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**kyonides** · Nov 30, 2010, 10:22 PM

Re: See who voted AGAINST the BAN on EARMARKS

IDK, money could be used to bribe them, but the highest bidder would win in the most common scenario. Fear and physical damage would only last for a couple of hours and then all of your senators would pass another anti-terrorism act (and anything else that could steal all of your constitutional rights could also be welcome by those lunatics). So you're kind of pretty much alone I guess.

**Detonate** · Dec 01, 2010, 10:23 AM

Re: See who voted AGAINST the BAN on EARMARKS

Relieved to see that both of the Senators from my state, Colorado voted Yea.

**dibl** · Dec 01, 2010, 10:58 AM

Re: See who voted AGAINST the BAN on EARMARKS

... and the pair of hacks from my state (OH) voted "NAY". I'd expect as much from Brown, but Voinovich is supposed to be a Republican. >

**blobfish** · Dec 01, 2010, 11:44 AM

Re: See who voted AGAINST the BAN on EARMARKS

At the risk of stirring everybody up

I am not sure the passage of this would have made much difference. As far as I understand it, the money has been allocated to be spent and an earmark "channels" some of the money to a specific location. If this is true, then ending earmarks won't save any money and the recipients of this money will be determined by the executive branch. I don't believe there is any less corruption in that branch than in the legislative branch. I think the real problem is campaign finance.

Now before you lambaste me, remember I hate government waste and paying taxes as much as you.

**woodsmoke** · Dec 01, 2010, 12:12 PM

Re: See who voted AGAINST the BAN on EARMARKS

The one in my state, after winning by only a hair's breadth suddenly changed positions and voted correctly on this.

The answer to allmost all of this is the "Fair Tax", if it were implemented the congress people would be so scared on pulling any shenanigans, I think it would help reform the whole system top to bottom.

I asked my congress person about this and was told bluntly and to my face in a very stern tone that it was impossible for the U.S. voter to understand this.

So, I will outline, in broad scope, the Fair Tax.

a) Income Tax is eliminated.
b) There is a federal sales tax that would be tweaked to approximately match the total monies that the feds get from income tax now.
c) REBATE CHECKS MAILED every month to you:
I) and average amount athat you choose, that will approximately equal the taxdes you pay for "essentials" such as food and heating
II) you mail in your actual taxes each month and you get a rebate check.

The point behind this post is not advacating the Fair Tax, but

a) that the congress people really do think that YOU ARE SO STUPID that you could not even understand the above,

OR

b)they don't want to lose power...

Not that the Fair Tax would eliminate earmarks but I think it would be the first big hole in the system that might force other changes.

Here is a link to the wikipedia article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_tax

woodsmoke

**dibl** · Dec 01, 2010, 12:21 PM

Re: See who voted AGAINST the BAN on EARMARKS

Originally posted by woodsmoke

The answer to allmost all of this is the "Fair Tax"

+1

**GreyGeek** · Dec 01, 2010, 12:51 PM

Re: See who voted AGAINST the BAN on EARMARKS

+2
(my wife and I)

**zlow** · Dec 01, 2010, 01:11 PM

Re: See who voted AGAINST the BAN on EARMARKS

All for a fair tax, however it will be just like cable television. In the beginning you have great service with no commercials, and over time it becomes more polluted than over the air TV.

Fair tax will be the same way, it'll start out AWESOME, but over time you'll find that it becomes just one of many other taxes.

I would like to be an optimist, and I think a fair tax WOULD WORK, but this is the land of corrupt politicians, who only care about their government issued escalade.

DETROIT (WJBK) - The son of Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., says items were stolen out of the government vehicle he was driving last Wednesday in downtown Detroit, FOX 2's Simon Shaykhet reports. John Conyers III, 20, told police two Apple MacBooks, valued at $1,100 apiece, and more than $27,000 worth of concert tickets to the Fillmore were stolen out of a burgundy 2010 Cadillac Escalade registered to the 14th Congressional District. The police report says the vehilce was parked at Brush Street and Congress around 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 24. When Conyers returned around 12:30 a.m., he noticed scratches on the side door and items scattered throughout the interior. Shaykhet says the incident brings into question why the son of a congressman was driving a registered government vehicle.

Source: http://krmg.com/blogs/the_krmg_morni...f-stu-245.html

**Detonate** · Dec 01, 2010, 05:14 PM

Re: See who voted AGAINST the BAN on EARMARKS

Originally posted by tanderson

At the risk of stirring everybody up

I am not sure the passage of this would have made much difference.

It's the symbolism that is important here.

**GreyGeek** · Dec 01, 2010, 07:44 PM

Re: See who voted AGAINST the BAN on EARMARKS

Originally posted by zlow

All for a fair tax, however it will be just like cable television. In the beginning you have great service with no commercials, and over time it becomes more polluted than over the air TV.

Fair tax will be the same way, it'll start out AWESOME, but over time you'll find that it becomes just one of many other taxes.

I would like to be an optimist, and I think a fair tax WOULD WORK, but this is the land of corrupt politicians, who only care about their government issued escalade.
......

The sky is getting a deep, deep blue.

As much as I like the Constitution, look what's happened to it in the last 200 years. I suspect that the same will happen to a Fair Tax, but I'd like to try it anyway. Politicians are very tricky. They KNOW that the ONLY people who end up paying taxes are the individual citizens. Corporations and politicians don't pay taxes, they pass them on to us. So sales and use taxes are just citizen income taxes in disguise.

Source: http://krmg.com/blogs/the_krmg_morni...f-stu-245.html

It doesn't bother me that the word "Christmas" is being taken out of what passes for Christmas celebrations these days. Christmas has been commercialized beyond belief. Decorations are now going up BEFORE Thanksgiving. Our present rendition of "Santa Clause" begin on Dec 6, 1810, at the first St. Nicholas anniversary dinner. Santa didn't begin appearing on Christmas eve until 1821, when "The Night Before Christmas" was published, which marks the real beginning of our "jolly ole St. Nick". His first appearance was also a sales job for the book the poem appeared in. The cover depicts him riding a slay with a sign, "REWARDS", above the bag of goodies, and being pulled by one reindeer. The standard version of the American Santa didn't arrive till the mid 1920's.

**kyonides** · Dec 01, 2010, 08:21 PM

Re: See who voted AGAINST the BAN on EARMARKS

Could it be Coca Cola's fault to bring the present incarnation of Santa to our homes?

**zlow** · Dec 02, 2010, 07:23 AM

Re: See who voted AGAINST the BAN on EARMARKS

Originally posted by GreyGeek

The sky is getting a deep, deep blue.

We think more alike than you realize.

**dibl** · Dec 02, 2010, 07:51 AM

Re: See who voted AGAINST the BAN on EARMARKS

Originally posted by zlow

All for a fair tax, however it will be just like cable television. In the beginning you have great service with no commercials, and over time it becomes more polluted than over the air TV.

Fair tax will be the same way, it'll start out AWESOME, but over time you'll find that it becomes just one of many other taxes.

I don't doubt that prediction. However, note that it took almost a century (since 1913) for the well-intentioned original Income Tax to become the byzantine swamp of counter-productive complexity, with parasitic industries of lawyers, accountants, and consultants that we have today. I'd be delighted to reset the clock with a FAIR tax, and see how long it takes for our ingenious representatives in Congress to muck it up.

**Detonate** · Dec 02, 2010, 09:19 AM

Re: See who voted AGAINST the BAN on EARMARKS

I might favor the fair tax, if the implementation included a provision that any increases in the tax rate could only occur with the express approval of the people. Any proposal to increase the tax rate would have to be put to a vote of the people, not congress. We have that in Colorado for all taxes. It's called TABOR. Taxpayers bill of rights. And it makes government have to put any tax increase to a vote in the next regularly scheduled election.

The other thing I would require before I would favor the Fair Tax, is that it must replace all taxes, not just the income tax.

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