in a previous post i noted my objection to the decision in citizen united v. FEC that essentially determined that corporations have free speech rights akin to individuals and therefore could not be stifled in their political contributions.
in recent weeks, president obama and other prominent democrats have been complaining about the chamber of commerce's political advertising and making accusations that our political system is being influenced by shadowy figures and possibly foreign entities. of course, this is without any proof whatsoever. the chamber of commerce denies using foreign money. factcheck.org can't find any wrongdoing. in fact, when obamas senior advisor david axelrod was asked for evidence of the chamber of commerce using secret foreign money the best response he could provide was "well, can you show me evidence that it's not?" so now the focus has moved to the chamber revealing their list of donors. however, being a tax exempt organization the president knows that the chamber is under no legal obligation to do so.
it is interesting that there is a demand for donor lists. in 2008, obama made a pledge to use public campaign financing but then quickly backtracked on that pledge when he saw how much more money could be raised via private funding. with this private funding came a closer inspection of the source of these funds. go here to see a thorough list of articles that illustrate the pledge and possible foreign sourced funds being given to the obama campaign.
opensecrets.org has an excellent breakdown of where all the campaign cash is coming from this campaign season.
here's a snapshot:
** 53% of all business contributions go to democrats
** 53% of all ideological contributions go to democrats
** 93% of all labor contributions go to democrats
considering the majority of campaign contributions are being steered towards the democratic party, the white house complaints about the chamber of commerce just seem like sour grapes that the chamber doesn't agree with the administrations policies. or is it really a realization and fear that the chamber's anti-administration message has become more resonant with the public?
//
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
wasted toll money
in previous posts ive discussed the cost per mile that every state spends on their roads. ranked #1 is new jersey at and astounding $749,000+/mile. those must be some mighty fine roads!
then i see this article today about the new jersey turnpike. i guess its no wonder that tolls continue to go up for taxpayers.
but people continue to vote for the same people and never learn the lesson.
//
then i see this article today about the new jersey turnpike. i guess its no wonder that tolls continue to go up for taxpayers.
Auditors say the New Jersey Turnpike Authority wasted $43 million on unneeded perks and bonuses. In one case, an employee with a base salary of $73,469 earned $321,985 when all payouts and bonuses were included.
...
The biggest expense uncovered in the audit was $30 million in unjustified bonuses to employees and management in 2008 and 2009 without consideration of performance.
...
The Comptroller's Office audit released Tuesday says taxpayers also paid $430,000 for free E-ZPass transponders and nearly $90,000 in scholarships for workers' kids.
...
the excesses happened as tolls increased on the Turnpike and Garden State Parkway in 2008. They're slated to rise again in 2012.
but people continue to vote for the same people and never learn the lesson.
//
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
silly season
the election season always brings out both the best and worst from politicians, their supporters and all the talking heads analyzing it. it always reminds me of that monty python sketch, "election night special" featuring the results between the sensible party and the silly party.
and the state of new york is certainly getting their fill of entertainment this fall with the cast of characters running for governor. one of them is jimmy mcmillan representing the "rent is 2 damn high" party.
jimmy mcmillan
another is kristin davis, a former madam, representing the anti-prohibition party. she states as her qualifications that she is the only candidate that can manage all the "whores" in the legislature.
kristin davis
on the one hand its good to see that any citizen can turn in the paperwork and run for office. on the other hand, when you have a debate and are required to give equal time to every group, it seems, well...just plain silly sometimes.
//
and the state of new york is certainly getting their fill of entertainment this fall with the cast of characters running for governor. one of them is jimmy mcmillan representing the "rent is 2 damn high" party.
jimmy mcmillan
another is kristin davis, a former madam, representing the anti-prohibition party. she states as her qualifications that she is the only candidate that can manage all the "whores" in the legislature.
kristin davis
on the one hand its good to see that any citizen can turn in the paperwork and run for office. on the other hand, when you have a debate and are required to give equal time to every group, it seems, well...just plain silly sometimes.
//
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
more patriotic taxpayers missing
alright, i didnt want to write again about politicians not paying their taxes but im getting tired of seeing it in the news so often. todays tax evasion story is a woman in massachusetts, running for state AUDITOR no less, that thinks its ok to claim two residencies as her primary home therefore receiving tax exemptions twice. in the article she states that she is completely within the "letter and spirit of the law." sure.
didnt vice president biden not long ago scold us that its patriotic to pay taxes?
i originally started this post and then let it sit for awhile because of previous posts about paying/not paying taxes. the story that prompted it was about residents of nantucket that are looking to pay less in property taxes. basically all the residents on seaside hulbert ave have asked for a tax abatement. some of these residents include family members that own/operate fidelity investments, ceo of gillette, a former NFL team owners, and of course senator john kerry.
this of course is the same senator kerry that was recently caught mooring his massive $7 million yacht in rhode island though he claims his intention was never to avoid paying $500,000 massachusetts taxes on it. yup.
a few years ago massachusetts voted to lower the tax rate from 5.85% to 5.3% and there was a massive outcry that this would result in cuts to necessary programs and services. in order to help solve this problem the state said that they would allow taxpayers to continue to pay the "voluntary right tax"" instead of the new lower amount. in 2008, a total of 1953 residents in the state or roughly 0.02% of the population opted to pay the higher amount.
joe biden must be disappointed in all of us.
//
didnt vice president biden not long ago scold us that its patriotic to pay taxes?
i originally started this post and then let it sit for awhile because of previous posts about paying/not paying taxes. the story that prompted it was about residents of nantucket that are looking to pay less in property taxes. basically all the residents on seaside hulbert ave have asked for a tax abatement. some of these residents include family members that own/operate fidelity investments, ceo of gillette, a former NFL team owners, and of course senator john kerry.
this of course is the same senator kerry that was recently caught mooring his massive $7 million yacht in rhode island though he claims his intention was never to avoid paying $500,000 massachusetts taxes on it. yup.
a few years ago massachusetts voted to lower the tax rate from 5.85% to 5.3% and there was a massive outcry that this would result in cuts to necessary programs and services. in order to help solve this problem the state said that they would allow taxpayers to continue to pay the "voluntary right tax"" instead of the new lower amount. in 2008, a total of 1953 residents in the state or roughly 0.02% of the population opted to pay the higher amount.
joe biden must be disappointed in all of us.
//
Sunday, September 12, 2010
pay up
everyone knows that paying taxes is necessary in order for our government and society to function properly. but no one likes to pay them. including many federal employees and aides within the oval office.
the washington post has done some excellent investigative journalism and found that over 280,000 capitol hill employees owe $9.3 million in back taxes! and apparently $9 million is the general amount owed year to year, making it one of the few non-partisan agreements between the republican and democratic parties.
you can check the sortable list of departments that owe taxes for yourself but heres some highlights:
** white house aides -- 41 people for $831,000
** house of representatives -- 421 people for $6.5 million
** senate -- 217 people for $2.7 million
** labor department -- 463 people for $7.4 million
** federal reserve -- 81 people for $1.0 million
** justice department -- 1971 people for $14.3 million
** homeland security -- 4856 people for $37 million
** health & human services -- 2841 people for $37.3 million
so ive been audited several times over the past few years and in a couple cases owed another $1000. yet the IRS cant seem to track down the federal employees who every year owe $9 million? a spokesman for the group taxpayers for common sense states in the article that since congress writes the tax laws that they need to be held to a higher standard in regards to paying their taxes. how about we begin with that they are held to the SAME standards as everyone else.
//
the washington post has done some excellent investigative journalism and found that over 280,000 capitol hill employees owe $9.3 million in back taxes! and apparently $9 million is the general amount owed year to year, making it one of the few non-partisan agreements between the republican and democratic parties.
you can check the sortable list of departments that owe taxes for yourself but heres some highlights:
** white house aides -- 41 people for $831,000
** house of representatives -- 421 people for $6.5 million
** senate -- 217 people for $2.7 million
** labor department -- 463 people for $7.4 million
** federal reserve -- 81 people for $1.0 million
** justice department -- 1971 people for $14.3 million
** homeland security -- 4856 people for $37 million
** health & human services -- 2841 people for $37.3 million
so ive been audited several times over the past few years and in a couple cases owed another $1000. yet the IRS cant seem to track down the federal employees who every year owe $9 million? a spokesman for the group taxpayers for common sense states in the article that since congress writes the tax laws that they need to be held to a higher standard in regards to paying their taxes. how about we begin with that they are held to the SAME standards as everyone else.
//
Saturday, September 11, 2010
9 years ago
september 11th will forever be one of those events from history that everyone remembers where they were when they first heard or saw the news about the world trade towers being attacked.
for me, i had recently been laid off and had a bunch of airline miles to use, so i went to visit a buddy in anchorage alaska. a trip that was supposed to be a week turned into a month; partially because i still didnt have a job and then partially because there was no air travel allowed. i remember sleeping on the couch when the phone rang. it was a friends mom who was calling to see if he was being recalled into the air force and whether the united states was going to war. we turned on the tv and basically stared at it for the next few days.
being in alaska on september 11th was surreal. you are so far away from "the lower 48" that you get the feeling you are in another country. i both wanted to be home but also somewhat glad that i was so far away at the same time. and the fact that the planes originated out of boston made it even more eerie. i started playing mind games about whether i could have been on one of those planes. what if my buddy lived in LA, the destination of the flights, instead of anchorage?
