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  • 10 highlights from 2012

    10. Karl Rove's, the Koch brothers', and other conservative groups’ $1 billion in outside money was no match for your grassroots organizing.

    9. Everyday citizens stood up to Republican attempts to suppress the vote—and our nation's courts struck down some of the GOP's most blatant efforts in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Ohio.

    8. The Supreme Court affirmed what we've known all along: Obamacare is constitutional.

    7. Four states made history by supporting marriage equality at the ballot box.

    6. Back from the brink of collapse, General Motors is posting record profits and investing billions in the U.S., thanks to a President who wouldn’t let Detroit go bankrupt.

    5. President Obama and congressional Democrats prevented 7.4 million college students' loan interest rates from doubling.

    4. With the DREAM Act stalled in Congress, President Obama signed an executive order helping undocumented young people in college or the military.

    3. As of this year, 3.1 million young people now have health insurance and birth control is co-pay free—all thanks to Obamacare.

    2. We've added 5.6 million jobs over 33 straight months of private-sector job growth. That's progress.

    1. With 332 electoral votes, President Obama won re-election—decisively.

  • Six things you should know about the GOP's Plan B

    With the fiscal cliff deadline looming, the American people have made their voices heard: They want a balanced approach that protects middle-class families, seniors, students, and the most vulnerable Americans—while asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share.

    The so-called Plan B put forward by Speaker John Boehner and the Republican Party accomplishes none of that.

    Instead, here's what the Republicans are proposing:

    1. Cut taxes for millionaires by an average of $50,000 and raise taxes on the middle class.

    2. Eliminate tax cuts for 25 million students, families, and businesses who are struggling to make ends meet.

    3. Cut off 2 million Americans from unemployment assistance, a vital lifeline for Americans fighting to find work.

    4. Subject doctors to deep cuts in Medicare payments.

    5. Offer minimal deficit reduction that doesn't address our long-term fiscal challenges—and zero spending cuts.

    6. Protect the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans instead of stepping up and working to reduce our deficit by $4 trillion.

    The bottom line is that the Republicans' so-called Plan B burdens the middle class and fails to ask the wealthy to pay their fair share.

    President Obama is fighting for a significant, balanced deal that will provide security for middle class families, the economy and our nation’s future—and asks the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share. It's time for the GOP to put politics aside and come to the table. Every day they waste, the possibility that taxes go up on every single American increases.

  • Help the President by picking up the phone

    Who will decide if your taxes increase in just 22 days? A few dozen members of the House of Representatives, that's who.

    Cutting taxes for the middle class shouldn't be difficult, especially when Republicans claim they agree with the President on the issue. But some Republicans are still holding middle-class tax cuts hostage simply because they want to cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires.

    Here's what's going on right now: President Obama is asking Congress to move forward on a plan that would prevent 98 percent of American families from paying higher taxes next year. The Senate has passed that bill, and the President is ready to sign it—but the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives won't even bring the bill to the floor for a vote. House Democrats have filed a petition that would force a vote if it attracts 218 signatures.

    If a bill has enough votes to pass, Congress should vote on it and pass it. It's a pretty simple proposition. And every member of Congress who hasn't signed on to keep taxes low for the middle class needs to hear from you.

    Call your representative today at 202-224-3121 and ask them to sign the petition in support of a vote. Not sure who your representative is? Click here to find out.

    Here's a suggestion on what to say—feel free to improvise and let your representative's office know why you're personally supporting the President's plan:

    "Hi, I'm calling to make sure my voice is heard. As a voter from your district, I support the President's plan to extend tax cuts for 98 percent of American families—$2,000 a year means a lot to me and to middle-class families here in our state. I urge my representative to sign the petition forcing the House to vote on the Senate-passed bill, and to vote "yes" if it reaches the floor."

    Once you've called your representative's office, please report back and let us know how it went.

    Let's get one thing straight: If your taxes go up, Republicans will have made a conscious choice to let that happen. They'll have missed the opportunity to prevent it, just to cut taxes for the wealthy.

    Republicans need to stop using the middle class as a bargaining chip. If they fail to act, a typical middle-class family of four will see a $2,200 tax hike starting in a few short weeks. Middle-class families could face some tough financial decisions simply because Republicans didn't want to ask the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans to pay their fair share.

    That's not what President Obama and you campaigned on, and that's not what millions of Americans voted for just one month ago.

    We know we can affect change in Washington when we raise our voices together. So pick up the phone and make a call—your representative needs to hear from you.

    CALL CONGRESS

  • The stakes are high

    If Congress fails to act, income taxes will go up for millions of middle-class families when the new year begins.

    The National Economic Council and Council of Economic Advisers estimates consumer spending would fall by $200 billion nationwide next year. Retailers from big chains to mom-and-pop small businesses would be affected—which is why even the CEOs of Walmart and Costco have called for a balanced approach that protects the middle class.

    Asking millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share is an essential component of the President's plan for balanced deficit reduction. The Senate already passed this bill, and the President is ready to sign it as soon as the House takes action.

