House votes 🚨THIS THURSDAY🚨 on GOP mega tax giveaway to corporations & the ultrarich. ACT. NOW.

[CousinIT]

Last edited Wed Nov 15, 2017, 10:27 AM - Edit history (1)

Link to tweet

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LINK to UNROLLED thread: https://tttthreads.com/thread/930494348986339328 (best readability + images/videos/links here - you don't need to be on Twitter to see 'em. GO!)

🚨TAX BILL RED ALERT🚨
Republicans think they can rip us off without a fight.
They're wrong.
THREAD: how we'll beat the GOP tax scam—and what YOU can do. RT to fuel the uprising, & follow along...
The House votes 🚨THIS THURSDAY🚨 on the GOP's mega tax giveaway to corporations & the ultrarich. All hands on deck needed NOW.

Thread table o contents:

1. Inside the GOP's hideous tax scam
2. Arc of the fight
3. How to fight back

1. INSIDE THE GOP's HIDEOUS TAX PLAN

36 million. That's the number to remember. 36 million middle class families get slammed with a tax HIKE to give huge corporations a massive giveaway. Again, House vote THIS THURSDAY.
Heart of GOP plan: mega tax cuts for corporations. Incredibly unpopular in both parties. Only 17% of *Republicans* say corps pay too little in taxes. 2/3 of public wants corp taxes to go UP.
Two-thirds say big corporations pay too little in taxes

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/thirds-large-corporations-pay-federal-taxes-poll/story?id=50082215

GOP plan: Net tax cuts = $1 trillion for corps. ~200 billion for ultrawealthy heirs. $300bn for individuals. Wildly tilted to rich. Kleptocracy.
The Republican tax plan, in one chart
$1 trillion in business tax cuts, $200 billion for heirs, $300 billion for individuals.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/2/16599408/republican-tax-plan-in-one-chart

Who loses under House bill: for starters, people w high medical expenses. Eg, seniors. Which is why AARP is fighting this monstrosity.
Tax Bill Provision Would Clobber Seniors
House Republican proposed tax measure would eliminate the medical expense deduction. It could increase taxes for older Americans and find them on Medicaid.
https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/advocacy/info-2017/house-medical-expense-tax-fd.html

GOP bill punishes students (tuition help = taxable), ex-students (student loan interest = taxable), teachers (buy school supplies w your own money? taxable). *War on education*
Teachers who buy classroom supplies with their own money cry foul on Republican tax plan
Teachers unions are furious at congressional Republicans, whose tax legislation would end the $250 tax deduction for teachers who spend their own money on school supplies
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article184426003.html

Biggest tax hike: end of State And Local Tax (SALT) deduction. So you'll pay taxes... & also pay taxes on the money you're paying in taxes. Why does GOP support? B/c blue states have higher SALT taxes, to pay for schools, roads, etc.
If feds tax state & local taxes, pressure builds to cut those—& cut schools. To pay for tax cut for Betsy DeVos. See how that works?
The Betsy DeVos Tax Cut - Education Reform Now
by Michael Dannenberg President Trump wants the pending tax bill to be called the “Cut, Cut, Cut” Act, but it’s better described as “The Betsy DeVos Tax Cut” Act. At its heart, this tax plan is a gi…
https://edreformnow.org/betsy-devos-tax-cut/

1/3 of $ from corp tax cut goes to *FOREIGN* investors who own US stocks. So ending SALT deduction = transfer $ from blue states to transnational economic elite. (Remember when Trump ran AGAINST globalists?)
Opinion | Trump’s $700 Billion Gift to Wealthy Foreigners
Tax cuts: They’re not just for American plutocrats
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/opinion/trump-taxes-wealthy-foreigners.html

Immediate impacts are bad, but long con of GOP tax bill is much worse. Once GOP blows up deficit, they're coming again for health care. & Social Security. Pretext = "debt reduction."
On Debt Reduction, GOP Says Wait Till Next Year
House Republicans are voting on a budget that doesn’t balance and calls for adding $1.5 trillion to the deficit. Most of them are fine with that.
https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/on-debt-reduction-republicans-say-wait-till-next

GOP's long-term plan for devastating cuts to health care, education, & other priorities = all hidden in the budget resolution passed this fall. Nonbinding... but chilling blueprint for their plans.

So, to sum up: GOP tax scam is mega handout for corporations & ultra-rich, paid for by middle class tax hikes now (36 million middle-class families, 47m total) + huge health cuts later. More in this thread:
Michael Linden @MichaelSLinden
RED ALERT: The Trump tax bill being rammed through Congress right now is confusing so let me break down what it’ll mean for you. Spoiler: You’ll get stuck with the bill. Follow along for details. 1/
9:37 PM - Nov 11, 2017
289 289 Replies 13,560 13,560 Retweets 15,215 15,215 likes

Bonus: guess who *really* makes out like a bandit in this tax scam?
Seth Hanlon @SethHanlon
The Republican tax bill looks like it was written by Donald Trump’s accountants and tax lawyers, and I’m not even joking. 1/
10:03 AM - Nov 5, 2017
246 246 Replies 7,607 7,607 Retweets 11,183 11,183 likes
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2. ARC OF THE TAX SCAM FIGHT
> Full House vote *THIS THURSDAY*
> Thxgiving recess; pause in legislative looting
> Senate floor vote planned *WEEK AFTER THXGIVING*
> House & Senate reconcile differences in conf committee, aim to pass *BEFORE XMAS*

Endangered GOP Reps' worry: if they vote to raise taxes on their middle-class constituents, they could lose their seats. Our job: make 'em *know* they'll lose seats.

