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Politics : Don't Blame Me, I Voted For Kerry -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Proud Deplorable who wrote (79913)	10/22/2006 3:33:03 PM
From: ChinuSFO	Respond to of 81568

FACTBOX-Democratic win may turn U.S. Congress upside down 22 Oct 2006 15:26:34 GMT Source: Reuters Oct 22 (Reuters) - If Democrats win control of Congress in the Nov. 7 election, there would be swift and dramatic political fallout. Here is a quick look: -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a Democratic liberal from California, would be positioned to become the first woman to head the 217-year-old chamber. The post of speaker would put her second in the line of succession to the U.S. presidency, behind the vice president. -- Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada would likely be elevated by fellow Democrats to Senate majority leader. A moderate and former boxer who earned a law degree while working as a Capitol policeman, Reid opposes abortion and is seen by party faithful as having effectively blocked a number of unacceptable Republican initiatives. -- Democrats promise oversight hearings into possible fraud, waste and abuse of taxpayers' dollars in the Bush administration, much of it involving the Iraq war. -- Despite Republican claims to the contrary, Democrats insist they will not try to impeach President George W. Bush. They say they will instead push their agenda, "A New Direction for America," which includes raising the federal minimum wage, ending some tax breaks for oil companies and a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. -- Democrats would take over committee chairmanships and set a new legislative course. Republicans would no longer be able to placate their conservative base by repeatedly bringing up for votes proposed constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage and flag burning. -- Democrats would be unlikely to extend tax cuts largely for the rich that Bush got through Congress and are due to expire in 2010. But Democrats say they would maintain popular tax breaks for the middle class. The also would reinstate "pay-as-you-go" rules so any increase in spending or tax cuts would be offset by spending cuts or a revenue increase. (Additional reporting by Donna Smith) alertnet.org

To: Proud Deplorable who wrote (79913)	10/25/2006 10:10:53 AM
From: ChinuSFO	Respond to of 81568

So much for Bush bragging about winning his war against terrorism and his claim that Pakistan is US' ally in this war. Pro-Taliban militants to levy taxes in Pakistan frontier region Bruce Loudon, South Asia correspondent 25oct06 PRO-TALIBAN militants operating in North Waziristan have announced plans to levy local taxes, further eroding Pakistan's authority in the remote tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The plans were announced in pamphlets issued in the local capital, Miranshah. They follow the controversial September 5 agreement between local militants and Pakistani authorities, apparently with the personal approval of the Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. Pakistan has claimed that the deal is the only way to achieve peace in the area and has denied reports that it has put the Taliban in charge of what is a crucial area in the global war on terrorism, given the presumed presence there of Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and other al-Qa'ida leaders as well as Taliban fighters. Pakistan said the peace deal required local tribesmen to stop sheltering the Taliban and prevent them from crossing the nearby border into Afghanistan to fight the NATO-led coalition force. For their part, Pakistani forces have withdrawn to their military cantonments. The Pakistani Government believes the arrangement will enable it to stem a growing tide of "Talibanisation" among members of the conservative and fiercely independent Pashtun tribes who live in six semi-autonomous tribal states along the Afghan border. The BBC reported that the shura (council) of the local Taliban, claiming to speak on behalf of tribal elders, announced on Sunday that taxes would be levied against various categories of trucks and businesses operating in the area. Collection would start after Eid ul-Fitr, the festival marking the end of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. The pamphlets also gave details of local law and order arrangements, and said anyone found guilty of murder would be executed. Those found guilty of theft would be fined the equivalent of $10,000. President Pervez Musharraf has said that Pakistan was seeking similar agreements with militants in South Waziristan. Despite news of the new taxes, officials in Islamabad insisted nothing had changed. They maintained that their North Waziristan initiative was being viewed sympathetically by NATO commanders and claimed it paved the way for a similar peace deal between British troops and militants led by Musa Qala in war-ravaged Helmand last week. But news of the new tax arrangements in North Waziristan will undoubtedly strengthen critics of General Musharraf who say he has gone much further in handing over authority to the militants than has previously been admitted. South Asian strategists believe that, given the longstanding Pashtun tribal commitment to the Taliban, assumption of authority by Taliban-linked militants in a key frontier area can only add to their power.