Dave Camp's "Democrats' Tax Bomb Will Hit Every American" Fantasy Based Fear Rant

(C) 2010 Robert Emory for the Owl's Nest

Dave Camp's Profile on "Line of Sight" Blog

Nashville, TN. - Nashville, Tennessee? Really? Isn't Dave Camp a congressional representative from Michigan? Indeed, he is. However, his user profile from his latest blog on the expiration of the Bush Tax Cuts posted on September 20, 2010, on the ultra-conservative website "A Line Of Sight" shows him to be from Nashville, Tenn. This is just one minor issue I have with Mr. Camp's presentation to his Facebook Fans . You'd think if he were going to use a ghost writer, if that is what he did (hard to imagine he made the mistake of saying he was from Tennessee himself), he'd at least use one located in Michigan, the state he represents. Michigan has one of the highest unemployment rates in the United States. Heck, Mexico has a lower unemployment rate than Michigan does!

My first question when I read Dave's article "Democrat's Tax Bomb To Hit All Americans" was "Where is the link to the bill that he is talking about?" and then I realized, he isn't speaking about the democrats passing bills that will increase the taxes on all Americans. Dave Camp is talking about letting the Bush Tax Cuts expire. Dave states in his opening remarks "There is a massive tax bomb about to go off in Washington DC – one that will explode the tax bills of every family, senior and small business by $3.8 trillion over the next ten years. While the countdown clock is fast approaching zero, Democrats are running around like a version of Keystone Kops, providing no security, but without the laughs."

Now, the truth is, the Bush Tax Cuts are set to expire here in the very near future. However, the Obama administration wants to continue those tax cuts for all but the multimillionaires and billionaires in America. So what is Dave Camp blathering on and on about all the time? He won't come out and say it, but he is right - if all the Bush Tax Cuts are allowed to expire ALL Americans will have to pay more in taxes.

However, it is the Republicans in the Senate who are blocking key legislation introduced by the Democrats which would extend the Bush Tax cuts for the average American (people like you and me) and for small businesses (mom and pop shop) and which would require the wealthiest to pay more.

Dave Camp continues to complain about his colleges in the senate: "This tax bomb will raise marginal tax rates for individuals and families at every income level. It will force hard working Americans to pay over $200 billion more in taxes next year alone. On January 1, the child tax credit will immediately be cut in half, from $1,000 to $500 per child, costing 31 million families an average of $1,033 in higher taxes next year. The marriage penalties in the standard deduction and the 15% bracket will return, costing 35 million married couples an average of $595 in higher taxes in 2011. And, the 10% bracket will be eliminated, raising the lowest tax rate to 15% and costing 88 million taxpayers an average of $503 in higher taxes next year."

He is right again: if the republicans in the senate continue to block the passage of the Democrat's legislation that will extend these tax credits for the lower and middle class, American's will be hit.

So I have a question for Dave Camp: Since it is the GOP senators that are blocking the passage of the extension of the middle and lower class tax cuts, why isn't he writing articles about them and asking them to do what is best for America?

Dave Camp spares no one from the fear factor while mistakenly blaming the democrats for the actions of the GOP Senators:

Grieving families: "Also looming ominously on the horizon is the reinstatement of the estate tax, which will jump from 0% to 55% next year."

Senior Citizens: "Millions of seniors who invest their retirement savings – including more than half of all seniors who pay income taxes – will see tax rates on capital gains and dividends rise significantly, imposing an average tax hit of $1,700."

Small Businesses: "Worse yet, this tax hike will hit employers – especially small businesses – at a time when unemployment continues to hover close to 10%."

And then Dave Camp makes the most worrisome comment I've heard from him in a while. He states: "Instead of raising taxes and making it harder for small businesses to create jobs, we should cut non-security government spending to 2008 levels and freeze current tax rates for at least the next two years."


Dave Camp is the Republican senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and what is worrisome is that he fails to understand that constricting government spending during an economic downturn or during a recession (like the recession we are still in) is a huge mistake. The government did this in 1937, which resulted in the double dip of the Great Depression.

No, Dave Camp, I'm sorry. It is time for Michigan to have someone in your seat who understands not only the problems of the broader economy, but those of Michigan's economy. Mr. Camp, the economic policies that you supported under George W. Bush have failed America and yet you insist on returning to them. You bear false witness against the Democrats while failing to point out that it is your own political party that is blocking a continuation of the Bush Tax Cuts for the Middle Class in the Senate.

So how about it Dave? Will you support cutting taxes for middle and lower class Americans and raising them for the upper class? America needs the upper class to step up, show us they are patriots and help America pull out of the hole we are in.