The more we squeeze the House this week, the less likely House will be to accept changes in Senate bill. Best hope to win = making anything that passes House DOA in Senate & vice versa.

Senate bill will still have to chg to survive Senate budget rules. Reconciliation bills can't increase deficit past 10 years. GOP either has to make corp tax cuts expire ("sunset&quot OR further raise taxes on middle class, making easier to kill in House.

In other words, we could lose the House vote on Thu, could even lose Senate vote after Thxvgiving—and still have a shot at winning. V diff from health care fight.

Better to kill the tax bill, but even if we don't, every vote matters. The thinner the margin in each chamber, the better chance of car crash @ the end.

More resistance at each step = better chance to kill monster in final scene. Odds are strongly on GOP's side. But this bill's so brutal & unpopular that we do have a real shot. Time to ignite the fight.

3. HOW TO FIGHT BACK
How'd we beat ACA repeal this summer? Constituent uprising, electoral danger, & constant visible pressure in DC & home. Same playbook vs tax scam. Guide to calls, protests, & more to follow...

THIS WEDNESDAY at 8pm ET: @BernieSanders joins @MoveOn & allies for national emergency conf call re tax fight. Hear plan, get trained, get fired up—recruit friends here:
Defeat the Trump tax scam—national organizing call with Bernie Sanders! Wed, Nov 15

Join Bernie Sanders on a national call to learn how to get involved in these critical weeks defeat the fast-moving Republican tax scam which would be a massive giveaway to millionaires, billionaires,…
https://moveon.org/readytoresist

MELT THE PHONES. Call DAILY. Hotline = 844-311-7810

SCRIPT: "Hi, I'm [name], calling from [zip code] to urge [MoC] to vote NO on the tax bill. It's fiscally irresponsible & raises taxes on millions of middle class families to cut taxes corporations. Thx!"

PROTESTS: COMING NEAR YOU (or plan one!)
Dozens of protests nationwide this week to STOP the GOP tax scam. RT & find one at http://stoptrumptaxcuts.org/events & http://act.indivisible.org/event/local-actions/search/

Just before Thanksgiving, there'll be a national "No Thanks" day of action on Nov 21 vs tax giveaway for corporations & ultrawealthy. For details, stay tuned to http://stoptrumptaxcuts.org/events

Week after Thanksgiving, MoveOn members & allies organizing MASSIVE wave of protests nationwide to stop GOP tax scam in its tracks. Sign up to host a protest here—tons more to come:

Tax Scam Caroling—hold Congress accountable
Right now, Republicans are trying to jam through their tax bill to give huge tax cuts to millionaires, billionaires, and wealthy corporations at the expense of programs many Americans rely upon, such…
https://moveon.org/goptaxscam

In DC? WEDNESDAY NOON PROTEST @ CAPITOL. *Don't miss this.* RSVP & invite FB friends here:

Tax March ✔@taxmarch
WEDNESDAY: We're rallying on Capitol Hill to defeat the Republican tax bill and demand #NotOnePenny of tax cuts for millionaires, billionaires, and wealthy corporations.

Join us: http://facebook.com/events/289467031557339 …
11:48 AM - Nov 13, 2017
23 23 Replies 648 648 Retweets 625 625 likes
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Thursday night, 5:30pm ET: Repub reverse-Robin-Hood ball, aka "Tax Prom," featuring Mike Pence. PROTEST OUTSIDE. Shame! Shame! Shame!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1727808953930410/

DC empties out for Thanksgiving, but rest assured: protests will resume when Congress comes back to town.
Here's another thing you can do: learn, talk to people, share stuff online,. Spread the word. Public doesn't realize this is happening under their noses.
Follow these folks closely to stay up to date on the tax fight: @lilybatch @dashching @MichaelSLinden @SethHanlon & share stuff like this:

CAP Action ✔@CAPAction
These are just *some* of the millions of Americans who lose under the Republican tax plan. Demand Congress reject it! ➡️➡️➡️ http://TrumpTaxToolkit.org
11:28 AM - Nov 8, 2017
Replies 104 104 Retweets 64 64 likes
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And let's make sure these Republicans pay the ultimate political price for their vote. Donate here to fuel the eventual nominees running against them:
Swing Left ✔@swingleft
Here’s a new way to fight the Republican agenda. Our new #NotOnePenny fund will be split between every Democratic challenger to Swing District Republicans who vote for this awful tax bill. Donate here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/notonepennyfund …
11:41 AM - Nov 13, 2017

I just gave to the #NotOnePenny fund

Donate to the opponent of any Swing District Republican that supports Paul Ryan's tax bill!
secure.actblue.com
10 10 Replies 461 461 Retweets 724 724 likes

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There's a fantasy in the GOP that they'll get this done before the resistance can bring the fire. Sorry, Republicans. We're here.

