Roskam slams Duckworth on taxes
Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
From a press release:
Sixth District Congressional candidate Senator Peter Roskam called on his opponent to “come clean†on the issue of tax relief. Roskam stated that her position continues to be elusive and ever-changing. Roskam was joined by House Ways and Means Member Congressman Phil English (PA-3) who indicated that her reluctance to make permanent the tax relief means she “hasn’t ruled out a tax hike†on suburban families.
“I support providing immediate tax relief to suburban families and businesses by eliminating the death tax, marriage penalty tax and doubling the child tax credit,†said Peter Roskam.
“Tammy Duckworth hasn’t signed the “no new taxes†pledge because she wants to keep the door open to raising your taxes,†said Rep. English. “Campaigns are about issues, and Duckworth isn’t a real candidate if she doesn’t take positions on issues like taxes.”
Roskam campaign says that class-envy rhetoric by Duckworth doesn’t add up. According to the U.S. Department of Treasury, more than 119,000 children are eligible for the child tax credit in the Sixth Congressional District. A family of four with two children making $50,000 would see a 132% increase in their tax bill if the tax relief is not made permanent.
Below are a variety of statements by Duckworth on taxes.
• “She [Tammy Duckworth] said she has some problems with making the Bush tax cuts permanent†(Dec. 18, 2005, Daily Herald).
• “But ask Duckworth which of the Bush tax cuts she’d repeal and the answer isn’t as cut-and-dried†(March 16, 2006, Daily Herald).
• “Duckworth vows to fight tax cuts for the wealthy†(March 22, 2006, Daily Herald).
• “Duckworth said she ‘would seriously consider repealing part’ of the Bush tax cuts, which she said, ‘have caused our deficit to explode†(April 18, 2006, Chicago Tribune).
- HANKSTER - Thursday, Aug 3, 06 @ 4:46 pm:
Ahh the old Republican stand by threat that your taxes will go up. No doubt he is taking a beating on his position against stem cell research and is trying to change the subject. Thats probably a good idea for him.
- Deficits Schmeficits - Thursday, Aug 3, 06 @ 5:01 pm:
Bush’s fiscal policy has consisted of cutting taxes while raising spending, flying in the face of any financial (and conservative) wisdom.
If Roskam wants to make tax cuts for Paris Hilton a centerpeice of his campaign, I think he’ll find that the Medicare Part D reicpeints who are about to lose drug coverage because of the adminsitration’s massive give away to the insurance and drug companies are less than receptive to the idea of corperate welfare and tax cuts to the wealthest 5%. It’s all a question of priorities,
Tammy wants to make sure Seniors don’t have to make the choice between paying their rent and paying for perscription drugs, apparently Roskam wants to make sure Paris Hilton has the choice between a solid gold Bentley and a silver plated yacht.
- Pete Granata - Thursday, Aug 3, 06 @ 6:12 pm:
If this is all Roskam has in his neo con arsenal folks at the DuPage court house will be seeing more of him in Slip and Fall and Dog Bite court.
- Phil Phrench - Thursday, Aug 3, 06 @ 6:47 pm:
“More of the same” Roskam continues to bring in current members of Congress to show what a great addition he’ll make to their cabal. Keep talking about debates and taxes, Roskam, you’re playing politics and badly.
- So-Called "Austin Mayor" - Thursday, Aug 3, 06 @ 7:01 pm:
The original Bush administration estimates of the cost of the Iraq War — which ranged from $200 million to nothing at all — were utter B.S. The total cost is going to be over one trillion — TRILLION! — dollars. And every one of those dollars is borrowed.
So only a fool would rule out some kind of tax increase.
- Anon - Thursday, Aug 3, 06 @ 7:26 pm:
I would hardly call that a “slam” that is more like a desperate move to gain somekind of traction.
Also, as far as issues, Roskam is the one not taking a stand on the big issues, check out their respective issues pages on their websites and you can see how the candidate measure up on the issues.
- Carl Nyberg - Thursday, Aug 3, 06 @ 8:05 pm:
While Republicans have cut income taxes in DC, has the total tax burden risen, fallen or stayed the same?
Since the Republicans took control of Congress in 1994 and “devolved” services from the federal gov’t to state and local gov’t what has happened to property taxes?
So the Republican strategy is to cut income taxes (affect the wealthy the most) and increase property taxes, sales taxes, sin taxes and user fees which hit the middle class and poor.
Can Tammy Duckworth make this case? If she can she’s brighter than most of the Dems in DC.
- Carl Nyberg - Thursday, Aug 3, 06 @ 8:07 pm:
BTW, what is Roskam’s position on Bush’s deficit? What spending would Roskam cut? What taxes would he increase?
Or is he just another “put it on the tab” Republican?
- Truthful James - Friday, Aug 4, 06 @ 9:17 am:
Interesting. Has anybody considered that if the Bush tax cuts are rescinded, there will be a eduction in the flows of sales and income taxes to State governments. Right now Blago’s special projects are living off those.
- Truthful James - Friday, Aug 4, 06 @ 9:18 am:
Sorry, meant to add to my last. That makes an Illinois income tax increase more likely.
- Reg - Friday, Aug 4, 06 @ 10:20 am:
Roskam is against pay-as-you-go budgeting (requiring all new spending or tax cuts to be offset by spending cuts elsewhere) and he’s for continuing the pork barrel practice of “earmarking” projects in congressional districts. And he’s for extending every one of the Bush tax cuts.
Reminds me of the constituent letter former Senator Paul Simon said he once received, which listed the ten things the constituent wanted Simon to do. The first nine required more government spending. The last one said “Cut my taxes!” Simon remarked, “believe it or not, our government has adopted this man’s platform.” Apparently, so has Roskam.
- NW burbs - Friday, Aug 4, 06 @ 3:08 pm:
What sort of “relief” is it for me or my young children to give major windfall tax cuts to the wealthy elite while racking up monstrous debt to Red China?
Perhaps Petey ought to explain why debt to China is better than a tax investment in his own country. Who does he think pays for our army and our highways and our courts (as a quasi-ambulance chasing trial lawyer he ought to be very happy about taxpayers funding courts) and the like.
Tax “relief” my big toe. More like “GOP shell game” to hide their drunken sailor spending addiction. Since 94 Federal spending has ballooned — gee, what happened in 94?
- Truthful James - Friday, Aug 4, 06 @ 3:54 pm:
“Major windfall tax cuts”
Have not Federal, State and Local tax revenues ballooned since the tax cuts. What would the governor do without them?
Seems like we should look for spending cuts first. You can only kill the golden goose one time.