Poll: What Does $20 Mean To You?
Unless Congress can reach an agreement, federal payroll taxes will increase 2 percent on Jan. 1, costing the average family about $20 a week.
The average worker's weekly paycheck could be about $20 lighter beginning in just two weeks if Congress can't come to an agreement on an extension of the middle class payroll tax cut.
House Republicans killed a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, unemployment benefits and a provision avoiding Medicare payment cuts to doctors Tuesday by a 229-193 vote. The Senate voted Saturday by an 89-10 margin to extend all three for two months. All three provisions expire on Jan. 1.
House Republicans want the Senate to return and negotiate over a compromise plan. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he won't negotiate until the House approves the Senate's package.
If Congress can not reach a compromise by Jan. 1, federal payroll taxes will immediately increase by 2 percent. The average family making about $50,000 a year will lose $1,000, about $20 a week. A few years ago, that might not have meant much. But in this economy, it may significantly impact many families.
So we want to know: What would losing $20 a week mean to you?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below and answer today's poll: Should Congress reconsider and approve a payroll tax cut extension?
DownTheHiller
7:13 am on Thursday, December 22, 2011
$20.00: My allotment for coffee for the week.
Samantha Turner
11:30 am on Thursday, December 22, 2011
$20: my allotment for coffee today.
Kathleen Bowlby
7:21 am on Thursday, December 22, 2011
$20.00 = over a thousand a year = a hell of a lot - the working class can NOT afford it.
Eugene LaFrance
7:41 am on Thursday, December 22, 2011
In my opinion, Congress and the Senate should take a big fat pay cut !
They only take care of themselves and give no consideration to America's working class. They get the best health care plans, ridiculous pays for doing precious little and never sacrifice anything. They don't care about the American people who are loosing their homes and are struggling to feed their families. In my opinion, most politicians in Washington live in another world !!
David Davis
8:05 am on Thursday, December 22, 2011
Forget the $20.00, it is about the rest of the waste that goes on in Washington. We need to reduce the size of government and get back to the Country our fore-fathers envisioned when they penned the constitution not the bloated mess we have now.
Jim Weinreich
10:32 am on Thursday, December 22, 2011
$20 = my expense to go bowling on Friday night and hangout with friends and family. Been doing this for 30 years, and would hate to have to stop.
Spring Street
10:55 am on Thursday, December 22, 2011
Unforgivable!! Well it would effect rent,lights,heat food etc. Small budget cannot afford $80-$100 monthly swipe ! What in God's name are they thinking of ! Families are struggling to just get buy and those political thieves steal their lil' $$ from them food out of their children's mouth!. Plus minimum wage= slave labor here in the USA !
Chris12
2:12 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
"Unless Congress can reach an agreement, federal payroll taxes will increase 2 percent..."
You are condoning a $20 tax increase by saying not now please. Later down the road is better. Are you people all nuts???? The question should be WHY CAN'T WE GET RID OF THIS PAYROLL TAX INCREASE FOREVER. Not how will I miss my $20.
For those of you that are going to have breakfast with Congressman Cicilline please ask him why we are not eliminating this payroll tax instead of fighting about extending it a couple of weeks or months
Tom O'Connell
11:03 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
Chris - this "payroll tax" is designed to fund your Social Security account (along with a matching employer tax). So, it is a payroll tax in the sense it is deducted from your paycheck, but it would be to your long-term benefit. So, reducing the tax only short-changes you. Maybe you could ask our representatives why they don't advocate real tax reform, instead of fiddling around with your future Social Security benefit.
Lisa
8:14 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
You forgot to mention that House Republicans want to extend the payroll tax cut for another year, not for the two months that the Senate passed.
Chris12
6:47 am on Friday, December 23, 2011
Tom- My representatives don't give a fig about my future SS. The more $$$$$ we give our government the more $$$$$ they will spend. No tax increase. End it permanently.
I do agree that real tax reform is necessary.
Richard
8:54 pm on Friday, December 23, 2011
The overriding issue is not the dollar amount. Whether or not "We the People", are willing to stand for the continued tomfoolery of our Congress or our local politicians is the point.
When is enough going to be enough! When will "We the People" decide that party politics must go in the trash! When will the collective good of the people be the decisive overriding concern?
Good honest people who will do the "right thing" for the collective good, shy away from their civic mindedness because of the toxic atmosphere that is the political landscape. It takes a very strong individual to step into the politically charged circle of today.
