JAN SCHAKOWSKY SAID WHAT?

My Congresswoman, Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), says we don't know how the Social Security Trust Fund works. According to her there is apparently no LOCK BOX the payments of Social Security may be held up because there is no money.

What happened to the money which was paid into the Trust Fund all these years? Who took it out of the LOCK BOX? Why are millions of employees and self employed people still making payments in excess of what is paid out, yet there may be no money to write the checks? Why were we told that Social Security was not broke, but suddenly the Government can't make monthly payments?

It will be President Obama's decision which prohibits the payment to Social Security receipitents even if we don't raise the Debt Limit by August 2nd.

Therefore, this President Obama and the Democrats are using scare and fear to get what they want.

BALANCED APPROACH TO DEBT LIMITS

Much is heard from the Liberals in Congress and especially from President Obama that we need a "Balanced Approach" to control our Budget. As part of the "Balanced Approach" the tax rate on the highest earners needs to be raised so they pay their "Fair Share". Highest earners are those making over $250,000 for a Married Couple and $200,000 for a single earner.

So what is the "Fair Share" for these people? According to the IRS, for 2008 (the latest year available) the top 1% paid more than 38% of all Income Taxes while the top 5% paid almost 59% of all Income Taxes. (source The Tax Foundation) To be in the top 1% you have to have at least $380,354 Adjusted Gross Income while $159,619 and above is the top 5%. It might be noted that the bottom 50% pays less than 3% of all Income Taxes. These represent Adjusted Gross Income of less than $33,048. (Nice to know that if your Adjusted Gross Income is more than $33,048 you are in the top half of all Income Tax Payers and you are part of the group that pays better than 97% of all income taxes.

To me a "Balanced Approach" would mean more Income Taxes on the 50% who pay less than 3% not higher Income Taxes on the 50% who pay over 97%. There may be a growing difference between the richest and the poorest in America, but the emphasis should not be on limiting the top, but rather raising the bottom. If this happened, we would have a better distribution of the "Fair Share" for Income Taxes paid.

We need to eliminate the Loopholes in the Tax Code which carve out special individuals and groups to receive unfair Income Tax Benefits. We do not need to limit the top earners who are the job creators. We need to make more opportunity for the rest of us to reach the top earning levels by letting everyone retain more of their earnings through a more fair and lower Tax Rate.

Increasing the Tax Rate for the Richest Taxpayers will have the same effect as cutting the top off most plants. Growth Stops because (except for the Grasses) the top is where all the growth happens.

SOCIAL SECURITY vs DEBT LIMIT

Let me make this very clear. If by August 2nd the Debt Ceiling is not raised, there will still be money comming into the Treasury. The Secretary of the Treasury decides who and what gets paid with this money. The Secretary of the Treasury works at the pleasure of the President. Therefore, IT IS PRESIDENT OBAMA WHO WILL DECIDE IF SOCIAL SECURITY, MILITARY, AND OTHER GOVERNMENT PAYMENTS ARE MADE. Read that last sentence again.

Pop quiz.

Who decides who gets paid?

We do not have to default. We do not have to withhold Social Securtiy Checks. President Obama will decide.

Next question: why hasn't the President or any Democrat made any specific proposals (other than tax increases) which would be acceptable? Why have they not put forth on paper specific items? The Republicans have. So how does anyone negotiate without knowing what's open for discussion? To only say Social Security, Medicare and Increasing Taxes are off the table is not a plan which allows anything to move foreward.

When we the American People get actionalble specifics rather than scare tactics?

Why has the Senate, under Democrat Harry Reid, not passed a budget in 2 years? They haven't even brought a budget out of committee!

A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION

President Obama thinks 80% favor a Tax Increase Obama: Public is 'sold' on tax increases in a debt-ceiling deal No poll figures support this.

Scott Rassmussen shows 55% oppose a Tax Increase 55% Oppose Tax Hike In Debt Ceiling Deal

Gallup Poll Numbers are similar where only 11% believe Tax Increases are the sole answer and 50% say mostly spending cuts are the answer On Deficit, Americans Prefer Spending Cuts; Open to Tax Hikes

In 2006 EVERY Democrat Senator (including Obama) voted against raising the Debt Limit Senate Roll Call What changed such that they are prediction dire consequences if the debt limit is not raised?

IT'S THE RACE CARD...AGAIN

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) claims the Debt/Budget problems President Obama is currently having is because of his race. (Jackson Lee: Congress complicating debt ceiling because Obama is black)

In case the Congresswoman is reading this, the truth is it is not the color of President Obama's skin. It is the color of his ideas.

Have you noticed that whenever our President is in trouble, the Race card is played?

STATE OF THE UNION - REALITY CHECK

President Obama gave his State of the Union speech to Congress last night. For an analysis, go here ("FACT CHECK: Obama and his imbalanced ledger")

This was one of the "What did he just Say Moments"!

OBAMA: Vowed to veto any bills sent to him that include "earmarks," pet spending provisions pushed by individual lawmakers. "Both parties in Congress should know this: If a bill comes to my desk with earmarks inside, I will veto it."

Wasn't this one of the first Campaign Promises he broke?

DO AS I SAY - NOT AS I DO

We are told daily (sometimes hourly) by the Left that ObamaCare is the only thing which will prevent the Bad Insurance Companies from unfairly deciding who is eligible for Health Insurance. Obama and the Left Demonized the Insurance Companies. They claimed that ObamaCare would reduce the deficit through smoke and mirrors.

Yet certain companies and labor unions are now getting waivers from the provisions of this wonderful entitlement - ObamaCare. Three SEIU Locals--Including Chicago Chapter--Waived From Obamacare Requirement If ObamaCare is so great, why does the SEIU and other groups need a waiver? Appears to me that Do as I say - Not do as I do is in full force for those politically connected - especially if they are contributors to the Left.

From that article we learn some relevant facts.

So far, the Obama administration has issued waivers to 222 entities, including businesses, unions and charitable organizations. Of that total, 45 were labor organizations.

A total of 1,507,418 enrollees are now included in the waivers. More than one-third -- 512,315 – of the enrollees affected were insured by union health plans.

I wonder if this fact influenced the Department of Health and Human Services decision to grant the waivers?

The SEIU's Committee on Political Education made $27,829,845.91 in independent expenditures on Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.

UPDATE Jan 26, 2011: The official Department of Health and Human Services list of wavers granted from their own Government Website. It's over 700!

HYPOCRISY OF THE LEFT

The events in Phoenix are tragic. Six dead, 13 wounded at the hands of an apparently deranged individual. The apparent target was a Congresswoman from the 8th district of Arizona. Her name is Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). Today she is in a Phoenix Hospital in critical condition from a gunshot wound to the left side of her head at the hands of a possibly schizophrenic individual.

This individual is described as having connections to groups which exultant the likes of Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. These groups are also anti-Semitic, and possibly call for the violent overthrow of our Government.

Yet the facts show the "Daily Kos, a very much to the left blog has scrubbed a post to a diary by BlueBoy titled "My CongressWOMAN voted against Nancy Pelosi! And is now DEAD to me!". The Congresswoman BlueBoy refered to is Gabrielle Gilfords. A classmate described him as "left wing" and a "pot head" plain and simple this is the Hypocrisy of the Left.

Yet the "Daily Kos as well as many on the left continue to blame the right, and in particular "The Tea Baggers" as the cause of the actions of the gunman. At this point, it is counter-productive, hypocrisy and wrong to blame these criminal acts on the right or the "Tea Baggers".

UPDATE Dem Congressman who called for GOP Gov. to be put against a wall and shot now pleads for civility

UPDATE II

CHILDREN AND G-CHILDREN WILL PAY UNLESS

The interest is the fastest growing part of our budget.

The Cost of the Debt Explosion

GOVERNMENT MADE FIGURES UP

According to this Bloomberg Article (Jobless Claims in U.S. Decreased 27,000 to 451,000 Last Week)Unemployment figures had to be estimated for nine (9) states.

For the latest reporting week, nine states didn’t file claims data to the Labor Department in Washington because of the federal holiday earlier this week, a Labor Department official told reporters. As a result, California and Virginia estimated their figures and the U.S. government estimated the other seven, the official said.

Hopefully the estimators are better than the ones who said ObomaCare would reduce the Deficit!

Why didn't they just postpone the announcement of the figures until the actual figures could be made available?