OSWEGO – A group of concerned citizens spent their lunch hour Tuesday holding an informational picket outside Oswego City Hall.
The nearly three dozen men and women sought to share the cons of the proposed GOP tax plan.
The group, some armed with signs, patrolled the west side of West First Street.
“I wear a couple different hats. I serve on the Oswego County Legislature but I’m also the grassroots organizer for this congressional district,” Tom Drumm explained. “I serve my local constituents. But I’m involved in this national fight.”
Speaking as a county legislature, Drumm said, “This tax plan absolutely kills the middle class in Central New York. It wipes out just about every meaningful deductible that common New Yorkers use every tax season.”
It’s important that Congress knows this and votes against the plan, he added.
That was the main reason the rally was conducted outside City Hall, the site of Congressman John Katko’s regional office.
Current GOP television ads claim the middle class will benefit from the plan.
“If you look at where we’re going to pay for this on the back end, we’re going to see the deficit balloon,” Drumm said. “What you’ll see nationally is massive cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. This hurts New York, in my opinion. (The plan) seems to go after the poor and the elderly; which is the playbook we typically see. It hurts our most vulnerable populations.”
Fred Ringwald, of We The People of Oswego, Indivisible, said he and members of his group were taking part “because we are interested in what’s important to the people of this county. This plan would hurt our pocketbooks, hurt our friends’ pocketbooks. It’s a give-away to the corporations.”
Dana Balter, a declared candidate for Congress, shared her thoughts on the tax plan, also.
The plan is nothing more than a give-away to the giant corporations, she agreed.
“They are not looking out for working families and everyday Americans. This tax plan cuts corporate tax rates, it eliminates the estate tax and it repeals the alternative minimum tax, which gives people like Donald Trump millions of extra dollars every year,” she said. “But, it does nothing for us.”
She pointed out several faults with the plan, including: college students won’t be able to deduct their student loan interest anymore; tuition scholarships will become taxable income; you’ll be taxed on the money you spend on your medical expenses; this bill will also give permanent tax reductions to corporations for maintaining operations overseas; currently, teachers can deduct the money they spend to by supplies for their classrooms, under the proposed tax plan they won’t be able to.
And, CEOs of many of the major companies in this country have gone on record saying that the savings that they will see from this tax plan are going to go to their shareholders – not to their employees, she added.
If the plan is passed, “New Yorkers will no longer be able to deduct our state income tax or our sales tax (SALT). That means we are paying taxes on our taxes!” she said. “So, we need John Katko to vote against this bill. We need him to commit to voting against any bill that includes any kind of SALT deduction. We cannot double-tax our citizens. It’s not enough for (Katko) to say no. He has to get other people to say no. And he has to stand up and actually fight for the things we need. We need a tax plan that puts working families and ordinary Americans at the center.”
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So they’re mad at officials at the federal level for attempting to lower taxes, not at the corrupt officials in this state for keeping our taxes ridiculously high? I’m also betting none of these people have even read this bill. Were these same people so concerned with the deficit ballooning so vocal when Obama increased it by 10 trillion with his stimulus scheme? Remember all those “shovel ready” jobs? By the way folks, these “evil corporations” hire people. Vote yes congressman Katko.
What’s killing the middle class(in NY at least) is that a lot of those “poor” people they’re talking about getting hurt by this are the same ones who’re on the public welfare system filling multiple shopping carts over-flowing with food whilst the actual “working-poor”, like myself, have to foot the bill for it all the while struggling just to buy milk & eggs! Us “working-poor” have been getting hammered on for years now so expect no sympathy from us…or at least from me anyways! When do I get my break?!….one I’ve actually worked for??!!
So Taxed, if you think Obama added to the deficit wait till you see what this so called tax cut does to it. It isn’t going to cut a penny from it only add on Trillions, yes Trillions. Concervitives my b___. As far as you struggling Robert how do you think this tax cut is going to help you? It more trickle down economics that didn’t work when Reagan put his tax plan to work. That was the start of the downfall of the middle class as nothing seemed to trickle down. In case you haven’t heard this tax cut is going to severely hurt the higher taxed states like us so why would Katko vote to further hurt his constituents. Plus now they want to hurt poor people further by adding health care to it in which Katko has already rejected and voted no to further adding to the debt. Like I said concervitives my b___. I’m glad to be one of the last moderates left in this world.
Joe, Tax cuts simply do not add to any deficit. Washington doesn’t get their wasteful mitts on it in the first place. You obviously didn’t live in the eighties, because when Reagan cut taxes, it led to one of the largest booms in our economy we ever had after the terrible Presidency of Carter. And by the way, deficits which occurred during that decade were due to an overspending democrat lead congress, not due to citizens keeping more of their hard earned money. Growing our way out of the endless deficit Obama created will take many years, and cutting our taxes is the right first step. Cutting spending by our bloated Federal government is also much needed.
No tax plan is ever going to seem fair or uncomplicated until we get rid of the idea that taxes should be “based on income as opposed to spending”. As such, you would be taxed upon the personal choices and spending habits that you alone make as to what your personal tax contribution would be. The rich would pay more because they would spend more. The poor would pay less because they would spend less. However, the rate would be the same for all, like local sales tax. If you want something in life, you have to “be willing to pay for it”. If you want it to “be fair,” it has to apply for all. If you want “to have control over it”, it has to be spent by the people, not the government. By the way Joe, it’s “Conservatives”.
They should at least read the bill and do the calculations. This bill doesn’t hurt the poor & the elderly and isn’t much help to the rich. It does lower corporate taxes which will stimulate the economy and create jobs.
Doesn’t Oswego County need job?
Hi Joe, I’ll tell you how it’ll help me. It will allow me to keep more of my over-earned money to actually spend trying to overfill a shopping cart which is something I’ve never been able to do in my life working without it affecting some other necessity, like housing. Should I starve on the street while others who abuse the system get free everything? Take a spin by any Walmart at the start of the month & you’ll bear witness to all of those people who’re better off than I am & don’t have to work for it. Granted, there’s actually legit people who need actual help but if I were allowed to keep more of my $$$ then I would be able to donate some also to help those who actually need it; which I do now as best as I can anyways…we’re not heartless people. Working for a living just isn’t as lucrative as sitting on the system being able to spend your time as you want to…and that should never be the case!