A Cynical Calculation
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner insists: “What the president and I believe this is the right thing for the country, the fair thing, the responsible thing for the country now, is to make sure we leave in place and preserve tax cuts that go to more than 95 percent of working Americans. I think it is fair and good policy to allow those tax cuts that only go to two percent of the highest earners in the country to expire as scheduled. The country can withstand that. The economy can withstand that. And I think it’s good policy.”
Congressional Republicans are saying that, this is all about a tax increase. That isn’t true. It’s the law, that they put into effect. It’s the law that they pushed under Bush and those tax cuts had an expiration date.
People in the top 2 percent of the income bracket are going from 35 % to 39 %. Ninety-eight percent of Americans aren’t going to be affected. Obama has promised not to raise taxes on individuals making up to $200,000 a year and families making up to $250,000.
Apparently, Republicans have calculated that people above the national economic average want to keep their tax cuts and will therefore be voting Republican. They’re fully aware, that a lot of people are hurting, but they’re counting on compassionate conservatives not being compassionate this year. They anticipate, that this election will be every man for himself, because voters will want to keep their tax cuts.
They’re promoting the misconception, that all people who are unemployed are slackers or shirkers. They’re arguing, that giving people unemployment benefits takes away their incentive to want to go out and look for a job.
In fact, millions of unemployed Americans are trying to get to work. Any time an entry-level job, at a hotel or a business in any big city, the lines go around the block. Therefore, saying that people don’t want to work is less than honest. Poor people across this country are getting up early, catching public transportation, if they can find it, and going to find jobs.
Congressional Republicans are saying that, this is all about a tax increase. That isn’t true. It’s the law, that they put into effect. It’s the law that they pushed under Bush and those tax cuts had an expiration date.
People in the top 2 percent of the income bracket are going from 35 % to 39 %. Ninety-eight percent of Americans aren’t going to be affected. Obama has promised not to raise taxes on individuals making up to $200,000 a year and families making up to $250,000.
Apparently, Republicans have calculated that people above the national economic average want to keep their tax cuts and will therefore be voting Republican. They’re fully aware, that a lot of people are hurting, but they’re counting on compassionate conservatives not being compassionate this year. They anticipate, that this election will be every man for himself, because voters will want to keep their tax cuts.
They’re promoting the misconception, that all people who are unemployed are slackers or shirkers. They’re arguing, that giving people unemployment benefits takes away their incentive to want to go out and look for a job.
In fact, millions of unemployed Americans are trying to get to work. Any time an entry-level job, at a hotel or a business in any big city, the lines go around the block. Therefore, saying that people don’t want to work is less than honest. Poor people across this country are getting up early, catching public transportation, if they can find it, and going to find jobs.
posted by Jim O'Leary | 2:06 PM
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