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Limbaugh: "Obama looks at profits as evil," thinks "private sector" is to be "raped," "pillaged and plundered"

June 24, 2009 2:08 pm ET

From the June 24 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show:

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LIMBAUGH: The question he got on this was whether on the public option, the government will not be pressured to make a profit to stay in business. They won't be pressured to make a profit. The government doesn't have to make a profit in anything. The private sector, private insurance companies, private health care, they have to make a profit to stay in business.

And the tenor of his answer on this was most revealing. He almost slipped up and said, "Well, they shouldn't be making a profit in the first place. He didn't say it but that was his tone. I think that Obama looks at profits as evil. He obviously doesn't understand that business cannot function without profits.

You know, he's like -- he's like a lot of other dictators. He's got the private sector, and he thinks it's always going to be there to be raped. It's always going to be there to be pillaged and plundered. The private sector is always going to be something he can go grab, and control, and tax, and take money out of, and grow the government. He doesn't have any concept -- or maybe he does -- that he's going to kill it all by doing all this.

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    • Author by nerzog (June 24, 2009 2:12 pm ET)
      2  
      Actually, when it comes to HealthCare and Wall Street, I think it's the Private Sector that has been doing the raping, pillaging, and plundering.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by BISHAMON (June 24, 2009 2:20 pm ET)
      3  
      Does Limbaugh have any basis for saying this? Or does he not need one? He truly sounds deranged.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by shaggles (June 24, 2009 2:27 pm ET)
      1  
      Wow. This is big news. Did that come out in the press conference? Where can I find a direct quote?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by o rly (June 24, 2009 2:37 pm ET)
      2  
      You heard it here - Rush Limbaugh is on the side of shameless profiteering at the expense of Americans.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by puppienrainbows (June 24, 2009 2:44 pm ET)
        5
      With a deficit likely to reach well over 3 trillion dollars and a budget of over 1.7 trillion dollars, the raping and pillaging has already begun. When everyone sees their taxes elevated, especially small businesses barely making it as it is, then it will become clear just how badly President Obama's economic plan is hurting America.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by nerzog (June 24, 2009 2:49 pm ET)
        3  
        If a small business is "barely making it", then they probably aren't paying any Federal Income Tax anyway.

        That's the inherent dishonesty in the Small Business argument so frequently advanced by dishonest Republicans. Any "small business" that sees a tax increase is apparently doing quite well, thank you very much.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by magnolialover (June 24, 2009 2:54 pm ET)
          2  
          Indeed. Not to mention, a lot of the deficit we have was there long before Obama took office. It remains to be seen whether or not he'll add to it, and if he does, how much. There are projections that don't look good, but alas, we just don't know yet.

          The only people who are going to have their taxes elevated, according to Obama (this is going to the puppie comment above not you Nerzog) are the people who, frankly, can afford it. Everyone else is going to have their taxes lowered, not a lot, but a little. And the folks who will have their taxes raised, are only being raised, by a little (2-3%).

          Small businesses, if they're barely making it, are already not paying the higher tax rate, or I should say, will NOT be paying the higher tax rate, because their profits won't be above the $250k limit denoted in the Obama tax plan.

          Obama's economic plan is hurting America so much, that we're starting to see recovery, and there are some, not all, economists who predict we'll be out of the recession by the end of this year.

          Market is up. Approval ratings are up. Companies are making small comebacks. Yeah, Obama is just KILLING America.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by nerzog (June 24, 2009 3:05 pm ET)
            2  
            Well said. I work for a small business which is "barely making it". We would gladly pay a little extra income tax if it meant we were clearing $250,000 a year. In fact, we'd be dancing in the streets instead of trying to figure out how to slash our Health Insurance and stay afloat.

            Anybody making over $250,000 who whines about taxes will get no sympathy from me.
            Report Abuse
            • Author by magnolialover (June 24, 2009 3:41 pm ET)
              2  
              Same here, about not getting sympathy from me about making $250k. I had a friend of mine whine to me about it a short while ago, stating that because Obama was in office now, she and her husband made too much money, and they're going to be taxed to death (her words, not mine). So, together, they make about $500k/year. Not too shabby really if you ask me. Say, they increase their tax rate 2%, so that's another $10k in taxes. I know for a fact that they spend that much, or more, on vacations every year. So if they stop taking lavish vacations to places like Brazil, Switzerland, Japan, and Australia, they could definitely be even just by NOT taking vacations like that.

