The Impact of the Buffet Rule

BLOOMBERG: Obama's Buffett rule impact on taxes, jobs   "....Q: How does that compare to lower earners?

A: On average -- and that is the key -- the rich pay higher rates. The center computes that families earning $30,000 to $40,000 owed an average 6 percent of it in income and payroll taxes last year. People making $50,000 to $75,000 owed an average 12 percent, while those making $75,000 to $100,000 paid an average 13 percent.

"Q: Then what's the problem?"....Read on...

Several from Heritage: Tax Gimmicks, Tax Doom   "Even some of the President’s friends on the left are seeing the Buffett Rule for the ploy that it is. Last week, liberal Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank devoted an entire column to “Rebuffing Obama’s gimmicky ‘Buffett Rule,’” picking it apart as flawed policy and political rhetoric, noting that even White House reporters are “tiring of the theme.” Milbank concludes that, “Obama’s prioritization is no mystery: The populist Buffett Rule polls well. This explains its inclusion in countless presidential speeches and statements.” "

(Emphasis added)

The Foundry: The Tax Burden on American Households  

"Americans who are scrambling to pay their taxes by Tuesday’s deadline are in store for more depressing news: The tax burden on American families has risen dramatically and will continue to climb into the future without action from Congress. This week’s chart outlines the growth of taxes over the past 45 years."
Why Unions Want Higher Taxes  "Raising business taxes in a weak economy costs private-sector jobs—but that does not deter government unions. Higher taxes still means more for them."

‘Buffett rule’ is producing Capitol gains   "The GOP has rebutted by arguing that the tax is a distraction that will punish small businesses and won’t create jobs, though they fear an even more bruising fight later this year when the George W. Bush-era tax cuts are due to expire."


Boortz: Voting on the Buffett Rule today  "Remember ... there have been sociological studies that have shown that people will actually pay -- give up money out of their own pockets --- if the government will promise to take even more away from the rich.  That’s the level and the nature of wealth envy in the U.S. today." 


Mark Steyn: Buying ‘Buffett Rule' makes you a fool  "The Obama No-Plan plan means the end of everything. That really ought to be the only slogan the Republicans need this fall:"

How the Electoral College stands today (Updated and with comments)

The American Interest: Romney Gaining on Obama   "That still leaves with President Obama headed for a narrow 285-253 Electoral College majority and four more years in the White House, but as of this moment in time, the trend favors his challenger."


The Cook Report reports with an interactive bar chart that we don't know how to include in this blog. It compares the Electoral College in 2008 compared with the current EC outlook.
Beware those who say we should end the Electoral College. I refer you to this Tunnel Wall post from October 2011:


Keep the Electoral College!   "Popular Vote or the Electoral College?  "The Electoral College preserves federalism, encourages candidates to build national coalitions, and grants definitive electoral outcomes. It requires a presidential candidate to win simultaneous elections across 50 states and the District of Columbia."
 Let's look at it this way, shall we?  Look at this map of the United States mainland taken at night and observe the lights. Some areas are very bright while others have few lights, but the most brilliant patches of light are the areas that will choose our president if this nation abandons the Electoral College. TD

Update: The Pro's and Con's of the Electoral College System

"There have, in its 200 year history, been a number of critics and proposed reforms to the Electoral College system - most of them trying to eliminate it. But there are also staunch defenders of the Electoral College who, though perhaps less vocal than its critics, offer very powerful arguments in its favor."

Those who object to the Electoral College system and favor a direct popular election of the president generally do so on four grounds: (Much more on these points at the link)

• the possibility of electing a minority president
• the risk of so-called "faithless" Electors,
• the possible role of the Electoral College in depressing voter turnout, and
• its failure to accurately reflect the national popular will.

Proponents of the Electoral College system normally defend it on the philosophical grounds that it:

• contributes to the cohesiveness of the country by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president
• enhances the status of minority interests,
• contributes to the political stability of the nation by encouraging a two-party system, and
• maintains a federal system of government and representation.

This excerpt relates to the point made by the Tunnel Dweller above:  "Recognizing the strong regional interests and loyalties which have played so great a role in American history, proponents argue that the Electoral College system contributes to the cohesiveness of the country be requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president, without such a mechanism, they point out, president would be selected either through the domination of one populous region over the others or through the domination of large metropolitan areas over the rural ones."

Conclusion

The Electoral College has performed its function for over 200 years (and in over 50 presidential elections) by ensuring that the President of the United States has both sufficient popular support to govern and that his popular support is sufficiently distributed throughout the country to enable him to govern effectively.

