Democrats Propose $540 Billion Tax Increase

Despite a still-lagging U.S. economy and rising unemployment rate, House Democrats announced late yesterday that they will seek a massive increase in federal income taxes to help pay for the national health-care reform proposal that President Obama is urging Congress to enact this summer. House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) revealed late Friday afternoon that House Democrats will seek to increase income taxes by $540 billion.

Police Chiefs Endorse Sotomayer
Police chiefs are backing appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor’s bid to become a Supreme Court justice. International Association of Police Chiefs President Russell B. Laine says Sotomayor has outstanding qualifications for the job. Laine voiced his organization’s support in a letter to Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman. Laine says Sotomayor has shown understanding and appreciation of the challenges facing law-enforcement officers, and dedication to keeping communities safe.

Sheriff’s Association, DA’s Association and Police Union Endorse Sotomayer
The groups announcing their endorsements were: the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the Police Executive Research Forum, the National Sheriff's Association, the National Association of Police Organizations, the National Latino Peace Officers Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and the National Association of District Attorneys.

Pope Lectures Obama on Life Issues
In a surprise move, the pontiff gave Obama a booklet explaining Vatican opposition to practices such as abortion and embryonic stem cell research, which Obama supports. The pope gave Obama, who last March lifted restrictions of federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, a copy of a recent Vatican document on bio-ethics in which the Holy See explains its opposition to such practices. "Dignitas Personae" (dignity of a person) condemns artificial fertilization and other techniques used by many couples and also says human cloning, "designer babies" and embryonic stem-cell research are immoral. The document defends life from conception to natural death and a Vatican statement issued after the meeting said the topics discussed included "the defense and promotion of life and the right to abide by one's conscience."

Muslim extremists decapitate seven Christians in Somalia
The Somali Muslim extremist group Al Shabaab, which is linked to Al Qaeda, has decapitated seven people accused of being Christians and “spies” in the city of Baidoa, Somalia.

Incredible! Millions of Stimulus Money Spent on Stimulus Signs!
The story being told is that the Obama administration wants to advertise itself (and its silly Recovery.gov logo) like billboards on the public highways. The signs are an unnecessary expense to road construction, as state crews already have plenty of orange signs for warning drives of the work being done.

Even More Incredible! $18M to redo Obama Stimulus Website ‘Recovery.Org’
And so the White House started Recovery.gov, a Web site to let people do just that. But it's a work in progress. The government's General Services Administration quietly put out a release Wednesday night saying the site would be redesigned for $9.5 million and, perhaps, as much as $18 million in the next five years.

Michigan could hit 20% jobless thanks to Obama
Michigan's unemployment rate could hit as high as 20 percent with the Obama administration to blame, one Michigan congressman warned Friday. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) said that Michigan's unemployment — already the highest in the country at 14.1 percent — could go even higher as General Motors and Chrysler continue to shed jobs after their government-financed bankruptcies. "Sadly, we've seen estimates, because of the radical restructuring that the auto task force demanded, that this year, Michigan wind up over 20 percent unemployment," said McCotter.

Gallup: Americans Beginning More Conservative
According to the polling organization, "Despite the results of the 2008 presidential election, Americans, by a 2-to-1 margin, say their political views in recent years have become more conservative rather than more liberal, 39 percent to 18 percent, with 42 percent saying they have not changed. While independents and Democrats most often say their views haven't changed, more members of all three major partisan groups indicate that their views have shifted to the right rather than to the left."

AFP discusses Cap & Trade on Fox
Corporations will be the biggest winners under cap-and-trade. Consumers will be the biggest losers. Give President Obama credit for at least being close to honest about wanting to tax energy. His plan to auction off allowances for the use of fossil fuels is essentially an energy tax where nobody knows the tax rate in advance. Unfortunately, this idea went from bad to worse in the House. Instead of auctioning the permits, almost all of them will be given away based on political considerations -- that's how they got enough votes to squeak the bill through on a 219-212 vote.

Poll: America is pro-life
A new poll commissioned by the Knights of Columbus supports other reports that say Americans are increasing becoming pro-life. About 49 percent of Americans now describe themselves as pro-life, while 60 percent think abortion should be legal only in a few circumstances or not at all.

