I would love to see a tax—SYSTEM—overhaul- but these yahoos just did our
medical system overhaul!!

Soon, even the republican dudder heads and libertarian off the pagers will come
to understand the silly truth of; you can never escape death and taxes!!

hey guys it is taxes that pay you and give you health care—oops they are all rich
they only need to protect heaps of money from taxes hmm.

Ms Marcus your assumption that these “civic leaders” are working for the public’s
well being is wrong.

Dear Ruth Marcus,

Thank you for you cool, reflective   contextual analysis.

Here’s the context in which most us in the middle class see the ‘compromise’:

$ 3,400,000,000 or $ 3.4 BILLION in ‘loans’, bailouts and guarantees given to
Wall Street from the public coffers.

And

The largest shift of debt (i.e. losses) from the private sector to the public in
American history.

And

Billionaires enjoying all the benefits of our country, but pay only 15% on their
incomes (carried interest).

And

100’s of 1000’s of ‘mandated customers’ brought to the insurance industry and
guaranteed the industry will get to keep 15-20% of the ‘premiums’ received
from the new ‘mandated customers’ (oh, if a ‘mandated customer’ cant afford to
pay the insurer, taxpayers will pay the insurer , but the insurer can still keep
15-20%). Only 80% of your and my premium has to be spent on actual health
care services.

And

Afghanistan, pre-emptive war (starting wars to avoid wars), torture, renditions,
etc continued.

And

Non-reform of the financial industry (six largest banks still too-big-to-fail,
and investment and commercial banking functions still greyed - so, your and
my deposits are at risk).

And

The system manipulated so banks can borrow from the government at 1%, to
buy government bonds that pay banks 3.4%; thus, ‘making’ 2.4% by simply
shuffling paper. (This is a great trick! And illustrates clearly why a huge finance
industry provides nothing to the nation)

And

The budget will be ‘balanced’ on the backs of the middle class while tax
gimmicks will persist for the wealthy and corporations.

Now, Ruth, I want you to know that Im someone who voted for Obama in the
primaries, in the general election, contributed to his campaign and the
campaigns of many other Democrats.

I dont think Im a cuckoo or uninformed - i subscribe to and read the Wall Street
Journal, New York Times and Financial Times and regularly read Politico,
TalkingPoints Memo, Daily Beast, Huffington, etc.

So, while I admire your rationalizations and projections regarding Obama’s
motives, I think the broader context reveals a politician who holds conservative
Republican views and should run on the Republican ticket.

In fact, I have it on the highest authorities that a new age of bi-partisanship
will give us new choices in 2012 .....

                            YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST !

                              2012 REPUBLICAN TICKET

                          Mitch McConnell for President
                                          &
                        Barak Obama for Vice President

And their campaign slogan has already been focus group tested:

                          “MORE FOR THOSE WITH MORE!”

As usual Ruth you missed some important issues. First off there is the payroll tax cut.
As someone pointed out here yesterday, cutting the payroll tax, might be a Trojan
horse, designed to lead to a permanent cut to social security.  More than likely there
will be pressure to continue the payroll tax cut after it expires. Just like now due to a
poorly functioning economy.  This would undoubtedly lead to a problem with social
security, and might create just the wedge the enemy needs to gut it just like they have
always wanted to. Isn’t it the policy of this administration never to negotiate with the
enemy? Republicans are the enemies of the people, and should never be trusted.

Unemployed workers deserve our admiration for their noble but failed attempt to become productive citizens. The guilty are those who could not run a profitable business and terminated their employment. It might take forever but lets continue supporting those who tried and failed until they find another job.

First we had voodoo science—now we have voodoo journalism. I read this article twice, looking for that silver lining, but still could not see it. Strange that Truthdig has so little to say on the tax giveaway fiasco that Obama hath wrought. One article? And this is it? Caving has surely become our president’s modus operandi—what a wimp. Say, Russ Feingold needs a job. Why don’t we make him the Demo’s presidential hopeful in 2012? I might even contribute $$$ to that campaign. It would be refreshing to have a Democrat in the White House. There sure isn’t one in there now. And by the way, I wonder how much Ruth Marcus is worth. Bet it’s a lot more than yours truly.

If you stand for nothing, you’ll stand for anything.

This President has never been willing to hold firm for any position.  He “plays it safe” and so, allows the GOP to endanger our safety.

Sometimes you gotta take the pain and lance the boil or it will kill you.

“The real risk of extending all the tax cuts temporarily is that it increases the chance of extending all of them permanently.”

If these tax cuts are not repealed now, I do not think there is any hope for future elimination.

From each according to ability, to each according to need.

You miss the point, Ruth, in your effort to rationalize political expediency. The point is the principle of progressive taxation. This is what Obama glibly sacrifices in his futile attempt to be all things to all people. He won’t stand and fight, he consistently takes the path of least resistance, he demonstrates to all that he has the courage of a spineless weasel. The Republicans won’t like him any more and his own constituency is beginning to positively hate him. Call the Obama Administration the “bait & switch” presidency. He’s so inflated by notions of himself as President and Michele is so blown away by her $635 shoes, that he has lost the capacity to feel shame for his own self-betrayal. He doesn’t give a shit about any principle, he’s too impressed with himself as President.