Sen. Grassley aims for $60 billion in tax cuts

[UpInArms]

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/newsfinder/pulseone.asp?dateid=38664.3989641782-849407915&siteID=mktw&scid=0&doctype=806&property=symb&value=&categories=&

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said that he aims for his committee on Thursday to draft legislation to extend tax cuts worth a net $60 billion over the next five years. Panel staff are still looking for around $3 billion to $4 billion in revenue-raising offsets to bring the net total to the $60 billion goal. The package would include a temporary patch to shield middle-income Americans from the alternative minimum tax and extension of the cuts in the capital gains and corporate dividend tax rates.

...short blurb...

[havocmom]

1. Did he decide before or after the attack on one of his aides?

Has he noticed the DEFICIT?

[Wickerman]

2. Grassley seems to have realized he hasn't been acting looney enough

to be a Rethug in good standing. Glad his actions in the last few weeks have retored him to good standing. :eyes:

[readmylips]

3. Sen Grassley: More tax cuts for the rich....

should be the headline. No tax cuts for middle class.

[DU9598]

4. Food stamps

Aren't we cutting food stamps to provide for hurricane recovery, yet we have money to cut taxes again? Wow, forget Kansas, what's the matter with Iowa?

The good Iowa senator, Tom Harkin, speaking this past weekend about Rep. Jim Nussle (he wore a bag over his head during the House banking "scandal") who is the chair of the House Budget Committee and is running for Governor said "with all of his budget priorities favoring the wealthy, perhaps he better find that bag to put over his head before he comes back to Iowa to run for Governor."

Perhaps Nussle and Grassley can share the bags to cover their heads from working Iowans.

[saigon68]

7. THEY CAN SHARE THESE BAGS

[Karmakaze]

10. OT: Has anyone ever seen or heard of any interviews...

with the men shown in the Abu Ghraib photos? I know I haven't. Isn't it strange to have a scandal about the treatment of these men (and women) and yet no one seems interested in what the VICTIMS have to say?

Are they even still alive?

[saigon68]

12. They have been quoted in the Arab Press

Our press is too busy having the Chimp's testicles bounce off their chins.

[krkaufman]

5. "still looking for ... revenue-raising offsets"

i.e. Where can we defund social and humanitarian projects?

[Tracer]

6. Tom Oliphant exposed this shell game this morning ...

... in the Boston Globe:

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/11/08/digging_in_on_debt_reduction/

<snip>

Digging in on 'debt reduction'

By Thomas Oliphant, Globe Columnist Ê|Ê November 8, 2005

WASHINGTON ONLY IN a country governed by the triumvirate of George Bush, Bill Frist, and Dennis Hastert could the following set of events unfold with absurd smoothness.

The Senate narrowly approves a ''deficit reduction" bill as part of a larger package that will increase the deficit. That was last week.
The House narrowly approves its own Draconian ''deficit reduction" bill as part of a larger package that will increase the deficit. That is likely to be this week, barring a last-minute revolt of moderate congressmen.

[Inland]

8. After announcing $35B in "savings", Congress digs a deeper hole.

[newscott]

9. Considering how many people in Iowa woudl be in abject

poverty if they lived anywhere else in the US, I just don't get how they can keep voting for Republicans.

[MissMarple]

11. More people on food stamps...oops we're all out of food stamps.

Too bad...so sorry. Paris Hilton and the Bush girls and our outsourcing corporate execs need their tax breaks, don't you know... :nopity:

[IA_Seth]

13. I don't get it either...

As far as State Gov't is concerned we are as purple as you can get...Senate is split 25/25 and the Reps are 49 / 51 with republicans in the majority. We have a lot of very competitive state races that should shake that up a bit and put Democrats comfortably ahead...

Our US Senators and Reps are another animal altogether. 4 or our 5 Representatives are R's, then we have Grassley-R and Harkin-D as our US Senators. Again, it's looking good for us as far as US Reps go. Nussle-R is giving up his seat in a bid for Governor and Leach-R is looking very vulnerable to fall to challenger Dave Loebsack (donate here! https://www.loebsackforcongress.org/contribute.asp).

Don't give up on us just yet.

[newscott]

15. I love Iowa. I went to Grad school at Iowa State

2 great years of my life.

I used to like Grassley, but lately, he's been getting on my nerves.

[Roland99]

14. Even when a multi-partisan report came out a year or so ago stating...

that we will have to raise taxes *and* drastically cut spending or else we'll end up like Argentina.

[Little Star]

16. Greed!!!! Need we know any more? n/t

[salin]

17. too think - that 20 years ago he was considered a 'fiscal conservative'.

sold your soul, Sen Grassley?

[Gloria]

18. I thought Grassley was SANE??? Obviously, he's slipping

into the abyss....