Expiring Tax Cuts Dominate in Weekly Addresses

[babylonsister]

http://www.rollcall.com/news/-201165-1.html

Expiring Tax Cuts Dominate in Weekly Addresses

* By Melanie Starkey
* Roll Call Staff
* 6:02 a.m.


Vice President Joseph Biden and the Senate's newest Member made the case Saturday for their parties' approaches to extending the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.

Biden delivered the administration's weekly address for President Barack Obama, who was returning to the United States following a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Friday. Sen. Mark Kirk, who was sworn in Monday as Illinois' junior Senator, spoke for the Republicans.

Biden delivered the administration's weekly address for President Barack Obama, who was returning to the United States following a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Friday. Sen. Mark Kirk, who was sworn in Monday as Illinois' junior Senator, spoke for the Republicans.

Biden called on Congress to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for the middle class. Kirk and his GOP colleagues want to ensure that the cuts are extended for all income levels, saying that a partial extension would be economically dangerous.

snip//

Biden made the second point that Congress should extend unemployment benefits. "Without unemployment benefits, families can't spend on basic necessities that are grown, made, and sold by other Americans," he said. "Together, the economic hit caused by raising taxes on the middle class, and denying 2 million Americans unemployment insurance, will wind up costing us hundreds of thousands of more jobs. It just isn't smart."

snip//

Biden said that denying unemployment benefits to laid-off Americans while extending tax cuts for all income levels sends the wrong message.

"So I just don't agree with the folks who've said we can't afford a lifeline for Americans who lost their jobs during the worst recession in generations, but we can afford to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars to extend tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans," he said. "That's bad economic policy, and it's also just simply wrong."

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. keep punding the airwaves and cable with this message!

Good! Dems need to keep pounding the fact that the GOP want a tax cut for the billionaires.

[Clio the Leo]

2. That is the SEXIEST Weekly Address EVER!!!! ;-) nt