The president departed from his prepared remarks in a speech to an Illinois audience today, implying that the federal government has a right to tell you when you ought to stop generating value:
We’re not, we’re not trying to push financial reform because we begrudge success that’s fairly earned. I mean, I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money.
As noted at HotAir, his teleprompter read:
Now, we’re not doing this to punish these firms or begrudge success that’s fairly earned. We don’t want to stop them from fulfilling their responsibility to help grow our economy.
There’s rich enough ground there for Jeff Goldstein to come out of his semi-seclusion and offer some choice commentary:
Listen carefully to what Obama is saying here: namely, that it is the “responsibility” of businesses and entrepreneurs to “help grow the economy” with the government as beneficiary. That is, it is the responsibility of the free man, according to Obama, to create wealth for the purposes of aiding the government in its own push to control market movement.
Well, only past a certain point.
Update: Powerline – “At some point you have grabbed enough power.“
Egads, someone get him a mirror, Obama’s socialist slip is showing.
Is Obama coming out of the closet as the first anti-American president?
The Obamistas have already implemented this theory with their appointment of a pay czar, Kenneth Feinberg, for Wall Street Banks. Our New Allseeing Allwise Messiah will soon determine that retired Navy 0-6s have earned enough money at $X K per year; all active garbage workers will have earned enough money at $Z K per year and on and on around the game. To which I say “Stuff it”. I don’t give a popcorn poot in a Texas windstorm for Obama’s opinion on what’s the proper amount of money for me, or anybody else, to earn. I earned it; he didn’t; he can just butt out.
So. What exactly is that point when you make too much money? 200K? 100K if taxing the crap out of those who made 200K didn’t provide enough revenue to run our bloated gov’t? Is this a moving target or do we have some real firm numbers here? Because, although my profession pays a reasonable salary, of which one would never gripe, I surely don’t want to ever make the kind of money that he would deem ‘too much’ so that due to my success I know OWE society… or the economy… or anyone else. What a pinhead.
Did Obama’s $5 million in book earnings last year reach the “too much” threshold?
How about Oprah’s $100 million deal, surely that is “too much” and should be curtailed.
Not to mention those folks who get paid bazillions to throw a football or basketball around, or make bad movies.
“All your dollars belong to me” Obama of Borg
It is truly amazing what he say’s when he’s unscripted.
“All your dollars ARE belong to me.” Comeon, Gmac, quote it correctly; you’re slipping.
Gotta keep the Alien element in the quote–after all, Obama IS an Alien–CERTAINLY culturally–and probably legally as well…
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It’d apparently OK with “He,” and not for “thee.”
The man has a truly twisted sense of being and reality. Did an electoral majority really select this person? I know we have our kook fringe.
What I’d like to know is how people like Al and Tipper Gore feel about Obama deciding when someone has made enough money and whether it’s been earned fairly.
PW is Jeff Goldstein’s blog, not Goldberg.
Somehow, and please correct me if I’m wrong, I thought the Emancipation Proclamation was about setting people free…no more slavery…no one person or entity should own another. No Indenturement. What I’m taking away from P.Bo’s remarks is that we’re all to become the Field Negros, while he and his ilk are to become our Masters and live in the House.
And this from a guy who, along with his wife, made $7.4M in 2007. Was that enough? Too much? Not enough?
“The value of a thing is what that thing will bring.”
A economic maxim that tends to drive statists nuts, being indeterminate and all. Not centrally-planned and ok’d by government flunkies. Bad mojo. Heartache ensues.
What business owners generate is called “wealth”, but that’s a dirty word.
Ah, but you see, Mongo, the Obamas are all about compassion, and idealism, and they have the welfare of The People (as opposed to just people) at heart. They are, after all, Progressives.
Which reminds me of Kipling’s MacDonough’s Song: