It's the Math, not Class

Just came across this article debunking the arguments against the Buffet Rule: 6-dumb-arguments-against-taxing-rich-explained.  It's worth reading.

We Need the American Jobs Act and the Buffet Rule

A recent New York Times/CBS News poll indicates that most Americans support the individual provisions contained in the American Jobs Act that President Obama has proposed:

Cut payroll taxes
Good idea 56%, bad idea 30%
State aid to prevent public-sector layoffs
Good idea 52%, bad idea 40%
Infrastructure investments
Good idea 80%, bad idea 16%
Small business tax cuts
Good idea 81%, bad idea 14%

Also, a 71% majority believes any deficit reduction plan should include a combination of both tax increases and spending cuts.

Source: Steve Benen's blog, Political Animal

The President is expected to call for a new minimum tax rate for individuals making more than $1 million a year to ensure that they pay at least the same percentage of their earnings as middle-income taxpayers. (Nicknamed the Buffet Rule after billionaire Warren Buffet who advocates that America's richest should be contributing more in taxes.)

The ball is now in Congress's court.  It will take considerable pressure from Involved Voters to get Republicans to agree to give us what we need and do it now.

Wall Street and the "Food Bubble"

First the "tech bubble" then the "housing bubble" - now new food market derivatives are creating a "food bubble".  Is there a way "to stop investors from turning the global food system into a casino that brings huge winnings to a few and hunger to millions?"

This is a complex issue.  A recent article by Tom Philpott explains the situation in detail and offers a possible step toward counteracting it.  If you care about global food security, this is a must read.

Time to call Rep. Tim Walberg

Involved Voters in the 7th Congressional District:

UPDATE - August 2, 2010: Please contact Representative Walberg to thank him for his "yes" vote on the debt ceiling bill, continue to press him to vote for future bills to increase the revenue stream, and ask him to support stimulating the economy through steps like creating an Infrastructure Bank to get people back to work.

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It's time to call Tim Walberg and urge him to vote to raise the debt ceiling immediately to a level that will last least 18 months. Why, because we need to reassure our creditors, and if the US goes into default, the cost of our current debt will go up and that money will be wasted. It will not be available to help us here in Michigan.

Urge him to let go of his "no taxes, no how" ideological stance and vote for a balanced plan to deal with the debt that includes targeted spending cuts and increases to the revenue stream through closing tax loop holes and asking the richest Americans to contribute more because cutting their taxes greatly contributed to the current deficit.

Please call today!
Washington Phone: (202) 225-6276
Jackson Phone: (517) 780-9075
Or go to his web site and fill out the Contact Form - not the most effective, but better than no action at all.

Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness

On this Independence Day, 2010, I'm taking some time to reflect on the these words from The Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

It seems to me that our beloved country has been maturing into the values set forth in this declaration. "All men" now includes those who were once slaves, and women who until 1920 were unable to vote.

The Great Depression prompted this country's' leaders to establish Social Security as a Safety net. In the 1960's, our leaders, realizing that Life and the pursuit of Happiness were impossible if people couldn't afford health care, instituted Medicare and Medicaid. Because these programs are designed to serve us, the citizens, rather than to make profits for investors, the efficiency and effectiveness of these programs can't be matched by private investment and insurance companies.

One area in which we as a country seem not to be maturing is "consent of the governed". When many citizens fail to vote, as in the 2010 General Election, it becomes possible for ideologues gain sufficient power to set upon dismantling programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; dedicate themselves to looking after the interests of a privileged few; and to refuse to consider closing tax loopholes and ending deficit-ballooning tax breaks.

As Involved Voters, we can turn this situation around. Knowledge is power. Americans as a whole are poorly informed about where the money they invest in our government through paying taxes goes. Here is a web site that can help counteract this: Your Federal Taxpayer Receipt. Before you visit the site, I recommend that you take a guess at what your income tax is supporting and then see how close you are to the actual percentages.

With our rights as citizens come responsibilities. Being an informed voter is one of them. Insisting that our elected officials act in the best interests of all Americans is another.

What is Mark Schauer Doing Now?

Mark Schauer's losing his seat as our 7th District Congressional Representative was a downer for me. But I'm glad to hear that he's still working hard for us.

Mark has taken a leadership role in the BlueGreen Alliance's "Jobs21!" campaign - a nine-state grassroots campaign aimed at creating good, middle-class jobs in the 21st century economy. You can find details here.

And you can read a recent guest column of Schauer's, "Clean energy is an economic engine for Michigan," on the Center for Michigan's web site.

Thank you, Mark, for continuing to serve the public interest.

"Protecting" Medicare Out of Existence

Did you get one of those "Thank Representative Walberg" mailers from 60 PLUS? It sure would be nice to know whose interests 60 PLUS is championing. Involved Voters understand that introducing insurance company middlemen into Medicare through a voucher system does not control the cost of health care, and benefits only the middlemen. So what, if those of us who are 55 and older won't have to switch to the voucher system. We still care about our kids and grandkids and their access to affordable health care in the future.

If only we could "follow the money" and learn more about the loyalties of 60 PLUS. Is the organization beholden to lots of individual small contributors who are 60 and older, or big donors who stand to benefit from keeping in office Republicans with a no regulation, gut government, shift the tax burden away from the rich agenda?

From the blog Open Secrets:

WHO FUNDS 60 PLUS? The 60 Plus Association, a group that recognizes itself as the "conservative alternative to the liberal AARP," announced a new campaign thanking conservative members of Congress for "protecting" Medicare during recent debates over the government program's future. The 60 Plus Association says it'll spend more than $800,000 on radio advertisements, direct mail and phone calls throughout 39 congressional districts.
...
The 60 Plus organization is a nonprofit 501c(4) group that does not have to disclose its donors and spent more than $7 million during the 2010 elections opposing Democrats.