Obama & McCain on taxes and the economy.

Will Obama or McCain's proposal tax home sales more? What about capital gains? With “both John McCain and Barack Obama offering tax cuts,” according to the Christian Science Monitor, “the 2008 election promises a boost for the typical family budget” regardless. But the myths require debunking - smears circulate in email misrepresenting the differences - sometimes deliberately. Facts help...

"New Tax" Falsehoods: One e-mail in particular contains a string of made-up taxes that it falsely claims Obama has proposed. He has not proposed a tax on new homes with more than 2,400 square feet, or a new gasoline tax or a tax on retirement accounts. The most laughably false claim is that Obama would tax "water." But it's out there, and in covering it the media echoes it... Want more facts?

• Capital Gains Rate: It's untrue that Obama is proposing a 28 percent capital gains tax rate. He said in an interview on CNBC that he favors raising the top rate on capital gains from its present 15 percent to 20 percent or more, but no higher than 28 percent. And as for a 28 percent rate, he added, "my guess would be it would be significantly lower than that."
• Tax on Dividends: Another false claim is that Obama proposes to raise the tax rate on dividends to 39.6 percent. Dividends currently are taxed at a top rate of 15 percent, and Obama would raise that to the same rate as he would tax capital gains, somewhere between 20 percent and 28 percent but likely "significantly" lower than 28 percent. This higher tax also would fall only on couples making $250,000 or more or singles making more than $200,000.
• Taxing IRAs and 529s: Contrary to email rumors, raising tax rates on capital gains or dividends would not result in higher taxes on any investments held in Individual Retirement Accounts or in popular, tax-deferred "college funds" under section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. The whole point of such tax-deferred plans is that dividends and capital gains are allowed to accumulate and compound tax-free, and neither Obama nor McCain proposes to change that. And as previously mentioned, any capital gains or dividend income from stocks, bonds or mutual funds owned outside of tax-deferred accounts would continue to be taxed at current rates except for couples making over $250,000, or singles making more than $200,000
• Doubled Taxes? The claim that "Under Obama your taxes will more than double!" is also false. Do you really need to ask? The comparative rate tables one e-mail smear provides for McCain and Obama are entirely wrong, as explained in a March 13 article about another false e-mail (from which the tables are copied.) It is supposedly a comparison of tax rates before and after the Bush tax cuts, but it grossly overstates the effect of the Bush cuts. Obama actually proposes to retain the Bush cuts for every single income level shown in the bogus table.
• Estate Tax. The claim that Obama proposes to "restore the inheritance tax" is also false, as are the claims that McCain would impose zero tax and that Bush "repealed" it. McCain and Obama both would retain a reduced version of the estate tax, as it is correctly called, though McCain would reduce it by more.
  
  The tax now falls only on estates valued at more than $2 million (effectively $4 million for couples able to set up the required legal and financial arrangements). It reaches a maximum rate of 45 percent on amounts more than that. It was not repealed, but it is set to expire temporarily in 2010, then return in 2011, when it would apply to estates valued at more than $1 million ($2 million for couples), with the maximum rate rising to 55 percent.
  
  Obama has proposed to apply the tax only to estates valued at more than $3.5 million ($7 million for couples), holding the maximum rate at 45 percent. McCain would apply it to estates worth more than $5 million ($10 million for couples), with a maximum rate of 15 percent. I wonder how that difference relates to the assessed value, or anticipated selling price, of the best of the McCain homes...

Why all the misinformation?

Some of it's based on simple confusion. After all, Obama's not prone to cute sound-bites such as "Read my lips: No new taxes." Some of the emails circulating, however, are so consistently mis-representing the facts - facts that are easy to verify - that one can only conclude a deliberately malicious intent to strike fear in the wallets of middle class voters is behind the lies.

In an ideal setting voters would all have access to reliable, current, accurate information sources. They'd also take the time to examine that information, no matter if it was Obama's stand on taxes, McCain's statements about taxes or his speeches on why health care doesn't need the fixes Obama's proposed, or rookie Governor Palin's changing stand on the pork barrel "Bridge to Nowhere." In practice, time is short, and rumors often get as much (if not more) coverage as facts on the evening TV news or in newspapers. Futhermore it's often hard to tell which part of a story is the truth. The media producers have motives that must be examined, particularly those who profit from selling commercials since they obviously desire to make a profit. When in doubt, follow the money.

