It seems like most politicians lie on occasion. Sometimes, there are big lies like Obama's "if you like your plan, you can keep your plan." Sometimes, the lies are about events in the past that the pols think they can change, like senator Blumenthal's stories about his combat tour in Vietnam (that never happened.) The challenge for the listener is to be a skeptic. Don't believe everything you hear, particularly if it comes out of the mouth of a politician. Still, even with this as a basis, there is one politician in my state who seems to take dishonesty to a new level. That is senator Chris Murphy, our Democrat junior senator.
Here's the latest example: Murphy tweet this morning the following message: "Predictable: Republicans planning to cut corporate taxes by raising individual taxes." Murphy attached an article from Politico to back up his claim. There's a big problem with this tweet, however; it's completely untrue. The article is a report on the status of the work of the group of six people who are putting together the final tax plan for the Republicans. The six include the Secretary of the Treasury, as White House adviser, the Speaker of the House, the Senate Majority Leader, and the two chairmen of the tax writing committees of the House and Senate. Murphy is not in the group and has not been in their meetings. He's just reading reports like everyone else.
Let's take a look at what is being reported. The Politico article to which Murphy refers says that the GOP plan is for "cutting both the individual and corporate tax rates." Gee, that's not what Murphy said. He claims the GOP is raising individual taxes; that's not true. There may be some changes in particular deductions according to the article; the most likely is to reduced the cap on mortgage interest deductions. That would only affect the richest Americans with huge mortgages. Of course, if individual rates are reduced, even these people would not see increased taxes, so again, Murphy is wrong.
The reality is that there is no way anyone could read the Politico article and think individuals were going to get tax increases. Certainly no one listening to what the GOP has said could think that. There is no way that Murphy is so out of touch that he sincerely believes what he wrote. The only conclusion is that he is intentionally being dishonest.
Here's the latest example: Murphy tweet this morning the following message: "Predictable: Republicans planning to cut corporate taxes by raising individual taxes." Murphy attached an article from Politico to back up his claim. There's a big problem with this tweet, however; it's completely untrue. The article is a report on the status of the work of the group of six people who are putting together the final tax plan for the Republicans. The six include the Secretary of the Treasury, as White House adviser, the Speaker of the House, the Senate Majority Leader, and the two chairmen of the tax writing committees of the House and Senate. Murphy is not in the group and has not been in their meetings. He's just reading reports like everyone else.
Let's take a look at what is being reported. The Politico article to which Murphy refers says that the GOP plan is for "cutting both the individual and corporate tax rates." Gee, that's not what Murphy said. He claims the GOP is raising individual taxes; that's not true. There may be some changes in particular deductions according to the article; the most likely is to reduced the cap on mortgage interest deductions. That would only affect the richest Americans with huge mortgages. Of course, if individual rates are reduced, even these people would not see increased taxes, so again, Murphy is wrong.
The reality is that there is no way anyone could read the Politico article and think individuals were going to get tax increases. Certainly no one listening to what the GOP has said could think that. There is no way that Murphy is so out of touch that he sincerely believes what he wrote. The only conclusion is that he is intentionally being dishonest.
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