By Bill Press
Tribune Media Services
Something important happened this week: Republican leaders in Congress finally came out for something.
Don’t knock it. This is progress. We know what they’re against: anything President Obama is for. He’s for tax breaks for small business; they’re against ‘em. He’s for extending unemployment benefits; they’re against it. He’s for emergency funds to states for keeping cops, firemen, teachers, and nurses on the job; they vote no.
As Vice President Joe Biden observed, “I know what the Republicans are against. I have no notion of what they’re for.” Well, now we do. As articulated by Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, they are for extending George Bush’s tax cuts to the top 2 percent of American taxpayers. And that singular priority speaks volumes about the intellectual poverty of the Republican Party today.
After all, the wealthiest of the wealthy have already enjoyed an undeserved free ride for 10 years, gobbling up a huge tax break that could easily have paid for universal health care or the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Making those tax breaks permanent, or even extending them for another 10 years, is bad public policy.
As payback to major campaign donors, Bush forced his tax cuts through early in his presidency by means of “reconciliation” in the Senate — the same process Republicans ripped Democrats for using to pass health care reform legislation. He insisted they were only “temporary” — they expire at the end of 2010 — because it was the only way he could sell them politically and because he assumed Congress would automatically renew them 10 years later.
Not so fast. President Obama supports extending the Bush tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans, those making $200,000 or less ($250,000 for joint filers). But he opposes a continued tax holiday for the top 2 percent, the wealthiest of Americans. Reason? Because it would cost too much, we’d get too little in return, and only a handful of Americans would benefit.
According to the independent Tax Policy Center, extending tax cuts for the rich would cost an additional $700 billion over the next 10 years. Nearly all of it would go to the richest 1 percent of Americans, those with incomes of more than $500,000 a year. And, of that group, the majority of tax cuts would go to the wealthiest one-tenth of 1 percent. Which translates, over the next decade, into an average $3 million windfall each year for precisely 120,000 people.
Not only have Republicans made pimping tax cuts for the rich their number one issue, they do so with a set of lies that only George W. Bush could love: this is no time for raising taxes; there’s no need to worry about the deficit; letting Bush tax breaks expire will hurt small business; and extending tax breaks to the wealthy will actually create jobs. No, no, no, and no.
First, a reality check. No matter how many times Boehner and McConnell say the opposite, allowing the Bush cuts to expire does not amount to a tax increase. It simply means the 10-year tax privilege enjoyed by the privileged few will end, as the law states, and their tax rate will return from today’s top 35 percent (which few pay, anyway) to 39.6 percent — but only on income more than $250,000 a year.
And, no doubt, that’ll save taxpayers a lot of money. Most people don’t understand that a tax cut is actually a government expense, which we have to pay for somehow. Republicans would simply pile that $700 billion cost onto an already dangerously bloated federal deficit — even though, just last month, they opposed adding $34 billion to the deficit to extend unemployment benefits.
Equally hypocritical are Republican claims that ending tax cuts for the rich would hurt small business. As Vice President Joe Biden said this week, that’s “a bunch of malarkey.” Only 3 percent of small businesses make more than $500,000 a year in profits — and most of them are big law firms, not Mom and Pop storefronts.
Their final argument about creating new jobs is the most absurd of all. Just look around you. If tax cuts for the wealthy really create jobs, where are they? Instead, under George W. Bush, America lost 8 million jobs.
Forget their twisted logic. In the end, it boils down to this: middle-class Americans need a tax cut. The top 2 percent of Americans don’t.
© 2010 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
Hey Bill,
You’re becoming just like Obama — irrelevant
Bill, thank you for yet again shining a light on the hypocrisy and ignorance that seems prevalent in the conservative party these days. It’s like watching coop of chickens try to organize itself. What people like Mr. Ahern above seem not to see (or they do, and wish to pull the wool over others’ eyes), is that if and when Republicans take power again, the economic consequences on the rest of the country — the more than 95% of us — will be severe and long-term, even worse than they are now.
I’m sorry some of your commenters, like many conservatives, cannot form a coherent criticism and critique you on any ground other than the personal.
You know, I don’t make $250,000 a year. Not even close.
But you know who does? My boss. And a lot of other peoples’ bosses. In fact, over 70% of the jobs in this country are provided by small business owners who claim their company revenues on their PERSONAL income taxes.
