In September, Robert Kuttner supported a payroll tax holiday

[ProSense]

The difference is that the trust fund would be replenished with a temporary surtax on the rich and not the general fund.

Robert Kuttner

<...>

Six. Propose a six month tax holiday for payroll taxes. Ask for the Republicans' support. This would provide direct tax relief to working people and lower the cost of creating jobs. It would provide more of a tonic to the economy and more practical help to American families than any of the Republicans' proposed tax cuts. Make up the loss to the Social Security trust funds with a temporary surtax on people making over $10 million a year.

<...>

[Aramchek]

1. Kuttner is a hack.

[great white snark]

2. He supports issues that are divisive to our party.

Paid professional hack.

[vaberella]

3. I'm trying to figure out how Obama wanted to extend unemployment benefits but cut SS.

How does that work for people to put together?!

[TheWraith]

10. It only goes together when you use Obama hate as a powerful glue.

And some people like Kuttner have been sniffing the glue too much.

[JuniperLea]

4. Only demand for goods or services...

Will make business owners consider hiring. That is the only thing that makes fiscal sense for a business of any size.

[Still a Democrat]

5. But his was just six months!!!!!1111oneoneone

:rofl:

[girl gone mad]

6. I support a payroll tax holiday too, with conditions..

which were certainly not met by the bill Obama and the Senate Republicans agreed to.

"Make up the loss to the Social Security trust funds with a temporary surtax on people making over $10 million a year."

Nothing like this was done. The cuts are not deficit neutral. The money will instead be transferred from the general fund. Our deficit will be larger than ever, thanks to this irresponsibly managed tax cut, and there is now a giant target on SS.

[Still a Democrat]

7. But it was the dreaded mixing of general and SS funds!

And that the cuts would be made permanent!

Now, the rationale changes.

[girl gone mad]

8. The funds wouldn't be mixed.

That's the point. It would be a temporary tax made up for with a direct transfer tax on the wealthy. No mixing of funds, no concern that SS is now adding to the deficit, no backdoor plan to rob from SS. Wake up! What Obama agreed to is a disaster, and I'm someone who has been pushing for a payroll tax holiday for years. But not like this.

[ProSense]

9. So now it's about

the deficit and not Social Security?

Who cares if it's not deficit neutral if it will "provide more of a tonic to the economy and more practical help to American families than any of the Republicans' proposed tax cuts"?

The fact is that this deal does not impact Social Security.

[TheWraith]

11. Hypocrisy, thy name is Robert Kuttner.

Am I surprised? Not at all.

[Faryn Balyncd]

12. .

dupe

[Major Hogwash]

13. Who is Kuttner?

Was he on CNBC?

[geek tragedy]

14. K&R. n/t