here is some more

summary from the Urban-Brookings tax policy center.

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxtopics/Expiration_Bush_Tax_Cuts.cfm

tax cuts and the poor

here is an article from the Heritage Inst. on why the Obama tax cuts with hurt the poor, among others.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/11/Obamas-Tax-Hikes-on-High-Income-Earners-Will-Hurt-the-Poor-and-Everyone-Else

bogus tax claims

The following is from factcheck.org of U Penn.

http://wordpress.asc.upenn.edu/2010/09/2011-tax-increases/

Tax extension

I don't understand why we can't "decouple" the tax rates. Let the upper expire, keep the rest the same. Change the capital gains, and dividend rates to 20% instead of letting it expire and automatically being raised to 40%.

Am I missing something?

Yes, I agree that temporary tax cut have little effect.
So let's make permanent those tax cuts which effect the vast majority (probably over 90%) of consumers and small business owners.

I don't understand where the confusion is coming from?