How revealing is this?

From an article about how the House Democrats are now just trying to save face in the tax cut fight comes the following:

“The die is cast now,” said Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), who last week circulated a letter signed by 54 Democrats urging opposition to the bill. “Once the president entered into that agreement with the Senate Republicans even while talks with the House were supposedly under way, that set the tone for the weekend, and now you got Americans excited about a trillion dollars that is going to be, in effect, given away.”

Let's remember what we're talking about here. Currently income tax rates are at the same level they've been at since 2002. In three weeks, if Congress does not pass an extension of those rates, there will be a massive tax hike, hitting Americans of all income ranges who actually pay income taxes. The "compromise" worked out between the President and Congressional Republicans extends those rates, forgoing the massive tax hike.

According to a Democratic Congressman, this is "about a trillion dollars that is going to be, in effect, given away."

Ponder that, if you will.


Congressman Welch, words have meanings. The money that you're characterizing as being "given away" is not the government's money. The government has nothing but what it takes in the first place. Someone whose tax rate does not rise from 38% to 41% isn't being given a damned thing, simply having less taken. Using this logic, we could praise as generous a bank robber who only emptied three of the four teller drawers...