"I made these poor schlubs stand here for an hour while I chowed down on a $40 burger lunch!"
Posted on 12/22/2011 12:55:59 PM PST by Kaslin
(CNSNews.com) - The White House says it's been flooded with responses to the question it posed Wednesday: "What does $40 mean to you?"
One day after the White House asked "working" people to "tell us what your family will give up if your (payroll) taxes increase," the stories are rolling in, including one from a person who worried about not having enough to pay the cable bill -- or continue family pizza nights.
"Our cable internet bill is $49 per month. If we lose this payroll tax cut then we will have to give up either (our) internet access or possibly our 'Friday Family Pizza' night. Either way, we will lose something that brings us together as a family," wrote "K.Z" from Frederick, Maryland.
Another person wrote that $40 will "buy lunch from the cafeteria for almost a whole month for my twins."
Someone else who "can barely get by now" said taking $40 out of his paycheck "would just about put me under."
A person from New Mexico said "$40 less a paycheck means I will have to pick between my insulin and the water bill. It means never being able to see my doctor -- even though I have insurance."
Many of the responders said they need the money to pay for medicine, medical bills, a tank of gas, or groceries.
The White House said it received over 18,000 submissions through a form on Whitehouse.gov, averaging over 1,000 an hour and coming in from every state in the nation. It also is accepting Twitter submissions.
An extension of the payroll tax cut will save a "typical" family earning $50,000 around $40 a paycheck, the White House says. It also will reduce the only dedicated funding source for Social Security benefits, but only a few people in Washington are talking about that.
'Raid on Social Security'
About Us Resources Send Tips Donate RSS
CNSNews.TV On the Spot On the Scene The Schein OTJ Golden Hookah
Home » News 'Waa, No Pizza Night': Sad Stories Roll In at Request of Obama White House By Susan Jones December 22, 2011 Subscribe to Susan Jones's posts
White House
The White House at sun-up on the Obama presidency, Jan. 21, 2009. (AP Photo)
(CNSNews.com) - The White House says it's been flooded with responses to the question it posed Wednesday: "What does $40 mean to you?"
One day after the White House asked "working" people to "tell us what your family will give up if your (payroll) taxes increase," the stories are rolling in, including one from a person who worried about not having enough to pay the cable bill -- or continue family pizza nights.
"Our cable internet bill is $49 per month. If we lose this payroll tax cut then we will have to give up either (our) internet access or possibly our 'Friday Family Pizza' night. Either way, we will lose something that brings us together as a family," wrote "K.Z" from Frederick, Maryland.
Another person wrote that $40 will "buy lunch from the cafeteria for almost a whole month for my twins."
Someone else who "can barely get by now" said taking $40 out of his paycheck "would just about put me under."
A person from New Mexico said "$40 less a paycheck means I will have to pick between my insulin and the water bill. It means never being able to see my doctor -- even though I have insurance."
Many of the responders said they need the money to pay for medicine, medical bills, a tank of gas, or groceries.
The White House said it received over 18,000 submissions through a form on Whitehouse.gov, averaging over 1,000 an hour and coming in from every state in the nation. It also is accepting Twitter submissions.
An extension of the payroll tax cut will save a "typical" family earning $50,000 around $40 a paycheck, the White House says. It also will reduce the only dedicated funding source for Social Security benefits, but only a few people in Washington are talking about that.
'Raid on Social Security'
President Obama and his fellow Democrats are blaming House Republicans for the current stalemate over extending the payroll tax cut. The House bill calls for a year-long extension; but the Senate passed a bill extending it for two months. Unless the two bills are reconciled by the end of the year, the payroll tax will go up.
Some conservative Republicans say the payroll tax cut extension is a bad idea, period, because it siphons money from the Social Security Trust Fund.
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) is among the conservatives who voted against extending the payroll tax cut. "While I support comprehensive tax reform, I do not support the flawed legislation presently before us," Wolf said on Dec. 13.
"The issue today, as defined by both political parties and the president, is whether or not a temporary – and costly – one-year payroll tax “holiday” should expire at the end of the month. The real issue is whether it is responsible for Washington to further shortchange the Social Security Trust Fund at a time when it is already on an unsustainable path."
Wolf called the payroll tax extension a "raid on Social Security, which is already going broke," and he noted that the money paid into the system now -- through payroll taxes -- pays benefits for existing retirees.
"Granting another tax holiday is unwise. It puts the existing benefits of those 55 million Americans who currently receive Social Security at risk to continue a failed 'stimulus' policy," Wolf said.
These people do not want to pay their fair share. They want to hoard their dollars instead of spreading the wealth.
If you’re making 50k and have to choose between insulin or a water bill you’re probably making poor financial decisions. More likely, that person makes 20k a year or so. So in reality he would probably lose around 5 bucks a month.
Typical misleading propaganda.
None of these people actually pay taxes anyway. They get it all back.
What cafeteria sells lunch for 66 cents?
Fine, tell the morons if they give up the rest of their social security benefits by defunding the program that can have pizza twice a week and have money left over for a 12 pack. Now wait until they retire and find out the truth of defunding their own benefit checks......
Fricking morons, lazy a-holes and willing dups keep this kind of government in power.
Etiam non princeps sed usque ad genua, Principis Pacis!
reduced lunches at school I bet
That arrogant lazy lying pos is counting on the ignorance of the voter. We must show him that we are not stupid
Money I can spend on conservative candidates to defeat Obama's sorry ass.
History suggests most Americans ARE stupid
I would have to give up a Cuban cigar, no loss, they are terrible lately.
The Organizer in Chief, doing the only thing he knows how to do - stir up class warfare, encourage entitlement mentality and foment discord.
In Washington-speak — $40 will cost you $5,000.
See— http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2823949/posts
How is it all these people are still alive? A little more than a year ago they didn’t have that $40. Shouldn’t they have expired under the cruelty of the Bush years?
$40? Not much impact. It's all those other "only $40" past increases that are killing me.
It reminds me of the old "pennies a day" scam - like 500 pennies every single day of the year.
Why isn’t anyone screaming that Obama is taking billions of funding from Social Security
This is NOT a tax cut, it is a decrease in payments into YOUR OWN ACCOUNT.
(yes, I know there is no account, they spend the money)
And... now that Odumbass has lowered it like this, how can they EVER raise it back without making it a political football?
1. Obama dishonestly omits the part about this being a TEMPORARY cut...that’s what he called it a year ago.
2. Obama dishonestly lets these idiots thinks it means $40 to them...which is only accurate for people making $104k a year.
3. The idiots are too stupid to understand he is simultaneously lying to them, and using them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.