In State of the Union, President Obama to Push Middle Class Tax Credits

Jobs. How does any of this create jobs?

Well don’t we need tax cuts in other areas so that we can afford the tax increases for health care?

Tax Credits? Really? I was laid off on December 15, 2009, nearly a year after the economy was supposed to be addressed and the $1 billion stimulus package was supposed to hold unemployment under 8.5 percent. Yes, I know, the stimulus bill extends the period I can draw unemployment benefits and Congress is working to make sure I have health care coverage even though I am out of work. Well, I don’t want extended unemployment benefits and I don’t want health care from the government, and I definitely don’t want tax credits. I want a job! Maybe the campaign slogan for 2010 should be “It’s the JOBS stupid!”

The student loan plan is very good. A vast majority of young people, i.e., those 30 to 40 have 2 mortgages, i.e., the mortgage on a home & the mortgage on their student loans. Helping the middle class out with student loans is way better than bailing out banks. The student loan borrowers will stimulate the economy with the money that they are not having to repay.

How is this any different than the bribes given to Ben Nelson of Nebraska or Mary Landreiu of Loiusiana? He thinks this will dissipate the anger that caused Brown to win in Mass and prevent the Dems from being swept out in 2010 elections?

Patrick..it’s no different. Obama thinks the key to his success is identifying those constituencies who are abandoning him and bribing them with whatever it is they need.

How very odd. When Bush sent out checks and gave three tax cuts it was a grand thing.

The people in Washington will never really go after the rich, they are the rich. The people that pay the freight for all this are the 45-65 yr. old, no children still at home, earning too much for EIC, they don’t have enough deductions to itemize and they don’t fit into any of the other tax credits. No one is paying their mortgage. Flat tax EVERYONE so everyone is paying the same ratio of they income, no loop holes.

I was wondering when he would throw a bone out. Tax cuts for targetted groups is exactly why were where we are at now. Why not just make them reasonaable for all and stop this silliness.

The Massachusetts Senate race has succeeded in perpetuating the illusion that its about Dems vs. the GOP. When the real battle is Rich vs. Poor and the Rich still control both houses and the Executive Branch like they have for at least a hundred years. Once his book put him in the Millionaires Club, his fellow millionaires were happy to let Obama have at the Presidency; Once rich, nobody seriously wants to tax themselves fairly. They may pay lip service to increasing their own taxes, but ultimately they dig deeper into the pockets of the middle class to pay for their proposals for bigger government.

Democrats have done a bangup job creating class warfare-pitting poor against rich. However, if a rich man buys a luxury boat, how many people got paychecks building, marketing and selling that boat. If a rich man buys a huge luxury house, how many jobs were supplied in the building of that house. Class envy has become a national sport but is ultimately deadly to the middle class workers in this country. It need to be put to rest.

Kathy, I am the rich. Though I could argue it’s not as much as some would think. The tax percentages are the lowest in 70 years. The rich have made out something awful under republican rule and to restore some balance isn’t a bad thing. How do I justify saying this? We didn’t get the jobs under Bush. I’d like to see the middle class survive.

Obama doesn’t give nothing without taking something else away from the middle class, this guy is just a snake oil salesman

none of that will help a single person . the middle class poor working person will have nothing left after health care reform. take a look at the projected increase in medicare deduction from your check. this hurts any vet, on va tricare, any one on medicare(after working for 30 yrs to get it) and anyone still lucky enough to have an hourly wage job.

President Obama is going to use the approached of cutting “deals” which will appease enough voters to keep his agenda going. Will the proposals create new jobs and improve the economy or just rob Peter to pay Paul and kick the problem (jobs & opportunity)down the road?

secondlook, the middle class was mostly an illusion. Let’s face it, for many it was the equity in their homes that enabled them to make up for stagnant wages and live lives that were not reflective of their incomes. (That’s why Republicans and Democrats both were only more than happy to put as many as possible into homes, as quickly as possible and by any means.) Now the roof has been blown off, and we are left with nothing but the ugly truth. Going after the rich is a feel-good, default reaction for those who have no good ideas. Raising taxes and fees on the wealthy is not a jobs program. My sister in law works as a waitress at the Ritz Carlton. She obviously isn’t rich, but believe you me, she is rooting for them every day!

Until Thursday, confrontation with this corporatist Empire was opaque, disguised, and not likely to come to a head soon —- but then the supreme court’s overreach for the moneyed elitist Empire crossed a ‘bridge too far’, and much like the catalyst of monopoly ‘tea prices’ in Boston Harbor by the British EMPIRE this disguised and occupying Empire in our own land today became an easy target for a Second American Revolution.
The “anger and frustration” will not die down. The crimes of the Empire will not disappear. The storm of populist rage and revolutionary spirits will only grow higher and wider in a general conflagration of the people vs, the Empire, and so, Obama can either let his “arc of history bend” him, or he can get in front of it — if he is really going to do as he what said dozens of times in one speech and “fight for the people” (against this corporatist Empire).
Here’s the deal. We can give Obama a little test of his bona fides (some might say, of his guts). Since the supreme court has presented us with the accelerated call to arms by allowing the economically and politically oppressive Empire to totally dominate all spheres of our lives with its unlimited bribery of all corrupt politicians (of both the existing corporate Parties/Party), Obama can prove his real metal by announcing, in his ‘State of the Union’ that he is changing his party affiliation to Green Independent, since that party will not allow any candidate to accept the new unlimited corrupting bribery of the corporatist Empire — and that he expects all honest Senators and Congressmen to do the same if they are to truly represent the people rather than the corporatist Empire.
Obama can essentially call everyone’s bluff (on the angry right and left) and “call-out’ the corporatist Empire’s supreme court enabled money control of our American democracy for the take-over of the country that it is. He can point out to the frustrated average American people viewing on their TV’s (from both the left and right), and to his Congressional audience (of both Republicans and Democrats who are willing to listen) that since there is no legislative or other means to reverse or wipe-out the supreme court’s ‘sell-out’ of our democracy to the corporatist Empire, that he is willing to solve this unsolvable problem —- along with solving our health care problem, our economic tyranny problem, our imperialist war problems, and all our other common problems that have been created by the cancer of this moneyed elite corporatist Empire upon our country, by voting for democracy against Empire and moving to essentially a new ‘Peoples Party’ in the form of the Green Independent Party, which does not take money from the Empire which oppresses us. [Cheer, cheer, cheer]
Obama can issue a challenge those in Congress who want to “represent the people instead of the corporatist Empire, to meet me in the new ‘Peoples Party’ in November, which the whole country and all honest citizens now will know is the only sign of non-moneyed, non-corrupt, and non-Empire choice — and that we will use only their contributions and public funding to overturn any who stay behind in the Empire’s lair of the corrupted Republican and Democratic Party!”
Alan MacDonald
Sanford, Maine

Make it simple…GO TO A FLAT TAX…15% on all income, period.That way, they KNOW what they have to spend, and WE don’t have to mess with Form 1040 anymore! Quit playing politics with this!

Child care tax breaks and retirement
savings at work??? How does that help
the people who are looking for jobs?

Where is any mention of job creation?
Why can’t he understand the issues?
Tax breaks are not very effective, if you are not working. People want employment, not health care and tax breaks in 2010. A limited use of “Tax investment credits” would give the economy a shot in the arm. THis one option.
Simply put – No hiring or factory call backs = assured defeat.

So where is he going to get all this money he is not taking in to pay down the deficit? Why is he promoting more for people who make bad choices and have more kids than they can afford? Where are the jobs he promised? why not cut Fereral income taxes across the board?

Too little to late. Obama doesn’t care about us, he cares more about seeing terrorist are protected. Keeping Holder who called American a nation of cowards. Protecting his ship of fools that he keeps around him. Someone needs to tell the president that his tooth paste isn’t working.
The only thing Obama has done is lie to the American people. He promised hope, change, openness Etc. He has not kept one promise. The situation in Washington has never been worst thanks to him and Pelosi, Reid and the other democratic losers.
What Obama has shown us is how corrupt Washington is and how to talk out of both sides of your mouth.
Obama has been a big disappointment to many Americans who believed his speeches and voted for him. He betrayed us all. Don’t expect changes you’re not going to get it from Obama.
Obama instead of being one of our greatest presidents with out a major change he will go down as our worst, even worst than Jimmy Carter. But at least Carter the old fool really believed in what he was doing. Obama has let down the country, not to mention every black person in the world by showing no leadership, no presidential skills and the fact that he lied to get elected.

finally said “Finally the people who actually work in this country get a break! ” There is nothing on that list that I can take. How about not taxing me as much instead of all of these tax credits? That would be a lot more simple.

Criticisms, criticism, criticisms, ingratitude, ingratitude. Hey was Bush much better with no innovative ideas and keeping the country as is with no progress legislatively? Obama is probably 10 years ahead of his time; too bright for the job.. But like the famous Mr. Wilberforce, if he didn’t stick to his guns when parliament and the country opposed the abolition of the slave trade, which after a couple of years of being pushed under the carpet, only got passed following another act that crippled the income of slave owners and discouraged the trade – Obama may think about going sideways to introduce some his innovative legislation as people are just so set in their ways and conservativism is ruling the day!

Let’s look at some facts from the real world where fiscal responsibility means the difference between staying in business or being on bankrupt:
1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart every hour of every day.
2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!
3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.
4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target + Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.
5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people and is the largest private Employer, and most speak English.
6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the World.
7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger & Safeway combined, and keep in mind they did this in only 15 years.
8. During this same period, 31 Supermarket Chains sought bankruptcy.
9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.
10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had five years ago.
11. This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at a Wal-Mart store. (Earth’s population is approximately 6.5 Billion.)
12. 90% of all Americans live within 15 miles of a Wal-Mart.
MAYBE we should hire the guys who run Wal-Mart to fix the economy and run our Government. Let’s face it; there is no way Wal-Mart would not do a better job than Congress.

This is something to put a few more dollars in the hands of the middle class who are the real backbone of this economy. We are the people who patronize restaurants, buy cars, buy homes, purchase retail items etc. This is what keeps the restaurants, stores, auto dealerships, hotels, etc. open, creating jobs. We are also the people who put money into the greedy hands of all the wealthy who want to shut us up. FOX News,and all theri puppets should give a little thought to that.

catman: What I see posted here, including you, are individuals who haven’t a clue as to how the world works. What do you mean that tax cuts for those making $85,000 and under won’t create jobs. They are the ones who are most likely to spend it, not hoard it away as the fatcats who raped America have done. Don’t believe me, just look at the recent results by IRS going after tax evaders who moved capital off shore without paying tax since the beginning of the Reagan tax cuts for the wealthy. I’m speanking of the UBS situation. 14,000 tax evaders have turned themselves in rather than face prosecution since the initiative began. Due to tax law changes since Reagan, 66% of all U.S. corporations have paid ZERO INCOME TAX. This President is fighting to change this and most Americans haven’t a clue about what is going on. When the CEO of Aetna Health care took home a paycheck of $24,300,112.00 in 2008 alone, and moved most of it offshore without paying tax, then cries poor about health care reform affecting his bottom line, give me a break. All of you ultra right wing idiots need to wake up. The fight shouldn’t be about Democrat or Republican, but about helping this President, who is the first President to stand up to these robber baron’s and fight for initiatives to reverse what has happened.

No help at all to me. I already went through caring for elderly parents and raising toddlers at the same time. My parents are gone, my kids are educated from my dollars and back home due to lack of livable wage jobs. Give me true tax reform, either flat tax, value added tax, or lower the tax rates. This doesn’t help those of us who have already done our share of raising families and now need to somehow take care of retirement. IDIOT POLITICIANS who are so removed from day to day life are worthless to the populace.

