the national average of 10,000 miles per year and gets good mileage of about 20 miles per gallon, you can add another $50 a year to your tax burden. If you drive more or have a car that does not get good mileage, that dollar amount grows. Another thing to consider is Congress says increased mileage efficiency means less tax revenue, so they are considering imposing another tax based upon the miles you drive each year.

What about smokers? Those who follow smoking trends tell us the vast majority of smokers are found in families with lower incomes, so that places them in the 50K and below grouping. A new cigarette tax of $6.20 per carton has already become law. If your family smokes only one carton of cigarettes per week, that additional $6.20 a week adds another $322 a year to the federal tax burden you will be forced to carry.

We have a president who has promised 95% of all Americans will get a tax break. At the same time he is using ninja-like stealth to hide the fact his plans call for tax increases intended to strike every sector of our economy. The double-speak of telling everyone they will have more money in their paycheck, and not telling them how all of his additional planned tax increases will impact their lives is very similar to the ancient shogun speaking to his enemy with friendship and respect, while at the same time arranging for that attack in the dark of night.

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.