Although there were a few anomalies in its early history, none have occurred in the past century. Proposals to abolish the Electoral College, though frequently put forward, have failed largely because the alternatives to it appear more problematic than is the College itself.

The fact that the Electoral College was originally designed to solve one set of problems but today serves to solve an entirely different set of problems is a tribute to the genius of the Founding Fathers.

 More here, plus the comments to this post by Toto.

Since 2008 America is respected around the world

Well, maybe not in Germany

beliefnet.com/

"erloser": German; liberator, redeemer  

youoffendmeyouoffendmyfamily.com

Hat tip to Jan Uhrig, Plano, TX

Alan Caruba: America Elected an Ignoramus

Let us review all the evidence:
Warning Signs  "...anyone paying any attention has had to conclude that Americans elected an ignoramus, based solely on his own words and actions.
"Here’s just a quick look at some of them.....
"He actually believes the economy will improve if taxes are increased; something that has never before happened in the history of the nation."

From 2010: Obama convinces voters they made a mistake in 2008  "... I wrote a commentary, “Putting a child in charge,” suggesting that having a young president - Mr. Obama was 47 at the time - in charge of the greatest economic and military power in the world might not be a good idea. I noted that Mr. Obama’s resume was unusually thin in terms of any real achievement. His main claim was that he had been a community organizer in Chicago. Politically, he was known best as a state senator for having voted “present” much of the time, and he had barely spent any time in the U.S. Senate before beginning to run for president." Alan Caruba

We can't stop the Norks and Iranians but we can stop THIS!

Hat tip to Joy Roeder, Garibaldi, OR.

The case against Zimmerman

NRO: The affidavit in the Zimmerman case fails to justify a second-degree-murder charge  

"The charges brought against George Zimmerman sure look like prosecutorial misconduct. The case as put forward by the prosecutor in the “affidavit of probable cause” is startlingly weak. As a former chief economist at the U.S. Sentencing Commission, I have read a number of such affidavits, and cannot recall one lacking so much relevant information. The prosecutor has most likely deliberately overcharged, hoping to intimidate Zimmerman into agreeing to a plea bargain. If this case goes to trial, Zimmerman will almost definitely be found “not guilty” on the charge of second-degree murder."


Big Journalism: Note to Trayvon’s Mother: It’s Time for You to Step to the Side so we can politicize this case!

"One of the things that I still believe in, a person should apologize when they are actually remorseful for what they’ve done. I believe it was an accident. I believe that it just got out of control and he couldn’t turn the clock back..." Martin's mother

At this point, the conversation about black men in the justice system must grow beyond Trayvon Martin, and the prosecution should be allowed to do its work.  The family, as well all associated racial advocates, need to strategize in private, listen to the evidence and just stop talking.  Black activist Boyce Martin

"In other words, thanks for letting the professional race-baiters like Al Sharpton use your son, but his death has now served our purpose, so please shut up."


Legal Insurrection: I think this is a fair description of the racial narrative of the shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman: "This case is where it always should have been, about the known fact that George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin, and whether that shooting was legally justified, or an unlawful homicide."

Oh, in case anyone cares, Zimmerman is a registered Democrat

Andrew C. McCarthy: Martin Case Affidavit  "If I were a cynic, I’d say that an ambitious special prosecutor — exploiting the rabble-rousing of the U.S. attorney general and the racial grievance industry — filed an exceedingly serious charge for which she lacks evidence, second degree murder, in order to bask in the mob’s adulation while pressuring Zimmerman to plead guilty to a lesser charge, manslaughter, on which the special prosecutor runs a high risk of losing if Zimmerman forces a trial. So I’m sure glad I’m not a cynic."  

Funny the O.C. Register should bring this up now: Rodney King and the L.A. riots: What now?  "What happened to some of the key figures? How has L.A. fared in the 20 years since April 29, 1992?"

One year after the riots, a block-long commercial distract at the intersection of Vermont and Manchester

 avenues remains undeveloped. Burned in 1992, the area was never rebuilt.

