Taxes and other distractions

Obama campaign ditches Obama flag

It was insensitive and stupid and the Obama campaign has ditched selling it.  But you won’t hear about this gaffe by his campaign, because the media is too busy creating gaffes for Romney to be blamed for.

11 things you need to know about Romney’s tax returns

Today GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney released his 2011 tax return--The Gov. And Mrs. Romney  have released enough financial data to keep accountants busy till after the election--a complete 2011 tax return as well as their already completed 2010 tax return.  On top of all that, Gov. Romney has released nine financial disclosures since 2002, which are also posted on his site. There are 3 federal Public Financial Disclosures (from 2007, 2011, and 2012), and 6 Massachusetts Statements of Financial Interests (from 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007).

He also posted is a letter from the Romneys' tax preparer, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, which gives an overview of the Romneys' tax returns covering an additional 20 years, from 1990-2009.

What’s going on with the Polls?

The Democrats want to convince [these anti-Obama voters] falsely that Romney will lose to discourage them from voting. So they lobby the pollsters to weight their surveys to emulate the 2008 Democrat-heavy models. They are lobbying them now to affect early voting. IVR (Interactive Voice Response) polls are heavily weighted. You can weight to whatever result you want. Some polls have included sizable segments of voters who say they are “not enthusiastic” to vote or non voters to dilute Republicans. Major pollsters have samples with Republican affiliation in the 20 to 30 percent range, at such low levels not seen since the 1960s in states like Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and which then place Obama ahead.

Always look at the demographics of any poll before you decide how accurate it is.  I do and generally, BHO is getting 3 to 4 percent less than the lead given them with the skewed percentage of Democrats in the poll.  This means the unaffiliated are voting heavily for Romney and that is what is going to be the difference in this election.  It also means Romney is 4 to 5 percent ahead right now. 

Newt’s advice to Romney

Go after President Obama like you went after me in the Florida debates.

It’s still the economy and that’s what will lose it for Obama

In 2008 Obama got a huge boost from the under 30 crowd.  But as Bill Clinton says why he doesn’t think they will vote for Mitt Romney, the question is whether they will vote at all in numbers that Obama needs. 

Catholic teachings and the Democrats

It is true, (Bishop Thomas) Paprocki readily conceded, that “the distinctions between binding principles and prudential judgments are not always clear and absolute.” But sometimes they are: “For example, there is no circumstance or context in which it could be just to deprive any class of persons of the legal protection for their lives which other classes of persons enjoy. Because support for what many today call ‘pro-choice’ laws about abortion necessarily involves willing this departure from legal equality which justice requires, the ‘pro-choice’ position is always gravely wrong.”

Catholics who claim they believe in abortion rights aren’t really Catholics. 

Obama going for a permanent underclass

The Obama redistributionist audio shows Obama talking about building a winning electoral coalition including welfare recipients and the working poor.  Now the left spoke of Mitch McConnell saying the number one goal was to make Obama a one term president as proof the Republicans kept Obama from succeeding.   But if he is looking to make more welfare recipients it appears Obama has succeeded beyond his wildest imagination.  What’s good for Obama is bad for the country. 

Obama has replaced “Change”

I suppose in place of change from the “inside,” he now envisions more “outside” executive orders like the de facto Dream Act, having the EPA shut down more coal plants, stopping more federal energy leases, granting more recess appointments, and extending more executive privilege. 

Do you think he means you have to ignore the Congress and the Constitution?  I’m worried that is exactly what he means.  

Why is Wisconsin in play?

Today, he leads Republican Mitt Romney in state polling. But, based on his Chicago campaign headquarters’ reaction to any questioning that support, his lead may as solid as quicksand.

Elizabeth Warren not licensed to practice law in Massachusetts

As detailed below, there are at least two provisions of Massachusetts law Warren may have violated.  First, on a regular and continuing basis she used her Cambridge office for the practice of law without being licensed in Massachusetts.  Second, in addition to operating an office for the practice of law without being licensed in Massachusetts, Warren actually practiced law in Massachusetts without being licensed.

This could be a problem for her in the next three debates with Scott Brown.  Not an Indian anywhere and not a lawyer in Massachusetts.  

New Movie:  Don’t Back Down

There’s a new movie critiquing the public schools system as it exists today which appears to be very powerful and it attracting attention of some very powerful opponents.  In view of the Chicago Teachers strike last week it appears this movie is very timely.

One more time—how does that reset button with Moscow work?

US Aid is getting the boot from Russia and it seems we knew it months ago.  So why are we just learning about it now?  Doesn’t fit with the Obama narrative of improving America’s reputation.  Another broken promise by the Obama Administration.

Obama and 2012

What’s new today

Story #1 reviews the logic of Class Warfare to see if it makes sense.  #2 shows the gap between those who want to repeal Obamacare and those that want to keep it at 20%.  #3 a member of OWS Boston discovers that OWS Boston has become fascist.  #4 tells us of the new reality Obama and the Democrats face in 2012.  And finally #5 tells us of the new reality we all will face if Obama gets a second term.

1.  Does Class Warfare Make Sense?

P.J. O'Rourke: The "Occupy This, That and the Other Place" people are right about the sins of the financial system and right about the evil of government supporting and subsidizing this malfeasance. IT'S NOT FAIR THAT 1 PERCENT OF AMERICANS ARE ROLLING IN DOUGH while the rest of us are scrimping to pay for our Internet connection so we can go on Groupon.

