The 16th Amendment of the U.S. Constition.

           The 16th Amendment passed Congress on July 2, 1909, ratified on February 3, 1913. Article 1, section 9 of the Constitution was modified by the 16th Amendment. It goes as follows;

                  Basically it says that it is up to Congress to set the amount of taxes and collect them. How the money that is taxed is made does not matter. It will not be split up between the states and the census and amountvof people will have zero effect on how the tax system works.

That sentence holds a small bit of information about an extremely large issue. Tax Reform, how should it be done? As I stated above Congress has the power to set the tax levels. They are responsible for the revenue that keeps our country running. There is no mention of lobbyist or outside groups in the 16th Amendment. Nor is there a mention of outside groups helping to set the tax levels. I also didnt see any mention that Congress had the right to take an anti-tax pledge with a lobbyist. So Grover Norquist anti-tax pledge means nothing.

We have established that the Republican trickle down economy doesn’t work. In fact ot has horrible economic consequences, look at the state we were in 2008. We were hemorrhaging jobs, the housing market crashed, Stock market was trashed and banks were going belly up at an alarming rate. We can also agree that austerity doesn’t work. Look at Europe and look at how the Sequester slowed job growth. Obviously you cannot cut your way to prosperity.

If there are any millionaires out there who made their millions solely by cutting spending please speak up. What us needed is a balanced aporoach. Yes we should make cuts, but a least dollar for dollar with tax increases. Right now it us about 6 dollard spending cut to 1 dollar in tax increase. That will not get us where we need to be. Unfortunately Republicans will cut off their nose to spite their face. They cannot see logic because of their vile hatred for President Obama.

Apple recently was in the news for Tax Avoidance. That was $6-$9 billion in taxes that wasn’t collected. In 2010 GE did not pay a single dollar in taxes, I paid more that GE. How many more companies are doing this? How many billions of dollars in tax revenue are not collected because Republicans do not wantva fairer tax code? The extreme Republicans, Tea party members want to abolish the IRS and pay little or nothing in taxes. Our founding fathers knew taxes were essential, why don’t Republicans?

President Obama’s agenda is working. We are digging out of the recession despite Republican obstruction. The stock market and housing market are both recovering. Our debt ceiling crisis has been pushed back by several months by his measures. Imagine where we would be with Republican help. Unfortunately all they have to offer is vitriol.


How one word can cause major political issues.

             In 1959, under the Dwight Eisenhower administration, the meaning of Section 501(c)4 of the Internal Revenue Code was changed dramatically. SECTION 501(c)4, Civil Leagues or Organizations not organized for profit but operated exclusively for the promotion of Social Welfare. The IRS decided the word exclusively could, in effect, be read as primarily.

            According to Laurence O’Donnell for 54 years the IRS has gotten away with changing the word exclusively to primarily. The IRS took a hard, clear word exclusively and turned it into a soft word primarily and it left it to the IRS agents to determine if your organization was primarily concerned with promoting Social Welfare.

                    According to Ezra Klein the IRS does need some kind of test that helps them weed out political organizations attempting to register as tax exempt 501(c)4 Social Welfare groups. But the test has to be studiously and unquestionably neutral.

                Despite the outrage over the IRS targeting Tea Party groups, they do need to crack down on political groups masquerading as Social Welfare groups. Many non-profit groups who claim tax exempt status either flout tax laws or flirt with the murky line between electioneering and issue advocacy,  all while using their tax exempt status to conceal their donors. The problem isn’t that the IRS flagged non-profit groups for additional review. The problem is that they did so poorly, instead of targeting one group, the IRS should be scrutinizing all groups, or at least, the most outlandish offenders.

                  After the Citizens United decision in 2010, donors flocked to the 501(c)4 as a vehichle to pump cash into elections without disclosing the source of their contributions. Tie number of groups applying for Social Welfare status has doubled since the decision. ProPublica has examined 72 501(c)4 applications from groups, that claimed to have no plans to spend money on elections. They compared those documents against tax returns. Nearly half the groups plans had changed.

              In last years election 501(c)4 groups spent more than $300 million in dark money. All because the determination of one word this problem exists. If the wording remained as it was these political groups would not be able to claim Social Welfare status and we wouldn’t have this issue. For Campaign Finance Watchdogs, the fear is that the backlash will spook the IRS out of pursuing major players who are using the loophole to influence elections.

             President Obama said he would find put what happened and correct it. Fix the interpretation of the law and it us done. No political organization should receive tax exempt status as Social Welfare groups, they are only their to further their own agendas. It doesn’t matter if they are Republican, Democrat, conservative, liberal or Tea Party groups. Any found breaking the the law and participating in any political issue should be fined and lose their tax exempt status. Republicans abuse this law and have pumped at least 3 times the amount of money through these groups then Democrats. Either way both are wrong and should be prosecuted. Make them pay taxes for all the years they claimed tax exempt status and fine them heavily. You break a law you get punished, the amount of money you have shouldn’t matter.

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Why is it always the little guys who suffer?

                When we rebelled against England was it realky about tyranny? Or is it possible the rich didnt want to pay taxes? I realize they put tyranny & taxes together, but what is tyrranixal,about expecting someone to pay taxes. Taxes are the essentail lifeblood of our government, without them where does the revenue come from? 200 & some years later it seems we are still fighting this fight.

            In the early 2000s George W. Bush enacted tax cuts for Americans. Some were for the poor & middle class but most were directed toward the wealthy. By 2010 these tax cuts for the wealthy cost our government $2.5 trillion, that could have gone towards national debt. Let us also mention the 2 wars we were in that werent paid for. After 9/11 we suddenly had an open checkbook, spending like we had it. Fast forward 7 years & these same people with the checkbook are fiscal watch dogs. They are crying about to much spending.

             I know it seems as if I went off topic, but that was necessary to set the stage. Today our fiscal watch dogs do not want to raise taxes on anyone. They claim that Obama got his tax hike in the fiscal cliff deal. Although during Obamas administration for every $2.50 in spending cuts we recieved $1.00 in higher tax revenue. The Republican watchdogs say they want dollar for dollar cuts, it seems we would have to raise taxes to get that.

          Our Republican leaders, most took a pledge to not raise taxes with Grover Norquist, a lobbyist. The only way to truly balance a budget is a balanced approach of entitlement cuts & tax increases. Many rich corporations do not pay anything in taxes yet recieve a rebate check. The wealthy place their money offshore to avoid taxes. Companies recieved benefits for sending jobs overseas. Does this sound American to you.

            Many wealthy think they pay too much in taxes, yet they pay a lower percentage than we do. That cause them to pay less than their employees. So how & in what way is our President overstepping their bounds? It seems that the little guy is getting slammed while the rich rake it in. Of course Tea Party members, who are in most cases wealthy, are screaming about seceding. Because again the great tyrant wants to tax them. While the little go fights just to keep his home.

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Why are Republicans on the wrong side of American debates?

            I dont understand how a party can consistently be the opposition on issues that the American public wants resolved. If you look at the past year alone Republicans fight the people they should be governing. We do live in a Democracy, right? Someone did elect these people into office. If 70% of the people believe something should happen I think it shoud.

           Lets look at raising taxes. The Republican party, the majority, have signed a no raising tax pledge to Grover Norquist. So am I to assume that Grover Norquist outweighs the American public. As a member of government you arent governing 5% of the people, you are governing 100% of the people. A high majority of Americans believe taxes should be raised on wealthy, corporations, close corporate loopholes & even out the tax code. The Republican party disagrees.

           Gun Control, since Sandy Hook there have been about 2,400 gun deaths. Yet the Republican party does not want to do anything about it. Is it possible that the NRA are filling Republicans pockets? Not just possible, but proven. If over 80% of the country wants stronger gun laws why are we being refused.

         .  Voter laws, anything that makes it harder for a person to vote denies their Constitutional right to vote. The Republican party not only supports new Voter laws, but wrote them. They helped create Voter ID laws, which if you have to pay for ID is essentially a Voter PollTax, unconstitutional. They shortened early voting, making it harder for workers to vote, tried to take away overseas military mens right to vote. Right now today the Supreme Court is deciding the fate of the Voter Rights Act. Why attack voters?

              These three examples show that the Republican party not only disagrees but will also attack American citizens rights. They are obtuse & do not care about public outcry. They lie in order to blame the Democrat party for these problems. We are trying to spread Demicracy across the world, yet the Republican party is attempting to strip our citizens of rights.

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Republicans problems with math & everything else not crazy.

       The GOP or Republicans really seem to have gone crazy. From Sarah Palin saying she had foreign relations experience because she could watch Russia from her back door. To Donald Trump & his birthers calling for Obamas birth certificate & then being unsatisfied when he showed it. To Republicans making a do not raise taxes pledge to a lobbyest, Grover Norquist. To their flat out refusal to realize National Debt will not fall by spending cuts alone.