Harvard Prof. Alan Dershowitz: Zimmerman Arrest Affidavit ‘Irresponsible And Unethical’

"“This affidavit does not even make it to probable cause,” Dershowitz concluded. “everything in the affidavit is completely consistent with a defense of self-defense. Everything.” "


Being indifferent about race is not the same as not caring about racism.
"But my own experience has given me no reason to hate or fear black people. No black person has ever harmed me or mine. No black person has ever said an unkind word to me, nor have black people  exhibited anything but courtesy and respect toward me. Of course, I watch TV and hear the voices of hate and separatism, as well as the cries of genuine despair, misery, and perceived oppression. But aside from getting angry at everybody, what’s to be done?" Rick Moran

Education as indoctrination

“Teaching as a Subversive Activity”: The Theory of Political Indoctrination 
"Fortunately, I had my trusty camera with me, so I was able not only to snap a few pictures but also record several key portions of his speech, which I found so eye-opening that I felt the general public deserved to hear it as well."   The slideshow used in this course

"...you will find six audio clips... followed by six exact transcriptions. .The lecture was nearly two hours long in full, far too long to present in a short essay like this...so what you see here are only excerpts; but they’re a fair representation of the overall lecture.....

Following each clip are brief comments and analyses by me.

"The expression on his face conveys how he feels about the counter-arguments presented on the PowerPoint slide."

There was one dissenter:

"...this guy pictured here emerged as the hero of the day. He was the only person to speak his mind and basically call Brown out on the carpet. I don’t have a tape of his exact words, but he basically said, “Are you nuts? My job, like yours, is to teach English to immigrants; and all they want is to learn the language. Period. Politics is completely beside the point, and the reason students get mad at you is not the specifics of your viewpoints, but because you’re wasting their time on social issues when all they want to learn is the grammar of an unfamiliar language. Get over yourself, and get back to basics.”

"Well, it wasn’t quite that direct, and it was said with a thick Indian accent, but that was the gist of it. I was so impressed, I later took this picture of him."


Schools, Indoctrination Centers?  "The Christian response is to be aware specifically of the conditions in one's local school district, especially if one's own children, grandchildren, etc., attend. Secondly, one must bring to the attention of school boards problems of anti-religious bias. To do this, curriculum materials and textbooks must be examined and students asked as to what was discussed in the class."
How many of us have read the textbooks that our children study from?


NY Times: Pint-Size Eco-Police, Making Parents Proud and Sometimes Crazy  "Sometimes, Jennifer Ross feels she cannot make a move at home without inviting the scorn of her daughters, 10-year-old Grace and 7-year-old Eliza. The Acura MDX she drives? A flagrant polluter. The bath at night to help her relax? A wasteful indulgence. The reusable shopping bags she forgot, again? Tsk, tsk."


Today’s Public Schools – Pagan Religion Indoctrination Centers

"Sitting cross-legged in the circle, the class sang a song to honor the earth: ...The Earth is our Mother. We’re taking care of her. . . ."

Your School might be an Indoctrination Center if…

....If your child has to read stories about social inequality and is made to feel guilty about living in a nice neighborhood and having 3 meals a day....

 Governor signs Leno's FAIR Act "The FAIR Act also prohibits classroom instruction and school-sponsored activities that promote a discriminatory bias on the basis of sexual orientation, and requires that social-sciences textbooks and other social sciences instructional material used in California adhere to the bill's requirements."


Howard Zinn and Saul Alinsky must be looking down and smiling now

"“People were teaching about the history of corporate personhood, the war in Afghanistan, the early women’s rights movement, and the link between industrialization and imperialism.” In other words, to these characters, elementary and high schools are not left-wing enough."

The "fairness" of a Democrat administration

Philadelphia Inquirer  "The Buffett Rule would only weaken the economy and employment. It would fall most heavily on job creators and confiscate resources that would otherwise be used to start new businesses, expand existing businesses, and hire more workers.
"The president has said “this is about giving everybody the chance to do well.” Really? Raising taxes on anybody somehow gives everybody the chance to do well? This is absurd even by the low standards of American political rhetoric."...

Taxmageddon is coming!  Massive Tax Increase Coming in 2013  "Although these tax increases will not start raising new revenue until next year, they are having a negative impact on the economy today. Families, businesses, and investors need to know how much tax they will pay in the future before making important economic decisions. The uncertainty caused by Taxmageddon means they are stuck in neutral while they wait for President Obama and Congress to act. This is slowing job creation and stopping many of the millions of unemployed Americans from going back to work."

Arthur C. Brooks:  Winning the fight on 'fairness'  "In recent weeks, a growing number of conservative elected officials have begun contesting Obama’s claim to be the arbiter of what constitutes fairness and taking the issue of fairness head on in public policy. This signals a subtle but significant shift in political rhetoric, and one with implications for the national debate in the coming months."

