Flat Tax Scheme An Outrage

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Sunday's Janesville Gazette contained an article by Cagle Cartoon writer Tom Purcell titled,”This tax scheme might be too clever” in which he carries on a conversation with an imaginary individual who thinks the tax code is so unfair it discourages the will for many to earn more money. The story's intentions are purely humorous and need to be understood in that way, but it does mix in some statistics in an attempt to prove that the rich pay too much tax as it is.

JG Excerpt:
According to the New York Times, the top 20 percent of income earners paid 67.1 percent of all federal taxes. But families in the bottom 40 percent paid no federal income tax – yet they still received money back from the government.”

What is completely omitted here is the percentage of the total national income the top 20 percent collected. In 2000 the top 20 percent income earners collected more than 58.7 percent of all the income earned in the entire country. Seven years later under Bush, it may even be closer to that 67 percent mark. So if you’re in the bracket earning 75 percent of all the income, your bracket should pay 75 percent of all the taxes required by government to pay its bills. Of course, as an individual you’re not paying 75% of your income in taxes.

Remember, you are not taxed on an individual basis, nor are you taxed on profit margins. Tax formulas are all about dollars, nothing else. Imagine if you earned 100% of all the income in the country – guess what? You would pay 100% of ALL the taxes. It’s not rocket science.

An Unequal exchange
Make a mere statement of fact-say, for example, that the top 20 percent of households in the United States hold 85% of the marketable wealth.

Purcell’s imaginary friend concludes then that the only way to pay less tax is to earn less income and finally explains that his dream is to eventually earn nothing. Boatloads of common sense here. Again, this article is written jokingly and the only thing clever about it is the message buried within – that the top 20 percent wealthiest, hardly your average Janesville Gazette reader, are being robbed of their wealth and only a flat tax rate can save them.

There is another implication of unfairness towards the 80% poorest in this article. That because the cost of health benefits, pensions and workers comp are taken for granted by employees, ungrateful workers don’t realize the total cost of employing them is really 30% higher than their paycheck shows. Not if Bush can help it. Part of the President's healthcare plan unveiled during his State of the Union message included the provision that employer-paid healthcare benefits will be considered as non-taxable income for the employees. Talk about a scheme. What better way to hand out a tax cut and a raise at the same time and still not have an extra penny to show for. The lower 80 apparently are not paying their fair share in taxes, but lets give the wealthy more tax cuts and make them permanent.

This article appeared on page 9 in today’s main section of the Gazette and probably would have made sense to some gullible people had the Gazette not printed an unavoidable piece of reality on page 3. Here the McClatchy-Tribune reported that the poor grew by 26 percent from 2000 to ’05 and that record numbers are living in poverty. That this comes on the heels of the Bush tax cuts to the wealthiest is merely a coincidence? Think again. It must be enlightening to Purcell’s imaginary friend that record numbers are living the life he dreams of and wants to make living in poverty his goal, just because he doesn’t want to pay taxes.

JG Excerpt:
Democrats in Congress will surely raise taxes -- they'll encourage me to work even less!"

I’ve got a better idea, if you got rich in America despite of the Democrats or don’t want to work and earn more money out of the fear of taxes – find your dreamland somewhere else and leave the country.

Ryan's First Tour Of Duty Report

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Now that Rep. Paul Ryan is back from his first tour of duty in Iraq, we can all breathe a little easier knowing that he supports the idea that if by the end of the summer this troop surge is not working we will have to start withdrawing the troops.

Lets not fool ourselves folks, the House or the Senate are basically powerless to do anything about this war no matter what statements they make or resolutions they pass. This war belongs to Bush, his administration and to a lesser extent, the Republicans. They broke it, they own it and we must not allow ourselves (democrats) to get caught in a scapegoat trap. Ryan’s comments were promising because as I’ve said here before, it doesn’t matter how right or how much noise the Democrats make, nobody is listening. The narrow-minded pro-war supporters still believe WMD are in Iraq, Saddam was connected to 9/11 and that our presence there has thwarted terror attacks here. Democrats are never going to convince this bunch of anything otherwise.

One of the things I gathered from Ryan's comments was the fact that he laid out what many democrats have been asking for – a timeline. He said that if things don’t go well within six months we must go to plan B and begin withdrawing troops. I have to assume that his idea of things not going well is either the Iraqi’s don’t step up to plate and take control of their own country or that opposition to our occupation has grown. He made it clear, it’s the Iraqi’s last chance.

Brian W.(blogger):
Wow. Sounds like surrender or defeat are a liberal's ONLY options. Hey, why not? The Democrats caused the deaths of millions by fleeing Vietnam and refusing to support our allies there (anybody here remember the killing fields of Cambodia? That was the result of a liberal victory).

There's nothing like the element of surprise during a war I say, I'm just glad it was Ryan who said it. After six months Ryan gives the clear impression he would support troop withdrawal.

MSNBC Excerpt:
“In my mind, if by the end of the summer, it’s clear that this isn’t working, we’re going to have to go to Plan B and start withdrawing troops.” – Paul Ryan

Of course we can also assume that if Iraqis gain control or the insurgency pulls back and the violence subsides within six months, things are going well and our troops would no longer be needed there and a drawdown would finally begin. Either way, Ryan stated a timeline consisting of a mid-way check point of three months within a a six month last chance plan.

Pundit Nation Excerpt:
"This whole thing is a big gamble, but it's probably the best gamble to take before throwing in the towel and allowing sectarian genocide to take over," said Ryan, who was visiting Iraq for the first time.

Throwing in the towel?! You're not trying to embolden the enemy, are you? Again, I’m not trying to make it look like Ryan knows what he’s talking about, I’m just convinced that all of the decisions regarding this war have been made by Bush and his Republicans, and nothing will change until they say so. We need to keep it that way.

Ask a Republican: People or Profits?

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Once upon a time in America, you weren’t faced with a choice of either people or profits. You had them both. During that period, sometime before Ronald Reagan, the American economy was driven by employees and customers with profits however small or big shared by nearly everyone, relatively speaking. We didn’t know how good we had it back then, and certainly don’t realize how poor we have it now.

Today, American companies and manufacturers flee to areas around the world, employing cheap labor and operating in unregulated environments, all in the name they tell us, to sell for less. Things which really count for our quality of life that cannot be outsourced like gasoline, energy, hospitals, healthcare, housing, pharmaceuticals, private utilities, and local business monopolies are all still operating in that prosperous American economy, an economy based on selling for the highest prices the market will bear. All the while serving customers competing in a global economy whose compensation and wages are based more and more on the lowest the market will bear. Things are more complicated than that for sure, but grasping this simple concept is a big step to understanding why some of us are doing so well, while others are doing so poorly.

This is why I believe Democrats are trying to help level the playing field for everyone, before its too late. They are not afraid to use government as the great equalizer for the good of its people and recognize that greedy capitalists and corporatists are draining hard earned dollars from those living here on global market wages.

In his State of the State speech, Gov. Doyle says he may have found a way to tax one of the worst offenders of this imbalance without passing the tax onto consumers.

State of the State:
Tonight, I propose an oil company assessment of two and a half percent per barrel to support our transportation needs. It will be illegal for them to pass the fee on to consumers … with criminal penalties if they break the law. Let’s turn the tables on big oil, and give Wisconsin families a break.

If it is legal and durable, it is possible that Gov. Doyle may have found the “Holy Grail” everyone has been looking for to exert fiscal justice against price gouging and windfall profits at its highest levels.

Naysayers and supporters of profits over people have tremendous wealth and media tools at their disposal and will try to quash this plan before it gains any traction. They will try to pretend that taxes collected by the state somehow benefit Doyle and not the people. Nothing can be more preposterous. That other states have tried similar ideas with limited success is no cause for concern, Wisconsin Democrats know this tool needs to be sharpened.

That is why State Senator Judy Robson is requesting support on this matter and has issued a letter encouraging input from Wisconsin residents. Those dollars confiscated at the pump by Big Oil are lost forever if we do nothing.

In Rock County it is important to write a letter or speak to your Republican Representatives, local newspapers and organizations like the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) expressing your views and asking them where they stand. For people or profits? Don’t be discouraged if they sidestep your question or refuse to answer because if they do, you’ll know they’re not for you.

