Schumer and Reid playing the economic games of the Religious Right.

[madfloridian]

I am so disgusted reading the latest about the Senate's new "bi-partisan" version of the bail-out bill. More tax cuts to get the Republicans on board.

Aren't we getting into some dangerous territory here? This is the game Florida starting playing when Jeb Bush took office. Cut every tax you can find...then start cutting services and letting the infrastructure get so bad the people will easily accept it when you turn the roads and bridges over to private companies in foreign countries.

The new push by Schumer and Reid:

Senate to vote on rescue plan with added tax cut

WASHINGTON — In a bold bid to revive President Bush's multibillion-dollar financial rescue plan, Senate leaders scheduled a vote for Wednesday night on a version of the bill that adds substantial tax cuts meant to appeal to Republicans when it reaches the House.

The goal is to net at least 12 more House votes than the rescue proposal received Monday, when lawmakers rocked the political and financial worlds by rejecting it.

The gambit is certain to anger some conservative House Democrats, who object to tax cuts that are not offset with spending cuts. But Senate strategists assume it will gain more House votes than it will lose.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called it "a brilliant move" that will "help pick up votes on both sides of the aisle."

The new approach, announced Tuesday night by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would tack large and contentious tax measures to the bailout bill. Senate leaders figure the House will have to approve it because the tax cuts are too appealing to Republicans and the financial rescue plan will still seem essential to most Democrats.

If you have never been to Theocracy Watch, you should. It is a treasure trove of documentation of the goals of the religious right through the last couple of decades when they took over the Republican Party. The effort which has come to fruition in the choice of Sarah Palin.

Here is long page on Religious Right Economics

Just a sample:

Starve the Federal Government through Tax Cuts

Tax cuts are one of Bush's signature issues. Most taxes are unbiblical according to Beliles and McDowell in their chapter on Christian Economics. Income tax is "idolatry," property tax is "theft" and inheritance taxes are simply not allowed in the Bible. The book mentions two kind of taxes that are mentioned in the Bible: a poll tax (called a flat tax today) - which is uniform, and tithing (voluntarily paying 10% of your income to your Church.) (214-215)

As reported in the Washington Post, August 4, 2004, J. Dennis Hastert, (R-Ill.) the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives published a book that suggests abolishing the Internal Revenue Service and replacing the current tax system with either a flat tax, a national sales tax or a value-added tax. Are Hastert's taxes meeting the criteria of Biblical taxes? Curiously, they are all taxes that would favor the wealthy and burden the poor.

The New York Times,, August 13, 2004, reported on a study by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that concludes the President's tax cuts "heavily favor the wealthy." The Washington Post reported on that same study that the tax cuts "hurt the middle class."

The Texas Republican Party platform spells out which taxes to cut. It calls for abolishing the IRS and eliminating "income tax, inheritance tax, gift tax, capital gains, corporate income tax, payroll tax and property tax." The platform doesn't mention a sales tax which is also not cited in America's Providential History as "Unbiblical.".

I have said very little on the economic bail out. I do not understand a lot of it, and economics boggles my mind. But this quite frankly hits me wrong, for Schumer and Reid to cave in to one of the worst ideologues in the GOP...Mitch McConnell.

This is not bi-partisan, this is sickening.

I was already upset Saturday when I read that Nancy Pelosi said helping bankrupt homeowners avoid foreclosure won't be a part of the emergency legislation

Pelosi told fellow Democrats during a closed-door meeting that the idea of letting judges rewrite mortgages to help bankrupt homeowners avoid foreclosure won't be a part of the emergency legislation. That provision, pushed by several Democrats, would be a deal-breaker for Republicans whose votes are needed to pass the measure, she said, according to lawmakers at the meeting.

I am quite sure I will be informed very shortly that I have no idea what I am talking about, that we have to work with folks like McConnell to save our country.

I am beginning to wonder about that.