News Blog for social, fiscal & national security conservatives who believe in God, family & the USA. Upholding the rights granted by God & guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, traditional family values, "republican" principles / ideals, transparent & limited "smaller" government, free markets, lower taxes, due process of law, liberty & individual freedom. Content approval rests with the ARRA News Service Editor. Opinions are those of the authors. While varied positions are reported, beliefs & principles remain fixed. No revenue is generated for or by this "Blog" - no paid ads - no payments for articles.Fair Use Doctrine is posted & used. Blogger/Editor/Founder: Bill Smith, Ph.D. [aka: OzarkGuru & 2010 AFP National Blogger of the Year] Contact: editor@arranewsservice.com (Pub. Since July, 2006)Home PageFollow @arra
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics
is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. -- Plato
(429-347 BC)
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Boozeman: The President's Tax Hike Plan
Arkansas U.S, Senator John Boozman: By now you’ve likely heard of President Obama’s plan to reduce the deficit and pay for his latest stimulus - just raise taxes! Sounds pretty simple, but is it fair? More importantly, is it the right thing to do to in this economy?
Let’s take a step back from the President’s “pass this bill” mantra and discuss what effects this approach would likely have on our economy.
Two years ago, President Obama said "you don't raise taxes in a recession." Now that he has announced his plan, which is pretty much a recycled version of the first “stimulus”, he wants to raise taxes on the American people during the worst economic period our country has experienced in many years.
What he doesn't tell us is that his proposed $1.5 trillion in new taxes will hit all of us. It will be especially detrimental to the 14 million unemployed Americans as you won’t see small business owners rushing to create jobs when you raise their tax burden.
As a former small business owner, I can tell you this plan will make it harder to hire more people, especially in light of the fact that Washington does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. The President's idea is nothing more than a tactic to stall the real reforms that Washington must undertake now in order to avert an economic collapse.
I’m working with my colleagues in the Senate to address this crisis in a responsible manner. Let’s rein in spending, reform our tax code, reduce regulatory burdens imposed by government agencies, increase exports by passing pending free trade agreements and create a new energy policy that allows us to use American resources and makes us less dependent on foreign oil.
That’s how we can get the economy moving again, by encouraging investment in small business, the heart of our nation’s economy, instead of discouraging it through senseless tax hikes. Tags:Arkansas, US Senator, John Boozman, President Obama, tax planTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
This past week, Oklahoma U.S. Senator Tom Coburn posted his latestPork Report which identifies at least $504,254,000in wasteful Washington spending.
How Washington politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists are spending your tax dollars:
Federal government spending millions of dollars a year on catered meals for state government employees click to read more
Federal funds pay to send state government employees on junkets to casinos from the Gulf Coast to Las Vegas click to read more
Stimulus funded teacher training included junket to New York City with limousine pick-up service click to read more
More than half-a-million dollars of federal funds spent to complete “Rockin’ the Kremlin,” a 90-minutes movie about how rock and roll music contributed to the collapse of communism and the fall of the Soviet Union click to read more
The bucks stop here, but the trucks won’t: Truck stop received $424,000 federal stimulus grant despite filing for bankruptcy and a history of financial problems click to read more
The National Renewable Energy Lab, a key part of the federal stimulus program, to eliminate 100 to 150 jobs click to read more
Half-a-billion dollar federal green-jobs program fails; No “evidence of market demand” for the jobs people are being trained to perform click to read more
Massachusetts residents upset federal stimulus funds being spent on a “fish ladder” rather than fixing potholes click to read more Tags:Oklahoma, US Senator, Tom Coburn, Pork Report, government waste, wasteful spending, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tags:Occupy Wall Street, Steve Jobs, Wall Street protests, capitalistTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor Blog: FYI ---- Yesterday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi outdid herself by claiming that without the Democrats' $825 billion failed economic stimulus, unemployment would have reached 14.5%. On the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue, the Obama Administration claimed that with or without a stimulus unemployment would stay below 9%. No matter how Democrats try to spin it, the Obama / Reid / Pelosi stimulus has been a failure.
Pelosi: Without The Stimulus Unemployment Would Have Reached 14.5%. "Without the Recovery Act and accompanying federal interventions, whether from the Fed, or Cash for Clunkers, or other initiatives, the unemployment rate last year at the time of the election would have been fourteen and a half percent, not nine and a half percent," said Minority Leader Pelosi. (The Weekly Standard, 10/6/11)
FLASHBACK: Tags:Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, Harry Reid, rewriting history, lies, former failed stimulus, US House, Eric CantorTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Yesterday morning, the Senate voted 62-38 to invoke cloture on S. 1619, the China currency bill. Prior to the cloture vote, Majority Leader Harry Reid blocked GOP amendments. When Republicans attempted to offer motions to suspend the rules following cloture to get votes on amendments, Reid swiftly moved to change Senate rules and precedents and harm the rights of the minority in the Senate.
Further voting on S. 1619 has been postponed until next week due to the animosity generated by Senate Leader Harry Reid which is detailed below.
Sen. Reid’s unprecedented move used a simple majority vote to overturn Senate tradition. Reid just moved to change the rules of the Senate. By raising an unprecedented point of order against offering motions to suspend (a motion that both Democrats and Republicans have used in the Senate), he’s asking the Senate, with a simple majority vote, to end the practice altogether. After “filling the tree” and blocking all Republican amendments, Sen. Reid is now moving to be able to prevent any options available to the minority to have votes—even on jobs amendments.
Despite AGREEING to have seven motions just a few minutes previously, he went on to say that seven motions are too many and the practice must end. The Republicans appealed the ruling to the Senate as a whole asking to maintain a long-standing Senate rule that has been used by both parties. In this vote yea” votes were to keep the previous rules, and “no” votes were votes to agree to Reid’s unilateral change.The vote was 48 Yeas and 51 Nays with all Democrats supporting Harry Reid's unprecedented maneuver except for Ben Nelson (D-NW) voting with the Republicans and Boxer (D-CA) who did not vote
To summarize: This unprecedented move was to help Democrats avoid voting on tough amendments and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) changed the rules and precedents of the Senate with a simple majority vote.
The Washington Examiner’s Philip Klein has a good explanation of what happened: “The buildup to this point started on Tuesday, when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., tried to force a vote on President Obama's jobs bill as well as other Republican priorities by offering them as amendments to the China currency bill. Reid blocked the move. . . . McConnell made what's called a ‘motion to suspend the rules,’ to allow a vote on the amendments. Such motions are almost always defeated, because they require a two-thirds majority to pass. But they're another way for the minority party to force uncomfortable votes. Even though the minority party doesn't get a direct vote on the amendment, how somebody votes on the motion becomes a sort of proxy for such a vote. In this case, for instance, if Democrats had voted down a motion for a vote on Obama's jobs bill, it would have put them in an awkward spot. Though it's been the standing practice of the Senate to allow such motions by the minority, tonight Reid broke with precedent and ruled McConnell's motion out of order, and was ultimately backed up by Democrats. So, the end result is that by a simple majority vote, Reid was able to effectively rewrite Senate rules making it even harder than it already is for the minority party to force votes on any amendments. Should Republicans retake the Senate next year, it's something that could come back to haunt Democrats in a major way.”
Frustrated, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnelltold senators assembled on the floor last night, “[T]he fundamental problem here is the majority never likes to take votes. That's the core problem. . . . We're sitting around here when we ought to be passing trade bills. The president’s asked us to vote on his jobs bill. I wanted to give him an opportunity to have his vote the other day. You guys [Democrats] didn't want to vote on what the president was asking us to vote on--without any changes.”
The Hill adds, “The surprise move stunned Republicans, who did not expect Reid to bring heavy artillery to what had been a humdrum knife fight over amendments to China currency legislation. The Democratic leader had become fed up with Republican demands for votes on motions to suspend the rules after the Senate had voted to limit debate earlier in the day. McConnell had threatened such a motion to force a vote on the original version of President Obama’s jobs package, which many Democrats don’t like because it would limit tax deductions for families earning over $250,000. The jobs package would have been considered as an amendment. McConnell wanted to embarrass the president by demonstrating how few Democrats are willing to support his jobs plan as first drafted.”
Indeed, an amendment that contained President Obama’s stimulus bill, which the president used a rare news conference yesterday to berate Congress about a lack of action on, was among those that Democrats changed the rules to avoid voting on last night. Votes also dodged by Democrats included amendments to block burdensome EPA rules on businesses and farmers and right to work legislation.
Writing at Townhall.com, Guy Benson explains, “This all may seem rather insignificant and boring, but the precedent is anything but.& Harry Reid employed a ‘nuclear’ procedural tactic to strip the minority of a long-standing, modest tool to exert a modicum of influence over the legislative process.”
Leader McConnell blasted Reid and Democrats for the move, saying, “[I]f you look back at this bill, what we've had in effect is no amendments before cloture, no motions to suspend after cloture, no expression on the part of the minority at all. . . . [W]e are fundamentally turning the Senate into the House. No amendments before cloture. No motions to suspend after cloture. The minority's out of business.”
McConnell warned Democrats, “This is a bad mistake. . . . This is a free-wheeling body, and everybody is better off when we operate that way. Everybody is. Whether you're in the majority or the minority, because today's minority may be tomorrow's majority.Editor's comment: "I hope so!" Reid as in the past, "Reid just gave the people the finger." Tags:Washington, D.C., US Senate, Harry Reid, rule change, abuse of power, democrat tricks, screw America, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
As such, we take offense at the actions of the U.S Government abusing Gibson Guitar, and in light of this abuse, we are concerned with potentially threat to numerous other small businesses which support the music industry with world-class quality musical instruments.
We Stand with Gibson, a group of Gibson Guitar fans, are hosting a Nashville, Tenn. rally this Saturday, October 8, to support the company as it faces federal investigation connected to the Lacey Act.
The rally takes place at the Scoreboard Grill on Music Valley Drive in Nashville from 2 to 4pm. Speakers include Congressman Marsha Blackburn, Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, radio hosts Steve Gill and Phil Valentine and Tea Party Express Chairman Amy Kremer.
There will also me musical performances from Eric Lee Bedingfield, Grant Austin Taylor, Madison Rising and Rivoli Review.
For more information on the event please go to Gibsonrally.com. Tags:Gibson Guitar, rally, Nashville, Tennessee, government abuse, Lacey Act, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Infographic: All White House Roads to Pass The Bill Lead To . . .
by Don Seymour, Michael Ricci, and Bryant Avondoglio (Office of the Speaker): All roads seem to be leading nowhere for the president’s economic bill amid questions the White House lacks a “clear strategy” to pass it. All roads, that is, except the House. With the White House failing to make any headway with job creators, the American people, and Senate Democrats, will President Obama finally work with Republicans to find common ground on removing barriers to job growth? That’s the question posed by a new infographic from the Office of the Speaker. [Presented below]
After President Obama addressed a Joint Session of Congress, Republican leaders issued a memo outlining possibleareas of common ground, including extension of 100 percent bonus depreciation, small business capital formation, and payroll tax relief.
The president, however, demanded an “all or nothing” vote and vowed to take his plan to “every corner of the country.” The reception has been chilly. Economists and fiscal watchdogshave balked at the plan. An estimated 750,000small businesses are threatened by the proposed tax hikes, and the Arizona Republic talked with small business owners who are “wary” and “skeptical” about the president’s latest proposal, fearing it could be little more than “another stimulus plan.” Fox News reported that “a majority of Americans don’t believe” his “plan will help lower the unemployment rate…” And the president has been greeted by tough front pages in city after city.
When the president demanded Congress “pass this bill” now, Democratic leaders in the Senate blocked a vote on it (just minutes before he railed against Republicans for standing in the way). And if there’s one thing the Senate does well, it’s stall jobs bills; swapping in different tax hikes won’t help.
So it’s back to the House. The House is focused on the people’s priorities, and none rank higher than removing government barriers to job creation. If the president is serious, he’ll work with Republicans onareas of common ground. If not, then perhaps this jobs bill really is “a political weapon rather than as a means of fixing the nation's economic woes and putting Americans back to work.”
Learn more about the Republican jobs plan jobs.GOP.gov. Click on the the image below to view the full image.
Tags:President Obama, economic bill, jobs bill, stimulus bill, roadmap, infographic, US House, Speakers Office, Us SenateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
“As our nation’s top enforcer of the principles of law and justice, Mr. Holder has lost all credibility and should step down immediately,” Rep. Raúl Labrador said in a statement this afternoon.
Holder testified before the House Judiciary Committee on May 3, ducking responsibility for Fast and Furious. The operation, carried out by Bureau of Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, put guns in the hands of straw buyers, who then gave the firearms to Mexican drug cartels. One of those guns was found at the murder scene of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.
House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have led the congressional inquiry and today announced that Holder knew more about Fast and Furious than he acknowledged at the May 3 hearing. In fact, Holder received memos about the operation for four straight weeks last year from Michael Walther, director of the National Drug Intelligence Center.
Those memos revealed to Holder that straw buyers were “responsible for the purchase of 1500 firearms that were then supplied to Mexican drug trafficking cartels.”
“Attorney General Holder has failed to give Congress and the American people an honest account of what he and other senior Justice Department officials knew about gunwalking and Operation Fast and Furious,” Issa said. “The lack of candor and honesty from our nation’s chief law enforcement officials in this matter is deeply disturbing.”
The lack of honesty didn't sit well with Labrador, who first requested a hearing on Fast and Furious in March after learning about the flawed operation from his constituents.
“Attorney General Holder has a troubling pattern of failed cooperation with the legislative branch. Because of this intentional stonewalling and his misleading testimony, I now call for Mr. Holder’s resignation,” Labrador said. “It is clear he has not been honest about the extent of his involvement with the failed Fast and Furious program and should not be entrusted with managing the Department of Justice.” Tags:Attorney General, Eric Holder, border patrol, Brian Terry, Darrell Issa, Department of Justice, drug cartel, Fast and Furious, Justice Department, Mexican drug cartels, Operation Fast and Furious, Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Raul Labrador, Rob Bluey, Heritage FoundationTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tags:George Soros, SEIU, Learner, Van Jones, Obama2012, Obamas jobs plan, Occupy Wall Street, mops, Alinski, A.F. Bronco. political cartoonTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Bankrupting America: For years, the government has been spending far more than it can afford. This has left the country with a massive public debt burden. We often say that the federal government should learn a lesson from everyday Americans and learn how to live within their means; budgeting and spending responsibly over the long-term.
But what if the tables were turned? What if Americans took their cue from the federal government and spent far more than what they take in? Well it isn’t pretty. Click on the the image below to view the full image.
Tags:Government Overspending, Government Spending, household income, household spending, irresponsible spending, making spending personal, personal spending, Spending just got personal, Bankrupting America:To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Dem's PushTemporary Stimulus Funded by Permananet Tax Hike
Today in Washington, D.C. - Oct. 6, 2011:
The Senate resumed consideration of and voted 62-38 to invoke cloture on S. 1619, legislation dealing with China’s currency practices.
Later today the Senate will vote on the president’s stimulus bill, without Democrats’ latest surtax, as an amendment to the China bill. Guess they're trying to make sure both items are DOA (dead on arrival) in the U.S. House.
Yesterday, the House Natural Resources Committee passed a bill proposed by Rep Rob Bishop which will give the U.S. Border Patrol more access to public lands along the U.S border. The bill would prevent the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture from impeding, prohibiting or restricting the Border Patrol’s efforts within 100 miles of the border with Mexico and Canada. The legislation would allow the Border Patrol access to public lands in order to construct and maintain roads, build fences, patrol in vehicles, install, maintain, and operate surveillance equipment and sensors, fly aircraft and deploy temporary infrastructure, including forward operating bases. This bill which still pass the Us House and the Senate is vital to national security and protecting our borders. As many have heard on the news, due to restrictions by both the Department of interior and Department of Agriculture, their are National and Indian Affairs lands along our borders which are not patrolled or have only minimum access. These lands are being used by criminal elements as well as for illegal U.S.border crossing. Reported area have become know for rape, theft, and murder and as areas where foreign enemies are able to infiltrate the U.S.
The Washington Post writes today, “As they head into the 2012 campaign, Democrats are changing their definition of what it means to be rich. Forget about families making $250,000 a year. Today, the party is only interested in millionaires. In speeches across the country, President Obama has vigorously demanded that ‘millionaires and billionaires’ pay ‘their fair share’ in taxes. Last month, the White House said tax reform should ensure that billionaires such as Warren Buffett pay at least as much of their income to the Internal Revenue Service as middle-class taxpayers do.
“And on Wednesday came clear evidence of this shift: Senate Democratic leaders scrapped Obama’s proposal to cover the cost of his jobs bill by raising taxes on income over $250,000 a year, the old Democratic standard for defining the wealthy. Instead, they are proposing a 5.6 percent surtax on annual income of more than $1 million. Democrats say their new focus is intended to bolster support for Obama’s jobs package. But its more important purpose is to clarify the party’s economic agenda heading into next year’s election.”
Indeed, Roll Call points out that this new tax Democrats are proposing to pay for Obama’s latest stimulus package is based on politics. “[Senate Dem. Leader] Reid's decision to pay for the $447 billion package with a 5.6 percent surtax on income of more than $1 million starting in 2013 gives Democrats a poll-tested package that most can run on for the next year — even though the surtax itself is dead on arrival with Republicans. Indeed, Reid appears to be setting the stage for a major floor battle that will raise the specter of ‘class warfare’ and Obama recently called himself a ‘warrior for the middle class.’”
Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell elaborated on Democrats’ latest partisan plan in a floor speech this morning: “What this week has shown, beyond any doubt, is that Democrats would rather talk about partisan legislation that they know won’t pass, than about actually passing legislation we know would create jobs. This week it was revealed that there wasn’t enough support within the Democrat ranks to pass the President’s so-called Jobs bill — it was simply too partisan. . . . The President himself has said that raising taxes is the last thing you want to do in a weak economy — even the White House predicts the unemployment rate will be high when this tax would kick in. So the real goal here for the Democrats, as far as I can tell, is entirely political — by arguing for a permanent tax hike to pay for a temporary stimulus, they essentially admitting they’re not interested in creating jobs – because proposing a partisan tax hike 13 months before an election won’t create a single job.”
Despite Democrats’ latest political posturing, it’s not clear that many Democrats will support the president’s stimulus bill, even with their new tax hike proposal. In 2009 some Democrats warned that a similar surtax would “negatively affect small businesses.” Meanwhile The Daily Caller reports that Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) “is a ‘no’ vote right now with either the surtax or offsets on the table.” And Politico’s Manu Raju reports Democrat Nebraska Senator “Ben Nelson says he'll vote against cloture on motion to proceed to Obama jobs plan.”
Quoting Sen. McConnell sgain, “Republicans, along with some Democrats, have pro-growth solutions to help solve this crisis, but we will not stand for a permanent tax hike for a temporary stimulus that is largely a rehash of the same failed stimulus ideas this administration has already tried. This bill is the same wasteful spending, the same burdensome union giveaways, and the same temporary tax policy that has failed the American people the last two years.” Tags:Washington, D.C., US House, US Senate, tax surcharge, taxes, jobs billTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
. . . Because the first step is admitting you have a problem.Source
Share this video with those you love or care about!
Tags:Democrats, Stimulus, spending, taxes, Harry Reid, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Democrats Anonymous, admitting you have a problemTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The following comes our way via The Oracle at Guns and Religion. Would like to know if you have received your copy of the EPA Endangered Species coloring book or any other government coloring book(s). Would also like to know what you did with it / them? Our government is broke! It is this and thousands of other places where the federal government could reduce government spending / waste.
Also, someone you love or hate can opt to sign you up for a free copy.
"Free" - it wasn't free "We the People" paid, and continue to pay, for this!!!!
Saturday’s mail included a large envelope from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Why are we getting mail from the EPA, I wondered?
Inside was an Endangered Species: Save Our Species coloring book.
[....] We don’t have any coloring-book-age kids, don’t use pesticides that imperil any endangered or threatened species of wildlife and have absolutely no use for this propaganda from what I consider the most wrong-headed, economy-destroying branch of the federal government.
It had to cost them at least $1 to send this thing to us and God knows how many others they wasted on households without kids or pesticide use.
