A week in Washington these days isn’t really complete without a news story exposing another broken promise from Democrats. The twist this week is that it isn’t about the health care bill, but it is about one of President Obama’s key promises: that he wouldn’t raise taxes on the middle class. During his campaign Obama pledged, “If you make under $250,000, you will not see your taxes increased by a single dime. Not your income tax. Not your payroll tax. Not your capital gains tax. No tax.” Asked about this promise last summer, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, “The president was clear during the campaign about his commitment on not raising taxes on middle-class families. . . . I don’t think any economist would believe that, in the environment that we’re in, that raising taxes on middle-class families would make any sense.”
The White House might want to spend a little more time talking to Democrats in Congress, since The Hill reports that Democrats in both chambers are looking at raising taxes, violating Obama’s promise. In the Senate, “Democrats are looking at the possibility of raising taxes on families below the $250,000-a-year threshold promised by President Barack Obama during the election. The majority party on Capitol Hill does not feel bound by that pledge, saying the threshold for tax hikes will depend on several factors, such as the revenue differences between setting the threshold at $200,000 and setting it at $250,000.” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) added, “You could go lower, too — why not $200,000? . . . With the debt and deficit we have, you can’t make promises to people. This is a very serious situation.”
In the House, The Hill reported, “In a speech before the progressive think tank The Third Way, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Tuesday left the door open to reigning in middle class tax cuts enacted under President George W. Bush.” Hoyer said, “[A]s the House and Senate debate what to do with the expiring Bush tax cuts in the coming weeks, we need to have a serious discussion about their implications for our fiscal outlook, including whether we can afford to permanently extend them before we have a real plan for long-term deficit reduction.”
Rather than raising taxes on middle class Americans in the midst of a severe recession and 9.7% unemployment, Democrats might want to consider spending less. Americans aren’t crying out to Congress that the government taxes to little, but that it spends too much. Democrats have shown that Americans can’t trust them to keep their promises, and raising taxes is just the latest example. The American people deserve better from their government.
On August 3rd, Missourians will have the opportunity to vote for the next candidates for the US Senate seat being vacated by Senator Bond. Chuck Purgason is my choice. His voting record as well as the bills he has sponsored and co-sponsor tell of a man who votes ‘no’ on out of control spending. More importantly, he supports the FairTax which if passed, would eliminate the IRS and the 16th Amendment. Getting rid of the income tax and replacing it with a fair, transparent consumption sales tax paid one time at the point of sales will prevent the age-old game of “If you promise me campaign donations and votes, I’ll promise you tax breaks.” Of course those of us who work then have to pay higher prices to cover the lost revenues just turned over in the form of exemptions and credits to the winners picked by the politicians rather than the free capitalist market. Additionally, under the FairTax before the tax rate could be raised, 2/3 of the voters would have to vote ‘yes’ on that raise.
Purgason sponsored the Senate MO Jobs and Prosperity Act. He voted ‘no’ on about $1billion dollars of spending legislation which Missouri could not afford.
If we don’t want the conversations quoted above to continue, we had better start electing candidates who walk the talk and don’t just say what is politically correct in their attempt to get elected. Look into Purgason’s background. You will see a statesman.
A week in Washington these days isn’t really complete without a news story exposing another broken promise from Democrats. The twist this week is that it isn’t about the health care bill, but it is about one of President Obama’s key promises: that he wouldn’t raise taxes on the middle class. During his campaign Obama pledged, “If you make under $250,000, you will not see your taxes increased by a single dime. Not your income tax. Not your payroll tax. Not your capital gains tax. No tax.” Asked about this promise last summer, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, “The president was clear during the campaign about his commitment on not raising taxes on middle-class families. . . . I don’t think any economist would believe that, in the environment that we’re in, that raising taxes on middle-class families would make any sense.”
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1 Beverly Martin // Jun 27, 2010 at 8:41 pm
On August 3rd, Missourians will have the opportunity to vote for the next candidates for the US Senate seat being vacated by Senator Bond. Chuck Purgason is my choice. His voting record as well as the bills he has sponsored and co-sponsor tell of a man who votes ‘no’ on out of control spending. More importantly, he supports the FairTax which if passed, would eliminate the IRS and the 16th Amendment. Getting rid of the income tax and replacing it with a fair, transparent consumption sales tax paid one time at the point of sales will prevent the age-old game of “If you promise me campaign donations and votes, I’ll promise you tax breaks.” Of course those of us who work then have to pay higher prices to cover the lost revenues just turned over in the form of exemptions and credits to the winners picked by the politicians rather than the free capitalist market. Additionally, under the FairTax before the tax rate could be raised, 2/3 of the voters would have to vote ‘yes’ on that raise.
Purgason sponsored the Senate MO Jobs and Prosperity Act. He voted ‘no’ on about $1billion dollars of spending legislation which Missouri could not afford.
If we don’t want the conversations quoted above to continue, we had better start electing candidates who walk the talk and don’t just say what is politically correct in their attempt to get elected. Look into Purgason’s background. You will see a statesman.
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