Congressional Republicans should take President Obama up on his sudden concern for taking money out of the pockets of Americans, across the board.
This past week, President Barack Obama defended his push for extending the federal payroll (Social Security/FICA) tax cuts for a second year and unemployment benefits for a third year, thusly:
Independent economists, some of whom have in the past worked for Republicans, agree that if we don’t extend the payroll tax cut and we don’t extend unemployment insurance, it will hurt our economy. The economy won’t grow as fast and we won’t see hiring improve as quickly. It will take money out of the pockets of Americans just at a time when they need it.
Given all the money taken out of Americans’ pockets during Obama’s first three “fundamental change before recovery” years, I suspect that the “time” that he deems that Americans need more money in their pockets is during the President’s re-election campaign.
Now would be a great time for Speaker John Boehner to one up the White House and fashion a bill that puts more money in Americans pockets during all the other times they need it, i.e. permanently, and finally fashion a tax policy of certainty that might have a chance to stop some Atlases from shrugging.
Forget any arguments about the fiscal soundness of Social Security just because to do so would highlight the hypocrisy of past Democratic Party arguments. Hypocrisy is a puny sin and besides, the FICA “lockbox” myth was shattered years ago. Federal taxes all go into the same kitty to pay current bills anyway.
Rather, why not fashion a bill that addresses all of the ObamaDem policies that take money out of Americans’ pockets? The elected GOP is off to a good start with the insistence that three years of Keystone pipeline study is enough.
And won’t the ObamaCare individual mandate take money out of Americans’ pockets? I think so. And don’t Americans need money in their pockets in non-Obama re-election years? Yes they do.
Of course, members of the Grand Old Party will have to muster the courage to stand their ground when the Kansas reincarnation of a TR progressive threatens a veto with the class warfare card and insists that only non-rich Americans really need more money in their pockets.
Standing their ground means allowing a government shutdown to start the new year, but as far as we know, the Bowl Championship Series would not be affected and public employees guarding Old Faithful could be paid back pay after Obama caves around Martin Luther King Jr Day.
It sure would be refreshing to see Republicans seize the moral high ground for a change on the tax, spending and jobs front, which would be made easier withObamaDems forced to choose between allowing money to be taken out of the pockets of the poor and middle class due to class envy.
We suspect that the so-called 99% would not be willing to go down that ideological road, even post-Osawatomie, if it means less money “at this time”, i.e. a time when they need money to eat.
Mike DeVine
Editor – Hillbilly Politics
Co-Founder and Editor – Political Daily
Atlanta Law & Politics columnist – Examiner.com
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
More DeVine Gamecock rooster crowings at Modern Conservative, Unified Patriots, and Conservative Outlooks. All Charlotte Observer and Atlanta Journal-Constitution op-eds archived at Townhall.com.
Political Daily 