Write to:
Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce
Republican Assembly Leader Scott Fitzgerald
Rep. Brett Davis - 80th Assembly District
Rep. Scott Gunderson - 83rd Assembly District
Rep. Stephen Nass - 31st Assembly District
Rep. Thomas Lothian - 32nd Assembly District
Sen. Neal Kedzie - 11th Senate District

Church and State: Depends on which Church

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One of the controversial stories being tossed around lately in southern Wisconsin is the one involving a Christian based group of athletic ordained ministers known as the Power Team. Since I am a Christian, the only way I felt I could demonstrate my own perspective on this subject was to remove my own bias and change the religious nature of the organization from Christian to Islamic. Of course there are huge differences between the two religions, but I recognize the fact they are both religions.

(Note: This story is true. However, the names have been changed and the photo has been pixelated and modified to add realism to this work of fiction. Any similarities with real people or places are coincidental.)

The Arabian Knights are a group of mullahs and Islamic clerics who give motivational speeches to corporate groups, schools and other civic gatherings. Arabian Knights members wear colorful uniforms topped off with a white turban and use feats of strength, such as ripping telephone books in half and bending steel bars to spread a message of academic excellence, abstinence and personal choices. It’s members believe that the basic tenets of Islam such as avoiding mixed bathing, abstinence and regular fasting are well suited to help children defeat growing problems like obesity and the pressures of promiscuity and materialism they face in a liberal based society. Besides, since the horrific events of 9/11, they believe this is a good opportunity to educate people about Islam and smooth out some of the old suspicions and hostilities. The faith-based group does not however promote Islam during a school show, and have promised officials to never mention religion.


Their Web site bills the performing muscular mullahs as having the power to help two or three out of every 10 people accept Allah. Their mission statement is "To reach people with the words of Muhammad which an ordinary mosque meeting or event cannot. Drawing people through the use of performing visually explosive and spectacular feats of strength by incredible athletes who share with them the life-changing message of the Quran."

The Arabian Knights have been performing at hundreds of public schools throughout the country and were scheduled to appear in Latache, Tennesse, when a resident expressed concern about the groups religious background. The school district and four others, quickly canceled a series of March assemblies. Qassim Khalizad, the Arabian Knights marketing and events director, said the group tailors each show to fit its audience and never have and never will mention the two no-no’s of public schools – religion and politics. Khalizad said, ”We’ve performed in over 6,000 schools now, and this is the first time we’ve ever had a show canceled out of concern about our message.”
(end of fiction)

Question: Does this change your perspective at all about the separation of church and state?

Certain religious groups, think tanks and media outlets blame far-left groups for this most recent church – state debate.

JM Excerpt:
“These far-left fringe groups want to instill a sense of fear in Americans that anything with religious undertones is off limits in a public setting.” – Brian Rooney, Thomas More Law Center spokesman

He must be talking about me because I injected a religion other than Christianity into this debate or he might mean the lone person who spoke out in opposition to the group. Everybody knows that dissenters and questioners of authority or the status quo must be far-left radicals.

However, some parents have growing concerns over this and wish their children not be exposed to any sort of religious indoctrination.

God has been kicked out of the public schools.

What a thing to say—to presume that Almighty God can be kicked out of anywhere. No, as James Dunn is want to say, “God has a perfect attendance record.”

Touché.

Related Links:

John Foust: Power Opinion
Truth about Church and State

Doyle Puts State Ahead Of Career

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There is no better compliment a politician can receive than to have a political journalist accuse you of selflessly putting the welfare of the people ahead of your own political ambitions. Such is the case of an article written by Stan Milam of Capitol News Service, in an article titled “Liberal leanings leave Gov. Doyle looking lame.” Here, Milam writes….

JG Excerpt:(no link available at this time)
Democratic Governor Jim Doyle sounds like a lame duck governor just weeks into his new term. Could it be that Doyle has already decided he’s two and out? Why else would Doyle come out of the chutes calling for tax increases.

I don’t know where Stan’s been for the last 6 years but several things are at play here and I will give away a few of them without giving away the ship. 1. Timing. Doyle is playing the over-hyped booming, expanding Republican economy like a fiddle with the simple idea that if you can’t raise taxes during such a time to pay the bills, when can you? When the economy is weak? Certainly state Republicans can’t argue with that and even if they do, where is their plan of spending cuts to hold back the tax hikes? Mind you, the only way government can pay its bills is through the collection of taxes and raising them at any time can be political suicide, so the governor is taking a bit of a gamble.

Locally in Janesville, I haven’t seen one Republican politician or non-partisan taxwatch group march into school board conference meetings, city hall or the county building explaining to local leaders the millions of dollars in jobs they must cut so Doyle won’t have to raise our point of use taxes. Now that would be suicide. I use the label Republicans instead of Conservatives because there is absolutely no proof that Republicans are conservative. No.2 Timing, again. A seasoned pro like Stan must know by now that people have short memories. If Doyle must raise some taxes at some point because nobody is willing to cut back, you don’t do it in the third or fourth year of your term. That too would be suicide. Nobody will remember the tax increases now, if they produce a balanced budget later. But if this doesn’t work, it will be a lot of fun listening to Republican hopefuls running for governor next time around when they explain to us how they will rollback hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue (jobs) and still balance the budget.

JG Excerpt:
Despite the criticism, Doyle is moving ahead with his controversial proposals in a manner reminiscent of a governor not having to worry about another re-election campaign.

If Doyle can balance the budget without playing Republican tricks like tax shifting or cutting out basic programs, you’re right, Doyle won’t have to worry about his next election campaign, he will be a shoe-in. No matter what happens, Milam is right about one thing, Governor Doyle is making some tough choices for the good of the state without thinking about himself. We need more leaders like this, a lot more.

Van Hollen Requests Doubling Tax Burden

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While the evidence gathered from the tragic Lentz murders in Rock County hasn’t produced murder charges just yet. People are beginning to wonder, what’s the hang-up?

JG Sound off excerpt:
Regarding Sunday’s story on the Lentz murders, taking over a month to process the evidence is an extremely long time. The Gazette should investigate. Maybe they do not have enough evidence and its just a stall tactic.

You do have a point. The editors around here do tend to try, convict and publicly ostracize people in their newspapers without waiting for such trivial evidence as dna results. So why not investigate the crime labs? Well, the State’s Attorney in charge of the DNA labs happens to be a Republican and one of the Gazette’s hand-picked endorsements. Investigate? Not on your life, not on anyones life.

The incumbent Lautenschlager and her democratic counterpart Falk insisted the crime lab needed 15 additional DNA specialists. What did J.B Van Hollen say about that during his campaign? He casually disagreed with the Democrats saying the crime lab would operate more efficiently under his guidance and occasional heavier loads could be outsourced, saving the taxpayer big money. In other words, he apparently didn’t know what he was talking about back then. But now, doing a complete flip-flop, he's an expert.

(About Doyle)
“I'm convinced that he understands and recognizes that we're the experts in the field, that we know what we need to correct the backlog in the crime lab,” said Van Hollen, a Republican. “I'm confident we'll be able to get the position authority we'll need.”

Granted, with the DA office in transition he’s barely had the chance to measure the curtains so to speak, but it turns out after just a few months he wants to double the size of his opponents request from 15 to 31 new DNA techs. In effect, doubling the labs anticipated tax load on the state budget, but what does he care? The tax hike won’t be on his dime, because everybody knows, only democrats tax and spend.

Money Trumps Peace

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During a press conference this morning, the commander-in-chief was asked if it matters that many of our allies have businesses and investments in Iran, and how this may impact plans to deal with Iran. He replied..........


Money Trumps Peace by Cindy Sheehan

Common Dreams excerpt:
“Money trumps peace” should be the rallying call of all the Democrats and Republicans who are exploiting our tired and wounded soldiers in the field to justify handing BushCo more money to complete his mission of totally decimating the Middle East for the oil companies, construction contractors, and defense industries.

Read This Before You Buy/Sell Home

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Want to watch the value of your home plummet in a single keystroke? Are you having trouble selling your home and wonder why? Are you looking to buy a home and want to know if a released sex offender lives nearby?

JG Sound Off Excerpt:
Regarding a Web site for sex offenders, a really good one is at familywatchdog.us. You can go on there and it will pop up a map and show everyone in your area. You can zoom in and out. Please educate yourself. -- Anonymous

Gazette: Rock County Rejected Snappers

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The Janesville Gazette wanted to make sure they had all their reader bases covered when they continued with a third installment of their change-the-county-board campaign camouflaged in the sports section of the February 7th edition as a news report. Making sure die-hard sports fans who typically throw away the rest of the paper didn’t miss their special two-day misinformation campaign targeting the Rock County Board, the newspaper ran a front page sports headline Stadium issue remains hot topic which contained a misleading sub-title and continued to assume that the Rock County Board denied the Snappers a new stadium when a poorly presented land swap deal fell through.

JG Excerpt:
(sub-title)
Despite county rejection, Snappers stay optimistic

Implying that the county rejected the Snappers is wrong, and Snappers officials know this. But what exactly did the county reject, regarding the Snappers? Only the Gazette knows. But, the opening paragraph says it all. The Gazette writes….

JG Excerpt:
Terry Ryan didn’t want to have anything to do with the proposed Rock County land swap deal that would have paved the way for a potential 4-H fairgrounds and a baseball stadium along I-90 near Avalon Road for the Beloit Snappers.

I’m not going to rehash the land swap deal here, but when the wealthy buyers were asked to put their plan to the pavement with a guaranteed line of credit, they refused, the stadium and fairgrounds were not part of the deal. When high noon arrived we were told repeatedly by Fitzgerald, Hendricks, Watson and Mulder to forget everything else and just make the land deal, that it is a simple real estate transaction, nothing more, nothing less. But to this day, the Gazette continues to tie-in the stadium/fairgrounds despite comments and intentions to the contrary from everybody involved.

After reading quotes from the Snappers management, it becomes evident through their optimism they are satisfied that the Rock County Board fully understands the teams situation. The Snappers seem to share the same trust I have for the county board, that they are fully engaged in local issue’s and will continue to protect the interests of the county in future efforts to build a new stadium or fairgrounds in Rock County. Everybody understands this except the Gazette.....and at least one of their admirers.

JG Sound Off Excerpt:
On Gazette: Although I disagree with 85 percent of Gazette editorials and many viewpoints in Sound Off, I praise the Gazette for being very well balanced and fair. It is one of the better papers inside and outside of the state. Keep doing a good job. -- Anonymous

Frankenstein Budgets Require Sharp Pen

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Following an appeal by Sen. Scott Fitzgerald (R)-Juneau, the Janesville Gazette ran an open letter editorial to Majority Leader Judy Robson, asking the democratic leader to support a proposal that would restrict the Governors veto power. It would have been suggestion worth taking if the timing was right, but why should Robson take the advice from anyone who starts out their request by demeaning the senator right at the beginning.

JG Excerpt:
Dear Sen. Judy Robson:
As new majority leader of the state Senate, we urge you to do one thing. And that is well, lead.

As you probably know, Gov. Doyle has had to use the power of his veto pen to basically balance the budget. The Republicans claim that Doyle’s veto was the first to increase spending, without offering any details as to how his action actually did that. Unless of course you consider the schools as wasteful spending, past Republican legislatures need some explaining to do when they carved out $675 million in 2003 from the transportation fund to help fund the schools. But that doesn’t count.

In his defense, Gov. Doyle should enlist the help from none other than Rep. Paul Ryan to speak on his behalf about the advantages of a powerful executive veto pen. If you may recall, Ryan is the author of a bill that would give the President line-item veto power never before wielded by any other president. Ryan insists that the President must have the ability to carve up massive appropriations bills submitted by Congress in order to balance the budget.

Or perhaps we should demand a federal referendum on Ryan's proposal as well and let the voters decide. Meanwhile, state Republicans want to take away partial-veto powers that every Wisconsin Governor enjoyed since 1930. Either way you slice it, if you balance the budget, Republicans want to take away that power, and if you haven't balanced the budget, they want to give you more power. What would make Republicans happy?

I can’t answer that, but as a concerned citizen I urge Sen. Judy Robson to shelve this reform for another time. Past Republican-led state legislatures have been creating Frankenstein budgets for years, forcing the Governors hand requiring extensive surgery just to make it float.

The new state legislature must find within themselves the ability to communicate a balanced and equitable budget, not just to the governor, but to voters in their districts as well. They need to start telling their constituents what cuts and other sacrifices they must make to help curb state spending. When they can develop at least two consecutive budgets that have the ability to stand on their own, then perhaps the senate should resurrect some veto power reform.

The Governor will no longer need the surgical tools to save the monster, if you no longer send him a patient.

Bush: Democrats Share Same Patriotism

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Six weeks before the mid-term elections, at a time when both Houses were controlled by Republicans, Bush had these kind words for members of the “other” party. Remember?

Media Matters Excerpt:
”Americans face the choice between two parties with two different attitudes on this war on terror. Five years after 9-11, the worst attack on American homeland in our history, the Democrats offer nothing but criticism and obstruction, and endless second-guessing. The party of FDR and the party of Harry Truman has become the party of cut and run. ” – George W. Bush, Sept. 28, 2006

Now that the American people have had enough and booted out the party of Hoover and Nixon, we find George W. Bush changing his tune again to sell his ill-advised wars.

Bush: Politics is hard
“Nor do I consider a belief that if you don't happen to agree with me you don't share the same sense of patriotism I do. You can get that thought out of your mind, if that's what some believe.” – George W. Bush, 2-3-2007

Suddenly, political bloggers are deranged, partisanship is evil and the stench of politics is everywhere now that Republicans are no longer in the majority.

Gazette Up To Same Old Tricks

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Reeling from heavy endorsement losses in the November mid-term election, the Janesville Gazette has refocused its attention back towards the Walworth and Rock County Boards. In the past six months, the Rock County board has debated two important issues both resulting in decisions running against the directives of the Gazette editorial staff. Reflecting the will of their constituents, the board voted to enact a half-cent county sales tax to pay for needed services and also voted against a special interest land swap deal.

So what does the Gazette do? They write two-day front page multi-faceted articles scrutinizing of all things the age of the members and the size of the board. The average age of the Rock County board members is 59 years, which by today’s standards is closer to 49 than it is to 69, if you know what I mean.

The fact of the matter is, regardless of their politics, this ripe old age of the board members is by far more an asset than a liability. But the newspaper takes the opposite view, and paints the board as a group of stodgy old cigar chomping stubborn men, when in truth, they are simply old enough to know better and not easily swayed. As a resident, I have not always agreed with the board, but by and large they have made decisions withstanding the test of time and have not caved in to the will of the few at the expense of the many. For this they deserve applause, not criticism or plots to undermine the process or their determination.

County Board Chairman Richard Ott responded to the suggestion that seven people might be easier to deal with than 29 with this.

JG Excerpt:
Ott responded that a resident with a sound proposal should be able to convince 29 people just as easily as seven. “If John Smith is right,” Ott said, “he should be able to sell his righteousness to a lot of people.”

Gulp! Took the words right out of my mouth.

The article titled, County Boards show their Age acknowledges the diverse composition of the county board but questions whether county supervisors are representative of their constituents based only on the narrow criteria of age, and here’s why. One of the county board members, Adam Peer is 29 years old and has consistently voted more to the liking of the newspaper. So it only figures that without dragging politics into their presentation, the paper may feel the only chance to change public sentiment toward the board is to make them appear antiquated and cumbersome.

The paper takes it a step further in the second day of their change-the-county-board campaign running three articles in the February 5th front section of the newspaper. On the back page (8A), a reader only has to scan the three titles in a row to collect enough information to see where the Gazette wants to take you. The first title is a question the newspaper feels the need to ask, Boards/Is bigger better? which the paper then replies back with the next title, Rock County Board isn’t looking to downsize soon which is followed by the papers suggestion in the third and final headline, Residents can call for change. Why one may ask, is the Gazette doing this? Well, it is their newspaper, they can do as they please. We just have to not let them take away our county board.

Because of the recent Democratic victories including the display of an efficient county board unwilling to be compromised, the Gazette has experienced an unprecedented loss of political clout and will do whatever it takes to restore some influential leverage within local government.

This episode really brings out what lies at the center of the core. Which is that the Gazette enjoys a huge advantage over the residents of Rock County and Janesville because the Gazette can exert influence through their endorsements and promote a political agenda largely on an unsuspecting population. Both the Janesville City Council and the County Boards are non-partisan, but the Gazette is not. This is important to realize when you consider the political demographics of Rock County, and reasons why their endorsements lost. Something is getting old here, but it’s not the county board.

Insurgency Greater In American Cities

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Janesville Gazette Sound Off Excerpt:
On Iraq- In 2006, 821 soldiers were killed in Iraq. It was safer in Iraq than some of our cities where crime is out of control. -- Anonymous 1-31-2007

It was safer in Iraq? Not quite. But radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh agrees with you, the only difference is, he gets paid to talk crazy.

