Budget Deal Passed: Final House Vote Tally

October 16. 2013 - Every Democrat voted for the Senate-approved budget deal, along with 87 Republicans; 144 Republicans voted no (including Rep. Walden (R-OR)). See how the House members voted. The deal ends the partial government shutdown and provides back-pay for furloughed workers, sequester remains and government, including Obamacare, is funded through Jan. 15. The debt ceiling is raised through Feb. 7th. As usual, bipartisan committees to be formed to present a fix for money problems. The draconian medical device tax remains but a provision to verify the income of those receiving ObamaCare subsidies is included.

Related:
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX): When half of Senate Republicans are firing cannons at House Republicans, it sabotages the House effort
Rep. John Fleming (R-LA): Rep. 'This fight didn't end last night' Read More......

Senate passes insider-trading bill

Aiming to restore voters' faith in Congress, the Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill Thursday that makes clear it's illegal for members of Congress, their staffs and many executive-branch employees to trade stocks and other securities based on inside information learned on the job. Read more at CNN... Read More......

House vote to REPEAL Obamacare passed

Today, the House of Representatives voted 245-189 to repeal President Obama's health care plan passed by Congress last year, with 3 Democrats joining the majority. This vote is seen as the first step in Republican efforts to repeal and defund the program. To fully repeal the program the Senate must pass the repeal legislation, followed by President Obama's approval. (Hat tip: Newsmax) Read More......

Sunday surprise: Senate unanimously passes food safety bill

THE HILL, 12/19/2010 by Alexander Bolton - The Senate unexpectedly approved food safety legislation by unanimous consent Sunday evening, rescuing a bill that floated in limbo for weeks because of a clerical error. Read more at the HILL...

Unanimous? Unanimous! This is terrible! --bc Read More......

IBD: Beyond Our Means

INVESTORS BUSINESS DAILY/OPINION, posted 07:05 PM ET - Health Care: The California Senate voted last Thursday to create a government-run single-payer medical care program. Do the 22 lawmakers who voted for this bill realize that the state will run out of cash before April? ∴ The state is facing a $20 billion deficit. It's bleeding money. To close the gap, Sacramento will probably cook up some brew of tax hikes, pay cuts for state workers and program cuts. ∴ Despite the deep troubles, the Senate wants to add a program that is expected to cost $200 billion a year, which, in fact, is likely far short of what the plan will actually cost. Read more at IBD...

Good grief! --bc Read More......

Taxpayer Ambush in Oregon

WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/28/2010 - The public unions win in Portland. It's not often that citizens vote for higher taxes, but 54% of Oregonians have done precisely that. In a rolling month-long referendum by mail that ended Tuesday, they approved some $700 million in tax hikes on business and wealthy residents.

The highest income tax rate in the state moves to 11% from 9%, which will give Oregon close to the highest rate in the nation. (New York City residents pay 12.6%.) This ballot outcome runs contrary to the current public mood about spending and taxes, so it's worth exploring how it happened.

First, a deluge of money. Local and national public employee unions bankrolled the "yes" campaign, with a $6.5 million blitz in TV and radio ads. That was $2 million more than the business community and taxpayer advocates raised. The cash helped the tax increase roll up a 71% margin in the liberal precincts in and around Portland, even as it lost in most of the rest of the state.

The union message was also as clever as it was disingenuous: All of these taxes will be paid by someone else, such as Wall Street bankers, out-of-state credit card companies, CEOs. Only the richest 2.5% will pay a little more in taxes, the unions also claimed.

The reality is that these taxes will be absorbed by employers who sign worker paychecks—from Nike Inc. to the corner grocer. Two-thirds of those hit with the new 11% tax rate are small and medium-sized business owners. Phil Knight of Nike dubbed the tax initiatives Oregon's "assisted suicide" for business. The real victims of these taxes won't be wealthy business owners, who can always move away or shelter income, but less mobile Oregonians who will find it harder to get or keep a job.

One national consequence of the Oregon vote is that we are likely to see unions finance more of these tax-the-rich campaigns in other states with big deficits. Public employee unions have a lucrative racket: They essentially leverage the tax dollars they receive in dues from the salaries and benefits of their members to lobby for more tax dollars to secure even fatter pensions and pay.

