The 2012 election season thus far has been marked by dirty campaign ploys and distractions from the real issues.  From President Obama accusing his opponent of giving someone cancer to the demands that he release his tax returns, President Obama has made clear that he is running his re-election campaign on the "failures" of his opponent rather than his own successes as President (not that he has many other options).  The "Romney 47 percent video" is becoming a widely used tool for President Obama's campaign to paint Mitt Romney as a divisive figure who has "written off almost half the country"; in actuality, President Obama has initiated more class warfare tactics than any President before him and seemingly believes that a majority of Americans are incapable of thinking for themselves.  His "Buffett Rule" is a perfect example of that-- he fails to understand that punishing success will result in less people striving for it and therefore less people paying into his welfare programs.

In the "secret tape," Governor Romney is asked this question:  "How are you going to...convince everybody, you've got to take care of yourself?"  He responds in part by saying:  "There are forty-seven percent of the people who will vote for the President no matter what.  There are forty-seven percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims... The President starts off with forty-eight, forty-nine, forty-- he starts off with a huge number.  These are people who pay no income tax.  Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax."  This makes you wonder how many Americans really are dependent on government and aren't paying anything back in return.

According to the Heritage Foundation, 49.5% of Americans paid no federal income taxes in 2009, so Governor Romney's numbers are not inaccurate.  Dependence on food stamps has increased by 70% percent since President Obama took office; granted, some truly do need the help since they can't find work to support their families-- a result of unemployment, an issue that President Obama continues to push under the rug of more government dependency.  Clearly there is a huge number of Americans who are benefitting from President Obama's desire to create a socialistic utopian society and the odds are low that those people will vote against a free paycheck.  Who, then, if not Governor Romney, is the instigator of the class warfare tactics that have divided us more than ever before?

In April President Obama proposed his "Buffett Rule," a law that would require millionaires to pay a minimum of 30% of their income in taxes each year.  Rather than recognize the success these people have achieved (much of it self-made), President Obama would rather "spread the wealth around" and tax you at a higher rate if you earn more than others.  This goal of total equality of outcome rather than equality of opportunity is going to be a tremendous detriment to this country if it is allowed to continue in the White House.  In fact, if the government took all income above $1 million, it would amount to around $616 billion-- just nearly a third of our national deficit. 

The richest 10% of income-earners in the United States pay 45% of all taxes (more than any other country taxes their highest income-earners).  Does President Obama want to punish them to the point where young people in America will watch with hesitation as they consider their own futures?  What young person is going to dream of growing up, starting their own business, and becoming successful if the example they see today is people being taxed more than necessary simply because they earned more than their neighbor?  The class warfare divisiveness is going to be a bigger hit than most Americans realize; young people in America are already being told that small-business owners "didn't build that" and are thus being discouraged from starting their own businesses without government assistance.  Add to that the exploding desire from this administration to further raise taxes on the top income-earners in America and you end up with a dreary future for America's next generation.

The real class warfare in this election is coming straight from the Oval Office, not from a video taken at a private fundraiser.  We have to make sure that is understood so people are able to make informed votes on Election Day rather than enter the polling booth intending to cast an extra ballot for the media.