Tax cuts: It's going to be all or nothing. Which do you prefer?

[andym]

That's what the Republican's want, and that's what will happen.
They think they benefit either way. If they get all, then their demands are met. If they get nothing, they'll blame the Democrats for ruining the economy and taxing the middle class.

Unless there is some way to use reconciliation, there appears no way out of their Senate filibuster.

Which do you prefer: all or nothing?

[Nite Owl]

1. Nothing

but the dems have to start making it clear that they voted for tax breaks for the middle class and the GOP wouldn't. Really clear. Can they do that is the question.

[Catshrink]

2. Nothing.

I don't want the rich bastards to win again.

[aquart]

3. NOTHING. Sunset.

It puts money into the government in one year which immediately provides cash for every kind of project that can create or keep a job. It prevents inflation from going sky high. That more than makes up for the middle class loss.

[pscot]

4. Nothing

[Roselma]

5. nothing

[connecticut yankee]

6. Nothing

I am willing to give up my $300 tax cut for the good of the country.

[badtoworse]

7. I'll go with nothing as well...

but I am very concerned we will lose the PR war.

[geckosfeet]

8. Nothing

[veganlush]

9. The Dems could probably use

reconciliation, but they are pussified and won't. I would then prefer that all the cuts expire. The other choice won't be attempted either, and that is to TRY to get 60 senate votes, instead of just saying "we don't have the votes" that would be attempted by arm twisting, calling out by name, calling on citizens to make their voices heard, Obama going on primetime tv and demanding it, etc..I've heard that they think they have 58 votes, are they even gonna try to get two more? Is everybody here that has a Bluedog Senator calling his/her office constantly? faxes?, email?

[DJ13]

10. nothinG

[Dawson Leery]

11. Nothing.

[veganlush]

12. Don't forget

the Bush tax cuts were created by reconciliation, with the help of Boner and the rest, because of the fact that they effect the deficit as they do...

[Dawson Leery]

13. Nothing.

The Clinton era rates were and are still reasonable.

[tomm2thumbs]

14. NOTHING

sometimes you have to take a stand on principal - and the tax cuts were designed to expire (under the wiseness of the Bush administration) so let's allow their wiseness to play out

[MrSlayer]

15. My position has always been for them all to expire.

And it will help the economy, not ruin it. I can afford the modest hike. It's not like they're going to be taking a ton.

[Blue_In_AK]

16. Nothing.

[LonePirate]

17. Nothing. Let's terminate this deficit reduction talk in its infancy.

[Angry Dragon]

18. Nothing

[laughingliberal]

19. Nothing. nt

[LiberalAndProud]

20. Nothing.

If the deficit is really as serious a problem as we're being led to believe, and it's going to be a choice between no tax cuts or cuts in SS, it's really a no brainer.

I'm willing to compromise. I'll surrender the tax cuts if the pols let me keep my retirement benefits. Not a difficult choice at all.

[SharonAnn]

21. Nothing. Let them sunset.

[handmade34]

22. see byline

[beforeyoureyes]

23. Nothing

If we sell ourselves for one year of extended unemployment benefits, we will reap much worse and profound suffering in a very short time.

This is insanity.

[Silent3]

24. Nothing n/t

[roamer65]

25. Let the Bush tax abatement expire.

[roamer65]

26. Delete.

[shugah]

27. NOTHING n/t

[alittlelark]

28. Nothing

[Bozita]

29. Nothing!

[TheKentuckian]

30. Nothing and it isn't much of a contest. I'd like to keep or cut the bottom bracket because those

that net pay at that leveled are reamed with a 50% increase. The argument is such folks don't pay which means why insist on raising it? Of course people pay it, they are called single non-property owners that don't make a lot of money but with the poverty line sitting at about 2/3 of a full time minimum wage gig they get to be "middle class".

When the Wealthcare and Profit Protection Act goes into effect the bottom bracket is out 25% on junk insurance and Federal income tax alone. Put in some Social Security, Medicare, State, Local, and Sales tax poor working folks will have shit left over to keep someplace to live, eat, and get to their job.

Overall though it is hard to believe the tax cuts generate 3 trillion (plus interest) or so of economic activity over a decade and if even it was, there is no question that there is much bigger bang for the buck available and what needs to be done.

We gotta get out of the pink shrinking and drowning game.

[peace13]

31. no-thing

[bigmonkey]

32. Nothing.

If that's the choice, then nothing by a mile.

[Hubert Flottz]

33. Nothing is about all I ever expect from Washington as far as...

any real help for working class Americans.

[Volaris]

34. Nothing and heres why...

The (relative) short-term pain to the middle class in having everyone's taxes go up is NOTHING compared to the long term, near-fatal illness of not having a dent made in the deficit/National debt. We adults have to be responsible with this (even if it hurts us a little bit now) so our kids don't have to. Thats what good parents do, to say nothing of just the impulse on my personal part of being a responsible citizen.

[Warpy]

35. Nothing. The cuts were reckless.

Let them all die. Targeted cuts can be revisited when we get Congress back.