I ask anyone who comments on or reads "The Patch"; when was the last time you thought of politics in any other context than Dem or Repub.
There are more registered Independents, but candidates are rarely listed as independent on the ballot.The reason is the virtual certainty that they will not be elected. That reality screams hypocrisy.
$20.00 may seem like very little, but to some it's a fortune. Only when you reach into your pocket and there is nothing there does the gravity of $20.00 hit home.
We are in a national crisis. A crisis of leadership, morality and basic common decency. Our country has fallen to the depths where an argument over $20.00 a week is the leading nightly news story.
While Rome burns Nero fiddles on!
God Bless America we need it!
David Davis
3:15 am on Saturday, December 24, 2011
AMEN Richard!!!!!!
Merry Christmas
NKGOP Watch
11:31 am on Sunday, December 25, 2011
Wow, all so True! In fact, right here in NK the top vote getters include Liz Dolan, a Halley enabler from when he was running the schools and a Halley ally to this day. And (this is a fact) the dopey moms re-elect her because she caught her husband (Halleys lawyer) cheating on her for the second time and decided alcohol, battery, and getting arrested with the kids there was the best solution out of all the choices. THESE are the choices the voters make.
I was at a candidate forum last election and the lady sitting next to me was taking notes when Dolan was spewing some load of crap. I tred to tell het about you know, Dolans history and what she really represents. The lady looked at me like she SHOULD have looked at Dolan. Another dopey yuppie in suburbia drinking that cool aid. Sad. There should be a test before people can vote.
Tucker Henry
9:29 am on Saturday, December 24, 2011
A pox on Barack Obama and both the House and Senate Republicans and Democrats. This is Not a reduction in the Federal Income Tax Rate. This is a blatant raid of the Social Security Trust Fund - which is teetering on insolvency.
For BO to be gloating that he's a "tax cutter" is shameful - and the House and Senate went along with it. They just stole your Social Security money from tomorrow - to only give it back to you today in an attempt to buy your vote. Vote out All the incumbents in November and start over.
Richard
11:59 am on Saturday, December 24, 2011
Tucker I agree. BO is only one of many, both locally and nationally, that have only their own self-interests in mind.
I believe that in order to effect positive change we must start locally and force the changes to rise in the system. To hope that those on the state and national levels will miraculously (like Scrooge) get the message is a waste of time and energy.
As I stated above, party must take a back seat to doing the right thing, for the common good of all the people.
I disagree with throwing out all incumbents. As a concerned voter one should peel back the onion on each incumbent (voting record, true to their word, common good of all the people, etc.). In that way the baby will not be thrown out with the bath water.
On all levels good incumbents can be found. But there are not enough of them now. WE NEED MORE!!
A famous man once said "You cannot please all of the people all of the time". I believe that is true.
Going forward much more will become evident about changes in NK politics and on the state level. Some of the changes will be very obvious, some not. But positive changes will be rolled out. The question will be whether or not the people of NK & RI really want the chamges, we'll see.
Richard
11:34 am on Saturday, December 24, 2011
Thank You DD. Merry Christmas to you and everyone in NK.
Also a great thank you to the staff of the Patch for providing a forum for all to air their thoughts.
Dialogue and exchange of ideas is the fuel by which we will eventually rectify many of the ills that are now present in our town, state & country. May that fuel be ignited by the good old American spirit of can do, not what can you do for me.
I am optimistic that the new year will shine upon us in ways that none of us expect.
Chris12
7:22 am on Sunday, December 25, 2011
Richard- "when was the last time you thought of politics in any other context than Dem or Repub."
Uh...Linc Chafee is an Independent. Nuff said...
Richard
2:45 pm on Sunday, December 25, 2011
Chafee switched from Repub to Independent because he had no by choice.
He was elected with a very distinct minority of the votes cast. He won simply because of the number of candidates in the race, (an old slice & dice political end around, the irony was that it was not intentional).
He certainly has proven by his performance and current pole numbers that the majority of voters were correct in not voting for him.
Mr. Chafee is neither a Dem, Repub or Independent. He is an aberration who happened to be in the right place at the right time.
I guarantee you that the next time he runs it will be for the political exit door. The voters got hoodwinked in 2010 it won't happen again for him.
taxed2death
10:44 am on Sunday, December 25, 2011
oh you poor souls , yeah that 20 bucks is going to ruin your life.
well why not consider what the medicare cut will do to the elderlyincluding your parents so go right ahead and enjoy your 20 bucks.