Anyone who thinks this is anything more than a raise taxes on everyone plan is deluded, and his liberal cheerleaders will suddenly realize that the old Democrat axiom “do you get a paycheck? You’re rich” is in play
It’s not just millionaires who’d pay more under President Obama’s latest plan to combat the deficit.
Air travelers, federal workers, military retirees, wealthier Medicare beneficiaries and people taking out new mortgages are among those who would pay more than $130 billion in government revenues raised through new or increased fees.
Airline passengers would see their federal security fees double from $5 to $10 for a nonstop round-trip flight and triple to $15 by 2017, raising $25 billion over the coming decade. Federal workers would face an additional 1.2 percentage point deduction from their paychecks to contribute $21 billion more for their pensions over the same period. Military retirees would pay a $200 fee upon turning 65 to have the government pay their out-of-pocket Medicare expenses.
They’d also pay more for non-generic prescription drugs.
Another new fee would increase by one-tenth of a percentage point the fee that mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge lenders to guarantee repayment of new mortgage loans.
These are being portrayed as “fees”, which, yes, many of them are, but it is more a matter of semantics. And do you know what is missing from his plan? Spending reductions. Where are they? What are they? Everything seems to be based on increasing fees and taxes. This is as deep as it gets
Specifically, the President is proposing approximately $580 billion in cuts and reforms to a wide range of mandatory programs from cuts to agricultural subsidies that are no longer necessary to reform of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and modest changes to federal civilian worker retirement and health benefits for military retirees.
In fact, those cuts and reforms are pretty much reforms which are the fees and changes mentioned in both excerpts (see the PDF starting on page 17). They are part of the “mandatory savings.” Hitting the military. Hitting agriculture (not that some reform is not necessary). Hitting (strangely) federal workers. Most of these savings seem to be about raising fees, not a reduction in spending.
And even Democrats aren’t particularly enthused by what is essentially $3 in tax/fee increases for every $1 in cuts (that will never happen).
Rick Perry puts it best: “The president penalizes investment when it is needed most, discourages charitable giving and doubles down on a failed government stimulus strategy.”
Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.
President backs away from changes to Medicare he had been talking about for months leading up to his $1.5T deficit-cutting plan, after Democratic lawmakers protest cuts to Medicaid benefits.
Again he has gotten the GOP to commit to talking about Medicare reform and NOW……..as I mentioned earlier hes walking away from it and leaving it dangling for the GOP to fight over for the next year while they vie for the tea party vote.
A vote that will get them the nomination but will likely lose them the general if they continue on with all this fringe stuff.
Collectively and combined presicription drug benefit and Social Security is expected to have a 14 trillion dollar deficit in the next 75 SEVENTY FIVE YEARS……
Dont even raise the age of retirement. Simply raise the tax by 1.5 percent or 3/4 of 1 percent for employeer and 3/4′s of one percent on employee and you will solve this deficit.
But now the GOP is talking about reform in abstract manners which is going to LOSE THEM THE ELECTION….I guarantee it.
ITS THE ECONOMY STUPID……….not entitlements….NOT illegal immigration….NOT Iraq….NOT Social Security…..Not Welfare….Not the Deficit….NOT the debt…..
ITS THE ECONOMY STUPID….because all those other problems the general population believes are just as much the GOP’s fault as they are the Democrats fault…
ITS THE ECONOMY STUPID……or give the 2012 back to the democrats. The choice is yours………Tackle these issues when you get elected. Not before.
WERD!!!!
I am just about done with the Repubs. I have a few strings left dangling on to the hope that they will really stand up and call out this PResident and his plans for what they are.
Don’t just go on the media and say, well, I’m sure the president’s plan means well and he wants what is best for this country, but I just disagree with how he wants to go about doing that. And to say that the rich don’t pay their fair share and increase their tax rates strikes me as a bit of a stretch”
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG….It’s sheer class warfare and you need to get out there with the pure word of examples of how much people pay. How much the bottom 50% don’t pay. Say, that if it is OK for fed employees to kick in a little extra to pay for their services, then the poor should too.
Fight damnit!!! Enough with the pretty and calm speeches. Fight for this country using the truth against Obama’s DISTINCT and DIRECT LIES!!