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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sidney Reilly who wrote (111558)	8/29/2011 2:05:09 PM
From: Carolyn	3 Recommendations Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 224718

Clinton benefited from Reagan's economy, and not much happened during his time. Bush had 9/11, so that hurt the economy tremendously, but I think he turned more leftist (still no where near Obama and his ilk) during his second term and I do not like that. It hurt him a lot. We need a president with courage to cut the size of the government. All at once is too severe, but start by cutting some programs, 2 departments, and some agencies.

To: Sidney Reilly who wrote (111558)	9/2/2011 10:46:32 PM
From: FJB	2 Recommendations Respond to of 224718

Illegal Workers Used Tax Credit to Pocket $4.2 Billion, Audit Shows Published September 02, 2011 \| FoxNews.com Talk about a tax loophole. Undocumented workers collected $4.2 billion in a certain tax credit last year, up from less than $1 billion five years ago, according to a new audit. The report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration looked only at a tax benefit known as the Additional Child Tax Credit, a refundable credit meant for working families. The audit found that as a result of vague U.S. law -- as well as an expansion of the tax credit in stimulus legislation and other measures -- the number of illegal workers collecting the money has skyrocketed. The inspector general's office expressed concern about the trend and urged the IRS and Treasury Department to determine once and for all whether that money should be paid out. "The payment of federal funds through this tax benefit appears to provide an additional incentive for aliens to enter, reside and work in the United States without authorization, which contradicts federal law and policy to remove such incentives," the report said. The report highlighted a quirk in U.S. law. Even people who are not authorized to work are supposed to pay the IRS taxes on their income. Many of those people cannot obtain a Social Security number, so to facilitate this the IRS hands out what are known as Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers -- so illegal workers can file returns. However, in doing so many of those workers are claiming tax benefits like the Additional Child Tax Credit. For some, it's a way of making even more money. "Refundable credits can result in refunds even if no income tax is withheld or paid," the report noted. The Additional Child Tax Credit is an offshoot of another tax credit worth up to $1,000 per child. Restrictions for the tax credits were loosened in 2001, and eligibility was temporarily increased by the 2009 stimulus bill. "As such, more taxpayers could claim the ACTC or claim a greater amount," the report said. The inspector general's office said 2.3 million undocumented filers claimed the credit in 2010, adding up to $4.2 billion worth of refunds. Not all immigrants who are unauthorized to work are necessarily illegal immigrants. However, any legal immigrant who works without authorization would be in violation of his or her immigration status. The report said that if the administration determines the credits should not be paid in the future, then the IRS needs the authority to stop them. According to the audit, the IRS agreed with that recommendation. foxnews.com

To: Sidney Reilly who wrote (111558)	9/3/2011 2:29:10 PM
From: FJB	4 Recommendations Respond to of 224718

A Requiem for California On its way to being the most perfected yet bankrupt and unlivable state in the nation. CA Legislature Passes The Dream Act Now illegal aliens get in-state tuition and financial aid. (posted by Brumar) Because California state government has so much money that legislators hardly know what to do with it all, state senators passed a bill today to give financial aid to illegal immigrants who are college students. Plenty of U.S. citizens are short financial aid — never mind our eternal budget crisis — but apparently lawmakers still think we have $40 million available to hand over to non-citizens. CA Assembly Trying To Kill Parents' 'Date Nights' So you'll need a babysitter AND a backup babysitter. Under AB 889, household “employers” (aka “parents”) who hire a babysitter on a Friday night will be legally obligated to pay at least minimum wage to any sitter over the age of 18 (unless it is a family member), provide a substitute caregiver every two hours to cover rest and meal breaks, in addition to workers’ compensation coverage, overtime pay, and a meticulously calculated timecard/paycheck. CA Law To Require Hotels To Use Fitted Sheets, Long-Handled Mops Senate Bill 432, which requires hotels to use fitted sheets and provide housekeepers with long-handled mops, just passed the state Senate on the coattails of support from hotel workers union Unite Here and is set to go to the state’s House soon. New CA Law Would Ban Styrofoam From The State The bill by Democratic state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, would prohibit restaurants, grocery stores and other vendors from dispensing food in expanded polystyrene containers, commonly known as Styrofoam, beginning in 2016. If signed into law, the measure would make California the first to institute a statewide ban on such containers. More than 50 California cities and counties already have similar bans. A Final Word from VDH: Strangers in a Familiar Land California sits in a time warp. Despite tax hikes that make our roughly 10% income tax and 10% sales tax among the highest in the nation, there is little to show for it during the last forty years. ...A contemporary culture that cannot finish a forty-year-old planned three-lane freeway from Sacramento to Bakersfield has no business borrowing tens of billions to attempt a new high-speed rail corridor. It is characteristic of our present generation to dream and talk wildly of the non-essential as penance for neglecting the very doable and necessary. ...An entire generation that had once defined itself in opposition to “them” has problems when “them” are mostly buried. ace.mu.nu