              Ah well, like you asid, I don't feel very bad for them. Nice house in Sonoma, lavish lifestyle, lots of great toys (high end bicycles, cars, boats, vacation homes and so on). Yeah, they're getting "killed" on taxes alright.
              Report Abuse
              • Author by solon (June 24, 2009 3:46 pm ET)
                2  
                Actually it wont even be 10k. It will be 2% above the income over the top rate.
                Report Abuse
            • Author by puppienrainbows (June 24, 2009 5:10 pm ET)
                2
              You made a statement saying you would gladly pay a little extra income tax if it meant you (your company) would clear 250k/yr. I'm facinated with that math process. Are you saying the extra taxes would lift the burden of taxation from the company, allowing for a better bottom line or are you suggesting paying more taxes somehow will increase the company's profitability?
              Report Abuse
              • Author by seahawks123 (June 24, 2009 5:30 pm ET)
                1  
                e you saying the extra taxes would lift the burden of taxation from the company, allowing for a better bottom line or are you suggesting paying more taxes somehow will increase the company's profitability?
                Businesses don't pay taxes unless they make a profit. If you clear $250,000 a year, that means that you have a pre-tax profit of $250,000. That's not a struggling business. The concept is rather easy to understand, but looking at your posts I can see how you are having difficulty.
                Report Abuse
          • Author by puppienrainbows (June 24, 2009 4:58 pm ET)
              2
            President Obama's economic plan is hardly written in stone @ this point. To suggest or project any tax rates on any particular group is pre-mature. With a cumbersome healthcare package that probably won't pass due to expense and with N. Korea and Iran rearing their ugly heads, my bet is that President Obama's economic woes will continue well into 2010 with little progress on job creation. Remember, it was job creation that "validated" a 800 billion dollar "stimulus" package which, to date, has not accelerated job creation.
            Report Abuse
            • Author by seahawks123 (June 24, 2009 5:31 pm ET)
              1  
              It's not written in stone eh, but it's somehow OK for the cons to make assumptions about it but not liberals. Gotcha.
              Report Abuse
      • Author by seahawks123 (June 24, 2009 5:27 pm ET)
           
        With a deficit likely to reach well over 3 trillion dollars and a budget of over 1.7 trillion dollars
        Maybe you cons are using "fuzzy math" again, but how can you have a 3 trillion dollar deficit with a 1.7 trillion dollar budget? Assuming 0 income from taxes, the maximum deficit would be 1.7 trillion in that case.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by IRONY 101 (June 24, 2009 3:20 pm ET)
      2  
      Welcome back, Rush. How was rehab?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by blueline99 (June 24, 2009 4:28 pm ET)
      3  
      I wish President Obama did say that the Health Insurers should not be making a profit. The bigger the profit the more people they have denied health care coverage too.

      I am tired of hearing that "profiting" is universally a good thing. We have laws against profiteering, we just seem to ignore them today.

      When I see that Exxon Mobil posted the largest quarterly profit ever in the history of business, the same quarter that this nation was beginning to hit the financial skids and gas prices were at an all time high... I have a problem with that.

      What if the fire department or police department needed to produce a profit, I think we all agree that the services would be quite different and not for the better.

      Report Abuse
      • Author by puppienrainbows (June 24, 2009 5:01 pm ET)
          2
        Are you suggesting a nationalized energy producing entity, a la Venezuela?
        Report Abuse
        • Author by seahawks123 (June 24, 2009 5:33 pm ET)
             
          We should nationalize the oil industry. It's a strategic commodity for the United States and shouldn't be left in the hands of people who will sell it to the highest bidder.
          Report Abuse
    • Author by Rusty_Trojan (June 24, 2009 5:22 pm ET)
      1  
      All this coming from a man with a Gold plated microphone... Obviously someones priorities are a little out of whack... This has nothing against making money. It has everything to do with the value of worth and our duties as citizens. Being a Doctor should be about being educated and helping people. Not a hefty paycheck. Granted they should make a reasonable living for the amazing work they do but when it becomes about money and bragging rights you should be deported. Thats the same ignorant thinking that is burying this country.
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