The People are occupying Wall Street on a day that President Obama will advance a clever new plan for tax reform. If you're liberal and you're not excited and participating, you really should be.
(Original, hyperlinked post at The Liberal Lamp Post.)
Despite losing several rounds to the GOP, the President hasn’t given up on tax justice. On the contrary, this time Obama’s fighting the battle for tax reform under the banner of the American Jobs Act. And his savvy approach may pay off if enough of us fall in behind him.
So far Republicans have successfully blocked Obama’s efforts to raise taxes on the rich because they've held adequate leverage to force their demands. For instance, the GOP threatened to kill middle class tax cuts and zap unemployment benefit extensions to force Obama’s hand on extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. Then, Tea Partiers tried to force America into default unless Obama backed down on closing corporate tax loopholes.
However, with the introduction of the American Jobs Act, Obama has reframed the tax reform debate to make it much harder for Republicans to resist concessions. The President has made a very simple case to justify increasing taxes on those who can most afford it: He has tied the bill to measurable gains in employment (1% pt) and economic growth (2% pt).
In his Sept. 8 Joint Session speech, Obama justified his plan in a way every rational American can understand:
“We have to ask ourselves: What’s the best way to grow the economy and create jobs…Should we keep tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires or should we put teachers back to work so our kids can graduate ready for college and good jobs. Right now, we can’t afford to do both.
This isn’t political grandstanding. This isn’t class warfare. This is simple math. This is Simple. Math. These are Real. Choices. These are real choices that we’ve got to make. And I am pretty sure I know what most Americans would choose – it’s not even close. And it’s time for us to do what’s right for our future.”
If you've been keeping your head down, here's what you need to know: Obama’s using all tools at his disposal to back Republicans into a corner. He’s sounding an urgent alarm on the unemployment crisis and has come up with a justifiable plan to fix it. He’s working aggressively to build support among the People.
And a clear majority of Americans support the Jobs Act:
* 56% of respondents say creating jobs is a higher priority than cutting government spending.
* 52% say it’s a good idea to spend federal money to prevent public sector layoffs (saving the jobs of teachers, police officers, fire fighters).
* 80% say it’s a good idea to create jobs with infrastructure investments.
* 71% say tax increases should be part of an overall deficit reduction plan.
* Nearly 60% want to raise taxes on incomes over $250K/yr. Looking at other polls, the number of Americans in favor of taxing the rich soars to over 70%.
There’s no doubt that Americans feel the urgency to create jobs. One in 10 Americans have been out of work for quite a while. This morning, Obama will speak at 10:30 AM ET to once again call for increased sacrifice from millionaires and billionaires as a means of funding the Jobs Act investments. Obama will be selling the new tax reform plan as the “Buffett rule,” after billionaire Warren Buffett who famously lamented paying a lower effective tax rate than his secretary. By first selling his job creation package and then linking the proposal to tax reform, Obama has positioned himself well to defeat Republican obstruction of the jobs bills and to gain ground on the wider battle of tax justice.
Currently only 12% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing. Thus, if the Tea Party chooses once again to go the no-compromise route against the will of the American people, they will drive home the point that they are insensitive, extremely partisan Job Killers. The People will respond and the next election will bring an end to the GOP’s control of the House of Representatives. So, essentially, the American Jobs Act is a win-win situation for Obama.
However, without popular support, Obama’s plan runs the risk of going bust - and that goes for American jobs, too.
Please, be part of the push. Heed the call to join together and support passage of the American Jobs Act and use it as leverage to achieve tax reform.
Step 1: Add your name to the Democratic Party petition to Speaker Boehner in support of the American Jobs Act:
http://dccc.org/...
Step 2: Write/Call your members of Congress to express your support for the American Jobs Act. Enter your zip code at the link below to find their phone numbers and contact forms:
http://www.ContactingtheCongress.org
Step 3: Pledge to vote on Nov. 6, 2012:
http://www.facebook.com/...
Thank you for reading. Now please share this information with others.
See above excerpt from Obama's Sept. 8 speech:
http://youtu.be/...
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