Senate GOP vote against 99% on tax cuts

This just goes to show all of us that when it comes to the class warfare in this country, the majority usually don't matter because with this congress, money talks.

Senate passes Democratic tax plan, rejects GOP version
By Ted Barrett and Alan Silverleib
CNN
updated 6:47 PM EDT, Wed July 25, 2012

The Senate passed a Democratic plan to extend Bush era tax cuts and rejected a Republican proposal Wednesday.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Obama praises Senate vote while top Republicans blast it
Senate passes a Democratic tax plan while rejecting the GOP alternative
GOP wants to extend Bush-era tax cuts for all; Democrats want $250,000 income ceiling
Neither plan is expected to win full congressional approval

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed a Democratic plan to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for middle income Americans while rejecting a Republican alternative to continue all of the cuts -- twin votes that help to crystallize the position of the two parties on a critical issue heading into the fall campaign.

The Democratic proposal passed in a sharply polarized 51-48 vote, while the Republican plan was defeated 45-54.

Vice President Joe Biden, the constitutional presiding officer of the Senate, was on hand to cast a tie-breaking vote if necessary.

Strategists on both sides of the aisle acknowledge that neither plan has a chance of passing both the Democratic-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. GOP leaders in the House have indicated they have no intention of bringing the Democrats' plan to a vote.
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Rick Scott's Tea-Party-backed proposed budget raises questions

First Bachmann comes out and says the veterans shouldn't be getting what they are getting and now Scott wants to take more away from more people. Do these people ever think about how they will hurt others? Do they care?

They claim they are about managing money but history proves that to not be true. Had they been right about the economy when the wealthy were getting subsidized tax breaks, we'd all be working and wealthy by now. The fact is we're all hurting and waiting for the jobs to trickle down so that we can see the fruits of their promises.

They complain about paying taxes but don't seem to mind paying them when wealthy people benefit from the tax breaks.

People of Florida get ready for more pain.

Rick Scott's Tea-Party-backed proposed budget raises questions as it slashes Florida funding


BY MARC CAPUTO

HERALD/TIMES TALLAHASSEE BUREAU

Calling for billions in tax and spending cuts, Gov. Rick Scott will unveil a budget Monday that's as much a policy roadmap as it is a sweeping political statement.
Even Scott's venue for rolling out the budget drips with political symbolism -- a tea party rally he helped establish in the small rural town of Eustis where activists will also celebrate a Florida court ruling against President Obama's health plan.
Scott's first proposed budget is his best chance to make good on his campaign promise to run government like an efficient business. It also sets the tone of his relationship with the Legislature, which has to turn his plans into a balanced budget.
The $5 billion question:
Is Scott's budget realistic?
Legislative leaders aren't sure, noting that next year's budget faces a shortfall of at least $3 billion and Scott proposes to make the hole even bigger by insisting on $2 billion more in tax cuts. They want Scott to explain how much more they'll cut from schools, prisons, roads, courts, environmental programs, libraries, parks and health care.
``This is a political bombshell,'' said Glenn Robertson, former budget director for governors Bob Graham and Bob Martinez, respectively a Democrat and Republican. ``The key thing is how seriously he's taken.''
``He'll probably get a lot of applause in Eustis. But the Legislature wants details, specifics. What has to be considered is how much the governor respects the process and the political implications of what he's asking,'' Robertson said.
Never before has the Republican-led Legislature cut $5 billion in one session. Over the past five years, though, lawmakers have trimmed a total of about $5 billion from one part of the budget, the general-revenue section, which accounts for most major government services.


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Rick Scott's Tea-Party-backed proposed budget