Off the Cliff

Are you kidding me?

What else can I say? I just left the floor of the US House after voting to extend the vital middle class payroll tax cut for another two months.

If Congress doesn't act before the end of the year, taxes will go up for 160 million American families.

Just 72 hours ago, everything was on track. Congressional negotiators from both sides of the aisle had agreed to a compromise that would keep the middle class tax cut alive, meaning an average American family would keep $1,000 in their pocket next year and wouldn't see a steep tax increase on January 1st.

But three days after agreeing to support the compromise -- calling it a "victory" and a "good deal" -- Speaker John Boehner completely reversed course and led House Republicans off a cliff, voting the bill down.

It's unacceptable. Letting this tax cut expire would not only take money away from struggling middle class families -- it would put a damper on job creation in our weak economy.

Apparently, Speaker Boehner's rabid devotion to tax cuts ends when the taxes in question don't affect millionaires and billionaires.

Unfortunately, this is a tax cut that really matters for strengthening our economy -- and for millions of working families.

I've launched a petition at www.MiddleClassTaxCutsNow.com urging Speaker Boehner to show leadership and renew the middle class tax cut.

Do your part: Let your voice be heard and please sign onto our petition. Tell Speaker Boehner that the middle class tax cut is one tax cut we CAN'T afford to go without.

 

Follow Rep. Bruce Braley on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BruceBraley

Comments

[dtallwalk]

11:08 PM on 12/21/2011

Let's keep it simple
Republicans vote for higer taxes on the middle class
Republicans vote to decrease taxes on the rich
The amount of increase is erealavent the vote is realavent
That tells me who is on who's side
Now lets go vote them out

[batmancw]

04:08 PM on 12/21/2011

So, were talking about a little less than $20 per week being added back to folks' paychecks. Not only does that have NOTHING to do with "job creation"-(-the employers still pay their share), but that amount only makes a difference to those who are already in dire straights even though they have a job. I'm 100% for making it PERMANENT, but am also really tired of the hyperbole both parties are throwing around on this issue.

[Anne Rutherford]

03:33 PM on 12/21/2011

The far right is gambling on a couple of things, not the least of which is the fact that when this issue first came up, the tax cut was proposed for a year and they refused to accept that. We get to the two month extension, and then it's not good enough, it need to be for year. None of this makes any sense if you think about it. The main goal here is to strangle governmnet (as I recall, it should be so small that it could be drowned in a bathtub). By defunding employee contributions, it sets Social Security up to fail, if taxes can't be raised to replace that revenue. Granting tax cuts and tax loopholes will perpetuate a system designed to fail. But guys, where are the jobs? In 1980 Congress and our President (Reagan) decided to end manufacturing as we knew it in the US and export that to other countries (starting with Mexico). Apparently they lack the common sense that Henry Ford had - he built cars his employees could afford. Unemployed and underemployed folks cannot consume - the basis for our entire economy. Actaully, I think they just want to see what would have happened if Herbert Hoover had been re-elected.

[demisfine]

01:24 PM on 12/21/2011

The negative things mentioned in this article that would happen to the middle class are all positive things the GOP would like to instigate.
Slowing economic growth helps the GOP.
Impoverishing the middle class (even further) helps the GOP.
Increasing unemployment helps the GOP.
We are collateral damage, a cost of conflict, which the GOP is willing to pay in order for another shot at power in DC.
We cannot allow them to make this happen. To let their tantrum pay off in the long run.
Vote them out in 2012.

[Lindytindy]

01:21 PM on 12/21/2011

What a lot of nonsense. Payroll tax cuts have never created jobs. This is more trickle down theory that has never and will never work because it's a fairy tale. It's total fluff trying to convince people that Obama gives a hoot about us. He doesn't. He is our worst nightmare. He will give us crumbs perhaps, and then take much more in the form of other open and hidden taxes. To pay for it he will decimate Medicare and Medicaid, all that is standing between life and death for millions of people. This is all a bright shiny object to distract us from our real problems, a collapsing economy, endless war, a society that is no longer democratic, the fact that Congress just destroyed the Bill of Rights, our becoming rapidly a Banana Republic, rising health care cost crisis, lack of education access crisis, no jobs crisis. None of which any of them have any intention of fixing because it would require structural changes to the status quo. They are the status quo.

[emmanuel kalu]

02:31 PM on 12/21/2011

what payroll taxes does for the middle class is improve their purchasing power. which increases demand, which creates jobs. the bush tax cut an experiment we are living thru has being proven both in theory and pratice not to work. if the republicans would have allowed for the fair taxation of the rich, we would have paid for the SS cut. however we are still going to pay for it. so no harm done to it at all. much better the economy improved, get more workers paying into SS. the president didn't start the war, and have ended on, the other would end soon. all that you have listed is being fixed by the president, who is being derailed by the republicans at every turn. if you were awake you would see that dems and president are trying to do something about all that you have mentioned. what have the republicans done in the past ten year for any of the things you mentioned. NOTHING.

[Jerry Lammers]

10:50 AM on 12/21/2011

Voting for the Payroll Tax Cut is a vote to end Social Security. If the Tax Cut becomes law again, it will be extremely difficult to prevent it from becoming permanent. A permanent cut in the Payroll Tax that pays for Social Security means an end to Social Security within a decade.

[emmanuel kalu]

02:11 PM on 12/21/2011

the payroll tax cut can't be compared or looked like the bush tax cut. for one the payroll tax holiday is fully paid for. secondly, it would increase economical activities, hence creating more jobs and workers that would be paying into it. we have over 17 million people not paying into SS. imagine have half of those people starting to pay into it. also it is better to have more workers paying half the tax rate into SS, than to have fewer workers paying the full rate.