But the Occupiers are wrong about something much more important. THEY BELIEVE IN THE ZERO SUM FALLACY -- THE IDEA THAT THERE IS A FIXED AMOUNT OF THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE. ANYTHING I GET, I'M TAKING FROM YOU. If I have too many slices of pizza, you have to eat the Dominos box. The Zero Sum Fallacy is a bad idea -- dangerous to economics, politics, and world peace. It means any time we want good things we have to fight with each other to get them. We don't. WE CAN MAKE MORE GOOD THINGS. We can make more pizza -- or more tofu, windmills and solar panels, if you like.

THE ZERO SUM FALLACY IS JUST THAT, A FALLACY. …

….THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE ARE REMARKABLY EXPANDABLE, but it's ordinary people who expand them. Look at China, look at India. Yes, it's upsetting that some people have so much while other people have so little. It isn't fair. But I accept this unfairness. Indeed, I treasure it. That's because I HAVE A 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER AND THAT'S ALL I HEAR, "THAT'S NOT FAIR," she says. "That's not fair! That's not fair!" And one day I snapped, and I said, "HONEY, YOU'RE CUTE, THAT'S NOT FAIR. YOUR FAMILY IS PRETTY WELL OFF, THAT'S NOT FAIR. YOU WERE BORN IN AMERICA, THAT'S NOT FAIR. Darling, you had better get down on your knees and pray that things don't start getting fair for you."

http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/commentary/orourke-if-1-had-less-would-99-be-better

If we look not simply at the USA, but at the world, 38,000 USD per year puts us in the 1%.  I’m not sure how many Americans would want to go out and protest themselves as being in the rich 1%. 

 

2.   55% Favor Repeal of Obamacare

Most voters still want to repeal the national health care law, even though they tend to believe the law won’t force them to change their own health insurance coverage.

THE LATEST RASMUSSEN REPORTS NATIONAL TELEPHONE SURVEY SHOWS THAT 55% OF LIKELY U.S. VOTERS at least somewhat favor repeal of the health care law passed by Congress in March 2010, WHILE 35% AT LEAST SOMEWHAT OPPOSE REPEAL. The intensity remains on the side of the law’s opponents since these findings include 42% who Strongly Favor repeal versus 26% who are Strongly Opposed….

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/healthcare/health_care_law

The numbers bounce around a bit, but since August, the numbers have shown about a 20% majority for repealing the law.  So much for Nancy Pelosi’s prediction that once the American public found out what was in it, they would support it. 

3.  Boston OWS Participants “The Occupy Boston Movement as a whole became Fascist”

Dispirited Occupy member Stephen Campbell, 24, said when asked why he didn’t get arrested, HE SAID HE WITHDREW FROM THE CAMP EARLY TODAY AS THE END WAS CLEARLY IN SIGHT.”THE OCCUPY BOSTON MOVEMENT AS A WHOLE BECAME FASCIST,” he said, adding he still believes in the Occupy idea but not the organization. “At a general assembly this week we spent four hours trying to evict people rather than focusing on our political causes. ”He went on to say the general assembly betrayed the movement, so he left the Dewey Square encampment before he got arrested. He also told the Herald’s Dan O’Brien that Boston police were the smartest in the nation by coaxing occupiers out. “They got Occupy Boston to leave, themselves.”  

http://bostonherald.com/blogs/news/city_desk_wired/

What he didn’t realize is that OWS is a fascist movement from the very beginning.

4.  Obama faces New Reality in 2012

Since the heady days of 2008, a new USA TODAY/Gallup Swing States Poll finds the number of VOTERS WHO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS DEMOCRATIC OR DEMOCRATIC-LEANING IN THESE KEY STATES HAS ERODED, DOWN BY 4 PERCENTAGE POINTS, WHILE THE RANKS OF REPUBLICANS HAVE CLIMBED BY 5 POINTS.

Republican voters also are more attentive to the campaign, more enthusiastic about the election and more convinced that the outcome matters.

The contrasting conditions of the nation's two major political parties — discouraged Democrats and resurgent Republicans — underscore how different Obama's re-election campaign is from the contest four years ago.

Consider the math: In 2008, when Obama carried the swing states by 8 percentage points, Democrats there swamped Republicans in party identification by 11 points. Now, that partisan edge has tightened to a statistically insignificant 2 points.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2011-12-12/2012-election-swing-states-poll/51844930/1

Obama is in trouble.  As Dick Morris likes to say about undecided voters, it’s as if someone asked you if you’d marry your spouse again and you said, “I’m undecided on that.”  It’s not a very good sign for the incumbent.

 



The Voters Face a New Obama Reality In The Coming Years

Every Obama speech is fraught with lies and half-truths. He relies on his belief in the ignorance of his audience, and that Americans are too lazy and soft to recognize his dishonesty. When your record is abysmal, you can't tell the truth.

OBAMA, HASN'T A CLUE ON HOW TO FIX THE ECONOMY. Instead, without ideas, he copied Teddy Roosevelt's 100-year-old speech in Osawatomie. With Barack Obama, it's always yesterday's answers to today's problems...and this is the man they told us was a genius. The president maintains that the rich get richer by making everyone poorer. Ah...BITTERNESS AND ENVY, THE ILLEGITIMATE STEPCHILDREN OF HOPE AND CHANGE.

THE FIX, OF COURSE, IS HIGHER TAXES, but when the taxes to pay for ObamaCare go into effect in 2013 and the Bush Tax cuts expire, EVERYONE'S TAXES WILL INCREASE -- NOT JUST THE HIGHEST INCOME BRACKETS. People in the top 1%, while earning 17% of the nation's income, already pay almost 40% of all taxes and are scheduled for an almost 20% rise even before the president's proposed increases.

The tax on capital gains will rise by 33%. This is a tax on the sale of assets purchased with after-tax income and held for a specific period of time. A lower rate promotes long-term investment; economists understand this, and every time the rate has been cut, revenues have increased. Yet BARACK OBAMA WOULD RAISE THE RATE IN THE INTEREST OF FAIRNESS. The nation doesn't need investment; that would just provide jobs, and the country doesn't need jobs. Besides, a higher rate on investment income makes a good slogan, and it "fits well on a bumper sticker….”  

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/12/barack_has_a_record.html#ixzz1gPPPJl5K

You can’t argue with a liberal Democrat.  They have their dogma and facts do not effect someone who believes.

Obama and the Democrats: Leadership is a issue

US lacks credibility on debt, says IMF

THE US LACKS A “CREDIBLE STRATEGY” TO STABILISE ITS MOUNTING PUBLIC DEBT, POSING A SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT RISK OF A NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS, SAYS THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND.

In an unusually stern rebuke to its largest shareholder, the IMF said the US was the only advanced economy to be increasing its underlying budget deficit in 2011, at a time when its economy was growing fast enough to reduce borrowing.

The latest warning on the deficit was delivered as Barack Obama, the US president, is becoming increasingly engaged in the debate over ways to curb ….

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dc1aadea-652e-11e0-b150-00144feab49a.html#axzz1JP2nAJuH


I like the way they framed it. Obama is becoming increasing engaged in the debate over ways to curb America’s mounting debt. Only seems fair since he is the one who exploded the debt.



Inflation Actually Near 10% Using Older Measure

After former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker was appointed in 1979, the consumer price index surged into the double digits, causing the now revered Fed Chief to double the benchmark interest rate in order to break the back of inflation. Using the methodology in place at that time puts the CPI back near those levels.

INFLATION, USING THE REPORTING METHODOLOGIES IN PLACE BEFORE 1980, HIT AN ANNUAL RATE OF 9.6 PERCENT IN FEBRUARY, ACCORDING TO THE SHADOW GOVERNMENT STATISTICS NEWSLETTER….

http://www.cnbc.com/id/42551209

Welcome back Carter.


Obama the out of touch President

….Here's Obama 's problem: Once again, HE'S LOST CONTROL OF THE CAPITOL'S POLITICAL NARRATIVE.

The bully pulpit is a powerful presidential tool -- if the chief executive is talking of relevant things. But OBAMA KEEPS SIDETRACKING HIMSELF into all these areas of society that he so wants to fix, even though there are worse problems elsewhere.

For a long time Obama talked of little but healthcare and financial reforms, while polls showed Americans wanted jobs. He got his healthcare bill, but dozens of Democrats got unemployed from Congress.

When Americans wanted an explanation for a war over Libya's sand, Obama was urging Brazil to drill off its shores and toasting every presidente within sight.

As Americans realized the Democrat majorities had not written a budget for the current fiscal year when in control throughout 2010, Obama was denouncing schoolyard bullies and calling for more college educations, something even Rep. Ron Paul might endorse.

WHENEVER THE PRESIDENT ACKNOWLEDGES THE BUDGET DEFICIT AND THE $14+ TRILLION NATIONAL DEBT, HE SAYS YES, YES, OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO CUT WASTE. HE THEN PROCEEDS TO PROVIDE A LONG LIST OF THINGS WE NEED TO "INVEST" MORE IN LIKE EDUCATION, BRIDGES, GREEN ENERGY and protecting "the most vulnerable" in our society….

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/04/obama-deficit-speech.html


Out of touch and soon to be out of a job. ABB (Anybody but Barack).



Liberal Pundits seem to be getting frustrated with Obama

The cliche of late has been the trope about “getting ahead of history.” WONDERFUL. I WOULD SETTLE FOR OBAMA JUST CATCHING UP WITH HIMSELF. . . SLOGANS SUCH AS “WIN THE FUTURE” ARE RHETORICAL COTTON CANDY. They melt in your mouth and leave nothing behind. The president needs to say explicitly what he wants and how he’s going to get there. “CHANGE” WON’T DO ANYMORE. IT’S LEADERSHIP WE NEED.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/04/12/time_for_leadership_109520.html


More and more I am reminded of the late 1970s and the presidency of Jimmy Carter. However, seeing what is going on now, Carter would be an improvement over the current president.



Opting Out of Unionization

.Thanks to Gov. Scott Walker’s new labor law, WISCONSIN MAY JUST BE THE NEXT STATE WHERE UNION ROLLS START SHRINKING. If history’s any indication, plenty of government workers will eventually take advantage of their new ability to opt out of unionization and stop paying expensive union dues….

….Walker saw that as a significant cost-savings benefit for Wisconsin’s government workers, arguing that “for those members . . . who don’t want to be a part of the union . . . [and] don’t want that deduction each month out of the paycheck, THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THAT $500, $600, OR IN SOME CASES $1,000 [PER YEAR] BACK that they can apply for their health care and their pension contribution.” Politifact, which skews liberal, rated Walker’s calculations of how much workers could save “mostly true” after contacting unions and finding out how much they charged members annually.

Making union membership or portions of union dues voluntary has a track record of resulting in fewer employees’ paying. Consider Indiana, where Gov. Mitch Daniels signed an executive order limiting collective bargaining for state workers. IN 2005, WHEN DANIELS SIGNED THE ORDER, 16,408 STATE EMPLOYEES BELONGED TO THE UNION. NOW 1,490 DO.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/264545/opting-out-unionization-katrina-trinko


No wonder the Democrats are against this. Before Daniels signed the order if the unions were getting $500 per year per member, they would have a budget of $8.2 million and if 20% was spent on political contributions that would be $1.6 million going primarily to the Democrats. With only 1490 union members, revenue is decreased to three quarters of a million dollars and political contributions would drop to $150,000 annually.



