Congressional Republicans and 11 Democrats Vote NO!
January 29, 2009
Although most of the Democrats voted NO on the stimulus package in the House because they want to get re-elected, not because they have any convictions that this is right or wrong, but we have to give them credit for doing the right thing!
According to US News And World Report, 1/29/2009:
By: Michael Barone
The House voted almost entirely on partisan lines to pass the stimulus package that, slightly amended, came out of the House Appropriations Committee. It passed without a single Republican vote and with 11 Democratic votes against, from Allen Boyd (FL 2), Bobby Bright (AL 2), Jim Cooper (TN 5), Brad Ellsworth (IN 8), Parker Griffith (AL 5), Paul Kanjorski (PA 11), Frank Kratovil (MD 1), Walt Minnick (ID 1), Collin Peterson (MN 7), Heath Shuler (NC 11), and Gene Taylor (MS 4). They break into several categories. Boyd and Cooper are “blue dogs” by conviction who represent state capital districts (Tallahassee, Nashville) that wouldn’t have minded pro-stimulus votes. Bright, Griffith, Kratovil, and Minnick won their seats in 2008 in Republican-leaning districts. Ellsworth and Shuler won their seats in 2006 in Republican-leaning districts. Kanjorski is an old-timer who was pressed in the 2008 election. Taylor is a temperamental Jacksonian maverick elected in the Gulf Coast Mississippi district who mostly votes like a Republican but wears no man’s collar. Peterson is a committee chairman (Agriculture) who represents a rural district that, despite historic DFL roots, has recently been the most Republican district in Minnesota in presidential elections. It took some guts, in my view, for Boyd, Cooper, and Peterson to cast these votes.
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor makes the point in this pre-roll call interview with Marc Ambinder that the stimulus package should include more tax cuts and less government spending. He seems to have public opinion on his side. Pollster Scott Rasmussen reports that 53 percent of Americans believe that it’s always better to cut taxes than to increase government spending, while only 24 percent disagree.
But Barone can not let it go. He goes on to pump up Obama’s image by saying the defeat was really a win for the President… How does he justify it??? :
Was this a failure of President Obama’s professed desire for bipartisanship? On the surface, yes. But I think you have to give Obama some credit for journeying to Capitol Hill to talk with House Republicans. He listened respectfully, and although he didn’t press the House Democratic leaders for more than one or two small concessions—they dropped funding for contraceptives, an item that was clearly a source of political embarrassment—he did at least listen.
…and then continues by bashing Bush’s administration. He sounds like a child, “That’s more than Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson did in the first days when he was trying to get the $700 billion TARP package passed.” Is this reporting or is it editorial and opinion??? Barone seems to be a useful idiot for liberals.
More Pork Than Hormel
January 28, 2009
Stimulus vote today; Dems stuff in more pork
This was the headline from Grassfire.org. It is money from the “stimulus” package that will not stimulate the economy. It is going to special interest groups and projects and will NOT help with the recession or create jobs. It is a sham! Is there a single intellectually honest liberal out there that believes this is a good idea? – FedUpEditor
The House is expected to vote TODAY (Wednesday) on the Obama Stimulus bill, which is getting worse and worse — and bigger and bigger — by the hour. Here’s just a sampling of what is in the bill:
$2.4 billion carbon capture products…
$4.19 billion for ACORN and other bogus “community organizing” groups…
$650 million digital tv conversion…
$79 billion to bail out the state education system…
Hundreds of millions for family planning…
$400 million global warming research…
$50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts…
$200 million to refurbish the National Mall…
And the bill is not even a stimulus! Just 1% of the so-called stimulus is for tax cuts for small businesses. And according to the Congressional Budget Office, two thirds of the stimulus will not even be spent for nearly two years!
I sent faxes yesterday. Now it’s your turn. Time to play or PAY! – FedUpEditor
http://www.grassfire.net/r.asp?U=15847&CID=111&RID=19425422
Economist Walter E. Williams Checks In – Malkin Not Far Behind
January 28, 2009
I love listening to Dr. Williams talk about the economy. He makes so much sense it is a wonder that there is anyone out there who would disagree. How is it so easy to get a consensus on something as complicated as global warming yet so hard to get the public to understand basic economics. More about this in my weekly rant, a new feature coming this afternoon!
From the Patriot Post, 1/28.09: “The stimulus package being discussed is politically smart but economically stupid. It’s that bedeviling, omnipresent Santa Claus and Tooth Fairy problem again. … A far more important measure that Congress can take toward a healthy economy is to ensure that the 2003 tax cuts don’t expire in 2010 as scheduled. If not, there are 15 separate taxes scheduled to rise in 2010, costing Americans $200 billion a year in increased taxes. In the face of a recession, we don’t need that.” –economist Walter E. Williams
Michelle Malkin is another voice that should be heard. Her sound reasoning should be required reading in public schools. As for Obama, why do you think he is wooing Republicans to vote for his economic plan? Because when it fails, as it surely will, Democrats will not be standing alone while Republicans say, “I told you so!”
“Bashing Rush Limbaugh last week, Obama urged GOP lawmakers to ignore the voices of obstructionism and sign on to his behemoth stimulus package: ‘We shouldn’t let partisan politics derail we hat are very important things that need to get done.’ … History has shown us that ‘Get Things Done’ is mindless liberal code for passing ineffective legislation and expanding government for government’s sake.” –columnist Michelle Malkin
Letter To Lindsey Graham, Senator, SC
January 26, 2009
Clueless! Here is my letter about Senator Graham’s vote to confirm Geithner as our new treasury secretary!
Senator Graham,
You are a disgrace. The fact that you voted to confirm Geithner when he is a tax cheat is an abomination. If I did not pay my taxes, I’d be in jail or my wages be garnished, not appointed as Treasury Secretary.
I will be working to get you removed from office in the next election. If you’re going to go Democrat, then we should have the real thing! You are a disgusting disappointment!
- FedUpEditor
Write Senator Graham here. Us a South Carolina address so you will be considered at constituent. He makes laws that affect everyone in the US, so we feel it is fair to be deceptive in this case.
Say ‘NO’ to the Massive Pork-Barrel Bill
January 26, 2009
Wasn’t it Obama who was going to start being accountable for spending??? – FedUpEditor
 JUST SAY “NO” TO MASSIVE PORK-BARREL BILL On Wednesday, the House of Representatives will vote on the largest one time spending bill in the nation’s history. This $825 billion monstrosity is masquerading as “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” or the “stimulus” bill. In fact, most of the funds will go to long-range government projects that will do nothing to help the American economy recover from recession. It also includes hidden provisions that could lay the groundwork for government-run health care! Contrary to media reports, there are no tax cuts in this bill and the means-tested tax credit provisions expire in 2010, when the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts will also expire, thus adding to the biggest tax increase in U.S. history.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Obama have claimed this bill is all about “immediate spending” to support “infrastructure projects.” The House bill actually allocates about 3.5 percent of its funds to highway projects and the Democrats own Congressional Budget Office said only a fraction, about $4 billion of $30 billion could be spent within two years. In its analysis, the CBO said that less than half of all the discretionary spending could be spent before 2011.
NO TAX CUTS:
Where is the money really going? The same government programs we have now, food stamps, a hodgepodge of job training programs, and $45 billion for a tax credit, only most of the tax credit will go to people who do not pay taxes. For those who do pay taxes, the tax credit is phased out for those “wealthy” individuals making more than $75,000 per year. There is some targeted tax relief for businesses, but these expire in 2010 as well.
The wasteful government programs funded in this bill in the name of “economic recovery” are too numerous to mention, but here are just a few;
HIDDEN PROVISIONS ON HEALTH CARE RATIONING:
Hidden away in this massive bill is a $1.1 billion appropriation to establish a new federal board with an innocent sounding name, the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research. In reality, this is a board long advocated by Obama’s new health czar, Tom Daschle, which would define what the government will support as “effective healthcare.” In other words, health care rationing. Eventually, this board would gain powers in the coming health care overhaul Daschle will propose.
We at the American Conservative Union thank you for all you do to advance conservative free-market principles.
Sincerely,  Larry Hart
Director of Government Relations
American Conservative Union
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Illegals Tied to America’s Financial Crisis
January 23, 2009
This is easy to believe. Here is a report from GrasstopsUSA:
Selling Out Our Country to Illegals
By Barbara Simpson
WorldNetDaily.com
San Francisco politicians have no connection to reality. In the midst of huge financial struggles for the city, the Board of Supervisors began issuing municipal identification cards last week to anyone who provides an ID and a utility bill with a local address or evidence of a child in local public schools.
It sounds innocuous except that the main, and likely only, true beneficiaries of the cards, are illegal aliens. Again: what is there about the word “illegal” the supervisors don’t understand?
In a case of unintended consequences, this all ties into the national financial crashes.
