President Obama on the Middle Class Tax Cuts and Unemployment Insurance Agreement: "A Good Deal For The American People" | The White House

i just love when you talk about "tax cuts"! it's my money not the goverments! i wish i could vote myself a pay raise like those idots in washington! our founders governed for liberty an freedom not the dollars they could stuff in their pockets! AS FAR AS UNEMPLOYMENT GET A JOB! GET OUTTA CHINA AN MEXICO AN BRING OUR JOBS BACK HOME!

Hi sundown - a bit off topic but it's all good. How do you think we can spend lots of money or collect a lot less taxes and spend the same - and not make the deficit worse? I'm stumped.

I think the game plan is to get Americans to leave the country to find jobs. The GOP just dumped gas on a smoldering country, nothing short of blackmail. The Wealthy have spoken, so kiss educational funding, and jobs that would rebuild this country good bye. The bright side. The Chinese built the first railroad systems in this country, they will do it again, only this time they'll own them.

Hi Max 3PO - again off my topic but all good. I'll ask you too. How can we spend lots of money or collect a lot less taxes and spend the same - and not make the deficit worse? Obama claims you can. I want to figure that out.

The unemployment extentions can help the economy cause those who get it will spend every damn dime while the tax breaks to the rich, well, we have seen them hoard that for the last 10 years. I don't see things changing anytime soon. WE needed to see those corporations that have those jobs outsourced, pay more either nin taxes or tariffs. Those who CREATE jobs or bring them here should GET tax breaks. Easy to say, hard to do especially with a economic terrorist led House come the end of NEXT month!

devilsadvocates - thanks for staying on topic :) - I've heard the argument the unemployment extensions will stimulate more than the cost because it's ground level. To me - honestly - this is just as flawed as saying tax cuts generate more tax revenue. The fact is - taxpayers have to pay out the unemployment benefits either now or in future generations that pay back for the borrowing we did for it. It will definitely positively cost more in taxes than the revenue it generates back. If that wasn't true we should just pass out checks to everyone making under 50K all the time and pile up that extra money we get from all the magic spending.

As an aside I agree totally that tax breaks should go to the productive - someone working or actively managing an enterprise. No one in this life will ever persuade me we should give dividend tax cuts, free state bond interest and capital gains tax cuts to people that essentially sit on their ass and do nothing, but someone working or running a business should pay through the nose. "Capital" isn't worth anywhere near that much it's way overrated. I want to raise the marginal tax rate to 60%, but give really good business tax incentives so small business can pay even less than they do now.

Most people on unemployment just want a job at a LIVABLE wage. I really do not think that is such a big demand. The powerful rich elite will do everything in their power to make us all economic slaves. Those that can survive. They don't want us to have health care or birth control. The BC will force us to have more kids to feed their supply of slaves and no health care will cause those who are in ill health to die. A reTHUGliCON and elite DREAM while a little guy's nightmare!

OK good points but once again off-topic and that's partly my fault.

devilsadvocates how do we turn this around? It would help if the Democrats actually fought for the middle class like they're supposed to do and stop whining about the party of No and they're voting against their own interest and all the other BS. The Republicans have all the right in the world to advocate and fight for their positions, but they should get called on it.

And back to topic - the deficit. Once again how do we extend unemployment benefits and let the rich keep their tax cut and not add anything to the deficit? Right now I'd settle for the good drugs that seem to make this magic possible.

I agree, I thought he would change things, he's a nothing , a zero when it comes to standing up to the wealthy. One step forward 3 steps back, the Obama shuffle.

Bob D-...:

Americans should open their eyes and see that both parties are playing to the wealthy and could really care less about the majority of us. They just make propaganda speeches that arouse the bases of the parties, then do what ever it is the wealthy want done.

Honor is a concept UNKNOWN by the gop!

Time will soon tell how honorable, or not, they are.

What honor? The republicans are pigs. You need more time to see that?

The article statement makes no sense. If your receipts are x and you spend x + y where y is a positive number (represented by collecting less taxes and spending money on extending unemployment), the deficit really does go up. Does it not?

The article states that it does not worsen medium and long term deficits since it is designed to be temporary for two years.

I already owe you twenty bucks and you loan me another. Sounds like it adds to my deficit to me. I don't expect to be able to repay this debt anytime soon, I don't have a job.

BTW-Can I borrow fifty bucks?

Boy-o-boy, are my unborn grandkids pissed, at all this foolish "logic".

Yuh - you still only owe 20 dollars because it's only for 2 years.

