GOP’S GROUNDHOG DAY

[Omaha Steve]

Just got this in an email.


Republican’s “Better Solutions” Have Already Failed Students, Workers, and Families



House Republicans wrapped up their 2010 Republican Issues Conference by continuing to argue that their policies are “better solutions.” But if their recent record tells us anything, it’s that House Republicans still believe in the same failed ideas that led to the worst financial meltdown in a generation, left workers less secure, and did nothing to address our health care or college cost crises. The last thing our students and working families need is more of these same “solutions” from Republicans.



“Republicans have an obligation to… offer better solutions. We’ve offered better solutions all year long.”



“When Democrats took control of Washington, House Republicans pledged to the American people that we would be the party of better solutions. House Republicans have kept our word.”



But actions speak louder than words. In honor of Groundhog Day, let’s take a quick look at some of the recent “solutions” Republicans have been pushing…and where we’ve seen them before.



GOP SOLUTION: Choosing Special Interests Over College Students

THEN

In 2006, in the biggest raid on student aid in history, Republicans cut $12 billion from the Pell Grant program -- using it instead to offset tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

In 2007, 149 House Republicans voted against the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, a law that reduced excessive lender subsidies by $20 billion to invest in making college more affordable and accessible for students.

NOW

In September 2009, 167 House Republicans voted against the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which invests an historic $40 billion to increase the maximum annual Pell Grant scholarship, invests $10 billion to transform our community college system, and simplifies the financial aid application process, among other things.

GOP SOLUTION: Gutting Protections and Training for Workers

THEN

In 2006, House Republicans proposed to slash $431 million from Workforce Investment Act programs, eliminate America’s Job Bank program, cut the Bureau of International Labor Affairs by 82 percent, continue staffing cuts at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and slash $10 million from enforcement of wage and hour laws – including minimum wage, child labor, and overtime rules. Overall, these cuts seriously undermined the Department of Labor’s mission to protect the health and safety of workers.

NOW

In 2009, House Republicans almost unanimously voted against the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a law that allows victims of pay discrimination to effectively challenge unequal pay.

In 2009, Republican members of the House Committee on Education and Labor near-unanimously voted against the 401(k) Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act, which would protect workers from hidden fees that can cut deeply into their retirement savings.

Today, Republican members still claim that “retirement security is at the top of the Republican agenda.” < Committee on Education and Labor Republicans, 1/27/10>

GOP SOLUTION: Tax Cuts for the Wealthy Over Middle Class Job Creation

THEN

In 2001, House Republicans approved tax cuts in the form of “rebate checks” that left out over a quarter of taxpayers, largely those with lower incomes who would arguably benefit most from tax relief.



In 2003, House Republicans approved huge tax breaks that overwhelmingly benefitted the wealthiest few. As the Citizens for Tax Justice noted, “The average tax reduction for the richest one percent over the next four years will total $96,634.” Meanwhile, in the final bill, Republicans scaled back what was already modest tax relief for the middle class Americans.



In 2006, the House Republicans renewed President Bush’s unprecedented $70 billion in tax giveaways to the wealthiest Americans, standing with the President who called the cuts “tax cuts have helped grow the economy and create millions of new jobs." The job creation record of the Bush administration is certainly not one to be proud of- the Wall Street Journal calls it “the worst track record on record.”

NOW

In 2009, when given the chance to vote for a tax cut for 95 percent of America’s working families, and a bill to save and create jobs in the wake of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, not a single Republican stood with the middle class and voted “aye”.

GOP SOLUTION: Failing to Extend Health Care Coverage to Children and Working Families

THEN

From 2000-2006 House Republicans in Congress made no effort to expand access to health insurance to 46 million uninsured Americans, including over 8 million children.

In 2007, 154 House Republicans voted against reauthorizing the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act over the President’s objections – a measure that would have provided coverage to as many as four million children.

NOW

In 2009, House Republicans voted almost unanimously against health insurance reform legislation that would rein in runaway health care costs, protect consumers from insurance company abuses, and finally ensure access to quality, affordable health insurance for all Americans. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this same bill would reduce the deficit by billions over the next decade; studies also show the reforms in this bill could produce as many as 4 million jobs in that same timeframe.

After 140 days of delay in 2009, Republicans released their own health care bill – but it could hardly be called reform. The New York Times referred to the bill as “a dismaying abdication of responsibility”, doing “almost nothing to reduce the scandalously high number of Americans who have no insurance.”

House Republicans continue to call the health insurance reform bill overly costly, even though the tax cuts for the wealthy they overwhelmingly approved during the Bush administration cost $2.5 trillion over the decade after they were first enacted (2001-2010) – 2.5 times the cost of health reform.

[opihimoimoi]

1. when a group such as the GOP fail to see reason and sanity. its sheer DELUSION

[SpiralHawk]

2. Republicons kick America's kids under the bus

to keep their fatcats engorged.

"In 2006, in the biggest raid on student aid in history, Republicans cut $12 billion from the Pell Grant program -- using it instead to offset tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans."

[Omaha Steve]

3. Kick