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		<title>Government Bytes</title>
		<description>The Official Weblog of NTU/NTUF</description>
		<link>http://blog.ntu.org/</link>
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			<title>Government Complications</title><description><![CDATA[Let’s take a brief break from the Farm bill and back track to one of our other favorite issues: mortgage bailouts.  A CNN Money article today digs into the details of how a government program would work and it is not all pretty.  Francis Creighton of the Mortgage Bankers Association comments that “this is a difficult plan for borrowers to understand.  They'll need somebody very savvy to walk them through this."  There are already plenty of bills introduced in Congress that mention the need for counseling regarding homeownership.  Is this a case of government begetting more government?

Leaving out how the mortgage crisis arose, we have a situation where a problem exists and the government solution is quite complicated and convoluted when put into practice.  What if people make bad choices because they are confused when utilizing the government program?  Should the government step in again and provide services to clarify their program?  After all, it is only fair to rescue some poor citizens from the difficulty that government helped them get into.  At what point (if any) should people be required to depend on themselves?
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2008 11:51:22 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3431</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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			<title>Governor Kaine’s “Simple” Tax Hike</title><description><![CDATA[Virginia Governor Tim Kaine just sent me a (mass) email announcing his “simple” plan to raise my taxes for transportation spending.

Total cost to taxpayers? $850 million to $1 billion a year in new taxes and fees: A 1 percentage point increase in the sales tax on cars. The titling tax on new and used cars is now 3 percent and would rise to 4 percent.
 A new $10 registration fee on the sale of new and used cars.
 A 25-cents-per-$100 increase in the grantors tax that is paid by home sellers. It is based on the sales price of the property.
 A 1-cent-on-the-dollar regional sales tax increase in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia, the state’s two most congested regions. Taxes on food and over-the-counter medicines would be exempt from the increase.
 Taking $180 million from the transportation trust fund, which is used for new road construction, and using it for highway maintenance. The Governor is wrong to think that his “simple” plan to hike taxes will simply fly through the General Assembly. 

Virginians: Say no to higher taxes by clicking here.
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 14:29:58 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3430</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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			<title>Do You Pay Taxes to Subsidize Millionaire Farmers and Higher Food Prices?</title><description><![CDATA[If not, tell your Senators and Representative by clicking here.
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 12:21:01 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3429</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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			<title>NTU House and Senate Vote Alert: Farm Bill</title><description><![CDATA[******************************************
National Taxpayers Union 
Vote Alert 

NTU urges all Members and Senators to vote “NO” on the Farm Bill conference report (H.R. 2419). Over the past two years, USDA officials, House and Senate taxpayer friends, and outside groups like NTU have offered numerous ideas to advance farm program reform. However, agriculture committee leadership ignored many of the recommendations and settled on a massive plan (with $20 billion in new spending) that perpetuates wasteful crop subsidies and doles out funds to special interests not traditionally included in the bill.

The super-sized Farm Bill conference report will allow millionaires to continue receiving government handouts, and it includes provisions that deliberately aim to keep certain food prices (like sugar) high. Subsidies for wheat and soybeans will increase even though their market price has gone up 256 percent and 164 percent, respectively, since 2002. The plan authorizes $1.3 billion for a program to keep wetlands “wet” and even contains a sop to union bosses. The bill would also extend the trade-distorting tariff on imported ethanol for two years. Clearly, this isn’t the fiscally responsible reform that taxpayers deserve.

Roll call votes against H.R. 2419 will be heavily weighted in our 2008 Rating of Congress, as will any votes in favor of upholding a Presidential veto of the Farm Bill.

If you have any questions, please contact 
NTU Director of Government Affairs Kristina Rasmussen at (703) 683-5700
******************************************
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 12:11:16 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3428</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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			<title>Money or Principles: What Impresses Voters?</title><description><![CDATA[Now that Congress has agreed on the Farm bill, we are just a couple votes away from legislation landing on the President’s desk.  So far, President Bush does not seem pleased with Congress’ work on the bill.  There are still a lot of subsidies (as Dominic pointed out) and although tightening it somewhat, Congress still has a pretty broad view of what constitutes a poor farmer.  

One solution proposed by the administration is to avoid the bill entirely – extend the current legislation and deal with the issues next year “when it is not seen as an election-year vote-getter in farm states” according to one article.  There is nothing quite like political considerations when it comes to policy!  This technique would seem to be transparent to voters, maybe even troubling (“if they are willing to spend other taxpayers’ money on me, how will they spend my tax dollars?”  Or better yet, “Do I want my vote to be bought by money or principles?”).  Americans seem obsessed with “fairness” when it comes to certain issues (like income distribution).  Why does not the inequity of subsidies to a certain subset of the population also come under fire?
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 07:33:11 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3426</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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			<title>A Little Good News</title><description><![CDATA[Here's a little good news to balance out rising gas prices, flawed energy and ag legislation, the evils of ethanol, and property tax reform battles.  From a story entitled "Scout saves grandma who fell into dishwasher" in the Lincoln Journal Star:
Dressed up in his Cub Scout uniform, Nile Debebe looks a bit like a superhero.

He’s got the credentials, too.

The 7-year-old was the only other person home when his 83-year-old grandmother fell into the dishwasher, gashed her leg to the bone and blacked out.

Okay, maybe her grandson was a little freaked out. But only at first.

He jumped around on the couch, trying to figure out what to do. Then, he says, he remembered he's a Cub Scout.

He ran to a neighbor's house for help. He saved his grandma.
Congratulations Nile!  And, thanks for a little positive news.]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 11 May 2008 23:36:09 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3425</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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			<title>Farm Bill Follies</title><description><![CDATA[Six years ago our Republican Congress and Republican President gave us the wonderful gift of a pork-laden subsidy-filled farm bill.  Now Congress is debating the renewal of the farm bill.  And surprise, surprise, it's more of the same.

With food prices rising to record highs, the folks over at The Heritage Foundation took a look at the five most heavily subsidized crops, and how the prices have changed over the past six years.  As anyone who has been to the grocery store recently, the prices are up.  Way up:



As you can see from the chart above, since the Farm Bill was being debated in 2002:

The price of rice is up 281%
The price of wheat is up 256%
The price of corn is up 169%
The price of soybeans are up 164%
The price of upland cotton is up 105%

Even though prices are way up, the 2008 Farm Bill would keep lavishing subsidies on these crops.  In fact, while subsidies of rice, corn, and cotton are remaining constant, subsidies of wheat and soybeans are actually increasing!

Just five more reasons to veto this bill. ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 19:10:27 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3424</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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			<title>Starvation only the latest good argument against ethanol</title><description><![CDATA[For various reasons, people on both sides of the political aisle, though more Democrats than Republicans, have supported America's ethanol policy...a policy which is not just silly but also dangerous.

There's been a lot of press lately about food shortages in the third world caused in part by America and Europe's ethanol policy, but that's only the latest reason to oppose ethanol subsidies and mandates. The other reasons are, if less dramatic, just as good and much older.

There is no science to support ethanol, including in the area of "greenhouse gases" for those of you who believe such things are a real problem. At least as compelling is the outrageous economics of ethanol.

I heard someone being quoted in a radio newscast this morning saying that we should be thankful for ethanol because it costs 50 cents per gallon less than gasoline.  He conveniently forgot to mention that that includes more than $1 per gallon in direct and indirect subsidies, and that ethanol provides far lower miles per gallon than gasoline, making ethanol far more expensive to taxpayers even though for all those reasons the price at the pump may be low enough to fool some consumers into thinking they're getting a good deal.

You can read a more in-depth article which I've written on the subject at this link:
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=26348]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 16:08:52 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3423</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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			<title>Earmark Transparency: Is it enough?</title><description><![CDATA[Representative Jo Bonner, newly appointed to the Committee on Appropriations, joined bloggers last Tuesday to discuss earmarks and other fiscal issues.  He has taken up the issue of earmarks and endeavors to reduce them and make them more transparent.  Not only does he describe on his web site the qualifications for earmarks in order for him to consider requesting them, he also lists each request he has made.  For Fiscal Year 2009, he submitted less than 20% of the earmarks he received requests for (however, those particular requests represented over 50% of the dollar values requested).  Representative Bonner explained why earmarks are not necessarily always an evil and pointed to the secretive process as the real enemy.  Transparency improvements are definitely a step in the right direction as Representative Bonner seeks to reform the system from within.  The question remains as to whether this reform will be enough?

