Rep. Crawford Calls for 5% Tax on Millionaires and Sen. Schumer Hits GOP On More Wedge Issues

Proposed by Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR)

Today in Washington, D.C. - March 15, 2012:
The House is not in session. The Senate  began consideration of H.R. 3606, the bipartisan JOBS Act that passed the House last week. Reid announced this morning there will be votes on at least two amendments to the JOBS Act on Tuesday.

This afternoon, the Senate will vote on the nominations of 2 district court judges.

Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) backed down from a threat to manufacture gridlock by forcing unnecessary cloture votes on 17 district court nominees after Republicans pointed out they were prioritizing judges over jobs. Fortunately, Reid agreed with Leader McConnell to move to the JOBS Act instead.

Earlier yesterday the Senate passed 74-22 its version of the highway bill, S. 1813.

While the House is not in session, a freshman republican from Arkansas' First District has lit up the headlines.  Yesterday, in response to a Politico article, the ARRA News Service commented about Congressman Rick Crawford proposing a Millionaire's Tax. Today, Crawford will propose a additional surtax on millionaires - "expected to be north of 2.5 percent on individual income over $1 million." The ARRA News editor, Bill Smith, noted, "Most issue and limited government organizations know that millionaires are not the problem. Millionaires already pay the majority of income taxes and are a subject of class warfare attacks by the Obama administration. Obama and the liberal agenda are creating the economic problems."

Smith added, "The advocates for taxing the golden goose are Democrats. It now appears that there is one issue that Rick Crawford, President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid can agree on - the need to tax the rich more. Crawford’s proposal right before the 2012 election had better yield a significant number of Democrat votes. Otherwise, Republican Congressman Crawford may be headed home in Jan 2013"

Republican Rep. Rick Crawford Proposes Millionaires Tax:
Today, Crawford announced his proposed tax that was indeed far "north of 2.5%." It was double! His proposed "The Shared Responsibility in Preserving America's Future Act," would require passage of a federal balanced budget amendment in exchange for a 5% surtax on individual incomes exceeding $1 million a year. Crawford said in a press release, "While my proposal may turn some heads, I hope it will mark the beginning of Republicans and Democrats working together to fundamentally change Washington and start reducing our national debt. My bill contains two important measures: 1. It requires the passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. 2. If and only if Congress passes a Balanced Budget Amendment, a 5 percent surtax would go into effect for individuals with income over $ 1 million a year. The 5 percent surtax would only be on income over $1 million. Taxes would not increase at all on anyone making $1 million or less. Also, small businesses that file taxes as individuals would not be required to pay this 5 percent surtax. . . . It is unconscionable for Congress to keep pushing our nation’s debt onto future generations of Americans. I want to assure you that I would not consider asking millionaires to pay more taxes unless it was tied to a Balanced Budget Amendment."

No mention was made to cutting spending by the Federal government or the elimination of the present funding of government waste and government programs. HArd to imagine using greed in the attempt to buy a Balanced Budget Amendment. Also, a Balanced budget Amendment will not stop or slow down government spending. Look at Rep. Crawford's home state of Arkansas. Without the components of Cutting and Capping Spending, government will continue to place more tax burdens on the working people and to grow government. The end result of "plantation politics" is enslavement of the people on the government run plantation.

Daniel Horowitz at Red State expressed his frustration with All Tea Partiers in Rick Crawford’s Northeastern Arkansas District. He said, "nobody could possibly be so naive to believe that if Republicans agree to massive tax increases, Democrats will reciprocate with commensurate spending cuts. Democrats will never willingly agree to close one major department, eliminate one major welfare program, repeal Obamacare, or institute free-market Medicare reform – even if we agree to all the tax increases in the world. As such, there will never be a “balanced approach” to budget solvency."

He added, "This is not surprising . . . He voted for the debt ceiling increase, megabus, minibus, and against every single RSC budget proposal and spending cut. What happened to the balanced approach between spending and revenues? Crawford scored a failing 58% from Heritage Action and 53% from the Club for Growth. But guess what? Crawford has no primary challengers, and the filing deadline expired at the beginning of the month. We are stuck with a progressive OWS congressman from a conservative state for another 2 years. This is what happens when we ignore congressional races and voting records. Will we learn the lesson for the remaining primaries?"

