TOP STORIES

50% of Americans Pay 97% of Tax

July 26th, 2008 by Editor: Scott

tax-share.gif

Just a friendly reality check for those believing the lie that Bush’s tax cuts helped the rich and hurt the poor.  Sorry, the numbers don’t lie. We know, sometimes the truth hurts… the liberal world view.

Washington is teeing up “the rich” for a big tax hike next year, as a way to make them “pay their fair share.” Well, the latest IRS data have arrived on who paid what share of income taxes in 2006, and it’s going to be hard for the rich to pay any more than they already do. The data show that the 2003 Bush tax cuts caused what may be the biggest increase in tax payments by the rich in American history.

The nearby chart shows that the top 1% of taxpayers, those who earn above $388,806, paid 40% of all income taxes in 2006, the highest share in at least 40 years. The top 10% in income, those earning more than $108,904, paid 71%. Barack Obama says he’s going to cut taxes for those at the bottom, but that’s also going to be a challenge because Americans with an income below the median paid a record low 2.9% of all income taxes, while the top 50% paid 97.1%. Perhaps he thinks half the country should pay all the taxes to support the other half.

Read the full article »

Posted in Finance, Politics, Taxation | Comments

ARO Calls 24 Linkage Before Anyone Else

July 3rd, 2008 by Editor: Scott

That’s right, we even beat President Palmer himself to his connection with Obama and history.  What we wrote on April 19th is now being confirmed by 24 star Dennis Haysbert.  Heroes beget followers and copycats.  And sometimes other heroes.  We’ll let you decide which category Obama belongs.

Posted in Commentary, Media | Comments

Seattle: Ban Beach Bonfires Due To Global Warming

June 13th, 2008 by Editor: Scott

Seriously, this is for real:

Park department staff is recommending reducing bonfires at the two beaches this summer and possibly banning them altogether next year.

The park board will hear the recommendation Thursday, and the city plans to run public-service announcements and hand out brochures later this month about the effects of bonfires on global warming.

According to a memo to the park board from the staff released Thursday, “The overall policy question for the Board is whether it is good policy for Seattle Parks to continue public beach fires when the carbon … emissions produced by thousands of beach fires per year contributes to global warming.”

Under the proposal, the department in July would reduce the number of fire rings at Alki from six currently to three and at Golden Gardens from 12 to seven.

Read the full article »

Posted in Environment, Liberty | Comments

Presidential Stupidity

June 13th, 2008 by Editor: Scott

I know that the ability to articulate is not a true indicator of intelligence but communication mastery -or lack there of- can certainly create an image of intelligence (or lack there of).  For instance, is this really the leader of the free world speaking?

What they’ll say is, “Well it costs too much money,” but you know what? It would cost, about… It — it — it would cost about the same as what we would spend… It… Over the course of 10 years it would cost what it would costs us… (nervous laugh) All right. Okay. We’re going to… It… It would cost us about the same as it would cost for about — hold on one second. I can’t hear myself. But I’m glad you’re fired up, though. I’m glad.

Yup, it is. Or will be. That was our savior of change, presumptive Presidential candidate, Obama - off teleprompter.  Which begs the question: Can we elect his speech writer instead?  He goes on in the same meeting to talk about breathalyzers & “InHALators” for asthma patients.

Here’s the YouTube link in case you doubt the transcript:

Read the full article »

Posted in Commentary, Politics | Comments

TAXATION

High Food Prices Don’t Slow Farm Subsidies

May 16th, 2008 by Editor: Scott

The Wall Street Journal has a piece that shows that even though food prices are at all time highs, farms are still a great way to spread around some political love:

We can’t wait to hear how Members of Congress explain their vote this week for the new $300 billion farm bill. At a time when Americans are squeezed at the grocery store, they will now see more of their taxes flow to the very farmers profiting from these high food prices.

This year farm income is expected to reach an all-time high of $92.3 billion, an increase of 56% in two years, making growers perhaps the most undeserving welfare recipients in American history. But that won’t stop this bill from passing the House and Senate by wide margins. Speaker Nancy Pelosi was once a farm subsidy skeptic, but she now has some 30 freshman Democrats from battleground rural districts to protect. So more than $10 billion a year in giveaways to agribusiness is a necessary taxpayer sacrifice to keep her majority.

Read the full article »

Posted in Finance, Politics, Taxation | Comments

« Previous Entries

CONSTITUTION

Then Again…

April 5th, 2007 by Senior Editor: Jeff

Author Thomas Barnett disagrees:

Why shouldn’t Congress have a foreign policy of its own?

Hell, Bush doesn’t have any.

So I say to Nancy on her road to Damascus: “you go girl!”

Read the full article »

Posted in Commentary, Constitution, Politics | Comments