My First Meeting With Bo

Using social media and the internet, the American people told Washington in no uncertain terms that letting the payroll tax cut expire on December 31, 2011 was not acceptable. You tweeted, you called and you emailed to remind Washington that politics is not a game – serving the American people is a serious responsibility and the decisions made in Congress have serious consequences on people’s lives. Eliminating the payroll tax cut would have cost a family earning $50,000 a year about $40 per paycheck, and for working families, that is real money; money that buys things like school lunches, the gas needed to get to work or visit ailing relatives, and even co-pays for doctor visits and essential prescription medicines.


The American people scored a victory when the Senate and the House of Representatives passed a two-month renewal of payroll tax cuts for 160 million workers and unemployment benefits for millions who are out of work. Watch the video and meet some of the tens of thousands of working Americans who believed that their voice could make a difference, had the courage to speak out about what losing an extra $40 per paycheck would mean for them and for their family, and reminded the politicians in Washington that governing is about helping make people’s lives better.