Paperwork Nightmare: A Struggle to Fix New Law

Talk about a paperwork nightmare: Tucked into the massive new health care law is a demand that nearly 40 million U.S. businesses file tax forms for every vendor that sells them more than $600 in goods.

Admin. buys $700K health care ad

Starring Andy Griffith discussing Medicare, the cable spot is aimed at seniors.



Read more [Politico]

Missouri Ballot Measure Will Test Popularity of Obama's Health Care Law

More than 1 million people in Missouri are expected to participate in what amounts to the largest-ever public opinion poll on the nation's new health care law.
Read more [CNS News]

GOP to Sebelius: Don't cover abortions

A group of Republican senators on Wednesday threatened to force changes to the new national health care law unless the Obama administration does more to ensure that federal dollars won't be used to pay for elective abortions.

Emboldened by a new analysis by Congress' nonpartisan research agency, the Republicans urged ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Study Shows Abortion Funding Rules Would Not Apply to High-Risk Pools

A newly released congressional report found that abortion restrictions attached to the health care overhaul would not apply to high-risk insurance pools run at the state level, prompting Republican senators to urge the administration to issue new rules. 

Rep. Pence: Medicare Chief Berwick ‘Not Entitled to That Job,’ Must Explain Praise for UK ‘Socialist Health Care System’

A top House Republican says Dr. Donald Berwick, who President Obama appointed to head  the Medicare/Medicaid progam without Senate approval, is 'not entitled to that job,' and should have had a confirmation hearing. 
Read more [CNS News]

Agents want piece of reform pie

A group of lawmakers asks that insurance brokers be included in the new health care system.



Read more [Politico]

Abortion provision threatens Dems

Health care reform galvanizes abortion rights opponents and advocates in Pa. and elsewhere.



Read more [Politico]

Britain’s National Health Service, Praised by Obama’s Medicare Chief, To Undergo Cost-Cutting Overhaul

Britain's National Health Service, which rations basic health care services to help control costs, will undergo major budget cuts and restructuring, ostensibly to make the government-run system less bureaucratic and more decentralized.
Read more [CNS News]

Opposition Mounts Against ObamaCare Tax Provision

Business advocates are hoping Congress scraps a tax provision in the health care overhaul law that they say is overly burdensome to smaller companies.
Read more [CNS News]

Inside the Beltway

FREAKY LEAKY

Why, it's just like health care reform legislation. The massive Wikileaks release of classified information about U.S. activity in Afghanistan is huge and unwieldy. But the cache of documents — about 75,000 reports — is more than 30 times the size of the health care legislation, give or ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Pawlenty attacks deadlines for Afghan pullout

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty acted every bit the part of a GOP presidential candidate Monday during a visit to Washington, outlining his views on the war in Afghanistan, health care, the economy and the state of the Republican Party.

The Obama administration "needs to do a better job of explaining ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Maryland Could Save $829M under Health Care Reform

Maryland could save about $829 million on health care costs between fiscal year 2011 and 2020 because of federal health care reform, according to a model the state released Monday.
Read more [CNS News]

100 Days to Decide: Republicans Bank on Anti-Dem Strategy, Platform Unclear

One year after anger over a proposed health care overhaul lit a fire at town halls and ignited the Tea Party movement, the stage is set for Republicans to rally against the Democrats' agenda. But it remains unclear whether an anti-Democratic agenda is more effective than a pro-GOP platform in 2010. 

Some Insurers Stop Writing New Coverage for Kids

Some major health insurance companies have stopped issuing certain types of policies for children, an unintended consequence of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law, state officials said Friday.
Read more [CNS News]

Health care choices fall to states

State officials have significant power over how the federal legislation will be implemented.



Read more [Politico]

ANALYSIS: Obama got work done, but at what cost?

ANALYSIS:

Far-reaching legislation aimed at reining in Wall Street marks the latest and likely the last major achievement by President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress, an 18-month partnership that strove simultaneously to fix a battered economy and enact sweeping changes in health care, education and financial regulation.

Whatever the longer ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Abortion returns to campaign forefront

An Obama administration effort to rein in states treading toward using new health care laws to fund abortions - and provide political cover for pro-life Democrats - reignited a politically explosive issue that Republicans and pro-life activists are eager to exploit in the lead-up to the fall midterm elections.

