Community Blogs at ProgressOhio

Corporate Tax Reform and Eliminating Wasteful Economic Subsidies

Dennis Spisak — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:50:42 EST

Corporate Tax Reform and Eliminating Wasteful Economic Subsidies

In a Progressive States Network Report last week:

Corporations should also be paying their fair share in taxes. They benefit from state investments in education, infrastructure, and public safety, but unfortunately, corporations have repeatedly and excessively exploited the tax system.

Corporate income tax revenue as a share of all taxes has fallen dramatically. In 1979, the corporate income tax accounted for 10.2 percent of total state tax revenue. In 2005, the figure fell to 6.5 percent.
The Iowa Fiscal Partnership reported that approximately half of Iowa corporations with at least $1 million of sales in state pay no corporate income tax.
Similarly, the Oklahoma Tax Commission revealed that only 35 percent of corporations filing tax returns in 2000 reported positive taxable income- almost an anomaly considering the economy experienced substantial gains that year.
The problems are similar at the federal level. A Government Accountability Office report, Comparison of the Reported Tax Liabilities of Foreign- and U.S.-Controlled Corporations, 1998-2005, found almost two-thirds of all corporations reported no tax liability from 1998 to 2005.
Accordingly, there are a variety of corporate taxation policy options legislators can pursue to ensure businesses are contributing adequately to a state.

Close Tax Loopholes: Ending some of the egregious corporate tax loopholes that businesses abuse should be a top priority for lawmakers. States lose billions of dollars each year as a result of these loopholes. For instance, states should opt out of the "domestic production deduction" tax break that was passed by the federal government in 2004 and subsequently incorporated into the tax code in several states. Currently, 25 states allow the deduction, which by 2011, will cost states $500 million annually and favors large corporations over small businesses. States can also eliminate Net Operating Loss "Carryback" Deductions, reform the "cancellation of debt income" (CODI) provision, and reform the tax treatment of S-Corporations and Limited Liability Companies.
Combined Reporting: 23 states have implemented combined reporting, which requires multi-state corporations to report profits from all entities, including subsidiaries, for tax purposes. Combined reporting is a key policy to restrict tax avoidance. The policy makes the tax system fairer, brings in greater revenue, and does not impede economic growth. In fact, CBPP finds, "combined reporting states are well-represented among the most economically-successful states in the country."
The Film Tax Credit as Case Study of Corporate Giveaways: Several states are dealing with ineffective expenditures, a notorious recent example being the proliferation of film tax credits. In 2002, only three states offered incentives to the film industry. Currently, of the 44 states that offer some type of movie production incentive, 28 provide tax credits. The Tax Foundation provides a graphic that depicts states with incentives and the year in which they were approved.

Following an explosive scandal involving members of the Department of Economic Development and abuse of the film tax credit, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver ordered a review of credits the state provides. In early January, Iowa released the Tax Credit Review Report that recommended the state:

Provide greater transparency of tax credits;
Develop an effective return on investment calculation for all tax credits;
Establish a five-year sunset for all tax credits;
Cap all currently uncapped tax credits;
And eliminate certain tax credits.
Reports by many other advocacy organizations and government bodies, including the Oregon Center for Public Policy, Connecticut Voices for Children, New Mexico Fiscal Policy Project, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, indicate that offering these tax credits are ineffective and provide little to no economic benefit to a state or its residents. The Tax Foundation writes that states are greatly overestimating the impact of providing film tax credits and basing decisions "on fanciful estimates of economic activity and tax revenue (leading to) small returns and unnecessary risks with taxpayer dollars."

