Everybody’s talking about the current fiscal showdown and the deals that might be cut to avoid it. There are at least two things the public wants policymakers to remember in all this frenetic bargaining.
The first: It’s time to raise taxes on the rich. In the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, the public supported the idea of raising taxes on those with annual incomes of more than $250,000 by a thumping 60 percent to 37 percent majority.
The second: Raising the Medicare eligibility age is a no-no. In the same poll, the public rejected the idea of raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67 by an overwhelming 67 percent to 30 percent margin.
The public’s sentiments couldn’t be clearer. Let’s hope that despite the haste to cut a deal, policymakers give these sentiments the careful consideration they deserve.
Ruy Teixeira is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.
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