Obama Bungles Jobs Numbers, what happened to the teleprompter?
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Obama Bungles Jobs Numbers!
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012Florida House casino bill sponsor proposes changes to reduce gambling options
Sunday, January 29th, 2012Florida House casino bill sponsor proposes changes to reduce gambling options
By Mary Ellen Klas Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Time
The House sponsor of the bill to bring three mega resort casinos to Florida unveiled a series of amendments Wednesday to make the measure more palatable to his conservative, anti-gambling colleagues.
The changes by Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, are designed to “scale back existing gaming and ensure there is no additional gaming,” he said.
But while Fresen’s changes are designed to limit the expansion of gambling in Florida, the state Senate went in the opposite direction last week when it adopted amendments to a similar bill by Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff that opens the door to Las Vegas-style slot machines in every horse and dog track and jai-alai fronton in the state, so long as voters approve.
Under Fresen’s proposal, the state would authorize three destination resort casinos and, like the Senate bill, allow them only if voters approve in a countywide referendum. Bogdanoff’s bill, however, would allow for the three resort casinos to operate in any part of the state.
Fresen’s amendments would also permanently ban the so-called Internet Cafes and maquinitas parlors that rely on a loophole in the state’s sweepstakes law to operate slot machine look-alikes — a contrast to Bogdanoff’s bill, which would regulate the games. Another amendment would also prohibit the state from issuing any new parimutuel permits, repeal the 17 dormant parimutuel permits now in existence, and would use the proceeds from the casino taxes to buy back permits from up to four existing parimutuels.
Fresen also proposes an amendment to give the state’s existing parimutuels the same 10 percent tax rate on their slot machine games as the new destination resort casinos, once the resort casinos open.
“The crux of these amendments is to address some of the desires an some of the concerns expressed by members,” Fresen said.
The bill sponsors continue to look as if they face an uphill climb to win agreement on the plans this session. House Speaker Dean Cannon has repeatedly said he’s skeptical that the resort casino bill would pass the House, where a majority want to reduce gambling options in Florida.
Fresen said his bill, HB 487, will get its first hearing in the Business and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee chaired by Rep. Doug Holder, R-Sarasota, within the next two weeks.
While Bogdanoff’s bill has moved through its first Senate committee, Fresen’s nearly identical proposal has remained in limbo in the House despite heavy lobbying by the gaming industry and an influx of more than $2 million in campaign cash into Republican Party of Florida coffers, including $628,000 from the Malaysian-based Genting alone.
“The pace of movement of all bills in the house is much slower than in the Senate,” Fresen said.
Herman Cain backs Gingrich’s presidential bid!
Saturday, January 28th, 2012Cain backs Gingrich’s presidential bid
By PHILIP ELLIOTT
Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Former presidential hopeful Herman Cain threw his support behind Newt Gingrich Saturday night, providing the former House speaker with a late boost just days before Florida’s primary.
Cain, a tea party favorite, endorsed his fellow Georgian at a GOP fundraiser Saturday calling him “a patriot.”
“Speaker Gingrich is not afraid of bold ideas,” Cain said.
The former pizza executive, who left the race before the first nominating contests after facing accusations of unwanted sexual advances, suggested the two have both undergone intense scrutiny.
“I know that Speaker Gingrich is running for president and going through this sausage grinder,” Cain said. “I know what this sausage grinder is all about.”
Cain is set to campaign with Gingrich on Monday in an 11th hour push for support. Gingrich is in a fierce fight for Tuesday’s Florida’s GOP primary with Mitt Romney.
Gingrich on Saturday night said that, like Cain, he is running a campaign based on big ideas and bold solutions.
The decision was not unexpected but the announcement comes at a make or break moment. .
“I had it in my heart and mind a long time ago,” Cain said.
The timing is similar to a Saturday night surprise four years ago, when then-Florida Gov. Charlie Crist endorsed John McCain’s presidential bid.
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry also endorsed Gingrich when he bowed out of the race in South Carolina.
Since exiting the race in December, Cain appeared at a rally in South Carolina with late-night comedian Stephen Colbert.
Harry Reid, said it would be ‘foolish’ to pass a budget.
Saturday, January 28th, 20121,000 Days
Tuesday marked 1,000 days since Senate Democrats have passed a budget. The past three years have been a reckless spending spree that added $4.5 trillion in new debt to our tab and enabled our overall debt to surpass $15 trillion.