Seizing ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Politics Scene

SUPREME COURT

Kagan would weigh recusal case-by-case

Responding to a final GOP challenge, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan said Monday that she would weigh recusing herself from matters related to the new health care law on a case-by-case basis.

Ms. Kagan was responding to a list of questions from Senate ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Kagan would weigh health-law recusal case by case

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Responding to a final GOP challenge, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan said Monday that she would weigh recusing herself from matters related to the new health care law on a case-by-case basis.

Miss Kagan was responding to a list of questions from Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans about ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Kagan Says She Has Never Been Asked and Has Never Offered Her Opinion on Legality or Constitutionality of Any Proposed Health Care Bill

Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan said in written responses provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee today that she has never been asked--and has never offered--her opinion about the underlying legal or constitutional issues of any proposed health-care legislation.
Read more [CNS News]

Pence: States Using Federal Funds for Abortions Through Health Care Law ‘Must Not Stand’

At his weekly pen and pad briefing on Monday at the Capital, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Republican Conference, said that last week's revelation by the National Right to Life's legal counsel that the new health care law will allow some states to use federal funds for abortion is unacceptable.
Read more [CNS News]

Medicare is Making Health Care ‘Unsustainable,’ Former White House Budget Official Warns

Medicare is the train engine pulling the nation's health-care system off a cliff at "an accelerated and dangerous rate," suggests a new conservative think-tank study authored by a former White House budget official.
Read more [CNS News]

Pro-Lifers Win a Round in Health Care Overhaul

Abortion foes have scored a victory and traditional allies of the Obama administration are grumbling about a decision to ban most abortion coverage in insurance pools for those unable to purchase health care on their own.
Read more [CNS News]

Hispanic Dems want health care fix

Lawmakers bring concerns about access to insurance to the immigration debate.



Read more [Politico]

Democrats Attacking GOP as Tea Party

Democrats are planning to link the tea party and Republicans, overlapping the two groups to paint the GOP as a party of extremists and the grassroots activists as tools of the establishment.
Read more [CNS News]

99 Days to Decide: GOP Candidate on Tape Calling Tea Party Birthers Dirty Word

A Republican Senate candidate in Colorado who's positioned himself as the Tea Party favorite could be in trouble after calling activists who harp on the issue of President Obama's birth certificate "dumbasses." 

Colorado Candidate Regrets Slam Against Tea Party

A Republican Senate candidate for Colorado apologized Monday for making disparaging remarks about tea party members who questioned the authenticity of President Barack Obama's birth certificate.
Read more [CNS News]

100 Days to Decide: Republicans Bank on Anti-Dem Strategy, Platform Unclear

One year after anger over a proposed health care overhaul lit a fire at town halls and ignited the Tea Party movement, the stage is set for Republicans to rally against the Democrats' agenda. But it remains unclear whether an anti-Democratic agenda is more effective than a pro-GOP platform in 2010. 

Tea Party Praised but Its Leaders Mostly Absent at Key Conservative Conference

Leaders from national Tea Party factions, like the Tea Party Express and Tea Party Patriots, were noticeably absent from the list of attendees at the RightOnline conference, but organizers dispute any suggestion that the Tea Party’s presence was minimized 

Ariz. AG: Governor a 'one-trick pony'

He calls Brewer a "poster child" for the tea party.



Read more [Politico]

Tea Party Express Spokesman Cuts Ties After NAACP Controversy

The Tea Party Express has accepted the resignation of its chief spokesmen after he was widely condemned for satirizing the NAACP as an organization led by "Tom's nephew" and "head colored person."

Tea Party Cautious Toward Congressional Caucus

A move by members of Congress to plant the Tea Party flag on Capitol Hill is getting a cautious reception from Tea Party members who are warning the lawmakers not to attempt a takeover of the grassroots movement. 

Boehner: GOP should 'walk amongst' tea party

The top House Republican dismissed concerns that his party's cozy relationship with the conservative "tea party" will turn off voters in November, saying it would be wrong to ignore the growing movement.

"We should listen to them, we should work with them and we should walk amongst them," said House ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Congressional Tea Party Caucus Kicks Off With a Display of Racial Unity

The newly formed Congressional Tea Party Caucus made its debut Wednesday morning and then showed off the racial and ethnic diversity of the movement at a news conference following its first meeting.

