New Jersey Property-tax rebates / Reform vs. gimmick

Apr 24, 2008 - From the Press of Atlantic City: Property-tax rebates / Reform vs. gimmick Published: Thursday, April 24, 2008 A little time travel to the recent past: Remember just one year ago, when state lawmakers were touting property-tax rebates of 10 to 20 percent for most state taxpayers as permanent property-tax reform? Remember when they shelved or watered down dozens of tough measures to rein in the cost of government in favor of what some considered a gimmick - a gimmick subject to the vagaries of the economy and politics? - 0 Comments

Biden’s Version

Sep 07, 2009 - Biden’s Version By the Editors (National Review Online) There’s a line in the movie Dave in which a guy impersonating the president, looking for ways to cut the budget, asks his commerce secretary, “So, we’re spending $47 million so that somebody can feel better about a car that they have already bought?” It doesn’t cost $47 million to get Joe Biden to give a speech — he’ll talk anywhere, anytime, at great length, for free — and his address to the Brookings Institution on Thursday was intended to prevent buyer’s remorse. America already has bought the $787 billion stimulus package and will be paying off that bill for a very long time. Was it a good buy? - 2 Comments

WH internal memo confirms giveaways

Aug 16, 2009 - Public Post +++++++++++++++++ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/13/internal-memo-confirms-bi_n_258285.html Ryan Grim ryan@huffingtonpost.com Internal Memo Confirms Big Giveaways In White House Deal With Big Pharma First Posted: 08-13-09 11:10 AM | Updated: 08-13-09 05:49 PM A memo obtained by the Huffington Post confirms that the White House and the pharmaceutical lobby secretly agreed to precisely the sort of wide-ranging deal that both parties have been denying over the past week. The memo, which according to a knowledgeable health care lobbyist was prepared by a person directly involved in the negotiations, lists exactly what the White House gave up, and what it got in return. It says the White House agreed to oppose any congressional efforts to use the government's leverage to bargain for lower drug prices or import drugs from Canada -- and also agreed not to pursue Medicare rebates or shift some drugs from Medicare Part B to Medicare Part D, which would cost Big Pharma billions in reduced reimbursements. - 27 Comments

New Jersey: Corzine calls for 'choices we might not otherwise make' in budget address

Mar 11, 2009 - Corzine calls for 'choices we might not otherwise make' in budget address By DEREK HARPER Statehouse Bureau, 609-292-4935 Published: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/185/story/425145.html Gov. Jon S. Corzine proposed a $29.8 billion budget Tuesday that would slash state spending by 9.4 percent but cushion the blow to the state's most vulnerable residents, the governor said. - 0 Comments

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls (Rasmussen)

Aug 29, 2009 - What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls Saturday, August 29, 2009 The death this week of longtime Democratic Senator Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy means one of two things for the troubled health care reform plan proposed by President Obama: Either the plan has lost one of its most powerful advocates or now its supporters have an emotional rallying point to successfully push for passage. Only time will tell. - 3 Comments

Sorry NYC

Nov 06, 2008 - Tax Hikes, Budget Cuts In The Works For NYC Bloomberg Says Promised Property Tax Rebate Is Off Table Reporting Marcia Kramer NEW YORK (CBS) ― Mayor Michael Bloomberg is going to cut the city work force by 3,000, but that's just the beginning of the pain New Yorkers will feel as part of the fiscal crisis. A slew of new taxes are also on the agenda. There will be 1,000 fewer cops, but the city will hire 200 more traffic agents to give out $60 million a year in new block-the-box tickets. - 14 Comments

Lawmakers Worry Whether Obama Tax Cut Will Stimulate Consumer Spending

Feb 16, 2009 - The Democrats' stimulus plan would give a $400 tax cut to individuals and an $800 cut to couples. That boils down to an extra $13 a week for most workers starting in June, and would fall to about $8 extra per week next January. President Obama plans to sign his landmark economic recovery package Tuesday, but lawmakers are increasingly concerned that one of the bill's central proposals -- the tax cut for individuals -- will be too small and too temporary to have much effect. - 16 Comments

Straight talk from a congresswoman about the $110 billion in sweeteners added to the bailout bill.

Oct 14, 2008 - I like Michele Bachmann because she is a straight shooter. Here is her email I receive talking about the abominable bailout: Last week, while traveling around the district, I had the opportunity to speak face to face with constituents about their thoughts, current issues, and their concerns about the future of our economy. The recent bailout of Wall Street seems to be on everyone’s mind – and with good reason. - 13 Comments

GOP leaders doubt stimulus bill will pass Senate

Feb 01, 2009 - WASHINGTON – Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday the massive stimulus bill backed by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats could go down to defeat if it's not stripped of unnecessary spending and focused more on housing issues and tax cut. The Senate version of the bill, which topped out at nearly $900 billion, is headed to the floor for debate. The House bill totaled about $819 billion and earned no Republican votes, even though it easily passed the Democratic-controlled House. - 3 Comments

New Jersey: In a Tough Sell, Corzine Works to Connect

Mar 10, 2009 - Courtesy of the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/nyregion/10corzine.html?th&emc=th In a Tough Sell, Corzine Works to Connect By DAVID W. CHEN Published: March 9, 2009 HOBOKEN, N.J. — As Gov. - 0 Comments