On Sean Hannity’s radio show this afternoon, Sen. Jim DeMint (R., S.C.) and Rep. Mike Pence (R., Indiana) said they hoped that the Pence-DeMint bill, which would extend all the Bush tax cuts permanently, would receive an up or down vote in both the House and Senate.
On the Obama-GOP tax compromise, DeMint said, “I know our leadership probably did make the best deal they could,” but added that “we cannot continue to pass bills that add to the deficit,” and that because of that, he “would not support the current bill.”
Pence also expressed dismay over the compromise, saying that businesses needed “long-term security” and said the legislation was “massive spending, temporary tax relief.” Asked whether he would vote for the compromise, Pence said, “I haven’t made a final decision, but I’m not impressed.”
Discussing the White House’s recent comments about how tax cuts promoted economic growth, Pence dryly noted that “it sounds like the administration is [full of] born-again supply siders.”
Tax rates, not cuts. Let's get the language right, shall we? Some people actually think they'll be paying fewer taxes in January, courtesy of Obama. Besides which, far from getting to keep their money, taxpayers will be on the hook for even more spending, as Pence says.
I hope this bill gets deferred and then re-written in January. The reps will get the better deal they should have gotten first time around, and nothing else will be passed as long as they do what they said they'll do, by filibustering all the other special interest measures Reid wants to ram through. The omnibus CR/budget bill is being padded with all sorts of garbage - if it alone can be stopped, that'll be a huge positive.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAmen Penny.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIs this really the Tea Party's main political goal: "Preventing the 2011 tax hike must be the main priority"?
Sure nobody like their taxes raised, and everybody would like to see government spending reduced instead, but is that a realistic option? Can the deficit really be controlled by spending reductions alone?
Allowing some part of the Bush tax cuts to expire will be a tax increase, but it won't be raising tax levels. I have suggested allowing 25% of the Bush tax cuts to expire for the middle class, and 50% to expire for the wealthy. The money raised will go to extending unemployment benefits and to help create a new "must work" program for the three million 99ers, whose numbers will increase to six million by the end of 2011, all without raising the deficit.
One more thing: we must realize we are all in this together. With 30 million unemployed today and projected to continue at least until 2012, we can no longer assume these people are misfits who refuse to work or find jobs for themselves. We must realize this is a unique situation that requires emergency, out-of-the-party-box solutions.
ex animo
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This uncertainty has caused tremendous damage to the business climate. A certain tax increase that businesses could plan for would be better in some ways than this idiotic brinksmanship. Lock in the current tax rate permanently and leave it *alone*.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIs this really the Tea Party's main political goal: "Preventing the 2011 tax hike must be the main priority"?
Sure nobody like their taxes raised, and everybody would like to see government spending reduced instead, but is that a realistic option? Can the deficit really be controlled by just spending reductions alone?
Allowing some part of the Bush tax cuts to expire will be a tax increase, but it won't be raising tax levels. I have suggested allowing 25% of the Bush tax cuts to expire for the middle class, and 50% to expire for the wealthy. The money raised will go to extending unemployment benefits and to help create a new "must work" program for the three million 99ers, whose numbers will increase to six million by the end of 2011, all without raising the deficit.
One more thing: we must realize we are all in this together. With 30 million unemployed today and projected to continue at least until 2012, we can no longer assume these people are misfits who refuse to work or find jobs for themselves. We must realize this is a unique situation that requires emergency, out-of-the-party-box solutions.
ex animo
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To this point, Mike Pence has had a way of resisting "Republican" calls to give in on important principles. This marks him as worthy of trust by voters. How many are like that?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRep. Pence and Sen. DeMint are trying to snooker us. They think we don't understand that a) the economy is bad and needs all of our help to improve; and b) the debt load is placed on all of us. They think that good thoughts and magic will solve our problems. I'm an adult - a long time ago I found out that personal responsibility is the only answer.
So, some will claim that they did nothing to cause the current economic/debt crisis. So, did they send back their 2001 and 2003 tax cuts? Did they set aside personal funds to pay for the Iraq and Afghan wars? Did they stop taking that latest medical product because it exceeded their medical budget? Did they pay too much for their new home, or did they refinance their home and use the money for home improvements or a new flat-screen TV? Did they refuse funds from the government to recover after a hurricane, or to build a new highway, or to fund a new dam system?
We all took part in getting our country where it is today. All of us. Unless we're planning to move elsewhere, we all owe it to the legacy of this great country to get it back in order. That will require less spending on non-critical items, more taxes for all of us, and a better grasp on how to compete in a world where many countries have better education or cheaper labor.
None of those hurdles are insurmountable - if our elected representatives are straight-shooters and tell use what really needs to be done. That requires an adult perspective - I'm looking for those leaders to stand up.
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