Other states have taken tangible steps to address these problems:

Connecticut: Gov. M. Jodi Rell estimated that a $25 million cap for film tax credits would save the state $70 million in the next two years.
Massachusetts: Rep. Steven D'Amico introduced legislation, HB 3854, to limit state spending on incentives for the film industry.
Michigan: Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm proposed reducing the 42% refundable tax credit to approximately 37%.
Wisconsin: Gov. Jim Doyle offered a plan to completely eliminate the state's 25% film tax credit and replace it with a two-year, $1 million grant program to create permanent film industry jobs
New Mexico: Rep. Dennis Kintigh has sponsored HB52 to limit the state's spending on film tax credits.
Discontinue Excessive Corporate Subsidies: Even as states confront massive gaps, many are still doling out huge subsidies to corporations. Many times, these subsidies do not produce long-term growth and may even result in lost revenue. In North Carolina, for instance, a Dell plant closed just a few years after it received a promise of up to $300 million in grants, an amount more than twice the cost of building the plant. As Good Jobs First explains, states waste money competing for firms to locate within their borders by providing extremely costly and ineffective incentives, rather than on fostering entrepreneurship and new jobs. The report details:

[T]ax reductions, exemptions or credits exert a very small marginal influence on corporate investment decisions... For the vast majority of companies, tax breaks are windfalls, not determinants, and are therefore wasted.

As government officials look to eliminate wasteful spending, they should also rethink allocating enormous and often inefficient business tax breaks as a better option than cutting programs for their most vulnerable residents. The public money squandered through tax credits and corporate subsidies demonstrates that blind giveaways are not a sustainable model for economic growth and a more transparent budget process is needed in the future.

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As Governor of Ohio, Corporations will pay their fare share of taxes.

Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

for more info: contact 330-503-1407

Kucinich: Medicare For All, The Idea Whose Time Has Come

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:12:54 EST

As Republican leaders are urging President Obama to scrap the Democrats’ health care reform legislation and start the process from scratch, they’ve found an unlikely ally in Rep. Dennis Kucinich. The Ohio Democrat — a perennial presidential candidate — wants President Obama to consider government-sponsored, single-payer health coverage in lieu of the insurance industry-based reforms being proposed by Democratic leaders.

Congressman Kucinich (D-OH) sent a letter to President Obama today commending him for calling for new ideas and a renewed discussion about health care reform. Kucinich requested that supporters of Medicare for All be represented at the upcoming February 25 health care summit.

“I hope you will invite a representative of the community that is advocating for the only health care that has consistently proven to address each of the criteria you have outlined for a satisfactory health care plan: Medicare for All,” wrote Kucinich.

Kucinich, who co-authored HR 676, Medicare for All, with Representative John Conyers (D-MI), further pointed out that many states have embraced a single-payer system of health care. Most recently, the California State Senate passed a single-payer health care bill on January 27, 2010.

Read the full letter here. (pdf)

Rep. Murtha (D-PA) Dies At Age 77

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:46:00 EST

A spokesman says Democratic Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a retired Marine Corps officer who became an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, has died. He was 77.

He had been suffering complications from gallbladder surgery.

In 1974, Murtha became the first combat veteran of the Vietnam War elected to Congress. He wielded considerable clout for two decades as a leader of the House subcommittee that oversees Pentagon spending. But frustration over the Iraq war led him to call for an immediate pullout of U.S. troops in 2005.

He was the longest-serving House Member in Pennsylvania history.

A Crude Conversation

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:31:37 EST

America spends $1 billion a day on crude oil from other countries.

Depending on foreign oil puts both our national security and our checkbooks at risk.

We’re funding those who want to see our county fail.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

A real clean energy bill will put us back in control by using energy that’s made in America and works for Americans.

A real energy bill will create 1.7 million new jobs and put us back on track.

This isn’t politics, this is common sense. Watch this video to find out why American energy is safe energy.

Poll: Portman Has Narrow Lead (Within the Margin Of Error) in Ohio Senate Race

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:58:30 EST

Poll: Rob Portman ahead in Ohio Senate race, but not by much

Rob Portman, a former GOP congressman who served as budget director under then-President George W. Bush, holds slight leads over two potential Democratic opponents in the Ohio Senate race, a new Rasmussen survey shows. But the leads are so slight that they are within the margin of error, so the state remains very much in play for the Democrats.

Ohio is one of four states where the Democrats have a chance to pick up a Republican seat, according to the Cook Political Report. The others are: Kentucky, Missouri and New Hampshire.