Tags:Environmental Protection Agencies, EPA, free, endangered species, coloring book, government waste, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
In 2009 Democrats Warned That A Similar Surtax Would ‘Negatively Affect Small Businesses,’ Said It Would Be ‘A Very Tough Sell’ In The Senate
DEMS: Tax Hikes Will ‘Stifle The Recovery’
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (ID-CT): “I wouldn't do anything to raise taxes in the foreseeable future because that'll stifle the recovery.”(Sean Hannity Radio Show, 9/20/11)
SEN. BEN NELSON (D-NE): “No, no, no. … This is a time to be cutting. The cutting stops when the taxes increase.” “Sen. Ben Nelson (D), who faces a tough election in conservative Nebraska, said he would vote against a motion to begin floor debate on Obama’s bill. ‘No, no, no,’ Nelson said, when asked if he would roll the dice by allowing the bill to come to the Senate floor in hopes of amending it. ‘With the current offsets that are essentially tax increases? No. ‘This is a time to be cutting. The cutting stops when the taxes increase,’ he said.” (“Senate Democrats Buck Obama On Jobs By Changing 'Pay-Fors,’” The Hill, 10/4/11)
SEN. JIM WEBB (D-VA): “‘Terrible,’ Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) told POLITICO when asked about the president’s ideas for how to pay for the $450 billion price tag. ‘We shouldn’t increase taxes on ordinary income. … There are other ways to get there.’” (“Hill Dems Pick Apart Obama Jobs Plan,” Politico, 9/14/11)
DEMS: Surtax ‘Will Negatively Affect Small Businesses… Discourage Entrepreneurial Activity And Job Growth’
’09 LETTER FROM 22 DEMOCRATS: “Especially in a recession, we need to make sure not to kill the goose that will lay the golden eggs of our recovery. By concentrating the cost of health care reform in one area, and in one that will negatively affect small businesses, we are concerned that this will discourage entrepreneurial activity and job growth.”(Rep. Polis And Freshman House Democrats, Letter To Speaker Pelosi, 7/16/09)
“This proposed surcharge will also have a direct negative impact on manufacturers, another industry essential for our recovery. As manufacturers are capital intensive businesses, their taxable income is often higher… Manufacturing machinery can cost over $1 million and many owners have to save for years to expand and buy new equipment. Yet those profits saved each year would be hit by this proposed surcharge, which could lead to reduced investment.” (Rep. Polis And Freshman House Democrats, Letter To Speaker Pelosi, 7/16/09)
“… a surcharge would tax income above $1 million at a new rate of 45 percent. Combined with state taxes, many successful small businesses -- the very kind of business that should lead in creating new jobs and help us emerge from this recession -- will be taxed at over 50 percent.” (Rep. Polis And Freshman House Democrats, Letter To Speaker Pelosi, 7/16/09)
Senate Dems Called ’09 Surtax ‘A Very Tough Sell’
SEN. RON WYDEN (D-OR): “Not heard much support.” “Still, the idea has been criticized by some Democrats. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Tuesday that he has ‘not heard much support’ from his colleagues.” (“House Dems' Health Bill Would Tax Rich,” USA Today, 7/15/09)
SEN. BEN NELSON (D-NE): “Tax is a four-letter word.” “‘Tax is a four-letter word’ with voters, said Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.). Even families not ranking in the top 1 percent of earners ‘hope they're going to be there someday,’ he said. ‘So they don't necessarily think it's fair.’” (“Health-Care Plan Would Add Surtax On Wealthy,” The Washington Post, 7/15/09)
“Senator Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat, said he’s ‘not hearing a lot’ of support for a surtax on wealthy Americans. People in his state don’t like the so-called millionaire’s tax ‘because they are looking someday to get there themselves,’ Nelson said. ‘It’s the American way.’” (“House Health Plan Seeks 5.4 Percent Millionaire Tax,” Bloomberg, 7/14/09)
SEN. KENT CONRAD (D-ND): “A very tough sell.” “… Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), who is promoting a tax on the most generous 1 percent of private plans, conceded yesterday that such a proposal is ‘a very tough sell.’” (“Health-Care Plan Would Add Surtax On Wealthy,” The Washington Post, 7/15/09) Tags:Senate, Democrats, surtax, increased taxes, rich, Obama SuckersTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Senate Democrats Block Bills And Poke China and The Rich
Today in Washington, D.C. - October 5, 2011:
Yesterday, the House approved (352-66) the Senate's modification to the Continuing Resolution which keeps federal government funded until Nov. 18. The CR continues spending levels at the levels set by the July agreement extending the debt ceiling. President Barack Obama will sign the bill today to avoid a government shut down.
Last night Sen. Reid filed cloture on S. 1619, setting up a vote on Thursday. Today, the Senate resumed consideration of S. 1619, legislation dealing with China’s currency practices. International papers are reporting that "China warned Washington Tuesday that passage of a bill aimed at forcing Beijing to let its currency rise could lead to a trade war between the world’s top two economies. China’s central bank and the Commerce and Foreign Affairs ministries accused Washington of 'politicizing' currency issues and putting the global economy at risk after U.S. senators voted Monday to start a week of debate on the bill." The AP is reports that "Huse Speaker John Boehner has dismissed a Senate bill that could punish China for undervaluing its currency. The Ohio Republican says it's "pretty dangerous" for Congress to tell another country how to run its monetary policy."
Yesterday, President Obama again demanded of his $447 billion stimulus proposal, “Pass this bill.” Directing his remarks at Capitol Hill, the president said, “[A]t least put this jobs bill up for a vote so that the entire country knows exactly where members of Congress stand.” He told his Texas audience, “I need you to call and tweet and fax and visit and email your congressperson and tell them the time for gridlock and games is over. The time for action is now.” So, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, despite his opposition to the legislation, decided to offer the president an opportunity to get a vote on his bill. Yet Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) blocked the move, saying, “‘Right away’ is a relative term… I object.”
National Journal elaborated, “Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., forced Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to block a vote on President Obama’s $447 billion jobs proposal on Tuesday. The legislative gambit will not bar a Senate vote on the bill later this month, but it blunts a Democratic effort to maneuver the GOP into accepting sole responsibility for blocking the package . . . . In a surprise move intended to highlight Democratic divisions over the bill, McConnell asked Reid for unanimous consent to vote on the bill, which Reid introduced last month, as an amendment to legislation cracking down on Chinese currency manipulation that is currently on the floor. McConnell noted that Obama has asked Congress for an immediate vote on the measure at least 12 separate times. ‘I want to disabuse [Obama] of the notion that we are somehow unwilling to vote’ on the bill, McConnell said. Reid objected to McConnell’s request. He used a procedural tactic to block amendments to the bill.”
And Yahoo News noted, “Talk about poor timing. Moments after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, blocked a Republican motion in the Senate to vote on President Obama’s jobs bill, the president’s re-election campaign sent out an e-mail blasting House Republicans for not voting on the proposal.”