To progressive mama…. everybody
hates Walmart, but everyone shops there.
Pure economics will drive people to
buy where they get the most bang for
their buck. Would you be happy if
they closed and everyone had to buy
their clothes at high end stores
or you had to buy your groceries at
a local corner store where you were
paying double if not triple for it ?
Would you be happy if all those people
who currently work there would be laid
off ? By the way,in talking with
people who do work there, they are
happy. Another shocker, no one has to
work there. They are free to apply at
any other job out there. While I would
agree their clothes are not the
greatest quality, it serves the purpose
of people who are driven to live and
buy what they can afford, rather than
going to the poor house trying to buy
designer clothes. Not everyone thinks
that they are what they buy.

Those methods aren’t really gonna create jobs. He must be laughing all the way to the bank. I wish that Obama would tax corporations who keep outsourcing our jobs overseas adn give tax credits to companies who CREATE American jobs. But,nope. He’s not gonna do it,even though he said so on his campaign. Only in lala land.

TAX CREDITS ARE JUST “TRANSPARENT” WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION!
Don’t confuse tax credits with tax cuts. The former you receive when you file your tax return (once a year). The latter increases your paycheck (whether weekly, bi-monthly or monthly).
Kathy is correct–”Democrats have done a bangup job creating class warfare-pitting poor against rich.” The Democrats have so many of you believing that the wealthy are not paying their fair share in income taxes. Well according to the latest IRS data (2007–updated July 2009):
The top 5% (7,053,549 returns with a positive Adjusted Gross Income with greater than $160,041 in annual income) accounted for 60.63% of the total federal income tax revenue.
The top 6%-25% (28,214,194 returns with a positive AGI with less than $160,041 and greater than $66,532 in annual income) accounted for 25.96% of the total federal income tax revenue.
While the bottom 75% (105,803,228 returns with a positive AGI with less than $66,532 in annual income) accounted for just 13.41% of the total federal income tax revenue. NOTE: There are reports that the bottom 39% had no tax liability or even a negative tax liability (tax credits exceeded tax liability).

I would make a bet localy that Obama blames the past administration for all the woes today one year into his administration. I will also bet we will hear the same old promises

“The Democrats have so many of you believing that the wealthy are not paying their fair share in income taxes”
The wealthy are not paying their fair share in taxes [not exclusively income]. How can you tell? The middle class has been hammered and we’re still running deficits. The Clinton tax structure was running a surplus. Instead of maintaining those surpluses to pay off the debt, pay into Medicare and SS, Bush gives huge tax cuts to the rich and starts running deficits. -Give huge amounts of potential tax revenue away and then complain Medicare and SS are going broke…you can’t have a safer bet than that!

People can get sex changes and abortions, can I get an age change so that I fit into one of these catagories? By the way, are sex changes paid for on health care. If so, I want to be a guy, because guys usually get work in the construction industry. Then at least I would have a job.
We are the youngest of the baby boomers. What about folks that do not have a dependent, or elderly person to care for. What about over age 50 who are single, not widow, not on retirement, and not employed because no one will hire you at this age. Unemployed for over a year because of the unemployment rate. We never qualify for any Stimulus Checks and we never qualify for any tax credit. We always get the short end of the stick.

Sometimes I agree with the President, sometimes I don’t. This time I am concerned with all who don’t fit in the catagories mentioned. I looked last night on irs.gov to study if I get Stimulus Check this year, last year I did not. This year I won’t either.

Obama is so out of touch will America he thinks all of the middle class are on welfare.

when all else fails, go to your Chicago tactics. bribe your way out of the mess.

Obama is so out of touch will America he thinks all of the middle class are on welfare.
________________________________
No, millions of Americans have lost their jobs since the economic crash under the Bush administration. This includes many middle-class people. Also, income for the middle class has decreased while incomes for the top 5% soared over the past decade.

Spending will NEVER dig us out of this recession. Obama is out of office in 2012.

