Fair Tax

All income regardless of source considered the same for tax purposes. Wages, dividends, capital gains, inheritance, all forms of income received during the tax year treated the same. If payer deducts as expense, payee declares as tax. All receipts are reported by payer. No deductions except standard deduction of 33% of gross income. In the event of catastrophic loss (ie fire, flood, etc.) uninsured amounts in excess of 33% of gross income may be deducted as catastrophic loss. In the event of catastrophic medical expense uninsured reimbursements in excess of 33% of gross income may be deducted from gross income. Minimum tax of $52.00 per year for everyone with a Social Security number(even with 0 income). Tax rates for a single person on gross income, less 33% standard deduction: $1.00 - $10,000: $52.00 + 5%, 10,001 - $50,000: $552 + 10% over $10,001, $50,001 – $250,000: $4,552 + 15% over $50,001, $250,001 - $500,000: $34,552 + 20% over $250,001, $500,001 - $1,000,000: $84,552 + 25% over $500,000, $1,000,000 - $5,000,000: $209,552 + 35% over $1,000,000, $5,000,000 and above: $1,400,000 + 50% 0ver $5,000,000. Adjustments for married should be applied to the above brackets.

What Will Romney Do

Romney continues to claim that his business experience will allow him to solve the country’s economic problems. While the rhetoric may sound believable, one only needs to look at the analysis of the economic plans he has supported to see that the “Romney Plan” is nothing more than a rehash of the very things that resulted in the greatest economic decline since the great depression. His support of the Ryan plan has been scored and the results are an even greater increase in the debt than occurred under Bush 43. The present recession was caused, in part by the lowered taxes and reduced regulations and to repeat these policies can only result in more of the same. Romney’s business experience was based upon creating MORE wealth for the wealthy and his economic policies will do the same thing, MORE wealth for those already wealthy. Romney’s business experience also resulted in job losses by the middle class and the employees of many of the companies purchased and closed by Bain Capital when Romney was running that company. The Romney/Ryan budget will do the same thing...impact those at the bottom of the economic ladder and do nothing to help grow the middle class. When Governor of Massachusetts, Romney presided over a job creation record that went from 39th in the country when he took office to 47th in the country when he left office. There is no credible evidence that, as President, Romney will do any better. Romney has promised to repeal the healthcare legislation but has not offered anything to improve or replace the repealed legislation in spite of what the citizens of Massachusetts consider the Massachusetts healthcare program, “Romney Care” to be his singular accomplishment as governor. If experience is the most important factor in electing the President, one must keep in mind that Obama already has experience. Obama has presided over the reversal of job losses suffered before and shortly after he took office. Obama has successfully presided over the killing or capture of most of the leaders of al Qaeda, including bin Laden. Obama has successfully presided over the end of combat operations in Iraq and has put in place the end of combat operations in Afghanistan. Obama has both domestic and foreign policy experience. But for obstruction on the part of Republicans in the Senate, the economic recovery would be even greater. When it comes to job creation, since taking office, the country has seen the creation of over 4.5 million private sector jobs which almost doubles the 8 year businessman Bush’s job creation record. Romney wants to be President. Obama is the President and he has been the President. Obama has experience, Romney has nothing but rhetoric. Rhetoric has yet to create a single job, kill a single terrorist, or help a sick person pay their medical bills.

People or Profit?

