06.16.06
Sen. Shapleigh Highlights Republican War On The Middle Class
Sen. Shapleigh lays out how the Republican Party, nationally and in Texas, has been taking money from the middle class and giving in to the wealthy, Plan puts cuts above children’s programs. I recommend reading the whole thing but if you can’t here are a few choice cuts:
The tax proposals passed this special session continue the 10-year pattern in both Washington, D.C., and Austin of the ”Great Texas Tax Shift,” in which the wealthiest Texans’ taxes are shifted onto the backs of middle- and low-income families, and budgets for key programs like the Children’s Health Insurance Program, college loans and public education get cut.
The total tax relief in Gov. Rick Perry’s tax plan for those who make less than $54,000 is zero. In fact, those Texas families will pay $7 million more in net taxes. For Texans who make more than $100,000, their taxes are cut a total of $920 million. The governor’s priorities are clear: tax cuts over kids.
After 10 years of the George W. Bush era in Texas and six in the nation’s capital, we now know the pattern: tax cuts for the wealthy few, budget cuts for you and deficits as far as we can see. During this era, Republicans have worked every session to shift taxes from wealth to work, from the rich to the middle class.
Sen. Shapeleigh has long been the best Democratic voice in the Texas Senate, my opinion, of course.
Chris Bell has been highlighting this all week as well.