– Just-released Americans for Prosperity Foundation study proves need for fundamental earmark reform to stop corrupt spending practices –

A new study released today by Americans for Prosperity Foundation indicates that Washington politicians use taxpayer-funded earmarks to bolster their reelection efforts, with a real effect on voters.

“We now have proof that Washington politicians supplement their reelection efforts by using taxpayer dollars to fund pork-barrel projects in their districts,” said Phil Kerpen, Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s Vice President for Policy. “Given that fact, we obviously can’t stop wasteful earmarks by appealing to Washington politicians on moral or ethical grounds alone. We need fundamental legal reforms to prevent this sort of behavior and untie it from an incumbent’s reelection efforts.”

Among other findings, the Americans for Prosperity Foundation study shows that a 100-percent increase in earmarks obtained by a legislator typically results in an increase in vote share between 4.1% and 5.7%.

“These politicians are using your tax dollars to send themselves back to Washington, where they waste even more of your money,” Kerpen continued. “This only reinforces the broken spending mechanisms that are bankrupting our country.”

And what about legislators who refuse to take part in the corrupt earmarking process?

“A really important takeaway from this study is the fact that politicians who refuse to accept earmarks are heroes,” said Kerpen. “They put their own ambitions at risk to protect taxpayers from waste, fraud and corruption – and taxpayers ought to thank them for that.”

The Americans for Prosperity Foundation study, titled “The Effects of Earmarks on the Likelihood of Reelection,” was conducted by Dr. Thomas Stratmann, a professor of economics at George Mason University in Virginia and a scholar with the Mercatus Center.

Read the full study here

It might surprise many people to learn that not one, not two, but seventy-three new tax increases went into effect on January 1, 2010.  This was the result of Congress letting temporary tax relief expire.  They still have time to put the tax relief back in place before the end of the year, but they are gone for now.  A complete list of them is maintained by the Joint Tax Committee.  Here are some of the more recognizable tax relief which expired:

• The first-time homebuyer credit ($10.8 billion)
• The research and experimentation tax credit ($6.97 billion)
• The AMT “patch” to prevent more families from paying the AMT ($63 billion)
• The additional standard deduction for state and local real estate taxes ($1.46 billion)
• The itemized deduction for state and local general sales taxes ($1.85 billion)
• 15-year depreciable life for leasehold improvements and restaurants ($5.4 billion)
• 50 percent partial expensing for business asset purchases ($5.074 billion)
• Increase in small business expensing to $250,000 ($41 million)
• Above-the-line deduction for college tuition and fees ($1.53 billion)
• Above-the-line deduction for teacher classroom expenses ($228 million)
• Tax-free distributions from IRAs to make charitable contributions ($591 million)
• DC first-time homebuyers credit ($17 million)

All told, these expiring tax provisions total between $100-$150 billion of new tax hikes.

Kansans for Life is the state affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee. SEE VIDEO HERE proving that Kathleen Sebelius, Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama are lying when they say the Health Care Reform bill keeps the status quo, and does not federally fund abortion!

SEE EXCELLENT RELATED KANSANS FOR LIFE BLOG ARTICLES BY CLICKING: HERE (more…)

I am writing today about an issue the mainstream press seems to have forgotten about – but is now more important than ever. I am talking about the issue of Illegal Immigration.
(more…)

March 9, 2010

Dear Kansas Supporter,

As you know, the federal government has been trying to force states to create a national ID card. This National ID is dangerous because it would give the federal government your finger prints and digital photos that can be run through facial recognition software.  Privacy advocates have noted “Real ID is a ‘real nightmare’ for America that will only lead to a national identity card system that violates personal privacy, bigger bureaucratic messes, longer lines, increased identity theft and higher fees.”

In order to stop this federal power grab, we need to pass legislation to keep Kansas bureaucrats from trying to implement it. (more…)

How can you tell when a president is in trouble on a big issue?

When politicians of his own party avoid appearing with him when he’s in their home area. (more…)

Jim Meyer helps lead ResistNet, a local tea party site.

It’s Time tot Get Off the Fence
by Jim Meyer

Note: The following viewpoint is solely my own. It does not represent an official endorsement by ResistNet or its partner organizations.

