Deer. Headlights.
“I think I made myself clear.”
Do you think so?
Contribute to Bob McDonnell here.
The Case of the Magically Doubling Health Care Surtax
Only in Democrat Country Does a Tax Hike Equal Taxes Going "Down, Down, Down"
Last night, during yet another attempt to mark up the House health overhaul bill, Rep. Henry Waxman’s (D-CA) House Energy and Commerce Committee took up and voted down (33-25) an amendment by ranking member Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) to prevent the implementation of a little-known provision in the bill that would cause the highly-publicized surtax on high earners to double if the cost of the health overhaul is higher than expected.
The “surtax” (read: tax increase) “doubles in the year 2013 if there is a study by the Office of Management and Budget that determines certain savings have not occurred,” said Barton. “The effect of the Barton amendment would be that beginning 2013, only those citizens who make over $1 million would have their taxes increased by the surtax.”
The bill currently increases the taxes of those making $280,000 ($350,000 for couples) by 1 percentage point, those making $400,000 ($500,000 for couples) by 2 percentage points, and those making more than $800,000 ($1 million for couples) by three. The provision Barton’s amendment was designed to forestall was an automatic increase of these rates by two percentage points across the board if CBO determines in 2013 that the overhaul is costing more than lawmakers currently expect it to — something that is a near-absolute certainty.
Deval Patrick in Trouble in Massachusetts
An Obama-Style Agenda May Sink Him
According to a poll released yesterday, the first elected African American governor of Massachusetts is extremely unpopular and in danger of losing his re-election bid next year:
When matched against Christy Mihos, the Democratic governor picks up 40% of the vote and trails the potential GOP nominee by a single point.
If Charlie Baker is the Republican nominee, Patrick’s support is little changed at 41% while Baker is favored by 36%. Baker is a health care chief executive officer who has not yet formally decided if he is entering the race.
In both match-ups, the number preferring “some other candidate” is in double digits, and roughly one-out-of-10 voters is undecided.
The fact that the numbers are so similar regardless of which Republican is mentioned suggest that the race so far is viewed as a referendum on the incumbent rather than a choice between competing alternatives.
***BREAKING: California Legislators Held Hostage in Sacramento***
Schwarzenegger, Democrats Demand Tax Increases, Fully-Fueled Jet, and the Letter 'M' Stricken from the English Language
I thought that President Obama made clear that when we take prisoners, the United States must adhere to the guidelines in the Army Field Manual? Apparently when prisoners are taken for the cause of bigger government, officials sometimes have to resort to tougher measures.
On a more serious note, are the Governor and the California Legislature so desperate for tax increases that they have to hold legislators hostage to get them passed?
Despite a long night of frantic negotiations, legislative leaders are still struggling to find enough Republican votes to pass a bill that would close California’s $42 billion budget gap and end 102 days of partisan gridlock.
Only a single Republican, Senate Minority Leader Dave Cogdill, voted for the budget bill when it came up in the Senate Saturday evening, while state Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, did not vote. Senate leaders left the bill open for possible vote changes, but it will only pass if Cogdill can somehow find two more GOP votes.
