Did Bush say this?

We haven't seen this anywhere but in a story by the Daily Press of Hampton Roads, Virginia (via the Left Coaster), but if true, it should become a talking point. Excerpts: (emp add)

President Bush stumped for votes and touted tax cuts Monday in northern Virginia, drawing more than 600 supporters and a few dozen Democratic protesters who said his presence in traditionally Republican Virginia is a sign his campaign is in trouble.

Bush criticized Kerry's plan to eliminate the tax cuts for those making more than $200,000 a year, saying that the "the rich in America happen to be the small business owners" who put people to work.

Bush's rally was designed to show how his policies have enabled individual Americans to take "ownership" of the economy and to highlight entrepreneurial success.

Bush also said high taxes on the rich are a failed strategy because "the really rich people figure out how to dodge taxes anyway."

Why worry about raising taxes? Why worry about the estate tax? The "really rich" won't be affected, or so says Bush.

By the way, this is another example of Bush using the "small business owner" in his pitches. Earlier it was "small business owners" that needed tax breaks. Now it's "small business owners" that are "rich", but because they "put people to work" they are to be exempt from tax hikes - along with all other rich people. But where are the statistics to back that up? Our impression is that most of those earning over $200,000 are not small business owners, but are, instead, well paid executives at medium-to-large corporations.

UPDATE: Matthew Yglesias, in a column out today about Bush's political use of the "small business owner" (!) says that unincorporated (Chapter S) businesses [5% of Americans] generating more than $200,000 [2% of that] are an extremely tiny fraction [5% * 2% = 0.1%].

NOTE: We checked the White House website, but there is no mention (as of this post) of Bush's trip to Virginia.

A FINAL WORD: It's one thing for the average person to say that the really rich avoid paying taxes. It's another thing when a person of power and authority, in this case president Bush, says it. Unlike other problems Bush sees and decides to do something about, in this case, he merely says it happens. In other words, when it comes to taxes, Bush doesn't care about fairness.

posted by Quiddity at 8/10/2004 03:02:00 AM