But today, Reid reiterated that the Senate would take up President Obama’s stimulus bill (although not until it’s finished with a China currency bill that apparently takes precedence for majority Democrats). Democrats won’t vote on the original bill, though. They want to add tax hikes to it. The AP reports today, “Senate Democrats are scrambling to rewrite portions of President Barack Obama’s jobs bill, even as Obama tries to blame Republicans for Congress’ failure to act. . . . In the Senate, Democrats made plans to jettison provisions that Obama recommended to pay for the $447 billion jobs bill, substituting them with a tax increase on millionaires, officials said.”
The AP added, “The parliamentary dance aside, the day’s events underscored that, as submitted by the White House, Obama’s bill would not only fail in the Republican-controlled House, but faced enough opposition from Democrats to endanger its prospects in the Senate, as well. ‘There’s the good, the bad and the ugly. The ugly was $447 billion,’ Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said of the bill’s price tag.”
It’s far from clear, though, that the new taxes on “millionaires” that Democrat leaders are calling for will even attract Democrat votes. Not long ago a number of Senate Democrats warned against raising taxes in a recession. Joe Manchin, who thinks the original taxes in the Obama bill are “ugly,” once said, “I wouldn’t raise any taxes.” Last year at this time, Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) said, “I don’t think it makes sense to raise any federal taxes during the uncertain economy we are struggling through.”
As Leader McConnell said this morning, “[N]ow I understand our Democrat friends want to jettison entire parts of the bill altogether — not to make it more effective at growing jobs, not to grow bipartisan support. No, they want to overhaul the bill to sharpen its political edge. So my suggestion to the White House is that if the President wants to keep traveling around the country demanding a vote on this second stimulus, that he focuses his criticism on Democrats, not Republicans. Because they’re the ones who are now standing in the way of an immediate vote on this legislation.
“But, of course, the President knew as well as I did that many Democrats in Congress don’t like this bill any more than Republicans do. Despite his rhetoric, he knew Republicans weren’t the only obstacle. Which means one thing: the President is not engaged right now in a good-faith effort to spur the economy or create jobs through legislation. He’s engaged in a reelection campaign.
“There are 1.7 million fewer jobs since the President signed his first stimulus, and his idea of a solution is to propose another one. Even Democrats know it’s a non-starter, which is why so many of them don’t want to have to vote for it. That’s what we all witnessed yesterday.”
In response today, the Wall Street Journal reports that Senate Democrats are proposing the idea of a 5% surtax on all income above $1 million as a way to pay for President Obama’s jobs bill. The Dems would toss out Obama’s more intricate suggestion for eliminating various tax deductions for the wealthy, oil companies, and other businesses. The surtax would hit all income, including dividends and capital gains, and would be enacted permanently. Sen. Charles Schumer said the move was aimed at millionaires, rather than everyone in the $200,000-plus-a-year tax bracket, because many of those households “are not rich,” and it would be “hard to ask more” of them. Recall that progressives like incremental steps to the left - more taxes, more spending, more entrapment (enslavement) in entitlement programs. They are balking at cutting spending.
In conclusion, Senate Democrats are focused on taxing the rich and poking China by trying to tell them what to do with their currency. Senate democrats are ignoring not only Obama's alleged jobs bill, they are ignoring the trade agreements that would create American jobs and audaciously ignoring cutting federal spending which would reduce the burden on Americans and would reduce the need by the Federal Government to borrow more money from China. Tags:China, Washington, DC, The SenateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tags:On a Bridge, Tyranny, people who hate America, America, AF Branco, political cartoonTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Immediate Vote’On Job Stimulus Bill - ‘Immediately Blocked By Harry Reid
Obama: I got The Signs
Related prior post - Dem Leader Blocks Vote On President’s Stimulus Senator Reid ‘Quickly Objected,’ ‘Refused,’ ‘Declined,’ ‘Shot Down The Effort’ To Vote On President Obama’s Stimulus Proposal Today
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: “As Obama was using his bully pulpit to cast Republicans as obstructionist, McConnell appeared on the Senate floor to call the president's bluff. ‘Let me count the number of times — one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12 times — the president of the United States over the last few weeks has called on us to have this vote,’ the Kentucky senator said. ‘I'm prepared to vote on the president's proposal today.’” Ibid
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: “Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called Tuesday for an immediate vote on President Barack Obama‘s $447 billion jobs package… A visibly frustrated Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) declined to allow a vote on the measure as an amendment to the currency bill now on the Senate floor.”(“Sen. McConnell: Let’s Vote Now On Obama’s Jobs Package,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/4/11)
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: “The wrangling comes as Senate Democratic leaders are struggling to line up their entire caucus behind Mr. Obama’s jobs package, which would pay for new spending initiatives in part with a series of tax increases that are unpopular even with some Democrats.” Ibid
POLITICO:“President Barack Obama has traveled the country to rally support for his jobs legislation and prodding Congress to take up the bill immediately. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s response? Sure. … Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid — who’s supposed to set the floor schedule — quickly objected.” (“McConnell: Let's Just Vote On Obama's Bill,” Politico, 10/4/11)
ROLL CALL: “McConnell was prepared to offer the president's plan as an amendment to a China currency manipulation bill now on the Senate floor, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) moved quickly to block that, using a procedural maneuver known as filling the amendment tree to prevent McConnell from offering the proposal.”(“McConnell Tries To Force Vote On Obama Jobs Plan, Roll Call, 10/4/11)