Death Trap Democrats

Despite November's New Deal magnitude political earthquake, surviving House Democrats just laughed off their historic 63 seat loss and reelected ultra-left San Francisco Democrat Nancy Pelosi as House Minority Leader, a position she will now apparently hold for life. SOMEHOW DEMOCRATS ARE CONVINCED THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL COME TO REALIZE THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS AND TURN TO EMBRACE TAXATION THAT SEIZES MOST OF THEIR MONEY FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO SPEND, rejecting traditional American prosperity. Good luck with that.

But DEMOCRATS HAVE NOW REPEATED THE FOLLY BY CHOOSING DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL) TO HEAD THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE. Schultz is just as left wing as Pelosi, but less soft spoken and even more transparently unreasoned.

Schultz wasted no time in demonstrating this. She said regarding the Medicare reforms in Paul Ryan's House GOP budget plan, "No longer would Medicare be a guarantee of health insurance coverage. Instead Medicare would become little more than a discount card. THIS PLAN WOULD LITERALLY BE A DEATH TRAP FOR SENIORS…..."

….While the Democrats still do not understand what they have done with Obamacare, the government's actuaries and accountants do, and have been telling us in official government publications and documents. The 2010 Financial Statement of the United States Government, published by the Treasury Department in December, is the most clear. THAT REPORT DISCLOSES repeatedly in several tables of data that the TOTAL OF FUTURE CUTS IN PAYMENTS TO DOCTORS AND HOSPITALS UNDER MEDICARE AS PROVIDED IN CURRENT LAW DUE TO OBAMACARE and president obama's medicare reimbursement policies IS $15 TRILLION!...

http://spectator.org/archives/2011/04/13/death-trap-democrats


$15 trillion in cuts is larger than the entire US economy this year. It is a death sentence for Medicare as most hospitals would have to stop treating Medicare patients or go out of business (they currently lose money on Medicare patients).



Dean charges GOP “hate anything” for the little guy

"The President made Medicare more sustainable because of health care reform. These guys [Republicans] hate Medicare, they hate the welfare state, they hate Social Security, THEY HATE ANYTHING THAT HELPS ORDINARY PEOPLE. THEY ARE IN THE PAY OF CORPORATIONS, that's who paid for their campaigns and of course that is whose tune their going to dance to," former DNC Chairman Howard Dean said on MSNBC.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/04/12/howard_dean_on_gop_they_hate_the_welfare_state.html

Dean is outing what the Democrats really feel. It isn’t enough to say that the Republican policies hurt the poor. Dean posits the intentions of the GOP. They hate anything that helps ordinary people. Not only is this nonsense, but in fact, the Democrats have lost the ordinary man and are now the party of government dependent people.



Facts about America’s decline

In absolute terms, the U.S. enjoyed an incline this past decade. BETWEEN 2000 AND 2010, U.S. GDP INCREASED 21% IN CONSTANT DOLLARS, despite the shattering setbacks of the Great Recession in 2008-09 and the bursting of the dot-com bubble in 2001. In 2010, U.S. military spending ($697 billion) was 55% higher than in 2000. And in 2010, the U.S. population was 310 million, an increase of 10% since 2000.

The notion that demography is destiny may be a stretch, but demographics are important when, as in THE U.S., POPULATION INCREASE—DUE TO HIGHER BIRTH AND IMMIGRATION RATES THAN OTHER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES—CUSHIONS THE IMPACT OF AN AGING POPULATION.

But there were also some important declines relative to the rest of the world. In 2000, U.S. GDP WAS 61% OF THE COMBINED GDPS OF THE OTHER G-20 COUNTRIES. BY 2010, THAT NUMBER DROPPED TO 42%. In 2000, U.S. GDP was slightly more than eight times that of China, but it fell to slightly less than three times in 2010. JAPAN IS A CONTRASTING CASE: U.S. GDP WAS TWICE AS LARGE AS JAPAN'S IN 2000 BUT 2.6 TIMES AS LARGE IN 2010, before the tsunami and nuclear disasters of 2011.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704415104576251292725228886.html


I found this extremely interesting. I recommend you read it.



Wal-Mart ends its flirtation with the left

In July 2006, Dach was installed as the public relations chief for Wal-Mart. HE DRAFTED A NUMBER OF OTHER PROGRESSIVES INTO THE COMPANY, SEEKING TO CHANGE THE COMPANY’S WAY OF DOING BUSINESS: its culture, its politics, and most importantly its products.

Out went drab, inexpensive merchandise so dear to low-income Americans. IN CAME UPSCALE ORGANIC FOODS, “GREEN” PRODUCTS, TRENDY JEANS, AND POLITICAL CORRECTNESS. In other words, Dach sought to expose poor working Americans to the “good life” of the wealthy, environmentally conscious Prius driver.

How did that all work out?

AFTER SUFFERING SEVEN STRAIGHT QUARTERS OF LOSSES, TODAY THE MERCHANDISE GIANT WAL-MART WILL ANNOUNCE THAT IT IS “GOING BACK TO BASICS,” ending its era of high-end organic foods, going “green,” and the remainder of its appeal to the upscale market. Next month the company will launch an “It’s Back” campaign to woo the millions of customers who have fled the store.

http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/gore_store_no_more/


It appears a “new Coke” moment has come and gone at Wal-Mart. Welcome back.



