Dems advance Obama's tax, spending budget outlines

[kpete]

Source: Associated Press

Dems advance Obama's tax, spending budget outlines
AP

By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer Andrew Taylor, Associated Press Writer – 30 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Congressional Democrats advanced budget outlines Wednesday that largely mirror President Barack Obama's tax and spending plans while imposing marginal changes to tame ballooning deficits. "This budget will protect President Obama's priorities — education, energy, health care, middle class tax relief and cut the deficit in half," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said after the president met privately in the Capitol with rank-and-file Democrats.

Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said the purpose of the president's visit was not to round up votes to assure passage of the plan. "He came here to show leadership and to show we're together on his priorities," the senator said.

Conrad indicated changes had been made to reflect concern about the deficit, the most notable of which was to assume the president's middle class tax cut would expire after 2010. Future attempts to extend the tax reductions would have to be paid for from elsewhere in the budget to avoid adding to the red ink, he said.

Obama came to the Capitol as committees in the House and Senate settled down to review similar budget plans, with votes on the floors of both houses expected by the end of next week.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090325/ap_on_go_co/congress_budget

[LSparkle]

1. What does this "alternative" budget do about BUSH'S tax cuts?

I'm sick of these CONSERVADEMS (almost wrote CONSERVADAMNEDs!)
suddenly getting "deficit fever" after they bankrolled Bush's
fucking war, budget after budget, supplmental after supplemental.

If they're cutting out "Making Work Pay" and the AMT fix, then
WHY THE FUCK AREN'T THEY CANCELLING BUSH'S TAX CUTS? The
hypocrisy of it just stuns me.

[pinto]

3. iirc, Bush's tax cuts will expire in 2010. And not be reinstated. n/t

[nykym]

2. MAke the middle class tax cut

PERMANENT! Just keep taxing the rich. they have had a free ride for long enough.