Bill Maher made a comment Friday that his benefactor and hero Barack Obama should sit up and take notice of.
Speaking about the taxes the rich pay particularly in California, the host of HBO's Real Time said, "Liberals - you could actually lose me" (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):
The panel discussion began with a conversation about the various budget proposals currently on the table in Washington.
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow predictably slammed Congressman Paul Ryan's (R-Wisc.) plan.
"The Ryan budget is a document that says the big problems in America right now are that rich people do not have enough money," she mocked. "They need relief from confiscatory tax rates."
"Well," Maher unsuccessfully tried to interrupt as Maddow continued. When she was finally done, he surprisingly pushed back.
"I just saw these statistics," he continued, "I mean, something like 70 percent. And here in California, I just want to say liberals - you could actually lose me. It's outrageous what we're paying - over 50 percent. I'm willing to pay my share, but yeah, it's ridiculous."
So it appears there is a point where Maher's money becomes more important than his politics.
Consider that in California, millionaires on top of the 39.6 percent they'll pay to the federal government in 2013, there's an additional 14.63 percent that now goes to the state.
Add in payroll taxes, local taxes, and property taxes, and I've seen estimates that the total tax bite could exceed 60 percent here.
But the rich aren't paying their "fair share."
Regardless, it sure was nice to see a liberal - especially one that contributed to Obama's reelection campaign! - complaining about his taxes.