The Picture Seen Around the World: US President Ogles 16 year old
At the G8 summit in Italy, he was snapped apparently checking out the perfect curves of a young lady. And French President Nicolas Sarkozy (54) was looking on in amusement… Oh là là, Monsieur le Président! So who was the lady in red who caught the eye of Obama - or should that be O-BUM-a? Her name is Mayora Tavares, she is 16 and she comes from Brazil. Stay classy Mr. President!

Gov. Ritter Steered Stimulus Money To Ex-Employer
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter has awarded some of the state's first stimulus money to his former employer in a no-bid contract. Ritter hired his former law firm, the Washington-based Hogan & Hartson, in a no-bid contract to review stimulus spending, The Denver Post reported Friday. It said the firm was paid $40,000 in stimulus money through June.

Pentagon to ban tobacco use
Pentagon health experts are urging Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ban the use of tobacco by troops and end its sale on military property, a change that could dramatically alter a culture intertwined with smoking. A tobacco ban would confront a military culture, the report says, in which “the image of the battle-weary soldier in fatigues and helmet, fighting for his country, has frequently included his lit cigarette.”

The rogue government of Los Angeles
From the beginning, we’ve been headquartered in Los Angeles. But 15 years ago we had a dispute with the city over our business tax classification. The city argued that we should be in an “occupations and professions” classification that has an extremely high tax rate, while we fought for a “wholesale and retail” classification with a much lower rate. The city forced us to invest a small fortune in legal fees over two years, but we felt it was worth it in order to establish the correct classification once and for all. After enduring a series of bureaucratic hearings, we anxiously awaited a ruling to find out what our tax rate would be. Everything was at stake. We had already decided that if we lost, we would move. You can imagine how relieved we were on July 1, 1994, when the ruling was issued. We won, and firmly planted our roots in the City of Angels and proceeded to build our business. Everything was fine until the city started running out of money in 2007. Suddenly, the city announced that it was going to ignore its own ruling and reclassify us in the higher tax category. Even more incredible is the fact that the new classification was to be imposed retroactively to 2004 with interest and penalties. No explanation was given for the new classification, or for the city’s decision to ignore its 1994 ruling. Their official position is that the city is not bound by past rulings — only taxpayers are. This is why we have been forced to file a lawsuit. We will let the courts decide whether it is legal for adverse rulings to apply only to taxpayers and not to the city.

IED kills soldier
A 10th Mountain Division soldier from Fort Drum was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Afghanistan.

This week TKF will focus on Privatization in Government:

Annual Privatization Report 2008
Privatization remains a key policy focus as public officials grapple with deteriorating fiscal conditions, according to Reason Foundation's Annual Privatization Report 2008. With as many as 23 states potentially facing budget deficits in fiscal 2009, state governments are increasingly looking for ways to cut costs without cutting services. Enter the private sector. Now in its 22nd year of publication, APR is the world's longest running and most comprehensive report on privatization news, developments, and trends. Given its broad policy coverage and depth of analysis on hot issues, there's something for everyone in APR 2008—policy makers, public officials, journalists, and citizens alike-to help them keep up with the fast-moving arenas of privatization, government reform, and private sector solutions to public sector challenges.

Dennis Moore: “Congress exempt from FOIA; Declines to release information
On July 3 I sent my FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request via E-mail to Congressman Dennis Moore’s office, and followed up with faxed requests to his Overland Park and Washington, DC offices. I was surprised to receive a response by mail from Congressman Moore’s office so quickly on July 11, but I was not happy with the content of the response. Congressman Moore simply said Congress was exempt from any open record requests under FOIA.

Veterans for Strong American Formed in Kansas City!
Veterans For A Strong America is committed to providing dynamic and ethical leadership to our communities and nation by supporting the campaigns of conservative U.S. military veterans running for local public office. Our veterans represent an enormous resource of men and women drawn from every walk of American life who have proven expertise in leadership. From privates to generals they have been trained to calmly and rationally lead even in the worst of circumstances, and to always consider the welfare of those in their charge. These men and women will provide the guidance and common sense leadership needed to successfully guide America into the future.