when flights finally resumed and i got back to boston it wasnt the boston that i had left. at the time i lived across the street from the coast guard station. it was now surrounded with sand bags and concrete barriers with security at checkpoints carrying automatic weapons. being without a job i wanted to just go to lower manhattan and volunteer in any way that i could. but by that point citizens were being asked to stay away so that professionals could do their jobs of trying to locate people and clear debris.
to this day i will not watch video of those planes hitting the towers and it strikes a still raw nerve seeing any photos. there have been discussions about making 9/11 a holiday and national day of remembrance. while at first this seemed like a good idea to me, i would hate to see it just become another three day weekend complete with car sale promotions and backyard barbeques.
nine years ago my cousin was having the time of his life in high school. now he is a marine serving in afghanistan. today i will be recalling the horrors of watching the news that fateful morning and praying for the safety of my cousin.
never forget.
//
for me, i had recently been laid off and had a bunch of airline miles to use, so i went to visit a buddy in anchorage alaska. a trip that was supposed to be a week turned into a month; partially because i still didnt have a job and then partially because there was no air travel allowed. i remember sleeping on the couch when the phone rang. it was a friends mom who was calling to see if he was being recalled into the air force and whether the united states was going to war. we turned on the tv and basically stared at it for the next few days.
being in alaska on september 11th was surreal. you are so far away from "the lower 48" that you get the feeling you are in another country. i both wanted to be home but also somewhat glad that i was so far away at the same time. and the fact that the planes originated out of boston made it even more eerie. i started playing mind games about whether i could have been on one of those planes. what if my buddy lived in LA, the destination of the flights, instead of anchorage?
when flights finally resumed and i got back to boston it wasnt the boston that i had left. at the time i lived across the street from the coast guard station. it was now surrounded with sand bags and concrete barriers with security at checkpoints carrying automatic weapons. being without a job i wanted to just go to lower manhattan and volunteer in any way that i could. but by that point citizens were being asked to stay away so that professionals could do their jobs of trying to locate people and clear debris.
to this day i will not watch video of those planes hitting the towers and it strikes a still raw nerve seeing any photos. there have been discussions about making 9/11 a holiday and national day of remembrance. while at first this seemed like a good idea to me, i would hate to see it just become another three day weekend complete with car sale promotions and backyard barbeques.
nine years ago my cousin was having the time of his life in high school. now he is a marine serving in afghanistan. today i will be recalling the horrors of watching the news that fateful morning and praying for the safety of my cousin.
never forget.
//
Monday, September 6, 2010
go hokies!
this weekend marks the start to the college football season including a big one monday night on espn -- #3 boise state versus #10 virginia tech. i believe that over the past few years, the argument that boise state should be considered in the national champions debate has become increasingly annoying. therefore, i would love to see virginia tech run all over them tonight.
i jumped on the boise state bandwagon with everyone else back in 2007 when boise state defeated oklahoma in the fiesta bowl using an exciting offensive game plan including several trick plays.
this was also the game that prompted one of the stars of the boise state team to propose to his cheerleader girlfriend on the sideline while on national television adding to the charm surrounding the team and school.
but boise state going undefeated by beating up on teams in the weak western athletic conference is not enough for me to start considering them a college football powerhouse. in fact, boise state knows it too. starting in 2011 they decided to switch to the tougher mountain west conference so that they can gain more respect.
should boise state win handily tonight, they will get consideration in the national champions argument despite the fact that they only face one of two ranked opponents this year with the remainder of their games coming against the aforementioned weak conference teams. but should they lose tonight, there is little chance they will climb back into the top of the college football polls.
heres to the hokies helping end the "boise state should be the national champs" discussions tonight instead of letting it drag out all year.
//
i jumped on the boise state bandwagon with everyone else back in 2007 when boise state defeated oklahoma in the fiesta bowl using an exciting offensive game plan including several trick plays.
this was also the game that prompted one of the stars of the boise state team to propose to his cheerleader girlfriend on the sideline while on national television adding to the charm surrounding the team and school.
but boise state going undefeated by beating up on teams in the weak western athletic conference is not enough for me to start considering them a college football powerhouse. in fact, boise state knows it too. starting in 2011 they decided to switch to the tougher mountain west conference so that they can gain more respect.
should boise state win handily tonight, they will get consideration in the national champions argument despite the fact that they only face one of two ranked opponents this year with the remainder of their games coming against the aforementioned weak conference teams. but should they lose tonight, there is little chance they will climb back into the top of the college football polls.
heres to the hokies helping end the "boise state should be the national champs" discussions tonight instead of letting it drag out all year.
//
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