Free Republic

The 1990 budget deal shows compromising on taxes leads to political disasterThe White House is fighting hard to resolve the debt-ceiling crisis with a deal that raises taxes to maintain elevated spending levels. Republicans need to understand that compromising on taxes would be disastrous, possibly guaranteeing President Obama’s re-election in 2012. We found ourselves in a similar situation 21 years ago. Between August and November 1990 Congress agreed to six temporary adjustments of the debt ceiling while pursuing budget negotiations with the White House. President George H.W. Bush had just been elected on his famous promise, “Read my lips, no...

CARSON CITY — Gov. Brian Sandoval will include taxes set to expire next month in a revised budget he will unveil Friday, according to a source. The move, which would run counter to his pledge not to raise taxes, comes thanks to a Supreme Court ruling today that prohibits the Legislature from taking local tax dollars to fund the state. In a statement this afternoon, Sandoval said he would present a revised spending plan on Friday that takes into account the lost funds. "The ruling raises questions about certain assumptions in the proposed executive budget," the statement said. "As governor,...

"... It’s important that we not restrict the review or the recommendations that this commission comes up with in any way. Everything has to be on the table. And I just met briefly with the commission and said the same thing to them. Of course this means that all of you, our friends in the media, will ask me and others once a week, or once a day, about what we are willing to rule out or rule in when it comes to the recommendations of the commission. That’s an old Washington game…"

Thousands of teachers and other union workers descended on the state Capitol on Wednesday and chanted "raise my taxes" to try to pressure politicians to avoid major budget cuts. The vibe was the exact opposite of what you'd find at a tea party rally. But the loud chants barely resonated inside the Capitol, where lawmakers are trying to exit Springfield in a couple of weeks without voting for a tax increase that could jeopardize their re-election chances in little more than six months. "If you try to leave town without doing your job, we're going to chase you," warned union...

Speaking at a Democratic fundraiser tonight, President Obama touted his administration’s tax cuts and said that the recent tea party rallies across the nation have “amused” him. “You would think they should be saying thank you,” the president said to applause. The president’s 30-minute speech included a lot of recycled material from previous fundraisers. In a nod to Vice President Biden, the president acknowledged the crowd for their help getting health care reform across the finish line. “As my vice president said, 'This is a big deal,'" Obama said to laughter, even though he omitted the one key word to...

Gramps got an email that his annuity income will have a 3.8% tax added. The Health Care "Reform" Bill will have a 3.8% Medicare contribution on income received from annuities.

(CNSNews.com) – As many as a dozen taxes in the new health care law violate President Barack Obama’s campaign pledge not to raise taxes on families earning less than $250,000 and on individuals earning less than $200,000. At least seven of these taxes directly affect health consumers regardless of income, such as the individual mandate to buy insurance, the employer mandate, the tanning tax, and limits and penalties on health savings accounts. In addition, Republicans argue that the tax impact of the law should include indirect taxes, such as the annual taxes on the health care sector that will be...

(CNSNews.com) - President Obama presented a new health care plan on Monday that calls for raising the Medicare payroll tax on some households earning less than $250,000, an apparent breach of his campaign pledge not to raise taxes on families earning less than that amount. The president’s plan also calls for increasing taxes on interest, dividends, annuities, royalties and rents. In a Sept. 12, 2008 campaign speech in Dover, N.H, Obama said: “And I can make a firm pledge: Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 will see their taxes increase—not your income taxes, not your payroll taxes,...

Per Fox, Obama just said that "All ideas are on the table" regarding taxing the middle class/people making less than $200K a year. Developing...

MIAMI — When Jeb Bush left office four years ago, his public appearances were as scarce as bi-partisan man hugs. He didn't want to upstage his successor in the governor's mansion nor his brother in the White House. Instead, he quietly cashed in by joining corporate boards and an elite speakers bureau, penned policy essays and gave infrequent interviews to conservative media. But in recent months, as the Republican Party of Florida has grappled with a leadership vacuum, Bush's political profile has grown as fast as the national deficit ...

As the first pundit to predict that President Barack Obama would be president, I was not surprised when he was elected to that office. Lately, however, I must admit he's surprised even me. Don't believe me? Check my archives from December of 2006 (note I even predicted the candidate he might face and would in fact be successful against.) So how has he surprised your prescient correspondent? By being the most aggressively leftist president ever. As someone who had followed his career through the state legislature in Illinois and his ascendency to the United States Senate against less than strong...

The Obama administration provided more details on the scope of its tax proposals, showing the impact of rate increases on higher earners would hit couples with about $235,000 of "taxable income," or income after deductions and exemptions. The administration also revealed new details of its initiatives to shut down offshore tax shelters used by some investors and businesses, and to raise taxes on the overseas earnings of many U.S. multinationals. During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama said he wouldn't raise taxes on couples earning less than $250,000 but didn't give a precise definition of the term. On Monday, the administration...

President Obama marked Tax Day with a speech touting his tax policies. He made several claims about how his policies will improve the economy, most of which don’t hold up under close scrutiny. Here are a few of the more egregious examples: * President Obama claimed the tax cuts in the mis-labeled “stimulus” bill are the most progressive in history. This is true because the so-called stimulus created the Making Work Pay Credit and expanded the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. All these credits are refundable, so they send checks to tax filers who pay no...

President Barack Obama's gift of a dog to his two daughters has angered animal welfare activists who argued that he broke a promise to adopt a dog from a shelter. Bo, the six-month-old black and white Portuguese water dog who was a gift from Senator Edward Kennedy, was due to have his official unveiling at the White House last night. Though he was given up by his first owners, the puppy spent no time in a rescue shelter and instead was treated to a month with the senator's dog trainer before being handed over to the White House. Dr Jana...

<p>1. Russians Suspected in Shooting of Kremlin Critic Near D.C.</p> <p>One year ago, Kremlin critic Paul Joyal was gunned down in the driveway of his suburban Maryland home. The case remains unsolved — but some see the hand of Russia in the shooting.</p>

WASHINGTON - In a bid to raise revenues ahead of a projected financial crisis for Social Security and Medicare, President Bush is proposing a number of measures that could become tax traps for millions of Americans. Critics allege that Bush is using sleight-of-hand measures that tinker with complex funding formulas linked to the inflation rate. These measures, which include changes affecting Medicare, Social Security and income taxes, aren't advertised as tax increases. But just like hidden tax hikes, they'd raise revenue from millions of unsuspecting taxpayers. Right now, for example, individual seniors with annual incomes greater than $80,000 and couples...