President Obama pays lower tax rate than his secretary - promptly reduces her salary

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama had a combined income of $789,674 in 2011 but paid a lower effective tax rate the president's secretary, who made less than $100,000, the White House confirmed Friday.

The Obamas paid an effective rate of 20.5 percent. White House aides would not reveal presidential secretary Anita Breckenridge’s tax rate but confirmed it was higher than the first family's rate. Breckenridge earned $95,000 last year. The president's 2011 federal income tax return shows reported adjusted gross income of about $790,000 last year, almost 8 times as much as his exploited and oppressed secretary.

About half of the first family's income is the president's salary. Officials say the rest comes from sales of Obama's books, community organizing ticket sales and small bets on pickup basketball games.

The Obamas' rate is less than the 30 percent the president wants millionaires to pay under his proposed Buffett Rule.

“The president’s secretary pays a higher rate  than the president on her substantially lower income, which is exactly why we need to reform our tax code and ask the poorest among us to reduce both their lifestyle and their incomes in order to pay their fair share,” a spokeswoman said. What else can we say but "oops".

The mouth-piece continued with "so in the interim, we have decided to cut Ms. Breckenridge's salary so that she can fit in line with the White House requirements that everyone share in the misery created by Democrat economic policy."

The release Friday of the tax returns for the president and the family of Vice President Joe Biden came on the same day in which the Obama campaign in Chicago attacked likely GOP-presidential nominee Mitt Romney for, so far, releasing only his most recent tax returns. Joe Biden, asked to comment said "Look, Obama made $800 large last year, and I made $400. He's better off by a factor of 5 on me!"