Posted by Kromey at 1:22pm Dec 1 '11some very heavy criticisms in the vein of "buying votes" when the state of Alaska used their massive surplus (a result of spiking oil prices bringing in a spike in tax revenue) to cut a check to every single Alaskan.
How is the White House putting out a web page saying "Look how much you'll save under our plan; look how much you'll pay under theirs!" not buying votes? Of course there's support -- you're telling people it will cost them hundreds or thousands of dollars if they don't! To hell with whether it's a good idea or not -- people want money!
This is the Democrats buying votes, plain and simple, albeit masked behind an absurdly thin veil of "it will create jobs!" magical thinking.
There's also something else to consider:
The White House's calculator is a lie!
Run through it, and then look at the results presented at the end. It tells you how much you take home in each paycheck (or close to it -- it's not perfect), and then next to presents you with a bill you'll presumably have to pay in 2012 if the tax cut isn't extended.
Here's the catch: If it's not extended, there is no bill to pay. You simply take home a little less in your paycheck next year.
Note how the calculator ever-so-carefully avoids saying how much you're paying now, but very clearly tells you how much you'll pay next year. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison, for one simple reason: It's intentionally deceitful. Obama is trying to scare Americans into supporting his "jobs" act by threatening them with scary-looking "Tax Bills" that, quite simply, no one will ever see regardless of what happens in Congress.
This is yet more dirty partisan politics, and mud again being used to obscure what we were promised would be the most transparent administration in the nation.
How is the White House putting out a web page saying "Look how much you'll save under our plan; look how much you'll pay under theirs!" not buying votes? Of course there's support -- you're telling people it will cost them hundreds or thousands of dollars if they don't! To hell with whether it's a good idea or not -- people want money!
This is the Democrats buying votes, plain and simple, albeit masked behind an absurdly thin veil of "it will create jobs!" magical thinking.
There's also something else to consider:
The White House's calculator is a lie!
Run through it, and then look at the results presented at the end. It tells you how much you take home in each paycheck (or close to it -- it's not perfect), and then next to presents you with a bill you'll presumably have to pay in 2012 if the tax cut isn't extended.
Here's the catch: If it's not extended, there is no bill to pay. You simply take home a little less in your paycheck next year.
Note how the calculator ever-so-carefully avoids saying how much you're paying now, but very clearly tells you how much you'll pay next year. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison, for one simple reason: It's intentionally deceitful. Obama is trying to scare Americans into supporting his "jobs" act by threatening them with scary-looking "Tax Bills" that, quite simply, no one will ever see regardless of what happens in Congress.
This is yet more dirty partisan politics, and mud again being used to obscure what we were promised would be the most transparent administration in the nation.
I seem to recall - Kromey