• California Proposition 30,  Jerry Brown

    Californians Look at Who is Giving Big Donations to Raise Your Taxes

    July 31, 2012 /

    Yes on Proposition 30 Website

    This is California Governor Jerry Brown’s pet initiative and he is calling in all of the special interests, business and labor to support his tax increase proposal.

    But, Californians should be aware that although this targets high-income taxpayers, the majority of the money raised for the State of California to spend or squander comes from the sales tax increase.

    Here are the details of the tax initiative.

    • Raises California’s sales tax to 7.5% from 7.25%, a 3.45% percentage increase over current law. (Under the Brown Tax Hike, the sales tax would have increased to 7.75%)[3][4]
    • Creates three new high-income tax brackets for taxpayers with taxable incomes exceeding $250,000, $300,000, and $500,000. This increased tax will be in effect for 7 years.[3][5][6]
    • Imposes a 10.3% tax rate on taxable income over $250,000 but less than $300,000–a percentage increase of 9.71% over current policy. The 10.3% income tax rate is currently only paid by taxpayers with over $1,000,000 in taxable income.[7].
    • Imposes an 11.3% tax rate on taxable income over $350,000 but less than $500,000–a percentage increase of 17.7% over current policy.
    • Imposes a 12.3% tax rate on taxable income over $500,000–a percentage increase of 24.39% over current policy.
    • Based on California Franchise Tax Board data for 2009[8], the additional income tax is imposed on the top 3% of California taxpayers.

    Estimated revenue from Proposition 30 vary from Jerry Brown’s $9 billion estimate to the $6.8 billion estimated by the non-partisan Legislative Analysts Office (LAO).[9]. The difference stem for the volatility caused by capital gains income from high-income earners, an issue in California’s tax system previously identified by the Legislative Analysts Office (LAO).[10]

    And look at who is contributing. Capitol Weekly has a story.

    And, Ballotpedia has a chart.

    California Teachers Association $1,523,724 1346049
    PACE of California School Employees Association $1,250,000 1346049
    American Federation of Teachers $1,200,000 1346049
    Service Employees International Union Local 1000 Issues PAC $1,053,218 1346049
    Democratic State Central Committee of California $1,041,855 1346049
    California State Council of Service Employees $1,000,819 1346049
    California Federation of Teachers COPE $800,000 1346049
    United Domestic Workers of America Operating Account $800,000 1343257
    California Hospitals Committee on Issues, Sponsored by CAHHS $500,000 1343257
    United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America $500,000 1343257
    Educators and Working Families to Restore California $360,000
    State Building and Construction Trades Council of California $350,000
    American Beverage Association $250,000
    California Medical Association PAC $250,000
    California State Council of Laborers Issues PAC $250,000

    Let the television commercials fly on this tax the rich, I mean tax everybody, tax scheme, because the Democrats who dominate the California Legislature cannot practice fiscal restraint.

    I bet this initiative will pass and everyone this next year will be sending more of their hard-earned income to a state government which spends without end.

  • Barack Obama,  Mitt Romney,  President 2012

    Mitt Romney to Announce Vice President Via Smart Phone App

    July 31, 2012 /

    Is Team Romney cutting edge or so 2008?

    This offer is sure to vex all the Obama campaigners who think they alone are on the cutting edge of voter outreach.

    “While I won’t be breaking any news today, I wanted to let you know how to be the first to get the VP scoop with our new Mitt’s VP app,” says Beth Meyers, the senior adviser to Mitt Romney who has led the search for his running mate these many weeks.

    Indeed the big news can be flashed to I-Phones and Androids at the very nanosecond the decision goes public.

    “There’s no telling when that answer might come. But when it does, be the first to find out and access exclusive content,” Ms. Meyers says.

    If Romney had not come up with this obvious way to obtain voter information, he would have been criticised as behind the curve with voter outreach technology. So, Team Romney cannot win on this one.

    It is so 2008 – but then again, so is Team Obama.

    The social media world has caught up with the campaigns.

    On the app, you can get it here – but the announcement will be up on Twitter and Facebook in a flash after it is announced.

    Of course, Team Obama has this cool canvassing app, but surely Romney will not be too far behind. Besides how many states are really in play anyway?

    Five or six maybe?

  • Barack Obama,  Mitt Romney,  Polling,  President 2012

    President 2012 Florida Poll Watch: Obama 48% Vs. Romney 47%

    July 31, 2012 /

    President Obama and Mitt Romney

    According to the Democratic leaning PPP Polling.

    PPP’s first likely voters poll of Florida finds that it’s likely to take its customary place as one of the most closely contested states in the country this year. Barack Obama leads Mitt Romney by the slightest of margins, 48-47, but Romney would take a small advantage in the state if he added either Marco Rubio or Condoleezza Rice to his ticket.

    Speaking to the general discontent of the electorate this year Florida voters aren’t terribly enamored with either Obama or Romney. Voters narrowly disapprove of the job Obama’s doing, with 50% giving him poor marks to 47% who think he’s doing a good job. But they’re not terribly fond of Romney either, with 46% rating him favorably to 49% with a negative opinion. Still this parity between Obama’s approval and Romney’s favorability numbers is notable- Obama has tended to run well ahead of Romney on that front.

    Obama and Romney are holding their party bases at basically equal levels, with 84% of Democrats supporting Obama and 83% of Republicans committed to Romney. Romney’s holding a 47-40 lead with independents. Obama’s up 51-44 with women, 61-34 with Hispanics, and 58-35 with young voters while Romney’s ahead 50-45 with men, 56-39 with whites, and 52-44 with seniors.

    We tested five potential running mate pairings for Romney in Florida and two of them moved him from a small disadvantage to a small lead. Home state Senator Marco Rubio makes the biggest difference for Romney, pushing him up to a 49-47 lead. Rubio’s approval numbers aren’t earth shattering at 45/42, but his appeal is strong enough to help Romney gain a couple points with both Democrats and Republicans.

    The other difference maker among potential Romney running mates is Condoleezza Rice. She has a 59/28 favorability rating, basically unheard of among politicians today. Republicans (76/15) and independents (62/26) and love her and even with Democrats she’s on narrowly positive ground (42/41). If she was on the ticket Romney’s lead with independents would jump from 7 points to 13, leaving him ahead 46-45 overall.

    Interesting that Florida Senator Marco Rubio pushes Romney into the lead. Mitt Romney, in order to win the Presidency must win Florida.

    Rubio, a Cuban American conservative, would also help Romney with Hispanic voters in Colorado and Nevada.

    This is why, I feel, Rubio is the BEST choice for Romney.

  • Antonin Scalia,  Day By Day,  John Roberts,  Supreme Court,  United States Supreme Court

    Day By Day July 31, 2012 – Wild Things

    July 31, 2012 /

    Day By Day by Chris Muir

    Justice Robert was a big disappointment on ObamaCare and Justice Scalia’s comments on the Second Amendment are unbelievable.

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia outraged conservatives with his remarks on gun control and the Second Amendment this morning in a Fox News interview with Chris Wallace.

    Scalia stated that the court may issue gun control rulings in the future due to “precedent” indicating that within the context of the 18th century the Framers of the Constitution allowed for local restrictions on guns and bans on certain types of weapons.

    Conservatives immediately cried foul.

    In the comment section of the story as reported by The Blaze, conservative reaction to Scalia’s remarks ranged from stunned to outraged.

    I think the lifetime tenure of U.S. Supreme Court Justices should really be examined by the Congress and the states. I realize there would need to be a Constitutional Amendment, but it is sorely needed.

    Justices serving for life become isolated and are not held accountable to the voters from which their power is derived.

  • Twitter

    @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-07-31

    July 31, 2012 /

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