In Ohio, Portman outpolled Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, 43%-39%, and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, 42%-38%. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.5%.

Treasurer Boyce and Attorney General Cordray Spread The Word About The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:12:16 EST

Ohio Treasurer Kevin L. Boyce and Attorney General Richard Cordray encouraged members of the Ohio Congressional Delegation to help spread the word to their constituents about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

The EITC is a federal, refundable tax credit allowing people earning low to moderate wages to receive a larger share of their income back on their tax refund. However, many Ohioans who qualify for the tax credit are missing out.

“Approximately 800,000 Ohio families qualify for the tax credit, but as many as twenty percent of these families do not take advantage of it because they don’t know about it,” wrote Boyce and Cordray. “As a result, millions of federal dollars that could be injected into Ohio’s economy are going unclaimed.”

As Chair of the Ohio Commission on the EITC, Treasurer Boyce has coordinated with service and community organizations as well as other state agencies to make Ohioans aware of the tax credit. Along with co-chairs Cordray and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, the Treasurer has been working toward his stated goal of ensuring that every Ohioan eligible for the EITC receives it.

“Reaching out to those community organizations, state agencies, and government officials that have daily interactions with Ohioans is the perfect way to make more people across the state aware that they could be receiving potentially thousands of dollars on their federal tax refund,” said Boyce. “This is how we get the most ‘bang for our buck’ in promoting awareness about the EITC.”

For the current taxes, the earned income credit can add up to $5,657 to a refund with three or more qualifying children. Those married, filing jointly would qualify for the EIC with an adjusted gross income of $48,279 or less.

Governor Strickland Announces $11.8 Million In Ohio Industry Energy Efficiency Awards

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:43:21 EST

Projects Strengthen Ohio’s Leadership Position in the New Energy Economy

Columbus, Ohio – Governor Ted Strickland, Lisa Patt-McDaniel, Director of the Ohio Department of Development, and Mark Shanahan, energy advisor to Governor Strickland, today announced that 18 Ohio projects will receive more than $11.8 million in industry efficiency grant awards funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s State Energy Program. The awards were announced today at Kovatch Castings, which will receive a $1 million grant for its project.

“We continue to make strategic Recovery Act investments in the industries that will grow Ohio’s economy,” Strickland said. “Ohio has made a commitment to leading the new energy economy and we are seeing results by empowering companies to make smart, responsible investments that create jobs and drive down energy costs.”

These industry efficiency awards are funded through Ohio’s $96 million State Energy Program, which was accepted by the U.S. Department of Energy on June 26th. Private companies that are part of Ohio’s targeted industries, such as advanced energy, aerospace and aviation, agriculture and food processing, bioscience and bio-products, instruments, controls and electronics, motor vehicles and parts manufacturing, and polymers and advanced materials, will use the funds for energy efficiency improvements in their manufacturing facilities.

“The State of Ohio and the Ohio Department of Development are committed to using every available resource to strengthen Ohio companies,” Patt-McDaniel said. “Our industry efficiency initiative of the State Energy Program enables manufacturers and industrial producers to realize significant energy savings and operate more efficiently, thereby making them more competitive.”

“Renewable and advanced energy strategies are positioning Ohio for sustainable, long-term, and efficient growth,” Shanahan said. “Utilizing these Recovery Act resources to build upon Ohio’s industry strengths will help our state’s businesses conserve energy while creating jobs.”

Awarded projects exemplify the goals of the Recovery Act’s State Energy Program to sustain Ohio’s industry by saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to create or preserve jobs.

“Today’s announcement about industrial, energy-efficiency grants for our manufacturers in Northeast Ohio and across the state is great news," said Rep. Betty Sutton (OH-13). "These grants will improve energy efficiency within our manufacturing sector -- an industry that our country heavily relies upon for jobs. They will create jobs for laborers who install the new equipment, as well as jobs for those who will make the new, more-efficient products. Improving energy efficiency within the industrial industry will lower energy costs for manufacturers and allow them to hire additional workers and recover from this recession with new tools to compete. And according to the Alliance of American Manufacturing, for every manufacturing job that is created, an additional four jobs are created down the line. With today’s announcement, our manufacturing base will become stronger, our work force will be larger, and our economic future will be brighter."

"Today’s announcement for the Timken Company, Shearer’s Foods and Republic Storage Systems proves a strong national energy policy can create jobs that cannot be outsourced and make our manufacturers more energy efficient at the same time,” said Congressman John Boccieri (OH-16). “We know the cheapest energy is the energy we never use. These stimulus dollars invest in our local manufacturers by helping them save jobs and save money by becoming energy efficient."

Ohio Students Heading to White House for Music Workshop "Music that Inspired the Movement"

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:20:27 EST

WASHINGTON – Students from Cleveland, Ohio’s Lakewood High School will be among 120 high school students from across the country to attend and participate in a music workshop at the White House hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama.

The workshop is entitled “Music that Inspired the Movement,” and it will take place on Wednesday, February 10th from 1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. ET. It will be led by several performers from the 2010 White House Music Series concert “In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement” which will also take place on Wednesday.

As developed by the Grammy Museum, the students participating in the workshop will learn about the continuing relevance of music from the Civil Rights Movement to today’s generation and its original impact in the 1960s. This event will be streamed live on www.whitehouse.gov/live.

Sen. Brown Announces Effort to Bolster Ohio Clean Energy Manufacturing

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:35:26 EST

COLUMBUS, OH – A tax credit passed through the Recovery Act has already provided $125 million to help Ohio manufacturers produce clean energy technologies, but funding for this program is set to expire.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined the top executives of seven Ohio companies that have collectively received $125 million in funds through the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit to announce an effort to expand the program. Brown’s plan is aimed at creating more clean energy jobs in Ohio and preventing funds from being used to create jobs overseas.

“Manufacturing means jobs and clean energy represents the future of American manufacturing,” Brown said. “Ohio already has a skilled workforce and a rich manufacturing heritage. By expanding the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit program, we will help create new jobs and make Ohio the Silicon Valley of Clean Energy Manufacturing.”

Brown fought to pass $2.3 billion in the Recovery Act for the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Facility Investment Tax Credit. This program provides investment tax credits – that fund up to 30 percent of a project’s costs – to support the development of facilities that manufacture clean energy technology.

In January, seven Ohio companies received a total of nearly $125 million in funds through this program – which is expected to create thousands of jobs across the state. Brown announced plans to expand the program to $5 billion and prevent any funds from being used to create jobs overseas.

Brown is writing to Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner today urging them to expand the program to $5 billion and to maximize domestic job creation.

Take ACTION for Comprehensive Sex Ed Tomorrow!

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:59:29 EST

Thanks to a decade of misinformation masquerading as sex education, teens are having the same amount of sex, using contraception less, and getting pregnant more.

We're reaping what we've sowed. A 2002 study found that one-third of U.S. teenagers hadn't received any formal instruction about contraception. For those who did learn about contraception - it was all scare tactics. In Me, My World, My Future - a textbook used in public schools across the country - students are told that "relying on condoms is like playing Russian roulette." A Case Western Reserve University study found that Ohio students have been taught that the birth control pill increases young women's chances of infertility later in life.

So, the "Act for Our Children's Future" focuses on the prevention of unintended pregnancies and STIs through comprehensive sex education for teens, including abstinence.

The Act for Our Children’s Future (HB 316) has been scheduled for its PROPONENT testimony in the House Education Committee Tuesday, February 9!

Now we need to make sure the committee members know how dedicated we are and how much support this bill has through packing that room with our supporters. We must show our strength and support in numbers!!

Please join us at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus tomorrow - we will be meeting at PPCO at 1:30 to hand out buttons and walk over to the Statehouse together!

Please know that due to the nature of these hearings it could be some waiting- you never know what is going to come up, so flexibility is appreciated, bring some reading material and wear layers. We will have buttons for you to wear so that the committee can identify us.

