Tax plans will create NO growth.

The Democrats have circulated a tax plan that would cover the next year to see if they can get enough votes to get it passed. They are basically keeping the current tax rates (I refuse to call them tax cuts, since they have been the rates for 10 years) for everyone below 200,000 or 250,000 for families.

Republicans are no better, as they only want to extend the current rates for everyone for another year. Then the promise with a pledge they will absolutely do something in 2013. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Obama doubles down on class warfare

Obama has decided that vilifying the rich is the best way to win an election. This we all knew already. But now with a horrible jobs report, and anemic growth at best in the economy, he has decided that now is the time to double down on his call to end the Bush tax rates.

That is misleading though. Throughout the media they keep calling it the "Bush era tax rates". These have been the tax rates for a decade now. How long until they become just the current tax rates? Oh wait that's right, if he says that it shows that he is once again raising taxes on the American people.

Fewer Young Gun Republicans signing the Anti-Tax Pledge

I was reading Redstate today on an article about possibly needing a third party. Relax they weren't calling for one they were just stating that one may come about from the crap that we are receiving from the current Republican party.

On that point I happen to agree with him. While the concept of a third party may work in some respects when it comes to congressional races, if and only if the third party can win, mostly all it would do is split the conservative vote and ensure that Dems would take over complete power. This is especially true when it comes to Presidential elections. For my first exhibit in that regard I give you Ross Perot.

What really got me was a small nugget down at the bottom that caught my eye.
By the way, this year fewer and fewer Republican candidates are signing the tax pledge on the advice of Republican members of Congress. This is another warning sign that the Eric Cantor led Republican conference is going far afield from what those who vote Republican actually want.

Is it a Tax or a Penalty?

Since the courts upheld the mandate on the basis that it is within the purview of Congress thanks to the power to tax, the Obama administration has a small problem on their hands. Yes, they got the win they wanted from the Supreme Court, but they got it in probably what was the worst possible outcome for them.

They now have to try to convince the American people that the Individual Mandate is still a penalty, even though the courts say the only way it is legal is if it is a tax.

What to do, what to do?

Enlightening speech on C-Span

Sitting at work yesterday one of the few channels that I have available to me is C-Span. Most of the time it takes about 10 minutes before I'm bored and have on. However a speech that was given by Congressman Rob Woodhall (R-GA 7th) I found extremely interesting.

Most of what I found interesting was the back and forth between him and Rep Steve King (R-IA 5th) about tax rates and hidden taxes. We'll get to that in a minute though.

Herman Cain: The only real option out there

 For those of us with a very strong conservative streak in us saying that the fields for POTUS for the last few election cycles has sucked would be a gross understatement. No one has really come out and just been honest and principled in their views. Ok well one has, but lets be honest Ron Paul ain't exactly what were looking for in a President. Although I would contend his intentions are good and having him as POTUS right now would still be better than whats there. 

 In the last election cycle I would have bitten the bullet and voted for Mitt Romney. I felt at the time even with his inability to have a backbone and take a stand on anything at least he could have competed in the debates with O and probably made him look silly most of the time on economic issues. I cannot do that this time around. The movement and progress that we have made over the last year or so with the mid-terms and the Tea Party just will not allow me to compromise that much on what I believe this country needs.

 That brings us to who I feel not only could win the nomination but also win the general. Now I do not really care about the establishment and their belief that its Romneys turn. Or that he is the most presidential looking or whatever ignorance they are spitting out to try to convince us that a Northeastern Gov who created socialized medicine in his state is where we should go.

 Thus enter Herman Cain. I'll admit when he first came out I like most people didn't give him much credence. First off I knew nothing about him and secondly I wasn't sure if he was actually able to put together a campaign and do everything that would go along with that. What we are seeing now is that the more people find out about him the more that people like him. Yes, just to get it out of the way he makes mistakes, he misspeaks, he screws up, hes  a novice at running a campaign, and you know what I'm completely fine with all of that. It proves more to me that he is being honest. He is coming out and saying what he believes, mostly because he doesn't have the staff to prep him or teach him about all the other things that politicians worry about and frankly we here at the Handbook like that a lot.

 I don't want a cookie cutter politician that always smiles never shows emotion and always has the perfect answer that actually answers nothing. I don't want sound bites. I want policies, I want beliefs. Take his 9-9-9 plan, is it perfect? Absolutely not, however I believe hes showing a willingness to work it and mold it into a plan that could actually work. Without him you don't get the Perry plan, you don't have Mittens coming out saying that he would be willing to possibly flatten his tax plan out.

 Face it whether you like Cain or not he is setting the agenda right now for the debates and the policies coming out of the Republican candidates. Even doing so and being attacked at each of the last couple debates he is still the front runner. Why? Because people want someone who is honest, and doesn't three polls, four studies and a teleprompter to tell him what his positions are on things.