The Problem With the Payroll Tax Cut Extension

The House voted last Friday to extend the payroll tax cut. But in doing so, they added $100 billion in new deficits to the budget, and putting Social Security further in the hole. The reductions in payroll taxes are dollars that help fund Social Security. The actions of Congress last week are an irresponsible effort to appease the public by giving them a “tax cut” that will be paid for by writing another $100 billion in IOU’s to Social Security.

A significant number of Republicans and Democrats were disgusted that this tax cut was putting the country deeper in debt to the Social security Trust Fund.

As reported by Fox News, "I cannot and I will not support legislation that extends the payroll tax holiday without paying for it," said Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga. "This will add $100 billion to the deficit and it will create an even greater shortfall within the Social Security trust fund that already has over $100 billion shortfall just in the last two years." Longtime Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa also issued a scathing indictment of the president, for permitting a bill that does not offset the cost of the payroll tax cut. "I'm dismayed that Democrats…have proposed this and are willing to sign off on a deal that could begin the unraveling of Social Security," Harkin said on the Senate floor Thursday.

There are other ways to keep this tax cut in place without adding to the debt: cut programs. It is time to get serious about cutting government. Congress should consider elimination of the Department of Education, saving $95 billion. Eliminating the Department of Energy would save $21 billion, while eliminating the Department of Housing and Urban Development would save $53 billion. These are the kinds of reductions that are needed to effectively reduce government and put decisions back in the hands of the states and the individual.

It is time for Congress to say “Stop” to the unbridled spending in Washington. Who voted for this bill? Check here.

36% Unemployment? Say it Ain't So!

from Human Events - How would you define “unemployment?” Statistics on unemployment are bandied around in the media all the time. Changes in these statistics are hailed as good or bad news for the President, with varying degrees of emphasis from the news networks, depending on which party the President belongs to. But what do these statistics truly measure?

Would you define “unemployment” as measuring “people who want a job, but can’t get one?” This is, broadly speaking, the definition embraced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The trick to making those numbers dance lies in measuring “people who want a job.” The widely reported U-3 unemployment metric, currently standing at 8.3 percent, is very aggressive in shaving off people who have not made recent efforts to find work. It is further distorted by massive “seasonal adjustments,” which made over a million people vanish into thin air last month. Get the whole story here.

Will Michigan Have the Highest Gas Tax in the Nation?

from Capitol Confidential -
Michigan could potentially have the nation’s highest gas tax if Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposal to replace the state motor fuel tax with a higher wholesale tax becomes law.
As of Jan. 1, motorists here pay 57.8 cents per gallon worth of state and federal taxes, according to the American Petroleum Institute. This includes the 6 percent Michigan sales tax imposed on fuel sales, from which not a dime goes to roads (a small amount goes to subsidize public transportation). Michigan is one of only eight states that impose sales tax on fuel.*

The new tax would replace the current 19-cent Michigan motor fuel tax on gasoline with a wholesale tax, initially levied at an effective rate of 28.3 cents per gallon – an immediate 9.3-cent increase. Assuming no other changes, this would put government’s total take per gallon here at 67.1 cents, making Michigan the second highest after New York (67.4 cents) with Connecticut and California tied for third (67.0 cents). Get the full story from CapCon here.

Terry Bowman Speaks Truth to Power

Union Conservatives Founder and President, Terry Bowman made a trip to Washington, D.C. this week to testify before a congressional committe about the abuses of power by union bosses who take dues money from their members and use it to advance liberal causes and candidates, against the wishes of perhaps as much as 40% of their membership. Watch Terry's testimony before Congress here.

He also appeared on the "America Live" with Megyn Kelly. He hit the ball out of the park. He made a very strong case for giving employees the freedom to choose whether to join and pay dues as a condition of employment or not. Watch his appearance on the show here.

We are winning the war, one battle at a time. This is not about dismantling unions, as Terry makes clear. It is about dismantling the power base of the union bosses who, for too long, have used members' hard-earned money to advance their own liberal agenda. Keep up the great work, Terry!

State Lawmakers' Votes in Broad Daylight!

www.watchingmichigan.com

Clarkston, Michigan – When the Independent Tea Party Patriots (ITPP) first launched it Legislative Scorecard back in October 2011, they began a process to hold our representatives in Lansing accountable. This scorecard has been recently updated with votes through the end of 2011 and according to Kevin Chase, one of the ITPP founders and small business owner concurred “It’s about time we have some real transparency to validate our representative’s voting records. In business, we are accountable to our employees, customers and suppliers.  Too long, our representatives have been accountable to no one.”

This tool tracks every state representative and senator throughout Michigan and records how they vote as compared to the values of the Tea Party movement. ITPP is the only Tea Party to create tracking tool of this type. The information was gathered from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s MichiganVotes.org site. The scorecard link is posted at www.watchingmichigan.com where the details of the scorecard criteria are outlined and other “watching” sites are also linked.

Go directly to the scorcard here.

Parental Rights Under Threat?

A five-year old boy comes home from kindergarten class with a new book bag from his teacher. Included in the bag is a book entitled "My Two Dads", a book about "diversity and alternative lifestyles". The parents do not want their five-year-old exposed to this material. They meet with the principal who first tells them they may not opt their child out of the class. After further discussion with the superintendent, the father is held in the office, the police are called, and he is put in cuffs and taken to the station to be booked.

A teenage boy who lives in a Christian family doesn't like being taken to church three times a week. He finds an attorney to represent him and files a suit against his parents stating that he shouldn't have to be forced to attend church. The case goes to court and the judge decides the boy only needs to go to church once a week. The parents must comply.

These stories are true. You can watch them on the website www.parentalrights.org. Click here to view the short, 7-minute trailer, "Overruled".

Your fundamental rights to raise and nurture your children as you see fit is under threat. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) would empower children to virtually do whatever they please without interference from their parents. Its effect would be binding on American families, courts, and policy-makers.

Under the provisions of the UNCRC:

• Children would have the ability to choose their own religion while parents would only have the authority to give their children advice about religion.
• The government could override every parental decision if a government worker disagreed with the parent's decision.
• Children would have the right to reproductive health information and services, including abortions, without parental knowledge or consent.

The UNCRC has already been signed by the President. If ratified by the U.S. Senate, under international law, the treaty would override even our Constitution.

What is needed to stop this insidious international law from taking effect in the United States? We believe the Constitution needs to be amended to include fundamental parental rights.

The first step in that process is passage of a resolution in the Michigan Legislature. Rep. Dave Agema has introduced HCR 11, which would memorialize Congress to pass the Parental Rights Amendment. The resolution is in the Committee on Family, Children and Seniors, awaiting action. We need your help to get this done as soon as possible. Here is what you can do:

1. Sign the online petition at www.parentalrights.org.
2. Attend the Families & Childrens' Committee Hearing Tueaday, Feb. 7th at 10:30 a.m. in the Anderson House Office Building, Room 327

Citizens' Alliance for Life and Liberty is working to defend and protect your God-given right to Life, Liberty and Property in Lansing. We are watching legislation as it is introduced and keeping the public informed about bills that can either help protect those rights, or that would infringe upon them.