OR
If you don't live near Columbus or can't make it there will be phonebanks in Northeast and Southwest Ohio from 5-8PM to have supporters call their legislators.

AND/OR
If you cannot do either I do need volunteers to write letters to the editor. Let me know if you can put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and help us educate your community on this important bill. I will give you tips and talking points.

Email advocacy@ppcoh.org to let me know how you can join our efforts!

Cuomo Takes on The Money Party

Michael Collins — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:23:15 EST

Bank of America Looks Like First of Many

Michael Collins

"This merger (Bank of America and Merrill Lynch) is a classic example of how the actions of our nation’s largest financial institutions led to the near-collapse of our financial system," said Attorney General Cuomo. "Bank of America, through its top management, engaged in a concerted effort to deceive shareholders and American taxpayers at large. This was an arrogant scheme hatched by the bank’s top executives who believed they could play by their own set of rules. In the end, they committed an enormous fraud and American taxpayers ended up paying billions for Bank of America’s misdeeds." (Image)

New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo

Andrew Cuomo's complaint filed in the New York Supreme Court, County of New York against the Bank of America and two former top executives has the potential to push that too big to fail entity off the edge of a very steep cliff. The charges of massive fraud are based on a compelling and exhaustive filing on February 4.

A trial will likely involve testimony by the current Bank of America CEO and President Brian Moynihan against defendants Kenneth Lewis, the bank's former CEO and board chairman, former chief financial officer (CFO) Joseph L. Price, and the bank itself. Price is currently in charge of BofA's credit card division.

New Revenue is Needed to Invest in Economic Recovery

Dennis Spisak — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:45:29 EST

New Revenue is Needed to Invest in Economic Recovery

In a Progressive States Network report last week:

As 48 states confront monetary shortfalls this fiscal year, the budget will undoubtedly be the predominant focus of lawmakers. In fact, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) estimates that states will face cumulative deficits of approximately $350 billion in 2010 and 2011. The downturn has also taken an enormous toll on tax revenue. Mark Zandi, Chief Economist at Moody's Economy.com, reports that state and local tax revenues have dropped 9 percent from last year, "the largest decline on record going back to just after World War II."

During an economic downturn, progressive revenue generation is far preferable to deep cuts, as it allows states to provide funding for essential programs, pump money into the economy, and protect working families in this time of hardship. A budget that relies too heavily on cuts will not only force layoffs of state employees, but will also cut off funding in the state for crucial services, thereby reducing spending pumping dollars in the private sector.

Peter Orszag, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Nobel prize winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz confirm:

[T]ax increases on higher-income families are the least damaging mechanism for closing state fiscal deficits in the short run. Reductions in government spending on goods and services, or reductions in transfer payments to lower-income families, are likely to be more damaging to the economy in the short run than tax increases focused on higher-income families.

As a recent report by the Economic Opportunity Institute denotes, "every dollar of state spending generates $1.41 of economic activity. Much of that spending - 62%, or 88 cents - boosts the private sector. Cutting state spending means fewer purchases from suppliers, reduced contracts with service providers, less money from public and private employee paychecks circulating through local businesses - and of course, fewer public services."

Also, spending on programs that assist low and middle-income families is smart economic policy. By assisting working families, who will more readily spend their funds on basic necessities, the government is boosting short-run demand and fostering market activity. For instance, Zandi finds that increasing food stamps spending creates $1.73 in demand for each dollar spent by the federal government.

Cuts Hurt the Economy: Unfortunately, several states have responded to the fiscal crisis with deep service cuts:
28 states instituted cuts that will limit low-income children's access to health care
24 states have slashed services for the elderly and disabled
36 states have reduced funding for higher education
42 states implemented cuts that affect state employees, including 26 that have hiring freezes, 14 that have announced layoffs and 26 that have decreased wages
If new revenues are not generated, further cuts will continue a cycle of job layoffs by states, lower spending on crucial programs, diminished economic growth, and deep budget cuts. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) provides the following chart illustrating the danger of state budget cuts as they ripple through the economy; teachers, nurses and police are laid off, state funds supporting private sector activity are reduced, and individuals receiving state support stop spending in their local communities.