Hoyer: 'I Don't Think TEA Party Is Racist'; But House Dem Leader Not Sure 'Who the TEA Party Is’

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) admitted Tuesday that he's "not sure" who the TEA Party is -- and why they are angry.
Read more [CNS News]

Tea Party Caucus Debuts Wednesday

A big Capitol Hill Tea Party starts Wednesday at 9 a.m -- the first official meeting of the Congressional Tea Party Caucus.

Sherrod blames NAACP for firing

She says resolution against tea party was cause.



Read more [Politico]

Idaho Democrat Rejects Tea Party Endorsement Over Controversial Blog

The only congressional Democrat to earn an endorsement from a prominent Tea Party group has rejected that support over a controversial blog penned by its former chairman. 

Idaho GOP Reshaped by Tea Party Outrage

Three times since 2000, Republican Rod Beck failed in his bid to rejoin the state Senate, defeated by primary election rivals he insists didn't support party ideals. So Beck opted to change Idaho's GOP from within.
Read more [CNS News]

Tea Party Express Blasts Umbrella Group After Split Over Blog

An official with the Tea Party Express on Monday blasted its expulsion from a national coalition over its refusal to oust a former chairman who satirized the NAACP in a controversial blog posting. 

GOP leery of Tea Party Caucus

For GOP leaders, whether to join is far from clear.



Read more [Politico]

Tea party 'expulsion' reveals new rifts

The NAACP controversy reveals what organizers worry is a more serious threat to the movement.



Read more [Politico]

'Tea party' granted official status on Capitol Hill

The "tea party" movement established an official beachhead on Capitol Hill Monday, even as top organizers faced an internal fight over how to deal with charges of racism against fringe elements of the movement.

Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann confirmed Monday that the House Administration Committee had approved her request ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

House Gives Bachmann OK to Form Tea Party Caucus

The House Administration Committee Monday approved a request by Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., to form the Tea Party Caucus in the House of Representatives.

Alaska Tea Party Rep: Expulsion is 'Preposterous'

A Tea Party Express coordinator said Monday the group's expulsion from a national coalition over a member's blog posting about the NAACP was "arrogant and preposterous."
Read more [CNS News]

White House Will Not Label Tea Party as Racist

One day after Vice President Joe Biden remarked that the Tea Party movement is not racist, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the movement overall should not be judged by the actions of some of its members. 
Read more [CNS News]

Tea party groups fire on each other

Tea Party Express hits Tea Party Federation.



Read more [Politico]

Business Exec Compares Black Tea Partiers to Jewish Concentration Camp Guards

A management consultant on Monday stood by remarks over the weekend in which he compared black Tea Party activists to Jewish guards in Nazi concentration camps, telling FoxNews.com there are "turncoats" in every group. 

Tea Party Tension Flares as 'Federation' Gives Firebrand Activist the Boot

Tea Party activist Mark Williams ridiculed a national "federation" of Tea Party groups after he was kicked out over the weekend for controversial statements he made about slavery and the NAACP. 

Fate of Blagojevich Now in Hands of Jury

Rod Blagojevich's fate was in the hands of jurors Wednesday as they began deciding whether the impeached Illinois governor tried to sell an appointment to President Barack Obama's former Senate seat and schemed to use his political power for personal gain.

Jury gets case in Blagojevich corruption trial

CHICAGO (AP) -- Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's fate was in the hands of jurors Wednesday as they prepared to begin deciding whether Mr. Blagojevich tried to sell an appointment to President Obama's former Senate seat and schemed to use his political power for personal gain.

Jurors, weighing evidence against the ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Lawyer: Blago's not 'sharpest knife'

The ex-Illinois governor's attorney asks the jury not to convict his "foolish" client.



Read more [Politico]

Blagojevich lawyer: Government didn't prove case

CHICAGO (AP) -- Rod Blagojevich is an insecure man who talks a lot, but he is not a criminal, his defense attorney told jurors Tuesday during closing arguments at the ousted Illinois governor's corruption trial.

Sam Adam Jr. told jurors that he did not call Mr. Blagojevich to testify, as he ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Judge, Blagojevich lawyer clash

CHICAGO | Rod R. Blagojevich's defense lawyer clashed with the judge Monday over his planned closing arguments, pledging to go to jail if he is prohibited from telling jurors about witnesses that prosecutors never called.

Hours after prosecutors summed up their case against the disgraced former Illinois governor, Judge James ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Prosecutor: Blagojevich guilty of shakedown scheme

CHICAGO (AP) -- Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was so desperate for money that he tried to shake down everyone from a racetrack owner to a children's hospital executive to President-elect Barack Obama, a federal prosecutor told jurors Monday during closing arguments at Mr. Blagojevich's corruption trial.

The reason was that ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Dick Morris: Kirk Will Defeat Giannoulias in Illinois

Read more [Newsmax - Politics]

Illinois Senate Candidate Questioned About Embellishing Pivotal Life Event

Illinois Republican Mark Kirk, whose pursuit of President Obama's former Senate seat has been imperiled by his exaggerations about his military record, is now facing scrutiny about his oft-told story of nearly drowning at age 16.

Illinois special election likely

But an appeals court ruling may allow the parties to avoid holding primaries before Nov. 2.



Read more [Politico]

University of Illinois Says Professor ‘Has Not Been Fired’ for Teaching Catholic Doctrine On Homosexuality in Catholicism Class – He’s Just Not Teaching Classes

Threats of legal action persist after the University of Illinois dismisses demands to reinstate a professor relieved of duty for teaching Catholic doctrine on homosexuality in a Catholicism class. 
Read more [CNS News]

Blagojevich: 'I talk too much'

The defense of former Illinois Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich rested Wednesday without calling a single witness.



Read more [Politico]

Blago Lawyer: Ex-Governor Shouldn't Testify

Since the day federal agents arrested Rod Blagojevich, the ousted Illinois governor hasn't missed a chance to proclaim his innocence. On talk shows. On stage with the comedians of "Second City." To reporters while jogging down a snow-covered street -- even while chatting with Donald Trump on reality television.

Blagojevich's brother testifies he was out of loop

CHICAGO | Former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich's brother testified Monday that he never tied political contributions to government business while he served as chairman of the ousted Illinois governor's campaign fund, and he portrayed himself as frequently outside the loop during political discussions.

"I was told never to tie the ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Obama to stump for Giannoulias

The president will return to Chicago to support the Illinois Democratic Senate candidate.



Read more [Politico]

Blagojevich likely to testify this week

CHICAGO (AP) -- After promising for a year and a half to take the witness stand, former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich is likely to testify in his own defense at his federal corruption trial this week in a long-awaited duel of wits and wills with federal prosecutors.

Unlike in ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Illinois Newspaper Offers Free (Bleeping) Golden Blago Ringtones

A newspaper in Springfield, Illinois is offering readers free ringtones of Rod Blagojevich's greatest profanity-laced rants, captured on tape by the FBI in the weeks before the former governor's arrest in 2008.

Alliance Defense Fund Demands that University of Illinois Immediately Reinstate Professor Fired For Teaching Facts about Catholic Doctrine on Homosexual Behavior in Class About Catholic Doctrine

The Alliance Defense Fund is demanding the University of Illinois until the end of Friday to re-instate a professor who was suspended following complaints he engaged in "hate speech" by teaching Catholic dogma about homosexuality in a course about Catholicism.
Read more [CNS News]

Prosecutors rest in Blagojevich case; judge delays trial

CHICAGO | Federal prosecutors have rested their case in the corruption trial of ousted Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich.

But the former governor's defense attorneys won't start their case until Monday. U.S. District Judge James Zagel said Tuesday that he'd delay the trial to allow the defense time to prepare ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Blagojevich's brother faces corruption charges

CHICAGO | Rod R. Blagojevich's friends scattered as investigators looking into his doomed Illinois governorship closed in. Some associates had already been indicted, others stopped returning calls.

So when the Democrat needed a campaign fund manager, he turned to someone who had stood with him on the tough Chicago streets ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Politics Scene

ILLINOIS

Blagojevich, wife spent lavishly on clothes

CHICAGO | Rod and Patti Blagojevich were awash in more than $200,000 in consumer debt when the former Illinois governor was arrested, following a lavish, six-year shopping spree on custom-tailored suits and other luxury clothing, a federal agent testified Thursday.