Who profits from the election of McCain or Obama -- or your mayor?

Who profits from voters feeling disenfranchised and tuning out?

The airwaves are as full of misinformation - willfully employed - as the email is. Are you ready to step up and be an Agent of change, to contribute to help spread the truth?

read more: Capital gains and taxing home sales | digg story

Wayne Berman, Top McCain Fundraiser, Also Lobbyist For Big Oil

Wayne Berman's a key fundraiser for the presidential campaign of Senator John McCain and a member of the government relations staff of Oglivy, a PR firm with a Washington office. 

Berman's a prime example of why people say that McCain's in the pocket of Big Oil.  Wayne Berman's serving as a lobbyist for Chevron in their legal battle against the country of Ecuador.

Berman has taken the incredible step of trying to get the Bush Administration to take special trade preferences away from Ecuador if that country doesn't drop its billion dollar lawsuit against Chevron.

I can personally save Wayne Berman the trouble by telling him Chevron's not at fault to anywhere near the levels charged by Ecuador.  But the other side of this story has nothing to do with Chevron and everything to do with Wayne Berman's key involvement in McCain's campaign. 

With ties like Wayne Berman, it's impossible for McCain to claim he's not a friend of Big Oil.

Petroecuador Employees Fight Over Occidential Petroleum's Left Over Luxury Cars

If one needs any evidence of how divided Ecuador's class culture really is, and of how this still-poor country (even with its oil industry) has so little that its citizens scrap for everything, we have this report of Petroecuador employees actually coming to blows over luxury cars left behind after the state forced that American oil company out of the country.


Now, the resulting "wake" has improved the oil sector, if not the messy politics that defines it in this country. Now, Petroecuador controls 50 percent of all oil export production in Ecuador. And while Occidental has approached the Bush Administration for help in re-acquiring the assets seized by Ecuador, the nation's representatives are taking a hard line stance, not allowing a "an arrogant, portentous transnational that doesn’t respect Ecuadoran laws to harm our country,” according to Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa.  

Sen. Joe Biden Rips Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin in Landhorne, PA

Barack Obama picked not only the most experienced person in the Senate to be his running mate, but perhaps the most passionate one as well. In this campaign stop at Landhorne, PA, Biden reminded all Americans of the problems we've faced over the last eight years of the Bush Administration: lost jobs and a lost self-esteem.

RACIST COLLEGE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT ADAM LADUCA STEPS DOWN - CALLED KING A FRAUD

You know, the more I see stories like this, the less faith I have in America.  What bothers me about this story of Adam LaDuca is that he's 21 years old and so this racist view is a reflection of his parents.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The leader of a statewide group of college Republicans has been forced to resign after posting racially insensitive comments about Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama on the Internet.

Adam LaDuca, 21, the former executive director of the Pennsylvania Federation of College Republicans, wrote on his Facebook page in late July that Obama has "a pair of lips so large he could float half of Cuba to the shores of Miami (and probably would.)"

LaDuca, who previously had called Martin Luther King Jr. a "pariah" and a "fraud," also wrote: "And man, if sayin' someone has large lips is a racial slur, then we're ALL in trouble."

The College Republicans asked LaDuca to resign after his remarks were publicized by the Pennsylvania Progressive, a blog written by a Democratic committeeman from Berks County. The group announced LaDuca's resignation on its Web site Friday.

Palin Charged Rape Victims For Tests As Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska

Palin Charged Rape Victims For Tests As Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska

This Frontiersman article written while Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was Mayor of Wasilla has to be read to be believed:

Published on Monday, May 22, 2000 9:00 PM 

ANCHORAGE - Gov. Tony Knowles recently signed legislation protecting victims of sexual assault from being billed for tests to collect evidence of the crime, but one local police chief said the new law will further burden taxpayers.

The governor signed House Bill 270, sponsored by Rep. Eric Croft, D-Anchorage, outside the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) exam room at Alaska Regional Hospital. In attendance at the signing were members of victims advocate groups, law enforcement agencies and legislators.

The new law makes it illegal for any law enforcement agency to bill victims or victims insurance companies for the costs of examinations that take place to collect evidence of a sexual assault or determine if a sexual assault did occur.

We would never bill the victim of a burglary for fingerprinting and photographing the crime scene, or for the cost of gathering other evidence, Knowles said. Nor should we bill rape victims just because the crime scene happens to be their bodies.

While the Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies have covered the cost of exams, which cost between $300 to $1,200 apiece, the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests

Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon does not agree with the new legislation, saying the law will require the city and communities to come up with more funds to cover the costs of the forensic exams.

In the past weve charged the cost of exams to the victims insurance company when possible. I just dont want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer, Fannon said.

According to Fannon, the new law will cost the Wasilla Police Department approximately $5,000 to $14,000 a year to collect evidence for sexual assault cases.

Ultimately it is the criminal who should bear the burden of the added costs, Fannon said.

The forensic exam is just one part of the equation. Id like to see the courts make these people pay restitution for these things, Fannon said.

Fannon said he intends to include the cost of exams required to collect evidence in a restitution request as a part of a criminals sentencing.

Palmer police chief Laren Zager said that to his knowledge, no sexual assault victim has ever been billed by the city of Palmer for an exam to collect evidence of a crime. Zager, who has been police chief since January, said he would never expect a victim to be burdened with the cost of a police investigation.

Im prepared to pay every dime in an investigation. As long as I am chief, I would never bill a victim, Zager said.

The new bill would also make law enforcement agencies that are investigating a sexual assault responsible for the costs of testing victims for sexually transmitted diseases and emergency contraception.

Gov. Palin Requested Almost $1 BILLION in Earmarks: AP - No Kidding

Folks, the lies and tall tales told by Alaska Governor and GOP VP Candidate Sarah Palin have grown bigger and bigger.  But this one's huge.  And I mean to the tune of nearly one billion dollars.

According to the Associated Press, Palin has requested $750 million in earmarks during her short terms as Alaska's Governor.  For just 670,000 people in that state, that comes to $1,119 for each Alaska Resident.

Earlier, I looked at this from a "per-day" perspective and came to the number of $853,623 per day.  But that was with just $576 million in requests.  This AP-estimate brings that number to $1,875,000 per day.

That's almost $2 million per day.

 In addition to this news, the Washington Post charges that Palin used state money simply for nights spent at home.  I suspect that money went to the care and feeding of her four kids and I don't write that to be funny at all.  The question is, is a $125,000 salary enough for a family of that size?  Remember, her husband does not work, so Palin's money is the only one coming in to the house.  

That's crazy.  The only question is will Fox News report this fact?

Sarah Palin The Anti-Christ According To Deepak Chopra

From: Deepak Chopra | In The Elephant Journal

Posted: Friday, September 5th, 2008

 Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national psyche even when nobody intended to do that. This is perfectly illustrated by the rousing effect that Gov. Sarah Palin had on the Republican convention in Minneapolis this week. On the surface, she outdoes former Vice President Dan Quayle as an unlikely choice, given her negligent parochial expertise in the complex affairs of governing. Her state of Alaska has less than 700,000 residents, which reduces the job of governor to the scale of running one-tenth of New York City. By comparison, Rudy Giuliani is a towering international figure. Palin's pluck has been admired, and her forthrightness, but her real appeal goes deeper.

 She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding his idealism and exhorting people to obey their worst impulses. In psychological terms the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides out of sight, countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with qualities we are ashamed to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, selfishness, and suspicion of "the other." For millions of Americans, Obama triggers those feelings, but they don't want to express them. He is calling for us to reach for our higher selves, and frankly, that stirs up hidden reactions of an unsavory kind. (Just to be perfectly clear, I am not making a verbal play out of the fact that Sen. Obama is black. The shadow is a metaphor widely in use before his arrival on the scene.)

 I recognize that psychological analysis of politics is usually not welcome by the public, but I believe such a perspective can be helpful here to understand Palin's message. In her acceptance speech Gov. Palin sent a rousing call to those who want to celebrate their resistance to change and a higher vision.

 Look at what she stands for:

 --Small town values -- a denial of America's global role, a return to petty, small-minded parochialism.

 --Ignorance of world affairs -- a repudiation of the need to repair America's image abroad.

 --Family values -- a code for walling out anybody who makes a claim for social justice. Such strangers, being outside the family, don't need to be heeded.

 --Rigid stands on guns and abortion -- a scornful repudiation that these issues can be negotiated with those who disagree.

