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Today's Poll!Obama pushes payroll tax cut extension
Saturday, December 3, 2011
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama wants voters to get involved in the debate over extending the payroll tax holiday, and he’s asking them to tell members of Congress to keep the tax cut in place.
“Let your members of Congress know where you stand,” Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. “Tell them not to vote to raise taxes on working Americans during the holidays. Tell them to put country before party. Put money back in the pockets of working Americans. Pass these tax cuts.”
Obama’s address directs listeners to the whitehouse.gov website, where an online calculator lets them determine how much money it’s worth to them to continue the 2 percent reduction in the payroll tax that took effect this year. A family with income of $50,000 a year would pay $1,000 more in payroll taxes if Congress does not act by the end of this year to extend that reduction.
Democrats want to expand the reduction in addition to extending it. Republican leaders say they’re committed to passing an extension, fearing political fallout if payroll taxes rise on Jan. 1 on 160 million wage-earners, but the GOP rank-and-file appears divided, with many Republican senators voting against an extension supported by their leadership this week.
There’s also disagreement about how — or whether — to pay for any extension, with Democrats favoring a new tax on millionaires and Republicans preferring to cut federal spending.
“We’re going to keep pushing Congress to make this happen. They shouldn’t go home for the holidays until they get this done,” Obama said Saturday. “And if you agree with me, I could use your help.”
Obama also took note of a new monthly jobs report out Friday that showed the economy added 120,000 jobs in November, a positive number. “We need to keep this growth going and strengthen it,” the president said.
Republicans devoted their weekly address to promoting a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, which is headed for a vote in the Senate after failing in the House last month.
Democratic leaders worked aggressively to defeat the measure in the House, saying that such a requirement could force Congress to cut billions from social programs during times of economic downturn and that disputes over what to cut could result in Congress ceding its power of the purse to the courts. The result was that the amendment got majority support but fell short of the two-thirds needed to advance a constitutional amendment.
Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, argued Saturday that “the impending vote to amend the Constitution represents a choice between changing business as usual in Washington or embracing the status quo that we can no longer afford.”
“The real reason many lawmakers don’t want a balanced budget amendment is the exact reason why it’s so essential,” Snowe said. “They don’t want their hands tied; they want to continue to spend without restraint.”
Like Obama, she asked listeners to make their views known.
“Contact your senators and urge them to support our balanced budget amendment,” Snowe said, “so that we finally seize the fiscal reins and reclaim our future for our children and our grandchildren.”
Answer the News Tribune's Facebook Question:
The unemployment rate fell sharply in November to its lowest rate since 2009. Experts say the drop was driven in part by small businesses that finally see reason to hope and hire. Have you seen evidence of more area businesses hiring or are you still looking for a job?
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Comments
wyriontair 1 year, 5 months ago
The only thing this man knows how to do is play the blame game, he has no solutions to anything. He needs to stay in Washington, quit the class warfare and tell his Party in the Senate to work with the House. If he is truly interested in making sure the middle class when it comes to decreasing taxes, then work with congress to lower the tax rate for the middle class, just keeping the payroll tax cut will diminish Social Security
asb 1 year, 5 months ago
Wrong on every point: The GOP started this particular round of class warfare by refusing to fund the government at levels they insist on having for wars and corporate subisdies; while calling for spending cuts to lower and middle class aimed programs. They extend rich folks' tax cuts but refuse to do so for the working public. And if National Health Care is a burden on the middle class, it shouild also be a burden on the upper class, but it is not. And, by any defintion, we've been a socialist nation since the Articles of Confederation were unable to accomodate a nation as complex and free as ours and were replaced by the present constitution which clearly places the primary power of governence in the hands of the federal government; for the promotion of business, the protection of the citizenery from outside and internal dangers, and the management of society's primary finances. The only alternatives to a sound Social Democracy are corporate oligarchies or theocracies. We've been pushed toward oligarchy by excessive attention to the needs of business at the expense of the people, and you'd have an UberChristian teaology in place faster than you could round up, shut up, and box up the rest of us non-believers. Vote Obama in 2012! I'd like a stronger leader but he's better than the nuts and reprobates debating how best to sell America to the highest bidder.
wow 1 year, 5 months ago
The majority of this group of Republicans and some of these Democrats won't agree to anything this President wants, because these FAW cannot stand knowing that despite all his faults...this current President is actually trying to help make the government serve the people equally and not just cater to the rich and politically connected. This select group doesn't want to be responsible for the world seeing a black man actually use his brain to resolve and improve some issues which 40 some odd other white men failed at. No he's not perfect, nor were the other President's total flops. But let's face the truth. A lot of folks don't want to see this current President be successful during his time in office, because that would destroy the lie that all Negro's are lazy, shiftless, drug dealing, womanizing, welfare cheats.
President Obama hasn't done everything right, but the guy has and still is trying to help as many people as he can to have a better life. At the same time he has skillfully presided over this nations forces as they put the SMACK DOWN on some very bad people.
As for the class warfare...that started waaaaay before President came around. You member don'tcha. Those rich white guy's with the funny hair, you member. They were the ones with those funny pants always spouting thus's and thou's and something about we the people are created equal as long as your a white man. You member....women couldn't do anything without permission, and white men were in charge of everything and everybody. See, now you member. Class warfare is nothing but a modern name for "RACISM, SEXISM and or SEGREGATION of the haves and have not's. Regretfully this President is dealing with so many people who still make excuses for the Confederacy and still believe in white male dominance.
wow 1 year, 5 months ago
I agree...dealing with racist/racism is quite tiresome...however if more people would stop crying racism in situations when race is clearly not the case or even an issue. If more people would admit their faults and deal with issues based on fact...then perhaps racism/racist would be a thing of the past. But as "hkchas' pointed out when it comes to President Obama that's not the case. These people want the non American, Hitler, Muslim, non College Graduate, black guy and his family out of their "White House". Why else would they be trying to elect a guy who's religion doesn't even recognize people of color as being human. Why else is Bauchman allowed to get away with calling the President all those horrible names and telling all those horrible lies about him? The added shame is she get's an apology because some musical groups calls her what she is....a LAB? Is Michele Bauchmann apologizing to the Obama family for the lies she told? Is anyone apologizing to the Obama or Biden family for the rude behavior of those famous redneck NASCAR fans? No to both those questions. Do we still have HS where inter-racial dating is frowned upon? Do we still have American schools who conduct racially segregated Proms? Yes is the answer to those questions. Maybe one day it won't be, but today, although some people just don't agree or like the President because of the different views and that's cool. But, there are waaaaay to many who base those dislikes on race!
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