obama hits the road to tout a tax cut plan republicans seem to like

[xchrom]

http://www.nationofchange.org/obama-hits-road-tout-tax-cut-plan-republicans-seem-1322663676

Pres­i­dent Barack Obama jets to Scran­ton, Pa., on Wednes­day to ramp up pres­sure on Con­gress to ex­tend and per­haps ex­pand a pay­roll tax cut for an­other year — a move that Sen­ate Re­pub­li­cans sug­gested Tues­day could hap­pen, at least the ex­ten­sion.

Last year, Obama and Con­gress agreed to cut the pay­roll tax paid by work­ers for So­cial Se­cu­rity by 2 per­cent­age points, to 4.2 per­cent. Obama now wants to ex­tend that an­other year — and even ex­pand it so that work­ers would pay only 3.1 per­cent tax on their wages up to $106,800. If Con­gress doesn't act how­ever, the 2-point tax cut ends Dec. 31, ef­fec­tively rais­ing taxes on work­ers.

The tax cut ex­ten­sion is a major part of Obama's $447 bil­lion job cre­ation pack­age, and White House of­fi­cials said he plans to cham­pion it ag­gres­sively in the few weeks that Con­gress has re­main­ing until it re­cesses for Christ­mas.

"If Con­gress re­fuses to act — then mid­dle-class fam­i­lies are going to get hit with a tax in­crease at the worst pos­si­ble time," Obama said last week in Man­ches­ter, N.H. "The ques­tion they'll have to an­swer when they get back from Thanks­giv­ing is this: Are they re­ally will­ing to break their oath to never raise taxes, and raise taxes on the mid­dle class just to play pol­i­tics?"

[Angry Dragon]

1. stupid, stupid, stupid

[customerserviceguy]

2. Is the expiration of a temporary break a raise in taxes?

That's "logic" I would expect Repukes to use, not our President. He'll have trouble fighting them when they want to renew the Bush tax cuts a year from now.

[Parker CA]

4. Exactly my first thought. Seems like he's just handing them this one on a silver platter. nt

[Ruby the Liberal]

7. This is the expiration of the FICA tax break

the one that cut SS/Medicare taxes by 2%.

The one that looks to be the first step in eliminating SS.

It should never have happened in the first place.

[bvar22]

14. And THAT is something many of us pointed out last year...

...with the first "Temporary" Payroll Tax "Holiday" to the derision and hoots from the PRO crowd.
It was branded and derided as "Pure Speculation" designed for no other purpose than to Hate On President Obama.

Some of us KNEW that the "Temporary Holiday" would last longer than a year,
and I FEAR that it is a PERMANENT de-funding of Social Security/Medicare.

Payroll Tax Holiday Directly Connects Social Security to The Deficit

Nothing GOOD will come from these "Holidays".
No "DEMOCRAT" sould be trying tho sell this to America.
A "Democrat" should have a single STRONG and UNAMBIGUOUS Position:
Raise the CAP on FICA Contributions to STRENGTHEN Social Security FOREVER!!!



You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.
Solidarity99!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Huey P. Long]

3. Tone deaf or doesn't give a shit. You decide. -eom

[SammyWinstonJack]

15. I think it's clear.....DOESN'T GIVE A SHIT!

x(

[and-justice-for-all]

5. How do you know where he will be speaking??

I would love to attend and hopefully ask him a question or two.

[bigtree]

8. schedule

http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/president

The President delivers remarks at Scranton High School 2:45. . . http://www.whitehouse.gov/live

[and-justice-for-all]

12. Cool, thank ya...nt

[taught_me_patience]

6. This tax cut is a HUGE boost to the economy

and it would be very harmful if it went away now.

[bigtree]

9. I need it now more than ever

tax cuts aren't just for republicans

[mmonk]

10. Until you reach age 65.

[customerserviceguy]

16. It's a huge boost to people making near the cap

For people making minimum wage, it's peanuts. Why not limit the break to 3.5% (or 2%, if you prefer) of only the first $50,000 of wages, if you really are going to do this?

Why should a married couple where each spouse makes $100K a year get a $4,000 tax break?

[pampango]

11. republicans may not like this one (doesn't benefit the 1%?)

In Congress, Role Reversal Over Federal Payroll Tax Cut

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/us/politics/in-congress-role-reversal-over-federal-payroll-tax-cut.html

In a sharp role reversal, Democrats and Republicans have become divided over whether to extend a federal payroll tax cut enjoyed by every working American last year, with Democrats leading the charge for the tax break and many Republicans demanding that the cut be paid for if it is extended at all.

It is a shift from the recently failed deficit talks when Republicans pushed for extending Bush-era tax cuts without paying for them and Democrats argued against added tax breaks for the most affluent Americans. Now the fight over how to handle the tax cuts as well as added unemployment benefits is set to play out in the final month of the year as the two parties prepare for a politically charged 2012.

Congressional Republicans have long insisted that tax cuts keep money in the hands of Americans who then funnel it back into the economy, negating the need to offset the revenue loss. Echoing many of his Republican colleagues, Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the No. 2 Senate Republican, once said that “you should never have to offset the cost” of tax cuts on Americans.

But the party appears to be making an exception for renewing and extending a cut that would reduce the Social Security payroll tax paid by employees by half, to 3.1. percent of wages from 6.2 percent. The position angers Democrats, who see it as unfair given the Republican position on the broader tax cuts that expire at the end of 2012.

[deutsey]

13. While this may benefit individuals, won't a tax cut further

exacerbate the deepening problems many of us are being hit with (cuts to schools, cuts to benefits, rising tuitions, crumbling infrastructure, no jobs, etc.)?

Would a cut like this be more feasible if the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy had been revoked?