81 Senators vote yes to tax package and remain completely indifferent to the needs of our grandchildren

"It is not perfect, but it will create

2 million jobs" says Harry Reid.

(Show grandpa the proof Mr. Reid and at a

cost of $429,000 per alleged job)

By Alexander Bolton

12/15/10 

The Hill

The Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to pass an $858 billion tax relief and benefits package, giving the bipartisan deal political momentum as it heads to the House.

The Senate voted 81 to 19 in favor of the deal struck by President Obama and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

“Middle class families need a boost in this economy, and that is exactly what this plan gives them," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said in a statement after the vote. "It is not perfect, but it will create 2 million jobs, cut taxes for middle class families and small businesses, and ensure that Americans who are still looking for work will continue to have they safety net they rely on to make ends meet."

The legislation now heads to the House, where Democrats are debating whether to rewrite the estate tax provision and substitute a 45-percent tax on estates over $3.5 million.

A House Democratic aide said the bill would be posted on the Rules Committee site by mid-afternoon Wednesday. Leadership aides in the House said it is not expected to receive a vote until Thursday.

The package extends almost all of the Bush tax cuts, including income tax cuts for the nation’s wealthiest families, for two years and sets the estate tax at 35 percent for individual inheritances of more than $5 million.

It extends federal unemployment benefits for 13 months at a cost of $56.5 billion and cuts the Social Security payroll tax 2 percent, giving workers a $120 billion tax break for 2011. The Hill Complete Article

Grandchildren Friendly Senators (those who voted against final passage):

• Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.),
• Tom Coburn (R-Okla.),
• Jim DeMint (R-S.C.),
• John Ensign (R-Nev.),
• Russ Feingold (D-Wis.),
• Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.),
• Kay Hagan (D-N.C.),
• Tom Harkin (D-Minn.),
• Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.),
• Pat Leahy (D-Vt.),
• Carl Levin (D-Mich.),
• Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.),
• Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.),
• Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)
• Mark Udall (D-Colo.).