we continued all those tax cuts for the working poor, so-called eitc, earned income tax credits and maybe, most importantly, we were able to extend for another 13 months unemployment insurance for those devastated by this recession. >> what about the prospect of eliminating uncertainty and what may be the first of the 2012 campaign, mitt romney said this doesn't solve the problem. it's not good for committee because businesses understand in a couple of years, these rates are going back up. >> no. look, here is -- businesses don't care about the top-end tax cut except those people making a million buck, those are the ones that care. what the businesses care about are the extension of all of those tax cuts for business that we extended, co-called extenders. we provided for 100% extension. a guy right knee runs a contracting company, he buys a $50,000 backhoe, he can extend that in one year now. that will encourage him to go out, buy, build. one target for us in two years is no longer extending the upper income tax credit for millionaires and billionaires and scaling back what we had to do t

but if you're in the eitc range where you have some tax liability, the obama tax cuts in the stimulus helped you, i'm one who considers that to be something we should be looking at, that no one's taxes should go up. bush-era tax cuts or obama tax cuts. when it comes to the unemployed and unemployment insurance, we're going to extend that but we have to have a package that makes sense. so once we get this vote hyped us and democrats on the other side will join with republicans on this side to say no to the class warfare approach here. now, one of my good friends from new jersey said something that got everybody stirred up, that negotiating with republicans is like negotiating with terrorists. well, i know bob menendez, he's a fine man, but these are heated times and we say things that sometimes maybe sound good to our base but upon reflection we shouldn't say. and i would argue that nobody over here should be considered in that light. to our democratic friends, we have a genuine disagreement. that's all it is, a genuine disagreement. the one thing we have in common, when the terrorists

working hard, playing by the rules, making $20 thousand, $30,000 a year, encouraging work the way the eitc does. i also thank the chairman of the finance committee, the senior senator from montana, for including the unemployment insurance in this. 85,000 ohioans three nights ago lost their unemployment insurance. these are people, man of them -- many of them, i have read letters on the senate floor and i will read today. many of them have worked for 20, 30, 40 years and simply can't find a job. there are five people applying for jobs for every one job opening in my state and in this country. it's so important that these people continue to at least get some assistance. it's -- in spite of what some of my republican colleagues suggest, unemployment insurance is insurance. it's not welfare. the -- their employer on their behalf pays into the unemployment insurance fund in their states and when they lose their jobs, because it's insurance, they should get assistance. it's just like fire insurance or health insurance, you don't want to use it, but you want it to be there if you need it. that's

clearly, a provision likely eitc, only better. a child credit -- there would be good reasons. want to preserve those but not in a way that is disproportionately benefiting the rich. in this plan, there is a lower level. and that means that everybody who owns the house could benefit from the mortgage interest reduction because it is not a deduction. it is a credit. it would go to non-itemizes as well. this enables the tax rates to come down and be more simplified. we ended up with 15 and 27. and a much more progressive tax system. we did not think you could raise enough money to close the the back of that alone. we also added a broad the sales tax. >> what was your thinking as a member of the commission in terms of tax reform rather than saying just to raise taxes? >> we will characterize different folks in the room, tax expenditures are a large problem and there are more holes than you think. once you recognize that, you realize there is an awful lot of money to play with anything about budget issues. there is room there to try to improve the tax code if you could afford. in d

but if you're in the eitc range where you have some tax liability, the obama tax cuts in the stimulus helped you, i'm one who considers that to be something we should be looking at, that no one's taxes should go up. bush-era tax cuts or obama tax cuts. when it comes to the unemployed and unemployment insurance, we're going to extend that but we have to have a package that makes sense. so once we get this vote hyped us and democrats on the other side will join with republicans on this side to say no to the class warfare approach here. now, one of my good friends from new jersey said something that got everybody stirred up, that negotiating with republicans is like negotiating with terrorists. well, i know bob menendez, he's a fine man, but these are heated times and we say things that sometimes maybe sound good to our base but upon reflection we shouldn't say. and i would argue that nobody over here should be considered in that light. to our democratic friends, we have a genuine disagreement. that's all it is, a genuine disagreement. the one thing we have in common, when the terrorists

but if you're in the eitc range where you have some tax liability, the obama tax cuts in the stimulus helped you, i'm one who considers that to be something we should be looking at, that no one's taxes should go up. bush-era tax cuts or obama tax cuts. when it comes to the unemployed and unemployment insurance, we're going to extend that but we have to have a package that makes sense. so once we get this vote hyped us and democrats on the other side will join with republicans on this side to say no to the class warfare approach here. now, one of my good friends from new jersey said something that got everybody stirred up, that negotiating with republicans is like negotiating with terrorists. well, i know bob menendez, he's a fine man, but these are heated times and we say things that sometimes maybe sound good to our base but upon reflection we shouldn't say. and i would argue that nobody over here should be considered in that light. to our democratic friends, we have a genuine disagreement. that's all it is, a genuine disagreement. the one thing we have in common, when the terrorists