Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Taxing Questions For Elise Stefanik

By Zamboni

We cats are represented in Congress by one of those "moderate" Republicans who manages to skate by on that reputation while voting for obnoxious Trumpy stuff that's harmful to her constituents. (Obamacare, anyone?) This drives us crazy, and one of the top items on our 2018 to-do list is to join with our fellow Democrats in New York's 21st district to kick her butt out of office.

Lately, she's trying to coast along and have it both ways on the Republicans' proposed tax cut for the wealthy. "I do not support this bill as it's currently written," she says. She swears she's going to work on it to make it better.

Since we're certain that the loathsome Paul Ryan has assured her that she'll be able to cast a sham vote against the bill once it's sure to pass the House, we have some questions for her:
  • Have you pressured your House leadership to conduct public hearings on this legislation?
  • Have you asked that representatives of the home builders industry be allowed to testify on mortgage interest and property tax deductions?
  • Have you asked that representatives of local New York school districts and institutions of higher learning be allowed to testify on school-tax and student-loan deductions?
  • Have you asked that representatives of New York state and local governments be allowed to testify on the deduction of local taxes?
  • Have you asked if struggling New York parents of children with significant health issues or handicaps can testify on medical-expense deductions?
  • Have you pressured your Republican colleagues in the Senate to oppose the House version of this legislation?
  • In short, have you done anything to demonstrate effective, concerted opposition to this massively destructive bill? Or are you just mouthing words because Paul Ryan said he could afford to lose your vote in the end?
We anxiously await her detailed response, and if she includes copies of news reports about all the stuff she's doing to oppose the bill, even better. But of course, it won't happen because she's doing none of it. We cats HISS.

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