Conservatives join liberals in opposing Obama's payroll tax cut extension

[Emit]

President Obama’s push to extend a payroll tax cut has united a rare combination of conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats in opposition.

When Obama first pushed to include the proposal in a tax package in December, House liberals said the tax holiday would threaten the Social Security trust fund, which is maintained through the payroll levy. Now that he wants to extend and deepen the tax cut, a number of House Republicans are making the same argument.
“It is a horrible idea,” said Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. He said it was wrong to diminish the amount Americans pay into Social Security at a time when the program is at risk of insolvency.

With bipartisan support in December, Congress approved a one-year reduction in the employee share of the payroll tax, to 4.2 percent from 6.2 percent. Obama proposed in his speech to Congress that the tax be lowered to 3.1 percent for both employers and employees through 2012.

While the moves add to the deficit, the administration has said the trust fund would not be affected because the money would be shifted from the general fund and because the change is temporary.

Liberal Democrats were not convinced, and they began campaigning against extending the tax break when it was first broached earlier this year.

~snip~

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/180781-conservatives-join-liberals-in-opposing-payroll-tax-cut

[bluestateguy]

1. Pass it. Right away.

nt

[Pirate Smile]

9. +1

[DJ13]

2. A return to the tax credit it replaced would help those who need it the most

The FICA tax cut is based on earnings, so those in the most need (those not working full time, or in lower paying jobs) dont see much benefit from it.

[doc03]

19. Exactly it doesn't help people without jobs or people

trying to live on SS income without a COLA for two years. It is a totally regressive tax cut the upper middle class that needs the money the lest get the most. If you are single or a single wage earner family that works at Walmart you get maybe $450. If you are a two wage earner married couple and one makes $60000 and the other makes $56000 you rake in $3286.

[msongs]

3. slash the military war machine 30%, let medicare buy meds in bulk to save money, lots of ways nt

[PSPS]

4. It's a nefarious scheme and should never have been done in the first place.

[Donnachaidh]

7. +100000!

Kick out the underpinnings of a safe program while making speeches of how this is supposed to help is pure-d EVIL. No true Democrat would advocate this nonsense. :grr:

[xchrom]

8. +20000

[kentuck]

10. Nefarious?

Why wasn't the money simply borrowed from the general fund in the first place?? Why did it have to come from the SS fund and then from the general fund?? Isn't that like borrowing the money twice??

[leftstreet]

12. +1

[Ian David]

5. Do this and then raise the cap. n/t

[bahrbearian]

6. Its the Republicans plan, that should say enough.

[sabrina 1]

11. All this proves is there are hypocrites on both sides of the aisle.

The Republicans proposed it back in 2001. Obama seems to like Republican ideas. But as soon as he tells him he likes their ideas, they become confused and forgetful. Like Mandated Insurance, another one of their ideas that they forgot they used to love.

On the other side, Democrats forgot they hated Mandated Insurance when it was Republican idea, and now they love the Tax Holiday they hated when it was a Republican idea.

Maybe if everyone stuck to principles, especially Democrats, I don't expect it of Republicans, there would be a lot less hypocrisy and a lot more progress in this country.

As for me, I opposed this when it was a Republican idea and still do.

I opposed Mandated insurance when it was a Republican idea and still do.

I feel like I switched teams without anyone telling me though.

[obxhead]

13. Bipartisanship achieved.

[Lyric]

14. I guess both sides can agree that anything that disproportionately benefits poor people

is a bad idea.

Sad.

[obxhead]

16. I don't see how an attack on SS benefits poor people.

[alarimer]

17. But it doesn't benefit anyone.

I get and extra $20-30 a month. Big fucking deal. People who make less than me get even less. Plus it has the added benefit of making SS less solvent, so it gives both parties the excuse to cut benefits.

[digitaln3rd]

15. Gee, what a surprise.

Congress doing squat and saying "no, no, no".

Completely worthless, all of them.

[Telly Savalas]

18. So this means the argument that the payroll tax cut will never be rolled back

is utter bullshit, right?

[kentuck]

20. We better hope so.

We all know the gall of the Republicans in Congress. One can only guess what they might attempt and what kind of opposition they would get from the Democrats?