Entries
Obama's Tax Deal: Who Won, Who Lost?
On Monday, Obama announced a deal with the GOP to extend the Bush tax cuts. F F 's contributors weigh in on the political winners and losers. Late on Monday, December 6th, President Obama announced that a deal had been reached with the Republican leadership over how to handle the Bush tax …The Estate Tax Rises from the Dead
The tax cut extension deal includes a proposal to reinstate the estate tax with a $5 million exemption. But forcing only a few families to bear the tax seems troubling. Among the tax proposals being advanced as a compromise by the President and Republican leadership yesterday was a proposal to …A Good Day for Supply-Siders
The decision to extend the Bush era tax cuts is a win-win. It will either boost the economy or force government to accept some tough spending cuts. A rule of thumb in negotiations is that when both sides leave the table annoyed, it means that a good compromise was made. The deal hammered out …Bloomberg Praises Tax Cut Deal
Bloomberg Praises Tax Cut Deal Politico reports : Mike Bloomberg, who has made criticism of Washington partisanship a calling card, praises the tax deal: I was very pleased to see the President and the Congress come together. It is exactly- number one, it’s exactly that kind of …
Ezra Klein: The Tax Deal Has Merit
Ezra Klein: The Tax Deal Has Merit Ezra Klein writes : The White House and the Republicans are pretty close to a final deal on the Bush tax cuts. Here are the specifics, though it's worth saying that as near as this is to completion, it's still not done, and so it could change: …
Olson: Prop 8 Supporters Lack "Rational Basis"
Olson: Prop 8 Supporters Lack "Rational Basis" Keen News Service reports : SAN FRANCISCO—Famed attorney Ted Olson told a 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel Monday that the reason proponents of Proposition 8 have proffered to justify their ban on same-sex marriage is “nonsense.” …
Waters: Investigate the Ethics Committee
Waters Want to Investigate Ethics Committee The Hill reports : Rep. Maxine Waters plans to bring a privileged resolution to the floor that calls for an independent investigation of the House ethics committee. Waters (D-Calif.) has accused the ethics panel of strong> having a …
Gov to Make Profit on Selling Shares of Citigroup
Gov to Make Profit on Selling Shares of Citigroup Real Clear Politics reports : The government said Monday that it will sell its remaining shares of Citigroup common stock and expects to turn a profit on its $45 billion bailout of the giant bank. The Treasury Department said …
US Lags Behind China in Student Scores
US Lags Behind China in Student Test Scores The New York Times reports : With China’s debut in international standardized testing, students in Shanghai have surprised experts by outscoring their counterparts in dozens of other countries, in reading as well as in math and …
Jeb Bush Opposes Arizona Immigration Law
Jeb Opposes AZ Immigration Law The Denver Post reports : Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said if his children walked the streets of Phoenix they might look awfully suspicious to police. His wife, Columba, is from Mexico. Harvard professor Robert Putnam told the same crowd of city …
With Less Payroll Taxes, Who Funds Social Security?
Both Democrats and the GOP can take credit for the payroll tax cut, but have they given enough thought to how it will change the funding of Social Security? Slicing 2 points off payroll tax rates gives Democrats and Republicans each something to cheer. Republicans can applaud a truly stimulative …Obama's Tax Deal: What the Dems Lost
Obama's tax deal with harm him politically and might not spark an economic recovery. The president sold out to the GOP and didn't get anything in return. 1) It is hard to figure out what Obama was thinking in making this tax deal with Congressional Republicans. I doubt that he imagined he would …Assange Arrested on Rape Charges
Assange Arrested on Rape Charges ABC News reports: British police have arrested Wikileaks' founder Julian Assange on four charges related to a Swedish sex crimes investigation today. Assange has drawn the ire of the United States and some in the international community after the …
More Kenyan Socialism
The US has just sold the last of its Citi stake for a $12 billion profit. The US has just sold the last of its Citi stake for a $12 billion profit. It makes you wonder: If Kenyan socialism is really this lucrative, why isn't the actual Kenya a richer country?Let's Make a Deal
The tax cut extension is a good sign for the country: it shows Obama can compromise and that House Republicans know how to drive a hard bargain. The tax cut deal that President Obama and congressional Republicans have reached seems like a good omen to me. According to current media reports, Obama …Obama's Tax Cut Win
The deal to extend tax cuts for the rich may disappoint the left, but President Obama knew that raising taxes in an economic slump simply wouldn't make much sense. I don’t remember when I first heard the little ditty, “When in trouble… when in doubt….run in circles… scream and shout!” But, I …How to Sell the Dems on Obama’s Tax Plan
If Obama wants to sell his new tax deal to skeptical rank-and-file Democrats in the House, he may need to call in the unions... The single best thing that should happen right now to ensure passage of the tax cut deal is for unions to inform liberal Democrats in Congress what would happen to their …Obama, GOP Reach Tax Cut Deal
Obama, GOP Reach Tax Cut Deal The Washington Post reports: President Obama and congressional Republicans have agreed to a tentative deal that would extend all the tax breaks set to expire on Dec. 31, continue unemployment benefits for an additional 13 months, and cut payroll …