Calling for higher taxes on themselves? Not so fast

…Mr. Saban and Ms Pritzker also believe the rich should pay more. "HIGHER TAXES FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME TO HELP OTHERS WHO ARE LESS FORTUNATE -- THAT'S OKAY BY ME," Mr. Saban was quoted in the now-defunct Portfolio magazine. "Warren said that over the last 20 years, the net worth of the 400 richest Americans has grown seven times and the average American's net earnings are flat. He said that's not right, and that's why he's a Democrat. I agree. It's not good for our democracy," Ms Pritzker was quoted by Bloomberg.

THERE IS A HYPOCRISY, IF NOT PSYCHOSIS, AT WORK in the minds of the tax-demanding rich: MR. BUFFETT SHIELDED $31 BILLION OF HIS WEALTH BY TRANSFERRING IT TO BILL GATES' PHILANTHROPIES. The Pritzker family is famous for employing a skein of trusts and offshore accounts to obfuscate their wealth. WHEN THE PATRIARCH, ABRAM PRITZKER, DIED, IN 1986, HIS HEIRS CLAIMED AN ESTATE WORTH $25,000. THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE SAW IT DIFFERENTLY, VALUING THE ESTATE A FEW DOLLARS NORTH OF THAT FIGURE AND SUED TO COLLECT $53 MILLION IN BACK TAXES. THE TWO SIDES SETTLED FOR $9.5 MILLION IN 1994.

Mr. Saban's actions suggest a passive-aggressive relationship with taxes. FOUR YEARS AGO HE SETTLED WITH THE IRS AFTER ADMITTING TO USING OFFSHORE TAX SHELTERS TO AVOID PAYING $300 MILLION ON THE $1.5 BILLION HE REALIZED AFTER SELLING HIS SHARE OF FOX FAMILY WORLDWIDE to Disney. Mr. Saban told Senate investigators: "You have before you a very disappointed person, who feels misled, lied to, cheated."

MS PRITZKER SEES NO CONTRADICTION, MUCH LESS IRONY, IN THE NEED TO PAY TAXES AND THE DESIRE TO AVOID TAXES. In fact, she readily justifies the practice of demanding more taxes and then getting out of Dodge with this creaky riposte to Bloomberg: "Our family has done more than just good tax planning. What we're good at is building businesses, creating jobs and supporting

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/04/time_for_the_rich_to_shut_up_o.html

These people remind me of the ‘cowardly lion’ in the Wizard of Oz. He was brave except when he wasn’t. Perhaps the Greek word “hypocrisys” best describes what these people are doing.



IBD Poll: Public Favors Limiting Collective Bargaining

BY 45%-42%, VOTERS BACK REPUBLICAN EFFORTS TO BALANCE STATE BUDGETS BY LIMITING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS FOR GOVERNMENT UNIONS, according to the latest IBD/TIPP poll. That stance is backed by Republicans, 80%-8%, and by independents, 46%-36%. Even 14% of Democrats say limit collective bargaining.

THAT’S A SWITCH FROM LAST MONTH WHEN AN IBD/TIPP POLL ASKED WHETHER VOTERS FAVORED WISCONSIN GOV. SCOTT WALKER OR THE STATE PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS in that state’s showdown over bargaining rights. That poll found the public supported the unions, 49%-43%. Democrats backed the unions, 83%-11%, while independents backed them, 47%-42%. Republicans backed Walker, 82%-11%.

THE MAIN DIFFERENCE IS THE INDEPENDENTS’ REACTION, SUGGESTING THAT SOME HAVE RETHOUGHT THEIR EARLIER BACKING OF THE UNIONS. Perhaps the budget fight in Congress swayed some to the argument that deficits need to be reined in. Or maybe the independents are just fickle. Either way, the public does seem to be open to budget cutting arguments.

IN TODAY’S IBD WE REPORT THAT THE MOST RECENT POLLING SHOWS THE WHITE HOUSE LOSING GROUND WITH MODERATES SINCE LAST FALL’S ELECTION. A major part of that decline is anxiety about the federal debt and the administration’s sluggish response to the issue.

THE POLL FOUND THAT, BY 47%-26%, VOTERS GAVE OBAMA FAILING GRADES FOR HIS HANDLING OF THE BUDGET. That suggests that liberal groups should rethink their knee-jerk opposition to budget cuts: It is putting them out of step with the broader public.

http://blogs.investors.com/capitalhill/index.php/home/35-politicsinvesting/2576-ibd-poll-public-favors-limiting-collective-bargaining

It’s still way early to interpret this for the coming 2012 elections, but it isn’t good news for the Democrats.

Raising taxes and other Democratic pleasures

Do we need to raise taxes?

For starters, it completely recasts the struggle between the political parties. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT WHAT THE PRESIDENT AND HIS ALLIES REALLY WANT TO DO IS RAISE TAXES. They might agree to some tinkering around the margins on entitlements for show. But in their heart of hearts they believe the solution is higher rates of taxation.

The problem is THEY DON'T HAVE THE GUTS TO SAY SO IN PUBLIC. They know that's the surest way to permanent minority status. And so they are hoping for a more indirect route to their goal, USING GUILE TO LURE GULLIBLE REPUBLICANS (SEE HERE) INTO AGREEING TO THEIR APPROACH WITHOUT EVER HAVING TO SELL IT TO A TAX-AVERSE ELECTORATE.

The Ryan plan blows this kind of plotting by Democrats to smithereens. There's no tax increase in the Ryan plan, and there's no debt crisis. What's required is far-reaching entitlement reform and serious spending discipline. By staking out that position, Ryan and his comrades have improved their leverage immensely. There's no need to agree to tax hikes to solve the budget problem. What's needed is for Democrats to get serious about spending reform, as Ryan has.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/04/do-we-really-need-to-raise-taxes-to-close-the-deficit/236897/


I think tax increases was what the Democrats were planning on doing when they went into the spending spree they did in 2009. They were planning on simply letting the “Bush Tax Cuts” expire and using a carbon tax to bring in an extra trillion dollars per year. But the recession killed letting the tax cuts expire and ClimateGate ruined the carbon tax. I also think they were taken back by the early rise of the Tea Party which saw through their subterfuge in March 2009.  Things did not work out as they had hoped. 



