More about Taxes

Folks, I've been talking about taxes a lot. Now, we know that President Obama has struck a deal with the Republican leadership, and there is plenty in this deal that I'm not happy about, namely the rich getting an extension on tax breaks, but I respect that the President refuses to play politics with the lives of real people. I think President Obama has done what had to be done. The GOP has said that they will not vote on any measure until this tax issue is settled. That means they won't even vote on the START treaty, an important nuclear arms treaty with Russia, along with several other important issues. Now, we know that the public supported the notion that the rich do not deserve an extension on tax cuts. Had President Obama allowed this fight to carry on until the bitter end, he and his party would have most certainly won, but, in order to win the fight, the President would have had to allow the debate to carry over into 2011. That means people would have been paying more taxes and several would be unemployed with no benefits. With this danger looming, the question becomes "is it morally acceptable to allow innocent, hard working Americans to be hurt in exchange for political gain?" President Obama swiftly answered that question with a firm "no." Obama demonstrated that he is indeed a different kind of leader. He has proven that he truly cares about the welfare of the American people above all else, so much that he is willing to do what is unpopular in order to protect his fellow citizens.

We should keep in mind that this extension of tax cuts is a temporary measure. In two years the tax cuts will expire yet again, and we'll be having this same debate; however, we'll be having this debate in an election year, so we will then see who has the more popular idea. President Obama has not conceded or given in to the GOP, he has simply done what a president is supposed to do: take care of those who he presides over. It's not fair to judge a president's quality on a single issue, especially when, on this issue, he has shown his willingness to reach out to those who call themselves his enemies, establishing a compromise that will give the 15 million unemployed Americans an extension on unemployment benefits so that they and their families do not go hungry. "If that's the standard by which we are measuring success or core principles, then let's face it, we will never get anything done." - President Barack Obama