Wednesday, September 8, 2010

How Do the Good People of Highland Park Feel About Obama's Refusal to Extend Tax Cuts? Dan Seals, Are You Listening?

Today President Obama is expected to announce that he is against extending the Bush-era tax cuts for all but the 'wealthiest Americans,' who, according to Obama-nomics, is anyone who makes over $250,000.

Obama's senior adviser David Axelrod says that the president isn't supporting tax cuts for high-income earners because they "aren't asking for them, don't need them and have the money to spend."

Let me go on record as saying that, au contraire, Mr. Axelrod, I don't have the money and I would really, really like to not see my taxes go up. Am I alone in the 10th District?

I wonder how "rich" voters in some of the more affluent areas of the 10th District really feel? If you have two (or more) kids, are trying to save for kids' college (maybe still even paying off your own student loans), build a business or maybe work as a middle manager for a big company, and your spouse also has to work to be able to afford to live in the community, do you feel "rich?"

I wonder where the 10th District Congressional candidates fall out on this?

Dan Seals, the Democratic candidate (who has run unsuccessfully twice before) claims on his website that "Dan will work to trim the deficit by cutting spending, not by raising taxes." (emphasis mine)

Does that mean that Seals supports extending the Bush tax cuts across the board?

After all, Dan Seals is the one who famously implied that you have to be a 'millionaire' to live in the 10th District, and that's why he couldn't afford to move into the District:

“If I was a millionaire I could certainly just pick up and buy a new home, [but] I’m not a millionaire, and if you want more millionaires in Congress, I’m not your man,” Seals said.

So, let me get this straight - you need to be a millionaire to live in the 10 District, and therefore, you have money to spend on higher taxes, a la Mr. Axelrod??? Um, no thank you. Dan Seals does know something about the high cost of living in (or at least near) the 10th District, since he paid his nanny $50,000 last year.

Robert Dold, the Republican candidate, on the other hand, states clearly and emphatically that:

"I support the permanent extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for all Americans. In this time of recession, we must not raise taxes on the American people and the very small businesses that we need to pull us out of recession. We need to put more money in the hands of business owners who would be able to make prudent investment and hiring decisions."

The people in Highland Park, a major community in the 10th, are currently up in arms over the recent scandal of the multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars that their Park District executive director was paid, which also astronomically boosted his pension payments, and this has caused several Park Board members to resign in disgrace. It's probably not a good time for someone like Dan Seals to tell Highland Park residents that their federal taxes are now going up because they all make too much money.

If you are a typical 10th District double income family, paying your bills, saving for kids college, and (let's not forget) worried about socking enough money away for retirement, and think that you know better than President Obama and Nancy Pelosi about how your money should be spent, maybe you should consider voting for Bob Dold. I know I will be.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Note to Dan Seals and Co.

I live in the 10th District. My salary does not exceed $50,000 in any given year. I worked my tail off to put more than 20% down for my modest home. I pay my mortgage on time. I participate in my children's school activities. Although, I technically qualify for the All Kids Program, I am too proud to take a hand out paid by others. I have lived in the 10th district for over 30 years - since I was 20, working 3 jobs, never asking (or feeling) government owed me anything but respect for how they spend my tax dollars.

After years of disrespecting the tax dollars I invested in the state and nationally - I am voting straight Republican. Oh, and tell Barry to stop blaming 43.

Anonymous said...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/

Bottom of the page, 10th democrat endorsement interview, February 2008.

DAN SEALS:"I am sorry, I am too poor, I can't afford to live in the district".

the guy's family makes 170k/year the 6 years he's unemployed and he can't afford to live in the district? As Robin leach would say that's champagne housing dreams, federal caviar spending wishes and total bologna excuses.

Dold used to be a football player. Time to do some tackling.

FOKLAEAPS

Jack S. said...

Today President Obama is expected to announce that he is against extending the Bush-era tax cuts for all but the 'wealthiest Americans,' who, according to Obama-nomics, is anyone who makes over $250,000.

Um, you got your facts wrong.

Here are the facts.

Obama firm: Don't extend tax breaks for wealthiest

CLEVELAND -- President Barack Obama strongly defended his opposition to extending Bush-era tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans on Wednesday and delivered a searing attack on Republicans and their House leader for advocating "the same philosophy that led to this mess in the first place."