Even if the time hasn’t come for all ResistNet members to decide who should be the “Tea Party” Candidate for Congress in the Kansas Third Congressional District, and even if the time hasn’t come for ICaucus to render its judgment on the matter, I believe that the time has come for me to decide–and to announce–which candidate I personally favor in the Third District Congressional race. (more…)

CUPERTINO, Calif. (TheStreet) — Apple(AAPL) — purveyor of hip, the gadget maker with the golden touch — has seen its stock price hit two new highs in the past week. In fact, Apple has been on a winning streak for the past decade, ever since its audacious co-founder Steve Jobs reclaimed the top post. Apple’s long ride atop the pinnacle of cool has a can’t-miss quality to it; a gravity-defying feel of permanence.

Link.

March 8 (Bloomberg) — Solar-energy stock prices have been falling for about two years.

Once viewed as the newest and greenest energy source, solar power has become less popular with investors. They gradually realized that it is far from competitive with conventional energy sources on price, and that it accounts for less than 1 percent of U.S. electricity generation.

There’s an old joke about a chemist, a physicist and an economist stuck on a desert island. The castaways possess plenty of canned food, but no tools. The scientists set about an elaborate scheme to build a fire and explode the cans open. But the economist proposes a more elegant solution — “First,” he says, “assume a can opener.”

Last week, Republican Representatives Mike Pence and Jeb Hensarling introduced a proposal that is the budgetary equivalent to that economist’s approach. With federal spending projected reach 24% of GDP by the end of this decade (or 23% if health reform dies) and continue rising thereafter, they have proposed a Spending Limit Amendment, which would cap federal spending at 20% of GDP.

Some applications have become more inclusive by accepting GRE and IELTS scores, in addition to the more traditional GMAT and TOEFL scores. Some schools have made their first-round deadlines earlier, so they could provide decisions to applicants in mid-December and keep up with a quicker-paced world. The most compelling change, however, is the inclusion of video or audio components as a way to see the real applicant and his or her creativity.

By Jim Jubak

Greece cheated on its national accounts in 2009. And that led to a budget crisis in 2010.
But that’s not the important part of the story.
What makes this a crisis not just for Greece but also for the euro and the European Union is that everyone — from the Greek government and its accountants to the financial officials of the EU to the experts at international watchdog agencies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD — knew it.

By Paul B. Farrell, MarketWatch
ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (MarketWatch) — “One of the disturbing facts of history is that so many civilizations collapse,” warns anthropologist Jared Diamond in “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.” Many “civilizations share a sharp curve of decline. Indeed, a society’s demise may begin only a decade or two after it reaches its peak population, wealth and power.”

10. Funemployment, n. The practice of enjoying one’s unemployment.

The funemployed subscribe to the philosophy that in the face of bleak employment prospects, it’s better to make the most of time off by catching up with old (read: also unemployed) friends or developing low-cost hobbies, ideally during normal business hours to realize the additional benefit of irking ones employed friends.

Sample sentence: As part of my funemployment plan, I’ve joined an Ultimate Frisbee league and am providing foster care to three puppies.

See also: Funderemployed (adj.) taking a job that’s fun because employment that pays well or is in one’s field is unavailable.

9. Insource, v. To do oneself what one previously paid others to do.

Some tech companies are even having a hard time finding qualified employees to fill their openings, a reflection both of the competition to hire talent and of some workers’ unwillingness to move.

“Due to the recession and the economy, people are reluctant to seek change,” said Robert Greene, a tech recruiter in San Mateo, Calif. “They become more risk-averse in times when the economy is not good. People got burned. They went to companies and then got laid off. They don’t want to have that situation happen again.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is building a large-scale grass-roots political operation that has begun to rival those of the major political parties, funded by record-setting amounts of money raised from corporations and wealthy individuals.

Link.

Microsoft warned of a new vulnerability in Internet Explorer 6 and IE 7 that has been targeted in attacks, and released fixes for eight holes in Windows and Office as part of Patch Tuesday.

The company issued Security Advisory 981374, which addresses a privately disclosed vulnerability. The hole could allow an attacker to take control of a machine if a user visited a malicious Web site, Microsoft said.

Link.