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."