Tea512

Washington is starting to listen after all. They have responded to the sharp criticism that a bipartisan jobs bill that was emerging in the Senate would not create many jobs. Desperate to pass something the Senate Democrats have proposed a new, stripped-down version they hope will still get support from both Republicans and Democrats. The latest bill focuses on boosting job creation, renew highway programs, and help states and local governments finance large infrastructure projects. The proposed bill before was 361-pages stuffed with unrelated provisions sought by lobbyists for business groups and doctors. That $31 billion package included an extension of several parts of the USA Patriot Act and higher payments for doctors facing Medicare payment cuts. The new package focused solely on creating jobs. The new bill has a $13 billion payroll tax credit for companies that hire unemployed workers and an additional $1,000 tax credit for workers retained for a full year. This is a tough call as the Republicans are riding a wave new found support across the nation. This will be another test if they are willing to let the Democrats stay on the offensive and are only reacting to Democratic action. The problem for the Democrats is no one believes they know what they are doing and hit or miss the taste of last December will not expire in the American conscience.

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Is there no shame in being a liberal, rhetorical question of course? There is a new grassroots organization that has started an online campaign to counter the tea party movement. The site appeared in January and is dedicated to preventing the teaparty and any candidates from gaining any legislative traction. We will of course give no link love or name the site directly. We do know it was established by the American Public Policy Center in Washington enough said. It also has been reported it is the front end of an elaborate scheme that moves money a complex network of donations from the huge wallets of the biggest labor unions into political slush funds for Democratic activists. The site and system is the creation of two Democratic Party strategists and the system helps hide the true sources of funding, giving the appearance of locally bred opposition in any state they choose. It is not clear if this is the start of a larger campaign to target tea party activists. It is a shame in this political atmosphere that liberals feel threatened by a grassroots organization like this. Did they create this opposition to the Green party or the Rainbow Party? Maybe this is a good sign for the teaparty movement as it might mean the democrats see them as a threat. You would think that since the teaparty is sort of politically aligned with the Republican party in the sense that a candidate for the teaparty will siphon more votes from republican voters than any other affiliation it would be a good thing for the democrats.

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Republicans have publicly welcomed the idea from President Barack Obama for a bipartisan meeting on health care scheduled for the 25th of February . This does not mean the White House is backing away from the plan that already has support of legislation. The question becomes is this a tactic by the president to try to put the Republicans on display for having no plan of their own. This means if they use the plan in place as a starting point what is bipartisan about that as there has been no Republican support. President Obama issued a statement he open to including any good ideas that stand up to objective scrutiny. When he was asked about starting from scratch on Sunday President Obama and the quiet hush around Washington that President Obama is adamant about passing comprehensive reform similar to the bills passed by the House and the Senate. Any plan from the fiscal responsible Republicans is going to be viewed as mean spirited as the last House Republican bill would only cover 3 million uninsured people while the Democratic version would cover 36 million. We see this as a plan attack to show Republicans as obstructionists, possibly encouraging Democrats to use their still-sizable congressional majorities to enact their health care proposals via the budget reconciliation rules, without GOP help.The good news is the televised half day meeting and the inviting of Republican input has extended the debate for several more weeks has caused even uncertainty about the plan. No matter what happens we are long way from Christmas eve when they passed this thing and thought no one could stop them. It will be two months later and no bill passed and only eight months more until the midterm elections.

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The congressional Republicans are feeling a little empowered after knocking back healthcare and no longer muted under a super majority. The came out fighting with President Barack Obama in their Saturday media addresses over proposals to create jobs. President Obama is pushing Congress to use $30 billion that had been set aside to bail out Wall Street to start a new program that provides loans to small businesses. The leftover money is from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. The Republicans rightly want answers for where are the jobs the president promised in exchange for the billions of dollars already appropriated for the massive 787 billion stimulus package. President Obama proved this week he still does not get it as for proposing a 2011 budget that would increase spending, taxes and the national debt at this point in time is more Washington as usual. The bottom line is the Democrats rammed through the stimulus, bill that cost taxpayers $1.2 trillion and 3 million more jobs were lost. The question is can President Obama a 50 year old man who has lived in the United States his whole life really believe that government is the answer for every problem the economy and the citizens have? Can he be that naïve or just that blind from his liberal, socialism heritage and brainwashing?

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National Debt 2/4/2010     12,346,427,470,024.01
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National Debt 1/8/1835                                       0.00

We can only celebrate for so long but today the 41st votes Senator Scott Brown officially takes the people seat as it is vacated by Paul Kirk. The first Republican senator in Massachusetts since 1978 and the first non Kennedy in the peoples seat for over 30 years. There is a problem as we feel this is a set up. Next week the Senate leaders plan to vote on the jobs bill as they near an agreement on a proposal to give businesses a tax break for hiring unemployed workers. The Senate will start work on the bill Monday, said Majority Leader Harry Reid. This means if Scott Brown does vote against this bill the campaign ads against him will say “Scott Brown first vote in the senate was against jobs!” Welcome to politics as we think this is a tough call anyway you slice it. He won because we are sick of backroom deals and dumb handouts. This bill will not create any new jobs as a $3-$5,000 tax break will not make a small business hire a $40,000 year employee. The tax break for hiring unemployed workers is modeled after a proposal by Schumer and Hatch. The measure is an alternative to the politics on the hill as of late as it is a bipartisan and has tax cuts for Republicans and helps the Democrats bring something home for President Obama.

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He tried to avoid saying it all cost. He waited till after the State of Union so he could say he still had not done it, yesterday he has to admit he is going to raise a host of taxes on businesses and wealthy individuals. The budget proposal would impose $1.4 trillion in higher taxes over the next decade on couples making more than $250,000 and individuals making more than $200,000 killing the tax cuts enacted under President George W. Bush. There is an increase in taxes on U.S. companies with major overseas operations, and plans to increase taxes on oil and gas companies. The new budget accounts for a $33 billion tax cut that President Obama wants Congress to include in a new jobs bill. The new taxes will raise the top two income tax rates for individuals, from 33 percent and 35 percent, to 36 percent and 39.6 percent. They will be a new limit on itemized tax deductions high earners can claim for charitable donations, mortgage interest and state and local taxes. There is an increase the top capital gains tax rate from 15 percent to 20 percent for families making more than $250,000 a year and individuals making more than $200,000. This is a new tax without a real name the financial crisis responsibility fee will be on large financial institutions.There will be a total of around $39 billion in tax increases on oil, gas and coal companies over the next decade. The era of raising taxes has begun.

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Days Country Held Hostage Under Hope and Change 378National Debt 1/29/2010    12,278,635,997,966.88
National Debt 1/29/2000      5,719,617,669,335.03
National Debt 1/8/1835                                        0.00