Obama’s 30% millionaire tax

By doris | Published: January 27, 2012

Full Story at moneh.cnn.com

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — President Obama this week defined what he believes should be the minimum “fair share” for millionaires and billionaires to pay in taxes. His answer: At least 30% of their income.

“If you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30% in taxes,” Obama said during his State of the Union address.

The 30% marker is the first real detail Obama has offered since proposing the so-called Buffett Rule last September. That rule is a guideline intended to ensure that the very wealthy don’t pay a lower percentage of their income in taxes than anyone in the middle class.

It’s named, of course, after billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who has repeatedly asserted that he pays a lower percentage of his income to the IRS than his secretary.

Posted in IRS, Presidental, State Of The Union, Tax | Leave a comment

Obama pushes campaign themes in Arizona and Iowa

By doris | Published: January 26, 2012

Full Story at CNN.com

(CNN) — President Barack Obama on Wednesday launched a three-day visit to five battleground states in the November election by pressing State of the Union themes of core American values and having the wealthy pay more taxes.

At an Iowa manufacturing plant that he said represented the kind of job creation needed for the economy, Obama repeatedly drew applause for the apparent central message of his re-election bid — that the country needs to keep alive equal opportunity for all.

Americans aren’t looking for a handout, the president said, but want the security of knowing they can provide for their families, send their kids to college and save for retirement.

Posted in Campaign, Democrat, Elections, Presidental | Leave a comment

Obama: Debt ceiling fight contributed to poor economy

By doris | Published: January 25, 2012

Full Story at FirstRead.msnbc.msn.com

President Obama railed against dysfunction on Capitol Hill during his State of the Union address, blaming gridlock in Washington for the economy’s sluggish performance in the past year.

The president demanded a series of reforms intended to address the poor function of Congress, which played out in a series of battles over taxes and spending over the past year, and drove public opinion of lawmakers to an all-time low.

“But no matter what party they belong to, I bet most Americans are thinking the same thing right now: Nothing will get done this year, or next year, or maybe even the year after that, because Washington is broken,” Obama said. “Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical?”

Posted in Congress, Presidental, State Of The Union | Leave a comment

Secret tapes of JFK’s last days released

By doris | Published: January 24, 2012

Full Story at usnews.msnbc.msn.com

BOSTON — President John F. Kennedy’s library is releasing 45 hours of privately recorded meetings and phone calls, providing a window into the final months of his life.

The tapes include discussions of conflict in Vietnam, Soviet relations and the race to space, plans for the 1964 Democratic Convention and re-election strategy. There also are moments with his children.
On one recording, made days before Kennedy’s assassination, he asks staffers to schedule a meeting in a week.

He tells them he’s booked for the weekend, with no time to meet with an Indonesian general then.

“I’m going to be up at the Cape on Friday, but I’ll see him Tuesday,” JFK tells staffers.

Posted in Government, Presidental, Secret, Tapes | Leave a comment

Gingrich: S.C. ‘decided to be with us in changing Washington’

By doris | Published: January 22, 2012

Full Story at CNN.com

Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) — Newt Gingrich won Saturday’s South Carolina GOP presidential primary, marking a stunning turnaround for a candidate who finished fourth in Iowa and New Hampshire and whose campaign had been left for dead — again — by observers just weeks ago.

With about 95% of polling places reporting, Gingrich had 40% of the vote, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney getting 27% and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum getting 17%. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas had 13%. Based on early returns and exit polls, CNN projected Gingrich the winner.

In his victory speech to supporters, Gingrich thanked “everyone in South Carolina who decided to be with us in changing Washington.”

Posted in Campaign, Candidates, Politcal, Republican | Leave a comment

Weekly addresses preview State of Union

By doris | Published: January 21, 2012

Full Story at PoliticalTicker.blogs.CNN.com

(CNN) – Three days before the State of the Union address, President Barack Obama and Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling on Saturday offered what could be previews of their parties’ messages next week.

In the GOP weekly address, Hensarling bashed the record of Obama’s three-year administration, criticizing the state of unemployment, gas prices, and national debt under his watch.