Working and Middle Class Families Have the Highest Tax Burdens On Average: A common misconception about state and local taxes is the idea that the wealthy have incredibly high tax burdens. The reality is the richest taxpayers have not been contributing their fair share for years. When you factor in sales and excise, property, and income taxes, states tax working families far more heavily than richer individuals, according to Who Pays?, a report from ITEP. As the graph below highlights, the lowest 20 percent of earners pay about 11 percent of their income in state and local taxes while the top 1 percent pay a little over 6 percent of their income to state and local governments.

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We need to raise revenues in ohio to avoid loss of services. Somebody tell

Ted Strickland that. He cuts programs as bad as a Republican!

Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor

President To Expose Republican Health Care Reform Fraud On National TV

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:52:54 EST

Yesterday in an interview with Katie Couric broadcast before the Super Bowl, the president announced a bipartisan, bicameral half-day healthcare summit to be held on television (C-SPAN) during which he'll make a very public attempt to talk things over with Republicans and Democrats alike.

The point of this isn't necessarily to start a new bill from scratch, but to kill some of the GOP's biggest lies while keeping Democrats enthused and on board with passing reform in an election year.

“I want to come back [after the Presidents Day congressional recess] and have a large meeting — Republicans and Democrats — to go through, systematically, all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward,” Obama said in an interview with Katie Couric during CBS’s Super Bowl pre-game show Sunday.
Obama said he wants to “look at the Republican ideas that are out there.”

“If we can go, step by step, through a series of these issues and arrive at some agreements, then, procedurally, there’s no reason why we can’t do it a lot faster the process took last year,” he said.

In a statement, the official said, “What the president will not do is let this moment slip away. He hopes to have Republican support in doing so — but he is going to move forward on health reform.”

The Republicans have demogoged on transparency. They're about to get what they asked for and in the process have their lies that they have a health care plan that actually accomplishes anything exposed for everyone to see before the House passes the Senate bill with necessary fixes.

Video: Tebow Ad: That Was It?

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:56:27 EST

Was the Focus on the Family/Tebow ad controversy much ado about nothing? Or did I miss something?

Watch It:

Of Course, those who do go to the website that was advertised get a much longer video that prostylizes about God and Abortion.

Wealth Redistribution Assumes Convenient Enslavement

User from Belpre, OH — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:14:34 EST

Wealth Redistribution Assumes Convenient Enslavement

When buying a new car or truck, how important is the transmission, auto or manual? When examining your own lifestyle, is it auto or manual? What is your market philosophy, auto or manual? Your church, politics or news in general, is it auto or manual?
What would happen if all automatic transmissions were taken off the market and everyone was forced to use a manual transmissions. Personally, I prefer a manual. My lifestyle is rural, so I prefer a manual lifestyle. My market philosophy is manual as well as my religion, always in search for Jesus’ message.
I saw a funny Internet video depicting the democratic mind set. Two individuals are riding up a department store or office building escalator, when it suddenly stops. The two stranded democrats, almost immediately start complaining and insist that someone turn the power back on. What seemed odd, but the character was accurate, the two democrats were conditioned or “trained” to see the escalator as being automatic, they were unable to manually walk up to the next floor. Throughout the video, the two democrats lost all sense of evolutionary adaptation, lost all sense of survivability, lost all sense of resourcefulness that they couldn’t walk to the next level on their own.
Wealth breeds its own welfare of dependence, let’s look at other forms of welfare. Gun welfare, what happens when the bullets run out? Food welfare, what happens when the food runs out? Incompetence welfare when you don’t have the sense to plant seeds, harvest the food and grow new seeds to plant later. Technology welfare, what happens when there are no more batteries or electricity?
I have to laugh, as pathetic and dependent as we seem, I doubt we could fight and win against a resurgence of Neanderthals.
What is Obama trying to teach? He is teaching manual thinking, to reset our automatic lives, but is also inviting manual insurgents to conquer and exterminate our pathetic automatic attitude of welfare. I personally do not like “automatics”, those individuals that have the common sense of a rock, but have the brain of a rock falling from a 50 story building. Just because the rock is traveling at a high rate of speed does not mean its being productive. See, rocks are automatic, a rock depends on other forces to cause it to move, a rock can not move on its own.
Politicians are automatic, they depend on constituents to move the politician’s luxurious belongings instead of the politicians helping his/her constituents achieve luxurious belongings.
America was once a manual society where cooperation allowed the machine to run fast and true. Now that America has fallen into the welfare of everything automatic, we have lost all understanding on how the machine works, never mind trying to fix it.
Welfare isn’t about redistribution of wealth, welfare is about concentrating wealth to those who don’t know any better. What’s the difference between an automatic rock and a zoo animal? Not much, even the primates are smarter than rocks.
Why should I believe, trust or vote for an automatic, knowing that my manual lifestyle is infinitely more efficient and productive. I don’t vote for automatics. I don’t want to hear automatics complain about being stuck on stopped escalators. I don’t want to hear lame-brain automatics complain about their lack of mechanical dexterity, or common sense dexterity. I don’t want to hear automatics complain, period! I am not your master or slave owner, because I’m free from welfare’s shackles. Obama wants to be the new slave owner, let him whip ya’ for being idiots.
John W. McSherry - Grays’ Plutonium
USN (Retired)
Appalachia Ohio 6th District