Mr. Blagojevich and his ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

White House ducks from Blagojevich mud pies

The White House is doing its best to run away from Rod R. Blagojevich and the pay-to-play scandal surrounding the Senate seat once held by President Obama as the disgraced former governor tries to drag Mr. Obama into his federal corruption trial in Illinois.

The president's spokesman ducked questions about ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

More Illinois Senate drama: A special?

A federal appellate court ruling raises the prospect of a dual-election nightmare scenario.



Read more [Politico]

Lawmakers Call for Probe of VA Hospital That May Have Exposed Vets to Infection

House lawmakers have started calling for an investigation into reports that more than 1,800 veterans from Missouri, Illinois and other states may have been exposed to HIV or other diseases while getting dental treatment at a VA medical center in St. Louis.

Witness: Blagojevich eyed job in Cabinet as political deal

CHICAGO | Barack Obama on the night before he was elected president told an Illinois union leader that his aide Valerie Jarrett was interested in the Illinois Senate seat he was vacating, jurors in the corruption trial of ex-Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich were told Tuesday.

Tom Balanoff, an official with ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Kirk's apology: I was careless

Illinois congressman has mea culpa moment after tough criticism over Senate campaign.



Read more [Politico]

Two Ex Officers to Testify against Military's Ban

Two military officers who were discharged because of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy will testify during the federal trial of a lawsuit posing the biggest constitutional challenge in recent years to the military's policy banning openly gay service members.
Read more [CNS News]

'Don't ask' ripped at trial's opening

RIVERSIDE, Calif. | President Obama's remarks that the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy weakens national security shows it should be declared unconstitutional, a lawyer for the nation's largest Republican gay rights group told a federal judge Tuesday.

Attorney Dan Woods said in his opening statement of a U.S. District ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Obama can't shake gay-rights fights

"Don't ask, don't tell" leapt back into the news this week after the Pentagon's survey was criticized.



Read more [Politico]

'Don't ask' survey in crossfire

Activists find fault in the Pentagon's questioning.



Read more [Politico]

Groups fear 'don't ask' study skewed

Some gay rights organizations are afraid the survey's questions are poorly worded.



Read more [Politico]

Obama to push 'Don't ask' repeal

President says he'll continue working to overturn policy barring gays from openly serving in military.



Read more [Politico]

Senate Republican Accuses Kagan of Staying Silent on Saudi Gift to Harvard

A Senate Republican is accusing Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, who protested the military's "don't ask, don't" policy as an influential dean at Harvard, of remaining silent about the university receiving $20 million from a Middle East country that sanctions the oppression of gays.

'Don't ask, don't tell' far from over

It's an issue that is legislatively entangled with controversies such as jet engines and Gitmo.



Read more [Politico]

Joint Chiefs head wishes Congress had waited on gay-ban vote

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday he would have preferred that Congress wait to vote to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law that bans gays from serving openly in the military.

Adm. Mike Mullen did not directly criticize a House vote on ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

'Don't ask' deal's unlikely activist

Aubrey Sarvis's low-key, soldierly group has been one of the sharpest thorns in Obama's side.



Read more [Politico]

Adm. Mullen: Congress Should Wait on 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Vote

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says the House vote on repealing the military's policy on gays serving should have been held off until the Pentagon review was complete.

House Approves 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal, Sends Bill to Senate

Legislation allowing openly gay people to serve in the military has cleared the House and now heads to what could be a tough fight in the Senate. 

House votes to repeal 'don't ask'

Measure passes House 234-194 and also passes in key Senate committee vote.



Read more [Politico]

House, Senate move to repeal 'don't tell' law

Congress was moving on two fronts late Thursday with legislation to repeal a Clinton administration-era law that bans gays from serving openly in the military.

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved a measure to lift the controversial 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" policy, setting up a full vote in the ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Committee votes to repeal 'don't ask, don't tell'

WASHINGTON | The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to repeal the 1993 law known as "don't ask, don't tell" and allow gays to serve openly in the military.

The 16-12 vote endorses an end to the Clinton-era policy under which gays could serve in ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

House Votes to Repeal Military Gay Ban

The House has voted to repeal the 1993 law known as "don't ask, don't tell" and allow gays to serve openly in the military.

Congress to vote on military gay ban

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congress is headed toward landmark votes on whether to allow gays to serve openly in the military.

The House was expected to vote as early as Thursday on a proposal by Rep. Patrick J. Murphy, Pennsylvania Democrat, to repeal the 1993 law known as "don't ask, don't ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Congress Set for Landmark Vote on Lifting Military Gay Ban

A House vote, which could come Thursday evening, would repeal the 1993 law known as "don't ask, don't tell" that has effectively required gays wishing to join the military to hide their sexual orientation.

Nelson will support repeal of 'don't ask' law

Conservative Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson said Wednesday he will support a proposed repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" law against gays serving openly in the military - upping the odds that the measure will pass.

The Nebraska lawmaker, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced his decision ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Repeal of military gay ban gets key vote

Conservative Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson said Wednesday he will support a proposed repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" law against gays serving opening in the military — significantly upping the odds that the measure will pass.

The Nebraska lawmaker, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced his ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Bill Ending Ban on Homosexuals in the Military Expected to Pass Panel

The Senate Armed Services Committee has enough votes to approve a bill overturning the ban on gays serving openly in the military, according to supporters of the effort to end the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
Read more [CNS News]

Nelson to back 'Don't ask' repeal

His is the critical 15th vote required for the repeal to be included in the defense authorization bill.



Read more [Politico]

Lawmakers Question Move to Accelerate Vote on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Democratic and Republican lawmakers are questioning the decision to move ahead on a vote to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, saying Congress and the administration should wait until the Pentagon completes its internal review this fall. 

Get over gay fear, U.S. allies advise

Opinion: "Don't ask, don't tell" undercuts America's commitment to the values of fairness and equality.



Read more [Politico]

Pelosi key to 'Don't ask' deal

She is being credited with forcing a plan agreement.



Read more [Politico]

Sen. Kerry Says He Mishandled Furor Over Yacht Taxes

Democrat Kerry tells The Boston Globe that he doesn't believe he dealt with the issue quickly enough or effectively enough. He added that he did nothing legally wrong.
Read more [CNS News]

Rangel hit with 13 ethics charges

Kicking off a politically perilous process, the House ethics committee on Thursday officially lodged 13 charges against Rep. Charles B. Rangel, including that he used his office to raise $8 million for a college public policy center named after him and failed to file taxes while he was Congress' chief ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Kerry, yacht in rough seas over taxes

BOSTON | Sen. John Kerry moved to end a controversy over his decision to base his new $7 million yacht in tax-free Rhode Island, informing the Massachusetts Department of Revenue on Tuesday that he would "promptly" pay taxes as if the vessel were docked in his home state.

In a ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Kerry Agrees to Pay Massachusetts Tax on Yacht Docked in Rhode Island

The Massachusetts senator told his state's tax collector Tuesday that he would "promptly" pay all the taxes due on his new $7 million yacht that he docked in tax-free Rhode Island.

Democrats mull taxes for higher earners

A small but growing chorus of Capitol Hill Democrats say they support delaying a scheduled expiration of Bush-era tax cuts on wealthier Americans, bucking the Obama administration's desire to shield only middle-income earners from a tax increase.

But unlike Republicans, influential Democrats - including Sens. Kent Conrad, Ben Nelson and ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Time for Obama to make sacrifices

Opinion: The government needs to cut spending and balance the budget without raising taxes.



Read more [Politico]

Minnesota gubernatorial candidates not shy about talk of tax increases

ST. PAUL, Minn. | One Minnesota governor hopeful framed his open concession to raise taxes as his "Walter Mondale moment." Another contender is fond of saying "Read my lips: Tax the rich" and makes a pro-tax pledge in TV ads. Two others don't shy either from tax calls.

At a ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Timid On Taxes? Not in Minnesota Governor's Race

Read more [Newsmax - Politics]

IMF insists U.S. curb deficits

Echoing fiscal hawks in Washington, the International Monetary Fund on Thursday called on the United States to make a stronger effort to curb its budget deficits.

