Note from US Army (Tikrit, Iraq) to John Edwards re: Taxes

I got an e-mail from my friend Dave today, Dave is serving in Tikrit, Iraq right now and had a thought about the Vice-Presidential debate that I thought I should pass on.

"With all of the inaccuracies that everyoneseems to be reporting on about Cheney, i feel compelled to tell someone that might point it out to others. Edwards had a huge out right lie that those serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and other "combat areas" noticed immediately. I can'tremember exactly what was said, but it was something about how soldiers in Iraq are paying more in income tax than some tax bracket that was of the wealthier persuasion. You'd have to look up exactly who he mentioned, but its completely false. As a matter of fact, we pay more taxes than just about no one in the country, because we don't pay federal income taxes while we are in theatre at all. just thought you may want to know."

Here is Edward's quote:

"SENATOR EDWARDS: Yes. Let me say first, on an issue that the vice president said in his last answer before we got to this question, talking about tax policy. The country needs to know that under what they have put in place and want to put in place, they -- millionaires sitting by their swimming pool, collecting their statements, to see how much money they're making, make their money from dividends, pays a lower tax rate than the men and women who are receiving paychecks for serving on the ground in Iraq.
Now, they may think that's right. John Kerry and I do not. We don't just value wealth, which they do. We value work in this country, and it is a fundamental value difference between them and us."

Quote from the Wall Street Journal transcript of the Vice Presidential Debate (10/5/04)

Timothy Burger