Obama, Republicans reach deal to extend tax cuts, unemployment benefits

[Revere]

Bush had a wartime economy.

 

[NYcarbineer]

The Republicans should have told Obama to go fuck himself.

In a manner of speaking ,they did just that. The GOP refused to set aside their core beliefs and left compromise outside the Capitol building.
Hopefully, with this decision the GOP leadership set aside their political aspirations for the good of the nations' people.

At least you're admitting that fiscal conservatism is not a core belief of the GOP.

 

[Revere]

The real conservatives take over on 1/1.

 

[8537]

Bush had a wartime economy.

...and even with a wartime economy, he presided over the worst jobs creation record since WW2.

 

[thereisnospoon]

How will the unemployment benefits be paid for? More debt spending. Will the decrease in the payroll tax result in a decrease in Social Security benefits? If not, how can we afford to do that when SS is also underfunded?

I feel this is an irresponsible move by both parties.

There's no "decrease" in payroll tax. Levying additional taxes on people, especially in a slow or limited growth period helps no one.
Social Security is doomed if the federal government continues to rob the funds deducted from employee paychecks. The system is broken because there are simply not as many workers paying into the system needed to support the amount of people drawing from the system.
Unemployment benefits appear to be open ended.
The key is to modify the requirements to receive the stipend.
The GOP should have required states to deny assistance to any person not actively looking for work.

 

[NYcarbineer]

I wasn't defending them I was dislodging what I felt was a dishonest post. Claiming the dems inherited a mess from bush is as lame as claiming that bush inherited a mess from clinton who inherited a mess from bush/reagan who inherited a mess from carter........get it now?

See my sig line .

Bush didn't inherit a mess from Clinton. Bush inherited a surplus and a tax structure that was paying the bills. The economy was slowing down into one of the mildest recessions in recent history.

The Democratic Congress inherited triple digit deficits and a tax structure that could not pay the bills. The economy was slowing down into one of the worst recessions in recent history.

How you can draw equivalence between those 2 scenarios is mystifying.

He inherited an intelligenc and security mess, an espionage mess, and a bursted tech bubble burnt out economy mess.

I won't stipulate to that nonsense, but the Democrats inherited the Iraq war, the worst most costly blunder since Vietnam. Nothing Bush inherited compares to that.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

and Bush inherited the war on terror due to clinton's inactions.

Bla bla bla bla bla.

 

[NYcarbineer]

The real conservatives take over on 1/1.

No, Boehner and McConnell, the GOP leadership who have just abandoned all pretense of fiscal responsibility with this tax bill disaster,

take over in January.

 

[uscitizen]

When you offer up rationalizations, justifications, and defenses for what Bush and the GOP it's natural to assume you're agreeing with them.

If you disagree with them, why defend them?

I wasn't defending them I was dislodging what I felt was a dishonest post. Claiming the dems inherited a mess from bush is as lame as claiming that bush inherited a mess from clinton who inherited a mess from bush/reagan who inherited a mess from carter........get it now?

See my sig line .

Bush didn't inherit a mess from Clinton. Bush inherited a surplus and a tax structure that was paying the bills. The economy was slowing down into one of the mildest recessions in recent history.

The Democratic Congress inherited triple digit deficits and a tax structure that could not pay the bills. The economy was slowing down into one of the worst recessions in recent history.

How you can draw equivalence between those 2 scenarios is mystifying.

Yep the mild almost not a recession at the first of Bush's term was just the result of all the tech money having been spent on fixing Y2K issues stopping because Y2K was over and we survived.

 

[NYcarbineer]

and Bush inherited the war on terror due to clinton's inactions.

Bla bla bla bla bla.

lol, and when did that war end?

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

The real conservatives take over on 1/1.

Yeah but the idiots who are still there just screwed the new incoming congresspeople with this unfunded comprimise bill and the media will claim it was the new congress that did it if it fails. If its succeeds the media will claim these new republicans fought against the comprimise and give all the credit to the dems/obama.

Its sucks having such biased media but at least those of us who are informed see the bias across all news outlets.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

and Bush inherited the war on terror due to clinton's inactions.

Bla bla bla bla bla.

lol, and when did that war end?

In name or in reality?

 

[thereisnospoon]

President Obama and congressional Republicans have agreed to a tentative deal that would extend for two years all the tax breaks set to expire on Dec. 31, continue unemployment benefits for an additional 13 months and cut payroll taxes for workers to encourage employers to start hiring.
The deal has been in the works for more than a week and represents a concession by Obama to political reality: Democrats don't have the votes in Congress to extend only the expiring tax breaks that benefit the middle class. The White House estimates that the proposed agreement would prevent typical families from facing annual tax increases of about $3,000, starting Jan. 1.

