‘Tis the season when no matter our age or political ideology, many of us will enjoy brief moments of childlike dreams and ideals; indulging in the fanciful possibilities of miracles, abundant goodwill and peace on earth.
But we’re big boys and girls now, so as quickly as these flights of fancy arrive, they disappear along with the visions of sugarplums and whimsical beings bringing us free gifts.
I urge all to read this in it's entirety. Be aware of how much worse this debacle could get!
POLITICO - Op-Ed Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee.
Lost among the fiscal cliff debates on marginal tax rates and the sequester is a bipartisan package of important tax cuts that the House and the Senate should take up and pass immediately, regardless of whether Democrats and Republicans can reach a larger compromise.
Sen. Jim DeMint abruptly announced plans to resign his South Carolina Senate seat to run the conservative Heritage Foundation, a stunning move that could have repercussions in the chamber and in Senate GOP primaries across the country.
The tea party leader made the announcement that he’d replace Ed Feulner as president of the Heritage Foundation in January.
It was reported yesterday that Senator Begich, (D) Alaska, introduced his bill on Tuesday to build up, not tear down, Social Security!
Begich's office says the bill would extend the solvency of the program for about 75 years, instead of until 2033, which is when reserves now are estimated to be exhausted.
Hillary Clinton is running for President. And the Israeli political class is a full-blown train wreck. These are two conclusions, for whatever they are worth, based on a three-day conference I attended this weekend at the annual Saban Forum, in Washington, D.C.
Herman Cain, Ted Nugent and Michelle Malking were among a wave of conservatives who sacked NBC broadcaster Bob Costas on Twitter on Monday after he offered support for gun control on a “Sunday Night Football” halftime segment on the broadcast of the Dall
MIAMI -- "Do you ever get the feeling that everything in America is completely fucked up?"
When actor Christian Slater uttered those words as Hard Harry in the 1990 film "Pump Up the Volume," he had no idea that 22 years later he would live them in real life.
Slater's ballot for the 2012 General Election was rejected by the Miami-Dade County canvassing board, proving that not even the rich and famous were saved from Florida's trainwreck voting headache.
The company brags about its low prices. But many shoppers probably don't think much about how Wal-Mart makes this slogan a reality, which may start happening given the publicity the strike is getting. The average Wal-Mart associate earns about $8.81 an hour, or a yearly wage of about $15,500, meaning that hundreds of thousands of the company's workers live below the poverty line, according to unions.
All agree this would eradicate any shortfalls for decades. (Yes, this could equate to as much as 14-15% in additional contributions by the wealthiest, but this could be somewhat alleviated in the future by prudent offsets.)
Amending the total Medicaid contribution from 1.45% for both employer and employee (2.9%) of earnings to 1.95% each (3.9%) regardless of wages – there is no cap:
I do believe this is an example of where we all need to pay a share. It also is an equal distribution – part of offset for social security cap removal which will to a greater degree impact the wealthiest.
*Already planned (but not implemented) is The Medicare-funding Hospital Insurance Tax, currently at 1.45 percent, will increase by 0.9 percentage point for higher earners, another provision of health reform. The increase will apply only to income that's in excess of $200,000 for single taxpayers and $250,000 for those married and filing jointly.
Currently, only wages and other labor income are subject to the Medicare tax. But under current law, unless changed, investment income will be subject to Medicare taxes starting next year. Yes, this needs to be implemented.
I have been attempting to educate myself on the basics of some of the issues involved in the ‘fiscal cliff’ negotiations. Since We, The People, are being asked by President Obama to be involved and send in what we do and do not support, I decided it would be prudent to do some research; review historical and present data to consider in making my decisions.
One of the most cohesive listing of basic data on this topic is compliments of AARP. Did you know…………………..
Are you a closet racist? Chauvinist? Do you tout your base religious doctrine (or lack thereof) as the only conviction that is valid and denigrate those whose beliefs are dissimilar? Do you believe that gays are just wrong and weird?
Do you feel that those who are different from you aren’t quite as (insert good, smart, worthy, etc.) as you and yours?
Take your time, ponder, and then be honest; at least with yourself. If you do bear the burden of prejudice, it’s time to consider why you feel this way and why you continue to hold on to these feelings.
Much has been written about the Citizens United debacle, but it’s usually either based in the abstract or focused on the huge amounts of money being dumped into the dark abyss that is campaign financing. As too often happens, the spotlight is on the big money shadow donors, seldom on how this travesty effects those of us who are middle income and below.
Today, this post is about only one of the ways it negatively impacts the largest segment of our citizenry. Some up, close and personal examples of Citizen’s United elementary truth and consequences include:
Much has been written about the Citizens United debacle, but it’s usually either based in the abstract or focused on the huge amounts of money being dumped into the dark abyss that is campaign financing. As too often happens, the spotlight is on the big money shadow donors, seldom on how this travesty effects those of us who are middle income and below.