Palin Uses Cheat Sheet Written On Her Hand During TeaBagger Q&A

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 10:05:21 EST

Tweet Photo link

Talk about being busted.

Last night while giving her little speech to the tea bagger convention, Sarah Palin is caught reading answers from her palm.

Not only that, but in the same speech she also gets on Obama as a “guy with a teleprompter”. Obama went to the House GOP and answered questions for a over an hour, all without a teleprompter.

Palin walks into her fan club and can’t answer softball questions without writing the answers on her hand?

She needed a cheat sheet to remember "energy", "~~budget~~ tax cuts"and "lift America"?

Welcome to the world of incompetence.

Huffington Post provides the photo evidence:

Watch The Video:

Sarah Palin Expressing her Inner-8th Grade Cheater in People of Tea Interview?

Ohio's Right Wing: "Snow In Winter Disproves Climate Science"!

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 09:09:35 EST

I hope that this guy from Ohio's Righty Blogosphere isn't planning to apply to appear on "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader.

In reality world, where we don't put our fingers in our ears and scream Wahhhhhhhh!, catastrophic “snowpocalypse” and “snowmageddon” events are exactly what scientists have been warning would occur because of global warming, in part because warmer air can hold more water.

As National Wildlife Federation climate scientist Amanda Staudt notes, winter storms are getting fiercer even as the season gets warmer:

– Wintertime temperatures have been increasing across the northern United States. Since the 1970s, December-February temperature increases have ranged from 1 to 2 degrees in the Pacific Northwest to about 4 degrees in the Northeast to more than 6 degrees in Alaska.

– Winters are getting shorter, too. Spring arrives 10-14 days earlier than it did just 20 years ago.

– Global warming is bringing a clear trend toward heavier precipitation events. Many areas are seeing bigger and more intense snowstorms, especially in the upper Midwest and Northeast.

– Global warming is shifting storm tracks northward. Areas from the Dakotas eastward to northern Michigan have seen a trend toward more heavy snowfall season.

In other news, this past month of January was the warmest on record for the planet.

Sherrod Brown: Senate Should Use 50-Vote Tactic On More Than Healthcare

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 08:55:37 EST

Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) “has put an extraordinary ‘blanket hold’ on at least 70 nominations President Obama has sent to the Senate", according to Talking Points Memo.

The hold means “no nominations can move forward unless Senate Democrats can secure a 60-member cloture vote to break it, or until Shelby lifts the hold.”

Remember Up or Down Vote?

