The Bush Tax Cuts have been a major point of contention between Democrats and Republicans since President Obama called for ending them early on in his presidency. Unfortunately, Obama had to extend the cuts once as part of a budget deal with Republicans to avoid a costly government standoff.
But now, the White House is flatly refusing to bow to Republicans demands that the cuts once again be extended. On Wednesday, Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters that the Obama Administration “will not extend the Bush-era tax cuts,” and that President Obama “will not” support any temporary extension of the cuts for any Americans making more than $250,000.
Clearly, President Obama is refusing to work with a Republican Party that has made no effort to work with him. The Republican Party hasn’t made any secret of the fact that they only want to sabotage President Obama’s agenda in an effort to bring America down so that President Obama fails. After all of the attempts to work with Republicans, President Obama has only received hatred and division in return. The end of the Bush Tax Cuts is a sorely needed step to improve the economic outlook of America. Lack of revenues has been a major problem since the cuts were enacted almost ten years ago. If the tax cuts are renewed, they will be the largest contributor to the debt.
Republicans are no doubt whining about this decision by Obama. They want to continue giving trillions to the wealthy and corporations and they want to pay for it by cutting domestic spending that benefits middle class and poor Americans. By standing firm on ending the tax cuts, President Obama is standing up for the 99% and the programs that keep the middle class from totally collapsing. A majority of Americans have favored ending the cuts for four years, and it appears President Obama is sticking with the call of the people this time.
