Rajala's picks
Bush Administration
Hiding Presidential Records - The Bush administration, via Executive Order 13233, tramples upon the public's right to know. Despite being essentially hired by and paid by the American public, this administration unilaterally has decided what Presidential records will be made public and what won't be to a completely unprecedented and frighteningly wrong level. There has been a public uproar but it's unclear if efforts to rein it in will be successful.
Date Added: 2008-04-07 | Accessed: 6 times
Whose Records Are They? - There is an ongoing effort to keep Presidential records public. I understand that the House has passed a bill but some in the Senate have stalled it and the President is likely to veto it or do another Presidential signing statement to void any and all aspects that he disagrees with. This deserves more public review and outrage. Presidents are elected by, paid by and work for the people. They have no right to keep records of their work, supposedly done for the public, private.
Date Added: 2008-04-07 | Accessed: 7 times
Constitutional Issues
Protecting the Constitution: 1000 Lawyers Step Up - An excerpt from this important article about a letter signed by 1000 American lawyers: We are lawyers in the United States of America. As such, we have all taken an oath obligating us to defend the Constitution and the rule of law…. We believe the Bush administration has committed numerous offenses against the Constitution and may have violated federal laws…. Moreover, the administration has blatantly defied congressional subpoenas, obstructing constitutional oversight …. Thus, we call on House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers and Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy to launch hearings into the possibility that crimes have been committed by this administration in violation of the Constitution…. We call for the investigations to go where they must, including into the offices of the President and the Vice President. -- American Lawyers Defending the Constitution Over one thousand lawyers – including former Governor Mario Cuomo and former Reagan administration official Bruce Fein – have signed onto the above statement demanding wide-ranging investigative hearings into unconstitutional and potentially criminal activity by the Bush administration.
Date Added: 2008-04-07 | Accessed: 24 times
Transcript: Former Vice President Gore's Speech on Constitutional Issues - Courtesy CQ Transcripts Wire, January 16, 2006
Date Added: 2006-02-07 | Accessed: 277 times
General
Date Added: 2005-05-17 | Accessed: 187 times
Does US Tax Code Encourage Off-shoring? - An excerpt: "The U.S. tax system does provide an incentive to locate production offshore," says Martin Sullivan, a contributing editor to Tax Notes, a non-profit publication that tracks tax issues. At issue is the U.S. tax code's treatment of profits earned by foreign subsidiaries of American corporations. Profits earned in the United States are subject to the 35% corporate tax. But multinational corporations can defer paying U.S. taxes on their overseas profits until they return them to the USA — transfers that often don't happen for years. General Electric, for example, has $62 billion in "undistributed earnings" parked offshore, according to recent Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Drug giant Pfizer boasts $60 billion. ExxonMobil has $56 billion.
Date Added: 2008-04-08 | Accessed: 6 times
Income Gap Widening Significantly - In this New York Times article, one finds that income inequality grew significantly in 2005, with the top 1 percent of Americans - those with incomes that year of more than $348,000 - receiving their largest share of national income since 1928, analysis of newly released tax data shows.The top 10 percent, roughly those earning more than $100,000, also reached a level of income share not seen since before the Depression.
Date Added: 2008-04-07 | Accessed: 6 times
Keep the Estate Tax - This is from a Nov. 15 story on ABC News: Warren Buffett, Wednesday, the billionaire founder of the investment firm Berkshire Hathaway Inc. went to Washington to ask Congress not to cut his taxes. Buffett says the super-rich should be taxed more, not less. In particular Buffett urged the Senate Finance Committee not to repeal the estate tax. t is scheduled to come up for a vote, perhaps as soon as this week. He told the committee that he recently compared how much he pays in taxes in terms of a percentage of his salary to what his employees pay. The results? Buffett says he pays 18 percent of his salary to the IRS while the rest of his staff pays nearly twice that  33 percent, a lopsided equation that put Buffett in a Robin Hood frame of mind. "Frankly, an economy where my receptionist pays a lot higher tax rate than, than I do does not strike me as a just economy," he told lawmakers. Note: While this bill to eliminate the estate tax did not pass, everyone needs to be vigilant, should it surface again.
Date Added: 2008-04-07 | Accessed: 12 times
No End In Sight: Iraq War - This is another revealing documentary about what led us into the Iraq war, the repeated mistakes and incompetence, where we are today and what we likely will face for the foreseeable future. If you did not see it at the theaters, rent this DVD. You can also read this excellent PBS NOW program on this movie. Movie trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/noendinsight/trailer/
Date Added: 2008-04-07 | Accessed: 6 times
Nobles Need Not Pay Taxes - by Thom Hartmann Published on Tuesday, February 1, 2005 by CommonDreams.org
Date Added: 2005-05-17 | Accessed: 264 times
Date Added: 2005-05-17 | Accessed: 180 times
War Caused US Slowdown - THE Iraq war has cost the US 50-60 times more than the Bush administration predicted and was a central cause of the sub-prime banking crisis threatening the world economy, according to Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. The former World Bank vice-president yesterday said the war had, so far, cost the US something like $US3trillion ($3.3 trillion) compared with the $US50-$US60-billion predicted in 2003.
Date Added: 2008-04-07 | Accessed: 8 times
What's Foul About The Fairtax Proposal - This excellent Boston Globe article, by Bruce Bartlett, a former senior Treasury Department official, points out the problems and doublespeak with the "Fairtax" proposal of the GOP. Like the Bush proposed "Clear Skies" legislation, it actually would weaken the earlier Clean Air Act. It would eliminate income taxes, which are progressive, and institute a regressive national sales tax.
Date Added: 2008-04-07 | Accessed: 8 times
Health Care
Health Care Reformers Decry Bush's 'Savings Accounts' - by Michelle Chen. In a move widely touted as an attempt to grapple with high medical costs, the president is following his predecessor's footsteps by pushing a creative plan that critics say offers no benefit to - and may even hurt - those most in need of help.
Date Added: 2006-02-07 | Accessed: 153 times
Sicko: Michael Moore's movie about health care in America and what can be done about it. - Even if taken with a grain of salt, it's an eye-opening look at the issue and options.
Date Added: 2008-04-08 | Accessed: 6 times
National Deficits and Debt
Frequently Asked Questions About The Federal Budget - From Congressman John Spratt (D-NC), Ranking Democratic Member
Date Added: 2006-02-07 | Accessed: 133 times
Interest Payments on National Debt - This webpage, created by the US Treasury Department, shows on a month to month and yearly basis what the interest payments are for the national debt. As of early 2008, interest payments were apparently the third largest expense in the Federal budget, behind Defense and all the social programs (Medicaid, Medicare, etc.). To put the $429 BILLION interest expense in 2007 into perspective, we spent only $56 Billion on education at the Federal level in 2006.
Date Added: 2008-04-07 | Accessed: 6 times
Popular Charts On US Budget, Impacts of Tax Cuts, Deficits and National Debt - From Congressman John Spratt (D-NC), Ranking Democratic Member
Date Added: 2006-02-07 | Accessed: 263 times
Republican Deficits-Our Children's Debt: A Resource Kit for House Democrats - From Congressman John Spratt (D-NC), Ranking Democratic Member
Date Added: 2006-02-07 | Accessed: 135 times
Spratt challenges GOP on rising debt - Fiscal responsibility called issue that should win Dems the House
Date Added: 2006-02-07 | Accessed: 124 times
Social Security
US Trade Deficit
U.S. trade deficit hits all-time high - By Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer. Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Date Added: 2006-02-07 | Accessed: 179 times

Coos County Democratic Committee
State of New Hampshire
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