Jay Inslee: “I urge our Republican colleagues to join us in doing the right thing for working families in this difficult time on…”

“I urge our Republican colleagues to join us in doing the right thing for working families in this difficult time on unemployment. I've heard them say, well, we just can't afford this. Well, that's a little interesting to me when they say we can afford to blow a $700 billion hole in the Federal deficit by giving away tax cuts to millionaires. We Democrats stand for working middle class folks to give them middle class tax relief but not grow the Federal deficit another $700 billion. Now what is going on here is a hostage-taking situation, because the Republicans are holding the middle class hostage by not allowing 100 percent of Americans to have tax relief just so their friends who might be hedge fund managers or otherwise can get additional tax relief on top of it. Well, here is what we should say: Americans do not negotiate with hostage-takers. We ought to have the right economic policy. And I'll tell you what: We are not going to allow the trickle-down economics of George Bush to be foisted on America anymore.”