IRS and your vote

A mismanaged war, botched hurricane relief, illegal wiretaps, secret torture prisons, ethics violations. Just when I thought we had seen the worst from the Bush Administration, there is a new outrage that is down-right mean-spirited.

Big tax evaders -- mostly wealthy individuals and large corporations -- cost the government $300 billion each year in unpaid taxes. But in George Bush's America, these folks are getting off virtually scot-free.

The Internal Revenue Service is spending its limited enforcement resources on low-income taxpayers -- most of whom did nothing wrong. The IRS froze more than 120,000 taxpayers' refunds on suspicion of fraud without notifying the taxpayers or giving them a chance to respond.

The targeted taxpayers had a median income of $12,000 to $14,000. Many of them claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit, and count on their tax refunds to pay for home heating costs, school books for their kids, or to open a bank account and begin to build savings. The IRS has been holding up the refunds for an average of eight months -- but some people wait for years.

We've heard a lot over the years about racial profiling. Now it seems the Bush Administration has invented "poverty profiling." It's the cruel assumption that if you are poor, you must also be a tax cheat. Remember your vote has consequences.

wages for you and me a threat

Worker compensation falls behind inflation in '05. While increases in the number of people working is good for the country, the concern at the Fed is that the economy could be growing so strongly that wage pressures will mount and trigger a rise in inflation.

There you have it. Those who are currently running our country believe that wages for the working people are a threat to our economy rather than a benefit.

No wonder they are outsourcing our jobs to India and China as fast as they can. Here again, they believe in "giving the most to those that have the most."

the Manchurian Candidate became President

The Republican administration showcases Bush's bungling meddling rhetoric about spreading liberty even in unlikely places but the reality is that self-determination can yield results that appear counter to U.S. interests.

That's a challenge the United States may have to confront someday in other places as well, including Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Central Asia, the Balkans and — closer to home — South America.

Still, the success of religious-based candidates or parties, many of whom are hostile to Bush and opposed to American ideas, is sobering.

Empowered by the U.S.-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein, Iraqi Shiite voters could one day tilt their nation toward Iran.

The Muslim Brotherhood increased its power in Egypt's parliament nearly sixfold last year. Open elections there would replace a government friendly to the United States with one dominated by radical Islamic politics.

Bolivian President Evo Morales, a leftist leader of coca growers has vowed to be "Washington's nightmare." Republican progrss in the world.

oil profits out of your pocket

ExxonMobil posted a record quarterly profit for a U.S. company Monday — $10.71 billion in the fourth quarter For the full year, net income surged 43% to $36.13 billion, bigger than the economies of 125 of the 184 countries ranked by the World Bank

And why not? the Bushes and Cheneys are heavily into oil and related industries. They are also getting huge tax breaks (corporate welfare) which your children and grandchildren will pay for.

Your vote or your not voting counts from the Supreme Court to huge profits and tax breaks for " those that have the most should get the most" is the MO of these Republicans which in the long term will make our country a third worl country.

Republicans making the world more safe??

A U.S. command spokesman in Baghdad, Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, said only Iraqis who pose an "imperative threat" are held in U.S.-run detention facilities.

But documents describing two 2004 episodes tell a different story as far as short-term detentions by local U.S. units. The documents are among hundreds the Pentagon has released periodically under U.S. court order to meet an American Civil Liberties Union request for information on detention practices.

"The 28-year-old woman had three young children at the house, one being as young as six months and still nursing," the intelligence officer wrote. She was held for two days and was released after he complained, he said.

During the pre-operation brief it was recommended by TF personnel that if the wife were present, she be detained and held in order to leverage the primary target's surrender," wrote the 14-year veteran officer.

And our current government says they are making the world more safe for us by winning the hearts and minds of the people in the islamic world??????


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poor funding the rich

The United States is currently seeing huge inflows of capital from the developing world, notably China, that are financing its current account deficit, bolstering the dollar and keeping long-term interest rates low though bond purchases.

There are potential triggers that could create serious consequences for the global economy. The first is a southward movement of the dollar, the second is an unexpected increase in U.S. interest rates ... Thirdly, (a spiral in) energy prices... will lead to inflationary expectations,"

Poor funding of rich is seen as unsustainable, risky. It is happening within our country, as well.

Republican drug plan ripoff

Almost one-third of the 6.2 million Medicaid beneficiaries who were automatically switched to the new Medicare prescription drug program on Jan. 1 were put in plans that cover fewer drugs than commonly used under Medicaid, a new study shows. Only 18% of those beneficiaries were assigned to plans that cover all of the 178 commonly used drugs.