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The whole healthcare debacle included Obama negotiating sweetheart deals with special interest groups. Now Obama’s trying to buy the American people with new sweetheart deals.
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Claw123: Lower class is more like less than $85K family, $50K individual. These are essentially wages that people cannot survive on without extensive employer benefits (such as health insurance).
Middle class is more like $100K family, $75K individual all the way up to $1M family, $500K individual. This class is way wider than most believe. Even at the top, with taxes being the way they are, you are not going to sock away fortunes.
Upper class is more like $5M family, $1-2M individual. This would encompass all those earning high incomes, etc. – bonuses, and similar compensation. Only at this level can you salt away enough money to make a difference.
Remember that current tax structure slams anyone earning over about $170K, your marginal rate (in most states) is almost 50%. At that rate, anyone accumulating wealth gets taxed so heavily that in all of the best markets it is not worth investing – the downside risk is high and the upside risk is higher with a 50% tax on top.
If the numbers change from what I have said above, we have a society where investment is stifled. You’d have to have lots of extra cash to risk investing it anywhere. A short term gain is taxed too high to make it worth it and a long term gain has got to be good – or it too isn’t worth making the investment.

According to CNN – about 47% of all American taxpayers will not pay a dime in income tax for 2009.
Doesn’t Obama realize that the other 53% that pay ALL the taxes aren’t too thrilled at giving out more credits and making this all more inequitable?
From what I remember, it was something like 20% of people with incomes over $100K pay no tax at all. So this is not about the working poor – it’s about politically aimed taxation policies. No wonder we run up huge deficits – only about half our citizens pay taxes at all!

Hows about the government step aside and allow the producers to produce? Hows about we all learn to help ourselves?

The popular culture will have to change as it has repeatedly throughout history. The garbage that’s thrown out at our youth would have no effect whatsoever if it weren’t watched, read etc. The Left like to try to project the image that they’re above material gain, however they like their wallets as much as anyone else, no matter that they constantly try to project the image that they’re above it. Also, I don’t believe that most young girls are unaware of birth control methods. Many choose not to use those methods as they know there will be no consequences to their actions. Boycott the garbage.

Jon F – your numbers can’t be correct if Obama is saying he’s going to help the middle class. Most of these credits are for people making under $85,000/year. If you are saying that they are lower class – then either Obama is lying or your figures are wrong.

Finally, finally! VPJB (Vice President Joe Biden) finally gets his chance, in a year, to do something for us, as Chair of W-T-F on Working Families (Whitehouse Taske Force on Working families). Money are rolling in!

Centerone, believe it or not, we evil conservatives don’t want to step over babies in the streets. Mothers are the ones to teach their daughters so I believe that if a mother is receiving welfare of any kind, she must attend parenting classes as a requirement to continue getting aid. She must instruct her daughters along with sex education available in schools. Just say no hasn’t worked to date. Unwanted pregnancies have always been and probably will always be but doing what we can as a society to cut back on the numbers seems to be a good plan to me. Baby steps to help the situation, to change it gradually. And I am, I’m sure, what you would consider to be a right wing bible thumper.

We lost the concept of individual responsibility in this country, many years ago. We accept no blame for problems of our own making. The government has assumed the mantle of super responsibility, because they “know” what is “best” for us.
If we want to get out of this mess we have to start taking responsibility for ourselves and our communities. Just because you are a citizen does not mean your are entitled to take or share what others have labored for. Welfare was not meant to be a permenant class, which was entitled to free handout forever. Somehow that is what has happened, and now the bill is due. Sadly this issue will never be addressed.

ellsbells930: Obama would know the middle class if he tripped over it. If he was serious about helping people he wouldn’t be thinking of more tax cuts – he would be thinking about ways to generate jobs.
Tax credits aren’t much good for people who don’t have a job.

JonF – Tax credits aren’t much good for people who don’t have those issues.
1. My kids are all but grown – I can’t use the child care credit.
2. My student loans were paid off 25 years ago.
3. I have a 401K.
4. We make too much to qualify for the saver’s credit.
5. We aren’t taking care of elderly parents (at least not yet).
So what good does it do this middle class family? All it does is make the tax code even more complicated.