Senate leaders "should use a parliamentary maneuver to sidestep filibuster rules ‘a lot more," Sen. Sherrod Brown urged Thursday, The Hill reports.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), one of the more liberal members of the upper chamber, said that many Democratic senators are urging leadership to use the budget reconciliation process, which requires only a simple majority to pass legislation, on more initiatives.

"I agree with that," Brown said during an appearance on MSNBC when pressed by host Ed Schultz on whether the 59-vote Democratic majority should use reconciliation more.

"As much as we can pass with a majority vote, we do," he said, later adding: "A lot of us are urging our leadership on that."

Debunking Myths that Taxes Undermine Economic Growth

Dennis Spisak — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 08:45:09 EST

The Progressives States Network last week reported:

One reason states are readily raising revenue as an alternative to more cuts is that they can turn to a wealth of examples to debunk the rhetoric that raising taxes to fund services in a state is harmful to the economy.

Taxes Do Not Undermine State Economic Growth: As we've highlighted in previous Dispatches, research consistently show that, contrary to right-wing rhetoric, there is no link between tax increases and job loss.

States with higher personal income tax rates experienced significant job growth in the past decade, as the Fiscal Policy Institute and Center for Working Families point out in their report, Back on Track and as the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found in a similar report.
Moreover, according to a 2008 Information Technology & Innovation Foundation analysis, states with some of the higher marginal income tax rates, including New York and Maryland, have more innovative new economy industries. Likely as a result of larger investments in infrastructure, education, and technology, these states are better suited to foster economic growth that is sustainable and well-paying in an increasingly fierce global competition for jobs.
This builds on analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) detailing that states the collect the highest percentage of personal income in taxes actually sustain higher income growth.
Similarly, an older study by the California Budget Project (CBP) analyzed state economies and concludes, "[s]tates that enacted large tax cuts between 1994 and 2001 - reducing revenue by at least 7 percent - subsequently experienced weaker growth in jobs and personal income and larger increases in the unemployment rate, on average, than other states."
Progressive Taxes Don't Cause Out-Migration of Wealthy Residents: Opponents of progressive income tax reform like to argue that tax increases cause wealthy residents to leave a state. In fact, states that have increased the top rate in recent years have not experienced any significant out-migration of wealthy residents:

California: The California Budget Project found that there was a significant growth in millionaire households after California passed higher PIT rates in the 1990s and again in 2004. In fact, the number of California millionaires increased by 37.8 percent between 2004 and 2006.
New Jersey: A Princeton University report discovered that the passage of a higher top rate in 2002 had "little effect on migration patterns among half-millionaire households."
New York: After the state temporarily raised income taxes on the wealthy from 2003 to 2005, the number of high income tax returns grew 30 percent, from 250,000 to 325,000.
A New York Times article, entitled "Taxes Not Seen as Making the Rich Flee New York" succinctly articulates:

[T]here is surprisingly little evidence to support the proposition that rich New Yorkers would bolt if forced to pay higher income taxes. Though tracking the movement of wealthy taxpayers from state to state is difficult, experts on public finance and migration say they have yet to document a substantial 'rich drain' in states that have raised income taxes in recent years.

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Don't believe everything John Kasich tells you about tax cuts. They don't work!

Dennis Spisak -Green Party candidate for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Keep Cleveland Working: Strickland Urges Hugo Boss To Reconsider Factory Closing

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 08:41:31 EST

COLUMBUS -- Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has sent a strongly worded letter to the chairman of Hugo Boss, urging him to reconsider the closing of a suburban Cleveland clothing factory.

In the letter, Strickland expresses his concern and disappointment to Hugo Boss USA Chairman Mark Brashear (pdf) at the planned closing in April of the factory in Brooklyn, Ohio.

Three hundred workers will lose their jobs.

"Hugo Boss has failed to satisfactorily respond to the state and local community's efforts to work together in good faith," Strickland wrote to Brashear. "The company owes it to Brooklyn's workers and taxpayers to participate in a meaningful dialogue."

The Brooklyn suit plant is Hugo Boss' only manufacturing facility in North America.

Strickland said the decision to close it "appears to have been made in haste and without consideration of state and local incentive programs."