An American Agenda: Vote for Your Priorities

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INDEX

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Monday, March 8, 2010

Friday, March 5, 2010

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Monday, March 1, 2010

Energy Tax Hike Series: Superfund Tax Reinstated

Friday, February 26, 2010

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Pwned!
Paul Ryan on Healthcare and Deficits

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Rusty Bowers Signs the Taxpayer Protection Pledge for AZ-01 Race

From Adam Radman on Thursday, March 11, 2010 5:46 PM

Former State Senate Majority Leader Rusty Bowers recently became the third candidate in the Republican primary in Arizona’s First Congressional District to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. Bowers seeks the GOP nod to face off against Democrat Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick.

Kirkpatrick has voted for three out of the "Four Horseman of the Democrat Apocalypse” bills including the so-called Stimulus Package, the 2010 Obama Budget, and the government takeover of health care.

Cook Political Report rates this race as a “Likely D” seat with a PVI of R+ 6; making it the 161 most Republican District in the country. However, Sen. McCain won this district with 54% of the vote in 2008 and former President Bush won this district twice with over 51% of each time.

To read ATR’s official statement on Bowers signing the Pledge, click “read more.”

Ask Your Virginia Legislator to Vote "NO" on Any Budget Containing Higher Taxes

From Nathan Pick on Thursday, March 11, 2010 5:40 PM

As House and Senate conferees continue to hash out a budget in Richmond, Americans for Tax Reform encourages taxpayers to contact their Delegates and Senators urging them to oppose any budget that would contain a tax increase. To write your legislator urging them to oppose any budget that would rely on tax increases to balance the budget, click here. Any day now the conferees could release a budget to be voted on by the full House and Senate.

A final budget containing tax increases would be a violation of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a commitment which 27 Virginia legislators have made to "oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes." To see a list of legislators who have signed the Pledge, click here. To see the letter from ATR stating that a vote for a budget containing tax increases would be a violation of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge for these members, click here.

Virgininia taxpayers have seen spending skyrocket by nearly 33% from 2002 to 2008. The state government is spending almost $9 billion dollars more of taxpayer dollars. As Governor McDonnell noted in his State of the Commonwealth address, state spending has grown well beyond the rate of population and inflation for quite some time, nearly tripling since he was first elected to public office in 1991. These are symptoms of a spending problem, rather than a government taking too little from the people it represents.

ATR Supports H.R. 4781, the
"Keeping American Businesses
Competitive Act of 2010"

From Ryan Ellis on Thursday, March 11, 2010 5:21 PM

Americans for Tax Reform today sent the following letter to Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.):

On behalf of Americans for Tax Reform, I am pleased to support H.R. 4781, the “Keeping American Businesses Competitive Act of 2010.” I urge all Members of Congress to co-sponsor and support this vital legislation.

Your bill reduces the federal corporate income tax top rate from 35 percent to 22 percent. Importantly, it does so for any tax year ending in 2009, meaning that businesses would be able to benefit immediately from the pro-growth benefits of the tax relief.

Ronald Reagan Legacy Project Urges Naming of California High School After Reagan

From Nathan Pick on Thursday, March 11, 2010 5:15 PM

The Ronald Reagan Legacy Project encourages the board of the Grossmont Union High School District to move forward with the naming of a newly built high school after President Ronald Reagan. If adopted, this would be the first high school in California and the fifth in the nation to honor former President Reagan.

Superintendent Robert Collins sent a proposal to the Governing Board of the Grossmont Union High School District which would lay the groundwork for naming the new school: Ronald Reagan High School. To see a copy of Superintendent Robert Collins proposal that will be considered tonight, click here.

“It is imperative that school officials recognize the important role that Ronald Reagan played in the lives of all Americans, especially in his time as governor of California,” said Grover Norquist, chairman of the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project. “Ronald Reagan was an unabashed leader and true patriot and future generations of Americans should have the opportunity to recognize his legacy.”

There are currently only four high schools in the country named after President Reagan; one each in Texas, Florida, Wisconsin and North Carolina. Alpine has the opportunity to be the first community to name a high school after Ronald Reagan in California. Reagan served two terms as governor of California from 1967-1975 and attained national prominence through his leadership of California and as the 40^th President of the United States.

To see a copy of RRLP's press release supporting the movement toward a Ronald Reagan High School in San Diego County, click here.

Democrats Attempt to Subvert Congress in Hopes of Carbon Regulation

From Christopher Prandoni on Thursday, March 11, 2010 5:09 PM

What a difference a year makes. A year into Obama’s presidency we were suppose to have universal government-run health care, an energy tax (Cap-and-Trade), and a slew of other intrusive programs, mandates, and decrees. The thing is, Americans don’t want their lives turned upside-down at the whim of Washington politicians. But Democrats refuse to listen. They talk themselves into thinking that they know better than thou; that the American people don’t know what they really want. It is this tragic example of groupthink that is the impetus for all of the Democrats' political tactics.

Instead of passing healthcare reform through conventional means, Democrats have dragged the country through a convoluted sausage packing that may manifest itself in a reconciliation vote. Cap-and-Trade passed the House last June by the slimmest of margins, 219-212, only to stall in the Senate – Harry Reid never had the votes. During simpler times Cap-and-Trade would be dead, but no. Unable to pass cap-and-trade through traditional legislative measures, the Obama administration has called upon the EPA to do its dirty work, to unilaterally instate a national energy tax. In a February 22, 2010 letter to Senator Rockefeller, EPA Director Lisa Jackson wrote:

“I expect that EPA will phase-in permit requirements and regulation of greenhouse gases for large stationary sources beginning in calendar year 2011... In any event, EPA does not intend to subject the smallest sources to Clean Air Act permitting for greenhouse-gas emissions any sooner than 2016.” –EPA Director Lisa Jackson

To continue click read more...

Economic Issues Dominate at the Bloggers Briefing

From Amir Iljazi on Thursday, March 11, 2010 1:14 PM

This week’s Blogger’s Briefing, hosted by The Heritage Foundation, gave an in-depth look at one of the most important issues that is currently in the hands of Congress, but not really in the minds of the American people: Financial Regulatory Reform. Health Care has dominated the headlines, but the issues coming into the fray with Financial Regulatory Reform are becoming increasingly important as the Congress moves ever closer to legislative action. The featured speakers took on this issue by looking at it through the eyes of the overall state of the Economy and recent publications that have showed the degree of decline that the US has seen over the last few years, most notably the Index of Economic Freedom; and then a closer look at what Congress is doing to “repair” the financial sector.

Bill Beach, Director of The Heritage Foundation's Center for Data Analysis, discussed the recently released Index of Economic Freedom and other indexes relating to it. This is the 16^th year they have published the study; but what is important about this year was that the United States, for the first time, earned a distinction in the index that they had never earned before: “For the 1^st time in the sixteen year history of the index, the United States was scored as a mostly free country.” The index has usually rated the United States as a “free” index, so this was something of extreme importance in terms of where the United States is at as a country with regard to the state of our economy. He also talked about Heritage’s Index on Dependence on Government, and how for the United States it has risen over 31% in less than a decade. Beach made the point about how in the last 40-plus years the ways in which civil-society dependency is something that is lacking because people are no longer being “helped, to get stronger.” Beach also described the effect this has on those receiving the aid: “We become a number, we become a statistic,” and he described how the incentive is taken away when Government becomes the sole caretaker. He also talked about reforming the tax system in the country, “tax reform is desperately needed.” The theme that Beach continued to stress is that the recently released indexes are showing a pattern of decline, a decline in the trends and momentum of the US Economy.

To continue reading about this week's Bloggers Briefing, click "read more" below

Pushback Against EPA’s Attempts to Regulate Carbon Emissions Grows

From Brian M Johnson on Thursday, March 11, 2010 11:59 AM

Americans for Tax Reform applauds the letters sent by business leaders and governors supporting Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) resolution of disapproval which would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from imposing economically-harmful regulations on stationary sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

“If Senators were wondering what Americans thought about the EPA’s backdoor attempts to regulate greenhouse gases, these letters will dispel any illusions that such unprecedented measures are tolerable,” said Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform. “People see this as an attempt to subvert the will of the American people their elected officials, and they are angry about it.”

Click here for the Governor's letter and here for the broad-based industry letter.

Click "read more" to view ATR's full press release or get the PDF document.

Minnesota Gubernatorial Candidate Running on a Platform of Tax Hikes

From Joshua Culling on Thursday, March 11, 2010 11:50 AM

The Minnesota DFL (the state's Democratic party) has a crowded field for the 2010 gubernatorial race, with about 10 credible candidates vying for the nominate. One of them is Sen. Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook), the Chairman of the Senate Tax Committee and a darling of organized labor. Sen. Bakk has wasted little time in showing his true colors to prospective voters, introducing a bill this session that would extend the sales tax to clothing, a $300 million annual tax increase.

The tax hike is coupled with a flimsy promise to cut the overall sales tax from 6.5% to 6.25% in the future. It's the classic "broaden the tax base now, lower the overall rate later" ploy. First, Minnesotans can reasonably expect the future cut in the overall rate to be delayed or ignored down the road. Second, broadening the tax base is only acceptable if the corresponding rate cut at least offsets the additional revenue increase. That's not the case with Sen. Bakk's proposal.

Unsurprisingly, the Senate Education Committee took a voice vote on the bill this morning. They avoided putting the vote on record because they understand the implications for lawmakers who choose to raise taxes in the middle of a recession.

Gov. Pawlenty is on record in opposition to this and any tax increases this year. He prefers spending restraint and tax cuts for the business community to spur job creation and economic growth.

To see the full text of ATR's opposition to this bill, click Read More. For a PDF copy, click here.

Michigan Jobs Ain't What They Used To Be...Unless You Work For The Government

From Brett Gall on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 4:52 PM

Currently home to the worst state unemployment rate in the nation at 14.3% and with some counties facing almost 19% unemployment at the start of 2010 (higher than the state record unemployment rate of 16.8% following the 1982 stock market crash), Michigan residents are in dire need of jobs. However, a job sure isn’t what it used to be…unless, of course, you work for the government!

According to an article by the Michigan Taxpayer Alliance, compensation for Michigan's private sector citizens decreased by 10.3% between 2007 and the third quarter of 2009. This makes sense in light of the national economic situation. What doesn’t make sense is that during this period, state and local government employee compensation increased by 5.5% while federal government employee compensation rose 7.5%.

What accounts for this disparity and Michigan’s vast unemployment? The national economic downtown combined with Governor Jennifer Granholm’s vast tax increases, especially on private businesses. In past years Granholm pushed to increase income taxes, expand service taxes, raise sin taxes, hike business taxes and decrease Michigan’s ability to compete with other states for business. This has led to billions of dollars in higher taxes and tax proposals since 2007.

The Michigan Taxpayer Alliance article also noted in its article that state employees were scheduled to receive a 3% pay increase this year. According to The Detroit News, Senate Appropriations Chairman Ron Jelinek, an opponent of the pay raise, said, "This is the real world, the real economy of 2010. We are not proposing pay cuts; we are proposing to not raise pay three percent." This is a necessary distinction for those who would protest worker pay cuts. The pay increase recently passed in the state Senate with a 22-15 vote.

With a dragging economy and unemployment rates approaching record highs, taxes should be cut to put money in the pockets of the taxpayers and promote private enterprise. If the government does not raise taxes (as it shouldn’t) then it possesses a limited source of revenue. The distribution of this revenue should not be further aimed at public employees whose compensation has risen as private sector compensation has declined, but towards basic and necessary services. If the government wishes to pay for both these services and pay increases, the only way to do both is through eventual tax hikes or bonding. Both tax hikes and deficit spending or bonding would be counterproductive to Michigan interests.

ATR and CFA Support Earmark Moratorium

From Sandra Fabry on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 4:26 PM

The following is cross-posted at www.fiscalaccountability.org:

Tomorrow, the House GOP Conference will meet to discuss a self-imposed unilateral earmark moratorium for FY2011. We're supporting the effort, because, as we've stated in our letter:

Taxpayers have become increasingly frustrated with the Congressional practice of earmarking. The process lacks transparency and accountability and the results are often frivolous and wasteful.

While overall spending levels and a lack of general spending discipline continue to be the main problem, earmarks have become emblematic of what taxpayers perceive as the problem in Washington, DC.

Click here for a PDF version of the letter.

Photo credit: John Morris

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