GOP Getting Ready To Raise Taxes ?

Ever since President Obama has been in office, the Republicans have absolutely refused to raise taxes -- even if it was just for the super-rich (most of whom are only paying about a 15% tax rate, because they earn their money off capital gains instead of working for it). That may be about to change. Much to Grover Norquist's displeasure, many of the congressional Republicans are abandoning his "no tax raise" pledge. The latest to do so is Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina).

But don't get too excited about this prospect. They are still dead set against raising taxes to balance the budget, or to help the millions of Americans being hurt by the current recession (depression?). They still want to abolish Medicare, privatize Social Security, and slash every government program that doesn't directly give money to corporations or rich people.

So why would they be willing to raise taxes in some manner? Because they want to break their word and increase spending, but Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and the president won't let them do that unless there is new revenue to cover the increased spending -- and the Republicans are finally starting to realize that the majority leader and the president are serious about this.

Last August, the Republicans and Democrats agreed to an across-the-board cut in all discretionary spending if the bipartisan "super committee" could not agree on how to cut the deficit. That committee failed, and now these cuts are looming over Congress -- and will start in 2013. The Republicans don't mind the cuts to programs that help hurting Americans, but they don't want to keep their promise when it comes to military spending (which is by far the largest item in discretionary spending).

If the cuts are allowed to happen, the military will be cut by about $600 billion over the next 10 years, or about $60 billion in the next year. Pentagon officials have said the cut will not damage their ability to defend this country (which is not surprising since the United States spends nearly as much money on its military as all of the other countries in the world combined spend on theirs). But the Republicans don't care about facts (like we are already spending way too much on the military).

The Republicans have not only proposed adding all of the proposed cut back into the military budget, but they want to increase the spending on the military by at least another $8 billion. They wanted to pay for it by making even deeper cuts to the rest of the discretionary spending, but the Democrats are refusing to allow that. They say they will not allow changes to the agreed-upon cuts unless there is new revenue to cover it -- and the Democrats are operating from a position of power on this issue, since the cuts will take place automatically unless Congress agrees on any changes (and the president signs them).

This has put the Republicans between a rock and a hard place. They can't pose as "patriots" by increasing military spending (and keep funneling increasing amounts of government money to their corporate buddies in the military-industrial complex) unless they raise taxes. And if they raise taxes, they will anger their teabagger base.

It's starting to get interesting. Will they raise taxes, or will they let the cuts happen? Those are really the only choices they have if the Democrats stand firm.