Saturday, March 20, 2010

Record Numbers of People Paying No Income Tax; Over 50 Million "Nonpayers" Include Families Making over $50,000

InsiderOnline "But during 2008, more than a third of all tax returns resulted in complete nonpayment; that is, people got back every dollar that was withheld from their paychecks during the year. Many got quite a bit more, turning Tax Day into a payday."

The Wyden-Gregg Bipartisan Tax Reform Bill: Why Congress Should Listen

Heritage "Although the Wyden-Gregg tax reform bill does not cure all that ails the tax code, it is a good first step in two important respects. First, the Wyden-Gregg bill demonstrates that congressional interest in tax reform is very much alive. Second, it demonstrates how Congress can work in a bipartisan manner to improve the tax code by simplifying it and minimizing the damage it inflicts on the economy and on taxpayers."

Friday, March 19, 2010

Mike Ramirez cartoon

While Nation is Distracted by Health Care, Obama Administration Quietly Restores Full Funding to ACORN

Weasel Zippers "It’s unclear why the Obama administration isn’t doing the responsible thing and waiting for the case to work its way through the judicial system."

Why Obama’s ‘Health-Care Reform’ Will Ruin Health Care in America

Big Journalism "Subtitle E creates the office of the “Health Choices Commissioner,” the person charged with putting into effect all of the wonderful regulatory mechanisms that H.R. 4872 demands. But, in the regulatory sense, the Commissioner is not a person. The Commissioner is rather an institution, one that will have powers and responsibilities unprecedented in American history." Any death panels will likely be found here.

Tom Hanks flunks history

Washington Times "Mr. Hanks has attempted a tactical retreat from his tactless comments. "Look, I'm an actor," he explained by way of excusing himself from the debate. But that, of course, is the point. The entertainment industry shapes images that have an important influence on public perceptions of history and contemporary issues. Mr. Hanks' comments reflected a mindset typical of that emanating from Hollywood, a flippant, knee-jerk and knowing anti-Americanism that is long on moral judgment and short on facts."

Will Obama's Betrayal of Britain Cause a Second Falklands War?

Infidel Blogger's Alliance "While Obama could have easily put a stop to the escalating crisis by stating clearly that the United States was prepared to back England, just as England had backed the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq-- his declaration of neutrality emboldened left wing Latin American leaders like Hugo Chavez to jump into the fight on Argentina's side. ...Hillary Clinton could have quietly pressed her to back down. Instead Clinton endorsed a call for talks in order to resolve the status of the Falkland Islands. Which actually moved the United States away from supporting neutrality, and toward supporting the Argentinian position."

Some members of Stupak bloc trying to make a deal with Pelosi? Update: Ellsworth to vote yes, Cao might “reconsider” his no

Hot Air "If there is a deal, and the deal consists of nothing more than Dingy Harry’s solemn oath that he’ll get around to a bill at some point eventually, then the Stupakers must think their pro-life constituents are awfully, awfully stupid."

Hannity-Backed Foundation Refutes Blogger's Allegations

Radio Equalizer "3. The blog posting accuses Freedom Alliance of spending less than 20% of money raised on program activities. This is FALSE. Listed below are the amounts that Freedom Alliance spent for each of the past three years and the categories on which they were spent. The figures are taken from our Federal Form 990 which is filed with the Internal Revenue Service and posted on our web site and audited by an independent auditor using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. This financial record not only meets, but exceeds standards of program efficiency set by most charity evaluators." Quoting the Freedom Alliance response.

CBO confirms: ObamaCare with “doctor fix” will actually add billions to the deficit

Hot Air "Simple. You break the bill up and pass one of the expensive parts separately later. Here’s how a supposed $118 billion reduction in the deficit becomes another case of Obama bloat:"...

This Process is Undermining the Rule of Law

Heritage "...former U.S. Attorneys General Edwin Meese III and William P. Barr released the following statement: The convoluted and questionable method under discussion by both Houses of Congress for final passage of the long-debated health care legislation raises serious constitutional concerns, which, at best, will lead to protracted and wholly avoidable litigation and continued doubt about the bill’s validity. Members of Congress from both parties have criticized the use of such sleights of hand, and The Washington Post has rightly editorialized [4] against such “unseemly” and “dodgy” maneuvers for the health care bill."...

Members of Congress Pressured from All Sides in Final Hours Before Health Care Vote

Pajamas Media "In the run-up to the final vote on the Obama administration’s health care proposal, the American Conservative Union today released its list of potential swing votes, urging recipients to “stand up, speak out, and voice your opinion …” " Here is the list of all current swing votes with their contact information: