Red State – Black Caucus – US Tax Code – How Much is 1 Trillion – Independents GOP – Pelosi-Mobile

APRIL 8, 2009

1. Black Caucus Gives Castro Attention; Ammunition

Since When Does Congress Make Foreign Policy?

2. US tax code one of the most progressive …

The better you do, the more the government screws you.

3. How Much is 1,000,000,000,000

Speaker Pelosi’s budget projects deficits averaging almost one trillion dollars a year for five years.

4. Independents Trending Toward GOP

Liberals Say America Loves Obama; If So They Have a Funny Way of Showing It

5. The Pelosi-Mobile is Here

Obama Demands. GM Delivers… Dreck

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1. Black Caucus Gives Castro Attention; Ammunition

Since When Does Congress Make Foreign Policy?

The Congressional Black Caucus has again sent a delegation to meet with Raul Castro and talk about the need to end the U.S. embargo on that country. And at least according to Fidel Castro, they were just as eager to apologize for America’s sins as Barack Obama has been.

The White House has no problem with this visit, notwithstanding how it may interfere with the administrations’ effort to set policy. Perhaps this group is acting with Obama’s blessing then.

This visit calls to mind the debate during the presidential campaign over whether it made sense to engage in high-level talks with dictators. The United States should always remain open to communicating with dictatorships about how they can move toward freedom. But if there’s no willingness to reform, then the dictator only gains credibility from being engaged. And what’s more, he gains the opportunity to portray America’s views about him and his regime.

In this case, I have no idea whether the Congressional Democrats who visited Cuba really compared the Castro regime to the ANC. I don’t know if they really expressed admiration for Cuba’s tremendous scientific advances. I don’t know if they really said it was necessary for the United States to apologize to Cuba, or if they said that ‘the anti-Cuban right wing’ would defeat Obama in 2012 if he fully lifted the embargo. Looking at the delegation, it’s entirely possible. Or Castro may be making it all up in order to elevate himself in the eyes of an oppressed populace.

SOURCE

2. US tax code one of the most progressive …

The better you do, the more the government screws you.

Clive Crook reminds us that our tax code is one of the most progressive in the developed world. And the Democrats want to take even more from the wealthy:

“Mr Obama intends to squeeze the rich, but the scope for this may be more limited than US liberals would wish. Few Americans seem aware that the US income tax code, as a recent Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development study showed, is already one of the most progressive.* Even before the rise in top marginal rates promised by Mr Obama, the US income tax collects 45 per cent of its revenues from the highest-income deciles. Compare that with Britain at 39 per cent, Canada at 36 per cent, France at 28 per cent, Sweden at 27 per cent and an OECD average of 32 per cent.”

Just a helpful reminder. With facts.

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3. How Much is 1,000,000,000,000

Speaker Pelosi’s budget projects deficits averaging almost one trillion dollars a year for five years.

On April 2nd, Speaker Nancy Pelosi succeeded in passing her federal budget that outlines more than 3.5 trillion dollars in spending for fiscal year 2010. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected a 1.8 trillion dollar deficit for the current fiscal year (FY2009), and that projection does not include the stimulus bill that will cost Americans more than one trillion dollars, which was signed into law by the President on February 1st. As of April 7, 2009, the U.S. national debt stands at more than eleven trillion dollars (you can view the latest numbers here).

The sheer magnitude of Speaker Pelosi’s spending spree is mind boggling. Most of us do not use the number 1,000,000,000,000 in our daily lives, so it is difficult to attach tangible value to the figure. However, as Congress and the Administration continues spending your tax dollars trillions of dollars at a time, it is worthwhile to have a discussion about what these numbers really mean.

One of the simplest ways to get an idea of one trillion dollars is to consider the amount in terms of the passage of time. One million seconds is equal to roughly eleven days and twelve hours, and one billion seconds is thirty-two years. One trillion seconds equals thirty-two thousand years.