Caroline Kennedy Withdraws Amid Tax Problems…
January 23, 2009
Then what about Geithner? This is the most unbelievable turn of events. Kennedy must withdraw because of tax problems for a US Senate seat, but Geithner can be head of the IRS??? What a double standard. Is this sexist in that a man can flaunt the rules and get away with it, but a woman can’t? – FedUpEditor
The New York Post and The New York Times are reporting that Caroline Kennedy dropped her bid for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s old Senate seat because she had tax problems involving a household employee.
In her statement early today she said she was withdrawing for unspecified “personal reasons.” Last night it was reported she was allegedly bowing out because of the health of her uncle Sen. Edward Kennedy, who suffered a seizure at a post-inaugural lunch.
Read the rest of the article here.
Taxes on Game Show and Lottery Winnings
January 21, 2009
I was watching Price Is Right and wondered how many people know how much of those winnings people get to keep. Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune are fun to watch, but how much do people really get to keep? And who gets the rest?
Ask Metafilter says in an October 10, 2007 article:
All winnings over $600 in the U.S. are taxable as income. A 1099-Misc form is submitted by the contest Sponsor and the amount is added to the winner’s other income and taxed at the rate for that income level. This can be especially painful if the prize amount bumps a winner up to a higher tax bracket.
There’s very little you can do to minimize the tax damage. Most contest sponsors will list the Approximate Retail Value (ARV) on the 1099-Misc form, which can often be inflated from what you would actually pay on the street (because it is calculated in advance when the rules are written). For prizes involving trips, a winner should always ask the sponsor to submit a 1099-Misc for the actual cost of the trip, not the ARV which is usually based on the most expensive departure point. In the case of a trip you may also be able to split or defer the tax liability if you won the prize in one year, but take the trip in another year.
The same rules apply to businesses, so setting up a company would only help in that you might have a lower tax rate. It would be difficult though, as the business did not win the prize, the individual did. As for donation, you would still have to take the prize as income and then donate it.
Many winners turn down prizes because of the tax implications and smart contest organizers build this into their prizes (offering “spending money” so people have cash to pay the taxes).
This is probably the same as lottery winners. Our question is this… what has the government done to earn any of these winnings??? In business a company is rewarded when it offers products or services that people pay for. The cost of doing business is offset and what remains is the profit. Government (state and federal) manufactures NOTHING yet it takes almost 50% in taxes, disability insurance, medicare, medicaid, social security. What a deal! – FedUpEditor
Minerals Management Service Releases 2010-2015 Leasing Plan
January 21, 2009
American consumers have been demanding for domestic drilling but congress is tone deaf. It seems they have their own agenda. Elections have consequences. – FedUpEditor
The Minerals Management Service (MMS) released its 2010-2015 five-year leasing plan this morning, and it proposes to open new offshore areas to oil and natural gas development. In Appendix A (page 132) the plan also notes that it received 152,000 letters from the general public and 53 percent supported increased offshore oil and natural gas production.
As I recall, you encouraged your readers to send letters to the MMS to support expanded domestic drilling, and it appears your efforts made a difference!
Here’s a link to the MMS webpage where you can find the five-year plan: http://www.mms.gov/5-year/2010-2015New5-YearHome.htm
And here’s a statement released by Jack Gerard, API’s president and CEO:
WASHINGTON – American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Jack Gerard today issued the following statement on the new Interior Department five-year oil and natural gas leasing plan, which proposes lease sales in recently opened areas off the Atlantic, Pacific and Eastern Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf:
“American consumers have been demanding access to the oil and natural gas located off our coasts and the draft proposed five-year plan, with its inclusion of areas that had been off-limits for more than 20 years, is a good step in the right direction. Developing our domestic resources is crucial to getting our nation’s economy back on its feet and getting more Americans back to work in well-paying jobs. A recent study showed that developing the oil and natural gas resources that had been off-limits for decades could bring in nearly two trillion dollars in revenue to federal, state and local governments, which could be used to fund schools, hospitals and other critical services. The study also showed that 160,000 new jobs could be created by 2030 if these resources were developed.
“America’s oil and natural gas companies have proven they can develop resources in an environmentally safe way. It is imperative Congress and the Obama administration allow this plan to move forward so our industry can do what it does best – supply the energy America needs.”
Better Late Than Never!
January 19, 2009
This has less to do with taxes than it does about doing the right thing. For protecting our borders against drug smugglers, two agents, Compean and Ramos, were sent to jail JUST FOR DOING THEIR JOBS! The ultimate insult was that the drug smuggler was set free AND I believe was caught later committing another crime! Today, Bush finally commuted their sentences hours before he leaves office. It was the right thing to do, and we applaud him. They are heroes in our book and should never have been convicted! Obama has promised to fix this country. Let’s see if he does. – FedUpEditor
Read the Newsmax story here.
