When Did We Vote to Become Mexico? | Ann Coulter
Undoing the Brainwashing | Thomas Sowell
The Obama Crony in Charge of your Medical Records | Michelle Malkin
The Real Reporting on the IRS | Hugh Hewitt
BREAKING: Lerner Refuses to Answer Any Questions, Issa Dismisses Her | Guy Benson
Drip: IRS' Own Internal Targeting Probe Determined Wrongdoing in...May 2012 | Guy Benson
Escalation: Embattled IRS Official to 'Plead the Fifth' at Hearing Today | Guy Benson
MSNBC Analyst: Hey, Why Didn't Romney Make A Bigger Deal of the IRS Scandal Last Year? | Guy Benson
Posted: 2/5/2009 10:14:03 AM EST
We chatted a bit about Al Franken's back taxes last night on The Factor.
I'll be back at Fox at 1:30 and 2:20 today for some hits to talk about the stimulus package and Leon Panetta's confirmation hearing.
I'll be back at Fox at 1:30 and 2:20 today for some hits to talk about the stimulus package and Leon Panetta's confirmation hearing.
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Posted: 2/4/2009 8:38:15 PM EST
Washington Post reporter Mary Ann Akers wrote on her Twitter feed she overhead House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "wants to pee on the Washington Times."
It really isn't clear if Pelosi said it, or if someone said it after Pelosi walked by while talking about Pelosi.
Here is a link to Akers's Twitter feed where she wrote this moments ago.
Akers, who calls herself "The Slueth," pens the Post's "Behind the Scenes" insider blog She posted this bit of information on her Twitterfeed from the Annual Congressional Dinner hosted by the Washington Press Club Foundation.
The Times is a DC-based newspaper with a conservative editorial bent.
Update: Screencapture below
It really isn't clear if Pelosi said it, or if someone said it after Pelosi walked by while talking about Pelosi.
Here is a link to Akers's Twitter feed where she wrote this moments ago.
Akers, who calls herself "The Slueth," pens the Post's "Behind the Scenes" insider blog She posted this bit of information on her Twitterfeed from the Annual Congressional Dinner hosted by the Washington Press Club Foundation.
The Times is a DC-based newspaper with a conservative editorial bent.
Update: Screencapture below
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Posted: 2/4/2009 7:42:00 PM EST
President Obama approved his first tax hike today.
The bill he signed to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program contains a provision to increase taxes on tobacco by a whopping 155 percent. That means the federal taxes on cigarettes have gone up an additional 61 cents a pack. This brings federal taxes on a pack of cigarettes to $1 per pack total.
(It also means the nation will need to maintain a steady level of smokers to subsidize kids health care, an unlikely outcome in light of a fledgling economy and increased taxes on the tobacco.)
Despite his pledges not to tax low-income Americans, Obama's tax increase on tobacco will disproportionately punish the poor, who are more likely to become addicted to cigarettes.
55 percent of smokers are considered "working poor" and one in four live below the poverty line.
“Tom Daschle and Leona Helmsley believe that only the little people should pay taxes,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “Obama agrees; he just raised taxes on millions of lower-income Americans. His central campaign promise was a lie.”
The bill he signed to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program contains a provision to increase taxes on tobacco by a whopping 155 percent. That means the federal taxes on cigarettes have gone up an additional 61 cents a pack. This brings federal taxes on a pack of cigarettes to $1 per pack total.
(It also means the nation will need to maintain a steady level of smokers to subsidize kids health care, an unlikely outcome in light of a fledgling economy and increased taxes on the tobacco.)
Despite his pledges not to tax low-income Americans, Obama's tax increase on tobacco will disproportionately punish the poor, who are more likely to become addicted to cigarettes.
55 percent of smokers are considered "working poor" and one in four live below the poverty line.
“Tom Daschle and Leona Helmsley believe that only the little people should pay taxes,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “Obama agrees; he just raised taxes on millions of lower-income Americans. His central campaign promise was a lie.”
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Posted: 2/4/2009 3:00:20 PM EST
Big Labor hosted a rally on Capitol Hill this afternoon to urge legislators to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill to give labor more power in the workplace.
Throughout the event labor members blasted employers who harassed them in the workplace for supporting the liberal policy. The funny thing is, several of those same labor members openly harassed a pair of men protesting the legislation.
The dressed up as "union bosses" looking for their payback for helping Democrats in the 2008 election: passage of EFCA
Anywhere Union Bob and Union Bill went, a crowd of union members followed them and pushed them to the perimeter of the rally. Union members pushed their way in front of them to hold up signs to hide the anti-EFCA signs from the cameras.
