uncertainty but when it comes to the house, who knows what will happen? now we have the other side saying, well, we will come out lock step against there and now are they going to try to buy a couple hundred people s votes and will it get out-of-control? neil: where do you draw the line? i heard from other republicans who say, well, these are not earmarked but extenders. we are not, they were not in the original legislation. as it stands right now you are saying you would support it but so much as one or two more items are added and if you were in congress you would say no, is that right? guest: that is the point. we have to take a look as everything is added. where it is now i can stomach it because it is so important we citizen the tax cuts and, republicans won in november but there is a lame duck session and we are not there yet until january 5th and that is what the people decided. so physical january 5th . neil: you must hope it is
non-italian colleagues say no, a simple pie clarity and i will remember you each and every one of you when i return to the office on monday. in the meantime, as to whether they will buy this pie, extenders are not, tom heads the chamber of commerce and this is the first chat, by the way, since the midterm election. we are very honored to have you. we are on the roof this very building. guest: good to have you. neil: you heard from folks saying we are doing the bad earmark thing. guest: the bill as a package is better than the pieces by themselves the it addresses two or three very important things. if we did not fix this tax bill all of those tax breaks go away. for all americans. it would be a huge tax increase and would have a massive effect on our ability to get out of this recession and put people to work. second, it does address some of
the issues of a large unemployment population by providing some extended benefits and i think that makes sense as long as we do it in conjunction with the tax issue. we will fully support the package. neil: so the compromise, extenders whatever they call them, the chamber is behind? guest: if you run your wagon law a field you pick some things up on the wheel and we support the wagon, we are not worrying about what is hooked on the wheels lower although if you look at the history of how this happens in this town if they add too many extenders it will bog down the wagon or they will all disappear. if this is not done by the end of the year, everyone if america that pays taxes is going to get a big tax increase. neil: that sounds like what mcconnell and others have said and i paraphrase, the end s
enthralled watching the world go back and forth and being more and more convinced that laying out a bunch of money and putting it at risk in the current political climate is not in the best interests of my share holders so, absolutely not, until we stabilize, until we get a budget that realizes the spending is bad and we need to make the government smaller, and we are going to hunker down. neil: this measure, leaving aside as if it is chump change, and it is not, but $55 million for add on extenders, the vast majority of the extension of the bush tax rates for everyone including the rich, would you have done that? guest: sure. i am glad you didn t say bush tax cuts because i look at the
caucus is tied up in a situation where people don t want to make choices. no one wants to be counted. why is that? why don t unfortunately the republicans my observation a few days ago. now i m more optimistic presently. i think that a good number of members do want to be counted. and they want to be counted soon. therefore before the recess? yes. a strategy that brings us to this now has pretty strong bipartisan support. starting with the president and then senator mcconnell and others. i hope senator reid. namely that we tackle the taxes. both taxes on all americans, capital gains, extenders, what have you. secondly, we either have a continuing resolution which keeps our government going or a comprehensive omnibus spending bill which incorporates all the