Concern grows over the fate of those low-income Medicaid patients. They lost their drug coverage through the state-administered Medicaid programs, which some advocates say was a better benefit.
And why not, this plan was written by the health industry.

backward on the Supreme Court

Democrats contended anew that Alito's confirmation would put individual rights and liberties in danger. Dianne Feinstein of California, the only woman on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he would join justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia in the court's conservative wing and apply "originalist" interpretations to court decisions.

"If an originalist analysis was applied to the Fourteenth Amendment, women would not be provided equal protection under the Constitution, interracial marriages could be outlawed, schools could still be segregated and the principle of one man, one vote would not govern the way we elect our representatives," Feinstein said

national debt and your children

Do you know that our government gave the Palestinian Authority $400 million of our money in direct aid last year and several million more through U.N. charities, Walles said. Some of the money was handed directly to Palestinian ministries

Since we are over $8 TRILLION in debt, your children and grandchildren will be forced to pay for it. Isn't that lovely.

Republicans economic policy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Economic growth slowed sharply in the fourth quarter to the weakest pace in three years as consumers spent less robustly, growth in homebuilding eased and businesses were less eager to boost investments, a government report Friday showed.

Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity within U.S. borders, advanced at a 1.1% annual rate in the October-December period — little more than a quarter of the third quarter's 4.1% rate and the weakest for any three months since 0.2% in the fourth quarter of 2002.

Republicans theory of "give the most to those who have the most" and taking middle class jobs overseas is beginning to show up as it is the middle class that spends the money in our economy.

Republicans arrogant meddling

United States has pressured Egypt, Iraq and the Palestinian territories to hold free elections"The pro-democracy effort has had the actual effect of strengthening fundamentalist movements," Katzman says.

In Egypt, he says, the Muslim Brotherhood was the most organized opposition to longtime President Hosni Mubarak, so it was ideally positioned to do well in the elections.

Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah in Lebanon and several Iraqi religious groups oppose U.S. support for Israel and back policies that could restrict social freedoms.

Recent elections in South America show much the same and are a result of the Republicans arrogant meddling in other countries internal affairs.

Republicans arrogance

Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi, who apparently was re-elected on a moderate platform, said the Hamas victory was a dramatic turning point.

Washington miscalculated in pushing for the vote, as part of its pro-democracy campaign in the Arab world, she said. "The Americans insisted on having the election now, so they have to respect the results of the election, as we all do," she said.

There you have it, Republicans interfering in other countries with their " we know what's best for you" attitude. It's the same way they act with us here in the US.

Republicans "winning" the hearts and minds

When questioned about the lack of victory in Iraq, Republican apologists say, "Well,this war on terror cannot be won militarily, but must be won in the hearts and minds in the islamic world."

In a democratically held election, the Islamic militant Hamas Party just won a landslide victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections, winning 76 seats in the 132-member legislature, election officials said Thursday.

So much for the Republicans,"winning the hearts and minds" excuse.

dead only in Iraq

At least 2,388 members of the U.S. military have died, not counting "contractors" and Iraqi civilians. They are not telling us how many have been wounded.

another corporate management ripoff

American Airlines' main union have filed grievancstock-based executive payouts that could total about $70 million and have roiled the No. 1 U.S.es over carrier's bid to forge a consensus with labor.

Unions representing American's pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and other workers said late Tuesday that they had filed "presidential grievances" over the bonuses, which are slated to go to about 1,000 management employees.

Another example of management of big corporations ripping us off, and why not get it while they can. With this republican party controlling all branches of government, it's open season on the workers and retirees.

dead in Iraq

The number of U.S. military personnel killed since the war in Iraq began in March 2003 is at least 2,227,not including Iraqi civilians, and other U.S. "contractors" and assorted U.S. civilians, And the beat goes on.

Corporations ripping off the public

Nike, the world's largest athletic-shoe company, said Monday that CEO William Perez, who just joined the company in 2004, resigned over differences with company founder and Chairman Philip Knight and was replaced by Mark Parker, co-president of the Nike brand
Nike said in a regulatory filing that Perez, after being with the company only one year, will be paid two years' salary at $1.4 million a year as part of his severance package. Perez will also be paid a bonus of at least $1.75 million for 2006. The company added that it will buy Perez's house for $3.6 million, which covers remodeling, etc.
Another example of Corporations that taking our jobs overseas and ripping the public off at the same time. How long are we going to put up with it???

who defines terroism and the terroist?

"We've come to this dark time in which the new Gestapo of Homeland Security lurks here, where citizens are having their rights suspended," Belafonte said in a speech to the annual meeting of the Arts Presenters Members Conference.