So, when you’re out here pandering to the poor, poor, pitiful poor, Press, maybe you’ll remember this handy little adage: “No one ever got a job from a poor person.”
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jessy Valgarðsdóttir, Lenny Wagenknecht. Lenny Wagenknecht said: Republican Party Platform: Welfare for the Rich http://tinyurl.com/24gux8q (via @pulsepad) [...]
Billy, Billy, Billy. When will you come to realize that the top 2% of income earners pay over 40% of all the taxes. Don’t you think tax payers should get relief, or are you more inclined to say the freeloaders in this society should get more handouts?
Bill – What’s with all these right-wing crazies posting their bull crap every time you’re making some sense? It is AMAZING how brainwashed these people are! Even when you lay things out for them that even a child could understand, they still come back with this nonsense. To all of you above… michael ahorn, racoondaddy, brewwhatever… you dipshits should pick up a book once in a while. It’s demand that creates jobs you fools — not more money in the pockets of the rich. I work for a company that has 80 employees. The execs got bonuses and 3 people got laid off.
Let me put this in language you might understand…. Hypothetically, you own a company (which I hope you don’t because you are too stupid) but, this is a hypothetical. You have 5 people that work for you, all them doing a good job. Everything is getting done as it should. Six months ago you laid off a person, but the other 5 have picked up the slack and everything is working as it should. Suddenly I give you $20K… alright, I’ll be nice, $50K.. are you going to hire someone because I just gave you money, even though the 5 employees you have now are doing just fine????.. they used to have time to sit on facebook and do some online shopping, but now they are actually working… so you leave it at 5. Instead, you buy yourself a new car and take your trophy wife and her fuzzy rat of a dog to a nice long vacation in Bali! Maybe you dumbasses can understand this plain analogy because you don’t seem to understand simple economics. Demand creates jobs, not extra money for your bosses to spend! If you give money to a middle class American, they will spend it too.. but you know what they will stimulate the economy. The top 1 percent and top 2 percent can buy their Bentleys and private islands, but that really won’t stimulate the economy (there just aren’t that many of them). I’m not sure if you know how to count, but there are a lot more middle class citizens than the super rich… if you gave the middle class money, THAT would stimulate the economy. If they started spending money they actually had (not credit), demand for goods would drive production, and THAT you idiot creates jobs! **Although, we have sent most of our manufacturing jobs overseas, and until we make some serious changes to our trade policies, we have to work with what we got! Go read a book you fools before you spill your nonsense on Bill’s site.
Just to add a little more information on this topic… I don’t know what you think of when you think of the “super rich”, but associate them with sociopaths. Do some research and read a profile of a sociopath and it will ALL make sense to you… Here are a few bullets I saw at… http://www.mcafee.cc/Bin/sb.html
- Glibness and Superficial Charm
- Manipulative and Conning
They never recognize the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors as permissible. They appear to be charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They may dominate and humiliate their victims.
- Grandiose Sense of Self
Feels entitled to certain things as “their right.”
- Pathological Lying
Has no problem lying coolly and easily and it is almost impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent basis. Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about their own powers and abilities. Extremely convincing and even able to pass lie detector tests.
- Lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt
A deep seated rage, which is split off and repressed, is at their core. Does not see others around them as people, but only as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they have victims and accomplices who end up as victims. The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way.
- Shallow Emotions
When they show what seems to be warmth, joy, love and compassion it is more feigned than experienced and serves an ulterior motive. Outraged by insignificant matters, yet remaining unmoved and cold by what would upset a normal person. Since they are not genuine, neither are their promises.
- Need for Stimulation
Living on the edge. Verbal outbursts and physical punishments are normal. Promiscuity and gambling are common.
- Callousness/Lack of Empathy
Unable to empathize with the pain of their victims, having only contempt for others’ feelings of distress and readily taking advantage of them.
- Poor Behavioral Controls/Impulsive Nature
Rage and abuse, alternating with small expressions of love and approval produce an addictive cycle for abuser and abused, as well as creating hopelessness in the victim. Believe they are all-powerful, all-knowing, entitled to every wish, no sense of personal boundaries, no concern for their impact on others.
