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	<title>J-H Post &#187; Democrats</title>
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		<title>A Day in the Life of an Occupy Wall St. Participant</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-an-occupy-wall-st-participant/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 31 Oct 2011 06:50:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ch_client = "blueprint_001"; ch_width = 468; ch_height = 60; ch_type = "mpu"; ch_sid = "J-hady bottom single"; ch_backfill = 1; ch_color_site_link = "#0000CC"; ch_color_title = "#0000CC"; ch_color_border = "#FFFFFF"; ch_color_text = "#000000"; ch_color_bg = "#FFFFFF"; www.theunlikelyconservative.com - Here&#8217;s a short commentary on the hypocrisy of our friends at the "Occupy" protests. If you agree with [...]]]></description>
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		<title>FACT CHECK: Bachmann bomblets raising eyebrows (AP)</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/fact-check-bachmann-bomblets-raising-eyebrows-ap/</link>
		<comments>http://www.j-hady.com/fact-check-bachmann-bomblets-raising-eyebrows-ap/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 2011 22:40:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.j-hady.com/fact-check-bachmann-bomblets-raising-eyebrows-ap/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ WASHINGTON &#8211; Michele Bachmann's claim that she has "never gotten a penny" from a family farm that's been subsidized by the government is at odds with her financial disclosure statements. They show tens of thousands in personal income from the operation. And, on a less-substantive note, she flubbed her hometown history when declaring "John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa," and "that's the kind of spirit that I have, too," in running for president. The actor was born nearly 150 miles away. It was the serial killer John Wayne Gacy Jr. who lived, for a time, in Waterloo. Those were among the latest examples of how the Minnesota congresswoman has become one to watch &#8212; for inaccuracies as well as rising support &#8212; in the Republican presidential race. Bachmann's wildly off-base assertion last month that a NATO airstrike might have killed as many as 30,000 Libyan civilians, her misrepresentations of the health care law, misfires on other aspects of President Barack Obama's record and historical inaccuracies have saddled her with a reputation for uttering populist jibes that don't hold up. She announced her candidacy Monday in Iowa with a speech typical for someone joining the campaign. It laid out the broad themes of her candidacy and mostly avoided the Bachmann bomblets that have grabbed attention &#8212; and often fizzled under scrutiny &#8212; in the long lead-up. The more the political season heats up, the more that exaggerations and sound-bite oversimplifications emanate from the Republicans going after Obama &#8212; and from the Democrats playing defense. Still, Bachmann's record on this score is distinct. Examining 24 of her statements, Politifact.com, the Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checking service of the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, found just one to be fully true and 17 to be false (seven of them "pants on fire" false). No other Republican candidate whose statements have been vigorously vetted matched that record of inaccuracy. A look at some of her recent statements and how they compare with the facts: BACHMANN: "The farm is my father-in-law's farm. It's not my husband and my farm. It's my father-in-law's farm. And my husband and I have never gotten a penny of money from the farm." &#8212; On "Fox News Sunday." THE FACTS: In personal financial disclosure reports required annually from members of Congress, Bachmann reported that she holds an interest in a family farm in Independence, Wis., with her share worth between $100,000 and $250,000. The farm, which was owned by her father-in-law, produced income for Bachmann of at least $32,500 and as much as $105,000 from 2006 through 2009, according to the reports she filed for that period. The farm also received federal crop and disaster subsidies, according to a database maintained by the Environmental Working Group. From 1995 through 2010, the farm got $259,332 in federal payments. When asked about the subsidies and her income from the farm late last year, a spokesman for Bachmann said only that she wasn't involved in decisions about the running of the farm. Bachmann told The Associated Press on Monday that her husband became a trustee of the farm because his father had dementia before he died two years ago, and "oversees the legal entity." "Everything we do with those forms is in an abundance of caution," she said, insisting she and her husband receive no farm income despite the forms reporting it. ___ BACHMANN: "Well what I want them to know is, just like John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa, that's the kind of spirit that I have, too." &#8212; Speaking to Fox News on Sunday. Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa, nearly three hours away, and moved to California in his childhood. John Wayne Gacy, convicted of killing 33 men and boys, was born in Chicago, moved to Waterloo to work in his father-in-law's chicken restaurants and first ran afoul of the law there, sentenced to 10 years for sodomy. He began his killing spree after his release, and his return to Illinois. ___ BACHMANN: "Overnight we are hearing that potentially 10 to 30,000 people could have been killed in the strike." &#8212; Criticizing Obama in May for the "foolish" U.S. intervention in Libya, and citing what she said were reports of a civilian death toll from a NATO strike as high as 30,000. THE FACTS: The U.S. ambassador to Libya, Gene Cretz, said in late April that U.S. officials have seen reports that 10,000 to 30,000 people may have died in Moammar Gadhafi's crackdown on protesters and the fighting between rebels and pro-government forces, but it is hard to know if that is true. He was speaking about all casualties of the conflict; no one has attributed such a death toll to NATO bombing alone, much less to a single strike. ___ BACHMANN: "It's ironic and sad that the president released all of the oil from the strategic oil reserve. ... There's only a limited amount of oil that we have in the strategic oil reserve. It's there for emergencies." &#8212; On CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. THE FACTS: Obama did not empty all the oil from the strategic reserve, as Bachmann said. He approved the release of 30 million barrels, about 4 percent of the 727 million barrels stored in salt caverns along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. It's true that the U.S. normally taps the reserve for more dire emergencies than exist today, and that exposes Obama to criticism that he acted for political gain. But the reserve has never been fuller; it held 707 million barrels when last tapped, after 2008 hurricanes. ___ BACHMANN: "One. That's the number of new drilling permits under the Obama administration since they came into office." &#8212; Comment to a conservative conference in Iowa in March. THE FACTS: The Obama administration issued more than 200 new drilling permits before the Gulf oil spill alone. Over the past year, since new safety standards were imposed, the administration has issued more than 60 shallow-water drilling permits. Since the deep water moratorium was lifted in October, nine new wells have been approved. ___ Associated Press writers Brian Bakst in Waterloo, Iowa, and Dina Cappiello in Washington contributed to this report. Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook ]]></description>
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		<title>House rebukes Obama but won&#8217;t halt funds for Libya (AP)</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/house-rebukes-obama-but-wont-halt-funds-for-libya-ap/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 25 Jun 2011 01:41:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ WASHINGTON &#8211; Challenging presidential power, a defiant U.S. House voted overwhelmingly Friday to deny President Barack Obama the authority to wage war against Libya. But Republicans fell short in an effort to actually cut off funds for the operation in a constitutional showdown reflecting both political differences and unease over American involvement. In a repudiation of their commander in chief, House members rejected a measure to authorize the Libya mission for a year while prohibiting U.S. ground forces in the North African nation, a resolution Obama had said he would welcome. The vote was 295-123 with 70 Democrats abandoning the president just one day after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had made an unusual appeal to rank-and-file members. A Senate committee is to consider the same resolution next Tuesday and is expected to support it, raising the prospect of conflicting messages from Congress. Friday's votes showed lawmakers' concerns about an open-ended U.S. commitment to a civil war between Moammar Gadhafi and rebel forces looking to oust him &#8212; as well as growing weariness among Americans with drawn-out conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, the resounding number rejecting the authority resolution was a clear sign of anger toward the president for failing to seek congressional consent for the operation within 60 days, as stated in the 1973 War Powers Resolution. Republicans and Democrats argued that an arrogant Obama had run roughshod over the Constitution, ignoring the authority of the legislative branch that the founding fathers had insisted has the power to declare war. While Republican as well as Democratic presidents have often ignored the War Powers Resolution, a frustrated House voted earlier this month to rebuke Obama for failing to provide a "compelling rationale" for the Libyan mission and for launching U.S. military forces without congressional approval. They requested a report to Congress on the operation. Obama further incensed lawmakers last week when he said he didn't need authorization because the operation did not rise to full-blown hostilities, a decision he reached by overruling some of his advisers. It's not about Gadhafi, foes of the authorization said. "I support the removal of the Libyan regime. I support the president's authority as commander in chief, but when the president chooses to challenge the powers of the Congress I, as speaker of the House, will defend the constitutional authority of the legislature," said Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. Added Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla.: "The last thing that we want as Americans is for some president, whether it's this president or some future president, to be able to pick fights around the world without any debate from another branch of government." The rejected money-cutoff bill, sponsored by Rooney, would have barred drone attacks and airstrikes but allowed the United States to continue actions in support of the NATO-led operation such as intelligence gathering, refueling and reconnaissance. The effort to cut off money was defeated, 238-180. While GOP leaders backed the measure, they didn't pressure Republicans to support it. Supporting Obama, Democrats opposed to the votes argued that they would empower Gadhafi, aggravate NATO allies desperately needed in the fight in Afghanistan and send a dispiriting message to those who led the Arab spring uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere. They reminded lawmakers of Gadhafi's role in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and said he had American blood on his hands. "The message will go all over the world, the message will go to Moammar Gadhafi, the message will go to our NATO allies, the message will go to every nation of the world that America does not keep faith with its allies," said Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House. The authorization vote marked the first time since 1999 that either chamber had voted against backing a military action. The last time was to limit President Bill Clinton's authority to use ground forces in Kosovo. There will be no immediate effect on American involvement in the NATO-led mission in Libya, the same as in 1999. Since NATO took command of the operation in early April, the U.S. role has largely been limited to support efforts such as intelligence and electronic warfare. However, the U.S. has launched airstrikes and drone attacks, flying more than 3,200 sorties. The effort has included 39 drone attacks and 80 strikes with jet fighters. The bill to cut off funds failed, in part, because several Republicans feared that even a vote for limited authorization for a NATO support mission amounted to support for the war effort. "By dictating to President Obama how he can use American military forces in support of the NATO effort in Libya, we would authorize him to continue the same mission he has been carrying out for the past three months without congressional approval," said Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J. The votes Friday were not the last word in the House. Lawmakers plan to target money for Libya when the House considers the defense spending bill the week of July 4. Reacting to the votes, Clinton said she would have preferred a different outcome on the authorization vote but was "gratified that the House decisively rejected" the bill to cut funds. "We need to stand together across party lines and across both branches of government with the Libyan people and with our friends and allies and against Gadhafi," Clinton said. In Benghazi, Libya, rebel spokesman Jalal el-Gallal, said he didn't know why the House voted against the authorization measure. "America is the beating heart of democracy and should support the birth of a democracy in our time," he said. "I believe the American people will put the pressure on the government to change its mind." White House spokesman Jay Carney said, "We think now is not the time to send the kind of mixed message that it sends when we're working with our allies to achieve the goals that we believe that are widely shared in Congress: protecting civilians in Libya, enforcing a no-fly zone, enforcing an arms embargo and further putting pressure on Gadhafi." The authorization resolution mirrors a Senate measure sponsored by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will consider that resolution on Tuesday, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has indicated it has the panel's support. ___ Associated Press writers Jim Abrams, Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee in Washington and Hadeel al-Shalchi in Libya contributed to this report. Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook ]]></description>
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		<title>Gasoline prices are up to $4 a gallon. Is that &#8216;Big Oil&#8217;s&#8217; fault? (The Christian Science Monitor)</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/gasoline-prices-are-up-to-4-a-gallon-is-that-big-oils-fault-the-christian-science-monitor/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 01 May 2011 13:48:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.j-hady.com/gasoline-prices-are-up-to-4-a-gallon-is-that-big-oils-fault-the-christian-science-monitor/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ If you have to fill your gas tank this weekend – whether or not it takes a second mortgage to pay the tab – you’re a soldier in the hottest political fight over energy and the economy. Or maybe you feel more like “collateral damage” as President Obama, lawmakers, and “Big Oil” battle over who’s at fault for $4-per-gallon gasoline. In his radio and Internet address Saturday, Obama repeated his call to end “unwarranted taxpayer subsidies we’ve been handing out to oil and gas companies – to the tune of $4 billion a year.” “When oil companies are making huge profits and you’re struggling at the pump, and we’re scouring the federal budget for spending we can afford to do without, these tax giveaways aren’t right,” Obama said Saturday. “They aren’t smart. And we need to end them.” RELATED: Gas prices: 10 ways you can save at the pump Them’s fightin’ words to his political opponents, particularly those from oil-producing states. "The president may think he's punishing CEOs of big companies, but his plan will hurt the everyday consumer of energy and imperil the jobs of millions of hardworking people in American-based companies," first-term Congressman James Lankford from Oklahoma said in the Republicans' weekly address. The average national price for regular gasoline right now is $3.91 a gallon. In 22 states it&#8217;s higher than that, and the price has jumped past $4 in Alaska, California, and Connecticut. Obama says oil companies are at least partly to blame, and his main ammo are their newly-announced profit statements. ExxonMobil reports first-quarter profits of $10.7 billion – 69 percent above the company’s first quarter of 2010. Royal Dutch Shell marked $6.9 billion in profits, an increase of 40 percent over last year’s first-quarter number. Chevron Corp. saw its first-quarter net income go up 36 percent to $6.2 billion. BP made $5.5 billion. Industry spokesmen say such figures should be put into broader perspective. “We should be proud of the success of an industry that supports 9.2 million American workers and 7.5 percent of our economy while also supplying income to millions of the nation’s retirees,” American Petroleum Institute CEO Jack Gerard said in a statement Thursday. “Oil and natural gas companies are a vital part of our nation’s industrial and manufacturing base. They provide most of America’s energy and are responsible for one in every five dollars invested in renewable energy.” Record industry earnings “reflect the size necessary for companies to be globally competitive with national oil companies, along with a steady rise in crude oil prices driven by rapidly growing world oil demand and instability in the Middle East,” Gerard said. Obama’s political problem regarding high prices at the pump – and the reason for his current finger-pointing tactic – are obvious. Polls show people are more inclined to blame him and the Democrats than they do Republicans for high gasoline prices. At the same time, according to a recent McClatchy-Marist Poll, three times as many respondents say US oil companies are the culprits behind record prices at the pump. This was the second Saturday in the row that Obama has hit on gas prices and oil industry subsidies in his weekly address. He may have some openings on the GOP side. In a TV interview Monday, House Speaker John Boehner said oil companies should “pay their fair share in taxes.” “I don't think the big oil companies need to have the oil depletion allowances,” he also told ABC News. A Boehner spokesman quickly walked back those assertions, but the White House and congressional were quick to jump on them. At a town hall meeting a few days later House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin said federal oil subsidies should be eliminated as part of deficit-reduction. “We’re talking about reforming the safety net, the welfare system; we also want to get rid of corporate welfare,” Ryan said. “And corporate welfare goes to agribusiness companies, energy companies, financial services companies, so we propose to repeal all that.” The Senate could take up the issue as soon as this coming week. Expect more sparks to fly. RELATED: Gas prices: 10 ways you can save at the pump Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook ]]></description>
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		<title>Obama&#8217;s numbers down, but he&#8217;s still a 2012 contender (Washington Post)</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/obamas-numbers-down-but-hes-still-a-2012-contender-washington-post/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:12:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JH</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Los Angeles &#8211; Deepening economic pessimism has pushed down President Obama’s approval rating to a near record low, but he holds an early advantage over prospective 2012 rivals in part because of widespread dissatisfaction with Republican candidates, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll . In the survey, 47 percent approve of the job Obama is doing, down seven points since January. Half of all Americans disapprove of his job performance, with 37 percent saying they “strongly disapprove,” nearly matching the worst level of his presidency. Driving the downward movement in Obama’s standing are renewed concerns about the economy and fresh worry about rising prices, particularly for gasoline. Despite signs of economic growth, 44 percent of Americans see the economy as getting worse, the highest percentage to say so in more than two years. The toll on Obama is direct: 57 percent disapprove of the job the president is doing dealing with the economy, tying his highest negative rating when it comes to the issue. And the president is doing a bit worse among politically important independents. If Obama is running into headwinds, however, his potential Republican opponents face serious problems, as well. Less than half of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say they are satisfied with the field of GOP candidates. That field is still taking shape, but the sentiment is a big falloff from four years ago, when nearly two-thirds of Republicans were satisfied with their options. Lack of enthusiasm for the candidates came in other measures, as well. When Republicans and GOP-leaners were asked who they would vote for in a primary or caucus, only former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney registered in double digits, with 16 percent. More than double that number expressed no opinion and an additional 12 percent volunteered “none” or “no one.” Businessman Donald Trump (8 percent), former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (6 percent) and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin (5 percent) were the only other names volunteered by more than 2 percent of respondents. Possible challengers In hypothetical matchups for the general election, the president runs ahead of all seven potential GOP rivals tested in the new poll. If the election were held now, Romney and Huckabee would mount the stiffest challenges, trailing Obama by four and six percentage points respectively, among all Americans as well as among registered voters. Obama has double-digit leads over the other five tested — a dozen points against Trump and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), 15 against Newt Gingrich and former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and 17 points over Palin. Despite his current advantage over the Republican field, Obama remains vulnerable with an approval rating again less than 50 percent. A majority of those younger than 40 give the president positive ratings, but most of those 40 and older disapprove. Obama’s standing shows he has lost his post-midterm election gains. His 54 percent rating in January followed a well-received speech at a memorial service for the victims of the Tucson shootings , and came after a lame-duck congressional session during which he scored a series of legislative achievements. The latest findings come after the compromise agreement between Obama and Republicans to cut spending in the current fiscal year. It also comes less than a week after the president outlined his proposals for dealing with the country’s debt and deficit problems in a speech that included a withering attack on a Republican proposal by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). It is Obama&#8217;s standing among independents that is a prime cause for concern inside the White House and Obama reelection campaign. Independents backed Obama and other Democrats in 2008, but those who voted last year went decisively for Republicans. Obama’s political advisers are closely monitoring independents and many of his moves in the past few months have been aimed at shoring up their support. Among independents, 55 percent disapprove of the job he is doing, near record highs. And for the first time, about as many independents have generally unfavorable (49 percent) as mostly favorable (50 percent) impressions of Obama. In the hypothetical 2012 matchups, Romney and Huckabee run a touch higher than Obama among independents. Then-President Ronald Reagan was also below 50 percent at this point in 1983, but April of that year marked the last time before his 1984 landslide that he did not have majority approval in Post-ABC polling. In spring 1995, then-President Bill Clinton was also on the upswing, falling below 50 percent only in June of that year. Gas prices an indicator Economic issues remain the biggest potential obstacle to Obama’s reelection, with rising gas prices a sensitive indicator for the public. Almost eight in 10 say inflation in their area is getting worse, and more than seven in 10 say higher gasoline prices is causing financial hardship at home. Obama trails all seven Republicans among those who see the economy as getting worse — Republicans are more apt than Democrats to perceive weakening — and the president runs about evenly with potential competitors among those who report being the hardest hit by skyrocketing prices at the pump. Economic anxiety also amplifies the president’s challenges among core voter groups: For the first time in available data, more than half of whites without college degrees see the economy as deteriorating. The telephone poll was conducted April 14-17 among a random national sample of 1,001 adults interviewed on conventional or cellular telephone. The margin of sampling error for the full poll is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points; it is five points for the sample of self-identified Republicans and GOP-leaning independents. cohenj@washpost.com balzd@washpost.com Polling manager Peyton M. Craighill contributed to this report. Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook ]]></description>
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		<title>Super rich see federal taxes drop dramatically (AP)</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/super-rich-see-federal-taxes-drop-dramatically-ap/</link>