Fortunately, most politically motivated bills die at the end of the Congressional session. While Crawford fishes for Democrat votes in his district to assure his re-election, it is doubtful that he will get enough Republicans in the House to support his bill. However, his proposed bill does shows his frustration as a freshman congressman verses leadership. In two more years, this action may precipitate opposition in his own party.

Now for Some Democrat Diversions by Sen. "Chucky" Schumer:
Appearing on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), a key member of majority Democrats’ leadership team and their messaging chief, told George Stephanopoulos, “Democrats are focused like a laser on jobs, the economy, and the middle class.”

But today, Politico  reports that Schumer has decided Senate Democrats will have an entirely different focus: “political weapon[s],” “fodder for a campaign ad,” and “campaign-style attacks.” Politico writes, “New York Sen. Chuck Schumer believes he has found a political weapon in the unlikeliest of places: the Violence Against Women Act. Republicans have several objections to the legislation, but instead of making changes, Schumer wants to fast track the bill to the floor, let the GOP block it, then allow Democrats to accuse Republicans of waging a ‘war against women.’

“It’s fodder for a campaign ad, and it’s not the only potential 30-second spot ready to spring from Senate leadership these days. From his perch as the Democrats’ chief policy and messaging guru, Schumer wants to raise taxes on people who earn more than $1 million, and many Democrats want to push the vote for April 15, a move designed to amp up the “income inequality” rhetoric just in time for Tax Day. Schumer has a plan for painting Republicans as anti-immigrant as well. He’s called the author of the Arizona immigration law to testify before his Judiciary subcommittee, bringing Capitol Hill attention to an issue that’s still front and center for Hispanic voters.

“None of these campaign-style attacks allow for the policy nuances or reasoning behind the GOP’s opposition, and some of the bills stand no chance of becoming law. But that’s not really the point. The real push behind this effort is to give Democrats reasons to portray Republicans as anti-women, anti-Latino and anti-middle class. In the aftermath of a fight over a payroll tax cut for American workers and an Obama contraception policy, Democrats are ready for this next set of wedge issues.”

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell took a dim view of this saying, “Apparently, [Democrats would] rather spend their time manufacturing fights —and 30 second television ads — than helping to create jobs. . . . At a moment of economic crisis, the Number 3 Democrat in Senate — the Democrat in charge of strategy over there —is sitting up at night trying to figure out a way to create an issue where there isn’t one, not to help solve our nation’s problems, but to help Democrats get reelected. So I’d like to enter into record the Politico story I just referred to entitled ‘Schumer schemes to hit GOP’ that lays out the Democrat strategy. The American people need to know what’s going on in the Democrat-controlled Senate.”

Politico notes, “The move carries some risk. The economy is still struggling, with the jobless rate above 8 percent and millions seeking work. Gas prices are skyrocketing. And Schumer himself said last Sunday that Democrats would focus like a ‘laser’ on the economy, a comment Republicans giddily pointed out as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pushed for judicial confirmations this week. Schumer and Reid have also shown little interest in bringing forward a budget resolution this spring, saying that overall spending levels have already been agreed upon. That has opened them up to Republican charges they are steadfastly avoiding tough votes on the budget in favor of election-year point scoring. Republicans see the latest chatter in the Senate as a political ploy by Democratic leaders to steady the ship in the face of a shaky political landscape. ‘Sounds like all politics all the time,’ said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of his party’s leadership who also serves on the Judiciary Committee.”

As Leader McConnell added, “Fifty years from now, I really would like an American doing a research project to look back at what is outlined in this Politico article today to understand what this Democrat-controlled Senate is like. To understand what their priorities are. What did this country’s leaders do to make America stronger for the next generation?

Senator McConnell, people our age are not expected to be here in 50 years. Let's pray that the freedoms and the economy survives the damage being done by the present progressive Democrat led White House and mistakes made by Congress and the Courts. Let's hope such a limited academic project may occur verses an obituary in a new book documenting the Fall of the Republic of the United States.

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