Fairness and the 'Occupy' movement  "Some define [fairness] in terms of forced income redistribution. The overwhelming majority of Americans, however, believe fairness means rewarding merit, even if that means some people have a lot more than others"

The character of this president

Gary Locke; Weekly Standard

The Bad Faith President   "As citizens, we owe the office of the president respect and support, regardless of our individual feelings for the occupant of the office.  In return, the occupant of the office of the president owes us a good-faith custodianship -- a custodianship that we are being denied by President Obama.  Let us explore Obama's bad faith in three areas: energy policy and the economy, national defense and foreign policy, and personal freedom and liberty."
....
Be afraid; be very afraid.  Half of the American voters can be bought with free stuff or fooled with bad -faith glibness or guilt-tripped with phony political correctness.  Thank God for the Electoral College.  (Emphasis added)

But can Romney's blandishments overcome the character faults of Obama? "The line about the Obama swooning over his own historical greatness is predicated on what may be the most tin-eared presidential remark in memory. In an out-take from his interview last December with "60 Minutes," Obama said, "I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president--with the possible exceptions of Johnson, FDR and Lincoln."
...."The problem, now that Romney's main adversary is Obama, is that this I-am-rich-hear-me-roar strategy fuels Democratic populist appeals. Even worse politically ... is Romney's inability to connect with voters whose incomes are below McMansion levels."


Atlas Shrugs: PRESIDENT LOOTER

"I, for one, as an overtaxed American, am sick of it. It kicked off as early as his inauguration. Obama spent an obscene 150 million dollars on his inauguration. The media rejoiced in his decadence. Bush, OTOH, was raked over the coals for spending a fraction of what Obama spent on his inauguration. And Obama did it fresh off the economic crisis that shook the nation and catapulted him to the presidency. Where was the outrage?"

Yet... "Mr Obama's job approval rating stands at a healthy 64 per cent and, for the first time in years, more people than not say the country is headed in the right direction, the poll says. The "right direction" number is up 8 points since February and 31 points since October, the month before Obama's election."

Obama puts bully in bully pulpit  "Obama needs to come out swinging, to appeal to a dissatisfied base along with the critical independent vote.

"“The base has been frustrated to discover that congressional politics is a glacially slow process,” said one former Obama aide. “So he has to turn up the volume and take the fight to the streets a bit more.” "

Bing

Victor Davis Hanson: Obama Off the Cuff  "Such revelations are all the more striking in Obama’s case since rarely has a president’s ideology been so at variance with his public persona. His real views have been gleaned mostly from unguarded moments when he talks confidently without prompts — and therefore sounds conniving and shallow."

56% Say Obama Tried to ‘Intimidate’ Court  "You have to wonder what this 40% were thinking? That Obama was just showing off his poor education regarding the history and role of the Supreme Court?"

Tunnel Wall does not condone this townhall cartoon and prints it only to show the depths some will fall to in depicting our president/
Update: This next one below should make a perfect match to the above:

http://www.conservativedailynews.com/2012/04/war-on-mom/

Charles Krauthammer: Free-lunch egalitarianism

Charles Krauthammer  "As an approach to our mountain of debt, the Buffett Rule is a farce. And yet Obama repeated the ridiculous claim again this week. “It will help us close our deficit.” Does he really think we’re that stupid?"
...."Clever politics, but in terms of economics, it’s worse than useless. It’s counterproductive. The reason Buffett and Mitt Romney pay roughly 15 percent in taxes is that their income is principally capital gains. The Buffett Rule is, in fact, a disguised tax hike on capital gains. But Obama prefers to present it as just an alternative minimum tax because 50 years of economic history show that raising the capital gains tax backfires: It reduces federal revenue, while lowering the tax raises revenue."

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/04/13/98261

Latest posts on Zimmerman-Martin-Sharpton

Boortz: Prosecutor seemed to really be into this 15-minutes of fame thing.  "I’ve heard from people who know them that that Treyvon’s mom and dad are really good people.  But that image of Al Sharpton standing next to them last night was, to say the least, disgusting.  Al Sharpton is drenched in the blood of Crown Heights and Freddy’s Fashion Mart.  He is a vile, disgusting race hustler.  A question for you:  Have you ever seen Sharpton standing glumly next to the mother of a young black man killed by another young black man?  That happens, you know, but have you ever seen Al Sharpton in that picture? " 

The New Black Panthers’ Unpunished Threats   "This is the same Al Sharpton who has led several rallies against Zimmerman, in which he called for civil disobedience and an “occupation” of Sanford, Fla., where the shooting occurred, if an arrest wasn’t made."

"It is exceedingly strange for Holder to praise the likes of Al Sharpton and bring him greetings from President Obama. But it is even stranger that Holder should pledge to the Sharpton activists that he will take appropriate federal action against any civil-rights crime, while he appears completely uninterested in the ugly forces calling for violence against George Zimmerman."