		<comments>http://www.j-hady.com/super-rich-see-federal-taxes-drop-dramatically-ap/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:15:06 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[ WASHINGTON &#8211; As millions of procrastinators scramble to meet Monday's tax filing deadline, ponder this: The super rich pay a lot less taxes than they did a couple of decades ago, and nearly half of U.S. households pay no income taxes at all. The Internal Revenue Service tracks the tax returns with the 400 highest adjusted gross incomes each year. The average income on those returns in 2007, the latest year for IRS data, was nearly $345 million. Their average federal income tax rate was 17 percent, down from 26 percent in 1992. Over the same period, the average federal income tax rate for all taxpayers declined to 9.3 percent from 9.9 percent. The top income tax rate is 35 percent, so how can people who make so much pay so little in taxes? The nation's tax laws are packed with breaks for people at every income level. There are breaks for having children, paying a mortgage, going to college, and even for paying other taxes. Plus, the top rate on capital gains is only 15 percent. There are so many breaks that 45 percent of U.S. households will pay no federal income tax for 2010, according to estimates by the Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank. "It's the fact that we are using the tax code both to collect revenue, which is its primary purpose, and to deliver these spending benefits that we run into the situation where so many people are paying no taxes," said Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the center, which generated the estimate of people who pay no income taxes. The sheer volume of credits, deductions and exemptions has both Democrats and Republicans calling for tax laws to be overhauled. House Republicans want to eliminate breaks to pay for lower overall rates, reducing the top tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent. Republicans oppose raising taxes, but they argue that a more efficient tax code would increase economic activity, generating additional tax revenue. President Barack Obama said last week he wants to do away with tax breaks to lower the rates and to reduce government borrowing. Obama's proposal would result in $1 trillion in tax increases over the next 12 years. Neither proposal included many details, putting off hard choices about which tax breaks to eliminate. In all, the tax code is filled with a total of $1.1 trillion in credits, deductions and exemptions, an average of about $8,000 per taxpayer, according to an analysis by the National Taxpayer Advocate, an independent watchdog within the IRS. More than half of the nation's tax revenue came from the top 10 percent of earners in 2007. More than 44 percent came from the top 5 percent. Still, the wealthy have access to much more lucrative tax breaks than people with lower incomes. Obama wants the wealthy to pay so "the amount of taxes you pay isn't determined by what kind of accountant you can afford." Eric Schoenberg says to sign him up for paying higher taxes. Schoenberg, who inherited money and has a healthy portfolio from his days as an investment banker, has joined a group of other wealthy Americans called United for a Fair Economy. Their goal: Raise taxes on rich people like themselves. Shoenberg, who now teaches a business class at Columbia University, said his income is usually "north of half a million a year." But 2009 was a bad year for investments, so his income dropped to a little over $200,000. His federal income tax bill was a little more than $2,000. "I simply point out to people, `Do you think this is reasonable, that somebody in my circumstances should only be paying 1 percent of their income in tax?'" Schoenberg said. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said he has a solution for rich people who want to pay more in taxes: Write a check to the IRS. There's nothing stopping you. "There's still time before the filing deadline for them to give Uncle Sam some more money," Hatch said. Schoenberg said Hatch's suggestion misses the point. "This voluntary idea clearly represents a mindset that basically pretends there's no such things as collective goods that we produce," Schoenberg said. "Are you going to let people volunteer to build the road system? Are you going to let them volunteer to pay for education?" The law is packed with tax breaks that help narrow special interests. But many of the biggest tax breaks benefit millions of American families at just about every income level, making them difficult for politicians to touch. The vast majority of those who escape federal income taxes have low and medium incomes, and most of them pay other taxes, including Social Security and Medicare taxes, property taxes and retail sales taxes. The share of people paying no federal income tax has dropped slightly the past two years. It was 47 percent for 2009. The main difference for 2010 was the expiration of a tax break that exempted the first $2,400 of unemployment benefits from taxation, Williams said. In 2009, nearly 35 million taxpayers got a tax break for paying interest on their home mortgages, and nearly 36 million taxpayers took the $1,000-per-child tax credit. About 41 million households reduced their federal income taxes by deducting state and local income and sales taxes from their taxable income. About 36 million families cut their taxes by nearly $35 billion by deducting charitable donations, and 28 million taxpayers saved a total of $24 billion because their income from Social Security and railroad pensions was untaxed. "As a matter of policy, there would be a lot of ways to save money and actually make these things work better," said Leonard Burman, a public affairs professor at Syracuse University. "As a matter of politics, it's really, really difficult." ___ Online: Tax Policy Center: http://www.taxpolicycenter.org National Taxpayer Advocate: http://www.irs.gov/advocate United for a Fair Economy: http://www.faireconomy.org Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook ]]></description>
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		<title>What&#8217;s Really Going On With Gabby Giffords? (The Daily Beast)</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/whats-really-going-on-with-gabby-giffords-the-daily-beast/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Apr 2011 06:41:46 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[ NEW YORK &#8211; Three months after the Arizona attack that left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in a coma, she is walking, talking, and wants to attend her husband’s space shuttle launch. But will she ever fully recover? In this week’s Newsweek, Peter J. Boyer has the untold story of the congresswoman’s struggle. Reports on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ recovery have been so positive that there’s even been talk of her running for Senate . But in conversations with Giffords’ staff, doctors, and husband Mark Kelly , Peter J. Boyer has learned that for all the progress Giffords has made, she still has a long way to go. Since Giffords was shot Jan. 8 , at an event at a Tucson mall, her family and staff, colleagues and friends have been eager to deliver stunning details about her recovery. The first big news was delivered by the president himself at a memorial service: “Gabby opened her eyes for the first time.” Dr. Peter Rhee, a trauma surgeon in Tucson, said she had a “101 percent chance of surviving” before transferring Giffords to Memorial Hermann hospital in Houston, where her new neurosurgeon said she “looked spectacular.” Giffords’ friends and staffers, optimistic about her recovery, have contributed to the perception that she’ll soon be completely better. Daniel Hernandez, the intern who rushed to her side during the shooting, said he’d had several “lengthy” conversations with his boss, and Rep. Shelley Berkley of Nevada said Giffords is “running a campaign from the hospital.” Dr. Gerard Francisco, the physiatrist in charge of Giffords’ medical team, says he is quite pleased with his patient’s progress, although he acknowledges that outsiders, especially the media, might be misinterpreting what that might be in this situation. “Some people will expect changes to be big,” says Francisco. “I’m happy with small changes, as long as I see these changes every day.” Francisco says he aims for an optimized “new normal” for each patient. Music therapist Meagan Morrow, who is working with Giffords, seconds Francisco’s perspective: “After you have a brain injury, you are a different person. It doesn’t matter who you are.” Giffords still doesn’t know the details of the shooting—though she now knows she was shot. Initially she thought she had been in a car accident, but as her husband read her his newspaper, she noticed he was skipping stories and tried to grab the paper from his hands. He decided then to tell her what had happened. But she still doesn’t know some parts of the story, like that among the dead were a 9-year-old girl, her beloved young staffer Gabe Zimmerman, and her friend Judge John Roll. “When she starts asking for more details, we’re going to tell her,” says Kelly. Giffords’ chief of staff, Pia Carusone, points out that Giffords isn’t able to speak at the level she wants yet, so “telling her something as tragic as this, without her being to formulate the exact, complex followup questions she wants to, is not fair.” Gallery: Team Giffords Carries On Still, Giffords is improving. Carusone says her personality is “100 percent there.” And Kelly doesn’t think Giffords will have to settle for a new normal. “I was gone for three days down in Florida for terminal countdown tests. I was away for three nights. And I could notice a change, and an improvement, in her ability to communicate.” That said, he warns that recovery and a public appearance is “months—not weeks—away.” In the meantime, Arizona politics is gridlocked. Reports of Giffords’ imminent recovery have kept Democrats from entering a race for the Senate seat recently opened by Sen. Jon Kyl, while potential Republican opponents aren’t sure how to go about campaigning. Kelly says such talk is premature. “We haven’t discussed any Senate race with her,” he says. “And I have no plans to do that for some time. She’s focused on her recovery.” But when the time comes, he says, “I’m going to want for her what she wants for her, and I know she’s going to set the bar pretty high.” Click here to read Boyer’s full report . Like The Daily Beast on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates all day long. For inquiries, please contact The Daily Beast at editorial@thedailybeast.com . Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook ]]></description>
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		<title>Abortion becomes flashpoint in shutdown battle (The Ticket)</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/abortion-becomes-flashpoint-in-shutdown-battle-the-ticket/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Apr 2011 21:21:54 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Thanks to the House GOP's decision to add a policy "rider" defunding women's health services provider Planned Parenthood to the budget and Democrats' pushback, abortion has taken center stage in this week's government shutdown battle. Democrats say a rider to "defund" Planned Parenthood--a national health care provider that also offers abortion services--is a prominent reason why Democrats and Republicans have failed to reach an agreement on how to fund the government past Friday's midnight deadline. "Now the tea party--among others, but they're the biggest push--is trying to move its extreme social agenda, issues that have nothing to do with funding the government," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Friday on the Senate floor. "They're willing, it appears--clearly, to throw women under the bus even if it means they'll shut down the government. Because that's where we are. That's the one issue that was remaining last night." Federal law prohibits federal funds from being used to pay for abortions, so Planned Parenthood's abortion services are paid for by private funding. But Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), have made defunding the organization a priority in the budget battle, seeing it as an opportune time to push their social issue agenda. Abortion is seen as a political third rail--it's an issue so charged, that any politician who ventures to touch it will be harmed. The exception is social conservatives, whose base largely supports abortion restrictions. The current shutdown battle provides a perfect opportunity for social conservatives--with Congress under pressure to agree on a budget before the midnight deadline, all lawmakers are now being forced to address the Planned Parenthood rider, whether or not it's politically safe. Social conservatives in Washington, and "pro-life" advocates specifically, have long invoked abortion as a political stalling tactic. In late 2009, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) offered an amendment to the president's health care bill to bar federal funds from being used for health insurance that covers elective abortions. The measure, known as the Stupak Amendment, threatened to derail the entire bill. Ultimately, the Stupak language was dropped and the president's health care law passed, with Stupak's support. Democrats in Congress have said they will not bend on the proposed rider, especially since federal law already dictates that federal funds cannot be used for abortions. The GOP-controlled House already voted this year to defund Planned Parenthood, but enough Senate Democrats vowed to oppose that legislation that it had no hope of success in the Democratic-controlled upper chamber. In the current fight, Democrats have cast the Planned Parenthood rider as a war on women's health. Reid noted Friday on the Senate floor that Planned Parenthood provides cancer screenings, as well as a range of health services such as cervical cancer tests, breast exams and birth control. "The Republicans want to shut down our nation's government because they want to make it harder for women to get the health services they need," Reid said. Reid claimed Friday morning that Democrats and Republicans have reached an agreement on "cuts and savings," saying riders were the only sticking points remaining. Both sides are preemptively casting blame for a shutdown. Boehner said in a brief press conference Friday morning that Democrats have not agreed to cut spending to the degree that would satisfy the GOP. Washington is "not serious about dealing with its spending addiction," Boehner said. After emerging from a meeting with the House GOP conference later Friday, Boehner reiterated: "Most of the policy issues have been dealt with and the big fight is about spending." UPDATE 2:21pm EST: This story was updated to include Boehner's comments issued Friday afternoon. (Photo of Boehner and Reid: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP) ]]></description>
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		<title>Obama calls new spending summit, shutdown looms (AFP)</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/obama-calls-new-spending-summit-shutdown-looms-afp/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:59:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JH</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ WASHINGTON (AFP) &#8211; President Barack Obama on Thursday called US Congress leaders to a new round of talks aimed at averting a government shutdown barely a day away, as pessimism about a breakthrough deal deepened. Ahead of the White House negotiations, Obama warned he would veto a stopgap measure set to clear the Republican-led House of Representatives ahead of a midnight Friday (0400 GMT Saturday) deadline to reach an agreement. "This bill is a distraction from the real work that would bring us closer to a reasonable compromise," his budget office said in a statement that warned a shutdown "would put the nation's economic recovery in jeopardy." The partial closure of the US government would idle some 800,000 workers, delay pay to soldiers including those in Iraq and Afghanistan, and hurt Americans counting on annual tax refunds to pay bills or make purchases. "Republicans' goal is to cut spending to help create a better environment for job creation -- not to shut down the government," Republican House Speaker John Boehner said in a written response. With time to reach a deal ticking down, Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor notified lawmakers that they would need to report to work on Friday and "keep their schedules for this weekend as flexible as possible." "We will not leave town until we have fulfilled our obligation to cut spending, to begin getting our fiscal house in order," Cantor announced to his colleagues. His message came as Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, was to have Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid back to the White House for talks aimed at reaching a breakthrough deal. Ahead of the fresh negotiations -- the second round in less than a day -- Reid and Boehner each blamed the other for the stalemate, which could have explosive political effects going into the 2012 campaign season. Republicans disputed Democratic claims that both sides had settled on $34.5 billion in cuts and that the White House's foes had stalled the talks by insisting that curbs on abortion and a roll-back of environmental rules be part of the final legislation. "If this government shuts down -- and it looks like it's headed in that direction," Republicans will be to blame for insisting on "matters that have nothing to do" with spending, charged Reid. "The numbers are basically there," Reid said, both sides are "extremely close" after aides worked throughout the night following talks at the White Houes late Wednesday. But "I am not nearly as optimistic -- and that's an understatement -- as I was 11 hours ago," because of the rifts over Republican-crafted measures to restrict access to abortion and roll back environment rules, the senator warned. Both items were included in a House-passed measure to fund the US government to the end of the 2011 fiscal year, September 30, while cutting some $61 billion in government spending. "We made progress last night at least I thought we did. But when I see what the White House has to offer today, it's really just more of the same," Boehner told reporters. "I think we were closer to a number last night that we were this morning. There are a number of issues that are on the table and any attempt to try to narrow this down to one or two, just would not be accurate," he said. Boehner said the House would pass a stopgap spending bill that cuts $12 billion but funds the military for the rest of the year, shrugging off Obama's veto threat and Reid's warning it would be a dead letter in the Senate. The speaker has come under heavy pressure from the archconservative "Tea Party" movement who helped power Republicans to recapture the House and erode the Democratic Senate majority in November elections. Tea Party members and lawmakers closely aligned with the movement have heaped pressure on Boehner not to compromise with Democrats and said they would rather see the government shut down than make major concessions. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found only 28 percent of Republicans want their leaders in Congress to compromise over the budget cuts, compared to 68 percent of Democrats and 76 percent of political independents who said they wanted their leaders on Capitol Hill to do so. Republicans were demanding sweeping budget cuts in domestic spending and foreign aid and policy changes, while Obama has offered cuts, but has dug in his heels at cutting crucial education and environmental programs. Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook ]]></description>
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		<title>Obama: Progress, but no deal to avert shutdown (AP)</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/obama-progress-but-no-deal-to-avert-shutdown-ap/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Apr 2011 04:28:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JH</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ WASHINGTON &#8211; With time growing short, President Barack Obama said Wednesday night that he remains confident that a government shutdown can be avoided this weekend if negotiators can build on constructive talks held at the White House. Differences remain despite the progress, but Obama announced that talks would continue through the night in hopes of avoiding a government shutdown this weekend. "It's going to require a sufficient sense of urgency," Obama said, "to complete a deal and get it passed and avert a shutdown." Obama emerged before reporters to declare his differences with the House Republicans were narrowing but that both sides were still stuck in an impasse. "I thought the meetings were frank, they were constructive, and what they did was narrow the issues and clarify the issues that are still outstanding," Obama said. "I remain confident that if we're serious about getting something done, we should be able to complete a deal and get it passed and avert a shutdown. But it's going to require a sufficient sense of urgency from all parties involved.'"` After the White House session, Boehner said, "We did have a productive conversation this evening. We do have some honest differences, but I do think we made some progress. But I want to reiterate: There is no agreement on a number and there's no agreement on the policy matters. But there's an attempt on both sides to continue to work together to try to resolve this." The pressure built Wednesday as Boehner announced House Republicans would approve a stopgap spending bill blending $12 billion in new domestic spending cuts with the full-year Pentagon budget as the price for keeping the government open for another week. Boehner's move appeared aimed at shifting political blame if a shutdown occurs, but it angered Democrats who felt that talks were progressing. "I think this is the responsible thing to do for the U.S. Congress, and I would hope the Senate can pass it and the president can sign it into law," Boehner said. He also criticized Obama, though saying he likes the commander in chief personally. "The president isn't leading," Boehner said. "He didn't lead on last year's budget, and he's not leading on this year's budget." Obama has already ruled out the weeklong measure Republicans intend to push through the House, and Senate Democrats have labeled it a non-starter. Republican officials said the details of the bill could yet change. But passage of any interim measure is designed to place the onus on the Democratic-controlled Senate to act if a shutdown is to be avoided. The White House used its unmatched megaphone to emphasize the stakes involved in the negotiations, arranging a briefing for the presidential press corps on the ramifications of a partial government shutdown. The officials who spoke did so on condition of anonymity, under rules set by White House aides eager to apply pressure to congressional negotiators. The officials said that military personnel at home and abroad would receive one week's pay instead of two in their next checks. Among those affected would be troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and the region around Libya. Tax audits would be suspended &#8212; welcome news to some, no doubt &#8212; but there were unhappy tidings for others. Income tax returns filed on paper would pile up at the IRS, and refunds would be delayed as a result. National parks would close, as would the Smithsonian Institution and its world-class collection of museums clustered along the National Mall within sight of the Capitol. Officials were less clear about the Cherry Blossom Festival, scheduled for this weekend in Washington. NASA spokesman Bob Jacobs said he was unable to predict what the impact would be on preparations for the shuttle Endeavour's flight on April 29, or Atlantis' trip into space on June 28. As for the broader talks, it appeared progress had been made both on spending cuts demanded by Republicans and on a series of unrelated provisions they attached to legislation that was approved almost six weeks ago. A House-passed measure called for $61 billion in cuts, and until recently, the two sides had been working on a framework for $33 billion. Boehner pronounced that insufficient on Tuesday, and floated a $40 billion figure instead. Democrats disputed any suggestion that they had acceded to that, but some, speaking privately, conceded they were willing to go higher than $33 billion, based on the make-up of the cuts included. "I think we've made some progress. But we're not finished, not by a long shot," Boehner told reporters after a closed-door meeting with the Republican rank and file, the second of the week he has called as he maneuvers his way through the first significant test for a rambunctious new majority determined to cut spending. Reid offered no details in an early morning speech that jabbed Boehner. The House Budget Committee, meanwhile, approved on a party-line vote a $3.5 trillion GOP budget for 2012 that culls deep savings from domestic programs while reducing, but not eliminating, the deficit over the next decade. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, second-ranking in the Democratic leadership structure, hinted at movement in the talks. "There's been a direct negotiation &#8212; things put on the table that had not been discussed before &#8212; and I think we're moving" toward' agreement. Apart from the spending cuts, Republicans are demanding Democrats and the White House accept at least some of the conservative policy provisions included in the earlier legislation. Democrats have already ruled out agreeing to stop funding the year-old health care overhaul or to deny Planned Parenthood all federal money. And Reid has said he will not agree to any of the curbs Republicans want to place on the Environmental Protection Agency. While the political wheels turned, hundreds of demonstrators rallied outside the Capitol calling for budget cuts and a shutdown if necessary to get them. "Shut the sucker down," one yelled, and the crowd repeatedly chanted, "Shut it down." ___ Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor and Erica Werner contributed to this report. Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook ]]></description>
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