Despite the recent calls for earmark reform, Representative Bonner indicated that we are a long way from agreement about the issue in Congress and even within the Republican party, saying there is a “disagreement within the family.”  This lack of a clear, united stance on earmarks is concerning – especially in light of the larger fiscal issues (Social Security, etc.) that America faces in the near future.  If members of Congress cannot make substantial progress on a relatively small fiscal issue like earmarks, it is difficult to believe they will make headway on the bigger issues.  

In terms of earmarks, what would give you the greatest confidence in Congress’ fiscal responsibility?  An earmark moratorium, transparent earmarks, no earmarks?  Please, share your thoughts below.

Click here for other thoughts on the meeting with Representative Bonner.
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 07:39:17 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3422</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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			<title>Penny For Your Thoughts</title><description><![CDATA[Thanks to the efforts of two Land of Lincoln Congressmen, the penny might stop breaking the bank.  Currently, America's least useful form of currency (seriously we leave it in little jars next to the cash register for the next customer to take, it's probably time to say goodbye) costs 1.7 cents to produce.  That means for every penny produced you can add about a penny to the national debt.

But by changing the metal content of the penny, taxpayers will save about $1 billion over the next ten years.  For those of you keeping track, that's the equivalent of 100,000,000,000 pennies -- which would fill quite a few "take a penny, leave a penny" jars.
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 19:33:22 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3421</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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			<title>Representative Tancredo Wins His 9th TFA in a Row!</title><description><![CDATA[Representative Tom Tancredo (CO-6) has been a friend of taxpayers ever since he became a member of the U.S. House.  In fact, Representative Tancredo has won a Taxpayers’ Friend Award every year since he was elected!  To win his 9th award the Representative earned a 93% in the 2007 NTU Rates Congress, which ranked him at #4.  Presenting Representative Tancredo his award is NTU President Duane Parde (right) and Director of Government Affairs Kristina Rasmussen (left).   Click here to view the NTU Rates Congress page.
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 12:57:54 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3420</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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			<title>BallotPedia.org</title><description><![CDATA[If you’ve ever wanted a “one-stop shop” for information on state and local ballot measures, past and present, I’d recommend you head over to Ballotpedia.org. 

The young wiki-style site is already brimming with information; for one good example, check out this page on all the ballots, tax hikes, and bond issues up for consideration by California voters this June 3.

Ballotpedia.org  is a website to bookmark!
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 10:48:50 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3419</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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			<title>Three Cheers for the Decline of the Corporate Income Tax</title><description><![CDATA[Check out Alan Viard's over at AEI about one of my least favorite taxes: the corporate income tax.  According to Viard:
Rather than trying to prop up the corporate income tax against competitive pressures, countries around the world should celebrate its decline and work for its demise. The celebration should be joined even by those who support highly progressive taxation and extensive redistribution to the less fortunate. They should realize that the corporate tax is not a sensible way to achieve their goals.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 06:55:43 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3418</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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			<title>Tax Calendars</title><description><![CDATA[Today's Google Tip (available via a Google gadget that you can add to your personalized Google page) was about taxes:Taxes may be inevitable, but they don't have to be a surprise. There are lots of public tax calendars available for Google Calendar that can remind you when your due is due or your refund should be refunded.

Search public calendars for tax calendars, find the one that's right for you, and click "Add to Calendar". You can also set up a notification to automatically remind you when the tax season starts.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2008 14:51:59 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3417</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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			<title>In the States</title><description><![CDATA[Drew’s Top Ten

1.	Nevada - Law would raise state gas tax if federal tax is cut. 
2.	South Carolina - Cigarette tax gains Senate approval. 
3.	New Jersey - Senator pushes water tax for open space purchases. 
4.	Missouri - Gubernatorial candidate unveils $200 million tax relief package. 
5.	Wisconsin - County leaders urge state beer tax hike. 

6.	Alabama - State legislature kills natural gas tax. 
7.	Virginia - Influential business organizations backing tax boost for transportation. 
8.	Massachusetts - Senate debates $500 million tax package.
9.	Texas - Oil prices help state rake in $10.7 billion surplus, some say. 
10.	New York - Senate expected to approve gas tax holiday. 
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2008 13:13:45 MDT</pubDate><link>http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=3416</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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