Weekly remarks: Mark Kirk says the unelected shouldn't raise taxes; Biden hails military families

>

 

Weekly remarks by Senator Mark Kirk, as provided by Republican Party leadership 

Hello, I’m Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois. Last month, the American people sent a clear message to Washington: Spend less, borrow less and tax less to put America back to work.

Unfortunately, too many in Washington want to continue the reckless tax-and-spend policies of the past. They ignore the warning signs of more debt, taxes and inflation. They embrace wasteful government spending and pork-barrel earmarks.  And they think a new massive tax hike on the U.S. economy is exactly what the American people need.

The current leaders of Congress should not move forward with plans that were just....

...rejected by the American people. These leaders should not raise taxes and risk another recession. Instead, Congress should reduce spending and prevent another tax hike on American taxpayers. 

Americans already pay some of the highest taxes in the world. By raising taxes in order to fuel higher spending, we threaten to restart the recession, pushing millions of Americans out of work.

Right now, families and small business owners are scratching their heads asking one simple question: What will my tax rate be next month?

Taxpayers don’t know what their personal income tax rates will be come January 1st.

Family business employers don’t know what the death tax will be.

Investors and small businesses don’t know what the capital gains rate will be.

Their uncertainty hurts our economy. It’s unfair and short-sighted.

Congress should set its highest priority on preventing the massive tax hike currently scheduled to hit our economy on January 1st.

Meanwhile, our mounting debts pose a clear and present danger to our future.  It’s time to cast aside our partisan differences and work across the aisle to solve this problem. 

Congress should set an example by ending pork-barrel earmarks and cutting its own budget. This week, Senate Democrats rejected a proposal to end wasteful earmark spending. Their decision was disappointing and disconnected from the American people.

In the weeks ahead, Republicans and Democrats should enact bipartisan solutions to cut federal spending like a presidential line-item veto, a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and a new procedure to ensure spending reductions actually happen.

In the 1980s, President Reagan’s bipartisan Grace Commission set the standard for serious oversight by identifying federal spending that would add little to our nation's growth but much to its debt. Marrying a new Grace Commission with the authority to submit a proposal to Congress for a straight up or down vote would lead to actual spending reductions. This proposal is in my first Senate bill –- the Spending Control Act.

Harvard economic historian Niall Ferguson warned that the decline of a great power is clear when a country pays more to its money lenders than its army. We face that year when interest payments on our debt tops our defense budget as soon as 2016. It’s clear, we need to cut spending to avoid a bankrupt future for our kids and our country.

I believe that America’s best days still lie ahead of us. If we correct our economic policy by focusing on growth and spending discipline, the sky will once again be the limit for young Americans.

Spend less, borrow less and tax less to put America back to work. That’s what we heard from the American people last month – and that’s what we should expect from our leaders today. May God bless you, your families during this holiday season, and may God bless the United States of America.    ####

Weekly remarks by Vice President Biden, as provided by the White House

Hi, this is Joe Biden. I’m filling in for President Obama this weekend because he’s on his way back from Afghanistan, where he was spending some time with the brave men and women of our armed forces.

It’s tough to be far from home during the holidays, especially in a war zone, so he wanted to be there in person to thank them on behalf of all Americans for their service and the sacrifice each one of them are making. And here at home, the first lady and my wife, Jill, have made supporting military families a priority. These families are also making difficult sacrifices for our country, and they deserve our admiration and gratitude as well.

Our service members and their families are always on our mind, even as the president and I are working on other issues that all American families are deeply concerned about: accelerating our recovery, growing our economy, strengthening our middle class and getting our friends and neighbors back to work.

In recent months, we’ve seen encouraging signs on that front. After shrinking for four straight quarters, our economy has now grown five straight quarters. After nearly two years of job loss, our economy has created more than 1 million private sector jobs just this year. 