"You can be arrested and not charged. You can be arrested and have no right to counsel," said Belafonte. Fascism is fascism. Terrorism is terrorism. Oppression is oppression," said Belafonte, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Bush, he said, rose to power "somewhat dubiously and ... then lies to the people of this nation, misleads them, misinstructs, and then sends off hundreds of thousands of our own boys and girls to a foreign land that has not aggressed against us."

Republicans won't quit spying on us

President Bush has admitted that he personally authorized thousands of apparently illegal wiretaps and he doesn't plan to stop. Even the non-partisan Congressional Research Service released a report indicating that the White House program "conflicts with existing law.

No one disagrees that our government must be able to track terrorists. They had full Constitutional authority to legally spy on terrorists. We need to know why they chose to go around it?

Republicans spying on you

Republicans want to see what internet sites we are searching. Google (GOOG) on Thursday rebuffed the Bush administration's attempt in federal court to force it to hand over search-engine data on millions of customers.

Do you know about the government software, "Carnivore" and the other secret spying on you?

using torture

Interrogation rules were being flouted "every day" in Iraq, a witness testified late Wednesday at the officer's court-martial.

The witness, who testified from behind a screen to cloak his identity, said he spoke with Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer Jr. on Nov. 25, 2003, the day before Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush's death at an Iraqi detention camp.

The dramatic testimony was opened to the public at the request of media organizations, though the judge did allow another witness to testify behind closed doors. Two witnesses also testified in secret on Tuesday.

Prosecutors said Mowhoush was placed head first in a sleeping bag and bound with an electrical cord for interrogation. They say he died while Welshofer sat on his chest and occasionally used his hands to cover Mowhoush's mouth.

republican lobbyist

The Republican response? Pretend this is about something else.

Initially, Republican members were asked whether they would return contributions from Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Their response: to point the finger at Democrats and say that they too received contributions from Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff or his clients.

This obviously dishonest phrasing is nonetheless suited to cable news and Sunday talk shows where there is little opportunity for rebuttal or critical questioning.

As every reader of this blog is no doubt aware, Jack Abramoff did not give a single dime to any Democratic Member of Congress. Nor did he direct a single dime from his clients to any Democrat. Period.

lax enforcement of even lax rules

The nation's coal mines have been required to pay only a fraction of the federal fines imposed after deadly accidents since 1999, a USA TODAY analysis shows

republicans not for the working man

A Republican representative from a coal-mining region in Pennsylvania, told Labor Secretary Elaine Chao in March that higher fines "would put most of my people out of business."

example of raping of America

A U.S. bankruptcy judge overruled objections on Wednesday to plans by United Airlines to offer an estimated $115 million in equity incentives to certain management personnel. The plan, which was fiercely opposed by unions as excessive after they took steep wage and benefit and pension cuts is okay with republicans.

Republicans are silent on the raping of America because they believe in "giving the most to those that have the most"

raping the economy

Recent academic studies have shown dizzying leaps in top executives' salaries, bonuses and stock benefits in recent years, as well as big increases in executive compensation as a percentage of company earnings — money that otherwise would go to shareholders. At the same time, critics of corporate conduct see a disconnect between company officials' pay and their performance.

"It has been a very long time since the (SEC) has revised these rules," agency Chairman Christopher Cox told reporters last week. The tighter rules are needed "to eliminate the surprise of hidden payments" to executives and to ensure that shareholders are fully informed, he said.

Still, some critics of corporate conduct don't believe fuller disclosure of compensation goes far enough because it won't rein in runaway pay and may even create competitive pressure among companies that will push up executive compensation.

Bush supports the troops?

Nearly three years after rolling into Iraq in trucks covered in many instances only by canvas roofs, the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade is adding extra layers of armor to its Humvees.

The upgrades are being done by individual soldiers and units as the Pentagon decides how Humvees should be changed, and follow public criticism of the Bush administration for not armoring all Humvees ahead of the war.

Drawing on the part-time soldiers' backgrounds as mechanics, electricians and carpenters, the 126th Armor Battalion based in suburban Grand Rapids, Mich., added thermal imaging cameras and a 6-foot boom that can be lowered in front of the Humvee. Dangling chains and an infrared countermeasure on the boom can help trigger explosives before the Humvee is directly over them, said Lt. John Caras.

U.S. troops in the past have hardened soft-skin Humvees by using upgrade kits or by whacking spare steel onto their vehicles. assembly line the brigade created at Camp Speicher in Tikrit.