- Irresponsibility/Unreliability
Not concerned about wrecking others’ lives and dreams. Oblivious or indifferent to the devastation they cause. Does not accept blame themselves, but blames others, even for acts they obviously committed.
- Lack of Realistic Life Plan/Parasitic Lifestyle
Tends to move around a lot or makes all encompassing promises for the future, poor work ethic but exploits others effectively.
So… it’s not a tax increase. It’s just that the taxes are lower today and they will be higher tomorrow. But it’s not a tax increase. Huh. Taxes aren’t going UP. They’re just not staying DOWN. But it’s not an INCREASE.
So when GDP goes down, does that mean it really goes UP? Boy, that makes me feel better.
And don’t let the facts, or history, interfere with your conclusions. Taxes DOWN… government revenues UP! How about that. Worked under both Kennedy AND Reagan.
I don’t mind motavation speaches, but there comes a time for people to wake up and stop being so gullibble with republicans….are you in a bent over position or are you standing up for whats right ??!! thats the issue …..be American and not anti-American – I try to buy all american ..I don’t buy gold because that breakes the value of the US Dollar and makes Americans pay higher taxes due to the de-valueing of our currency !!!
The Republicans fight for corporations and those issue which help non-American industries
to get off paying any tax and the citizens pay for those tax loops ….I never voted for a republican in my life and I will never vote that party in ,you would have to be very stupid and hatefull to vote any republican in office ; since they are the lobbiest biggest coustomer and this Game will continue untill we the People stop the maddness ….
The Supream court and federal laws fail to protect Americans from this shameful form of Government :
This – will continue as long as FOX news and News Corps. Inc. and drug companies – buy and sell Politicians and judges :
Gov. contracts need better protection through better rules and regulation the FBI needs to enforce ,tighter rules under organized crime laws and put crooked law makers away for life if violated ……
We cannot afford loop holes in banking laws or over-seas corporations and we will never have a need for NFTA and WTO aggrements ;
America needs to wake up .!!!
“No One ever got a job from a poor person” is wrong, wrong, wrong. Poor people employ lots of people all the time. There is a heueueuege poverty industry bringing in billions where rich people use their “contributions” for tax breaks in large “non-profits” that exploit the poor who work for these non-profits in low income jobs bringing in more millions to pay their upper management extremely generous salaries and make tax havens for the rich.
These hundreds of millions in the links below is only ONE state, the state of Wisconsin. Then multiply this by AT LEAST 49 other states: Consider some “employment for the rich” here and check out the heueueuge list of non-profits raking in the dough for ONE STATE: http://www.welfarewarriors.org/mwv_archive/sp09/sp09_milw.htm. Consider the cost where these “non-profits” pay their top CEO hundreds of thousands of dollars and then contract charge the government millions for their shoddy services ~ but their top CEOs and the tax breaks keep rolling in: http://www.welfarewarriors.org/MWV_Archive%5Cs01%5Cs01–bwe–bus_tour.htm.
Many of these “employers for the poor” have been convicted of fraud and are still contracted by the government in spite of their blatant, greedy taking from the poor to pay the rich and entitled. They spend literally 10 times more for their “services” to the poor, than the actual services they give to their clients. $57,000 per client when in fact the direct service costs less than say, subsiding a partial payment for childcare services or a $50.00 energy voucher to keep the lights on to a low income working family?
Give me a break.
Yes the poor DO employ people in many more ways than you think. Bill, keep it up, welfare for the rich is FAR more than just giving them an outright tax break. The rich then use the rest of their millions to hide behind fraudulent and greedy “non-profits” that do little for the poor, society ,or whatever other “non-profits” the rich use for their tax havens. These entities ensure little in return but hey, they pay THEMSELVES generously while pretending their exploitation of low wage “jobs” generated by the poverty industry that won’t even pay the rent for a family, that give little in “services” but cost millions, why they are is SO noble ~ and yes the poor employ lots of people.
Love,
Cat in Seattle
Most of the wealthy people I know are Democrates. Lets see..Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Tudor Jones, etc. In fact almost 93 % of the Forbes list are Democrates. And most of them pay little or no income tax. Many have off shore family trust like the Kennedy Family. My family trust just declared a dividend so we can benifit from current tax program before it expires.