And after teetering on the brink of liquidation last year, our auto industry is posting healthy gains, assembly lines are running again, and American manufacturing is getting up off the mat and fighting its way back.

Still, Friday’s jobs report was a sobering reminder of that. While we saw another month of job growth in November, it just wasn’t enough.

That underscores why it’s so important to get going without delay on two things that will have the most impact in growing the economy.

One: We’ve got to extend the tax cuts for the middle class that are set to expire at the end of the month. If we don’t, millions of middle-class families will see a big bite out of their paychecks starting January 1. And that’s the last thing we should let happen. After a decade in which they lost ground, middle-class families can ill-afford a tax hike -- and our economy can’t afford the hit it will take if middle-class families have less money to spend.

And the second thing we’ve got to do is extend unemployment insurance for Americans who have lost their jobs in a tough economy. Without unemployment benefits, families can’t spend on basic necessities that are grown, made and sold by other Americans.

Together, the economic hit caused by raising taxes on the middle class and denying 2 million Americans unemployment insurance will wind up costing us hundreds of thousands of more jobs. It just isn’t smart.

And, cutting unemployment insurance is not only not smart, it’s not right either. It would mean telling millions of our neighbors who are out of work today through no fault of their own, that they’re on their own.

That’s no message to send in the season of hope. We all know someone who’s hit a rough patch. When that happens in America, we help him get back up on his feet. That’s who we are. That’s the American way.

So I just don’t agree with the folks who’ve said we can’t afford a lifeline for Americans who lost their jobs during the worst recession in generations, but we can afford to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars to extend tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. That’s bad economic policy, and it’s also just simply wrong.

Congress must extend these needed unemployment benefits before it goes home for the year. And it must bolster economic growth by preserving tax cuts for our middle class. I’m glad that the House of Representatives voted to do that this week, and I call on the United States Senate to do the same.

Look, there’s no doubt these are tough times. But we are slowly but surely fighting our way back, moving forward. And we’re going to keep fighting -- to grow this economy, to strengthen our middle class, and to restore the American Dream. That’s my pledge to you.

And hey, one last thing -- since the president will be back to record this message next week, let me take this chance to say from my family to yours: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, have a great holiday season and an even better New Year. Thanks, and enjoy the weekend.     ####

Related:

Weekly remarks: Obama says not the worst Thanksgiving; GOP's Scott sees hope in new Congress

Weekly remarks: Mitch McConnell on jobs, spending; Obama wants start to START vote

Weekly remarks: Obama wants earmark reform; Greg Walden heads GOP House transition

Weekly remarks: Rubio says both parties must change; Obama-We can't afford tax cuts

Weekly remarks: Obama seeks GOP economy help: John Boehnersays, 'Stop the spending spree!'

You sure don't want to miss any of these weekly speeches. Click here for Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot. Our Facebook Like page is over here. Also available on Kindle now.ReTweet or forward this item on Twitter, Facebook, etc. with the buttons down below.

Photos: Manuel Balce Cene / Associated Press; Kirk's office; Pete Souza / White House.

Comments

[David Blackburn]

Since when did we start electing members of congress for 22 month terms???

[AngelsDucksFan]

How about we return the tax rates to the one's we had during the Clinton era (you know, the time when there was a $0 deficit) for those making over $250,000 a year . . . that surely will help cut into the deficit.

[Steve Wimer]

Republicans passed the tax cut and designed them to expire. It wasn't the Democrats. But don't worry, the Democrats are for sale, and they will trade an extension of unemployment benefits in exchange for the tax breaks for the rich, effectively breaking Obama's campaign promise. It's just another lie for Obama, nothing more, and nothing less.

[hsr0601]

The reps don't care about anyone but themselves

1.      The reps campaigned on their ability to cut spending and balance the budget, so they should be required to make good on that pledge. 

But, the Bush tax cut for the big U.S. corporations sitting on record profits, approximately $2.3 trillion in reserves, and refusing to re-invest domestically. will add an additional $700 billion to the deficit over a decade.