Tax-cut deal reached between Obama, Republicans

This is the best news for all. AND Obama will have an opportunity to expound on it as the elections in `12, loom. I think, with this compromise, he has done himself a favor if the economy improves and if he really wants a second term. He may regain support of Independents and women, which he lost so drastically the past two years. His base will hang with him for the entitlements unless a new and improved version of a Democratic leader comes along.

Look at this from the other view. If not for GOP pressures, Obama would most definitely allowed the Bush tax cuts to expire AND extended UE benefits.
I look at this as a GOP victory and a victory for the American people. Voters will remember this in 2012 and 2014.
Do you really think the democrats are going to get credit for this? How would that be possible. We knew the democrat position on the tax cuts. We knew the democrat position on unemployment benefits. The democrats supported extension and opposed any mention of allowing the tax cuts to continue.
It is only after the November elections when democrats began mentioning "compromise".

 

[thereisnospoon]

How will the unemployment benefits be paid for? We will borrow it. More debt spending. Will the decrease in the payroll tax result in a decrease in Social Security benefits? No, it shouldn't If not, how can we afford to do that when SS is also underfunded?

I feel this is an irresponsible move by both parties.

You got that right!

Crazy thing is, if we are going to extend UI to 155 weeks

That's 155

We should have let the cuts expire, something but add more and more to the pile.

screwit doesn't matter, obama is done in 2012. Even Dan Rather is saying that he will be challenged in the Dem primary, and Maher is calling him Wayne Brady.

Dan Rather? The guy has no career. He is irrelevant.

 

[NYcarbineer]

and Bush inherited the war on terror due to clinton's inactions.

Bla bla bla bla bla.

lol, and when did that war end?

In name or in reality?

In blood and treasure. If you're going to claim that what Bush inherited from Clinton was a war on terror, then that same war, times 100, or times 1000, or times what?

was inherited by the Democrats in 2007.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

lol, and when did that war end?

In name or in reality?

In blood and treasure. If you're going to claim that what Bush inherited from Clinton was a war on terror, then that same war, times 100, or times 1000, or times what?

was inherited by the Democrats in 2007.

Actually the 2007 democrats also inherited that from clinton. Like I said trying to fix the blame for our current problems on past administrations and congress is just a lame cop-out of current responsibilities. Its very transparant.

 

[McDowell's]

The icing on the cake for arguably one of the worst congresses in U.S. history.

This undisciplined, spineless crap is what passes for leadership in our country. Pathetic is a criticism too kind.

 

[uscitizen]

How will the unemployment benefits be paid for? We will borrow it. More debt spending. Will the decrease in the payroll tax result in a decrease in Social Security benefits? No, it shouldn't If not, how can we afford to do that when SS is also underfunded?

I feel this is an irresponsible move by both parties.

You got that right!

Crazy thing is, if we are going to extend UI to 155 weeks

That's 155

We should have let the cuts expire, something but add more and more to the pile.

screwit doesn't matter, obama is done in 2012. Even Dan Rather is saying that he will be challenged in the Dem primary, and Maher is calling him Wayne Brady.

Dan Rather? The guy has no career. He is irrelevant.

Yep like Palin and Newt, etc.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Ah, the cluelessness of GW Bush, the perpetrator of the disaster we now see both R's and D's incapable of dealing with...

...I ask you, what fantasy land was George Bush living in when he made these prognostications, in February of 2001?

My budget has funded a responsible increase in our ongoing operations, it has funded our Nation's important priorities, it has protected Social Security and Medicare, and our surpluses are big enough that there is still money left over.

Many of you have talked about the need to pay down our national debt. I have listened, and I agree. My budget proposal pays down an unprecedented amount of public debt. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to act now, and I hope you will join me to pay down $2 trillion in debt during the next 10 years.

At the end of those 10 years, we will have paid down all the debt that is available to retire. That is more debt repaid more quickly than has ever been repaid by any nation at any time in history.

We should also prepare for the unexpected, for the uncertainties of the future. We should approach our Nation's budget as any prudent family would, with a contingency fund for emergencies or additional spending needs. For example, after a strategic review, we may need to increase defense spending, we may need additional money for our farmers, or additional money to reform Medicare And so my budget sets aside almost a trillion dollars over 10 years for additional needs -- that is one trillion additional reasons you can feel comfortable supporting this budget.

goodness gracious me...lol...

Online NewsHour: President Bush's address to Congress -- February 27, 2001

 

[NYcarbineer]

In name or in reality?

In blood and treasure. If you're going to claim that what Bush inherited from Clinton was a war on terror, then that same war, times 100, or times 1000, or times what?

was inherited by the Democrats in 2007.

Actually the 2007 democrats also inherited that from clinton. Like I said trying to fix the blame for our current problems on past administrations and congress is just a lame cop-out of current responsibilities. Its very transparant.

The 2007 Democratic Congress inherited the Iraq War from Bill Clinton.

ok, you have officially jumped the shark. have a nice day.