Maddow: Touting common-sense proposals, GOP takes path of least common sense

[ProfessionalLeftist]

If you want to help the nation, help the unemployed.

"President Obama sits down today at the White House with Republican lawmakers, who say Democrats can work with them by giving them everything they want. At the top of the GOP's list is busting the budget by extending all of the Bush tax cuts -- not just the ones for the middle class, which all parties agree on, but the ones for the richest Americans as well.

In an op-ed in the Washington Post this morning, incoming House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) say the $700 billion present to the wealthy is one of their party's "common-sense proposals" for growing the economy.

Oh, and by the way, Congress must act today in order to extend unemployment insurance for the millions of Americans out of work 27 weeks or longer. The GOP seems content to let those benefits expire, or to hold them hostage to tax cuts for the rich. As we saw on the show last night, unemployment benefits do more to grow the economy than lower taxes for top earners, because the unemployed spend the money they get right away. Reducing income taxes give you the least bang for the buck, the Congressional Budget Office reports in the chart above. The contrast is really quite clear."

LINK:

http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/11/30/5550835-chart-if-you-want-to-help-the-nation-help-the-unemployed

[MBS]

1. thanks. this is great.

I just go crazy every time I hear the GOP/Tea Party meme of "common sense conservative". . they're as far from "common sense" as you can be, and not be institutionalized (and some of them should be, anyway). Rachel nails it, with nice, hard facts.