Obama Won’t Compromise on “Tax Cuts”

Bad news.

Obama may have had the family planning pork removed from the stimulus bill, but he’s adamant that the welfare spending is non-negotiable. The “tax cuts” in dispute are being described by Republicans as “welfare through the tax code”.

In the meeting, Obama acknowledged a fundamental divide between Republicans and Democrats on the issue of a tax rebates for people at the lowest income level – Republicans complain that tax cuts for people who don’t pay income taxes amounts to “welfare through the tax code.”

House Republicans pelted Obama for more than 30 minutes with questions about deficits, taxes and spending, according to sources inside the private meeting. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), won applause from his GOP colleagues when he asked the president whether he would promise that the stimulus would not be an excuse to raise taxes or increase spending. Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), asked Obama for common ground on taxes in the $825 billion package – and was rejected.

This is the redistribution that was promised. We can’t say we weren’t warned.