[hedgetrimmer]

36. Extended Unemployment n/t

[Caliman73]

37. Nothing

FOr all the reasons already stated.

[MadHound]

38. Nothing. n/t

[lumberjack_jeff]

39. Nothing works nicely. Now we can afford unemployment. n/t

[movonne]

40. nothing....

[Segami]

41. NOTHING n/t

[Hannah Bell]

42. nothing.

[Desertrose]

43. Nothin'

[WCGreen]

44. Nothing....

[kentuck]

45. Nothing from nothing.....

leaves nothing? So, I guess I will choose all of nothing...

[Greyhound]

46. Nothing, but that ignores the question.

How is it possible that the hyper-intelligent grand chess master keeps letting himself get suckered by these elementary political machinations that everybody outside his administration sees coming months ahead?

[TheKentuckian]

48. Willfully???

[BzaDem]

50. Just because you see something years ahead doesn't necessarily make it any easier to change.

In this case, the default position (expiration of all tax cuts) would not only be a huge blow to Obama because middle class spending would be reduced, but also because people generally blame the President, not Congress. (Most people don't even know who controls Congress in the first place, let alone the nuances of Senate rules).

Of course, most people here would be fine if all the tax cuts expired and Obama lost re-election due to the economy. After all, that is the direct goal of some (to cause Obama to lose).

[Greyhound]

56. Now what possible motivation would you have for repeating the completely baseless

claim that letting shrub's giveaway expire will hurt the economy?

We both know that is a lie and that the cuts did nothing to stimulate the economy, quite the opposite, they accelerated the headlong rush to ruin. Companies don't hire people because their taxes are lowered, they just pay a bigger dividend and bonuses. In fact, we are always more prosperous in times when the top tax rates are high, just look at the numbers.

And if you can't avoid something that you see coming years ahead, you have no business being in politics (or business for that matter).

[BzaDem]

62. I'm talking about the MIDDLE CLASS portion of his tax cuts, not the HIGH END portion.

I'm not claiming that companies hire people because THEIR taxes are lower. I'm claiming that the middle class will spend less money if their taxes go up tomorrow.

People in the lowest tax bracket would have their taxes go up from 10% to 15%. That's a 50% increase in their marginal rate. There are similar (though not quite as large) jumps for the middle class brackets. Increasing their taxes WILL cause them to spend less, which will decrease consumer demand. That will hurt the economy significantly.

The top tax cuts are basically useless, and I want them to expire. But the choice is all or nothing.

"And if you can't avoid something that you see coming years ahead, you have no business being in politics (or business for that matter)."

That's a really silly statement. The power to avoid might or might not have ANYTHING to do with how distant in the future it is. It might be easy to avoid something tomorrow, and it might be impossible to avoid something in 5 years.

[peace13]

65. Obama has always said that it would be stupid to borrow money...

to give to millionaires. Has he given the millionaires the money yet?

[Greyhound]

73. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $9T. His "no billionaire left behind" acts

may well dwarf the shrub's 8 year giveaway.

[okieinpain]

74. nothing, just to see if people around are correct or not.

interesting times we live in.

[Rochester]

47. Nothing

[Raine]

49. NOTHING

everything would be completely and totally insulting and unacceptable! :mad:

[ibegurpard]

51. nothing

[Shandris]

52. Nothing.

The tax cut never was much to the lower brackets anyway. While some amount of hardship would come from letting them all expire (I'm looking at you, Child Credit), in the balance it is far less than what will have to happen to pay for the cut for the wealthy bastards.

[niceypoo]

53. Nada

Not a goddamn thing

[JVS]

54. "Unless there is some way to use reconciliation"

Well, that is how these tax cuts got passed the first time around under Bush

[BzaDem]

55. No budget, no budget reconciliation. n/t

[jannyk]

57. nothing! nt

[BlueMTexpat]

58. Nothing. nt

[RegieRocker]

59. This Dog don't hunt

and I don't like carrots either sooooo. I will sacrifice and pay a few thousand more in taxes whilst I laugh my arse off they are paying much much more ;-)

[Warren DeMontague]

60. Nothing. Then lets cut the military in half and end the drug war, and we can put to rest

all this helpless bleating about the deficit and how we can't afford to pay for peoples' social security.

[WinkyDink]

61. Nothing. At least the Treasury would improve.

[NuttyFluffers]

63. nothing.

better to have income coming in than drowning in additional debt fruitlessly.

[Swamp Rat]

64. The thorough prosecution of Bushler&Co. for crimes against humanity.

[SmileyRose]

66. Nothing.

[mdmc]

67. nothing please

I will pay my share..

[Hugabear]

68. Nothing.

n/t

[ellie]

69. Nothing

[spanone]

70. they wrote the sunset tax bill...THEY will be raising taxes...N O T H I N G

[hobbit709]

71. Nothing. I'd rather pay a little bit more than let the rich bastards get away with everything.

If that's what it takes to tax the millionaires, that's a price I'm willing to pay.

[City Lights]

72. Nothing. nt

[Imagevision]

75. nothing!

[Raksha]

76. Nothing.