Tag: Political Solutions

The Little Engine That Could

Today is one of my days of Zen, but I feel that I must for go those days because of the events in the past week demands that I stay on topic…….hopefully I can return to my whimsical posts on the weekends that have very little to do with the politic doings of the week…….bear with me for I am a sick puppy…….

We have heard both sides of the jobs debate calling the engine of the recovery will be small businesses….that any taxes will harm the recovery and kill those small businesses……and we cannot have that….now can we?  And then there was Obama’s new proposal to give tax cuts to small businesses that hire new employees…….

When you hear Obama or his opponents, the Repubs, mention the small businesses….what do you think of?  (pause here for a moment or two for thought)………I would bet that you think of that Mom and Pop grocery store on the corner of Main and 5th…..or maybe it is that cute little bakery in the walking mall……or how about that liquor store on the way home that you get relief from the day’s hassles…..am I close?

All in all you would be close but unfortunately….NO CIGAR!  Yes Mom and Pop would be a small business….but then according to the SBA so would a cigarette maker that employs 1000 people……I know…..huh?

The SBA Act also states: “…a small business concern is one that is independently owned and operated and which is not dominant in its field of operation.” Size standards vary by classification. The average standards, by occurrence in the SBA table, are 500 employees or $7 million a year in sales. A very general rule-of-thumb is the size of most manufacturers and wholesalers is determined by the number of employees while the size of the remaining businesses are determined by yearly receipts.

So you see about 90% or more of the companies in this country can be considered small business, as per the SBA definition……so when the Repubs talk about helping small business they are really talking about the larger companies…..you see….they are lying!  And when Obama talks about the tax cuts and incentives to get small business to create jobs…..he is talking about larger companies…..for they both know that a true small business doing its part even in this recession…..what they need is to help the larger companies enhance their profits with the hope that if they do that that they will hire a few people……

In closing…..it is a play on words…..it is a scam!  They are only helping those that can help them.  Mom and Pop are just the hook to get you to side with the larger companies…….it helps them sound like they are on your side…..but that is a lie!  It is ALL a lie and the sooner you realize that, the sooner we can start doing something about all the BS from Washington…..

Mr. Romney’s Grand Plan

Everybody has got to speak on their jobs plan….that way NO one can get ahead of them…..Huntsman has his plan…..Obama will unveil his plan….Perry has a plan…..Bachmann has God’s plan and then there is Gingrich….but….who cares?

Here is Mr. Romney’s plan……..besides…Reagan….Reagan….(pause)….Reagan……..

I will introduce a plan consisting of 59 specific proposals — including 10 concrete actions I will take on my first day in office — to turn around America’s economy,” Romney wrote. “Each proposal is rooted in the conservative premise that government itself cannot create jobs. At best, government can provide a framework in which economic growth can occur. All too often, however, government gets in the way. The past three years of unparalleled government expansion have retaught that lesson all too well.”Cutting red tape and eliminating regulations is a hallmark of any GOP candidate’s rhetoric, but Romney offered a novel proposal in the op-ed on this front: “I will direct every government agency to limit annual increases in regulatory costs to zero,” he wrote. “The impact of any proposed new regulation must be offset by removing another regulation of equivalent cost.”

On trade issues, Romney suggested creating a “Reagan Economic Zone” (yes, that’s what it’s called) that would include fellow capitalist nations, but there were few details on how exactly it would work.

The rest is largely boilerplate: Romney wants to expand oil drilling and nuclear energy while fighting the unions and the National Labor Relations Board at every turn. He also wants a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. The op-ed is pretty vague on most issues, so it’s worth keeping an eye on how much further detail he offers later today in his speech and any accompanying white papers.

All of America’s problems can be solved by…….(wait for it)……..lower corporate taxes!

You know you are a political geek when you listen to something like Romney’s plan in its entirety…..first of all 59 points!  After about 5 the American voter glazes over and stops paying attention….second, his wordy explanation of his jobs proposal is nothing more than a lengthy diatribe on tired conserv talking points….tax cuts….end regulation….tax reform…..unions bad……drill baby drill…..balanced budget….and then there was a new twist, the trade zone, well new for Romney…..bet you have heard all his mindless ramblings before…..(pause here for thought)……..GW Bush comes to mind…(in case you were having a problem with the thinking process)…..

Mr. Romney was all wide eyed and faking passion and excitement……the few things that he lacks….he is about as boring as watching flies mate……and that is what the US really needs a president with all the personality of a turnip……

Now we await the master jobs plan from the President……..

No Taxation Without Representation

College of Political Knowledge

Subject:  American Government

Do you remember from American history class the slogan or the rallying cry or the war chat or……”No Taxation Without Representation”?  What does it really mean?

A situation in which a government imposes taxes on a particular group of its citizens, despite the citizens not consenting or having an actual representative deliver their views when the taxation decision was made. This situation was one of the triggering events that spurred the original thirteen American colonies to revolt against the British Empire.

In the 1750 and 1760’s it was a cry against the British Empire by the American colonists….in essence the colones were pissed that they had to pay taxes to the realm and had NO representation in Parliament……that they were denied their rights under English law….well it pretty much lead to the American Revolution….and we all know how that ended……even is used today…most notably by the Tea Party when they were protesting taxes that they did not want to see raised…..even though those taxes were NEVER intended to go up……..

We could make the same argument today…places like Puerto Rico, Guam and others are basically colonies of the US, but we had rather call them “territories”….they pay taxes and have NO representation in Congress….oh, they have observers but NO power to vote for laws and such…..that is disgusting in itself (that may well be another post….later)

But I want to talk about another miscarriage of justice, if you will……Washington D.C…..the capital of the US….the people living within the confines of the Federal district…..do NOT have representation in the Congress…..oh, they also have an observer but they have NO right to vote on legislation even when it applies the them directly……

The US Constitution grants congressional voting representation to the states, which the District is not. The District is a federal territory ultimately under the complete authority of Congress. The lack of voting representation in Congress for residents of the U.S. capital has been an issue since the foundation of the federal district. Numerous proposals have been introduced to change this situation including legislation and constitutional amendments to grant D.C. residents voting representation, returning the district to the state of Maryland, and making the District of Columbia into a new state. All proposals have been met with political or constitutional challenges; therefore, there has been no change in the District’s representation in the Congress.

Basically, it is that American citizens, who pay their taxes that support the state, have NO representation, voting representation, in the legislative body of the country……so it is easy……give them representation or let them be tax exempt…..an easy solution, well, two solutions…..there should be NO American citizen without voting representation in Congress…these citizens do not have the same rights as you do….and that is a travesty!

Our “Pledge To America”….(Yawn)

From the VOMITORIUM

There has been a “Contract with America” and a “Road Map for America” and now we have their “Pledge To America”…..This is just a re-tool of the 1994 document…..apparently, they hope that NO one can remember back 16 years ago…well…they failed on my part….I recall the games that have been played and believe me this is a game and the only loser will be YOU!

For a breakdown of the document, check out “Pledge to America: The New Republican Agenda,” by CBS News Senior Political Producer Jill Jackson. Below are some highlights, and the full document is at the bottom.

Jobs:

– Stop job-killing tax hikes

– Allow small businesses to take a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their income  (This is a good one…since they are NOT talking about real small businesses of 25 employees or less, but rather the multi-million dollar corporations that can claim the title thanx to the massive tax code.)

– Require congressional approval for any new federal regulation that would add to the deficit

– Repeal small business mandates in the new health care law.

Cutting Spending:

– Repeal and Replace health care

– Roll back non-discretionary spending to 2008 levels before TARP and stimulus (will save $100 billion in first year alone)

– Establish strict budget caps to limit federal spending going forward

– Cancel all future TARP payments and reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Reforming Congress:

– Will require that every bill have a citation of constitutional authority

– Give members at least 3 days to read bills before a vote

(None of these will reform Congress…it is more of a delaying game than a fix…besides sounds good in the bites they release to the media….a game)

Defense:

– Provide resources to troops

– Fund missile defense

– Enforce sanctions in Iran

(Now here is the telling part of this “Pledge”……3 little mentions to the industry that depends on the GOP for its massive profit from lucrative contracts…this one was purposefully avoided)

Buried somewhere in the 21 pages was the traditional GOP stands….

The GOP pledge reiterates the party’s opposition to abortion rights and gay marriage, and promises to keep trials of suspected terrorists off U.S. soil and in military, rather than civilian, courts. Republican leaders are also vowing to boost funding for a missile defense shield and allow state and local law enforcement officials to enforce federal immigration laws.

There you are…the “new” ideas from the GOP….the only problem is that it is a re-hash of the 1994 “Contract With America” and another re-hash of the same “Contract” was last year’s GOP “Roadmap For America’s Future” and now we have their “Pledge”…

This should worry the Repub faithful….why?  There is NOTHING new in their ideas…it is the same lame, vague promises they always make and somehow never get to the point where they implement them…..

Personally, I want to see new ideas…..anyone and I mean ANYONE can re-hash from the past…..IMO, it shows a serious lack of imagination or will to actually make things better in Washington…..

How About A “Green New Deal”?

College of Political Knowledge

From time to time I like to let my readers know what some of the third parties are thinking…..some have great ideas and some not so much……but the more we know about other parties, other than the two major ones, the sooner we could possibly break the stranglehold the two have on our political process……..a dream, I know….but the public is pissed at Washington and if they knew more about the other parties the closer we move to making this a truly open political society…..

This is a proposed “Green New Deal” put forth by several Green Party candidates…..

These are the ten planks of the Green New Deal:

  • Cut military spending at least 70% ) I personally would have NO problem with this proposal)
  • Create millions of green union jobs through massive public investment in renewable energy, mass transit and conservation…(I Do not think the unions jobs would be necessary….but a WPA style program would go a long way at the employment problem)
  • Set ambitious, science-based greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, and enact a revenue-neutral carbon tax to meet them (This will NOT get any consideration…..business will fight this tooth and nail)
  • Establish single-payer “Medicare for all” health care (This is a wish never to be brought about)
  • Provide tuition-free public higher education (Another one that I would have NO problem supporting)
  • Change trade agreements to improve labor, environmental, consumer, health and safety standards ( a good idea but will be NO way possible)
  • End counterproductive prohibition policies and legalize marijuana (Why not legalize ALL drugs…it would be a massive revenue generating program)
  • Enact tough limits on credit interest and lending rates, progressive tax reform and strict financial regulation (already tried and it fell way short of effective)
  • Amend the U.S. Constitution to abolish corporate personhood (will have to…SCOTUS has seen to that)
  • Pass sweeping electoral, campaign finance and anti-corruption reforms.  (If only…this would go a long way at making our elections more in line with the people’s desires and make them more responsive to the people)

While I agree with several of these proposals…..I see where the major parties will oppose many of the planks…