Rubio: “The Majority Leader in the Senate, Harry Reid, said it would be ‘foolish’ to pass a budget. I disagree. As we mark the 1,000th day since Senate Democrats have passed a budget – a fundamental element of governing – it is clear that those in Washington worrying more about their next reelection than making the tough choices to get our nation on a sustainable fiscal path are the ones being foolish.”
Sarah Palin: Newt ‘Crucified’ by Romney Allies, GOP Establishment
Saturday, January 28th, 2012Sarah Palin: Newt ‘Crucified’ by Romney Allies, GOP Establishment
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says that Newt Gingrich is being “crucified” by the Republican establishment, including allies of Mitt Romney, who are trying to rewrite his record with a barrage of negative attacks.
“Look at Newt Gingrich, what’s going on with him via the establishment’s attacks,” Palin told John Stossel of Fox Business on Thursday.
She added: “They’re trying to crucify this man and rewrite history and rewrite what it is that he has stood for all these years.”
Palin has not endorsed any of the GOP presidential candidates, but has been enthusiastically supportive of Gingrich.
Last week before the South Carolina GOP primary Palin said she would vote for Newt Gingrich if she was voting in that state’s primary.
Palin’s husband, Todd, has officially endorsed Gingrich for president.
Sarah Palin explained her husband’s endorsement of Gingrich: “I think that endorsement was real reflective of a lot of Americans who understand that somebody with experience in cutting government budgets, cutting taxes — which does more for liberty and an economic turnaround than anything else — someone who has waged war on Hillarycare and government taking over of healthcare — somebody with that experience plus somebody who has struggled personally and overcome struggles and challenges — would be one that was embraced by voters.”
And Sarah Palin’s defense of Gingrich, especially of his conservative, Reaganite record, has gotten significant backing from leading conservatives.
On Thursday, Rush Limbaugh slammed Romney allies for a “coordinated attack” on Gingrich.
Limbaugh described Gingrich as the “premier defender of Ronald Reagan” and said such smear tactics against Gingrich hurt Mitt Romney.
“That kind of stuff is why people hate Romney so much,” Limbaugh said.
Palin also struck out at conservative writers like Washington Post columnist George Will and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, who earlier this month called Gingrich an “angry little attack muffin.”
“That’s that typical hypocrisy stuff in the media, you know, I’ve lived with over a couple of decades in the political arena,” she told Stossel, complaining that Mitt Romney doesn’t get the same treatment.
Last week, in a radio interview with Sean Hannity, Palin blasted ABC News for its interview with Gingrich’s ex-wife, Marianne Gingrich, saying these kinds of media hits “incentivize conservatives and independents” who are tired of “the politics of personal destruction.”
“We know the game now, and we just won’t put up with it. Good call, media.”
Romney is suffering a major backlash from conservatives outraged by his tactics.
Michael Reagan, the conservative commentator and son of President Reagan, slammed Romney for his recent assault on Gingrich.
“As governor of Massachusetts, Romney’s achievement was the most socialistic healthcare plan in the nation up until that time,” Reagan said.
“Say what you want about Newt Gingrich but when he was speaker of the House he surrounded himself with Reagan conservatives and implemented a Ronald Reagan program of low taxes and restrained federal spending.
“Newt’s conservative program created a huge economic boom and balanced the budget for the first time in more than a generation.”
Mike Reagan concluded: “I would take Newt Gingrich’s record any day over Mitt Romney’s.”
Florida, This tells you all you need to know about the real Romney. This is how low he can go!!!
Saturday, January 28th, 2012NBC, Brokaw denounce Romney ad
By MAGGIE HABERMAN |
1/28/12 1:14 PM EST
Via POLITICO’s Reid Epstein, NBC News and Tom Brokaw are loudly objecting to the Mitt Romney campaign’s use of footage from the 1990s in an ad blasting Newt Gingrich over his House ethics charges.
Brokaw, whose statement noted he was speaking on his behalf, said, “I am extremely uncomfortable with the extended use of my personal image in this political ad. I do no want my role as a journalist compromised for political gain by any campaign.”