Essentially, they did everything the could to make sure no media could see an alternative message.
When I asked them why they were doing this most of them went mute.
One woman, however, had lots to say. She's in the third video and I'll warn you, her vulgar language isn't safe for work
Throughout the event labor members blasted employers who harassed them in the workplace for supporting the liberal policy. The funny thing is, several of those same labor members openly harassed a pair of men protesting the legislation.
The dressed up as "union bosses" looking for their payback for helping Democrats in the 2008 election: passage of EFCA
Anywhere Union Bob and Union Bill went, a crowd of union members followed them and pushed them to the perimeter of the rally. Union members pushed their way in front of them to hold up signs to hide the anti-EFCA signs from the cameras.
Essentially, they did everything the could to make sure no media could see an alternative message.
When I asked them why they were doing this most of them went mute.
One woman, however, had lots to say. She's in the third video and I'll warn you, her vulgar language isn't safe for work
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Posted: 2/4/2009 10:27:14 AM EST
So, whatever happened with the $70,000 Al Franken owed in 17 different states for his celebrity speaking engagements?
Did he ever even pay them?
I asked Norm Coleman if he's heard anything about it lately. He said, "The issue really goes back to the media, I don't think anyone has ever talked to his accountant or made his accountant available. Is his accountant really the reason he didn't file taxes? I do no think there's been a resolution for that."
"The media should be speaking to his accountant," Coleman said.
That would be rather difficult considering, according to the Star Tribune in 2008, that Franken forbade his accountant from speaking to reporters
Did he ever even pay them?
I asked Norm Coleman if he's heard anything about it lately. He said, "The issue really goes back to the media, I don't think anyone has ever talked to his accountant or made his accountant available. Is his accountant really the reason he didn't file taxes? I do no think there's been a resolution for that."
"The media should be speaking to his accountant," Coleman said.
That would be rather difficult considering, according to the Star Tribune in 2008, that Franken forbade his accountant from speaking to reporters
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Posted: 2/4/2009 10:11:05 AM EST
Republican Norm Coleman, still locked in an ongoing fight with Democrat Al Franken for Minnesota's Senate seat is feeling confident about the latest court recount ruling.
Franken is currently 225 votes ahead of Coleman but the Minnesota Canvassing Board and Supreme Court has ruled 4,800 more ballots need to be examined.
"We got the entire universe of what we wanted to be counted," Coleman said on a conference call Wednesday morning.
He said the lead that Franken has enjoyed came from the partial opening of valid ballots that "came from areas that were predominately Democrat-dominated that gave Al Franken an artificial lead."
Coleman's team also say they expect 80-100 votes will be "washed away" from Franken's column when the court throws out ballots that have been double counted in the recount process.
Franken is currently 225 votes ahead of Coleman but the Minnesota Canvassing Board and Supreme Court has ruled 4,800 more ballots need to be examined.
"We got the entire universe of what we wanted to be counted," Coleman said on a conference call Wednesday morning.
He said the lead that Franken has enjoyed came from the partial opening of valid ballots that "came from areas that were predominately Democrat-dominated that gave Al Franken an artificial lead."
Coleman's team also say they expect 80-100 votes will be "washed away" from Franken's column when the court throws out ballots that have been double counted in the recount process.
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Posted: 2/3/2009 10:04:51 PM EST
Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper (Tenn.) vented to Air America about the way Speaker Nancy Pelosi was treating members who wanted to do things like read the bills being voted on.
It wasn't pretty.
Cooper, one of the 11 Democrats to vote against the House version of the stimulus bill, said he landed in hot water with Pelosi because he cared what was in the bill.
"I got in terrible trouble with our leadership because they don’t care what’s in the bill, they just want it pass and they want it to be unanimous," he said. "They don’t mind the partisan fighting cause that’s what they are used to. In fact, they’re really good at it. And they’re a little bit worried about what a post-partisan future might look like. If members actually had to read the bills and figure out whether they are any good or not. We’re just told how to vote. We’re treated like mushrooms most of the time."
The interview is compelling. The good folks at Eyeblast.tv snipped it and posted it. Here it is below.
It wasn't pretty.
Cooper, one of the 11 Democrats to vote against the House version of the stimulus bill, said he landed in hot water with Pelosi because he cared what was in the bill.
"I got in terrible trouble with our leadership because they don’t care what’s in the bill, they just want it pass and they want it to be unanimous," he said. "They don’t mind the partisan fighting cause that’s what they are used to. In fact, they’re really good at it. And they’re a little bit worried about what a post-partisan future might look like. If members actually had to read the bills and figure out whether they are any good or not. We’re just told how to vote. We’re treated like mushrooms most of the time."
The interview is compelling. The good folks at Eyeblast.tv snipped it and posted it. Here it is below.
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Posted: 2/3/2009 4:55:02 PM EST
Jeffrey Poor of the Business and Media Institute finds a provision in the House and Senate version of the stimulus bill that forbids any money from going to a place of higher education that may
Specifically the language prohibits stimulus funds from being used to modernize, renovate, or repair of facilities:
Specifically the language prohibits stimulus funds from being used to modernize, renovate, or repair of facilities:
(i) used for sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of divinity; or"This is an ACLU stimulus, because any school that gets funds to upgrade a student center or building where Bible studies or religious meetings may be held will be slapped with a lawsuit,” Wesley Denton, spokesman for Sen. Jim DeMint (R.-S.C.), told the Culture and Media Institute. “This bill declares a war on prayer at college campuses in this country. Students have constitutional right to use public facilities regardless of their religious views, and President Obama needs to step in to ask Sen. Reid and Speaker Pelosi to stop this attack on students of faith.”
(ii) in which a substantial portion of the functions of the facilities are subsumed in a religious mission
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Posted: 2/3/2009 3:47:44 PM EST
Scott Murphy, the Democrat running for New York’s 20th open seat, is sure to be wincing at all the attention on President Obama’s appointment picks who failed to pay their taxes.
Murphy is opposing Republican Jim Tedisco for the seat vacated by Democratic Rep. Kristin Gillibrand and the GOP already has their hands full of opposition research.
The New York Department of Taxation put out a lien in Murphy’s Small World Software Company in 1999 for $20,805. He paid up but the state had two other liens, worth about $750 combined, still outstanding.
The National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee issued a statement saying Murphy was “taking lessons in tax evasion from his party’s elite.”
Murphy isn’t being forthright about his role in creating a foreign web business, called bazee.com, either. The GOP feels his experience with this conflicts with his message about job creation in the U.S. and Murphy insists he was only an advisor to the start-up.
Cached pages of the website, however, list Murphy as the site’s founder. This reference was deleted from the page days before Murphy announced his candidacy.
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Posted: 2/3/2009 1:43:30 PM EST
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tom Daschle withdrew his name from consideration to become Health and Human Services Secretary because he didn't want to be a "distraction" from the president's agenda.
Gibbs said Nancy Killefer, who was on track to become the federal government's chief performance officer, resigned on Tuesday for similar reasons.
Both of them had a series of problems with their personal finances and failed to pay hundreds of thousands in taxes.
Gibbs said both "recognized you can't set an example of responsiblity but accept a different standard of service" during a White House press briefing Tuesday afternoon.
Obama's Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, however, also had tax problems. He failed to pay $34,000 in taxes while working for the IMF. Gibbs said Geithner's transgressions were not a deal-breaker because "Mr. Geithner has gone through a process..he has gone through the full Senate with bipartisan support."
Gibbs flailed to answer more pressing why the president stood by Geithner despite his tax problems, but not Daschle. He would not answer a question if Obama would have kept supporting Daschle or Killefer if he had not withdrawn his name.
The most he would say is that there are "a few exceptions for people who are uniquely qualified to lead this country."
"I am not going to spend a lot of time up here today looking in the rear view mirror," he said.
Gibbs said Nancy Killefer, who was on track to become the federal government's chief performance officer, resigned on Tuesday for similar reasons.
Both of them had a series of problems with their personal finances and failed to pay hundreds of thousands in taxes.
Gibbs said both "recognized you can't set an example of responsiblity but accept a different standard of service" during a White House press briefing Tuesday afternoon.
Obama's Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, however, also had tax problems. He failed to pay $34,000 in taxes while working for the IMF. Gibbs said Geithner's transgressions were not a deal-breaker because "Mr. Geithner has gone through a process..he has gone through the full Senate with bipartisan support."
Gibbs flailed to answer more pressing why the president stood by Geithner despite his tax problems, but not Daschle. He would not answer a question if Obama would have kept supporting Daschle or Killefer if he had not withdrawn his name.
The most he would say is that there are "a few exceptions for people who are uniquely qualified to lead this country."
"I am not going to spend a lot of time up here today looking in the rear view mirror," he said.
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