Obama’s support among blacks declines

….His job approval among blacks is sliding.

Once monolithic, blacks' support for the first African American president is still....

....immense. But FOR UNCLEAR REASONS IT'S DECLINED ABOUT 7% from well above 90% to 85% in March. That's a new low since Obama's inauguration 26 months ago.

Equally ominous for Obama in 2012, HIS APPROVAL AMONG HISPANICS, THE NATION'S FASTEST-GROWING DEMOGRAPHIC, HAS ALSO FALLEN TO AGAIN TIE HIS TERM LOW OF 54%. That's a drop of 11 points from its early high of 65%....

…. But any decline within the Democrat's strongest base group is ominously important because his overwhelming support in that sector of voters helps cover his crumbling support in other groups, such as Hispanics and whites, where he now has only 39% approval.

Predictably, OBAMA'S BIGGEST GROUP OF SUPPORTERS ARE DEMOCRATS (80%) AND LIBERALS (74%) AND THE LEAST LIKELY ARE REPUBLICANS, AN IMPRESSIVELY MINUTE 14%.

Gallup finds Obama LEAST POPULAR AMONG OLDER AMERICANS, MARRIED PEOPLE, THE LESS EDUCATED, THE MORE AFFLUENT AND THE MOST RELIGIOUSLY CONSCIENTIOUS. Women (50%) prefer him slightly more than men do (44%)…..

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/04/obama-black-support-slips-hispanics-too.html


And to paraphrase a joke that Reagan used to like, his support is crumbling among those with their eyes open.



Financial Crisis is almost here

The two parties are having a heated debate over the Republican plan to slice $61 billion off Uncle Sam’s projected $3.6 trillion budget. IF THE REPUBLICANS GET THEIR WAY, THE DEFICIT WILL FALL FROM 9.5 PERCENT OF GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT TO 9.1 PERCENT. If they don’t, they’ll probably shut the government for a couple of days. Then they’ll compromise on, say, a $40 billion budget cut, having proved they gave it their best shot.

Arguing over lowering our deficit by just 0.4 percent of GDP when we need to run massive surpluses to deal with the baby boomers’ impending retirement is, PICK YOUR METAPHOR -- REARRANGING THE TITANIC’S FURNITURE, NERO’S FIDDLING, CUSTER’S LAST STAND.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-05/u-s-fiscal-crisis-in-spitting-distance-commentary-by-laurence-kotlikoff.html

Unless you are a Democrat and then the metaphor is “extreme cuts, will kill seniors, cruel, etc.”



Hope and change is dead

Even among the nuzzling press here in Washington, the shine of President Obama has worn off.

HOPE AND CHANGE HAS CRASHED UPON THE CRAGGY SHORES OF REALITY.

Gitmo is still open and open for trials - a perfect double backflip rare even by Washington standards.

And then there were Mr. Obama’s worldly-wise assurances that peace would reign and everybody would love us if only we had a sophisticated, multilingual president who had lived abroad, on other continents, with roots in the Muslim world.

Instead, HE HAS SHEPHERDED US FROM FEARED AND LOATHED TO JUST LOATHED. AND, OF COURSE, MOCKED….

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/apr/5/reporters-continue-to-be-snookered-by-obama/

Perhaps the new slogan should be hopeless and chained?



Confronting health issues of climate change

If physicians want evidence of climate change, they may well find it in their own offices. PATIENTS ARE PRESENTING WITH ILLNESSES THAT ONCE HAPPENED ONLY IN WARMER AREAS. Chronic conditions are becoming aggravated by more frequent and extended heat waves. Allergy and asthma seasons are getting longer. SPATES OF INJURIES ARE RESULTING FROM MORE INTENSE ICE STORMS AND SNOWSTORMS.

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/04/04/edsa0404.htm

It appears Stephen Foster foresaw global warming over 150 years ago when he wrote: “It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was dry The sun so hot I froze to death; Susanna, don't you cry.”



Emotion vs Rationality

On Monday we witnessed the beginning of two campaigns to shape the direction of the nation's future. President Obama declared that he would seek re-election in 2012, kicking off his pursuit of a second term with a web ad geared toward recruiting grassroots workers who would try to keep him in the White House.

In Congress, a much different campaign was launched by the Republicans, with Chairman of the Budget Committee Paul Ryan's release of the 2012 Republican budget. COMPARING THESE TWO OPENING SALVOS FOR NEXT YEAR'S ELECTION, AMERICA'S CHOICE CAN BE BOILED DOWN TO A SIMPLE CHOICE BETWEEN THE EMOTIONAL PLOYS OF THE LEFT, AND THE COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTIONS OF THE RIGHT.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/04/the_choice_in_2012_emotion_ver.html

And yet the left keeps trying to fool themselves into thinking they are the party of reason.



Obama’s Marie Antoinette moment

OBAMA NEEDLED ONE QUESTIONER WHO ASKED ABOUT GAS PRICES, now averaging close to $3.70 a gallon nationwide, and suggested that the gentleman consider getting rid of his gas-guzzling vehicle.

"If you're complaining about the price of gas and you're only getting 8 miles a gallon, you know," Obama said laughingly. "YOU MIGHT WANT TO THINK ABOUT A TRADE-IN."

