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30 Mar 2010 20:33

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Politics: Obama: Those Tea Party types have legitimate concerns

  • My hope is that as we move forward and we’re tackling things like the deficit, imposing a freeze on domestic spending, taking steps that show we are sincere about dealing with our long-term problems, that some of that group will dissipate.
  • President Barack Obama • Discussing, with great care, the Tea Party, which largely views him with disdain. While realizing some of them are on the fringe and tough to court, he does feel that he can win over some of the moderate members with firm economic policies. “I think that there’s a broader circle around that core group of people who are legitimately concerned about the deficit, who are legitimately concerned that the federal government may be taking on too much,” he said. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 9 Comments • Permalink

17 Mar 2010 21:51

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Politics: Alan Simpson’s leading Obama on a trail to deficit-cutting

  • “Here guys, a balanced budget is this way.” They don’t make Republicans like Alan Simpson anymore. The former Senator isn’t anti-tax if it means cutting the deficit down. (Sample quote: “Go ahead, keep babbling into the vapors. I’m not out to raise taxes but, for God’s sake, if these dizzy guys can’t figure out that this country…”) And right now, he’s got a job as co-chairman of President Obama’s bipartisan federal debt commission. The guy behind him is Erskine B. Bowles. The guy behind Erskine is Obama. And behind him is Joe Biden. They’re about to do a cakewalk. It should be fun. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Feb 2010 09:25

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U.S.: Who’s the hero in the Joe Stack IRS attack? Depends on who you ask

  • His last actions, the suicide, the catastrophe that caused injuries and death, that was wrong. But if nobody comes out and speaks up on behalf of injustice, then nothing will ever be accomplished. But I do not agree with his last action with what he did. But I do agree about the government.
  • Joe Stack’s daughter Samantha Bell • Regarding her opinion on what her father did. Without condoning the action of crashing into an IRS building in Austin, Bell condoned the intent of the action, which was to bring attention to U.S. tax laws. Ken Hunter, whose father Vernon Hunter died in Stack’s plane crash attack, disagreed completely, as one might assume considering the fact that his dad died in the attack. “How can you call someone a hero who after he burns down his house, gets into his plane… and drive it into the building to kill people?,” he said. “My dad Vernon did two tours of duty in Vietnam. My dad’s a hero.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Feb 2010 12:06

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U.S.: Plane-crasher Joe Stack’s big issue may have been unfair tax policy

  • What policy? A 1978 law limited how employers could be punished for misclassifying employees as contractors, but in 1986 an exception was made for engineers and computer workers specifically.
  • The effect The exception affected workers like Stack, forcing the employees to have to pay back taxes if the IRS found that they were misclassified. It’s an issue Obama’s still trying to reform today.
  • Joe’s issue Stack spent $5,000 of his own money lobbying to change the law to no effect. The change forced him to pay significant backroll taxes due to his contractor status. He compared himself to a slave. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Feb 2010 22:01

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U.S.: Most people favor taxing smokers (again) for quick government cash

  • 60% the percentage of taxpayers who would support a $1 cigarette tax increase as a way to raise cash
  • $9 billion the amount health advocates say could be made if the tax was actually implemented source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Jan 2010 10:39

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Biz, U.S.: Obama’s bank plan: Lots of money for the U.S., with perks!

  • $90 billion in bank taxes over the next ten years source
  • So what happens if the banks overpay the bailouts? Simple. The money goes back to the U.S. to help strengthen the financial position that was screwed up by the bailout crisis. Did someone say “win-win” situation, kids? The banks don’t think so, by the way, and angrily responded to the new charges like petulant children who didn’t get a Nintendo 64 for Christmas.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jan 2010 11:07

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Biz, U.S.: Obama has a plan to get back TARP funds: Tax the bastards

  • 20 of the biggest banks will now bail out the government source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

11 Jan 2010 21:32

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Biz: Obama’s thinking of charging Wall Street service fees. Hm.

  • That’s one way to get our money back from the banks. A year after being handed one of the worst financial crises to ever hit the U.S., Obama’s considering his options for making something back on that $700 billion investment that George W. Bush made back in the day. The one that’s standing out? Charging fees to companies like AIG and Bank of America. The nature of that fee hasn’t been decided yet, but we bet taxpayers might enjoy the just desserts. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2009 10:03

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U.S.: Arnold Schwarzenegger has a little tax lien issue with the IRS

  • $79,000 guess they’ll be back source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Nov 2009 20:09

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Biz, U.S.: Rich people are all, like, sorry about those offshore accounts

  • 14,700 people nailed by the man source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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