The National Guard unit's Humvee improvements also have been passed up the chain of command, but it's not clear if the military plans to make the changes on more vehicles. How Bush can make speeches saying he supports the troops three years after we invaded Iraqi is beyond me?

votes make a difference for a lifetime

It's no wonder the radical right is ecstatic that President Bush bowed to their demands, ditched Harriet Miers, and picked Samuel Alito. On nearly every front -- privacy, reproductive rights, corporate responsibility, environmental regulation, and others -- Alito would clearly steer the Supreme Court in radical new conservative directions. However, given the current Republican control of all three branches of government, it is a forgone conclusion that he will be confirmed.

The importance of this process is that voting and the votes you cast do make a difference, even beyond the applicabe terms. In this case, THEY COUNT FOR THE LIFE OF MR. ALITO AS THIS IS A LIFETIME APPOINTMENT.

Republican"s medicare law

In 2003 under a cloud of corruption, Congress enacted a new Medicare law to provide prescription drug coverage—but it was a giant giveaway to the insurance and drug companies. The companies hired 952 lobbyists, spent $141 million on lobbying and contributed more than $30 million to campaigns. Drug profits rose $182 billion. Millions of seniors confused or hurt by the new law.

Democrats on Republican Drug Plan

Democrats fought against this Medicare sham at the time, and now they are offering three important solutions that could be implemented NOW: 1) Extend enrollment by six months to allow America's seniors to make sense of the confusing options before they have to select the option that works best for them, 2) Allow re-importation of safe FDA approved drugs from Canada, which should bring down the costs of drugs in this country, and 3) Allow Medicare to bargain for lower prices on behalf of all Americans. It is particularly offensive that this Republican drug-company written Medicare prescription drug law actually prohibits the government from negotiating with those companies for lower prices

republican Abramoff--pleads guilty

Dean: There are no Democrats who took money from Jack Abramoff. Not one. Not one single Democrat. Every person named in this scandal is a Republican, every person under investigation is a Republican, every person indicted is a Republican, this is a Republican finance scandal, there's no evidence that Jack Abramoff ever gave any Democrat any money and we've looked through all those FEC reports to make sure that's true.

Blitzer: But there... but... but... through various Abramoff-related organizations and outfits a bunch of Democrats did take money that presumably originated with Jack Abramoff.

Dean: ...There's no evidence for that either... they took money from Indian tribes, but they aren't agents of Jack Abramoff... I know the Republican National Committee would like to get the Democrats involved in this. They're scared, they should be scared. They haven't told the truth, they have misled the American people and now it appears they're stealing from Indian tribes. The Democrats are not involved in this."

Blitzer: Unfortunately, Mr. Chairman, we've got to leave it right there...

KIA

At least 2,207 U.S. dead in Iraq not counting "contractors" and civilians

continuing Iraqi death toll

At least 2,188 members of the U.S. military have died, not counting "contractors" and Iraqi civilians.

Abramoff is Bush "Pioneer"

Public Citizen called on President Bush today to provide a full accounting of the sources of the $100,000 or more that disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff raised for his 2004 presidential campaign. The campaign gave Abramoff the title of a Bush “Pioneer” in 2004 for raising at least $100,000 in amounts of up to $2,000 from his friends and associates.

Republicans on safety

Compared with three other similar-sized mines in West Virginia, the Sago Mine had far more violations during that period, a USA TODAY analysis found. The Argus Energy Deep Mine No. 8 in Wayne County, for instance, had 156 violations, 120 fewer than Sago. The three other mines also had fewer accidents, according to MHSA data. Sago had 40 accidents in 2005. The most at any of the other mines was 12, records show.

The United Mine Workers union contends that the federal government has lessened its enforcement of mining safety regulations in recent years. And despite problems at the mine, the highest proposed fine issued by the government last year was $440 for one of the ventilation violations. Many of the violations prompted $60 fines.

"If I go down the street in Washington, D.C., at 10 mph over the speed limit, I'm going to get much higher fine than that," union official Baker said.

Republicans care more about owners and giving the most to those that have the most.

republicans and honesty

Abramoff's travels with former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay are already under criminal investigation. The lobbyist's interactions with the Texas Republican's congressional office frequently came around the time of campaign donations, golf outings or other trips provided or arranged by Abramoff for DeLay and other lawmakers.
For months, prosecutors in Washington have focused on whether Abramoff defrauded his Indian tribal clients of millions of dollars and used improper influence on members of Congress.
In a five-year span ending in early 2004, tribes represented by the lobbyist contributed millions of dollars in casino income to congressional campaigns, often routing the money through political action committees for conservative lawmakers who opposed gambling