House Republicans pass poison student loan interest bill
by Joan McCarter @ Daily Kos….
The House Republicans just did it, they voted to trade low student loan interest rates for childhood immunizations, and, of course, more War on Women by cutting women’s health. The vote was 215-195 despite alast minute threat from Club for Growth and Heritage, warning Republicans that voting to extend the lower interest rate at all will be counted against them. Thirty Republicans voted against, it, 13 Democrats for it.
Those breast and cervical cancer screenings, and immunizations, and HIV screenings, that’s all going to people who Republicans would prefer not to think about anyway. The White House points this out in the veto threat [pdf] issued by the Office of Management and Budget:
Unfortunately, rather than finding common ground on a way to pay for this critical policy, H.R. 4628 includes an attempt to repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund, created to help prevent disease, detect it early, and manage conditions before they become severe. Women, in particular, will benefit from this Prevention Fund, which would provide for hundreds of thousands of screenings for breast and cervical cancer. This is a politically-motivated proposal and not the serious response that the problem facing America’s college students deserves. If the President is presented with H.R. 4628, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.
So the hostage, low student loan interest rates, has effectively been taken, with the gun to the head of women and children’s health. Just in time for recess!There are, of course, plenty of other ways to pay for the extension of these low interest rates. The way the Senate has chosen to do it is through closing a loophole that allows certain wealthy businesspeople to avoid paying Medicare taxes on large chunks of their income, the Newt Gingrinch/John Edward loophole, as the Senate Democrats are calling it.
Does all this sound familiar? A major hit is about to fall on the middle class. Republicans refuse to allow any kind of tax increase on the wealthy to fund it, and take a hostage. Democrats suggest closing yet another loophole that helps the rich. And we’re heading into another big standoff. The difference this time is that we’re much closer to an election, and a voting bloc that is critical to Democrats—young people—is watching very closely and will be energized by this fight.
By the way, remember how the Bush tax cuts didn’t have to be paid for? Fun times.
So now in addition to their war on women and the Middle Class
The Republicans are now opposed to kids getting vaccinated
Except for their ever present concern that millionaires might have to pay a few extra bucks in taxes
Why do Republicans really care about?
MONEY $$$ ……
That’s ALL Jack….
Yep you two pretty much summed it up.
To the GOP NOTHING is worse than having a multi-millionaire pay a couple thousand more a year in taxes.
And I have a message to all those who live paycheck to paycheck and fall for this line that the wealthy need to be protected from ANY kind of tax increase–How does it feel to be a chump?
Can you imagine how billionaires like the Koch brothers sit around snickering at dumbasses like SE and Manila
All concerned about the poor ol wealthy
Jack I simply CAN NOT UNDERSTAND how poor and middle class people can follow
A party that works very to pick THEIR pockets and take their money, jobs and social safety nets
That they have paid for
Why not ask Manila and SE?
First of all, SE and Manilla are at least partially in denial that the GOP’s policies hurt the middle class.
I think most Republicans see the poor as people who are lazy. and they see the wealthy as people who have worked much harder than the rest of us. Therefore they see a progressive tax system as encouraging handouts. and they fear that the tax rate is already too high, and that further taxation will significantly discourage investment. Did I get that right?
Yeh
That’s pretty much the standard GOP line
But all the poor aren’t lazy
And many wealthy people don’t work hard
And I disagree slightly
They are not in partial denial
They are in TOTAL denial
Yep – I was being polite with the use of “partially”
I STILL DON’T get how you vote for people trying to pick your pocket….
The Stockholm thing, eh?
I don’t either
In my view there is a certain
Mean spiritedness involved
As Zreebs points out
A lot of Republicans really believe that poor people are basically lazy bums
And their attitude is screw em
They also have a hero worship of wealthy people and seem to buy into Romneys bs about
“Success”
Certainly there is something to be said for hard work producing success
But as is constantly pointed out
If you are a child of a wealthy person you are going to be wealthy
And this “jobs creators” stuff is for the birds
Not every millionaire is “investing” his money in new businesses
Ultimately there is little logic involved here just the constant repetition of worn out mantra and as I alluded earlier that a lot of GOPers just don’t like people different from themselves
Romney told college students the other day that they should borrow money from their parents to start businesses.
It’s amazing how someone as intelligent as Mitt is can be so out of touch
I really don’t think it dawns on him that not everyone was born into the same situation he was.
I’m beginning to think the same thing
I know it’s an overworked phrase
But the guy doesn’t seem to
“Get it”
Also did you notice how bored the students seemed listening to his talk?
Those kids looked BORED when he was speaking.
I would be, too.
Scott…..
It’s scary that people would consider voting for Romney
He is NOT a everyday man…
And Barack Obama somehow is?
No not now
But he’s a LOT closer to being one than the 250 DMILLION Dollar Man
It’s not Romney’s wealth that makes him out of touch. I’ve met CEOs who can talk with everyone. It’s even the jokes Romney tells – like “I’m unemployed too”. It’s like a person joking with someone who is dying by saying he can relate because his ankle is sore. Romney just doesn’t get it. And partially because of that he wouldn’t make an effective president.