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/politics&id=8056167


This obviously is an embarrassment to the Democrats, but the MSM is covering up for him. The Associated Press scrubbed it from their coverage of the event.



Reforming Medicare for the Real World

After House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan unveiled a plan to overhaul Medicare, DEMOCRATS ANNOUNCED THAT DESPITE SOME IMPERFECTIONS, IT WAS A BRAVE AND THOUGHTFUL ATTEMPT TO GRAPPLE WITH A PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN IGNORED FOR TOO LONG.

JUST KIDDING. THEY SAID IT WAS THE WORST THING THEY'VE SEEN SINCE SEX AND THE CITY 2.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi accused Ryan of offering "a path to poverty for America's seniors." Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said his proposal would not reform Medicare, but "deform it." The White House faulted Ryan for "placing a greater burden on seniors."

The chief outrage, in their minds, is his proposal to restructure Medicare for Americans currently younger than 55 while KEEPING THE OLD VERSION FOR OLDER FOLKS. Instead of guaranteeing a certain set of benefits regardless of cost, THE GOVERNMENT WOULD PAY A FIXED PREMIUM so recipients could choose their own packages.

The amount provided for premiums would not shrink as time goes on. It would grow at the rate of inflation. Seniors wouldn't get less help than they do now; they just wouldn't get more.

http://reason.com/archives/2011/04/07/reforming-medicare-for-the-rea

The Republicans were smart to grandfather in everyone over the age of 55, but don’t expect that to stop the Democrats from trying to use the reform to scare current recipients by telling them they will lose their Medicare. The Democrats aren’t serious about the deficit.

Healthcare Unconstitutional and other liberal disasters

Obamacare

...Vinson said the GOVERNMENT EVEN CONCEDED THAT ITS INTERPRETATION OF THE COMMERCE CLAUSE TO SUPPORT THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE "BREAKS NEW LEGAL GROUND" AND IS "UNPRECEDENTED." He concluded, "If it has the power to compel an otherwise passive individual into a commercial transaction with a third party ... it is not hyperbolizing to suggest that Congress could do almost anything it wanted. It is difficult to imagine that a nation which began, at least in part, as the result of opposition to a British mandate giving the East India Company a monopoly and imposing a nominal tax on all tea sold in America would have set out to create a government with the power to force people to buy tea in the first place."

Vinson also turned the government's logic on its head in his ruling that the mandate is not severable from the rest of the legislation. ON THE ONE HAND, THE GOVERNMENT MAINTAINED THE MANDATE COULDN'T BE SEVERED FROM THE REST OF THE BILL BECAUSE IT WAS ESSENTIAL TO THE OPERATION OF THE ENTIRE HEALTH CARE REFORM PROGRAM. BUT THEN THE GOVERNMENT ARGUED CONVERSELY THAT THE MANDATE WAS SEVERABLE BECAUSE THE 2,700-PAGE BILL CONTAINED MANY PROVISIONS ONLY TANGENTIALLY RELATED TO HEALTH CARE. Severing the mandate was also impossible, Vinson said, because he would then have to rule on how doing so affected each of the hundreds of provisions in the law. Doing that, Vinson argued, would require him to exceed his own authority as a judge by acting as a legislature....

http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/2011/01/judicial-drubbing-obamacare#ixzz1CiU7sbZi


This is going to SCOTUS and should be expedited there.

How the MSM treated the Obamacare story

ABC, CBS and NBC on Monday night devoted more than half of their evening newscasts to the turmoil in Egypt, but while CBS AND NBC SQUEEZED IN BRIEF MENTIONS OF HOW A FEDERAL JUDGE AGREED WITH 26 STATES THAT THE ENTIRE OBAMACARE LAW IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, ABC’S WORLD NEWS DIDN’T UTTER A SYLLABLE ABOUT THE MAJOR SETBACK FOR THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. Anchor Diane Sawyer, however, made room for a full story on an impending snowstorm and four minutes for a new series, “Families on the Brink: What to Do About Mom and Dad?”

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brent-baker/2011/02/01/abc-s-sawyer-spikes-federal-judge-s-ruling-against-obamacare#ixzz1Cj5ccaPy

Of course the media isn’t tilted to the left. They just had more important things to talk about.



The cost of oil

In case you haven’t noticed, OIL PRICES IN THE UNITED STATES DIFFER FROM THOSE IN THE REST OF THE WORLD. Usually the variance is just a few dollars, but over the last few weeks the difference between West Texas Intermediate prices and Brent crude, which is sourced in Europe’s North Sea, has widened to about $10.

That means that while Americans are buying oil at just over $90 a barrel, the price Europeans and Asians are paying is already over $100. And if the turmoil in Egypt spreads to its oil fields and the Suez Canal, a major transit point for European supplies, THAT SPREAD COULD EXPAND EVEN MORE.

But so far the spread, which began widening before demonstrators took to the streets of Cairo, has little to do with the Middle East. It is mostly about a big buildup of crude in the Cushing, Okla., oil depot. CUSHING IS FLUSH PARTLY BECAUSE DEMAND IN THE UNITED STATES IS ONLY SLOWLY RECOVERING. BUT MOST OF ALL, IT IS A RESULT OF INCREASING IMPORTS OF REFINED SYNTHETIC OIL PRODUCED FROM CANADIAN OIL SANDS, now the single most important source of imported oil.

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/31/in-an-oil-price-gap-the-scent-of-tar-sands/?ref=science

The price of oil is being artificially inflated by the turmoil in the Mideast. But the Mideast is losing its place as the cradle for oil. Rather than peak oil, we keep finding more and more oil in new locations. Last year we discovered 67% more oil than we used.

How do taxes work?

