Everything’s Relative -- Even Obama
I would love to be outraged by President Obama’s deal with the Republicans. I do find the Republicans outrageous. You’ve probably already heard the talking points. The unemployed were taken hostage by the Republicans to ensure that the wealthy kept their tax cuts. The one that really burns me is the audacious lie that the Republican were concerned about the deficit. We just blew another 900-billion-dollar hole in the deficit.
Let’s look at those numbers. It cost $56 billion to extend the unemployment benefits. To over 15 million people. 900 - 56 = $844 billion for the tax cuts.
Let me hit that again. $844 billion in tax cuts.
Remember the wailing and gnashing of teeth about the $787 billion stimulus plan? Keep in mind, this tax cut is totally unfunded. There are no spending cuts to offset the cost. In other words, all the Republican whining about being unwilling to extend unemployment benefits because of the deficit was just a bald-faced lie.
It’s outrageous I tell you. I think I’ll write my Congressmen and complain. I’ll tell them to vote no. Uh...wait a minute....
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland -- R-GA
Sen. Saxby Chambliss -- R-GA
Sen. Johnny Isakson -- R-GA
Do you think they’ll listen? Yeah, I don’t think so either.
For much of the country, Obama is our only hope. I can get upset that he’s not representing my wishes, but there’s not much else I can do about it. More to the point, I can’t get him the votes he needs to move Congress. Georgia isn't electing many Democrats these days. It can’t even keep the ones it has elected in the party.
If you live in a Blue State, go ahead and get mad at Obama. I understand. I’m mad too. But I’ll stick to being mad at the Republicans.
Don Brown
December 9, 2010
Comments
Hey, for years we heard from the Democrats that the Bush era tax cuts were for the rich. That worked great in a sound bite toward the uninformed, but we all knew the math in the tax cuts favored the middle class. After all, if the Bush era tax cuts were just for the wealthy, then the Democrats wouldn't have any problem letting them expire in January. Now they are fighting like hell to keep them for those <250K.
The AJC had some figures a couple of weeks ago of projected revenue loss if the Bush era tax cuts were extended for 10 years: For those making >250K=700 billion, but for those making <250K=3 trillion. Now whose tax cuts can't we afford?
I have a novel idea: We're all Americans, in this together. If we need to raise taxes, take away the tax cuts proportionately, so no groups are pitted against one another, but instead are working together toward the financial viability of our country.