December 07, 2010 12:21 AM UTC

Tell Udall and Bennet: No Deal

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• by: Alan

The headlines from Washington this morning are absolutely infuriating. It’s time for progressives to stand up and fight.

The U.S. House has passed legislation that is critical for America’s long-term security and solvency: ending the Bush tax cuts for Americans who make over $250,000 per year. Ending these 2003 tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans will raise $700 billion dollars or more to reduce the federal deficit over the next decade, and meet our obligations to future generations.

As usual, Republicans in the U.S. Senate are standing in the way–and worse, Democrats in Washington are reportedly considering giving in to their irresponsible grandstanding (New York Times, 12/6/2010).

Send a message to our Colorado Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet right now: tell them NO DEAL. No more extensions of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Colorado progressives are tired of watching Democrats in Washington cave in to the right wing. Poll after poll shows the American people–and the people of Colorado–overwhelmingly support ending the Bush tax cuts for those earning $250,000 or more per year. We can all agree that the economy hasn’t gotten better since 2003, so what have the Bush tax cuts even accomplished?

Both Udall and Bennet have said they would prefer to only continue these tax cuts for the middle class and working families, but progressives need more than talk. What America needs are principled leaders who will take a stand for what they claim to believe. If Mark Udall and Michael Bennet really view deficit reduction as a priority, ending Bush’s irresponsible tax cuts for the rich–while preserving them for those who truly need relief–is the place to start.

And the time is now. Thanks for standing up for our common interests, and for reminding our elected officials that we sent them to Washington, as opposed to their opponents, for a reason.