    Find out what's at stake in your state:

    The Stakes for Middle-Class Families

    If the GOP-controlled House fails to extend the middle-class tax cuts:

    • 114 million middle-class families will see their federal income taxes go up.
    • A typical median-income family of four (earning $75,000) could see its income taxes rise by $2,200.
    • Families will receive a smaller Child Tax Credit, and 35 million low-and moderate-income working families with children will lose access to the Child Tax Credit altogether, costing them an average $1,000 a year.
    • 11,000,000 middle-class families will no longer get help paying for college from the American Opportunity Tax Credit. Small businesses will be able to claim immediate tax deductions for only $25,000, rather than $250,000 of new investments.
    The President's Plan

    Under the President's plan, the 98 percent of families with incomes of less than $250,000 per year would continue to benefit in full from the income tax cuts that are set to expire at the end of 2012:

    • Lower tax rates on up to $250,000 of income ($200,000 for single filers).
    • The doubling of the Child Tax Credit to $1,000 per child and extension of the credit to working families that previously could not benefit from it.
    • The American Opportunity Tax Credit, which provides as much as $10,000 of help over four years—the equivalent of a 30 percent discount on tuition at a typical state university—and thousands of dollars more help with college expenses than many families could have previously received.
    • The 10 percent tax bracket, which will provide middle-class couples with a tax cut of up to $890 next year.
    • Expansions to the Earned Income Tax Credit, which give millions of working families the break they need.
    • Marriage penalty relief, which reduces or eliminates marriage penalties for nearly 38 million couples nationwide.

    Under the President's plan, the income tax rates for high-income households would return to what they were under President Clinton, when the economy created nearly 23 million new jobs—including 633,900 new private-sector jobs —and we went from deficit to surplus, and businesses and investors did very well.

    Tell Congress what these tax hikes would mean to you, and tell them to pass the President's plan.

  • President Obama answers your questions on middle-class taxes

    If Congress doesn't act before the year is out, taxes for every single American will go up in 2013. For an average middle-class family of four, that could mean an extra $2,200 in taxes.

    Americans are taking to Twitter to support President Obama and Democrats' plan to extend the middle-class tax cuts, and this afternoon, President Obama joined in. Over at the White House Twitter account, he answered a few questions about what's at stake, what he's doing in the fight to extend middle-class tax cuts—and what you can do to help. Check it out.

    Share what $2,000 means to you here.

  • President Obama: “Let’s keep middle-class taxes low”

    President Obama explains what's at stake if Congress doesn't act to prevent a middle-class tax hike—and what you can do to spur your representatives to action.

    President Obama explains what's at stake if Congress doesn't act to prevent a middle-class tax hike—and what you can do to spur your representatives to action:

    "When enough people get involved, we have a pretty good track record of actually making Congress work. And that’s important, because this is our biggest challenge yet—and it’s one that we can only meet together.

    "So in the interest of making sure that everybody makes their voices heard, last week we asked people to tell us what would a $2,000 tax hike mean to them. Some families told us it would make it more difficult for them to send their kids to college. Others said it would make it tougher for them to cover the cost of prescription drugs. Some said it would make it tough for them to make their mortgage. …

    "So that’s what this debate is all about. And that’s why it’s so important that as many Americans as possible send a message that we need to keep moving forward. So today, I’m asking Congress to listen to the people who sent us here to serve. I’m asking Americans all across the country to make your voice heard: Tell members of Congress what a $2,000 tax hike would mean to you. Call your members of Congress, write them an email, post it on their Facebook walls. You can tweet it using the hashtag 'My2K.' …

    "I'm going to be visiting Pennsylvania on Friday to talk with folks at a small business there that are trying to make sure that they're filling their Christmas orders. And I’ll go anywhere and I'll do whatever it takes to get this done. It’s too important for Washington to screw this up. Now is the time for us to work on what we all agree to, which is let's keep middle-class taxes low. That’s what our economy needs. That's what the American people deserve."

    Share your story

  • Share what $2,000 means to you

    In just a few weeks, every American family's taxes could automatically increase. For the average middle-class family of four, it could mean a $2,200 tax hike—which means less money to spend on groceries, prescriptions, rent, and tuition in the new year. Here's the good news: This problem has a solution. Right now, Congress can prevent middle-class taxes from going up in 2013 by extending the tax cut that gives every American a tax break on their first $250,000 of income.

    In just a few weeks, every American family's taxes could automatically increase. For the average middle-class family of four, it could mean a $2,200 tax hike—which means less money to spend on groceries, prescriptions, rent, and tuition in the new year.

    Here's the good news: This problem has a solution. Right now, Congress can prevent middle-class taxes from going up in 2013 by extending the tax cut that gives every American a tax break on their first $250,000 of income.

    The Senate has sent the House of Representatives a bill to do just that. Now, it's your turn to push this bill through the House. Speak out right now to keep taxes for 98 percent of American families and 97 percent of small businesses from going up. Share what $2,000 means to you and your family at http://www.whitehouse.gov/my2k, and if you're on Twitter, tell your story with the hashtag #My2K.

    Remember, one year ago, tens of thousands of everyday Americans called, tweeted, and emailed their members of Congress and asked them to do the right thing and protect the middle class. It worked.

    Your voice matters—but you have to use it.

    Share your story

  • The President's plan to keep your taxes low and reduce the deficit

    Right now, President Obama is working with leaders of both parties in Washington to reduce the deficit in a balanced way so we can lay the foundation for long-term middle-class job growth and prevent your taxes from going up.

    This is the President’s plan, but he’s not wedded to every detail. He is determined to work with Congress to find compromise and common ground. His guiding principle throughout this debate will be what’s best for the middle class. He’ll be fighting for you.

    These problems are challenging, but they're solvable. In fact, the Senate has already passed a bill to keep your taxes low, and the House needs to pass it and Congress should get it to the President as soon as possible. There's a lot at stake, and with your help we'll continue to move this country forward.

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