What is the role of the chief executive in a private sector business? Is that job a responsibility of creating profit or creating jobs? Most would say that role is one of creating profits. Jobs are only created out of necessity when there are not enough people employed to service the needs of present and future customers. In many cases, the job of the chief executive is to determine the need to eliminate jobs since jobs add to a business expenses and take from profit. Contrary to the assertion of Mitt Romney, the job of a chief executive is not job creation and in the case of a business like Bain Capital, the job of the chief executive is to create wealth for the investors in Bain Capital. The creation of jobs is the last thing on the “to-do” list of a venture capital business CEO. Why, then does Mitt Romney continue to cite his experience at Bain Capital as a prerequisite to be President of the United States? Has he already forgotten that the 43rd President, George W. Bush, claimed his business experience is what qualified him for that job? He apparently has also forgotten the economic troubles a “businessman-president” caused. That President, Bush 43, also claimed to be a job creator and insisted that his tax cuts and deregulation would also create jobs. Unfortunately for about 4 million people, the Bush/Businessman economic policies did just the opposite. Now, along comes Willard Mitt Romney who also claims his businessman background better prepares him to be President than President Obama. He fails to mention that President Obama has over three years experience in the job as President or that President Obama has begun to reverse the economic morass created by businessman Bush. Romney also fails to mention that since the start of the Obama Presidency over 4 million jobs, almost twice the jobs over eight years of Bush 43, have been added to the private sector. Romney also fails to consider even more private sector jobs would have been created but for filibusters in the Senate that blocked job-creation legislation proposed by President Obama. Finally, Romney also fails to note that some of today’s greatest job losses are occurring in state and local government jobs that are being cut by states with Republican controlled legislators and Republican governors. There will be a point at which time the chief executive of a government enterprise will have a need to reduce expenses and that will entail cutting jobs. However, that time is not when there is high unemployment and when the country is not yet out of the recession created by the economic policies of the previous businessman president.

A Little Discrimination

Is there such a thing as a little bit of discrimination? Is that not unlike a little bit pregnant? Either you eliminate all discrimination or you live in a society that says discrimination is OK. Depriving a gay person of a right because of sexual preference is no more or less discriminatory than depriving a person of color of a right because of skin color or a person of religion of a right because of religion. While it has been a battle over time to rid the nation of discrimination, that is a battle that will always need to be fought and won as long as the United States exists and is governed by the Constitution. While the battles to rid the country of discrimination are still being fought, each victory brings the country closer to the ideal, a nation free from any and all discrimination. Unfortunately, discrimination appears to be like weeds in a garden in that once one is eliminated another seems to pop up. While it is not possible to determine what the next discriminatory event will arise, it is gratifying to see many of the previous discriminatory events put to rest. Discrimination against one group or individual is discrimination against all and our continued vigilance will always be required.

What War?

While Speaker Boehner claims that the war against women is a political tactic designed to direct attention away from the Obama economy, he fails to consider all of the legislation passed by recently elected Republican controlled state legislatures and signed into law by Republican governors. A few examples follow: South Dakota enacted a 72 hour waiting period. Virginia barred the state heath insurance exchange from paying for abortion services as well as requiring abortion clinics to meet hospital regulations. Arizona allows the presumptive father to halt an abortion as well as requiring MDs to administer RU-486 rather than nurse practitioners. Minnesota require minors to get parental consent. Indiana ban abortions after 22 weeks and require doctors to read scripted anti-choice propaganda even though it contains false information. Florida legislature filed 18 separate bills restricting abortion rights. Missouri allws abortions in only 4% of the state’s counties as well as banned post 20-week abortions and allowed pharmacists to deny women emergency contraception. Kansas banned post 22-week abortions and a law requiring both parents to sign off on a minor wanting an abortion. Alabama is trying to pass a “personhood” amendment which states life begins at conception abd has claimed that birth control pills “kill” babies. Idaho claims 20 week fetus can feel pain and banned abortions after 20 weeks. Since November 2010, across the country, over 900 anti-abortion bills have been filed in state legislatures. States have also blocked legislation requiring equal pay for women. Here are some of the other examples of Republican sponsored legislation that are definitely anti-woman: Republicans are actually trying to redefine rape. Republicans in Georgia wants to change the legal term for victims of rape, stalking, and domestic violence to "accuser." In South Dakota, Republicans proposed a bill that could make it legal to murder a doctor who provides abortion care. Republicans want to cut nearly a billion dollars of food and other aid to low-income pregnant women, mothers, babies, and kids. In Congress, Republicans have a bill that would let hospitals allow a woman to die rather than perform an abortion necessary to save her life. Maryland Republicans ended all county money for a low-income kids' preschool program. Republicans want to cut that same program, Head Start, by $1 billion. Two-thirds of the elderly poor are women, and a spending bill would cut funding for employment services, meals, and housing for senior citizens. Congress just voted for a Republican amendment to cut all federal funding from Planned Parenthood health centers. Finally, Republicans are pushing to eliminate all funds for the only federal family planning program. (For humans. But Republican Dan Burton has a bill to provide contraception for wild horses. You can't make this stuff up). While Republicans try to deny that there is a war on women, one wonders what action would be taken if they were serious about anti-woman legislation. There is not enough room to list all of the anti-woman laws passed by Republicans but if a woman voted for a Republican legislator her daughter will pay a hefty price.

Better or Worse

In the words of Sherlock Holmes, It is a big mistake to theorize before one has data – because one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of finding theories to suit facts. To that end one must question the accuracy of Mitt Romney when he says, “Obama did not cause the recession, but he made it worse. According to the following press report: “NEW YORK (AP) -- Profits at big U.S. companies broke records last year, and so did pay for CEOs. The head of a typical public company made $9.6 million in 2011, according to an analysis by The Associated Press using data from Equilar, an executive pay research firm. That was up more than 6 percent from the previous year, and is the second year in a row of increases. The figure is also the highest since the AP began tracking executive compensation in 2006.” Would the CEOs mentioned in this article agree that things are worse now? Compare the stock average when Obama was inaugurated to today’s average...it is anything but worse. When Obama took office the country was losing jobs at a rate of 850,000 a month and for the past 26 months there have been 4.5 million private sector jobs created...what would Romney consider doing better? Corporate profits are at an all time high...worse according to Romney. Ask the families whose children now are covered by their health insurance if they agree with Romney. What has Romney done to make things better for Americans during the past 3½ years? As the De facto head of the Republican Party, has he taken the lead to encourage Congress to enact any legislation that would make things better? His only encouragement in this area has been the Ryan budget plan which would eliminate Medicare as we know it, reduce funding for food stamps and school lunches, have other negative effects on the safety net for the needy and poor. Of course, the top 1% would claim that the Ryan budget would make things better, but the economic policies in the Ryan plan mirror those of Bush 43 which did cause the recession. While better or worse can be a subjective judgment in the eye of the beholder, the actual facts of the past 3½ years do not support Romney’s claims.

We’re Broke!

We’re broke has become the favorite new catch phrase from those on the right. Speaker Boehner seems to use this “answer” to every problem he faces. Fortunately for Americans, nothing can be further from the truth. The truth is that since 2000, Congress has enacted and the President signed legislation that spent more money than Congressional legislation and the President raised in taxes. The wealth of the country is nothing more or nothing less than the wealth of all of the citizens. Money in the US treasury is nothing more than taxes and tariffs legally collected in order to pay the costs of running the government. If Congress and the President fail to collect what is being spent, the government “borrows” the necessary funds to pay the committed expenditures. That dollar bill in your pocket is not an actual dollar, but a promissory note for one dollar issued by the government where there may or more likely may not be an actual dollar sitting in a government facility. If the government is spending more than it takes in in taxes, the government unlike you or I is not broke but needs to take in more tax revenue. To do that requires members of Congress with the courage to enact the necessary legislation and a President with the courage to sign that legislation into law. That is what is known as competent governing. Continuing to say, “the government is broke” and doing nothing about that problem is what is known as incompetent governing. Remember, raising taxes is competent, like Reagan and Clinton. (Credit Obama for his attempts, but unlike horseshoes, close does not count when it comes to reducing the deficit.) Not raising taxes is incompetent, like Bush, Boehner, Ryan, and Romney. When you next go to the polls it is up to you whether you send competent people to Congress or return incompetent people to congress. Will you vote for competence or incompetence come November?