Obama on Taxes: Pay It Forward

(Newser) – President Obama tackled the economy, jobs, education, and more at today's LinkedIn townhall meeting, the AP reports. Of note: an audience member—later identified as a former Google executive—told Obama he had no job by choice after his search-engine startup did well, and asked, "Can you please raise my taxes?" "I appreciate you recognize we're in this thing together," Obama responded before promoting his jobs plan and launching into an Elizabeth Warren-esque appeal for those who derive success from taxpayer-funded programs and infrastructure to pay it forward. In other town hall moments:

• Obama said financial problems in Europe are "scaring the world" and that Euro nations "haven't been as quick as they need to be."
• Obama professed no desire to hurt the rich—only to return taxes to their level in the 1990s. "During that period, the rich got richer," he said. "The middle class expanded. People rose out of poverty."
• Obama reached out to laid-off workers, USA Today reports: "The main message I have for you is that the problem is not you. It's the economy as a whole."
• Obama wrapped up by asking people to tell their Congress members to put politics aside: "If we don't prepare our people with the skills they need, we're going to have problems. If we don't get our fiscal house in order in a way that's fair and equitable ... we're going to have problems."