If you spent one million dollars every minute of every day, it would take you nearly two years to spend one trillion dollars. Apparently, that’s not fast enough for Speaker Pelosi. Under her budget, the government plans to spend 6.7 million dollars every minute during the next fiscal year alone.

There are 4.24 million people living in Kentucky. Raising one trillion dollars from every man, woman and child in the Commonwealth would require Kentuckians to contribute $235,849.05 each. $235,849.05 is enough money to pay for four years of tuition at the University of Kentucky for yourself and thirteen of your children or grandchildren.

In fact, one trillion dollars could pay for the college education at a four-year public institution for every student graduating high school across America from now until 2018. It could pay the rent of every renter in the nation for three years, or the mortgage of every homeowner for fourteen months. It is even enough money to purchase all the homes that were foreclosed in 2007 and 2008 combined.

SOURCE

4. Independents Trending Toward GOP

Liberals Say America Loves Obama; If So They Have a Funny Way of Showing It

National Journal takes a look at some recent polls, and despite Democratic protestations to the contrary, they notice a clear trend:

Three recent polls show the GOP gaining ground on the generic ballot question, starting with an NPR survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies (R) and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research (D) that put the two parties exactly square: 42 percent for each. Independents, however, preferred the GOP, 39-30. Democrats led slightly overall, but trailed even worse among independents, in a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll out last week that phrased the generic ballot question in terms of curtailing Democratic power.

The latest Diageo/Hotline data gives Dems a little more breathing room, with the generic Democrat leading 37-32. But the trend line was clear: In January, 46 percent favored the generic Democrat; at the beginning of March, 40 percent did so. Independent voters, who at the beginning of March favored Democrats by 3 points, now lean towards Republicans by the same margin.

If these polls are early indicators of an independent break toward the minority party, it will be doubly surprising given those voters’ continued support for President Obama. Independents were crucial to the party’s success in 2008, going 52-44 for Obama last November and 51-43 for Democratic candidates, according to exit polls.

It’s a long time between now and the midterm elections, but obviously there’s every reason to be optimistic. Democrats are taking comfort in the fact that Obama’s ratings are significantly higher than those of Congress. But voters know that Obama has only been here a few months; they are unlikely to blame him for policies whose effectiveness they question. That’s likely to come a few months down the road, once they recognize that Obama is as much to blame as Congress for the problems in Washington.

SOURCE

5. The Pelosi-Mobile is Here

Obama Demands. GM Delivers… Dreck

Barack Obama dismissed Rick Wagoner, and he is reportedly planning to dismiss a majority of GM’s Board of Directors. He also says he wants bold reform, so that General Motors offers the sort of cutting-edge products that the car buyers of today and tomorrow want. He also doesn’t like the Chevy Volt.

So what does Barack Obama expect us to drive? Today’s news gives us reason to worry. Maybe Obama doesn’t want Americans to own cars at all; maybe he expects us to buy this… thing.

You can read GM’s press release on this here. It’s a cute little toy actually, and I’m sure it’ll be very popular in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other warm(ish) cities where liberals cluster. This might make a very nice second or third vehicle in such locales, to be used for little jaunts around the city.

There are a few problems with the PUMA though. First off, to the extent that it is successful, it’s likely to draw a lot of riders away from mass transit. After all, if you can buy a two-seater for one-third to one-quarter the price of a car, get around town conveniently and be seen as a savior of the environment, why would you stay in a bus or train? If the PUMA can be bought for a few thousand dollars – and it’s probably a safe bet that Obama will give taxpayer subsidies to ensure that – it’s likely to replace mass transit for thousands of regular riders.

Beyond that, this vehicle can’t be successful in most American cities today. Who will want to drive in this car next to regular passenger vehicles, trucks, SUVs, and even 18-wheelers? To allow the PUMA to thrive, most of the cars you currently see on the road will probably have to be sidelined. Presumably this will be only in major cities – at least initially. Liberals in Washington and in the major cities can accomplish this in several ways: by barring them entirely, limiting the hours in which they can operate, or by making legislative changes that make those vehicles unpopular – such as increasing gas prices.

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