Saturday, September 29, 2012

Obama's Five Worst Tax Increases Coming January 2013


This list was provided by Americans for Tax Reform.

Of the twenty new or higher taxes in Obamacare, below are the five worst that will be foisted upon Americans for the first time on January 1, 2013:
1. The Obamacare Medical Device Tax – a $20 billion tax increase: Think  Stryker
2. The Obamacare “Special Needs Kids Tax” – a $13 billion tax increase:  Capped at $2500, was unlimited.
3. The Obamacare Surtax on Investment Income – a $123 billion tax increase.
4. The Obamacare “Haircut” for Medical Itemized Deductions – a $15.2 billion  tax increase. Limits deductions from 7.5% of AGI to 10%.
5. The Obamacare Medicare Payroll Tax Hike -- an $86.8 billion tax increase.
Get all the details from ATR here.

Get Your "Retire Obama" Yard Sign

These really cool yard signs are available on a very limited basis, but you can get yours at the Core Principles War Room and Call Center, 6939 West Q Ave. (Center St.) Kalamazoo, 49009. map. Please call 269-806-4626 to be sure someone is there. 

Confessions of a Former Lawmaker

I ran for the State Legislature in 2002 as a limited government conservative. I ended up being twice rated the most conservative lawmaker in Lansing. My overall voting record from a conservative standpoint, was around 95%. But, I made my mistakes.

In 2005, I, along with the entire Republican caucus, was swept into support for the "21st Century Jobs Fund." It was criticized by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy as a government-run economic development program. It seemed a lot like corporate welfare to me, but hey, it was sponsored by a very conservative Republican lawmaker who, in fact has gone on to be a member of Congress with a pretty conservative voting record. The bill passed the house unanimously. (I wasn't the only one making the mistake.)

The Mackinac Center has just published a commentary on the 21st Century Jobs Fund, looking back at how well it worked. The commentary includes a radio "debate" that took place between the legislator who sponsored the bill and Mike LaFaive of the Mackinac Center. You can read the story and listen to the radio interview here.


Incidentally, I had a "second bite of the apple" when the 21st Century Jobs Fund bill came back from the Senate in a scaled-down form. Because it had been changed, the House had to vote to approve it. After rethinking the legislation, and getting some very good information from none other the the Mackinac Center, I was one of only thirteen lawmakers to vote NO on the bill.

Allen West Speaks Truth. Why Won't Anyone Else?

I was in D.C. that day, attending this event. It was intended for the media but the general public was invited. That was me applauding after his statement. Virtually everyone else in the room was media. They weren't too pleased with my response.

Friday, September 28, 2012

29% of Younger Americans Don't Pay Attention to the News.

from the Washington Examiner

...Maybe the worst news of all in the poll is that younger Americans are not the news consumers that their parents are. Fully 29 percent of Americans under 25 said they didn't pay attention to news...Young people also consistently spend less time with the news than do older Americans, which is in part attributable to the relatively large share that gets no news on a typical day. In the current survey, those younger than 30 spent an average of 45 minutes getting news yesterday.

Read the full story here.

Not only is it alarming that young people do not pay attention to the news, it is also noteworthy that those who do are spending less time reading. That means in-depth analysis is not being absorbed by this age group. Sound bites seem to be about all they can handle. This is not encouraging news.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Is This the New America?


We scoffed when this lady said Obama would take care of her. But guess what? She was right. Ever heard of disability, food stamps, section 8 housing, free scooters, free phones, free tuition...the list goes on. Do you think America will vote Obama out of office?


I think Mitt Romney's only mistake when he made that 47% remark was that he may have been a few points too low. I guess it all depends on who delivers the most voters on November 6.

What are you doing about it? ...Oh, I am sorry, did I interrupt you while you were watching The X Factor?

2011 stats: Fox News 1.9 million viewers. This weeks ratings: The X Factor, 10.1 million viewers.

CEO's Agree. Economy Turning Downward

If you don't believe the conservative Heritage Foundation, perhaps the report from four major bsiness goups will convince you: Washington needs to act.

From the Washington Times

"Four major business groups see gloomy times ahead for the job market and the economy, according to a string of separate surveys and polls released this week that cast fresh doubt on hopes that the economic recovery may have turned the corner.

Top executives and small-business owners polled by the Business Roundtable, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Federation of Independent Business, and chief financial officers surveyed by the management firm Deloitte pointed to uncertainty posed by new regulations, shaky demand overseas and the “fiscal cliff” facing the federal government as prime reasons keeping companies from investing and hiring at a faster pace." Read the full story here.

Recession is PLANNED: President and Congress Do NOTHING

The Heritage Foundation has it in plain English. The recession is coming in 2013. ONLY Congress and the President can do anything to stop it from happening. So far, they have refused to act. 

"The Congressional Budget Office has forecasted a fresh recession to hit next year if Taxmageddon, a nearly $500 billion tax increase, hits the nation and Congress and the President drive us off the “fiscal cliff.” President Obama has done nothing but ignore this warning.

In a new report, Heritage’s J.D. Foster explains that the very fact that we can see a recession coming is shocking. “Economic forecasters almost never forecast recessions,” he says. “Those few who do forecast recessions do so with great frequency and belong to the doom-and-gloom school of economics.” Yet we can see this one a mile away:...read the full post here.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Faith and Freedom Coalition Sends Out Voter Guides

The Faith and Freedom Coalition is mailing out 17 million of these fliers to "teavangelical" voters. Hopefully, this will help inform conservatives about the real differences between the candidates. You can see the flier here. Read more here.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Voters: Ignorant, Not Stupid

The commentary below was sent to me, by my good friend Dennis Buchholtz. It makes a very important point for us to consider as the November election approaches. The problem is not that too many Americans are too stupid to know what is going on in our country, but rather, it is that too many Americans are uninformed. It is our mandate over the remaining 40 days to educate and inform our friends, neighbors, and co-workers about the truth. Time is running out...

 At Dawn We Sleep
The title of this commentary is paraphrased from Gordon Prange’s 1981 book At Dawn We Slept. Prange’s book was a remarkably detailed account of the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and describes how, despite the many signs that the attack was imminent, they were ignored.

Near the outset of the conflict in Vietnam, I read the results of a detailed survey about the typical Vietnamese citizen. Approximately twenty-five percent of those living in Saigon knew the name of their own country . . . and less than ten percent had ever heard of the United States. In the rural areas, the results were much lower. There the people were living a “hand-to-mouth” existence and allegiance could easily be bought for a bowl of warm rice to feed their starving families.

The rate of Vietnamese ignorance and illiteracy astounded many Americans. But one knowledgeable sociologist upset his peers when he said, to a lesser degree, the same conceptual model might easily apply to the United States.

Some forty three years later I was reminded of that when one radio commentator conducted some man-on-the-street interviews asking people what they thought about the upcoming presidential election. He posed the questions, “ Do you intend to vote in the election?” And most said, “Absolutely!” And then he asked them, “What do you think of Barack Obama’s vice-presidential running mate, Sarah Palin?” And an astounding number of them replied that she was a great choice. They clearly had no awareness of the candidates or their running mates, nor their own obvious ignorance pertaining to the upcoming election.

Last week a Fox News commentator asked a political strategist how it was possible for so many Americans to actually like Barack Obama in lieu of his overwhelming failures as president. So many were unemployed. The national debt was skyrocketing. Obama was actually encouraging the Muslim hostilities in the Middle East. And he has already announced plans in 2013 to drastically reduce the size of our military forces, significantly weakening our ability to respond to global hostilities or even defend our own nation. And the political strategist’s answer was noteworthy. She said that a very high percentage of Americans were totally unaware of the current situation, both here in the United States and also around the world.

The ignorance of the Vietnamese people fifty some years ago was greatly attributable to an economy of scarcity. And paradoxically, the ignorance of so many Americans is due to a comparative economy of abundance and the fact that so many of them:
• Never watch television newscasts
• Never read newspapers, periodicals, or books
• Are instead, preoccupied with smart phones for texting, e-mails, and other distractions

She also said the resultant rate of illiteracy is disturbingly high amongst a high percentage of American citizens...particularly the younger voters. So, in fact, Obama remains “likeable” because too many Americans are totally unaware of his failures or the current state of affairs in the United States. The obvious question then is...How can they be made aware before the November election?

Obama couldn’t be happier. There are only forty-some days left. How do you wake up so many Americans from their astounding stupor?

Holland Battery Plant Burning Through $250 Million in Taxpayer Dollars. Jobs Scarce

Mackinac Center Has posted a story about LG Chem in Holland, MI. They have received $151 million in subsidies from Washington and another $100 million from the state. They promised 443 jobs, but few have materialiazed. As Chevy Volt sales sputter, the plant, which produces batteries for the car, has been furloughing its 200 employees intermittently. Read more here.

By the way, Simple math: $251 million in taxpayer subsidies, 443 jobs = $566,591.00 per job. But since there are only 200 people working at the plant, a more realistic taxpayer cost per job would be $1,255,000.00. Here is a background story from the Holland Sentinel.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Proposal 3: 25% of All Electricity From Renewable Resources. A $12 Billion Taxpayer Hit

From the Interstate Informed Citizen's Coalition:

There’s a proposal on the November ballot (Proposal 3) to jack up the renwable standard for all electricity to 25 percent by 2025, even though such an increase will cost Michigan families and businesses at least $12 billion. Even worse, backers of this proposal want to lock that mandate into the Michigan Constitution, eliminating any flexibility and guaranteeing a future full of rate increases for customers.

Michigan’s families and businesses can’t afford to pay more for this reckless proposal. The proposal’s backers claim there will be a 1 percent cap on annual rate increases, but that’s no guarantee. Courts could strike down the so-called cap, leaving Michigan’s families and business to face sharply higher electric bills.

Meeting a 25 percent renewable energy standard would require a minimum $12 billion investment in renewable energy infrastructure that will have to be made – regardless of economic or market conditions. It’s a mandate that would forever change the face of Michigan.

Meeting the 25 percent mandate with just wind energy would require as many as 3,100 wind turbines, each taller than the state Capitol. All told, those turbines would require nearly a half a million acres of land, an area 17 times the city of Grand Rapids, and possibly force wind turbines to be built in the Great Lakes.

Read more here.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Obama: "I Actually Believe in Redistribution."

Study: More Money for Education Does Not Translate to Better Results

“In 2010, total annual spending on education exceeded $809 billion dollars. That is amount is higher than any other industrialized nation, and more than the spending of France, Germany, Japan, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia combined. However, our study clearly shows that spending money isn’t going to achieve the results that taxpayers are funding and parents are wanting,” said Bob Williams, President of State Budget Solutions.

This quote is from a study done by State Budget Solutions (SBS), a nonprofit organization advocating for fundamental reform of state budgets and a project of Sunshine Review.

Read the full report here.

Tea Party Express Coming to Grand Rapids September 20




November 6th, 2012 will go down in history as America’s comeback election
Another Tea Party Tidal Wave will Sweep the Nation.
And the Wave Hits Grand Rapids on

THURSDAY SEPT 20TH 4:30 PM TO 7:30 PM
AT THE DELTAPLEX ARENA
2500 TURNER AVE NW WALKER MI
MORE INFO
MAP
EVENT IS FREE TO THE PUBLIC
DONATIONS GRACIOUSLY ACCEPTED
DOORS OPEN @ 4 PM

We will kick off with a Local Rally promoting the Walker Yes Ballot proposal from 4:30 to 5:30
then the TEA PARTY EXPRESS will begin their program:
NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR BEVERAGES ALLOWED
FULL CONCESSIONS WILL BE OPEN
FOR VENDORS, CAMPAIGNS, OR GROUP PROMOTION AT THIS EVENT CALL
DAVID WELLS 616-635-2913
THE RIVER CITY PATRIOTS TEA PARTY MEETS EVERY THURSDAY
(WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SPECIAL EVENTS SUCH AS THE ABOVE)
AT 4045 KORONA CT SE CALEDONIA MI

Monday, September 17, 2012

Christian Heritage Conference September 29

Christian Heritage Conference
September 29, 2012 5:00 pm
Sponsored by Plainwell Patriots
at
Gracespring Church
8643 Gull Road
Richland, Michigan
 

Featured Speakers

Dr. Peter W. Wielhouwer Western Michigan University

Judge William Wagner Cooley Law School

Jeff Johnson Public Interest Forum

Mel Valkner Conference Speaker and Author

Exhibits and a time to network

A love offering will be taken to cover expenses

For more information call Austin Kreutz 269 567 8330

Taxpayer's "Investment" in General Motors: $14 Billion




The United States Treasury owns roughly 500 million shares of common stock in General Motors. (Source: U.S. Treasury) The Treasury would need to sell these shares at roughly $53 per share in order to "break even" on the investment. (Source: WSJ) Using Google Finance API, we multiply the current GM stock price by 500,065,254, and subtract that total from $26,503,458,462 (or, 500,065,254 x $53.

Our calculations estimate the loss taxpayers would suffer if UST sells its GM common stock shares at the current ticker price. We track the common stock price and update our calculations on an ongoing basis, providing an up-to-the-minute snapshot of the money the UST lost in Government Motors.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

I Guess They Forgot to Change the Script in the TelePrompter

CBS News Says Something Nice About Mitt

This is the side of Mitt Romney few ever hear about. This video is from last April. Bet you never saw it.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Obama, Stabenow, Abortion and Same-sex Marriage

The Platform of the Democrat Party supports
same-sex marriage and abortion on demand
(at anytime for any reason, or no reason.)
Barack Obama and Debbie Stabenow are Democrats.
 
Any questions?

Center Right Meeting September 20, 9:00 a.m.

Center Right Meeting

Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012
9:00-11:00 a.m.

State Bar of Michigan Michael Franck Building
306 Townsend St. Lansing, MI 48933-2012
AGENDA
  • Terri Lynn Land, GOP National Committeewoman. Update on the fall ballot and campaign.
  • Proposal 1: Referendum on The Emergency Manager Law
  • Proposal 4: The Unionization of Home-Based Caregivers
  • How to Know Exactly what your state lawmakers are doing, and how to affect their behavior: michiganvotes.com and the ITPP Report Card
  • Why the Next Three Months are the Most Important at the Capitol
  • ...and MORE
In each two-year legislative session, the most crucial time is the last three months of the cycle. This is when all introduced bills must be finished up, or they die. "Lame-duck" the period after the election, when many lawmakers are finishing their careers, is when anything can (and usually does) happen. Be prepared! We will show you how.

Continuing Resolutions. Congress Kicks the Can - Again

Update: Last week, Congress voted on the Continuing Resolution reported on below. Only two members from Michigan voted NO. Justin Amash and Sander Levin. This "can" they are kicking is now a 55 galon drum.

From Club for Growth:

Congress is about to vote on the Fiscal Year 2013 Continuing Resolution (CR). We expect a vote on this resolution later this week, perhaps as early as Thursday. This vote will be included in the Club for Growth's 2012 Congressional Scorecard.

This CR is bad policy simply because it extends big spending programs, layers on extra riders, and provides only short-term funding for the government so that politicians can leave Washington and/or avoid politically sensitive events.

Even if it were a clean extension, this CR would still fully fund ObamaCare, along with a long list of other programs that fiscal conservatives oppose. Second, while technically legal, it breaks the already high $1.047 trillion spending cap established by the Budget Control Act because disaster relief included in the resolution is not offset. Third, it quietly affirms President Obama's desire to gut welfare reform's work requirements. House leadership, knowing this, will likely provide a "won't become law" cover vote on this issue in the days ahead, which shows you that "business as usual" is still being conducted in Washington.

More details here.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Are You Ready for 3,000 More Wind Turbines in Michigan?

As reported in the Capitol Confidential, "Michigan's open spaces could be dotted with turbines nearly 500 feet tall — the same height as the 40-story Guardian Building in downtown Detroit — if voters pass Proposal 3 in November.

"The proposal, which would mandate that 25 percent of Michigan's energy come from renewable sources such as wind by 2025, would require a huge increase in the number of turbines across the state. Read the full story here.

Proposal 3 needs to be defeated. If it is not, you will not only see 3,000-4,000 new wind turbines in Michigan, (with blades that are 100 yards long) but you will also see huge increases in your utility bills. It will be just one more reason for manufacturers and job providers NOT to come to Michigan.

Why is the U.S. Credit Rating About to Drop Again?

Simply stated, Moody's is about to downgrade our credit rating again because our rate of spending is not only in deficit, but it is also still growing faster than our revenue increases. 

According to Americans for Limited Government, "Right now, although the budget deficit will be about $1.2 trillion this year, the nation's full borrowing obligations will be more like $1.45 trillion once certain off-balance sheet items are taken into account. However, the economy is only growing at an annualized pace of about $570 billion.

This demonstrates clearly that we do not have a revenue problem, we have a SPENDING problem. Read more here.



Monday, September 10, 2012

Unemployment Rate "Plummets" to 8.1% in August

The unemployment rate is dropping for one reason: People are giving up looking for work, and if you are not looking for work, you are not unemployed. In August, 368,000 Americans gave up. Here is a graph from last February provided by the Republican Study Committee. It shows the number of people in the labor force continuing to drop. To see a larger version, click here.


 














In fact, according to Americans for Limited Government, 86,000 fewer people are workig today than when president Obama first took office.

Tea Party Effect: MI-GOP Moving Back to Its Roots

The MI-GOP convention over the weekend demonstrated clearly that the Republican Party in Michigan is continuing its recent move toward its roots, its foundation. It would be easy to say the party is moving to the right, and, indeed that is the direction they are gravitating towards, but the truth is, they are only going back to where they should be in the first place, back to where the party platform places them.

On Saturday, virtually every candidate running for a spot on the November ballot was conservative, and the most conservative candidates won almost every single time. (The only slot that was arguably not won by the most conservative candidate was Supreme Court, but only time will tell on that one.)

Perhaps the most telling was the race for State Board of Education. Three candidates were vying for two spots on the ballot. In that race, Melanie Kurdys and Todd Courser embarrassed the incumbent by capturing more than twice as many votes from the delegates. Both Todd and Melanie made it clear that they had very conservative positions on the issues. They showed that a true conservative isn't just pro-life, pro-marriage and pro-second amendment. They stood firmly on the side of local control and fiscal restraint. They were not afraid to say the parents need to be the primary educators, not the government, and that throwing money at education is not the solution.

The results from Saturday were the continuation of a trend. In May, Dave Agema, another "take-no-prisoners" conservative defeated the incumbent "old guard" National Committeeman by a greater than three-to-one margin.

Was it the "tea-party" that won these stunning victories? You bet it was, but what needs to be understood by party leadership is that this is no longer a bunch of upstarts and novices flexing their muscles, this is a staunchly conservative group of Republicans who have installed themselves as the majority in the party, and they are not going away.

In many county conventions, efforts were made by the status quo to hold the "tea-partiers" off, to prevent their appointments as delegates, and in many cases, the status quo achieved some success. But, in spite of that, the constitutional conservatives held sway. As a stark example, in the 6th district, where the leadership is mostly controlled by the old guard, the "upstart" Cindy Gamrat, who founded the "Michigan for a Conservative Senate" won the election for presidential elector against a longtime party faithful who everyone assumed would be the 6th district's choice for elector.

In my humble opinion, state party leadership has been put on notice, the constitutional conservative flank is now a force to be reckoned with and come next February, when district and state leadership are elected, they better be listening.