- Vote 'NO!' to Government Regulation of Privacy at The Economist
- FCC Stalls on Internet Regulation; Asks for More Comments
- Why was the Volcker Commission Constrained by Obama’s Tax Pledge, but not the Simpson-Bowles?
- Daily Media Spotlight September 2, 2010
- Harry Reid Looks to Resurrect RES During Lame-Duck
- Calculating the Cost of Government (CFA Site »)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
- Daily Media Spotlight September 1, 2010
-
Obama Tax Commission Report:
Baby Step Toward IRS Tax Preparation - Dina Titus Launches False Attack Ad on Joe Heck and the Taxpayer Protection Pledge
- Indiana LaunchesTransparency Website (CFA Site »)
- Rally for Jobs Kicks Off Today in Texas
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
- Daily Media Spotlight August 31, 2010
- Let us All Join in on the NOT so “Green Cause”
- California Bag Ban Bill Up for Vote Today
- Norquist to Gov. Pat Quinn: Pick a Flawed Income Tax Hike and Stick With It
- Phil Moffett Signs Taxpayer Protection Pledge in Kentucky Gubernatorial Race
- New Mexico Sets Trends in Transparency Websites (CFA Site »)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
- Robert Gibbs’s Fuzzy Tax Hike Math
- Daily Media Spotlight August 30, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
- 2011 Could Be Ugly for Nevada Taxpayers
- Lame Duck Governor Ed Rendell Not Going Gently Into That Good Night – New Call for Higher Taxes
- Happy Cost of Government Day, California
- Bay Staters Spent 239 Days Paying for Government Burdens in 2010 (CFA Site »)
- Washington Welcomes Cost of Government Day (CFA Site »)
Friday, August 27, 2010
- Spill Commission Should Lift Moratorium Which Has Cost Gulf Residents 12,000 Jobs and $2.1 Billion
- Daily Media Spotlight August 26, 2010
- Why is Dan Onorato Knowingly Misleading Pennsylvania Voters?
- Unions plan on spending big this election cycle
- Utah Tobacco Sellers Feeling the Impact of Tax Hikes
Thursday, August 26, 2010
- Daily Media Spotlight August 25, 2010
- WI Democrats Launch “Blatantly False” Attack on Sean Duffy
- Unions plan on spending big this election cycle (AWF Site »)
- Philly's New Blog Tax May Foreshadow Other eTaxes
- BNA: For 14 States, Existing Tax Code Leaves Room for Etax (Stop eTaxes Site »)
- Philly's $300 Blogger Tax (Stop eTaxes Site »)
- Cost of Government Day Arrives in the Commonwealth
- Pennsylvania Finally Celebrates Cost of Government Day
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
- California Budget Proposal Advocates eTax (Stop eTaxes Site »)
- Daily Media Spotlight August 24, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
- Daily Media Spotlight August 23, 2010
- Government Workers' Pensions are Underfunded by $3 Trillion
Monday, August 23, 2010
- Fourteen Ways to Reduce Government Spending
- FCC Report on Broadband Performance: A Scare Tactic
- Sen. Al Franken Doesn’t Understand Wireless Networks...or the First Amendment
Friday, August 20, 2010
- Daily Media Spotlight August 19, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
ATR and CFA: Reject the Conrad/Gregg Commission
From Sandra Fabry on Tuesday, December 22, 2009 1:08 PMWhile the Senate is moving closer towards a final vote on the Obama-Reid healthcare overhaul, one item of unfinished business is still on the agenda for this year - the vote to raise the debt ceiling. The House has already passed H.R. 4314 which would increase the statutory limit on the national debt by $290 billion, from $12.104 trillion to $12.394 trillion.
The Senate is still looking to pass the debt ceiling increase before the year is out, and there still is the danger of Sens. Conrad and Gregg insisting on offering their ill-conceived tax/spending "reform" commission bill as an amendment to the debt ceiling bill.
ATR and CFA have been pointing out the dangers of such a commission as envisioned by Sens. Conrad and Gregg on numerous occasions, and, in the event this issue comes up before year's end, have informed Senators that both groups would negatively score a vote in support of the commission in our annual congressional ratings.
From our vote alert:
In the event this issue comes before the U.S. Senate before year’s end, Americans for Tax Reform and the Center for Fiscal Accountability urge all members to vote “No” on any amendment to H.R. 4314 establishing the Conrad/Gregg bipartisan commission to develop legislation making wholesale changes to the tax code and spending policy.
While innocuous-sounding, a commission as envisioned by Sens. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Judd Gregg (R-NH) would lead to a guaranteed tax increase:
It would establish an eighteen-member task force comprised of ten Democrat and eight Republican Congressmen, Senators, and Administration officials. A report from the commission would need to gather fourteen votes in order to make an expedited recommendation to both bodies. The recommendation would only pass with a supermajority vote in each chamber.
Despite the appearance of protection for taxpayers, this commission would guarantee a net tax increase be in its proposal. Every Democrat on the commission would insist on tax increases to “balance” spending cuts in the recommendation.
There is no conceivable scenario whereby the commission would issue a report that does not contain tax hikes.
To be acceptable from a taxpayer perspective, language would have to be included that explicitly removes tax increases and/or new taxes from commission consideration, but, as envisioned by Sens. Conrad and Gregg, setting up this commission would be a horrible deal for taxpayers.
Stand up for Taxpayers!
Vote “NO” on any amendment to H.R. 4314 establishing the Conrad/Gregg bipartisan tax/spending “reform” commission!
ATR and CFA WOULD SCORE POSITIVELY a vote AGAINST the Conrad/Gregg commission in our annual Congressional ratings.
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Comments
THE $70 Trillion obligated debt we're handing our children will require their taxes to be about 80% to pay it. It's about the four letter word former comptroller general David Walker says we can't around...Math. If you're against a commission you're against addressing the debt. We can't even close military bases without a commission let alone cutting medicare benefits.
>> Michael Grenier Wednesday, January 20, 2010 3:20 PM Report Comment
We're not against a commission. What we're against is a commission the foregone conclusion of which is tax increases. We have endorsed various commission bills before that address the issue (Rep. McHenry's bill, Rep. Sullivan's bill), but the key is to look at excessive government spending, and not to give tax-and-spenders a convenient excuse to raise taxes to cover their big spending tracks. Also, look at what happened in 1990 - a bipartisan deal to cut spending for every dollar in taxes raised. Except what we got was higher taxes and only phony spending cuts with the end result that both taxes and spending went up. We just can't afford an Andrews Air Force Base Part II.
>> Sandra Fabry Wednesday, January 20, 2010 4:05 PM Report Comment
As I write this Senator Baucus is reading letter from AARP and other retired groups speaking against the Conrad/Gregg commission as they want entitlements off the table. You want taxes off the table and liberals want real spending off the table. With a $70 Trillion obligated debt that leaves us with "pork" which amounts to nothing. Our grandchildren should get ready to pay our entire bar bill as we have no discipline.
>> Michael Grenier Wednesday, January 20, 2010 5:46 PM Report Comment