Obama said the struggling U.S. economy can't afford to spend $700 billion to keep lower tax rates in place for the nation's highest earners despite a call by House Minority Leader John Boehner and other GOP leaders to do just that.


But don't let those facts get in the way of your delusions.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, Jack, you just don't get it. Your hero in the White House is clueless about how to help this economy begin to revive itself. Obama and his team, minus Orzag who truly DID understand that extending the Bush tax cuts is critically important, have not worked in the private sector, have no idea that it's the small businesses in our great country that fuel an economy. I live in Highand Park. I never made anywhere close to 250K, have struggled to keep my head above water. I'm watching long time businesses in this community close their doors because of the ever weakening economy. With today's news, I hate to think what Central Ave, First and Second street will look like in the near term. Too bad Obama never held a job in the real world. The bright side of all of this is hearing those who voted for this dope now say how deceived they feel. 2012 can't some soon enough.

Anonymous said...

So, if Obama now supports extending (at least most of) the Bush tax cuts, does that mean he now thinks that BUSH WAS RIGHT?

It's okay, take it slowly, you can say it....

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:42-

You actually received a tax cut under this administration, unlike the previous administration which argued that your income level doesn't have enough 0s to merit a tax cut.

This administration also gave your children better funding for their public education and improved roads for you to drive on. Oh, and made it much more affordable for someone who earns $50k a year to purchase health insurance if you arent covered by an employer.

The guys you support would take all of these away and give the benefits to your bosses and the wealthy. Perhaps you should re-think your voting decision. The GOP has never helped out the little guy in this country and they arent about to start now.

TA is just upset because it means he will have to do more lobbying activities to make up for all the income he will "lose" from the ending of the Bush 'thank you' to the super-rich. In case anyone wants to know, TA is in fact a registered lobbyist, so don't take everything he has to say at face value. There's always an agenda here.

Until Next Time,
A Concerned Colonial

Team America said...

CC, that's one of the dumber comments you've made. I'm not super rich, and I know few people who are. What I am is someone who works very hard for my money and wants to keep as much of it as possible, considering that Barack & Co. already get plenty of it.

As for "lobbying," it's amazing in these days of the Internet how much people assume they really know about someone because they 'saw it online.' The actual amount of "lobbying" I do would basically fit in a thimble. So, no, there's no hidden agenda here- just a very transparent one that I think I can spend my money much better than the government can.

BTW, making too many assumptions and dragging my professional career into any of this is what got Rob_N kicked off this Blog, so be forewarned.

Finally, it appears that even your Pres can't get his own policy correct and stated yesterday that he is "ready this week to give tax cuts to every American making $250,000 or less." If that was actually his position, a lot less people in Highland Park would be upset, as that actually would give a cushion of another $250,000 of family income ($250,000 each for a husband and wife would be $500,000, but Obama wants to raise taxes on families making more then $250,000) before the tax hikes would kick in, which would give many dual income families a lot more comfort.

A. Bees said...

@CC

Way to sling the talking points without having all the facts.

1. The tax cut you refer to was not permanent and was merely a different way of providing a similar level of tax refund that the previous administration provided.

2. Your comments regarding health insurance are completely wrong. The application of the health care reform act will not be fully implemented for a few years and the implications of the legislation are still being debated. As a matter of fact, one recent publication by Medicare's Office of the Actuary, stated that the new legislation would modestly increase the cost of health care.

3. Education? You do realize that most Illinois schools are more than 95% funded by local taxes right? Then they get a little check from the State and then the Fed, but really those few extra dollars did nothing by comparison to No Child Left Behind, which in 2005 was credited with increasing literacy of 9 year olds more than the previous 28 years COMBINED had accomplished.

4. Improved roads? Really? In Illinois? You have to be kidding me. Just because the President put his name on signs on the side of the road (ala Blago on tollbooths) doesn't mean those dollars wouldn't have gone to road construction anyway.

Finally: Democrats are the only ones helping the little guy? What in the name of Rod Blagojevich, James Traficant and Jesse Jackson, Jr. have you been smoking? Looks like after 2 years the voters have already seen through that Nancy Pelosi smoke screen.

Hope you enjoy crying in your beer on November 2nd when the Democrats failed policies and partisan agenda are rejected by the American public.

Thank God for Democracy!