CONCLUSION: Folks, this is it. The battle is joined. In repeal fight, many noted health care = 1/6 of economy. Taxes touches ENTIRE economy. Incl health care.

If you believe the United States is insufficiently kind to the ultra-wealthy, too stingy with the idle rich, too soft on giant corporations, then by all means, support the GOP tax bill.

If you believe that we spend TOO MUCH on schools, that the sick should more often go bankrupt, that the middle class isn't shrinking fast enough—by all means, support the GOP tax bill.

If you want to light a fuse on the federal budget, knowing full well that the dynamite is jammed right between Medicaid and Medicare, then sure, support the GOP tax bill.

But if you think the United States government should be by, of, and for the *people,* folks, it's time to rise up.

If you think the explosion of inequality in the United States—the relentlessness of poverty, the implosion of opportunity, the disappearance of mobility—represents an economic and moral crisis, folks, it's time to rise up.

If you think kids shouldn't be so hungry they can't focus in class while heirs & heiresses fly in private jets over their crumbling schools—if you think the rigging of our economy is an outrage—folks. Rise up.

This tax bill is a one-way ticket to oligarchy. Let's rip it to shreds. And burn the pieces. It's time.
/END

[spanone]

1. K&R...

[Achilleaze]

2. Act now

or forever be cursed by the republican plutocrats

[CrispyQ]

3. Four recs & two responses on a thread about the GOP tax cut dream about to come true?

WTF, DU?

Kick, kick, kick.

Thanks for compiling this!

[Orrex]

4. Honestly, what can we possibly do? Seriously?

The GOP fuckers who are going to vote unanimously in favor of this obscene giveaway are the exclusive property of the billionaires who will benefit from it. Worse, they're in districts that are gerrymandered so severely that all reasonable hope of an election day rout is futile.

Hell, my own state's Senator Pat Toomey is bought and paid for a dozen times over, and he won't even pick up the phone for his constituents unless their call is preceded by a palette of $100 bills.

Other than the few multi-billionaires among us on DU, what exactly can any of us do to influence this vote tomorrow?

[CrispyQ]

5. CousinIT put together a great thread with a lot of sources,

but maybe someone could post another thread about that asshole down in AL & we could get it on the Greatest Page.

I struggle with pessimism, too.

[CrispyQ]

6. One of my faves:

My friend says it's missing the narcissist, an empty shot glass with a mop of orange hair.

[Orrex]

7. Realist: the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

[CousinIT]

9. CALL YOUR SENATORS - TODAY. TOMORROW. EVERY. DAY. BE A PAIN IN THE ROYAL ASS!

202-224-3121

Spread the word, go to protests, join Resistance calls - like the one w/ Bernie Sanders tonight - to find out what more you can do.

https://act.moveon.org/survey/readytoresist16

Complacency is NOT an option. OUR LIVES ARE AT STAKE here.

[Orrex]

10. I wasn't kidding about Toomey.

If you check his Facebook page, there are hundreds and hundreds of posts from constituents begging him to vote in their interest, and then he votes as his owners tell him to vote, and thereafter his FB page features his proud announcement that he has danced exactly as his billionaire masters wished.

Complacency is NOT an option. OUR LIVES ARE AT STAKE here.

Do you seriously believe that I don't know this already?

Recognizing that my pay-to-play Senator is utterly beyond my reach is not complacency, in the same way that it's not complacency to say "I can't afford that $100,000 expense by tomorrow."

Toomey was reelected in 2016 and is completely subsidized by wealthy corporate interests. He is deaf to the pleas of parents whose children are facing death from terminal illness. The people of Pennsylvania are of no interest to him.

So, in short, I am not asking "what can I do in this state where my Senators and Representatives serve the will of the people?" but rather "what can I do in Pennsylvania in 2017, by tomorrow?"

The answer is "nothing."

[Quemado]

11. I agree

I live in Tennessee's 6th Congressional District represented by Republican Diane Black. I've communicated with her office several times on several issues. Each response I receive from her office is basically an opiate designed to not directly address my issue, rather, it's designed to communicate (in so many words, and I paraphrase) "we must be more fiscally responsible with taxpayer money."

Both Tennessee Senators are Republican. I've communicated with one a long time ago and received a similar response: "...we must be more fiscally responsible with taxpayer money."

IMO, the only members of Congress that will actually listen and take into consideration any communication they receive is either a Democrat or a Republican that is in a competitive seat.

I do encourage anyone represented by a Democrat or a Republican that is in a competitive seat to communicate with their Senator and their Representative on this matter.

[Orrex]

12. Sad but true

I applaud people who are able to take a stand and make their voices heard, but I am frustrated when people don't recognize that an effort is sometimes futile.

I could call, email & FB Toomey ten times daily for his entire remaining term, and he absolutely won't care in the slightest until I show up at his door with a truck full of money for him.

[Fullduplexxx]

8. Thank you for posting this