Austerity is not reflected by increased taxes; austerity means decreased soending.

Austerity means cutting government services for the lazy, not increased taxes.

There is only one way that makes sense to us on how to retire the REAL federal debt. That is, to pro-rate the total amount of debt and reapportion it across every federal public official who has been elected or appointed over the past forty years. Turn those names with their pro-rated share of the federal debt over to the IRS for them to handle, to include penalties and interest, as a generational debt. In short let those that caused it and their ancestors make good on the damage they have caused the rest of us. The generational feature is an administrative add on in order to mimic the absurd death taxes they now place on farm owners and small business operators. Paybacks are a b****.

Americans are going to pay more taxes and their standard of living is going to fall another 15% during Obama´s second term, for a total 30% reduction in America´s standard of living for Obama´s two terms. American wanted it, voted for it, now has it.

There are no spending cuts, only tax increases. This is not ´austerity´, it´s an assault on working people.

Austerity--or profligacy?

It is not a tax increase, it is a contribution. Spending our tax money is not spending, it is investing. Meant to be sarcastic, but it is what the left wants us to believe. It is how the democrate toadies talk down to us.

I would suggest the author needed an easy way to write this, and so depended on the usual White House sources to write this for him.

Previous posters have said it best.

That´s why they call people like this LIV´s.Most conservatives probably realize these were temporary cuts.They didn´t work and robbed the trust fund so why keep them? Millions of people in this country have taken private austerity measures and that non spending is slowing the economy down.

Borrowing money to give people to spend hurts the country in the long run because interest on the debt eats up a bigger share of the revenue pie.

People who fear Obama will snag their income or wealth are hoarding it.People have also learned their lesson on too much borrowing themselves.

BTW,#1 the left considers tax cuts=spending.

Austerity definition(even Wikipedia has the correct definition):
In economics, austerity refers to a policy of deficit-cutting by lowering spending via a reduction in the amount of benefits and public services provided.

So, the socialist, communist wanna be folks take a word and make it mean what they want it to mean, not what it´s defined as being.

Let´s put their feet to the fire with demands to really begin austerity measures,and CUT GOVERNMENT SPENDING. That will really put the hurt on these government wonks and their ilk, and stop putting it on the middle class.

Unfortunately, this decrease in workers take home pay is just the beginning of their economic plight. In 2014 when the Obamacare
law hits full force, there will be additional
decreases in wages, or job downgrades, or decreased hours, or layoffs so that companies can reduce their personnel head-count. Anyone who supported Obama will NOT be pitied. They voted for this reduced living standard and did not care enough to learn the facts.

I like # 3´s idea!

H L Mencken had it so right: "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it, good and hard."
The United States of America is NOT a Democracy. It IS a Republic! Democrats are the enemy within, destroying our Republic... good and hard!

None of this additional revenue does anything to bring down the budget deficit, so the basic premise of the author is false.

There is no austerity involved, just theft of additional taxpayer dollars.

Reuters use of austerity is designed to put blame on Repubs, as in "Boehner, Cantor and other GOP meanies forced poor little Bammie to accept austerity in order to prevent reductions in entitlements".

Wait until the deficit talks for Reuters, AP, NY Times and NBC to produce articles on severe, crippling, mean, racist austerity that throws your grandparents to the wolves. Obama will only invest, Repubs will only impose austerity measures.

It´s safe to call them the Obama taxes.

The beauty of it all is that anyone who WORKS, must make contributions to the government´s Ponzi scheme. This has nothing to do with the deficit, income taxes, or any of the other things that Washington DC wastes money on.

The good news is the stupid people who supported Obama will be hurt the most these next four years. Bad news, a lot of us will not enjoy the ride to the bottom.