YAHOO! NEWS: “Talk about poor timing. Moments after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, blocked a Republican motion in the Senate to vote on President Obama's jobs bill, the president's re-election campaign sent out an e-mail blasting House Republicans for not voting on the proposal. ‘Friend -- President Obama is in Dallas today urging Americans who support the American Jobs Act to demand that Congress pass it already.’” (“Reid Blocks Vote On Jobs Bill While Obama Blasts House For Not Voting On It,” Yahoo! News, 10/4/11)
NATIONAL JOURNAL: “Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., forced Senate Majority LeaderHarry Reid, D-Nev., to block a vote on President Obama’s $447 billion jobs proposal on Tuesday. … ‘I want to disabuse [Obama] of the notion that we are somehow unwilling to vote’ on the bill, McConnell said. Reid objected to McConnell's request. He used a procedural tactic to block amendments to the bill.” (“McConnell, Reid Duel Over Obama's Jobs Bill,” National Journal, 10/4/11)
THE HILL: “Reid blocks attempt by McConnell to vote on president's jobs bill.” “In a lively spat on the Senate floor Tuesday, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) attempted call up President Obama’s jobs plan for an immediate vote in the upper chamber. However, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who supports the legislation, blocked the vote.” (“Reid Blocks Attempt By McConnell To Vote On President's Jobs Bill,” The Hill’s Floor Action Blog, 10/4/11)
Tags:Obama, Job Stimuls, US Senate, vte called for by Republicans, Mitch McConnell, vote blocked by Democrats, Harry Reid, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Another Broken Promise on Health Care: Premiums Have Increased
When the president and Democrats forced their budget-busting health care legislation through Congress over the American people's objections, the president promised, among other things, that Americans wouldn't see their premiums rise. Now a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation confirms that was just one more piece of false information. In fact, the health care law is already contributing to a rise in premiums -- and it hasn't even been fully implemented yet. It's high time for Congress to repeal the Democrats' broken health care law and replace it with reforms that will actually lower costs. Source / Video Link: Tags:Helath Care, premiums, rise, video, Barack Obama, John Kyle, Lamar Alexander, health care summit, Rush Limbaugh, Kaiser Family Foundation, study, increased premiums, Obamacare, repeal the bill To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Hey, Obama already bought the signs! Now, he need you to fund jobs for the signs.
Senate Democrats Are Blocking President Obama’s New Stimulus Despite His Nationwide Tour Urging Them To ‘Pass It Right Away’
PRESIDENT TODAY: ‘At Least Put This Jobs Bill Up For A Vote’
PRESIDENT OBAMA:“…at least put this jobs bill up for a vote so that the entire country knows exactly where every Member of Congress stands.”(President Obama, Speech Excerpts, 10/4/11)
SEN. REID OBJECTS: ‘Right Away Is A Relative Term’
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): “Right away is a relative term… I object.”(Sen. Harry Reid, Floor Remarks, 10/4/11)
PRESIDENT URGES: ‘Pass The Bill,’ ‘Right Away,’ ‘Immediately,’ ‘Right Now,’ ‘No Delays’
PRESIDENT OBAMA: “Now, you may have heard me say this a few times before -- I’ll say it again: Pass the bill. Enough gridlock. Enough delay. Enough politics. Pass this bill.” (President Obama, Remarks, Washington D.C., 10/1/11)
PRESIDENT OBAMA: “Next week, I will send it to Congress. They should pass it right away.” (President Obama, Remarks, Richmond, VA, 9/9/11) Tags:Barack Obama, Stimulus, jobs bill, democrats, blocking bill, quotes, road signs, jobs, taxpayers broke, more debtTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Obama Is Not As Interested In His Job's Bill As He Is In His Fund Raisers
Hey, Ozark Guru, I can wear a hat too. We are also watching you too. And too plus too, means uh... uh ... (snark).
Today in Washington, D.C. - Oct. 4, 2011: (Post edits on Oct 5, 2011)
Yesterday the Senate voted 96-0 to confirm the nomination of Henry Floyd to the 4th Circuit and 5 district court nominees. Also, the Senate voted 79-19 to invoke cloture vote on the motion to proceed to S. 1619.
Today, the Senate resumes post-cloture consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 1619, legislation dealing with China’s currency practices. About 2:15 PM, the Senate will proceed to consideration of the bill.
Today, the House is expected to consider H.R. 2608, the continuing resolution through Nov. 18.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the House is expected to consider H.R. 2681, the Cement Regulatory Relief Act. Then on Thursday, the House is expected to consider H.R. 2250, the EPA Regulatory Relief Act.
Rep. Mike Kelly (PA-03) introduced H.R. 3050, The Transportation Funding Flexibility Act, which would amend Title 23 of the United States Code to eliminate the requirement that States set-aside 10 percent of Surface Transportation Program funds for transportation enhancement activities.
Yesterday, President Obama finally sent to the U.S. Senate the Panama, Colombia and South Korea trade agreements for review and ratification. Senators McConnell, Hatch and Baucus introduced the bills last night fast-track protections under the Trade Promotion Act of 2002. GOP Leader McConnell said yesterday, "After almost three years of delaying these job-creating agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea, it’s good to see the President finally follow through on his rhetoric and send them to Congress. Submission of these long-delayed deals is welcome news to those Americans looking for work and to job creators who have waited too long for fair access to these foreign markets."
President Obama is traveling to the Home State of GOP presidential candidate, Gov. Rick Perry and speaking in the House district of Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), co-chairman of the special congressional committee on deficit reduction. Obama continues to push his $447 billion stimulus bill. Then he will visit Missouri. However, he will also attend fund raising activities in both states. Per advance reporting, he will be at two Dallas fund raising lunches. If you are in the area, you may wish to attend. The first event has more room than the second. It is open to 500 people and tickets "start" at $500 (minimum gross of $250,000). Obama may get intimate with 30 people at another luncheon at $35,800 each which will gross another $1.79 million.T he Texas Democratic Party will hav more information. While the President is in St Louis, Mo., there will be a reception for 300 people at a minimum of $250 each ($75,000 minimum gross) and a 45 person dinner event with tickets beginning at $25,000 ($1.125 million minimum gross).