Affidavit: Zimmerman did not use racial slur  "It is not clear what effect the affidavit's conclusion will have on the federal investigation. Martin was black. Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is Hispanic."

CNS News: D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton Praises Al Sharpton for ‘Making Social Justice a Reality’

“And we certainly did not have the likes of Reverend Al, whose megaphone with a television attached to it has been able to bring finally the beginnings of justice for Trayvon Martin,” she said.

The Rosen-Romney kerfuffle goes viral (Updated)

Let's see, what is out there today on this?
American Thinker:
Damage already done: Too late for Obama to distance himself from Rosen   "I've said before that if the conversation on election day is about contraception, abortion, or GOP "extremists," Obama wins.
"But if the conversation is about the economy, Obama loses - and may lose big. Rosen's remarks have turned the conversation away from Obama's distractions and squarely back in the economic sphere."

The Class War The Hilary Rosens Are Waging is Far from 'Faux'  "Thus many American women are asking Debbie Wassserman-Shultz and the Obama election team to address real women's concerns and spare us the Piqued on Parade trying to drum up a class war."

Stay at home moms not all 'rich': US Census


Hilary Rosen's and NOW's Karma Ate Their Dogma  "One of the last callers to Rush Limbaugh's show yesterday was a woman who asked a great question: If the Democrats can criticize Mrs. Romney for not working outside the home (and Ann Romney has MS and is a cancer survivor as well), then why don't the Democrats criticize women on welfare for not working outside the home?"  (Emphasis added)
Let me repeat that last, only this time in bold red:

"...why don't the Democrats criticize women on welfare for not working outside the home?"

Reviving the Mommy Wars  "What was it both Barbara Bush and Jacqueline Kennedy said?  If you fail at being a mother to your children, nothing else matters."


Conservative Black Chick : It’s Time for Women to Reject Feminism and Kiss Peter Pan Goodbye  "The time has come for women who believe in traditional gender roles to give Peter Pan the heave hoe and tell him don’t come knocking again until you’re wearing your man shoes and pants."


Hot Air:  NOW president: Ann Romney lacks “life experience” and “imagination” to relate to most Americans   " NOW President Terry O’Neill ignores the First Rule of Holes (stop digging!) and provides another cycle for Republicans to defend Ann Romney and stay-at-home moms."

"Stick around to the end to see Rep. Maxine Waters keep it classy by calling the presumptive Republican nominee “Mitt Rot-ney,” but O’Neill is the real show here.  Once again, we get to see the professional Left’s utter disdain for women who chose to stay home with their children rather than work in the workplace. "

Jennifer Rubin:  Hilary Rosen on ‘Meet the Press’? Seriously.  "Going on “Meet the Press” is, to say the least, a risky move for the president and Rosen’s reputation. It will also be an interesting test for “Meet the Press” host David Gregory. Will he grill Rosen or ease her way in managing her damage control? Will her ask her how many times she visited the White House and on what matters she advised the president? We’ll have to watch and find out." Bear in mind that this will be NBC; keep expectations low.


Big Government: Questions arise over Rosen's role in the furor surrounding the Sandra Fluke incident.  Via Lucianne.


Don Surber : It is that she is Missus Romney  "Liberals want to transform marriage into something that is not marriage. Liberals want to transform American society and they have done so by replacing every American institution." Daily Mail

National Review Online
Gender Hysteria/ If Romney wins the argument over the economy, he wins the election.
"If Romney’s vision for the country’s future is compelling enough, the women’s vote will take care of itself." Rich Lowry

Ann Romney

Michelle Malkin:  Real Moms of the GOP  "President Obama never met a payroll in his life, but that hasn’t stopped him from dictating what business owners across the country should and shouldn’t be doing. But I digress."



Who Is Hilary Rosen? Crass? Gilded? Stern?   "The AP reported that her meetings were primarily about promoting Obama’s health-care-reform plan, suggesting that she can take a share of the credit for the popularity and public trust that the Obamacare law enjoys today"


The Economics of Ann Romney "The Romneys, who are notably charitable people, have given away far more money than Mrs. Romney probably would have earned in a career that would be considered by most of us wildly successful and highly paid."

http://www.tobytoons.com/td/

Update: Obama Mega-Donor Bill Maher Attacks Ann Romney: “She Has Never Gotten Her A** Out Of The House To Work At 7AM”…

This and more Maher opinions here.


Debbie Wasserman Schultz on appearing with Maher on his show: