Our Endangered Millionaires !!

Will you HELP THEM ??
Please don't TUERN AWAY !!

Blanche Lincoln, Democratic 'Centrist'

'...deeply cut estate taxes for the fraction of the top 1 percent of the population still subject to those levies...'

NO MILLIONAIR LEFT BEHIND



From Washington Monthly:

'...ESTATE TAX? NOW?....

In the midst of an economic crisis, rising unemployment, a housing crisis, a banking crisis, and questions about enormous budget deficits, leave it to some conservative lawmakers to prioritize tax cuts for millionaires.

[F]or Senator Blanche Lincoln, Democrat of Arkansas, and Senator Jon Kyl, Republican of Arizona, the most pressing issue is clear: America's wealthiest families need help. Now.

The two senators plan to propose an amendment to deeply cut estate taxes for the fraction of the top 1 percent of the population still subject to those levies.

The proverbial millionaires next door -- the plumbers, contractors and accountants who amass substantial wealth through hard work and modest living -- are not the intended beneficiaries of the proposed cut. The Obama budget already takes care of them, because it retains today's law, which imposes the estate tax only on couples with property worth more than $7 million, or individuals with property worth more than $3.5 million. That means 99.8 percent of estates will never -- ever -- pay a penny of estate tax.

The heirs of the remaining 0.2 percent of estates are who Ms. Lincoln and Mr. Kyl are so worried about. Their amendment would increase to $10 million the level at which the estate tax kicks in. It would also lower the top estate-tax rate to 35 percent from 45 percent.



The arguments in support of such a move, which we've been hearing for years, are as tiresome as they are false. But what I find striking is the timing. The most common complaint of late from Republicans and conservative Democrats is about deficits. Why, then, would lawmakers even consider a tax cut for the wealthiest of the wealthy, costing a quarter of a trillion dollars over the next decade?

The analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is fairly devastating. The proposal an absurd proposal under any circumstances, but it's especially misguided under the current economic conditions.

And in case you're wondering why Arkansas' Sen. Lincoln, ostensibly a Democrat, would join with Republicans on this, Faiz Shakir has the answer: "The Waltons -- the Arkansas-based family that founded Wal-Mart -- are one of the key groups financing the campaign to repeal the estate tax."...'


Oh those POOR (rich) people !!
HOW CAN WE HELP ???

Remember those 'Blue Dog'  'Centrists' that opposed Obama's policies......???
Here they are !!!

This has been quite a day. Check out the picture on the front page of Huffington Post with President Obama. Evidently everyone appears pleased with the way the G20 meeting went.

President Obama on his first across the pond trip - so far, so good. Michelle too.

Dow goes past 8,000. And now this terrific news about Cuba.

Thumbs up all around.
___________________
"Five hundred to a thousand people were protesting,this is big news. More people get arrested at a Sox- Yanks game."

LOL!!!!

It's time to lift the embargo.  Cubans can already get their goods from Canada, Mexico, Spain, etc.  We trade with Communist China as it is.  Why not open up this market to sell American goods?

YES WE CAN !!!!
We're making progress in all areas, today

But, let's look back at our Previous President and see where progress is being made:


From ThinkProgress:

'...Flashback: In his last year in office, Bush still didn’t know what the G20 was.

President Obama — in a departure from President Bush — has made a point during his G20 visit to emphasize that the economic crisis demands a collective global response. Indeed, in a phone call with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last October about the financial collapse, Rudd told Bush that the best response should involve the broader G20, including China — while Bush wanted response to be handled within the G7. Bush, however, reportedly didn’t have a clue what the G20 was:

Informed sources have confirmed the discussion took place on a speaker telephone with a Rudd staffer taking notes.
After the President explained the pressure from Europe for a G7-brokered action on supporting the credit sector and reforming regulation, Rudd immediately insisted the G20 was the solution.

Rudd was then stunned to hear Bush say: “What’s the G20?”....'




Wll nowadays, WE KNOW !!
'...Rudd was then stunned to hear Bush say: “What’s the G20?”....

Brian Crooks, Naperville, IL : '...Are the anarchists, are they far-right fanatics, are they racists?  What are they protesting, exactly? ...'

The Anarchists reject all governments and all government regulations.....


.... kind of like the Libertarians .....

Special request for G-20 news and video please!

Is it my imagination, or are you folks trying to let this blog die?

Seems like the relevance factor is going down, along with the frequency of posts and comments . . . for a blog named "First Read", it seems that by the time you post something, I've already read it somewhere else.

Oh well, it was fun while it lasted and you will always be my "first political blog" - you can't take that away! :)

*le sigh*

The US' policy towards Cuba has been stuck in a Cold War time warp for decades, and it is long past time to revisit and revise those policies.

Does anyone really think that China's human rights issues are significantly smaller than Cuba's?

Just curious why FR does not provide any political party identification of the House delegation members?  If invited by the Cuban government, could you possibly inform us who exactly the Cuban government iinvited?  As for the purpose of the visit, could you tell us if the Cuban government has prepared an agenda or has suggested issues that the delegation might want to 'fact find'? If invited by the Cuban government, are the Cubans paying the expenses of the delegation?  And if the delegation is arriving tomorrow, which is a pretty big story, why has the MSM said nothing about it at all until now?  Has the State Department succeded in a major foreign policy breakthrough?  C'mon guys, get with it.  Either you are journalists or just entertainment columnists.

It will be interesting to see what "facts" they find out that we don't already know about Cuba. Then what will happen with the facts once the Administration gets them? Since Cuba has zero backing of any Communist country they are really no threat to us. Maybe if we start showing them what capitalism is really all about they'll melt and let us mold them into something much more palatable to us. The last time we meddled in Cuban affairs we installed Batista which did nothing but help the revolution of Ché and Fidel and their eventually Marxist government. So if we take it easy and do it right we can not muff it this time. I wouldn't expect change over night but diplomatic relations and then a few commercial ventures and soon there will be boats and planes making the 90 mile trip every hour day and night. Casinos, cigars, and rum Cuba here we come.

Are we finally going to address the Cuban issues?  Thank goodness for change!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Pamela, Columbus, Ohio (Sent Thursday, April 02, 2009 1:25 PM) of course we have three versions.  And when we are done with the debate we will have a uniform, compromised budget.  The Republicans are still arguing over whether or not to use binder covers and what to serve at the ‘rollout’.  The difference is Substance OVER Form.  Repubs used to have admirable discipline (no platform, honor or much of anything else – but doggone it, they were disciplined).  What happened?
^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sandy, Manhattan, Kansas (Sent Thursday, April 02, 2009 12:40 PM)  and Kelly (from Pittsburgh) (Sent Thursday, April 02, 2009 1:03 PM)
Don’t get too worked up ladies, Palomino is ManCoulter.  Seriously, …the similarities are uncanny.

And I wonder how many of these freeloaders where slamming Mr.Obama when he wanted to open up travel for family members living in the US.Smoke a fat one while you are enjoying the weather.Why are these trips called fact finding.The fact that they brought there golf clubs and there scuba gear mean that they will be facting around the coarse,and checking out the facts below the water line!Who is paying for this junket?

Brian Crooks, Naperville, IL

How can you even show your face around here anymore.  Does your wife know about your girlfriend.

"I would never tell my wife or girlfriend to get an abortion"

Brian Crooks, Naperville, IL (Sent Wednesday, April 01, 2009 4:46 PM)

You are a disgrace - its no suprise you are a leftist wacko - and a cheat.

Did you make sure to hide the blue dress?

Gee, think any member of this delegation with find anything other than an 'island paradise'?  Think they'll find any polical prisoners, or unhappy residents of the worker's paradise?  Think they'll find out that dissenters are tortured?  

Nah-they'll be overwhelmed by the hospitality and warmth of the benevolent dictator, come home extolling the virtues of a communist dictatorship, and introduce legislation to make us more like our neighbors to the south.

heaven help us.

GO Michelle!  Eat'em up and spit 'em out!
"Morning Joe" has been good lately!  Even watched the whole show because JOE WASN'T THERE!!!!  

it's about time on the cuba thing. i have been waiting a long time to visit cuba and now i finally have hope because it is i believe a very special and beautiful country and it's just great that americans will once again make cuba their number one carribean vacation spot. i am not so sure the cuban people are jumping for joy that the americans might be coming but it is a second chance (it's not often we get a second chance to get it right) but with respect for the cuban people we may be able to gain their good graces and form a real partnership in whatever we both may do in the future. it is truly a good day today. Obama keep it up and GOD bless your every endeavour.
 nickb

Past time for a change in Cuban policy. They are still driving in '58 Chevys held together with tape and Russian Zils from the 60s.

The easiest way to change Cuba is to trade with them and show them life in the 21st Century! After they get a taste of Ipods and laptops they will never want to go back to their farms, lol

Another plus for trade is that their main crop is sugar cane which makes very nice ethanol!

Gee, think any member of this delegation with find anything other than an 'island paradise'?  Think they'll find any polical prisoners, or unhappy residents of the worker's paradise?  Think they'll find out that dissenters are tortured?  

Nah-they'll be overwhelmed by the hospitality and warmth of the benevolent dictator, come home extolling the virtues of a communist dictatorship, and introduce legislation to make us more like our neighbors to the south.

heaven help us.
======================
You talking about Cuba or the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics?

So nobody noticed that at the G20 Obama cerified a foreign regulating body over US financial affairs. Why would a sitting US Pres ok a group of socialist countries to oversee anything to do with US financial affairs? If this doesn't terrify and sicken everyone then we are in deeper trouble than I thought.

I didn't comment on Cuba because really who cares anymore. If you are to blind and stupid to see that the gov down there has starved, taxed, and plundered the people into almost suicidal submission you really need your eye perscription checked. Please let's copy their gov system thats made them so great. While we're at it let's integrate their health care system that their own leader wouldn't even use when he was sick. He flew docs in from Spain in case you didn't know.

Just a little 'enlightment' from MyDD for you boys and girls in the media:

'...Dear Media: Opposing Reconciliation Isn't "Moderate"

by Josh Orton, Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 03:41:19 PM EST

Just because someone says it, doesn't mean it's "moderate"


In an April 1 article about Democrats considering the use of the budget reconciliation process to pass health-care reform legislation, The Washington Post reported that "Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), a moderate Republican, warned that adopting reconciliation would be 'a colossal mistake.' " The Post went on to quote Specter saying: "I think it fair to say that to misuse the reconciliation process would be a very strong blow against bipartisanship and cooperation." Later, the article stated that "[a]dvocates defend reconciliation as a legitimate tool used more often by Republicans in recent years, most notably to pass President George W. Bush's tax cuts." However, while allowing Specter to criticize Democrats for potentially "misus[ing]" the process, the Post did not point out that Specter himself voted both to allow the use of reconciliation to pass those tax cuts -- in all cases on nearly party-line votes -- and for the underlying tax cut legislation.

The hand-wringing is ridiculous. If Republican Senators hadn't let Cheney roll them at caucus meetings the last eight years, maybe they'd have some ground to stand on....'


The Republicans REGULARLY USED RECONCILIATION during Bush's term
They did it to prevent fillibusters from Democrats !!

WHY is Reconciliation now 'Off Limits'  ??

What's good for the Goose is good for the Gander

Lift the embargo, we've been buying and selling to China and Russia for generations now. Beyond the first few years it has always been an embargo of the big against the small. Do we have an embargo against Venezuela? No, although Chavez is of the same cloth as Castro we deal with him because he has oil. Cuba has little we want...but the day is comming when we will want the oil that is likely around it. There has been no reason other than home grown politics to keep this embargo. Drop it and resume full relations with Cuba.

Clara KC

ManCoulter?

I have to admit that's a good one.
Keep it flowing.

More good news.  It will be interesting to see what happens.  Amazing that so many countries are now wanting to open a dialogue with America since President Obama took office.  Cold War leftovers; the US can have a relationship with Cuba regardless of their politics.  That multi-tasking Pres Obama has been even busier than we thought.  

i hope Obama accepts an invite to cuba soon because maybe NO JOE, NO BO, NJ will - never mind. hey njnbnj do you ever get tiered of all that fear mongering going on in your life. oh my god "the russians are coming, the russians are coming".
nickb

Palomino and Jill from Pittsburgh (from another thread) ~

I don't want to sound like anyone's house mother here, but I’ve been thinking over both of your comments about Michelle Obama’s appearance.  Palomino certainly has a right to say the way he feels about Michelle Obama's appearance; I’d defend that in a heartbeat.  But of course, once he’s said it, he can also expect to have his comment judged on its merits by the other bloggers here, just as he does, from time to time, judge the comments of others.      

I don't agree with Palomino’s assessment of Mrs. Obama’s “Amazon” appearance even though 5 feet 2 inches seems like “up” to me, but he does make a very valid point about how liberal bloggers, including myself on occasion, have been guilty of the same kind of thing.  For example, liberals made fun of George W. Bush's appearance, sometimes even comparing him to a chimpanzee.  The point there, of course, was to frame a metaphor for Bush's perceived lack of intelligence.  In other words, the satire aided the message.  But perhaps Jill and others don't see the point being made by criticizing Michelle Obama's appearance, just like I have never fully understood the point being made by attacking Hillary Clinton’s appearance in a pant suit.  Then again, Palomino would no doubt say the same thing about the point (or lack thereof) being made by those who attack Sarah Palin's or Ann Coulter’s appearance.  

And that, in turn, brings us to the main chance.  Maybe the point that Palomino was really trying to make is that personal appearance should only be part of political discourse where it's a legitimate metaphor for something.  Otherwise, it's just a personal attack.  Just like saying that someone is filled with ugliness inside maybe ought to be saved for a situation that actually warrants it.  

Hey, Bad Chihuahua hasn't chimed in today.

That little dog is probably tearing up some lib's ankles as I type this.

Miss the Chihuahua.

How about that Bill O'Reilly, recently celebrating 100 straight months as the most watched cable news show!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3627/3407788578_4f4cacdedc_o.jpg

From the way back machine.

Ted (from an earlier thread)

Calm down. Anyone can use whatever handle they want. Get it through your head, bubba.

As for your Uncle Hershall: Kinda rude, wasn't he?

FINALLY !!!

SOMEONE LOOKING OUT FOR PATIENTS !!

'...Conservatives for Patients' Rights...'


'...he was also implicated in undermining the system itself...'

'...Mr. Scott was ousted by his own board of directors in 1997 amid the nation's biggest health care fraud scandal. The company's guilty plea and payment of $1.7 billion to settle charges...'





From Washington Monthly:

'Richard L. Scott is unusual in these tough economic times: a rich, conservative investor willing to spend freely on a political cause.

Mr. Scott is starring in his own rotation of advertisements against the broad outlines of President Obama's health care plans. ("Imagine waking up one day and all your medical decisions are made by a central, national board," he warns in a radio spot.) He has dispatched camera crews to other countries to document the perils of socialized medicine.

He visited with lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week, and his new group, Conservatives for Patients' Rights, has hired a leading conservative public relations firm, CRC, well known for its work with Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group that attacked Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, during his presidential campaign.


At first blush, Scott sounds like a fairly commonplace far-right hack, repeating bogus talking points, and hoping to scare Americans who don't recognize his snake oil. That he's hired the Swiftboat Liars' p.r. firm only helps make the picture complete....'

'...he isn't just spending $5 million of his own money to prevent more Americans from having better care, he was also implicated in undermining the system itself.

Once lauded for building Columbia/HCA into the largest health care company in the world, Mr. Scott was ousted by his own board of directors in 1997 amid the nation's biggest health care fraud scandal. The company's guilty plea and payment of $1.7 billion to settle charges including the overbilling of state and federal health programs was taken as a repudiation of Mr. Scott's relentless bottom-line approach.

"He hopes people don't Google his name," said John E. Hartwig, a former deputy inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services, one of various state and federal agencies that investigated Columbia/HCA when Mr. Scott was its chief executive.



"He's a great symbol from our point of view," said Richard J. Kirsch, the national campaign manager for Health Care for America Now. "We cannot have a better first person to attack health care reform than someone who ran a company that ripped off the government of hundreds of millions of dollars."

Some of the other groups anxious to oppose reform efforts are keeping their distance from Scott -- he's not exactly the ideal messenger for the far-right line -- but congressional Republicans don't seem to mind embracing him. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), a member of the House health subcommittee, was so impressed with Scott's deceptive television ads that he invited the conservative to the Hill for a meeting.

Expect to hear quite a bit more about him (and from him) as the debate unfolds....'


I'll bet he FOUND JESUS !!

He's probably a 'Holy Roller' now

He Changed !!
Can't you see it ??

Now, he's LOOKING OUT for Patients !!

Representative, Senator and Mr. President. The Embargo has shaken Cuban government. Please end this nonsense of a law. It has done nothing but separate families and set this small country back. Right now Mr. President its the time to practice what you so much preach and change this law once and for all. I was brought to this great country by my parents when I was 10 years old on a banana boat.  They brought me here to give me a better life. I look back and ask myself is, "It really a better life?" I have a government that regulates when I can see the relatives that were left behind. I still support this country, I raised my right hand more than six years  ago to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic in the Marine Corps. In closing my question to all is, "Can't we all just get along?"

I don't think 5 days are enough.  As a taxpayer, I'd be willing to see them there for a year or two.

And we already have appropriate accomodations in place.

As a Canadian whose government does not restrict travel of its citizens, I had the pleasure of visiting Cuba for two weeks this month.

