The Bush tax cuts, like the Iraq War, are one of the primary drivers of our large federal deficit. And like the Iraq War, the Bush tax cuts were sold to the public through outright deception.

The snake oil the Bush administration peddled was that the tax cuts, which overwhelmingly went to the rich and the ultra-rich, would spur the economy.

Now that we're facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, many so-called "conservatives," joined with corporatist "moderates," are singing the same tune. They are demanding we extend the tax giveaways for the wealthy (set to expire at the end of the year) at a cost of $700 billion over the next decade.

Meanwhile, these same members of Congress are demanding deep cuts to the social safety net for the poor, the middle class, the unemployed and the elderly.

There is very little that so clearly demonstrates the callous venality of some members of Congress than the simultaneous demand to give Paris Hilton a tax cut while pushing benefit cuts to Social Security.

Tell Congress: Don't extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

Without Congressional action, tax cuts George W. Bush signed into law are set to expire at the end of this year. President Obama has called for the Bush tax cuts that affect the richest 2% of Americans to expire. We need to have his back.

Tax cuts for economic elites aren't free and they aren't effective. The government still needs revenue and giving away money to millionaires (who on average would receive over $100,000 in tax cuts per year if all the Bush tax cuts are extended) takes away from the money we can spend to help the victims of this economic downturn.

There is simply no excuse for Congress to plead poverty when it comes to helping those in need while literally giving it away to those who don't need it.

Congress needs step up to the plate and make sure we don't continue one of the biggest economic injustices of the Bush era. Tell Congress: Don't extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.