IMPORTANT! TAX ALERT!

King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert, my council representative, someone I like a lot, is considering voting to place a sales tax increase on the ballot. It needs six votes to pass, the five Ds are voting yes, the 3 R’s besides Kathy are voting no. SHE IS THE DECIDING VOTE. Her NO vote kills the proposal now. Call, fax, email her and tell her to vote NO. 206-296-1003; fax, 206-296-1098, email kathy.lambert@kingcounty.gov. Tell her this is the most important vote she has taken as a councilmember and that you will remember in November how she voted, this November and the November that she is up for reelection. She knows better than to vote for this. She needs to hear from you NOW.

OBAMACARE, TERRORISTS AND MORE…….

SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT, so little time…

MORE REVELATIONS ABOUT THE HIDDEN costs of Obamacare. The CBO today reported that the ‘Doc fix’ for Medicare will cost not the $207 bllion estimated at the time of the bill’s passage, but $276 billion, a 33% increase. Another number going up is the number of Americans who tell pollsters they support repeal of Obamacare, now running as high as 70% in some polls.

A BIG SURPRISE HERE; FREDDIE MAC announced today that they need another $10.6 bllion bailout from the Feds. This is in addition to the $50.7 billion already received, and Fannie Mae’s $76.2 billion. And earlier this week, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, charged with saving the pension systems of failing companies, had mislead Congress about it’s own situation and failed an audit.

A RESEARCH REPORT ISSUED by the U S Publlic Interest Group ( a leftie, Naderite group ) last week said the roads in Washington State are ‘ unacceptable’.  Our Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond responded that ” funds are tight” and ” the money collected for the gas tax doesn’t go as far as it used to. ” Didn’t they just raise our gas tax 9.5 cents a gallon a few years ago and promise a new bridge, a new viaduct and all sorts of improvements with that increase? Just asking…

SUPER PC SILLINESS….a county supervisor in Santa Clara County has proposed banning happy meal toys in order to make unhealthy fast food less appealing to children.  Where in the he## do they think they get such power? Time to take to the streets. They will get that happy meal toy when they peel my cold dead fingers from around it…

GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE, the new governor of New Jersey, is not just shaking up the state capitol over taxes and spending. He became on Monday, the first New Jersey governor to refuse to reappoint a State Supreme Court justice, appointing a more conservative replacement. Christie has been exhibiting more than his fair share of courage and vision since being elected and I hope (no, actually I pray ) that other Republicans are taking notes.

FINALLY, THE CASE OF FAISAL SHAHZAD, the would-be Islamic radical terrorist bomber, who apparently didn’t do his homework well enough while studying abroad – thankfully. I cannot believe the gibberish coming from the mouths of supposedly intelligent people about his motives. Mayor Bloomberg: the bomb might have been placed by ” somebody..who doesn’t like the health care bill or something. ” CNN: “…his house has been foreclosed…one would have to imagine that brought a lot of pressure and a lot of heartache on that family.” ( Kirby question – how many homes have been foreclosed on in the past three years and how many of those owners have gone out and tried to bomb a busy public place because of it ? ). CBS News: It isn’t clear what the motive could be.” AP: ” NY car bomb suspect cooperates, but motive unclear.”. USA Today: ” Motive of NYC car bomb suspect remains a mystery.”. To quote a line from one of my favorite movies of all time, Tombstone, ” I don’t have the words.”. Or, none are so blind as those who will not see.

I AM STILL ALIVE…..

…BUT IT WAS A busy week, between AFP meetings, filling in for Dori all week, Senate candidate forums, WOW meetings ( my favorite ), setting up the No on 1077 committee ( that’s the state income tax initiative )and, a bit of sleep. I will try to be more timely in the future, especially with everything that is happening.

I WILL BE FILLING in for David Boze tomorrow, Monday the 26th, 3-6 PM, KTTH 770. We’ll be talking about the state income tax, the phony finanacial review bill before Congress and a new book written by a friend of mine, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Vietnam War.

WELL, AN INITIATIVE was filed last week, 1077, to impose a state income tax on ‘the rich’, cut the state portion of your property tax ( probably about a 4% total cut ) and reduce the B+O tax on smaller businesses. The key issue here is the opening of the door to an income tax. The legislature can modify any initiative after two years – remember what they did to 960. In two years, facing another budget crisis ( which will be happening as long as they refuse to face that their problem is one of spending, not revenue ), the legislature can change the rates and levels to anything they want, including reimposing the taxes cut and eliminated in the initiative. I don’t think the public will buy this, especially in light of what happened to 960 this session. I actually think that if it makes it on the ballot, it could help the R’s and hurt the D’s. Look to see how many prominent D’s endorse and support it. The Governor doesn’t count since she doesn’t face re-election this year. I think Frank Chopp and other D candidates and consultants are praying that it fails to get the signatures to qualify. BTW, I will be heading up the No on 1077 campaign, filed as a committee last week and our website should be up soon.

