Powered by Max Banner Ads
Democrats Propose Tax Surcharge On Millionaires
In an attempt to bring America one step closer to socialism, Democrats have proposed a surcharge on millionaires to pay for education benefits included in the new G.I. Bill.
“What we’re talking about is a one-half percent income tax surcharge on incomes above $1 million,” said Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., a leader of the Blue Dog group. “So someone who earns $2 million a year would pay $5,000. … They’re not going to miss it.”
The $1 million income level would apply to couples. Individuals would pay the surcharge on income exceeding $500,000.
The idea earned support from House leaders at a late afternoon meeting of top Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.
Democrats love the idea of income redistribution and always have, this is just another ploy to get us closer to that. In America, you should not be penalized just because your successful. I agree the surcharge doesn’t amount to a lot, but that’s not the point. This is about Democrats acting like Robin Hood which is not the way the game is played in America.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to funding the new G.I. Bill, I’m just opposed to funding it in this way. Conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats are willing to accept the $183 billion dollar war funding package, but object to the tiny sliver that would be added on top of that to pay for the education benefits of soldiers.
It doesn’t make any sense to fund it some other way. If we’re already gonna spend $183 billion dollars that we don’t have, then what’s a few more billion on top of that?
I am absolutely in favor of spending the money in Iraq, but it’s important that we take care of the people doing the fighting on our behalf. I don’t think we can fund the war and not fund the warriors, but I don’t think we fund the warriors by giving rich people an extra tax.
-Chris Jones
Congress Authorizes War Funds
I have said repeatedly for weeks that in the end President Bush would get his Iraq war funding with no strings attached. Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened today.
The Democratic-led Congress authorized more Iraq war spending on Friday, sending President George W. Bush a defense bill requiring no change in strategy, which makes sense considering the current strategy is working.
With the situation in Iraq improving on a daily basis, the Democrats simply don’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to Iraq. They continue to be in denial about the progress there, and simply look foolish for trying to pull troops out at the first sign of progress.
The defense policy bill, approved 90-3 by the U.S. Senate, also expanded the size of the U.S. Army and set conditions on the Bush administration’s plan to build a missile defense system in Europe.
The measure already had passed the House of Representatives and now goes to Bush, who is expected to sign it into law. It authorizes Pentagon programs expected to cost $506.9 billion during fiscal 2008, which began in October.
The bill authorized another $189.4 billion for the Iraq and Afghan wars, for which Congress has already approved some $600 billion.
The defense policy legislation expands the Army by 13,000 soldiers to 525,400 in 2008. It also provides 25,000 more U.S. immigrant visas over five years for Iraqis who worked for the United States and whose lives are now in danger.
The bill also includes a 3.5 percent pay raise for the military. In response to complaints, it enhances veterans’ health care, expanding treatment for brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, and assuring speedy mental health evaluations.
-Chris Jones
Dems in Denial: Murtha Dismisses Progress in Iraq
John Murtha apparently couldn’t find any troops to accuse of murder today, so he went back to his standard talking points.
House Democrats’ point man in the war-funding showdown with the White House today dismissed U.S. military gains in Iraq and vowed to tighten the purse strings until President Bush accepts a pullout plan.
“Look at all the people that have been displaced, all the [lost] oil production, unemployment, all those type of things,” said Rep. John P. Murtha, chairman of Appropriations defense subcommittee. “We can’t win militarily.”
The Pennsylvania Democrat conceded violence was down dramatically and some normalcy restored on Iraq’s streets, but he said U.S. victory remains unattainable as long as Baghdad fails to pass national reconciliation laws.
“To change the political law, it doesn’t seem to me you need the military stability,” Mr. Murtha told reporters on Capitol Hill.
The dim view of U.S. military progress in Iraq and a resolve to force a pullout have been echoed by the two top Democrats on Capitol Hill — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.
The funding standoff will force the Pentagon to make budget cuts at bases in the U.S. to cover the costs of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, including sending furlough notices to as many as 100,000 civilian employees, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said.
She said the furlough notices could start going out before the Democrat-led Congress returns from a two-week Thanksgiving break.
“We are calling on Congress … to send the president supplemental war funding without arbitrary surrender dates and without micromanaging the war before they leave for their next vacation, which is going to be around the Christmas holidays,” Mrs. Perino said.
“I think that Americans have seen what our troops have been able to do this year,” she said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but they have started to make some significant gains, and to pull the rug out from under them now seems irresponsible.”
House Democrats last week passed a $50 billion emergency war-spending bill that mandated a U.S. pullout start in 30 days with a goal of almost all troops leaving Iraq by December 2008.
Mr. Bush promised to veto the bill and Senate Republicans blocked the bill in a procedural vote Friday.
John Murtha, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid, represent a trifecta of stupid. I wouldn’t trust the “Defeatocrats” to oversee a paintball game, much less a war. After the Democrats are through grand standing, “The Decider” will still get every penny of the war funding with no strings attached.
-Chris Jones
Senate Republicans Quickly Kill Iraq Withdrawal Timeline
Senate Republicans on Friday blocked a $50 billion Iraq war bill because it had a troop pullout plan, defeating Democrats’ latest attempt to end the war while continuing the battle over funding it.
The Senate action stopped a Democratic proposal that had passed the House of Representatives on a largely partisan vote on Wednesday. The measure needed 60 votes to pass under Senate rules; it only got 53 votes, with 45 senators voting against.
The measure would have given President Bush about one-fourth of the $196 billion he wants for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in fiscal 2008, while setting a goal that all U.S. combat soldiers withdraw from Iraq by December 15, 2008.
Defeatocrats: Reid Threatens War Funding…Again
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday that Democrats won’t approve more money for the Iraq war this year unless President Bush agrees to begin bringing troops home.
The House and Senate planned to vote on a $50 billion measure for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill would require Bush to initiate troop withdrawals immediately with the goal of ending combat by December 2008.
Reid says that if President Bush vetoes the bill (which he will) then he just won’t get his $50 billion. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made similar remarks in the last few days. Such remarks clearly show how out of touch the Defeatocrats Democrats are when it comes to the war in Iraq.
Their has been a stunning amount of good news coming out of Iraq in recent weeks providing a strong indication that the war is finally turning in our favor. Democrats meanwhile refuse to acknowledge any progress and instead seek creative new ways to undermine the war effort and engineer our defeat.
The important thing to remember is that undermining President Bush is the most important issue to Democrats. National Security and everything else run a very distant second.
At the end of the day, after Harry Reid cries and stomps his feet for a few days, the President will get every penny of that money without any conditions. In the meantime, I’m gonna sit back and watch this left-wing dog and pony show play out as usual.
-Chris Jones
Bush Wants $46 Billion More to fund Wars
President Bush will ask Congress for another $46 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and finance other national security needs.
The figure, which Bush was expected to announce later Monday at the White House, brings to $196.4 billion the total requested by the administration for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere for the budget year that started Oct. 1. It includes $189.3 billion for the Defense Department, $6.9 billion for the State Department and $200 million for other agencies.
Congress has already provided more than $455 billion for the Iraq war, with stepped-up military operations running about $10 billion a month.
After Nancy Pelosi and “dingy” Harry throw a fit and pass a couple of resolutions I’m betting Bush gets the money. While most Americans do want the war to end, they want it to end with a victory.
-Chris Jones
Posts