“The NBC Legal Department has written a letter to the campaign asking for the removal of all NBC News material from their campaign ads,” NBC News said in a statement, which added, “Similar requests have gone out to other campaigns that have inappropriately used Nightly News, Meet the Press, Today and MSNBC material.”
Romney aides said they hadn’t yet heard from NBC News.
On a basic level, the flap around the spot simply calls more attention to it, which is presumably part of Team Romney’s calculus.
Electric-Car Firm That Received Biden Visit and $118M in Stimulus Funds Files for Bankruptcy!
Friday, January 27th, 2012Electric-Car Firm That Received Biden Visit and $118M in Stimulus Funds Files for Bankruptcy
By Fred Lucas
(CNSNews.com) – Ener1–a company that manufactures batteries for electric cars, and that received $118.5 million in federal stimulus money, and that Vice President Joe Biden visited last year the day after President Obama’s State of the Union Address—announced today that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Another Obama-Biden failure in the Green Energy field.
Romney out of ideas in Florida turns to sliming Gingrich.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Once again we see the Romney campaign symbol.
Gingrich Never Fined on Ethics Matter, Records Show
Associates of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are stepping forward to rebut accusations from Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney that he resigned in “disgrace” and paid an ethics “fine.”
Sliding in the polls, Romney has opened a full broadside on Gingrich focused on the former speaker’s ethics issues. Gingrich felt the criticism was significant enough on Monday to forcefully challenge Romney’s characterization of his term as speaker.
“The Democrats had filed 84 ethics charges for a simple reason,” Gingrich said Monday. “We had taken control of the House after 40 years, and they were very bitter.”
The IRS launched a three-year probe to investigate that charge. It dropped its investigation after declaring that Gingrich’s courses were “educational in content.”
House Special Counsel James M. Cole alleged that a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization paid for two courses Gingrich taught at Georgia colleges. Cole stated that the courses, titled Renewing American Civilization, were “substantially motivated by partisan, political goals,” and therefore a violation of the organizations’ tax-exempt status.
The IRS launched a three-year probe to investigate that charge. It dropped its investigation after declaring that Gingrich’s courses were “educational in content.”
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds ?
Wednesday, January 25th, 201233% of GOP Voters Say It Would Be Good If New Candidate Entered Presidential Race
While many pundits have taken to describing the race for the Republican nomination as a two-man competition, a third of all voters nationwide think it would be good for the GOP if someone else jumped into the fray.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 34% of Likely U.S. Voters think it would be good for Republicans if another candidate entered the race for the party’s presidential nomination. But nearly as many (31%) say it would be bad for the party, while 24% believe it would have no impact. Twelve percent (12%) are not sure.
TO THE 33% we have 1 thing to say, Jesus and Ronald Reagan are not going to be entering the race so get over yourself and decide on a candidate that is running.
Comprehensive List of Obama Tax Hikes
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012Comprehensive List of Obama Tax Hikes
Since taking office, President Barack Obama has signed into law twenty-one new or higher taxes:
1. A 156 percent increase in the federal excise tax on tobacco
2. Obamacare Individual Mandate Excise Tax
3. Obamacare Employer Mandate Tax
4. Obamacare Surtax on Investment Income
5. Obamacare Excise Tax on Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans
6. Obamacare Hike in Medicare Payroll Tax
7. Obamacare Medicine Cabinet Tax
8. Obamacare HSA Withdrawal Tax Hike
9. Obamacare Flexible Spending Account Cap – aka “Special Needs Kids Tax”
10. Obamacare Tax on Medical Device Manufacturers
11. Obamacare “Haircut” for Medical Itemized Deduction from 7.5% to 10% of AGI
12. Obamacare Tax on Indoor Tanning Services
13. Obamacare elimination of tax deduction for employer-provided retirement Rx drug coverage in coordination with Medicare Part D
14. Obamacare Blue Cross/Blue Shield Tax Hike
15. Obamacare Excise Tax on Charitable Hospitals
16. Obamacare Tax on Innovator Drug Companies
17. Obamacare Tax on Health Insurers
18. Obamacare $500,000 Annual Executive Compensation Limit for Health Insurance Executives
19. Obamacare Employer Reporting of Insurance on W-2
20. Obamacare “Black liquor” tax hike
21. Obamacare Codification of the “economic substance doctrine”
For full details on each tax, check out Americans for Tax Reform
Tags: Obama, tax hikes, taxes
