re: #97 lostlakehiker

There are two issues that really must be addressed first:

(1) There must be a continuing resolution so that the government can carry on into next year, with the same spending as this year if no other legislation can be passed.

Ok, and you expect the Republicans to pass this and why? They’ve shown no interest in any compromise the last 2 years, why would they even let this happen? You realize that if the Republicans think they can gain an electoral advantage by blowing the government up, they would, and this could be a perfect opportunity to do so.

(2) There must be some sort of extension of the “Bush” tax cuts. Allowing tax law to default to rates that, through inflation, have become wholly unrealistic and unreasonable, is not an option.

Wait? What? I’m sorry, that’s one of the most inane pieces of piffle I’ve read in a very long time. Inflation has nothing to do with how much a tax rate affects a person, going from 35 percent back to 39% above 373K a year is NOT going to make a massive dent. I’m sorry but a 39% marginal tax rate (which is what it will revert back to) is NOT some massive increase.

and inflation in the last 10 years? the total inflation from January 2000 to January 2010 is 28.37%

Considering the highest tax bracket has also moved from 288K to 373K, I think inflation has been compensated for quite well.

The Republican leadership hasn’t exactly said it won’t work with the Democrats. Maybe it will come to that, and maybe it won’t. For now, the R position is that nothing else will be dealt with in the current lame-duck session until these two top priorities have been addressed.

Shorter Republican: We must fluff our high income corporate executives, before we go back to screwing over everyone else but distracting everyone by inciting a populist uprising using shiny regressive catch phrases and lies.

And people still fall for it.