Civilian casualties in Iraq

Media Matters Summary:
Rush Limbaugh compared the number of murders in Philadelphia to American military deaths in Iraq; in fact, the rate of military deaths in Iraq is far higher than the murder rate in Philadelphia.

What about the 34,000 Iraqi civilians (conservative figure) who were violently killed in 2006? Did you forget them? They don’t count? They were not murdered? What is it about Iraqis, Rush, that you don’t count them as human casualties? Their religion? The color of their skin? Or that they’re Arabs? What is it?

American Right And Bin Laden Target Same Enemy

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Consortium News Excerpt:
Dinesh D’Souza, a fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution at Stanford University, has raised a ruckus in his new book The Enemy at Home. In the book, he contends that the 9/11 attackers were motivated by neither U.S. foreign policy abroad nor by a hatred of U.S. freedom, as President Bush has repeatedly argued.

Instead, D’Souza declares that Osama bin Laden hates the liberal U.S. culture that promotes contraception, abortion, and homosexuality. In a recent op-ed piece in the Washington Post defending the book, D’Souza says that he doesn’t “hate America.” No, he just hates liberal America and is reprehensibly trying to use the horrible 9/11 attacks to score points against the Democrats of the Left.

Why the ruckus? If bin laden and his murderous religio-fanatics view liberals and the liberal culture as their sole and mortal enemy, I hate to use an old cliché but, I will wear it (liberalism) as a badge of honor.

Dinesh D,Souza shot himself in the foot by announcing his hatred for the same American culture that bin Laden hates. When D,Souza and his kind exclude themselves from the reasons why Bin Laden attacked America, they put themselves on the same side with America’s enemy. Bin Laden(and D,Souza) has no greater enemy than the purveyors of the American Revolution and the culture of personal liberty and freedom from religion its ancestors continue to fight for today. Since the right can’t face up to the fact that imperialism supported by their own brand of religious fanaticism has inspired suicidal maniacs to crash airplanes into our buildings, they must lay blame elsewhere.

The left should be extremely proud to be on the opposite side from that of bin Laden, and I would like to thank Dinesh D,Souza for pointing that out.

GOP: Going Up In Smoke

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The Janesville Messenger editorial today used a quote from Gov. Jim Doyle as proof he is flip-flopping on his promises when he vetoed a cigarette tax hike in 2003.

JM excerpt:
Such a tax hike, Doyle said at the time,” puts the state in the very untenable position in which we want people to smoke, and (we) become reliant on that money.”

Times have changed – not Doyle. Doyle’s statement proves how difficult this issue is, he knows that a low cigarette tax only makes it easier for people to smoke, an indefensible position for the state to maintain. And he knows that it is indefensible for the state to rely on revenue raised by hiking taxes on something as indefensible as cigarette smoking. Because of the times, Doyle was smart to veto this hike in 2003, but even smarter to propose the hike in 2007.

Just for fun, I’m going to use the same rhetoric President Bush and Rep. Paul Ryan use to support their taxcuts as a fair analogy to support the Wisconsin cigarette tax increase. As you probably know by now, the GOP wants to make all the Bush tax cuts permanent and to my dismay, it appears some Democrats have bought into their reasoning. The reasoning of course is the idea that the taxcuts have, counter-intuitively by the way, produced more revenue for the government – to spend, so therefore we must make them permanent. Now lets turn to the cigarette tax and apply the same logic. Since the Governor implies that the motivation to increase the tax is health based, if he were to cut the current cigarette tax, more people will smoke and the state will collect more revenue – to spend. That's what a tax cut does, according to the GOP.

But instead, the Governor wants to increase the tax, thereby encouraging people to smoke less, and thereby, returning less revenue to the state. That's what a tax increase does, according to the GOP. Well, we know things don’t work that way, but that is what the GOP would want us to believe, so long as its their tax policy.

Regarding the Bush tax cut however, supporters also link it to our growing economy and decreasing the national deficit. However it appears that whatever life our economy has shown since 9-11, it happened despite the Bush tax cuts and one could only speculate now how much greater things would be if the taxcuts, particularly to the top 5% never happened. We might have a budget surplus today, an economy more than just struggling to hold its head above water, and God forbid, more money for the government to spend.