Whining Wingnut Hypocrisy

How many times are we going to have to call those whining wingnuts (uh...er...Republicans for those who aren't into some innocent name calling) on their hypocrisy? They make it so easy for us when they send out press releases or blog about it themselves.

Someone at BlueNC linked to this blog where we could find pictures of the recent Civitas meeting. You know, the one Heath Shuler attended.

I plucked up my courage and waded into the deep goo of the far right. Here's the less-than-gushing review of Elizabeth Dole's speech by conservative blogger Dean Stevens:

The Keynote speaker for the evening was Senator Elizabeth Dole. She delivered a good speech but it seemed more rehearsed than extemporaneous. It covered all the standard talking points for conservatives, however one interesting statistic was included. Low income families in America receive $22,000 plus in benefits each year, but that number is dramatically reduced if the family has workers. Government still punishes work.[emphasis added]

Riiiight. Please, you know this guy wouldn't line up to cheer on the government if we didn't reduce benefits once someone moved into a better financial situation. Have you heard the one about how liberals give the poor so much it discourages them from getting jobs? Uh huh. Thought you had.

This comment stuck with me and yesterday, I found a News 14 blog post by Tim Boyum dated January 31, 2007. It gave a rundown of the activity in the NC Senate regarding the push for a refundable state EITC (earned income tax credit).

... Wednesday, several groups and lawmakers pushed for a state earned income tax credit. Interestingly newly elected House Speaker Pro Tem Representative William Wainwright spoke on behalf of Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue. Not long after, State Treasurer Richard Moore sent out his own release in support of it. Both are considered Democratic hopefuls for the Governor's mansion. Republicans also put in their two cents against the EITC shortly after.[emphasis added]

Um, OK. A refundable state EITC does what? It rewards moderate and low income workers. You must be employed to qualify for the credit. It is refundable because many of the people who qualify still have such a tenuous financial situation while holding down multiple jobs that they don't have taxes due come April 15. They don't need another credit that serves no purpose other than to reduce taxes they do not owe.

A refundable earned income tax credit rewards workers. Plain and simple.

Boyum was kind enough to print the press releases he had received regarding this issue. Let's just skip on down to the one sent out by a Republican.

From Republican Senator Eddie Goodall:

Democrat (sic) legislators today unveiled a plan highlighting bills entitled “Rewarding Work Tax Credit,” which is touted as tax relief for working families. Both the Senate and House companion bills would allow 5% of the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for North Carolina workers, effectively creating a North Carolina version of the Federal EITC.

:::snip:::

“The suggested EITC bill sounds nice, but has a serious flaw. Of the $65 million, only $6.5 million would be tax relief, while the other $58.5 million would be a cash subsidy or a welfare transfer due to a problem in the bill.

“Because this allows any excess over and above an individual’s North Carolina income tax to be refundable, it means even after a taxpayer pays no North Carolina income tax, they would get a bonus paid for by everyone else. Instead, we should take the $58,500,000 windfall and provide a true tax break to hundreds of thousands who, under the Democrats’ version, would see no tax relief at all.

Y'all know what he's saying, right? Goodall thinks we should take from the poor and give to the "everyone else". It looks like he's all for the state EITC as long as the "windfall" is distributed to everyone but the working poor.

The state EITC would help those families where mom, dad or both have day jobs, night jobs and weekend jobs. They've had taxes withheld. They pay into the system just like everyone else. If their tax bill is zeroed out it isn't because they've found some nifty shelter in which to hide their money.

We're not talking about a huge amount of money per family, but to some it is the difference between treading water or being able to lift themselves out of poverty.

Who wouldn't want to see families working their way out of poverty?

Those Republicans are some greedy selfish bastards, aren't they?