No Time for Jobs and the Economy
We’ve been discussing the GOP’s obsession with health care, but that’s not the only thing Republicans are obsessed with. Here’s a few other things they’ve focused on instead of creating jobs and moving the country forward.
- Cutting Taxes on the Wealthy: Republicans successfully held middle-class tax cuts hostage in late 2010 in order to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy for another two years. Then, nearly every Republican in the House and Senate voted for two successive budget plans that would give millionaires another $265,000 tax cut on top of the Bush tax cuts. House Republicans are also planning a vote in the coming weeks to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy yet again.It should also be noted that when given a direct choice between bills that would have put millions of Americans back to work or protecting the wealthy from paying another dime in taxes, Republicans repeatedly voted against jobs bills.
- Ending Medicare: Almost every single Republican in the House and Senate voted for two budget plans in a row that would end Medicare as we know it and replace it with a voucher program that would shift costs onto the backs of seniors.
- Attacking Women’s Health Care: Almost immediately after taking power in 2011, House Republicans set about attacking women’s health care. They passed bills that would have redefined rape and even let women die rather than receive a life-saving abortion. Last March, Republicans nearly shut down the government in order to defund Planned Parenthood.
- Enriching Big Oil & Rolling Back Clean Air and Clean Water Rules: This Republican-controlled House of Representatives is the most anti-environment in history. The House has voted against the environment at least 247 times, including 109 votes to enrich the oil and gas industry.
- Pursuing Political Witch Hunts: House Republicans, in particular, have tried to stir up trouble for the president using politically-motivated witch hunts. A year-long investigation of the failed solar company Solyndra failed to turn up any wrongdoing. And just last week, House Republicans took the unprecedented step of voting to hold the Attorney General in contempt of Congress after the president invoked executive privilege in response to the GOP’s fishing expedition in the Fast & Furious matter.
IN ONE SENTENCE: A look at their agenda shows that Republicans have found plenty of time to obsess over just about anything other than jobs and the economy — except, of course, when it comes to their attempts to sabotage it.
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