Fiscal Cliff Math: am I doing this right?

[hfojvt]

20. no you are not

it is better to look at dollar figures than as percentages.

Tammy's taxes are going up by $1,000

Bobby's taxes are going up by $6,000 - $2,000 in payroll taxes and $4,000 in income taxes.

$6,000 is greater than $1,000.

Percentages are less relevant than actual numbers.

Bush always wanted to use percentages so he could give a $6,000 tax cut to Bobby and $1,000 to Tammy and then say "see? My plan favors people like Tammy, look at the percentages."

But the tax CUT that Obama calls a "middle class" tax cut, also favors Bobby far more than it favors Tammy. Thanks to Obama's awesome negotiating, Tammy gets to keep her Bush tax cut of $1,500 and Bobby gets to keep a Bush tax cut of perhaps $8,000, and, once again $8,000 is much greater than $1,500.

But hey, according to Obama, Bobby is practically part of the middle class anyway, so hurrah for middle class tax cuts that favor him.