Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) appeared on MSNBC Monday morning to express opposition to President Barack Obama’s deficit reduction plan, which includes a proposal to raise taxes on the wealthy. Fleming charged that the plan is a terrible idea which kills jobs provided by wealthy “job creators” who pay personal income taxes. When asked about his business ventures — including his role in a number of Subway restaurants and UPS stores — from which he earned $6.3 million last year, Fleming told MSNBC host Chris Jansing that his business expenses left him with little to tax “by the time I feed my family.” Fleming told Jansing that the $6.3 million is “before you pay 500 employees, you pay rent, you pay equipment and food.” “The actual net income of that was a mere fraction of that amount.” “By the time I feed my family, I have maybe $400,000 left over,” Fleming said. Jansing pointed out that to a person making $40,000 or $50,000 per year, making $400,000 annually is “not exactly a sympathetic position,” but Fleming responded by calling his success a “virtue” and noting that “class warfare has never created a job.” “This is all about creating jobs,” Fleming said. “This is not about attacking people who make certain incomes.”
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John Fleming, GOP Congressman, Blasts Obama Over Buffett Rule: I Can’t Afford A Tax Hike