Some will rightly argue, other presidents have raised funds while in office. It is a necessary part of getting re-elected. However, there is a point at which enough is enough. And, who is really paying for these tickets? Is there a chance that attendees are being being financed by "sugar daddies" or organizations? Is there an effort to influence the public's opinion on the support that the President has in mid America? In reality, President Obama's ratings have been negative for most of his entire tenure in office.
Maybe we should ask, why are "We The People" pay the expenses for "any president to fly to Texas, Missouri and back to Washington, D.C. for a trip which is really cover to attend fundraisers to raise potentially over $3 million dollars for their campaign and support groups? This is just one of many of many presidential trips at taxpayers' expense which have coincided with fund raising events.
While other have done it, that is no excuse. Snark: Remember Obama promises "change" and a "new day."
Here is an armchair idea! Let's have an "Executive Branch Fee." which requires immediate deposit to the U.S. Treasury by electronic means of 50% of the gross receipts from fund raisers when a president or vice president or any of his staff or any department heads including for all the aforementioned, their spouses and dependent who travels outside of Washington, D.C. "using government funded transport or government support" to attend, support or participate in any kind of fund raising event. Note if they travel outside of "D.C" without any government funded transport, security ,or government support, this fee would not apply. The 50% fee should should apply regardless of whether the Fund raising is for themselves in considering of or the seeking of any elected office, for support any other person considering or seeking elected office, or for support of a political party or an agent, activity, et.al., that provides campaign donations to candidates.
Those who support taxing the rich should love this "Executive Branch Fee." For we are truly being soaked by those working in the Executive Branch of government.
Now that you have read the "armchair idea," Politico reports that Vice President Joe Biden will similarly be stumping for the bill in Florida.
What is surrealistic is that even Democrats continue to show little interest in the president’s job's bill. After all, it is another Obama stimulus bill. This week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has chosen to work on a bill about Chinese currency rather than the legislation President Obama has been traveling around the country, saying, “Pass this bill!”
The New York Daily News reports today, “New York’s senior senator said even the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate was balking at paying for President Obama’s jobs bill. ‘The main hangup is not the jobs bill itself,’ Sen. Charles Schumer said Sunday. Obama has been calling on lawmakers to pass his $447 billion jobs bill in nearly every speech for almost a month and proposed paying for it with spending cuts, tax hikes on the wealthy and closing corporate tax loopholes. ‘After [Obama] announced the jobs bill ... he proposed ways of paying for it that are probably not the best way to garner the votes,’ Schumer said.” Based on past actions, can we trust anything Chuck Schumer says on either side of an issue?
And Reuters wrote last night, “The bill appeared to be in trouble in the Democratic-controlled Senate as well, where aides from both parties said it will likely fail when it comes up for a vote later this month. . . . Prospects for passage in the Senate appeared doubtful as most legislation needs support from both parties in order to advance. All but a handful of Republicans will vote against it, according to a Republican aide, and several Democrats are likely to oppose it as well. Moderate Democrats in the Senate have objected to some of the tax increases Obama has proposed to pay for the bill.”
Reuters added this kicker: “‘Nobody is all that excited about the president’s jobs bill,’ a senior Democratic aide said.”
This morning,Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell expressed his frustration with “the fact that the President’s spent the past few weeks running around the country demanding that Congress pass his so-called Jobs Bill ‘right away’ even as leading members of his own party admit that Democrats wouldn’t have the votes to get it through Congress even if it came to the floor.” He also noted Reuters' comment, “As one senior Democrat aide put it yesterday, ‘Nobody is all that excited about the President’s jobs bill.’”
Mr. McConnell, I agree and even most sane people agree. Snark: Mr. Obama wanted to be in the White House as do all of those who run for that office. It is time those in the Executive Branch using taxpayer resources to support them in their fund raising efforts to "share the burden" of all Americas via the above mentioned "Executive Branch Fee" for all their related fund raising activities.
President Obama Is Not As Interested In His Job's Bill As He Is In His Fund Raisers. Tags:Washington, D.C., Barack Obama, Jobs Bill, fund raisering, US. Senate, China’s currency practices, U.S. House, Continuing Resolution, Executive Branch Fee, trade agreementsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Chairman, Republican Study Committee: Over the last 12 months, the federal government spent about $1.3 trillion that it didn’t have. That makes three straight years with trillion-dollar deficits – the three largest deficits in history. And even as federal spending accounted for almost a quarter of GDP, our economy continues to struggle.
Republicans have worked all year long to cut spending and get back on track to a balanced budget. The RSC budget proposal, for instance, would balance the books in nine years. Unfortunately, liberals continue to stand in the way of significant cuts to wasteful spending.
Senate Democrats have now gone 888 days without producing any budget at all. The failure of politicians to limit the size and appetite of the federal government is a direct cause of our current debt problems. To fix the problem permanently, it’s clear we need a Balanced Budget Amendment that forces Washington to kick its spending addiction. Families and businesses have to live within their means, why shouldn’t Washington?
------------ The House Republican Study Committee (RSC) is group of 175 House Republicans organized for the purpose of advancing a conservative social and economic agenda in the House of Representatives. The Republican Study Committee is dedicated to a limited and Constitutional role for the federal government, a strong national defense, the protection of individual and property rights, and the preservation of traditional family values. Tags:Jim Jordan, U.S. House, RSC, Republican Study Committee, Federal government, more debt, debt, balanced budget amendment, republicans, democratsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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