What an incredible history and what wonderful, proud people they are! It was interesting to note that their college aged kids have a 62% college or university degree and even Israel has a joint venture in their orange industry there. There is poverty but so is there in the United States. I hope the Cubans move cautiously with any new agreements with the United States.

It is interesting to read the comments of Americans who have never been there, and have no knowledge of their past or their present spout out their opinions of this beautiful country.

Just thinkin' / Just askin' (same)

Palomino answered Clara because she was funny.

Pal doesn't answer posts generally but both me and Pal wonder why you take it so hard when someone is critical of Ms. Obama. Surely the left went way out of their way to "go after" Sarah Palin. Palomino likes to fight back, doesn't care about critics and is honest in an assessment that deems Ms. Obama average in looks and style. In Pal's words, "nothing at all to rave about. Let the media build her into something she's not, just like the media built Obama into something from nothing."

MSierra:

So why is the .2% so important to you?

I don't agree with Palomino’s assessment of Mrs. Obama’s “Amazon” appearance even though 5 feet 2 inches seems like “up” to me, but he does make a very valid point about how liberal bloggers, including myself on occasion, have been guilty of the same kind of thing.  For example, liberals made fun of George W. Bush's appearance, sometimes even comparing him to a chimpanzee.   But perhaps Jill and others don't see the point being made by criticizing Michelle Obama's appearance, just like I have never fully understood the point being made by attacking Hillary Clinton’s appearance in a pant suit.  Then again, Palomino would no doubt say the same thing about the point (or lack thereof) being made by those who attack Sarah Palin's or Ann Coulter’s appearance.  
------------------------------------------------------Anna Molly, I almost fell off my chair reading this when I realized it was from you.   You're absolutely right.    

Anna Molly:

Didn't the satire merely aid the perception, whether it was actually true or not?

Personal appearance should have nothing to do with political discourse.

Barney Frank proves this every day.

Nevertheless, the media and the fawning groupies make personal appearance a required part of Obama related political discourse.

Political discourse criticizing the Obama's appearance is merely bringing people back to earth.  Neither is really that spectacular.

The satire merely attempts to aid the perception.

no joe, go blo nj,

You're right, there's plenty of torture going on in Cuba....Guantanamo.

is Richard, Washington State  just lucky about getting in the last word on 'every' thread.

From an earlier post:

From Sorry Joe, but your an idiot:

"You're right Joe.  It obviously has nothing to do with the FASB switch from "mark to market" that happened today..."


Sorry Joe:

If you had actually listened to Rush Limbaugh and gotten more than the joke he opened the show with, you would find that Rush Limbaugh and you agreed completely on the mark-to-market change.

Sorry, Sorry Joe.

Richard, Washington State: '...MSierra:

So why is the .2% so important to you?...'

HUH ???

If Cubans can get those goods from all those countries, why aren't things better there and why do they need our goods?  I would think Spain, Canada and Mexico could team up to supply an entity that is less economically significant than most individual states.

If they made a deal to free their political prisoners and allow their citizens to travel freely and if they introduced democratic reforms, I'd be all for ending the embargo.  Denouncing Hugo Chavez as a low-life megalomaniac would help too.

As it is, they won't and I'm not seeing why they need us.  What do we, the struggling and rapidly descending to third world status United States of America, have to offer them?

gee can you manage to get most of the Washington Politicians to go, just make it a one way, they screwed this country up, might be better off there. Pelosi should take the helm as she finds travel more important than representing the American people, by not letting them review the stimulus but making her Europe trip more important....Put them all on a boat

Hope they stay and never come back! Take Sean Penn to!

What exactly are they doing there?  Find what facts?  That the Cubans stifle their own people?  That they wanted to base NUCLEAR WEAPONS 50 miles from the US willingly so the Soviets could kill mass numbers of us?  That they care so little for their own people that they hold onto power by any means necessary while their people suffer?  That they denounce and antagonize Americans at every turn?

I am ashamed to say that my congresswoman (Barbara Lee) is in this delegation.  What a waste of a Congressional seat she is.  Puts herself before the country every time.

Bad Moon (Sent Thursday, April 02, 2009 4:48 PM)
------------------------------------------------------
I don't care what handle you use, it proves you don't have any courage behind the things you say. None, zip, zero, zilch. You just come in here using a fake name and say terrible and untrue things, or spew distortions which you know ARE NOT true. All from the protection of anonymity. I mean seriously if you read a paper you would know we are heading in a much better direction than previosly.

As for Uncle Hershall, he's old school. Another one of his greats: Put up or shut up!

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