You don’t need to clean your glasses. Your eyes are not playing tricks on you. Republicans actually do oppose a tax cut. They may keep telling you that the don’t want to allow anyone to raise your taxes, but they are lying. They want you to pay more in taxes, so that millionaires, billionaires and criminal corporations can pay less. These are the only ones for whom Republicans govern. They do NOT represent YOU.
It’s been the GOP’s dominant meme after the 2010 midterm elections: cut government spending dramatically and endlessly cut taxes for the rich and corporations. They preach day after day that that’s the only true job creation scheme in which America should consider. They mask it with hazy words that cover up their real intentions like their latest bogus con called the "Cut, Cap and Balance" constitutional amendment. Frank Luntz must be proud to see that one phrase repeated over and over again no matter what further destruction and harm will come to the 98% of working Americans.
Now as Labor Day approaches, Republicans are making it plain that they will not support extending the payroll tax holiday that will be proposed again by President Obama. Never mind that they had earlier called for it and it is in and of itself a Republican idea. The AP got a headline right for a change:
GOP may OK tax increase that Obama hopes to block
News flash: Congressional Republicans want to raise your taxes. Impossible, right? GOP lawmakers are so virulently anti-tax, surely they will fight to prevent a payroll tax increase on virtually every wage-earner starting Jan. 1, right? Apparently not.
Many of the same Republicans who fought hammer-and-tong to keep the George W. Bush-era income tax cuts from expiring on schedule are now saying a different "temporary" tax cut should end as planned. By their own definition, that amounts to a tax increase.
The tax break extension they oppose is sought by President Barack Obama. Unlike proposed changes in the income tax, this policy helps the 46 percent of all Americans who owe no federal income taxes but who pay a "payroll tax" on practically every dime they earn.
There are other differences as well, and Republicans say their stand is consistent with their goal of long-term tax policies that will spur employment and lend greater certainty to the economy.
And what’s the new rationale for the opposition?
"It’s always a net positive to let taxpayers keep more of what they earn," says Rep. Jeb Hensarling, "but not all tax relief is created equal for the purposes of helping to get the economy moving again." The Texas lawmaker is on the House GOP leadership team.
… [emphasis original]
Inserted from <Crooks and Liars>
“Not all tax relief is created equal.” Lets convert that RepubliSpeak into language we can understand. This simply means that they don’t want a tax cut passed, unless the vast majority of it goes to the super-rich.
Ed Schultz covered this with Economist David Cay Johnston.
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Republicans have shown over and over again that only the rich matter to them. They shoved you under the bus long ago! That’s why…
Every Republican in office is one Republican too many!
14 Responses to “Republicans Oppose a Tax Cut”
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I know it will hurt it will mean about $50 a month from my wife’s 48 hour a month check (yep 12 hours a week that’s all she gets) but I am ok with it as soon as hell freezes over and the lift the FICA cap and start to tax the corporations and wealthy at pre-Reagan levels.
So tell me Boehner how did you accumulate more than 8 million dollars on less than 200,000 dollars a year salary and is this why you are so adamant about no taxes for the rich?
mark, we both know that the how is obvious and that the how is also the why.
Hey, Boehner, McConnell & all repubicans – WHERE ARE THE JOBS?
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/08/03/287123/jp-morgan-1-7-gdp/
Of course they will reverse that and claim to have created them instead.
“Not all tax relief is created equal”, nor does it create jobs, nor does it put more money in your pocket as O suggested! There has, if nobody else has noticed – at least here in NYC, been a tremendous hike in food prices – inflation gone wild! – Gas is more expensive – yes, but is that the only reason I see the price of eggs increased by $1 a doz., and the avocado sole at over $3 a piece, and meat going up at about $1.50 lb. here in NYC ground beef is at $6 lb. – isn’t that a wee bit excessive – even for an exotic isle like Manhattan? – so where are all the jobs that these tax cuts have produced? These giant corporations have found loopholes and overseas accounts and hirees, the rich get richer, tax the poor who may be fortunate enough to have a job in the first place (although more than likely of a “significant” couple probably one has lost a job), and yet I have seen more inflation in the last few weeks than I have in years! I can’t afford meals any more – what’s this about – I don’t see much coverage of this alarming problem! Is it just me noticing this?
Lee, the inflation has not had much news coverage, because the CPI remains low. The massive decrease in home prices masks the street level inflation that effects you and I.
This is a great fight for Democrats to point out the hypocrisy but I think they should have waited. They need to make these political fights closer to when they are near elections. They could win this one and the Republicans would quickly brush this one under the rug. Do it next year and the Republicans will be eating their words all the way to the polls.
Since the payroll tax holiday expires at the end of this year, I think waiting until election time over a year away to try re-instate it would come across as fairly disingenuous.
Plus to make working people suffer for six months or so just to make a political point would probably not be looked on kindly by voters.
I have to agree with Nameless, here. Issues need to be timed on the basis of need.
What a mess–!!
Yes.
This is simply class warfare – and The GOP and teabaggers have convinced many of the poor that they are better off not having a black President. Blogs like yours help expose these lies – please keep getting out the word anyway you can!
Welcome VJ. 🙂
I fully agree and thank you very much.
I think the payroll tax cut should exclude SS, Medicare and Medicaid so that we don’t drain them any faster than we should.