[Alex Croley]

09:36 AM on 12/21/2011

Let the tax cuts expire. Both the S.S. Payroll Tax Cut and the Bush Tax Cuts that should have been dropped last year. At some point we have to start bringing back in revenue instead of cutting everything in sight.

[RedBalloon]

09:25 AM on 12/21/2011

Petition signed and I live in Iowa too! Not everyone here in Iowa is the stereotype Stephen Bloom describes in his article in the Atlantic. The Republican party has been taken over by extremists.

[Rusty Richardson]

07:18 AM on 12/21/2011

Political mis-step on the Republicans IMO.

[Norm]

07:14 AM on 12/21/2011

This is a phony issue. I am a Democrat, but funding this extension for two months seems as senseless to me as it does ot house Republicans. Not to mention, this is an extension of a cut, not a new cut. When will the right time ever be to let it expire? There does seem to be an element of preparing to defund Social Security in the cavalier way the funding for it is reduced over and over again. Even so, not too many of us actually believe this extension will not happen; it will. The debate over it is pure theater, as we all know this cut will happen.

[skylark]

08:20 AM on 12/21/2011

I completely agree. I am really frightened that this is the Dem version of ending Social Security. I want some Democrat to explain to me how SS can continue to exist if the funding for it is eliminated, as the Dems seem to be determined to do.

[Norm]

09:00 AM on 12/21/2011

My issue is that wage earners have become so accustomed to this decreased amount that politicians will never revive the original amount. With every extension it looks less likely. I don't like it and never did, but politicians from both parties do (right now), so it will happen. And didn't we know this would come up when the extension was granted until now? It was pretty obvious this would pop up as a political football no one will touch honestly.

[Matthew David Sager]

10:37 AM on 12/21/2011

funding isn't cut the the S.S. trust under the Democrat' plan; the tax increase on millionaires would have paid for the middle class cut entirely, leaving S.S. unharmed. The right wing refuses to increase taxes on millionaires, thus there need to be other revenue sources that prevent cuts from the S.S. trust

[intolleft]

11:40 AM on 12/21/2011

I have numerous friends who run their own small business and file payroll tax forms of one or another every three months. The system is set up as quarterly. What where the Senate thinking?

[Dbos]

06:10 AM on 12/21/2011

lots of posters bringing up other issues which basically is a propaganda move directly linked to faux nuus. one issue vote it up or down.

[Norm]

10:09 AM on 12/21/2011

You can not accuse Fauxnews if you frequent this site, which is quite unreliable.

[BigBearcatBill]

05:36 AM on 12/21/2011

So basically the far right repubs, masters of all repubs right now, want people on welfare and unemployment to beg and live in church classrooms (if not lucky and have to sleep in car or tent or freeway underpass or city park) if the church's have enough room and feel like opening their doors, or maybe the cities will let us rent front yard space for their tents, all because they want to cut social programs to pay for our national debt as fast as we can. There are a lot of other things they would cut too, all supporting safey, quality of life for the poorer and unemployed, public services and parks. They think since we messed up with our budget so bad in the last 30-40 years which they had a lot to do with, that current Americans should suffer by the tens of millions, and just put up with it until we create the perfect utopia or nirvana for the business guys and rich owners and investors.

[Robert SF]

05:00 AM on 12/21/2011

As others have mentioned, this is not a tax cut; it's a defunding of Social Security, which will only put Social Security more in the sights of Republicans. Besides, it doesn't create jobs. No, it doesn't. Let the cut expire. The $14 dollars it adds to the average paycheck isn't worth the later loss of Social Security.

[Schalaine]

07:13 AM on 12/21/2011

One more time, the SS funds are safe. Any loss is covered by the general fund. Monies are transferred into the SS fund....Monies are transferred into the SS fund. I hope by my repeating it, you will stop spreading this lie!

[skylark]

08:24 AM on 12/21/2011

How do you know that? It;s never happened before. SS has been raided before, and the money was never returned. This big "bonus" to working people defunds SS at the same time that boomers are starting to retire. (And this administration has not created one jobs program aimed at helping unemployed boomers. Not one.) I don't see any guarantee that the money will be transferred into the SS trust fund. All we ever see is money being stolen from it or deflected from it.

[cgrmn]

08:49 AM on 12/21/2011

You know what, there is no money in the 'general fund". There is $15Trillion of IOU's , government bonds. Wake up.

[unfoxworthy]

12:15 AM on 12/21/2011

This is wrong on so many levels.
Let the bodies hit the floor. The discussions should NOT be bogged down on whether we schlepps get few more bucks in our pay. The subject should be "let's provide our people with HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION, AND JOBS. Let's BREAK UP BANKS, and the oligopolies who, for their own greedy self interest, are k i lling us...and stunting the growth of the next generation of technologies, cures, and breakthroughs.
Go ahead - let'em raise taxes - turn up the pressure on the middle class. You can't see it's past the "tipping point" already? I wanna see people get CRAZY!

[Velvetus]

05:20 AM on 12/21/2011

F/F!

[Michael D Ballantine]

12:02 AM on 12/21/2011

Let's send Congress a Christmas gift, their pink slips. We need to vote out all the incumbents and start fresh with new leaders, new ideas, and a renewed respect for the average American. Let's also make a rule, no one from the 1% can get elected. It's one thing to listen to centimillionaires express their faux understanding of the middle class and quite another to actually expect them to understand. It's time we went back to average Joes running our government and putting the issues that matter to the middle class front and center. Issues like job security, health care for the family, well run schools, and enough money to pay the bills. The middle class is not looking for miracles just an honest break. As long as the 1% are running Washington, we will get 1% friendly policies. Vote for average Joe this November, pick one, any one, as long as he/she is not a 1%er. After all, could it get much worse? We let the professionals run the show and look how they mucked it up.