 --Patriotism -- the usual fallback in a failed war.

 --"Reform" -- an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out corruption and excessive spending, one also throws out anyone who doesn't fit your ideology.

 Palin reinforces the overall message of the reactionary right, which has been in play since 1980, that social justice is liberal-radical, that minorities and immigrants, being different from "us" pure American types, can be ignored, that progressivism takes too much effort and globalism is a foreign threat. The radical right marches under the banners of "I'm all right, Jack," and "Why change? Everything's OK as it is." The irony, of course, is that Gov. Palin is a woman and a reactionary at the same time. She can add mom to apple pie on her resume, while blithely reversing forty years of feminist progress. The irony is superficial; there are millions of women who stand on the side of conservatism, however obviously they are voting against their own good. The Republicans have won multiple national elections by raising shadow issues based on fear, rejection, hostility to change, and narrow-mindedness.

 Obama's call for higher ideals in politics can't be seen in a vacuum. The shadow is real; it was bound to respond. Not just conservatives possess a shadow -- we all do. So what comes next is a contest between the two forces of progress and inertia. Will the shadow win again, or has its furtive appeal become exhausted? No one can predict. The best thing about Gov. Palin is that she brought this conflict to light, which makes the upcoming debate honest. It would be a shame to elect another Reagan, whose smiling persona was a stalking horse for the reactionary forces that have brought us to the demoralized state we are in. We deserve to see what we are getting, without disguise.

Oakland Raiders Losing To Broncos 41 to 14; Officiating Terrible

I'm watching this debacle of a Monday Night Football game, which finds the host Oakland Raiders getting hammered by the visiting Denver Broncos 41 to 14 at this point in the game with about a minute left.

But even though the Raiders are losing, I've got to complain about how the officials just let the Broncos defensive backs plain manhandle the Raiders wide receivers -- there should have been at least three pass interference calls.

Tragic.

More terrible still is the overall game plan put together by head coach Lane Kiffin and his staff.  They tried to rely on their running game almost exclusively in the first half and even then Kiffin does not seem to know that his prize running back Darren McFadden is an outside speed specialist and not Deuce McAllister of the Saints.

It seems like it's going to be a long year for the Raiders. 

Open letter to John McCain: Bureaucrats and Health Care

What would you advise, my friend? You say you’re in favor of changing everything that’s wrong in Washington, you’re trying to reclaim your old label as a maverick, and distance yourself as far as you can from Bush after voting with him about 90% of the time - but leaving health care the way it is because Obama thought up changing it first? That's toadying up to the lobbyists from big insurance companies, that's politics as usual, and believe me, maverick, our health care system ISN'T working for everybody.

Here's a story of how insurance-based health care decisions worked against a woman who suffered nerve damage during the birth of her second child. Health Partners changed her medication/treatment without consulting her records, or her doctor... no medical professionals were involved, just a clerk delivering news that her treatment was no longer eligible for coverage because nobody at Health Partners took the time to even read her diagnosis, let alone get a proper medical evaluation of her symptoms and the treatment protocol. It was medical decision making based on profit.

I could retire on the money Senator McCain is paying the lobbyists on his campaign staff. How is this change? You can't just SAY you're for change because you're scared to be aligned with the President... especially when you support nearly every initiative or policy he's undertaken. Come on, Senator, tell us please: How do you cave on torture? How do you argue we should throw the bums out when you're one of the most senior legislators? How can you tell voters that Obama's wrong to try to improve health care and look yourself in the mirror?

While I'm at it: How can you pretend Palin's against earmarks?

Seriously, my friend: WTF?

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Maverick my ass

Once I learned just how much pork Sarah Palin got via earmarks I could barely believe the commerical media were glossing over it. But for McCain to try to reclaim the maverick personna after how he toadied up to Bush since 2000, and trying to paint his ticket as conservatives that can bring change? That's the epitome of unbelievable Rovian tactics.

We may not know much about Palin yet, but we do know votes for John McCain are votes for more of the same.

Black Voter Registration Purged by Florida Republicans

While the media focuses on the antics of McCain's chosen VP battleground states are purging their voter rolls.In Colorado, one fifth of all voter registrations were dropped. Florida is refusing to accept 85,000 new registrants -- overwhelmingly blacks. Ohio & Nevada are scrubbing tens of 1000s of voters who lost their homes.

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