Politics
Regalia Quote
“…the CBO data shows that since 1979, not only have the income tax shares of the lower four quintiles continued to drop, but the lowest quintile has been in the negative since 1987, and the second lowest has been negative since 2002. This means that the lowest 40% have not been paying any federal income tax but have, instead, been getting subsidized by the government through such incentives as refundable tax credits.”
From Dr. Martin Regalia: Econ 101, Tax Facts: Where the $ Comes From in Free Enterprise, April 2010
Replacing Bayh
As part of the program at the March Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) State Board of Directors’ meeting, we heard four of the five Republican candidates running against Brad Ellsworth for Evan Bayh’s Senate seat speak. There were three politicians, Marlin Stutzman, John Hostettler and Dan Coats. The fourth, John Bates, Jr., has not held political office in the past. This wasn’t a debate. Each candidate was allowed to make a short introductory speech and then they took questions from the audience. It was set up in half hour time slots, so we received individual presentations.
Fairy Tales
The political season is well underway. We’re only a couple of weeks from the Primaries and the rhetoric is already high. I have high hopes for some of the candidates I’ve heard from. I recognize the same B.S. from a lot of the others. I hear that this is the most important election of my life… among other hyperbole.
I plan to vote. In a few cases, I plan to vote for someone I think will do good things. In other cases I plan to vote for the lesser of evils, just as I have done in most elections. I’m hoping the mood of the Country is such that we hold them to their promises this time around.
Paul Ryan Quote
“While exact and precise measures cannot be made, there are estimates that in 2004, 20 percent of households in the U.S. were receiving about 75 percent of their income from the federal government, and that another 20 percent were receiving nearly 40 percent. All in all, about 60 percent of American households were receiving more government benefits and services, measured in dollars, than they were paying back in taxes. President Obama’s first budget alone raises this level of ‘net dependency’ to 70 percent.”
Paul Ryan is in his sixth term as a member of Congress, representing Wisconsin’s First Congressional District. He is ranking member of the House Budget Committee and a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee. This quote was taken from an article in the February 2010 issue of Imprimis.