The IMF said Thursday that in addition to cutting government spending, the Obama administration will have to consider raising taxes to get the U.S. ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Obama Science Czar Called for Carbon Tax to Redistribute Wealth from Global 'North' to 'South'

Five months before President Obama named him director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, John P. Holdren called for carbon taxes that would allow the transfer of wealth from global 'North' to 'South.'
Read more [CNS News]

Virginia Challenges Feds in First Health Care Lawsuit Hearing

The Obama administration is trying to have its cake and eat it too by arguing that the federal government is not taxing people to pay for health care, but then says state must comply with the new law because they can't avoid paying taxes, Virginia's attorney general's office argued in federal court Thursday.

Unions battle for public job benefits

Major clashes are breaking out between public-sector unions and state and local governments seeking to steady their wobbly books by scaling back employee benefits, pitting labor's political clout against lawmakers eager to avoid raising taxes or cutting programs.

From New York to California, state capitals and city halls facing huge ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Biden Calls Custard Shop Manager a 'Smartass' After Taxes Comment

Vice President Biden called the manager of a custard shop outside of Milwaukee, Wis., a “smartass” after the man asked him to lower taxes.

Cities and States Eye Alcohol, Tobacco Fees and Taxes to Boost Budgets

Alcohol consumption by San Francisco residents costs the city 'tens of millions of dollars in harm every year,' according to an alcohol industry watchdog that is pushing a local 'alcohol mitigation fee' to offset the costs.
Read more [CNS News]

Rich got richer, paid more taxes under Bush

The rich did indeed get richer under President George W. Bush, but they also paid an ever-larger share of the federal tax burden, according to new numbers compiled by Congress' chief scorekeeper.

After dipping in the early part of the Bush administration, by 2007 the top quintile of earners - ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Middle Class--Not the Rich or the Poor--Pay Majority of Federal Taxes, Says CBO Data

Middle-class Americans--not the poor or the rich--pay the majority of annual tax revenues taken in by the federal government, according to data in a new Congressional Budget Office study. Households earning less than $34,300 per year, meanwhile, actually pay a negative average federal income tax rate.
Read more [CNS News]

Senate rejects more stimulus funding

The Senate on Wednesday rejected a $140 billion taxes and spending package in a resounding defeat for President Obama and Democratic leaders that signaled the era of freewheeling stimulus spending is giving way to greater concern for deficits.

Hours later, chastened Democrats produced a pared-down version they said spent less ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

House Passes Tax Cut for Small-Business Investment

Long-term investors in some small businesses would escape capital gains taxes under a bill passed by the House Tuesday as congressional Democrats tried to revive their jobs agenda.
Read more [CNS News]

States' red ink augurs cuts, higher taxes

To raise taxes or cut services, that again will be the question for governors dealing with hobbled budgets heading into the 2011 fiscal year, a new study by two lobbying groups for state governments shows.

The report by the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers ...
Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Clinton: Rich 'Not Paying Their Fair Share' in Taxes

The rich are not being taxed enough and the economy is suffering for it, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday. 

Bill Requires Rhode Island to Pay Taxpayers Interest on Delayed Tax Refunds

Several Rhode Island state congressmen have introduced a bill requiring the state to pay the same rate of interest after 60 days on tax refunds owed to taxpayers that the state assesses for overdue taxes.
Read more [CNS News]

Social Security Needs Small 'Tweaks,' New Congressional Report Says

Social Security faces a $5.3 trillion shortfall over the next 75 years, but a new congressional report says the massive gap could be erased with only modest changes to payroll taxes and benefits.
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Report: Tweaks can fix Social Security

Social Security faces a $5.3 trillion shortfall over the next 75 years, but a new congressional report says the massive gap could be erased with only modest changes to payroll taxes and benefits. Some of the options are politically dangerous, such as increasing payroll taxes or reducing annual cost-of-living increases for Social Security recipients. Others, such as gradually raising the age when retirees qualify for full benefits, wouldn't be felt for years but would affect millions. Many wouldn't affect current recipients, according to the report by the Senate Special Committee on Aging. Committee Chairman Herb Kohl, Wisconsin Democrat, said small ...

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Read more [Washington Times - Politics]

Schwarzenegger Budget: No New Taxes, Deeper Cuts

Read more [Newsmax - Politics]

Schwarzenegger Calls for Deep Spending Cuts, No New Taxes in Budget Plan

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday called for eliminating California's welfare-to-work program, one of the deep cuts he proposed to close a $19 billion budget deficit in the coming fiscal year.