Low taxes are the result of low spending

– former NH Gov Meldrim Thomson.

Well, as it seems to be their wont, our Legislators in DC just keep forgetting about that sage advice and instead, keep their own New Year’s tradition alive – “gifting” us with new taxes.  Some big, some small. CNN / Money as a short list of those that you may need to hurry up on before they go away:

1. Tuition and fees: A deduction for tuition and fees of up to $4,000 is currently available to parents and students paying for college.
2. Teachers’ expenses: The Educator Expense Deduction aims to help teachers cover the cost of classroom supplies like notebooks, pens and paper that their school doesn’t reimburse them for. Elementary and secondary school teachers can qualify for deductions of up to $250 per year, even if they don’t itemize.
3. Mortgage insurance premiums: Currently, homeowners are able to deduct their mortgage insurance premiums as residence interest.
4. State and local sales tax: In states without an income tax, like Florida and Alaska, taxpayers have been able to deduct state and local general sales taxes instead of taking the income tax deduction — but that won’t be an option next year unless Congress intervenes.
5. Donations through your IRA: Retirees older than 70-and-a-half have traditionally been able to make non-taxable charitable donations of up to $100,000 directly from their IRA disbursements. But once this tax break expires, they will need to take the disbursement first, meaning it will be considered part of their taxable income.
6. Energy-efficiency: It’s your last chance to get a credit of up to $500 if you made energy-efficient home improvements this year — including new windows and doors. To see if you qualify, visit EnergyStar.com or ask the company where you bought the items.
7. Commuter costs: Currently, commuters who take mass transit like trains or buses to work are able to receive $245 a month (or $2,940 per year) in tax-free money toward those expenses. But this perk is scheduled to expire January 1, at which point commuters will only be able to write off just $130 per month — $1,560 a year.
8. Mortgage debt forgiveness: A tax break that has been in effect since 2007 allows struggling homeowners to exclude any debt forgiveness they were granted from a bank when calculating their taxable income.

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Of COURSE, once the news that UPS and Fedex missed some deliveries, I knew it was only a little bit of time before some Self-important CongressTwit and SenaBoob was going to insert themselves into this situation, given that it was Christmas and Capitalism.  From the various news reports, it seems that some retailers and the shippers overpromised in the world of online purchases – and underdelivered.  Of COURSE people were angry to the point of outraged.  I can certainly understand – it’s a pain in the neck when I’ve ordered something and it doesn’t appear on time – but stuff happens:

These factors pushed online retail sales to jump 63% on Dec. 23 when compared to the same day last year, according to Mercent data. Even though forecasts expected a jump in online sales this year, the industry has not experienced this peak two days before Christmas in the past, Best said. “They may have seen late signs that more people were buying online, but you can’t ramp up equipment that fast,” Stock said.

So, right on cue, US Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) steps in and demands rebates from the retailers and the shippers.  All of the reports I saw in the blogosphere reguritated this – except for CBS New York who recorded a bit more than what is on his website: 

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I haven’t written as much as I should have about this – that’s what this weekend will be set for as the underlying issues are what are important and not just that a TV network suspending one of the stars of its best show.  That said, I am betting that this info had quite a bit to do with their white flag surrender:

According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, in the days after the Duck Dynasty patriarch was benched for his anti-gay remarks to GQ writer Drew Magary, A&E experienced a significant downturn in its deliveries. In the week of Dec. 16-22, A&E averaged 1.51 million viewers in prime time, down 13 percent from 1.73 million in the year-ago period.

The target demos took a bigger hit, as adults 25-54 dropped 22 percent to 678,000, while members of the 18-49 set fell 18 percent to 646,000.

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At least my Senator Kelly Ayotte did – real quick, too.  The DC Republicans deserve all the opprobrium that has come their way for the cutting of the Armed Service members retirement monies after either serving their 20 plus years or getting medical’d out.  There is no doubt that most of the real Lefty Democrats hate the military – they’d fire them all in a heartbeat.  But, I imagine they were plenty happy to make it less palatable to serve.  But for political reasons, NOW there is this rush to ‘fix it”:

Several bills have been introduced in the House this week that would restore cuts made to military retirees’ benefits.

Lawmakers have complained that a provision in the Bipartisan Budget Agreement, H.J. Res. 59 — which was passed into law last week — reduces the cost of living adjustment (COLA) by 1 percent for military retirees under the age of 62.

The reduction was made to replace $6 billion in sequester cuts to the Department of Defense’s budget.

Do I have this straight?  The Lawmakers, who wrote this, who voted on it, are now complaining about it?  Really?  Did they not learn ANYTHING from the passage of Obamacare when Madam Pelosi gloriously stated “We have to pass it to find out what’s in it”?  Especially the US House Republicans – did not a single one of them read that provision and poke the others in the ribs and go “Oops – we just aimed political claymores at ourselves!“?   Demonstrably not.

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“If you talk to any of my Democratic colleagues who lost that year, they would tell that gun control was one of the major contributory factors in the loss of their seats.”   —John Dingell

Tallahasse. On December 10, 2013, the 1st District Court of Appeal — in an en banc decision, ruled in favor of University of North Florida student, Alexandria Lainez and Florida Carry, Inc. a gun rights group in a challenge to university policy banning students on campus from storing guns in their personal vehicles.

A preemption law passed in 2011, prompted the court to decide that the Sunshine States twelve  public universities fall within the purview of the law. This recent ruling also states that while universities have the power to restrict lawful conduct such as drinking or smoking on campus — that same power does not extend to the regulating of guns.

In opining for the court, Judge Clay Roberts wrote, “Restricting recreational activities is a far cry from restricting a fundamental, constitutional right to keep and bear arms for self-defense…”

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President Obama has decided, along with most of the Democrats / Progressives / Socialist, that he must bring the Marxist philosophy of Class Warfare to play – but call it Income Inequality.  After all, who is against inequality of any type?  Who is not for the traditional notion of equality?  Well, those that are out to redefine, to ‘fundamentally transform’ America – Obama, for starters.  The traditional American value of equality of opportunity and equality before the Law is in direct opposition the Marxist demand that we all are the same, MUST be the same, and that equality must be defined as equality of outcome.  Typical socialism – typical outlook driven by Envy.  Throw in a dash of racism (e.g., the Eric Holder’s DOJ weapon of choice of “disparate outcomes” using statistics to “prove” racism by those that must be punished).

From Cafe Hayek, a scenario that blows apart the implicit idea that Obama is trying to push – that we are all exactly the same except for our incomes and that ONLY incomes matter.  Obama wants us to concentrate only on the money – and not some of the other choices that we all make for our individual “pursuit of happiness”.  There is no mention of “tradeoffs” that we make because money is only important to Obama’s planned transformation – and that individual choices are of no concern or part of his “greater common good”?

• Do you [proponents of ‘redistribution’] not worry that creating government power today to take from Smith and give to Jones — simply because Smith has more material wealth than Jones — might eventually be abused so that tomorrow, government takes from Jones and gives to Smith simply because Smith is more politically influential than Jones?

• Suppose that Jones chooses a career as a poet. Jones treasures the time he spends walking in the woods and strolling city streets in leisurely reflection; his reflections lead him to write poetry critical of capitalist materialism. Working as a poet, Jones earns $20,000 annually. Smith chooses a career as an emergency-room physician. She works an average of 60 hours weekly and seldom takes a vacation. Her annual salary is $400,000. Is this “distribution” of income unfair? Is Smith responsible for Jones’ relatively low salary? Does Smith owe Jones money? If so, how much? And what is the formula you use to determine Smith’s debt to Jones?

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“Why are the Republicans willing to “own” the perceptions that they hate the military?”

