Recently, ‘Old Stretch’, in reference to current ongoing negotiations regarding that much talked about fiscal cliff and taxes, made the simplistic, and rather idiotic claim that, "the election was held, the people have spoken," in her effort to suggest that Americans support tax hikes for those "people at the high end." In her appearance on NPR, which aired Wednesday evening, Stretch was asked about Congress’ need to address the quickly approaching fiscal cliff. "This is just a decision. There’s no mystery, there’s no new factors that are going to enter into the situation," she said. Adding, "The debate is a clear one. The election was held. The people have spoken." Droning on she continued, "The president campaigned on this balanced and fair, big agreement -- now let’s just get down and write it." Going on to say, "As far as the middle-income tax cut, that’s really the sticking point."
Congress has little time to broker a deal with Barry regarding extending the Bush era tax rates and addressing automatic defense and domestic spending cuts before the end of the year. Much, of not all, of the debate has centered primarily on taxes, because Democrats like Stretch have no interest in discussing spending cuts, because they fully expect the Republican-controlled House to cave on their efforts to keep tax rates down for all Americans. Barry has repeatedly argued for extending the Bush rates only for those Americans who make under $250,000 annually, claiming ad nauseam how it is that the rich need to "pay their fair share." Many small business owners, mom-and-pop operations, as well as dual-income households file annual incomes over $250,000 but they are not all multi-millionaires or billionaires. It’s these folks who are the real job creators in our economy, and the more they pay in taxes the fewer folks they can hire.
NPR Host Robert Siegel asked old ‘Stretch’ about whether she thought that the House Republicans might have a mandate on taxes, given that they maintained their majority. "What do you say to Republican House members who say, ‘the public spoke, they reelected us. They kept us in the majority and sent us back. We’re the same people who rejected the deal the last time the grand bargain was on the table, so we’ve been reaffirmed in our position,’" Seigel asked. "Well, they don’t say they rejected the deal. They say the president rejected the deal," Stretch complained. "But you have it right. But you have it right." Siegel responded saying, "I’m putting words in their mouths." He went on to ask, "What’s wrong with them saying, ‘We have the same position now that we had then and that our voters told us go back to Washington and make those Democrats agree with you’?"
Stretch responded to that in typical gibberish, "I don’t think that their voters told them to go back and make Medicare into a voucher." Adding, "I don’t think that their voters told them to come back to Washington to cut benefits for middle-income people when it comes to Social Security and Medicare. I don’t think that their voters told them that." She then said, "And all the polls will indicate that the voters believe that people at the high end should pay their fair share." Going a little further she claimed, "What they campaigned on was an oath of office to a lobbyist, that they would never raise taxes," Pelosi said, apparently referring to Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform pledge to oppose taxes while in Congress. "To a lobbyist, they took an oath of office. We think their oath of office, as Representative [Tom] Cole [R-Okla.] mentioned, should supersede that." What a load of bullshit from this old hag!
Rep. Cole did say on Tuesday, "I think we ought to take the 98 percent deal right now," and allow taxes to go up for higher income earners. "It doesn’t mean I agree with raising the top 2," said Cole. "I don’t," he said, arguing that Republicans should only debate taxes for the top income earners after the so-called middle-class tax cuts are extended. Cole said he did not consider his position a violation of the Norquist pledge, because Republicans would be voting to lower the rates for the majority of Americans and do nothing for the rest. Speaker of the House John Boehner said Wednesday that he disagreed with Cole, and will seek an agreement to extend all of the Bush tax rates. "He's a wonderful friend of mine and a great supporter of mine, but raising taxes on the so-called top 2 percent, half of those taxpayers are small-business owners that pay their taxes through their personal income tax filing every year," Boehner said.
Boehner added, "The goal here is to grow the economy and control spending. You're not going to grow the economy if you raise tax rates on the top two [percent]." He made the point that, "It'll hurt small businesses. It'll hurt our economy." Look, I’m not in favor of raising anyone’s taxes right now, UNLESS, there are concrete agreements made that result in very substantial cuts being made in entitlement programs NOW, not at some mythical point in the future. We have been down this road before of raising taxes now with promises made of cutting spending later. Democrats lie, that’s just what they do, and it’s all that they do. And old Stretch is very good at it, as is Barry "Almighty." Republicans need not to be agreeing to anything unilaterally. And if they do, I think it very safe to say that they are done as a viable political party. Their priorities have got to be what’s best for the country, not what they think gives them the best chance to get re-elected.
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