As for the Democrats, sound investments = deficit hike. 
As for the reps, failed tax giveaway = job creation.     Cut your spending for our failed spending!

There is no evidence that these tax cuts created even a single job.
"Back when Bush was pushing his tax cut packages through Congress in 2001 and 2003, supporters said the cuts (which weren't balanced with spending reductions) would initiate an era in which the American economy would grow so robustly the nation would be running a surplus of more than $5 trillion at the scheduled expiration date. U.S. now runs a deficit of about $1.3 trillion.

"
In fact, the available evidence is the exact opposite:
Former President Bill Clinton left a record surplus and created 20 million jobs, despite the warning of potential economic disaster over tax increase for the wealthiest.

2.      On the one hand they want to provide $700 billion in tax cuts for the wealthiest, but not pay for them. On the other hand they demand that unemployment benefits for the middle class be paid for. It’s kind of like someone on a diet ordering a Diet Coke and a Big Mac simultaneously.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said, "I'm trying to figure out how anyone can keep a straight face and say they're for deficit reduction while they insist on a permanent tax cut for the wealthiest Americans, completely unpaid for,"

3.      The rich have HAD their tax cuts the whole time, where are those jobs they supposedly are going to create with their extra wealth they have been sitting on?

A business hires the right number of employees to meet demand. Having extra cash does not cause a business to hire, but a business that has a demand for what it does will find the money to hire. Businesses want customers, not tax cuts.

4.      The reps & jobs :     Are they  Pro-business  ?

(a).       Even when the economy was on the cusp of entire collapse just like Lehman Brothers ahead of the roll-out of stimulus package, it was held hostage by Audacity of Nope, and the time was running out.
Power first then said :   Nope !  How do we pay for it ?,  Just let him go under exactly like Lehman Brothers. 

(b).       It is also important to remember a small business bill that was blocked for weeks by a republican filibuster in the Senate. 

[Michael]

If you ever needed more proof that the GOP only cares about money and power here it is. Republicans are morally bankrupt.

[A Olsen]

I am a resident of Illinois who made hundreds of phone calls for the Dems leading up to the November election. We re-elected a Democratic governor; however, Mark Kirk won the Senate seat by a small margin. He won, not because of his stance on taxes, but because he ran against a weak, flawed candidate. Illinois is still BLUE. He touted his independence as a candidate, but he certainly isn't choosing to represent his constituents over his party when it comes to taxes. Furthermore, during this important debate, he has no email, no fax number and his voice mail box is full or not taking calls. Having spoken with so many voters this fall, I can tell you that there is still a lot of support for President Obama in Illinois and how can Mark Kirk claim to represent the people of Illinois when we can't even contact him at this crucial time?

[Sandra M.]

Ridiculous! Who provides the jobs? The poor? The middle class? No. The rich and the small businesses. This is why Republicans don't want to raise their taxes. They hope this will encourages more job-openings. Why don't you Democrats and liberals get that?!

[Judith Wollas]

Please, continue to strive for a balanced budget. I have been in the work force for 38 years and diligently paid my taxes. It is devistating to think that the liberals may destroy the United States of America intended by those who crafted the constition; and destroy the United States of America as we have known it since its inception.

Thank you for your effortss!

Judith Wollas

[Carol Evans]

Mark Kirk has the right idea. Keep up the good work. Get the Pork out of these bills. Let us know who is spending so we can get them out in2012. I had a call this week frm AARP saying you all were going to cut Medicare 25 % and we seniors would have a hard time finding Drs to treat us. Well Now thats not a good idea.We have paid our dues and it is unfair to take away from people who can't work.

[allen]

Another "misremembered wron" from Kirk. Americans are no where near the highest taxed in the world. The middle class pays a greater % than the liars and cheats at the top. Maybe thats what he means. This guy is the poster boy for "misremebering"