WHAT HYPOCRITES THE LEFT are, in politics and the media. They spend lots of time crying about the ‘violent’ tea partiers, the threats, shamelessly using the memory of the Oklahoma City bombing to suggest that another one is right around the corenr, and some crazed tea partier will be responsible, or Rush Limbaugh, or anti-government rhetoric. Then some activists on the Left announce planes to crash the tea parties, with intent to provoke the violence, since there is none happening. Then, in a real and true case of threatened violence, when an Islamic website threatens the creators of South Park with death, it’s gets strangely quiet. Where is Bill Clinton? Where is MSNBC? Where is President Obama? And, all those media types who like to parade themselves as vessels of courage and truth, as defenders of the First Amendment, they are all strangely quiet again when Comedy Central censors the episodes – with the sole exception of John Stewart and the Daily Show. Their credibility should be shredded, they should be ashamed. They can defend freedom of speech against non-existant threats, but turn to Jello when there is a real threat.

MORE LATER. Don’t forget to join Americans for Prosperity – www.americansforprosperity.org

WHAT’S NEW IN THE NEWS…

FYI, I WILL BE FILLING IN FOR DAVID BOZE on Wednesday, April 14, KTTH, 770 AM, 3-6 PM. and, all of next week for Dori Monson on KIRO 97.3 FM, noon-3.          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     HEADLINE IN MONDAY’S SEATTLE TIMES: MILLIONS OF UNEMPLOYED MAY NEVER RECOVER. Of the 15 million unemployed, 44% have been out of work 6 months or more.  Two thirds of these have been out of work a year or more. There are 5.5 unemployed workers for every job opening.  Federal spending on unemployment could hit nearly $170 billion this year.

TAX QUOTE OF THE DAY, from the Economist: “Politicians use the tax code to encourage things they like, such as driving hybrid cars, and to discourage things they don’t like, such as work.”

GALLUP DAILY TRACKING FOR THE week ending April 11 puts Republicans ahead of Democrats 48% to 44% among registered voters in Congressional voting preferences. Since the passage of health care reform three weeks ago, Republicans have led or tied three weeks in a row. Gallup called it “rare” that Republicans lead among voters on this issue. ( NOTE: many polls use ‘likely voters’ which is different from ‘voters’ ). Gallup reports that only twice – in 1994 and 2002 – have Republicans shown this strength in this poll question. November is coming.

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL SPEND $31,406 per household in 2010 according to the Heritage Foundation. ( Are you getting your money’s worth? I am if they are spending all of my money on drones and UAVs to kill terrorists, or highways or Gitmo….otherwise, I think not.). This is the highest level in American history. It will collect $18,276 per household in taxes. The difference is the deficit, which equals $13,130 per household. Of the $31,406, $9,950 is for Social Security and Medicare, $6.071 for defense, $5,466 for anti-poverty programs, $1,640 for unemployment benefits, $1,585 for interest on the national debt and $470 for mortgage bailouts.

THE GOVERNMENT PROMOTES SOLAR POWER as clean and non-polluting but there are other hazards when it is used. Solar Millenium, a California firm, planned on placing a 250 megawatt solar plant in the California desert but the California Energy Commission recommended killing the project because of the ground squirrel, considered endangered. Seems the plant would bisect two major populations of the critter which would, in the words of one official, ” preclude the transference of genes, or the connectivity, and the ability of the species to move through that area and pass genes eithrer to the north or south.”

ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK TIMES, the Obamacare bill ” apparently bars members of Congress from the federal employees health program, on the assumption that lawmakers should join many of their constituents in getting coverage through new state-based markets known as insurance exchanges. But the research service found that this provision was written in an imprecise, confusing way, so it is not clear when it takes effect…Congress did not specify an effective date for the section excluding lawmakers from the existing program.” Nancy was right, we had to pass the bill to know what was in it.

APRIL 15 TEA PARTIES

FOLKS,  I KNOW THAT most of you have real lives but I hope you can take some time out next Thursday, the 15th and attend a local tea party. There are lots of them to choose from and there are some after work hours as well. The tea party movement has contributed significantly to turning the tide here in our country and I am proud to be part of it. If you go to the website for AFP, www.americansforprosperity.org , you will see a link about halfway down on your right which will take you to the list of all the confirmed tea parties around the state.  I will be speaking at the Olympia and Moses Lake events.  April 15th is also Tax Freedom Day here in Washington State, a very appropriate day to coincide with the tea parties. Tax Freedom Day marks the day you start working for yourself. Washington State is # 5 on the list, meaning 44 other states have earlier days, a lesser tax burden. Something to think about.

IF NOT YOU, WHO? IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

You can also join AFP wehen you visit the page to check on the tea parties. As State Director, I am biased, but it’s a good group and one you should be a part of.