Nancy Cassis to MI's Poor: Screw You

Earned Income Tax Credit (4.00 / 4)

I don't believe there can be any more stark demonstration of Republican hypocrisy and disdain for poor working people than the bill introduced by Nancy Cassis to delay implementation of the state EITC.  After more than a decade of massive tax cuts for businesses and wealthy individuals Sen. Cassis has decided that the one segment of the population who shouldn't be entitled to tax relief is the very segment which needs it the most, the working poor.  What is ironic is that Sen. Cassis sponsored the EITC last year when it was enacted.  I can't fathom how these people can look at themselves in the mirror in the morning.

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by: Donkey1 @ Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 16:48:27 PM CDT

We'd all be rich (0.00 / 0)

If we had a dollar for every time one of us asked ourselves that question.

Call me crazy, but somewhere I'd like to believe that deep down Republicans are good people who are just a little lost. But each time I read something like this, it gets harder and harder for me to really believe that. Rather sad, isn't it?

I want to change the world, not help people adjust to it. - Millie Jeffrey, MI - National Women's labor and Democratic activist, Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient

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by: LiberalLucy @ Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 17:04:47 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Despicable. (4.00 / 2)

Nancy Cassis should be ashamed of herself.  Republicans should start figuring out way to kick her out of the party.  As a longtime anti-poverty advocate and someone who makes a living in the nonprofit/helping poor people sector, it is beyond comprehension that Cassis is attacking children.  I've never seen such short-sighted crap in all of my days.  Even John Engler didn't have the cajones to pull something like this.

Do stupid people know they are stupid?

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by: JPowers155 @ Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 17:08:12 PM CDT

A resource for talking to your legislators about this (0.00 / 0)

The following has been going around in the e-mail since this story broke. It is quite useful.

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The Brookings Institution website has information on how many filers in each Michigan House and Senate district claimed the federal EITC in Tax Year 2004. All of these filers would have been eligible for our recently-enacted state EITC which will begin in Tax Year 2008. This information may be useful to you as you communicate with your Senators the importance of the federal EITC for working families in your community, and how the new State EITC will provide even more relief for these families.

The spreadsheet can be found at http://www.brookings.... Column D shows the number of EITC returns in each legislative district, while Column E shows the total amount that filers received in their refunds. (Remember that Upper Chamber refers to the Michigan Senate, while Lower Chamber refers to the Michigan House of Representatives.)

SOME WAYS TO USE THIS DATA

To find the total number of filers in your legislator's district who received EITC refunds: See Column D

To find the total amount of federal EITC refund coming into your legislator's district: See column E

To find the average federal EITC refund for your legislator's district:  Divide Column E by Column D.

To estimate the approximate average state EITC refund in your district: For Tax Year 2008, divide the average federal refund (in #3) by 10 percent, and for Tax Years beyond 2008, divide the result by 20 percent. Keep in mind that because these numbers are from 2004 and the refund amount is increased for inflation each year, the average federal and state refunds will be slightly higher than what is calculated.

To estimate the total amount of state EITC refund going into your legislator's district: Divide Column E by 10 percent for Tax Year 2008 and by 20 percent for succeeding Tax Years, again keeping in mind that refunds are increased for inflation each year.

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by: MichMash @ Wed Aug 01, 2007 at 15:48:07 PM CDT