           The Republican party has become a sideshow act. They cant get a strong candidate because they have to pander to a mostly rich white base. I am white but what these people do is without reason. Their ridiculus protection of tax cuts for the rich & corporations show their lack of math skills. I am of firm belief that the more money you make, the more you pay in taxes. That was the way it was in my paychecks. Why is it unbelievable that a rich person should pay more taxes than a poor person, you cannot get blood from a stone. Spending cuts alone will not reduce National Debt, we would have to cut virtually all spending to make any kind of dent in it. That takes care of math.

         The Republican party has made a fool out of themselves on science as well. That a womans body knows if they have been raped & can end the conception process because of that knowledge. Climate change, you would have to live in a hole not to see that something is wrong. The scientific proof is there, they just refuse to believe it. Why if the GOP wanted smarter voters would they always attack education, NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND was a joke. It forced kids through the system that should not have moved ahead. The GOP wanting to put creationism back in school. I am sorry but evolution is being proven everyday, please keep your religion out of my childs school. There is some of science.

           The Republican party does not have a very strong grasp on the Constitution. They yell & scream that they want to uphold Constitution, but it seems that only parts of it matter to them. The 2nd Amendment is their kicalling card. They will protect that Amendment at the cost of all others. Such as FREEDOM OF RELIGION, they right will be infringed upon if my daughter is forced to learn religion in school. What does that teach them for the real world, that it is bad for you to do something but ok for a member of the church. LIFE, LIBERTY, PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. None of these are attainable if you work for peanuts & do not have access to health care. In this small snippet I will say I covered History.

          This last one will be about humanity. These Right Wing Nut Jobs are against helping Hurricane Sandy victims but will fight to cut taxes for the rich. For the love of Pete, please wake the hell up. The rich dont need tax breaks anymore, they have made a ton of cash over last 12 years. These people just lost their homes because of a super storm & you cant find it in you to vote on the bill. Calling the working poor takers, I am sorry Mr. Congressman who works 117 days a year, but these people work alot harder than you do. Show them some respect & tie minimum wage to the cost of living, we will then see how it affects prices. Companies will have to pay employees more if prices go up. Last but not least stop rewarding companies who send jobs overseas, they do not create ancillary jobs that make up the difference. Make it to where anything made overseas has to be sold overseas & put a very large tariff on anything they try to sell here, that will bring jobs back.

          This had both fact & opinion in it. What makes America strong is our hard workers & ingenuity. No one thinks on their feet like an American worker, so give them something to work harder for. The GOP claims Obama is a Socialist. The GOP supports socialism only as it pertains to workers, pay them nothing & let the ones up top earn the rest. If the GOP wants to stay as a legitemate party they need to overhaul their ideals.

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How does Grover Norquist wield so much political influence?

      Grover Norquist started in politics in the 1960s. Back then communism fighting was his thing. In 1985 Ronald Reagan asked Norquist to run Americans for Tax Reform. Americans for Tax Reforms basic methodology is less government, less regulation, and lower taxes. Donations come from individuals & companies. They are a non-profit organization so they dont have to publicly list their donors.

      Taxpayer Protection Pledge was started by Norquist, George H W Bush popularized it by being first major Republican to sign it. Historian Joe Thorndike of the group Tax Analysts argues that when Norquist enforces this pledge he is effectively pushing the Republicans to the extreme right. Norquist was one of the major stumbling blocks to any agreement on fiscal cliff. Norquist said that the GOP can cut a deal with Obama as long as it doesnt result in a net tax increase & doesnt violate ATRs pledge. This comes from a guy who admits to not being a numbers guy, a guy who isnt an elected official. I find it odd that he can tell elected officials how to vote. I am sure he gets nothing out of votes toward his cause.

     These are just a few things that Grover Norquist lobbied for or against, yes he is a Lobbyist;
1) He lobbied the State Department for Keystone XL Pipeline
2)He opposed internet regulations designed to crack down on online child pornography.
3) He weighs in on all Pentagon spending.
4) He gets involved in Postal issues, I am going to talk more about this.
Why is Grover Norquist lobbying to dismantle the USPS? He supports Senate Bill S. 1789 that will destroy the Post Office in 2 years. His fingerprints are all over the Pistal Accountability & Enhancement Act of 2006. It causes the USPS to prefunf the pensions of workers 75 years in advance.

    It seems to me that Grover Norquist has his hands in alot of pots. For a Lobbyist to wield this much influence is disturbing. Money makes the world go around & in many cases it buys you government help.

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