Excuse me but I’m starting to sense a disturbing trend WRT the earlier (in Jan) fiscal cliff deal that actually will give the leftists more leverage, for no reason than laziness.
I do believe that, despite as is even implied by this article, the Bush tax rates were allowed to expire Jan 1st, and while the bill ( now law ) that dealt with this compromise uses language such as “make permanent” , the leftist media has seized on this language to imply, by omission of all the facts, that the Bush rates were “made permanent” for everyone except the “rich”.
First of all, if one does a search for “Bush rates expire”, or anything else similar, you won’t find any stories that report this fact. Probably because the bill doesn’t use such language bit also probably because of the complacent media, who doesn’t want to report the fact taxes went up for virtually everyone, not just the “ rich” January 1st.
Secondly, the bill itself indicates the rate for the 25% bracket went up to 28%, 35 up to 38, etc. but apparently the 10% bracket remains the same. What this means is that it’s not as easy to say “ everyone’s rates went up Jan 1st, but that is certainly more accurate than saying only the “ rich” we’re hit with a tax hike.
What’s the point here? That the Pubbies MUST get out in front of this, hammering home the fact that not only did they cave on more taxes for the “rich”, but that Obama is the one to blame for NEARLY everyone’s taxes going up!
Again, the record is already being expunged by the complacent media. Soon everyone will forget that it was Obama’s insistence to not only raise taxes on the “ rich” , but even for those in the ( formerly) 25% bracket. It’s a golden opportunity to righteously demonize him, and it’s being squandered.
IOW, the GOP meme now should be something like, “We gave Obama as much tax increase as is reasonable, and more, since now even those in the former 25% bracket are paying more. It’s time HE give something now, specifically serious talk about spending. “
Otherwise, the fact that nearly everyone’s taxes went up this year will be lost on everyone, as the media is omitting that fact in all this sequester talk , and clearly Joe American is too stupid to check his own paystub to see the permanant INCREASE in his OWN taxes.
The Bush tax cuts had sunset provisions that made them expire at the end of 2010, since otherwise they would fall under the Byrd Rule. Whether to renew the lowered rates, and how, became the subject of extended political debate, which was resolved during the presidency of Barack Obama by a two-year extension that was part of a larger tax and economic package, the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010.