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“Regardless of the president’s good intentions, his policies have failed the American people,” he said. “His policies haven’t just failed to make the economy better – they have actually made it worse.”

Posted in Blame, Elections, Government, Presidental, State Of The Union | Leave a comment

Gingrich delivers show-stopper at beginning of South Carolina debate

By doris | Published: January 20, 2012

Full Story at CNN.com

Charleston, South Carolina (CNN) — The four remaining GOP candidates played to their individual strengths on Thursday and tried to leave a lasting impression in a final, boisterous debate two days before South Carolina’s pivotal primary.

In a campaign cycle where debates have had direct consequences on the ebb and flow of the race, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich turned his contempt for the media into one of his strongest performances yet. When CNN Chief National Correspondent John King opened the debate with a question about open marriage, following an interview by Gingrich’s ex-wife that he had sought one, the Republican chastised him.

Posted in Blame, Campaign, Debate, Family | Leave a comment

Obama aims to reward businesses that invest in US

By doris | Published: January 19, 2012

Full Story at NBCPolitics.msnbc.msn.com

President Barack Obama said Wednesday he wants to reward companies that invest in America and eliminate tax breaks for companies that don’t, and he’s planning new tax proposals to do it.

A day after his Republican foes competed in the New Hampshire primary, Obama sought to grab back the spotlight and underscore his focus on the economy by convening a White House forum on how to increase employment and bring back jobs that have fled overseas.

Speaking alongside a group of business executives in the East Room, Obama said that rising American productivity and increasingly competitive costs add up to “a unique moment, an inflection point” for businesses to invest in the U.S. and bring jobs back home. And he argued there’s a moral case for it, too, and that business leaders have a responsibility to their country.

Posted in American, Economy, Presidental, Tax | Leave a comment

White House locked down because of ‘smoking objects’

By doris | Published: January 18, 2012

Full Story at POLITICO.com

The White House was locked down Tuesday night because of “smoking objects” found near the North Portico as hundreds of protesters rallied outside the executive mansion, Secret Service officials said.

“We had approximately 1,000 to 1,500 protesters from Occupy D.C. on the fence line. There were no arrests but what we believe … was a smoke bomb was thrown over the fence,” said Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie.

Posted in Blame, Government, Shutdown, Stop, White House | Leave a comment

Obama unveils plan to streamline government

By doris | Published: January 16, 2012

Full Story at CNN.com

Washington (CNN) — President Barack Obama asked Congress Friday for more power to streamline and reorganize the federal government, a move designed to claim the political middle ground in an election likely to be dominated by questions about Washington’s role in the economy.

The president asked legislators to grant him the authority to merge agencies that perform similar functions. If that power is granted, Congress would be required to hold an up-or-down vote on the president’s streamlining plan within 90 days of its submission.

Posted in Businesses, Congress, Government, Presidental | Leave a comment

Pardon power varies widely

By doris | Published: January 15, 2012

Full Story at NBCPolitics.msnbc.com

Most states give their governors broad latitude in granting pardons. Some don’t trust them with that authority at all. And the rest allow a governor to grant pardons only with the recommendation of other state officials.

Mississippi’s raging controversy over last-minute pardons by outgoing governor Haley Barbour has generated calls for limiting the ability to grant pardons in that state. A survey of the clemency power reveals that states vary widely in the degree of authority placed in the hands of the nation’s chief executives.

Posted in American, Government, Law, Legal | Leave a comment

Obama to visit swing state Ohio to talk economy

By doris | Published: January 14, 2012

Full Story at NBCPolitics.msnbbc.msn.com

President Barack Obama will visit the political battleground state of Ohio next week, ushering in the 2012 election year with a speech focused on the economy, the White House said on Thursday.

Obama will visit Cleveland on Wednesday, just after he returns from a more than week-long vacation in Hawaii, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

The president had put off his trip to Hawaii to wait for Congress to extend payroll tax cuts expiring at the end of December, which lawmakers eventually agreed to continue for only two months because of disagreements about how to offset their cost.

Posted in Campaign, Elections, Presidental | Leave a comment