I'm willing to go big - if I still owe only 20 dollars let me borrow a million.

What will your unborn grandkids be pissed about? Gee they're only going to owe 20 dollars too.

The article states that it does not worsen medium and long term deficits since it is designed to be temporary for two years.

The tax cuts were designed to be temporary when they were first written up, for good reasons (they didn't work), adding 2 more years is just adding 2 more years of lost revenue, leaving the government to cut back more on things we need like education (because they sure as hell won't cut back on things like defense, all that contractor money has to get to haliburton and blackwater or whatever they are calling themselves now).

all that contractor money has to get to haliburton and blackwater or whatever they are calling themselves now).

And to the congressmen they pay off!

The article states that it does not worsen medium and long term deficits since it is designed to be temporary for two years.

Originally the Bush Tax cuts were only going to last 10 years, they are well on their way to being permanent.

I'd take a 10-1 bet the cuts will become permanent.

I'm figuring the only chance the cuts will go away for those making >250K is if Obama loses the primary and that person wins. If Obama stays or the Republican wins, a snowball in the middle of the sun has a better chance than not making the tax cuts permanent.

There isn't enough catsup! And they are too dry and hard.

And they are too dry and hard.

at least the heart

He made his own cross with election promises. 2 years from now the GOP will be back in full swing, same old, same old. I wouldn't vote for him again.

The difficult presidenecy was brought on by the Obama administration and the Democrats. Remember when he got into office they, Obama and the Democrats, could have done just about anything they wanted, they had the votes. They decided that health insurance and financial reform was more important than a good jobs market. They made the decision to work on everything else but jobs and no one else. Creating a good job market is hard but if it wasn't hard anybody could do it. I think that's why people voted for Obama because he had a plan. The first plan was to re-create a new health care industry and improve the economy in one shot. That didn't work out to well for the American People or the country.

So here we are today keeping taxes at the same level, people know what their tax rates will be and so will all the businesses in the country. Now they can plan their futures because they know where they stand in the tax rates. I hope that the Congress and this President can come up with something for the people that have already exhausted their unemployment benefits but 99 weeks is a long time being out of work. We really need to do something different. Maybe that's something that can be created, debated and made into law for the New Year. We really need to do something different and that's why we hired those that rule Washington. Time to help the people let the businesses fail if they have to. No more bail-out crap it cost us too much money and too much heart break.

There was no money then and there is NO MONEY NOW--Get REAL!

Oh how short memories are.

THE GOP FILIBUSTERED JUST ABOUT EVERY DAMN BILL, SMOKIE.

kevin saltzman========I don't think so. I hate to see these people popping up all over the place. It's not just on this site they are all over.

Is this the picture of desperation we have come to expect here in this great nation?--We ALL have to eat--S$$KS--WHY do THEY have to have MORE??

ANYONE???--call me the socialist.......

He's a one timer, that thought he could run a country.

SgtNickAngel=====No, he is definitely not a Republican. He can make you wonder just what goes on in that head of his. I think he belongs to the Obama Party only. He just made some Democratic Party friends along the way.

Smokie.....the UNIONS have made plenty of concessions. Not just in the UAW but the airlines and many of the other unions. In your hatred of the unions, will YOU give up all the benefits we now have BECAUSE of Unions! I kinda dount it.

..will YOU give up all the benefits we now have BECAUSE of Unions!(?)

When companies compare wages and benefits, of their own employees, to the the greater industry, the law of averages holds wages and benefits higher because of unions. It's how they keep emplyees from jumping ship. Few anti union talking points will admit this statistical reality.

Unions got stock over senior secured creditors in the auto bailouts, they didn't give up much

K man, keep laying it out there bro, when will the American people wake up and realize that clinging to either party is a mistake? They "the parties" set the reality, the debate, and deluge the average dumming down of America citizen with BS ideology spurts via the robotic media just so the pseudo fight goes on. It a tactic that enables them to take more and more from our core and shove it out our economic back door.

I am sorry. I have been reading many of the posts here and on other threads and it is only those with far left leanings that are in an uproar. The broad middle is pretty satisfied with this and understands that compromise is the way things work.

Wow! Did Olbermann ever dump on the POTUS in an eleven minute tirade.

Did you and I see the same Olbermann rant? What else could it have been other than a slam? It was embarrassing to listen to.

Reverend Jackson got his wish.

If you were "Benjamen" Franklin, what makes you think that you would be flying a kite?

Seeder and neither should you!!