These tax credits will not help everyone immediatly, but as the middle class people getting the help, start having a little more to spend, the results will trickle, both up, and down. Right now I’m a middle class worker whose sharing my money with the oil cos. paying larger payments to the credit card cos. who want to help me pay my bill off sooner, by raising the monthly payments, and they give me incentives with large penalty fees. I’m sharing with Citi Mortgage helping them by paying excessive fees. Having a little more in the pocket could give a little more to put things on track, and to put more money into the real economy, by going out to eat, or buying cars again. This multiplied by the millions of middle class workers helps everyone eventually. It is a step in the right direction, or should we just give more money to the few rich guys at the top, so they can buy everything and get the economy going. THINK! THINK! THINK!

parma hts gary – these credits won’t help this middle class American at all.

How about parents either taking care of their children themselves or not relying on taxpayer subsidies to pay someone to do it?
I am tired of seeing my tax dollars going to subsidize breeding when our planet and nation are overpopulated and when most parents can’t raise children with basic life skills.
Where’s the tax break for people who didn’t add to overpopulation or who worked their way through college?

I am fed up with everything being for those with children. 60% of the children belong to the poor…..who cannot afford them. It is time to stop encouraging irresponsible behavior on the part of the poor.
I was personally responsible, and did not have children, and I am tired of paying for other people’s children.

“Meanwhile, in documented reality, one of the major tax breaks in the stimulus showed up in paychecks within a month or two of it passing.”
Yes, that was an authorization for witholding about $13 less a week from your paycheck. I don’t recall that corresponding tax cut actually having been passed.

Yes, that was an authorization for witholding about $13 less a week from your paycheck. I don’t recall that corresponding tax cut actually having been passed.
James Danley | Jan 26, 2010 2:21:42 PM
You don’t recall? That was $116 billion of the the stimulus “spending”! A $400/$800 payroll tax break in 2009 and 2010. If you don’t “recall” the passage of it, do you also not “recall” the stimulus cost was $787 billion rather than the $671 billion cost it would have been without that tax break?

jhw539 – Again, it was not a tax cut. It was simply a change in the withholding tables. It has been well-documented that people needed to look at their individual tax situation. In a two-income household, there is the potential of owing the IRS over $1,000 when you file your 2009 taxes. It was simply to get cash in hand to stimulate the economy – but any wise person either put it away to pay their taxes or changed their withholding to compensate.

Obammie is an IDIOT if he thinks he can BRIBE the AMERICAN people. Keep your handout obblaha

Steve – Most people understand exactly what their policies are. Just because we don’t agree with them, doesn’t mean we don’t understand them. The arrogance of the members of Congress is what doesn’t let them believe that we don’t like what they are trying to do.

Ken from Atl – most of what you listed is LOCALLY controlled. And the military is part of the Constitution. The federal government has no business nor authority being involved in education.

We have to take the scraps and crumbs where ever we can get them, it’s not like we’re CEO’s or Congress people. Apparrently they are exempt from all hardships.

h5mind – The military is the ONLY thing the Federal government should be spending money on. Constitutionally, it is the only thing that is spelled out as to their having authority. Pretty much everything else is left to the states and the individual.
Why would the federal government lay off people? They want us to all be totally dependent on them for everything – even though they don’t have the right to try & provide it.

“The Republicans would give the wealthy free range to make as much money as they like. That was already tried. Free Ennterprise isn’t free. The president is trying to do what he can to get money into the hands of the people that need it most, with the hope the disposable income will generate the economy…”
You witnessed last year what happens when the wealthy voluntarily chose to cut their spending (in preparation for Obama’s wealth redistribution plan). It will be a whole lot worse when the Left actually follows through on their assault on the wealthy with income tax hikes, the various surtaxes and compensation caps.
You may not like it, but it is Capitalism, the Entrepreneurial Spirit and Individual Freedom that made the USA the greatest nation on Earth. The American Dream is based on being able to achieve whatever you want–and yes that includes making as much money as you want.

Mr Obama is a LIAR. I am retired military. I did not get any COLA this year. I lost $9.00 in pay because of tax increase. So I do not believe anything this man or any Democrat has to say about no new taxes.