Politics

The Truth About the GOP Agenda ? Congressional Republicans Stand with Wealthy and Wall Street

By Speaker's Press Shop

Congressional Republicans plan to unveil their ?new? 20-point agenda later this month, but the American people have already spoken out against the true GOP plan ? which includes privatizing and cutting Social Security and handing it over to Wall Street and the elimination Medicare for America?s seniors, allowing corporations to ship American jobs overseas, and tax breaks for the wealthiest two percent.

While Politico stated the agenda will include jobs-related legislation and tax policy proposals, we already know what the GOP economic policies are:

Congressional Republicans stand with corporations that ship good-paying American jobs overseas; Congressional Democrats want to preserve American jobs through our ?Make It in America? initiative. From the Washington Post:

At a time when Democrats are working to help the middle-class and put Americans back to work with our ?Make It in America? agenda, Congressional Republican leaders have stood in the way and called this initiative ?more meaningless than harmful.?

Congressional Republicans want to cut and privatize Social Security ? turning it over to the whims of Wall Street; Congressional Democrats are committed to preserving Social Security and Medicare ? protecting retirement and health security for American workers and their families. From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

The Ryan plan proposes large cuts in Social Security benefits ? roughly 16 percent for the average new retiree in 2050 and 28 percent in 2080 from price indexing alone ? and initially diverts most of these savings to help fund private accounts rather than to restore Social Security solvency?

From the Washington Post:

Some GOP lawmakers also have endorsed Ryan’s alternative budget plan, which would wipe out deficits in part by privatizing Social Security and replacing traditional Medicare benefits with an insurance voucher for people age 55 and older.

Congressional Republicans want to extend Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans, putting our nation deeper into debt; Congressional Democrats want to pass the Obama middle class tax cuts that will benefit 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses ? and help get the Bush-Republican deficit under control. From the Politico:

Republicans also plan to use the debate to extend the Bush-era tax cuts?

From the Washington Post:

?Senate Republicans are rolling out a plan to permanently extend an array of expiring tax breaks that would deprive the Treasury of more than $4 trillion over the next decade, nearly doubling projected deficits over that period unless dramatic spending cuts are made?

As Democrats are working for the middle-class and helping to create good-paying jobs, we have taken critical steps to reform the Congressional earmark process.  Republicans are now promising to return to the same agenda that saw an explosion of earmarks when they were in charge of the House.

Full post as published by The Gavel on September 17, 2010 (boomark / email).