SactoDan

Rep. Doris Matsui on ObamaCare

Considering that Insurance Companies are jacking up rates in advance of Obama Care, and considering 250 companies have applied for and received waivers from ObamaCare, it is shaping up to be way more expensive and less beneficial than was originally promised.

The tidal wave of Republican and Tea Party members that were elected to the House of Representatives in the recent mid term elections ran on a promise to repeal ObamaCare. Their success indicated the pent up frustration with the prior Congress. They passed ObamaCare over vehement objections, and despite that the bill was thousands of pages, had not been read by most of those who voted for it, and was secreted through in the dark of night on a holiday eve.

One of them was Rep. Doris Matsui who recently sent out this press release:

Congresswoman Matsui Argues Against Health Care Repeal

 Highlights Benefits Health Care Law Provides to Sacramento Students, Families and Seniors

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (D-CA) spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives in opposition to Republican efforts to repeal the new health care law, the Affordable Care Act.  The Republican plan would repeal the current law without replacing it with a single provision to address the health care of American families.  Moreover, the repeal effort would increase the deficit by $230 billion and put insurance companies back in control.  Rep. Matsui’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are as follows:

 “I rise in strong opposition to the rule and the bill before us.  This bill would increase the national deficit by $230 billion, increase costs to individuals, families, and small business owners, and deny the American public the consumer protections they have been seeking for years. 

 “Repeal of the health care law would also mean that young adults would not be able to stay on their parents’ plan.  This is something that would have devastating effects on constituents of mine such as Elizabeth, whom I have spoken to at length.  Shortly after graduating college, she was dropped from her parents’ plan and soon developed a severe thyroid condition.  As a result, she had to purchase her own individual insurance plan, which proved to be a severe financial hardship for her and her family.  Thankfully, she was able to re-enroll onto her parents’ plan as of January 1st, because of the Affordable Care Act.

 “Repeal would also mean that senior citizens in Sacramento would not see any relief from the Medicare Part D ‘donut hole.’  The health reform law will close the donut hole, which is critical to seniors in my district.  One such senior, Gary, regularly pays over $2000 a month for his prescription drugs.  Repeal would mean that Gary, and the thousands of other seniors in Sacramento, would see no relief from the Part D ‘donut hole.’  This is something that is unacceptable.”

Joke of the year?

A Marine squad was advancing to the north of Fallujah when they came upon an Iraqi terrorist who was badly injured and unconscious. On the opposite side of the road was an American Marine in a similar but less serious state.

The Marine was conscious and alert and as first aid was given to both men, the squad leader asked the injured Marine what had happened.

The Marine reported, “I was heavily armed and moving north along the highway here, and coming south was a heavily armed insurgent. We saw each other and both took cover in the ditches along the road.   I yelled to him that Saddam Hussein was a miserable, lowlife scum bag who got what he deserved. and he yelled back that Barack Obama is a lying, good-for-nothing, left wing Commie who isn’t even an American.

So I said that Osama Bin Laden dresses and acts like a frigid, mean-spirited lesbian! He retaliated by yelling, “Oh yeah? Well, so does Nancy Pelosi!”

“And, there we were, in the middle of the road, shaking hands, when a truck hit us.”

Government Efficiency

Once upon a time the government had a vast  scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said, “Someone may steal from it at night.”   
So they created a night watchman  position and hired a person for the job. 

Then  Congress said, “How does the watchman do his job  without instruction?” So they created a planning department and  hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one  person to do time studies. 

Then Congress  said, “How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks  correctly?” So they created a Quality Control department  and hired two people. One to do the studies and one to write  the reports. 

Then Congress said, “How are these  people going to get paid?” So They created two  positions: a time keeper and a payroll officer, then hired two  people. 

Then Congress said, “Who will be accountable for all of these people?” So they created an administrative  section and hired three people, an 
Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a  Legal Secretary. 

Then Congress said, “We  have had this command in operation for one Year and we are  $918,000 over budget, we must cutback.” So they laid off the night  watchman. 

Thank You Barack Obama

A Different Slant On The Obama Presidency

One 82-year-old lady loves Obama and she may have a very good point.  She says that Obama is amazing, and is rebuilding the American dream!  She gives us an entirely new slant on the “amazing” job Obama is doing,  and she says that she will thank God for the President.  Keep reading for her additional comments and an explanation.

When discussing Obama, she says:

1.  Obama destroyed the Clinton Political Machine, driving a stake through the heart of Hillary’s presidential aspirations - something no Republican was ever able to do. 

2.  Obama killed off the Kennedy Dynasty - no more Kennedys trolling Washingtonlooking for booze and women wanting rides home. 

3.  Obama is destroying the Democratic Party before our eyes!  Dennis Moore had never lost a race.  Evan Bayh had never lost a race.  Byron Dorgan had never lost a race.  Harry Reid - soon to be GONE!  These are just a handful of the Democrats whose political careers Obama has destroyed.  By the end of 2010, dozens more will be gone.  Just think, in December of 2008 the Democrats were on the rise.  In the last two election cycles, they had picked up 14 Senate seats and 52 House seats.  The press was touting the death of the Conservative Movement and the Republican Party.  However, in just one year, Obama put a stop to all of this and will probably give the House - if not the Senate - back to the Republicans. 

4.  Obama has completely exposed liberals and progressives for what they are.  Sadly, every generation seems to need to re-learn the lesson on why they should never actually put liberals in charge.  Obama is bringing home the lesson very well:

• Liberals tax, borrow and spend. 
• Liberals won’t bring themselves to protect America.
• Liberals want to take over the economy.
• Liberals think they know what is best for everyone.
• Liberals are not happy until they are running YOUR life.

5.  Obama has brought more Americans back to conservatism than anyone since Reagan.  In one year, he has rejuvenated the Conservative Movement and brought out to the streets millions of freedom loving Americans.  Name one other time when you saw your friends and neighbors this interested in taking back America!

6.  Obama, with his “amazing leadership,” has sparked the greatest period of sales of firearms and ammunition this country has seen.  Law abiding citizens have rallied and have provided a “stimulus” to the sporting goods field while other industries have failed, faded, or moved off-shore.

7.  In all honesty, one year ago I was more afraid than I have been in my life.  Not afraid of the economy, but afraid of the direction our country was going.  I thought, Americans have forgotten what this country is all about.  My neighbors and friends, even strangers, have proved to me that my lack of confidence in the greatness and wisdom of the American people has been flat wrong.

8.  When the American people wake up, no smooth talking teleprompter reader can fool them!  Barack Obama has served to wake up these great Americans!

Again, I want to say:  “Thank you, Barack Obama!”  After all, this is exactly the kind of hope and change we desperately needed!!

Why Main Stream Media Outlets Favor The Left

The other day I was musing over why the Main Stream Media and outlets like Politico continue to write their stories to favor the left side of the isle. I thought to myself, well most journalists are liberals hiding under a cloak of independence. That is no doubt true, but it occurred to me that another big part of it is access.

Reporters for the main networks, news papers and websites like this one have a nice little rolodex on their desk (prolly now an iPhone or Blackberry but you know what I mean) filled with the names and private numbers and email addresses of numerous office holders, candidates and chief’s of staff of the Democrat Party.

A scoop, inside story or off the record comment is merely a phone call or email away.

Stray from the party line or publish something unflattering, and they are off the list. The door slams shut, and no more access to the movers and shakers. Tough to be a Reporter without access.

This is evidenced by many reporters of different MSM outlets simultaneously reporting the same talking points/buzz words on their evening news broadcasts. It is further evidenced by numerous liberal candidates and office holders outright refusal to appear on Fox News despite it having the highest ratings.

So where is the honesty? Fox responds to the refusals of the lefties to come on the air by publicly employing the conservatives as Fox News contributors. It is disclosed, in the open, not against the law, and it gives Fox unprecedented access to conservative politicians.

To my thinking, this is more honest than towing the party line, reporting the Democrat talking points with a wink and a nod in exchange for getting to be in the club, pretending to be an honest objective purveyor of the facts, all the while pointing a finger at those dastardly conservatives over at Fox.

Tax Hikes For 2011, Not Just For Rich People

If Congress allows the Bush tax cuts to expire and nothing is done with Obama Care, this is just a little taste of what we will face on January 1, 2011. Read through to the end and see which items will affect you. What happened to, “If you make less than $250,000, blah blah blah blah.”??

Five months until the largest tax hikes in the history of America. Get ready… - In just five months, the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect. They will hit families and small businesses in three great waves on January 1, 2011:

First Wave: Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted several tax cuts for investors, small business owners, and families. These will all expire on January 1, 2011: Personal income tax rates will rise. The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which two-thirds of small business profits are taxed). The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent.

All the rates in between will also rise. Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again phase out, which has the same mathematical effect as higher marginal tax rates. The full list of marginal rate hikes is below: - The 10% bracket rises to an expanded 15% - The 25% bracket rises to 28% - The 28% bracket rises to 31% - The 33% bracket rises to 36% - The 35% bracket rises to 39.6% Higher taxes on marriage and family.

The “marriage penalty” (narrower tax brackets for married couples) will return from the first dollar of income. The child tax credit will be cut in half from $1000 to $500 per child. The standard deduction will no longer be doubled for married couples relative to the single level. The dependent care and adoption tax credits will be cut.

The return of the Death Tax. This year, there is no death tax. For those dying on or after January 1 2011, there is a 55 percent top death tax rate on estates over $1 million. A person leaving behind two homes and a retirement account could easily pass along a death tax bill to their loved ones.

Higher tax rates on savers and investors. The capital gains tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 20 percent in 2011. The dividends tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 39.6 percent in 2011. These rates will rise another 3.8 percent in 2013.

Second Wave: Obamacare There are over twenty new or higher taxes in Obamacare. Several will first go into effect on January 1, 2011. They include: The “Medicine Cabinet Tax” Thanks to Obamacare, Americans will no longer be able to use health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA), or health reimbursement (HRA) pre-tax dollars to purchase non-prescription, over-the-counter medicines (except insulin).

The “Special Needs Kids Tax” This provision of Obamacare imposes a cap on flexible spending accounts (FSAs) of $2500 (Currently, there is no federal government limit). There is one group of FSA owners for whom this new cap will be particularly cruel and onerous: parents of special needs children. There are thousands of families with special needs children in the United States , and many of them use FSAs to pay for special needs education. Tuition rates at one leading school that teaches special needs children in Washington , D.C. (National Child Research Center) can easily exceed $14,000 per year. Under tax rules, FSA dollars can not be used to pay for this type of special needs education.

The HSA Withdrawal Tax Hike. This provision of Obamacare increases the additional tax on non-medical early withdrawals from an HSA from 10 to 20 percent, disadvantaging them relative to IRAs and other tax-advantaged accounts, which remain at 10 percent.

Third Wave: The Alternative Minimum Tax and Employer Tax Hikes When Americans prepare to file their tax returns in January of 2011, they’ll be in for a nasty surprise—the AMT won’t be held harmless, and many tax relief provisions will have expired. The major items include: The AMT will ensnare over 28 million families, up from 4 million last year. According to the left-leaning Tax Policy Center, Congress’ failure to index the AMT will lead to an explosion of AMT taxpaying families—rising from 4 million last year to 28.5 million.

These families will have to calculate their tax burdens twice, and pay taxes at the higher level. The AMT was created in 1969 to ensnare a handful of taxpayers.

Small business expensing will be slashed and 50% expensing will disappear. Small businesses can normally expense (rather than slowly-deduct, or “depreciate”) equipment purchases up to $250,000. This will be cut all the way down to $25,000.

Larger businesses can expense half of their purchases of equipment. In January of 2011, all of it will have to be “depreciated.” Taxes will be raised on all types of businesses.

There are literally scores of tax hikes on business that will take place. The biggest is the loss of the “research and experimentation tax credit,” but there are many, many others. Combining high marginal tax rates with the loss of this tax relief will cost jobs. Tax Benefits for Education and Teaching Reduced. The deduction for tuition and fees will not be available. Tax credits for education will be limited. Teachers will no longer be able to deduct classroom expenses. Coverdell Education Savings Accounts will be cut. Employer-provided educational assistance is curtailed. The student loan interest deduction will be disallowed for hundreds of thousands of families.

Charitable Contributions from IRAs no longer allowed. Under current law, a retired person with an IRA can contribute up to $100,000 per year directly to a charity from their IRA. This contribution also counts toward an annual “required minimum distribution.” This ability will no longer be there. PDF Version Read more: http://www.atr.org/six-months-untilbr-largest-tax-hikes-a5171##ixzz0sY8w aPq1 

Now your insurance is INCOME on your W2’s…… One of the surprises we’ll find come next year, is what follows - - a little “surprise” that 99% of us had no idea was included in the “new and improved” healthcare legislation … the dupes, er, dopes, who backed this administration will be astonished! Starting in 2011, (next year folks), your W-2 tax form sent by your employer will be increased to show the value of whatever health insurance you are given by the company.

It does not matter if that’s a private concern or governmental body of some sort. If you’re retired? So what; your gross will go up by the amount of insurance you get. You will be required to pay taxes on a large sum of money that you have never seen.

Take your tax form you just finished and see what $15,000 or $20,000 additional gross does to your tax debt. That’s what you’ll pay next year. For many, it also puts you into a new higher bracket so it’s even worse.

This is how the government is going to buy insurance for the15% that don’t have insurance and it’s only part of the tax increases.

Not believing this??? Here is a research of the summaries… .. On page 25 of 29: TITLE IX REVENUE PROVISIONS- SUBTITLE A: REVENUE OFFSET PROVISIONS-( sec. 9001, as modified by sec. 10901) Sec.9002 “requires employers to include in the W-2 form of each employee the aggregate cost of applicable employer sponsored group health coverage that is excludable from the employees gross income.” Joan Pryde is the senior tax editor for the Kiplinger letters.

Go to Kiplingers and read about 13 tax changes that could affect you. Number 3 is what is above. http://www.kiplinger.com/businessresource/forecast/archive/health-care-reform-tax-hikes-on-the-way.html we’ve got one chance, the November elections. DO NOT FAIL TO VOTE, VOTE THEM OUT!

Fact Check Obama

OBAMA: “So these policies of cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans, of stripping away regulations that protect consumers, running up a record surplus to a record deficit - those policies finally culminated in the worst financial crisis we’ve had since the Great Depression.”

THE FACTS: The president probably meant the broader economic crisis and not the meltdown of the financial industry when he talked about the “financial crisis.” True enough, George W. Bush entered office with a $236 billion budget surplus in 2001, and in January 2009, before Obama was sworn into office, the Congressional Budget Office projected the deficit for the fiscal year 2009 to be $1.2 trillion.

But the surpluses the government foresaw in 2001 were based on a bubble economy that was bound to burst. And the deficit Obama inherited was only partly from Bush’s fiscal policies.

Mostly it was a result of a recession that sapped tax revenues, increased the costs of safety net programs and demanded more government spending to stimulate the economy. As recently as 2007, the budget deficit was just $161.5 billion. The current annual deficit is now an estimated $1.5 trillion.

The rest is here.

Humor: Larry is in the hospital

OK, you are asking who the hell is ‘Larry’?  Larry gets home late one night and Linda, his wife, says, ‘Where the hell have you been?’Larry replies, ‘I was out getting a tattoo.”A tattoo?’ she frowned.  ’What kind of tattoo did you get?”I got a hundred dollar bill on my privates,’ he said proudly.’What the hell were you thinking?’ She said, shaking her head in disgust.   ‘Why on earth would an accountant get a hundred dollar bill tattooed on his privates?‘“Well, One, I like to watch my money grow.   Two, once in a while I like to play with my money .   Three, I like how money feels in my hand. Lastly, instead of you going out shopping, you can stay right here  at home and blow a hundred bucks anytime you want. Larry is now recovering in Room 232 in the Hospital! 

One Light Bulb At A Time

One Light Bulb at a Time

A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn’t slow a train very much, a billion of them would. With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American ..

Good idea .. . one light bulb at a time … .

Check this out . I can verify this because I was in Lowes the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments . They were all made in China . The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose
attachments there. They were made inUSA . Start looking ..
In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job . So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track . Let’s get behind her!
My grandson likes Hershey’s candy . I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now.. I do not buy it any more.
My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico … now I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything ..

This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60 W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets . I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off-brand labeled, “Everyday Value . ” I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats -
they were the same except for the price ..  The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in
a company in Cleveland , Ohio .

So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here ..

So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets . .. . yep, you guessed it, bounce cost more money and is made in Canada. The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA ! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using
for years and at almost half the price!

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!

(We should have awakened a decade ago .…… . )

Let’s get with the program … .. help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U . S . A ..

I Passed this on ……… will you ???????

$250,000 a year is rich? Really?

Except for the declaration by the Democrats, when did $250,000 a year qualify as rich? It will make you comfortable, but hardly rich. To earn $250K you have to be skilled, lucky, have a two income household, a small business, or some combination of the above.

By the time you reach $250,000 you will have nice cars, an expensive mortgage and a combined Federal, State and FICA tax rate around 60% depending on where you live.

You can not stop working even if you want to. Well off? Yes, Rich? Ha.

At $250,000 per year you are a slave to your success. You’re not looking for sympathy from anyone (nor will you get it), but you would sure like to get a break now and then. Plan on paying full boat for your kids college because you won’t qualify for any aid (despite college costs being as ridiculously exorbitant as medical costs), and plan on paying the alternative minimum income tax which nullifies most of your deductions.

So what tax rate is appropriate? 65%? 70%?, 80%? Where does it stop?

There are some truly rich people out there. Congress is loaded with them. They have so much money they do not need to work. Some run for office so they have something to do, then set the confiscatory rates on the rest of us to prevent us from achieving independence.

They are often heard to comment that they don’t mind if they have to pay more taxes. Of course they don’t mind. When you have millions in assets earning so much that you don’t have to work, your income tax rate could be 100% and you wouldn’t really mind. After all, if you work at all it is for the entertainment value of it. You don’t need the money.

So the the situation is this. The low income earners pay nothing. The really wealthy don’t care, and the schmucks in the middle being classified as rich but really aren’t are getting SCREWED.

Now I am not in favor of redistribution of wealth but If we are going to have it, let’s have REAL redistribution. Not this phony baloney nonsense written by the truly wealthy in Congress for themselves and their pals. Why couldn’t we ask the Warren Buffet’s, Diane Feinstein’s, Nancy Pelosi’s and Donald Trump’s of the country to bail us out? Let’s take the national debt and divide it up amongst those with 5 million dollars in assets and send them a proportionate share of the bill. 

It could be a one time charge to reset the economy coupled to real legislation limiting the ability of the Government to deficit spend unless a real war that our very survival depends on is going on, followed by a new neutral tax code.

That would get us out of this mess and keep us whole in the future.