The teachers unions exulted yesterday that Oregonians voted to "protect our schools and vital public services." What was really protected was the $83,402 a year average in pay and benefits to Oregon state workers, 30% higher than what private workers receive. This is bankrupting states like Oregon, California, New York and New Jersey. On the other hand, Oregon's folly will be some other state's gain.

Read more at WSJ... Read More......

GT: Voters OK tax measures; both pass easily in Benton County

CORVALLIS GAZETTE-TIMES, 1/26/2010 by Raju Woodward - Linda Weimer sat quietly in the back room at High 5 Sports Bar & Grill as the results of Tuesday's special election became evident: Measures 66 and 67, which increased taxes on wealthier Oregonians and corporations, respectively, had passed. ∴ She was part of a small group of Benton County Republicans and Americans for Prosperity members gathered at the restaurant at 1644 Main St., in Philomath. ∴ "I'm disappointed," Weimer said. "I expected this, but I thought it would be closer. It could have gone either way. We gave it our best shot." [Snip] About 62 percent of Benton County voters cast a ballot; about 63 percent of them voted "yes" on Measure 66; 61 percent approved Measure 67. Read more at the GT... (Comments are interesting)

See how Benton County and Oregon voted.

Courtesy of the Gazette-Times
How Benton County voted

MEASURE 66 - PERSONAL TAX
Yes 20,253 — 62.9 percent
No 11,971 — 37.2 percent

MEASURE 67 - BUSINESS TAX
Yes 19,783 — 61.4 percent
No 12,439 — 38.6 percent
*Unofficial returns as of 11:30 p.m., Tuesday

How Oregon voted

MEASURE 66 - PERSONAL TAX
Yes 609,201 - 54 percent
No 519,342 - 46 percent

MEASURE 67 - BUSINESS TAX
Yes 602,060 - 53 percent
No 524,636 - 47 percent
* Unofficial returns as of 11:30 p.m.

Photos



Jerry Jackson, Philomath City Council president, checks on returns. "I thought it would be closer," he said. (Scobel Wiggins | Gazette-Times)





Stella Guenther, Vice-Chair of Americans for Prosperity Benton County, and PJ Hunter keep company while election results come in. "I don't always get what I want," said Guenther, "but I don't let it keep me from trying to make things better." (Scobel Wiggins | Gazette-Times)

---

I see the problem here in Benton County... justice isn't blind. --bc

Read More......

Measures 66 and 67 passing by wide margin

OREGONLIVE.COM (The Oregonian), 1/26/2010 - It looks like Oregon corporations and high-income earners will pay higher state taxes as voters weighed in Tuesday on two hotly debated measures. ∴ The latest results indicate both Measure 66 and 67 passed in 11 of Oregon's 36 counties. Read more at Oregonlive...
Read More......

U.S. Senate: Health Bill Passes Committee

FOX NEWS, 10/13/2009 - Health Care Reform Bill Clears Final Senate Panel, Tough Negotiations Loom - The Senate Finance Committee votes to send its version of the legislation to the Senate floor after months of closely watched deliberations. ∴ The committee voted 14-9 in favor of the package. One Republican, Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe, broke with her party to support the bill. All 13 Democrats on the panel voted in favor of it, while the rest of the Republicans opposed it. ∴ The panel was the last of five to act on health legislation, and the vote marked the biggest advance so far toward health care reform, as the committee's legislation is considered the best building block for a compromise plan in the full Senate. ∴ President Obama hailed the vote as a "critical milestone," in brief remarks late Tuesday. Read more at FOX...

"It's going to cost us an arm and a leg," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said. "The costs of this are astronomical."

"When history calls, history calls," said Sen. Olympia Snow (the only Republican committee member to vote for the bill), while adding that she had some criticism of the bill.

Read More......

Stimulus Bill approved in Senate

AP - The vote: 61/37. Voting "yes" were 56 Democrats, 3 Republicans and 2 independents. Voting "no" were 0 Democrats and 37 Republicans. Read More......