Tax-cut momentum waning

[Thom Little]

The push to cut taxes - an annual rite for the Bush presidency - is facing a tougher sell in Congress, as concern grows about swelling deficits and budget cuts that target programs for the poor.

At stake is a relatively modest package of tax extenders, including a 2003 tax break on capital gains and dividends, research and development tax credits, and a tuition tax deduction, all of which once enjoyed broad support.

But amid costly post-hurricane cleanup and soaring budget deficits, the Democrats and moderate Republicans who once rallied behind tax cuts are now hanging back.

"There's waning enthusiasm on the Republican side for tax cuts because of rising deficits and little traction for the issue, even among conservatives," says Marshall Wittman, a former conservative activist, now with the Democratic Leadership Council.




http://csmonitor.com/2005/1129/p01s03-uspo.html

[aquart]

1. Rescind the tax cuts. They are destroying us.

[Deja Q]

5. Ditto for offshoring - for both economic AND national security reasons

As with atx cuts, it won't happen.

[roguevalley]

2. track the money down wherever they have it stashed, make them

pay it back and if they have to sell their mchouses and all their other crap, so what. GM is raising 30,000 jobs in india as they are cutting them here. coincidence?

[salin]

3. "because of rising deficits..." says the DLC... come one its more

than that - it is also in light of the very visible votes taken to slash programs for the poorest and those that assist the middle class. The loss of enthusiasm - is due to the potential political damage of giving very high profile evidence of active class warfare on behalf of the wealthiest at the expense of the middle class and worse at the expense of the neediest.

We have been running gigantic deficits - and it hasn't stopped the GOP one bit. Were it not for the cuts made very visible by being turned back by moderate repubs only to be crammed down their throats with arm twisting glee by the house GOP leadership - I doubt there would be much balking at this at all.

[applegrove]

4. Will we finally have the 2001 recession? Or is this why Bush is

still out selling social security. So that the market get one last huge one time dump into the stock market leading up to the 2006 elections.

Someone tell Bush to read "The Little Prince". They have pictures too if that is what he likes.