The dimmest light bulb ideas ever
It’s a green day everywhere it seems. One can’t listen to a radio or watch TV without being bombarded about joining some green movement, and you are surely going straight to hell if you don’t. I consider myself a conservationist and have been one all my life. Apparently I don’t view conservation with the same eyes as the self-appointed experts and talking heads. People get caught in the trap of following a new green idea without thinking. A few years ago, it was ethanol fuel. Billions of dollars were pumped into this plan, but now that idea is out of vogue. The bad news is that the taxpayers paid dearly for what should have been just a lab experiment.

Raytown City Councilman Say No to Census Proclamation
In his two years as Raytown Mayor David Bower has never had someone protest a proclamation but after issuing one in support of the 2010 Census at Tuesday evening Board of Aldermen meeting Alderman Bill Van Buskirk expressed his disagreement with showing such support. Citing the involvement of organizations such as ACORN Van Buskirk said he had strong reservations about the intent of the upcoming census saying it may include “distorted numbers” caused by “radical leftwing political views.” “As (the proclamation) was read I cannot support it,” Van Buskirk said in a prepared speech that he delivered after the proclamation.

City withdrawing its support from Bartle Hall spiritual conference
At the council’s business session, council member Deb Hermann said the conference would feature a speaker who has used hateful speech against the gay and lesbian community. The council later passed a resolution that condemned hateful, hurtful and harmful speech. It also recognized the gay and lesbian community. Park said the event schedule showed worship services listed, which would appear to violate city requirements that the event organizers “provide no religious instruction or counseling, conduct no religious worship or services, engage in no religious proselytizing and exert no religious influence.” Bishop Mark Tolbert, director of the Life Changers Conference, said he would talk to city officials today about the city funds. Tolbert expressed dismay because, he said, the conference would do so much good for the community, such as offering health care screenings.

KC to consider stimulus-funded streetcar line
Kansas City is about to dive back into the rail issue, this time with a shorter, less-expensive plan to build a streetcar line with stimulus money. City Councilman Russ Johnson’s office announced Friday that his transportation committee will hear a plan for a streetcar line from Crown Center to the River Market area. Johnson was out of town and couldn’t be reached for comment about the 2½-mile route, which will be detailed Thursday morning by planners from the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. Details on the cost or a specific route weren’t available. The streetcar plan is essentially an off-shoot of the planning that went into the light-rail route that voters killed last fall. The study showed that the city’s best spot for rail was largely between the Country Club Plaza and downtown where population and employment densities are highest.

Why Work? Stimulus for the Homeless
A top official with the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department came to Kansas City Friday to announce a $3.6 million grant to alleviate homelessness in the city. Deputy Secretary Ron Sims said the Kansas City grant is part of $1.5 billion in the federal stimulus package designed to combat homelessness nationally. Mayor Mark Funkhouser and Councilwoman Sharon Sanders Brooks thanked Sims for the grant. “Kansas City promises to use these funds wisely,” Funkhouser said. The money, which the city will begin distributing Oct. 1, will go toward preventing families from becoming homeless and toward helping those who have lost their homes. The city will work with service organizations to provide rental and utility assistance, hotel vouchers and funding for transitional housing.

“I don’t think the worst (the economy) is over. It’s very likely that more jobs will be lost. And it would not be surprising if GDP has not yet reached its low.”

Obama Economic Advisor Lawrence Summers (7/11/09, Financial Times)

From Proverbs 16:19
It is better to be humble with the meek than to share plunder with the proud

Gospel according to St. Matthew 10:24-33

24 The disciple is not above the master, nor the servant above his lord. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the goodman of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household? 26 Therefore fear them not. For nothing is covered that shall not be revealed: nor hid, that shall not be known. 27 That which I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light: and that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the housetops. 28 And fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not therefore: better are you than many sparrows. 32 Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But he that shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven.

Obama’s New Science Czar

Forced abortions. Mass sterilization. A “Planetary Regime” with the power of life and death over American citizens. The tyrannical fantasies of a madman? Or merely the opinions of the person now in control of science policy in the United States? Or both?

These ideas (among many other equally horrifying recommendations) were put forth by John Holdren, whom Barack Obama has recently appointed Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, and Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology — informally known as the United States’ Science Czar. In a book Holdren co-authored in 1977, the man now firmly in control of science policy in this country wrote that: