Yesterday, Missouri lawmakers began a special session during which Republicans will try to pay for a business tax cut by eliminating a tax creditthat benefits more than 100,000 senior citizens and disabled people.
Missouri Republicans are just the latest in a long list of state legislatures that are funding morecorporate tax breaks on the backs of low- and middle-income residents. In this case, Republicans are targeting a property tax credit that helps offset higher rent for some of the state’s most vulnerable citizens:
At stake is a tax credit that provides up to $750 for lower-income elderly and disabled people. Called the “Circuit Breaker,” it is designed to be an offset for the property taxes included in the rent paid by people with incomes of $27,500 or less. The tax credit costs $53 million annually. Repeal is part of a package that also would impose limits and sunset dates on credits targeted to developers. The Circuit Breaker tax credit is the only credit slated for repeal.
“The real issue is that many people with disabilities simply can’t own their own homes because they live on a subsistence income,” said Edward Duff of Joplin, a member of the Governor’s Council on Disability. “It really is a sort of parity to offer these renters this shelter.”
Once again, Republicans have shown they are not averse to raising taxes, as long as they are on the poor. The “circuit-breaker” tax credit is such an important aid for low-income residents that29 other states offer property tax circuit-breakers or similar programs, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Killing the credit would raise taxes on groups including disabed vets and senior citizens by up to $750 a year.
The proposal has drawn criticism from a diverse range of groups, from conservative anti-tax crusaders to liberal groups. Opponents include the AARP, the Association of Retired Missouri State Employees, the liberal-leaning Missouri Budget Project and the conservative United for Missouri, as well as agencies that work with the disabled on the local level.
The Post-Dispatch reports that Republicans have faced such a backlash for trying to repeal the tax credit that the tax-credit package they crafted may be unraveling. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Chuck Purgason (R), has prepared an alternative plan aimed at spreading tax credit cutbacks more equally among low-income residents and developers.
“Republicans are always portrayed as taking from the poor and giving to the rich, and we didn’t want to do that,” Purgason said. However, it’s unclear if there’s enough of a consensus to pass the alternative bill.
"Missouri voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a key provision of President Barack Obama's health care law, sending a clear message of discontent to Washington and Democrats less than 100 days before the midterm elections," the Associated Press reports.
The AP's David A. Lieb adds,
About 71 percent of Missouri voters backed a ballot measure, Proposition C, that would prohibit the government from requiring people to have health insurance or from penalizing them for not having it.
The Missouri law conflicts with a federal requirement that most people have health insurance or face penalties starting in 2014.
Tuesday's vote was seen as largely symbolic because federal law generally trumps state law. But it was also seen as a sign of growing voter disillusionment with federal policies and a show of strength by conservatives and the tea party movement
Republicans eyeing more momentum for the mid-term elections interpreted Missouri's passage of Proposition C as a backlash against the White House and bigger government," Bill Lambrecht reports for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Republican National Chairman Michael Steele called Missouri's rejection of the federal mandate to purchase health insurance "a significant blow to the Obama administration."
Steele called the Missouri vote "another reason why Republicans will win back the majority in November" in congressional elections.
"By rejecting ObamaCare with nearly three-quarters of the vote in a critical swing state, Missouri sent a clear message to Democrats and the Obama administration that government-run health care is a gross overreach of the federal government that needs to be repealed and replaced," Steele said in a statement.
"Democrats, who did little to combat Proposition C, were largely quiet about the Missouri results as the returns from Tueday's elections circulated this morning," Lambrecht adds.
Republicans are this morning hailing the vote as evidence of "the steadfast opposition of the American people to out-of-touch Washington Democrats' plan," in the words of House Republican leader John Boehner.
"The more the American people know about the Democrats' new law - with its job-killing mandates, tax hikes, and Medicare cuts to set up a new federal entitlement and massive new bureaucracies - the more they oppose it," he added. "How long will Washington Democrats ignore the will of the American people? What will it take for them to work with Republicans to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with commonsense reforms to lower costs?"
However, Brian Montopoli notes at the CBS Political Hotsheet blog, "While Republicans are pointing to the ease with which the measure passed as evidence that Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to the Democrats' health care plans - Proposition C got 71 percent of the vote - opposition to the plan is not quite that high (though there is still more opposition than support). In a CBS News poll last month, 36 percent of Americans said they approve of the health care reform law, while 49 percent opposed it."
At pollster.com, nearly every recent national poll indicates that -- for whatever reasons -- more and more Americans are continuing to change their minds on the health care plan.
A year ago, most polls showed the opposite: wide support for health reform.
In June of 2009 the New York Times reported, "Americans overwhelmingly support substantial changes to the health care system and are strongly behind one of the most contentious proposals Congress is considering, a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll."
When asked which party was more likely to improve health care, only 18 percent of respondents said the Republicans, compared with 57 percent who picked the Democrats. Even one of four Republicans said the Democrats would do better.
The Washington Post recently reported, "Opposition to the landmark health care overhaul declined over the past month, to 35 percent from 41 percent, according to the latest results of a tracking poll, reported Thursday."
But that poll appears to be an anomaly.
According to the Associated Press polling, the debate is going up and down, but stands in stark contrast to where it was a year ago. The last AP poll showed 49 percent totally approved of Obama's handling of health care, with 46 totally disapproving. Disapproving led the month before with 51 to 45, and the month before that by 52 to 44, but Obama had approval of 49 in March with 46 opposed.
In April of 2009, approval for handling of health care by Obama in the AP poll was 53 percent, with only 28 percent totally disapproving.
Of course, some of that disapproval comes from liberals unhappy with the abandonment of the public option. And while they most probably won't be changing parties, there's a chance that disappointed Democrats may feel unenthusiastic about voting this November, and perhaps beyond.
M.C.L Comment: I never understood why there is a segment of this country population that always chose to slit their own throats to protect the already big and powerful.. And why we have people on my side of the political fence behave like children when their pet issue isn't dealt with the manner they want it. How is staying at home and allowing your state version of Michele Bachman or Jim DeMint to win a United State Senate or congressional seat is going to teach anyone a lesson?
If anything you helped the Republicans and kill any chance of your pet issue to be dealt with. If you're a gay person and your issues are repealing DADT or DOMA who do you rather have sitting in a senate seat a centrist to moderate Democrat or a far right wing Republican?Barack Obama has done enough positive things since becoming president that has turned me from an primary election critic to a full time supporter, this man has lay down a foundation to build upon change doesn't happen in 18 months it happens over time.
And getting pissed and threatening to stay home on election night because health care isn't 100% what you want, DADT hasn't been repel yet and wanting President Obama to be the left wing version of George W.Bush is stupid.. If you stay home on election night of 2010 you're in sense are telling people you're a spoiled selfish bastard who rather screw the future of others because your issue of choice wasn't dealt with the way you wanted.
