Senate cuts to recession relief bill favor special interests

[Dulcinea]

Source: LA Times

As the Senate scrambles to scale back a $140-billion recession relief bill, the poor, the elderly and the unemployed are bearing the brunt of the squeeze. But NASCAR track developers, movie producers and other special interests are likely to escape unscathed.

Those businesses stand to gain $32 billion in tax breaks as part of the bill, which has been stalled for weeks because of rising complaints about deficit spending.

In the hunt for ways to cut costs, neither party has proposed curbing the panoply of narrow tax preferences, which Congress has routinely extended each year.

Instead, Senate leaders have proposed a $25 cut in weekly unemployment benefits; temporarily allowed a 21% cut in Medicare fees for doctors; and are planning to withhold or scale back $24 billion in payments many states expected to help pay for Medicaid for the poor.


Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-tax-breaks-20100623,0,5423478.story

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The quickest way to a double-dip recession is to cut off unemployment! Why don't they get that??!!

[SemperEadem]

1. ah, isn't it wonderful to see our Senate's priority list and to see

that We the People are not on it?

[hootinholler]

5. Exactly.

Makes one want to organize something.

-Hoot

[No Elephants]

7. +1 But will one actually organize something?

[hootinholler]

9. We have DFA, PDA, unions, etc...

How can we get them involved? There are too many issues.

OnEdit: If we only had a stellar community organizer...

-Hoot

[xchrom]

2. recommend

[Mr. Sparkle]

3. How can you complain about the debt and then lobby for for $32 billion in tax breaks

for people who don't need them? NASCAR track developers, movie producers and other special interests, WTF ?

I would hazard a guess that after those tax breaks are given, the Republicans go and try and hustle them for money a.k.a a republican shakedown.

[obxhead]

4. Obama could stand up now, tell Senate he will sign no bill

that rewards corporations while sacrificing the poor and families in need.

He could do that, point out the republican blocking and spending desires.

[No Elephants]

6. It's the plutonomy, Stupid.

Apparently, the poor are not yet poor enough and the rich are not yet rich enough.

[prolesunited]

8. This is such bullshit

And I'm sitting here wondering how to pay the mortgage because they won't fund the extensions that they've already approved.

[Iowa]

10. Throw all the bums out. Every last one of them.