During his State of the Union address, President Obama said the current tax system is broken. "Those with accountants or lawyers to work the system can end up paying no taxes at all," he said. "But all the rest are hit with one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and it has to change."

Just how broken is the corporate tax system? Consider the tax rate paid by two of America's biggest companies — WAL-MART AND GENERAL ELECTRIC. WAL-MART PAID 34 CENTS IN TAXES FOR EVERY DOLLAR OF PROFIT IT MADE IN THE PAST THREE YEARS. GENERAL ELECTRIC PAID JUST 3.6 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR.

Welcome to the mysterious world of the corporate income tax, says tax expert Len Burman at Syracuse University. "There are big companies that consider their tax departments to be profit centers," he says.

That's right; INSTEAD OF CONCENTRATING ON MAKING LIGHT BULBS, POWER PLANTS OR WHATNOT, COMPANIES USE THE TAX SYSTEM TO BOOST THEIR PROFITS.

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/29/133311907/for-many-companies-low-taxes-are-key-to-profits?sc=17&f=1001

GE has been a big contributor to the Democratic Party. Obviously that pays off.

What Independents Want

…..That’s the finding of Resurgent Republic, a Republican polling outfit that applied the views of independents to the House. For instance, 63 PERCENT OF INDEPENDENTS OPPOSED THE MANDATE TO BUY HEALTH INSURANCE in Resurgent Republic polling. That translated into 276 House seats, a solid majority.

The views of independents are crucial because they represent the nation’s critical bloc of swing voters. Their switch away from Democrats in 2010 produced a Republican landslide. Independents overwhelmingly voted for President Obama in 2008 and Democratic congressional candidates in 2006 and 2008…..

Applying their views to the House, THE RIGHT TO PURCHASE HEALTH INSURANCE ACROSS STATE LINES – WHICH IS CURRENTLY ILLEGAL – WOULD PASS 334 TO 101. Repeal of Obamacare would be approved 244 go 191, almost identical to the 245 to 189 vote for repeal in the House in January. REMOVING THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE WOULD PASS 267 TO 168.

On fiscal issues, the views of independents are remarkably conservative. Were they in charge, THE HOUSE WOULD VOTE 231 TO 204 TO CANCEL UNSPENT ECONOMIC STIMULUS FUNDS and use the money to reduce the deficit. A measure to freeze total federal spending at 2010 levels would pass 260 to 175. THE REQUIREMENT OF A TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY TO PASS NEW SPENDING WOULD BE APPROVED 282 TO 153…..

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/what-independents-want_541115.html

More bad news for the left.

It’s almost unanimous

A recent Gallup poll shows that ONLY 5 PERCENT OF AMERICANS FAVOR INCREASED STIMULUS SPENDING AS THE BEST APPROACH TO IMPROVING THE U.S. ECONOMY.

The poll also found that when broken down by party affiliation only 9 percent of self described Democrats see increased stimulus spending as a the best way to get the U.S. economy moving again

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/gallup-only-9-democrats-favor-increased

Unfortunately, in that 9% are a lot of elected Democrats in Washington.

Fannie and Freddie and reform

THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION FAILED TO RELEASE A REPORT TODAY ON HOW FREDDIE MAC AND FANNIE MAE COULD BE REFORMED, despite being required to do so by the Dodd-Frank law passed last summer.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R., Texas), who chairs the House Republican Conference, said in a statement that the White House’s failure to meet the deadline MADE IT “CRYSTAL CLEAR THAT THE PRESIDENT IS NOT SERIOUS ABOUT REFORMING FANNIE MAE AND FREDDIE MAC.”

“The Obama Administration’s repeated inability to propose a plan to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac calls into question their commitment to taxpayer protection and their ability to effectively govern on this issue,” Hensarling added. “After more than $150 billion in Fannie and Freddie bailouts, we can no longer afford to allow the Administration to kick the can down the road.”

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/258499/white-house-misses-deadline-freddie-mac-fannie-mae-report-katrina-trinko

As the Typhoid Mary of the economic meltdown, you would think the Obama Administration would make this a priority.


EXCLUSIVE: 'Waiting For Superman' Director Talks Backlash From Teachers' Unions

'Waiting for Superman'

FILMMAKER DAVID GUGGENHEIM UNLEASHED A WEALTH OF CONTROVERSY LAST SEPTEMBER WITH THE RELEASE OF HIS DOCUMENTARY “WAITING FOR SUPERMAN,” which tackled the failures of the American public education system. But five months later, Guggenheim said THE BACKLASH AGAINST HIM FROM TEACHERS’ UNIONS REMAINS STRONG, and he blames them in large part for not allowing improvements to be implemented into the system.

“The hardest part (of making the film) was the unions and the teacher's union is one (part) of why we aren't going as fast as we can with the reforms,” Guggenheim told FOX411’s Pop Tarts at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards in Hollywood on Saturday night, where he was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Feature filmmaking. “AND THAT WAS A DIFFICULT PIECE BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN UNIONS – I'M A MEMBER OF THE DIRECTOR'S GUILD, THE UNION TONIGHT. THAT'S A DIFFICULT THING TO SORT OF DISSECT THAT ISSUE.”

The teachers’ unions in question were not immediately available for comment.

But even though change isn’t happening as fast as Guggenheim would like, HE TAKES PRIDE IN THE FACT THE FILM SIMPLY SPARKED FODDER FOR DEBATE.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/02/01/exclusive-waiting-superman-director-talks-backlash-teachers-unions/?test=faces


The problem isn’t unions per se, but rather public employee unions. Businesses have to compete in the marketplace. Teachers Unions in the meantime not only don’t have to compete in the marketplace, but use political clout to keep their monopoly alive.