This has reminded me of a post that I have, thus far, failed to post.  I will be rectifying that Real Soon Now (a “Pournellism”).  In the mean time, read this from a US Military veteran when asked for money in a Republican fundraiser letter by US Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) – you know, the Republican that just made that two year budget agreement with Progressive Caucus member Senator Patty Murray which broke the only successful lock on Federal spending in a very long time – the Sequester.  This “compromise”, as part of its “savings”, is cutting the pensions of those that put their lives on the line for the rest of us by serving in the US Military.  As a double Blue Star Dad and TEA Partier, I couldn’t keep my jaw from hitting the floor over the insult to “those on the Wall” and in the foxholes; even though my two sons only served one hitch each, to go after the military pensions to “save” the money is a kick in the arse.  Oh, we hear that it’s “only 1%” – yeah, compound interest can work wealth wonders in the positive direction (er, when the Fed leaves interest rates to seek their own level) but can wreak havoc when run backwards – 6 digits in fact over a length of time.  Well, that vet that received the letter decided to answer back (emphasis mine, and there are a lot of them):

I’m still mulling this Paul Ryan budget deal that stole money from every military retiree (past, present and future). This morning, upon opening my email, I noticed I had a letter from Congressman Paul Ryan…and it was begging me for an “emergency end of the year donation.” It only proves what we already know. The folks in Washington are indeed clueless. Instead of hitting the delete button, I decided to call Congressman Ryan out on his audacity and lack of self-awareness. I sent the following to him. I’m also posting it on the FB USAF Chiefs page as an open letter to the Congressman. If you’re a retiree, I will tell you we may have lost the battle, but not the war. If you’re inclined and find it worthy, let’s flood social media with this letter and see if we can get some traction. Thanks.

Congressman Ryan,

Please note that this request by you for a cash donation from me is extremely unfortunate and very ill-timed. You see sir, I am one of the military retirees your “bipartisan” budget just impacted. You and every Republican (both in the House and Senate that voted to pass this travesty betrayed and broke trust with me and everyone like me. You may not know us by name, but we’re the people, Congressman, who answered our Nation’s call, some of us at a very early age to willingly serve YOU and others LIKE YOU so you could safely attend college and pursue your personal ambitions without fear of harm.

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Yahoo! news has surprised me almost every day this week by posting stories that present the Democrat signature health care reform (ObamaCare) is an unflattering light.  The most recent visits a point I’ve made as recently as this past week.  If no one knows what the law is or can even predict what it might be there is no law.  And this is not only an imperial presidency it is one Democrats are more than willing to ignore because it is their tyrant who ignores it.

No one can safely plan in this environment. Jay Carney’s declarations have a shelf life of hours, not weeks, but the more lasting damage inheres in the idea that the law can be dictated by the White House. The changes are not matters of implementation but structural elements going to the heart of the law. The administration feels free to issue such changes — though doing so violates (at the very least) the Administrative Procedure Act and arguably the Constitution — because President Barack Obama has successfully flouted the law since 2009.

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Democrats have to lie to get what they want (with plenty of help from a compliant media) and ObamaCare is just one of the more glaring and recent examples.   With a hat tip to Scott Johnson at Powerline, we have a excerpt of a review of The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln by Sean Wilentz.  The review is by Allen Guelzo, and in this excerpt he reminds us of an even greater deception.

What the Democratic Party has most liked to say about itself—that it is the party of the working man, the voice of the oppressed, the tribune of the people—loses some of its strut in the light of a rather long list of inconvenient facts, chiefly having to do with slavery and race. Such facts as these: that the Democrats were the party that championed chattel bondage, backed an expansionist war to expand slavery’s realm, and corrupted the Supreme Court in order to open the western territories to the cancer. The party’s Southern wing then led the nation into civil war in defense of slavery while its Northern wing did its best to stymie the administration of Abraham Lincoln, widely regarded by the Democrats as an accidental, even illegitimate, president.

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