I can't tell whether there is a rift here but Democrats seem to be giving mixed messages--shocking!--on what the party's plans are regarding the immoral Bush tax cuts. In today's New York Times, Charlie Rangel, the new chair of the House Ways and Means Committee (and, as an aside, my congressperson) seems to say that raising taxes on the wealthiest people in the country is not on the table:
Now, he is trying hard to be restrained, about Mr. Bush, his administration and his tax cuts. When asked about Mr. Bush’s renewed insistence last week that Congress extend those tax provisions, Mr. Rangel paused and said, with almost visible effort, “Part of what I think is my responsibility is not to be critical of the president.”
He brushes off speculation about his party’s plans for the Bush tax cuts, many of which have been criticized by Democrats for years as a giveaway to the richest Americans; it is simply premature, he argues, since their expiration date is three years off. Stan Collender, a longtime budget analyst, says it makes no political sense for Congress to “deal with tax cuts before you have to, certainly not before the 2008 election.”
That's just idiotic. The tax cuts were irresponsible. Why wait? As I argued recently, the Democrats should push for the immediate rolling back of tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans--the top ONE percent of Americans who make more than $1.3 million--and say to the Republicans: are you for giving the richest people more yachts and mansions or are you for making sure every American has health care?
On the brighter side, Nancy Pelosi was quoted, in a story moved by the Associated Press covering her appearance on CBS' "Face The Nation", that tax hikes for the wealthy should be on the table.
"As we review what we get from ... collecting our taxes and reducing waste, fraud and abuse, investing in education and in initiatives which will bring money into the Treasury, it may be that (repealing) tax cuts for those making over a certain amount of money, $500,000 a year, might be more important to the American people than ignoring the educational and health needs of America's children," Pelosi, D-Calif., said in an interview aired Sunday.
Let's hope Pelosi follows through on her intention to have some control of the committee chairs and directs Rangel to stop coddling the rich.
I am just beginning some research on tax cuts and, more specifically, the Bush tax cuts and the various opinions on the Internet.
I have responded to this blog entry in my own blog at http://rebekahblog101.blogspot.com/ and would appreciate further discussion on this issue in today's society.
Posted by: Rebekah | January 29, 2007 at 11:15 PM