We Need Adult Lawmakers
July 02, 2011 at 10:01 AM
By MIKE BROWN
Acting like children throwing a temper tantrum because they don't get their way, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) abruptly quit bipartison debt reduction talks because they refused to discuss revenue increases as part of any deal.
Democrats want to roll back excessive tax breaks and subsidies and close loopholes for the wealthiest Americans and corporations. Republicans claim this would be job-killing, and that these tax breaks have created jobs. Experience has proven otherwise.
President Reagan tried massive tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, and when they failed had to raise taxes six times and still quadupled our debt. President W. Bush tried again, and they failed again - doubling our debt while producing no net new jobs. Extending the Bush taxcuts in 2010 still hasn't increased job creation as Republicans had promised.
Economists agree that any serious debt reduction must include revenue increases. They also agree that failing to raise our debt ceiling, as Republicans threaten if they don't get their way, will lead to a major collapse of the U.S. and world economy.
Yet, all but 13 of 288 Republican lawmakers have signed a pledge to some unelected GOP czar named Grover Norquist to never raise any taxes under any conditions.
Republicans need to start acting like adults and do their job to solve our nation's problems, and decide that their oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States is far more important than their oath to some unelected czar.
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