Who’s Watching Out For Ya Baby?
Posted By: Letters
on 9/12/2006 8:49:57 AM in LAW
The Waste Wing
The next time you hear a politician use the word "billion" in a casual manner, think about whether you want the "politicians" spending your tax money.
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.
A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate
our government is spending it.
While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans . It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division. Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans . Interesting number, what does it mean?
Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.
Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.
Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.
Washington , D.C .. HELLO !!! ... Are all your calculators broken ??
This is too true to be very funny:
Tax his land,
Tax his wage,
Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirts,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his booze,
Tax his beers,
If he cries,
Tax his tears.
Tax his bills,
Tax his gas,
Tax his notes,
Tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.
If he hollers,
Tax him more,
Tax him until he's good and sore.
Tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.
Put these words upon his tomb,
"Taxes drove me to my doom!"
And when he's gone,
We won't relax,
We'll still be after the inheritance TAX !!
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax),
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax),
Liquor Tax,
Luxury Tax,
Marriage License Tax,
Medicare Tax,
Property Tax,
Real Estate Tax,
Service charge taxes,
Social Security Tax,
Road Usage Tax (Truckers),
Sales Taxes,
Recreational Vehicle Tax,
School Tax,
State Income Tax,
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA),
Telephone Federal Excise Tax,
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax,
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax,
Telephone State and Local Tax,
Telephone Usage Charge Tax,
Utility Tax,
Vehicle License Registration Tax,
Vehicle Sales Tax,
Watercraft Registration Tax,
Well Permit Tax,
Workers Compensation Tax.
COMMENTS: Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago and there was prosperity, absolutely no national debt, the largest middle class in the world and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
What the hell happened ?????
I would like to add the following – most politicians are lawyers who write these complex tax codes. While scientists and engineers like to solve problems that improve your daily life, lawyers like to make more laws – this is what drives their industry. Lawyers also make money interpreting the laws that are often vague by design. (This I have witnessed firsthand when lobbying the FCC.) Lawyers also make lots of money feeding off our complex tax codes – which are in essence laws. (Try not paying your taxes and see what happens.)
And beyond taxes…ask yourself how many basic freedoms you have lost in your life time to lawyers from lawsuits or by lawyers at the county, state and federal level toil away at creating new laws that ultimately rob from your basic freedoms. (Kelo is a classic example…and recall this effort led by a former ACLU lawyer (“American Civil Liberties Union”, you know like the liberty to own property without the State taking it from you and giving it to someone else so they can generate more taxes and justify their pay raises… Kelo was also the legal profession’s “Full Employment Act of 2005”.).
Now as you ponder all of your loss of liberty, think of how many “rights” have been given to criminals and terrorists in your life times. (Law libraries, cable TV, conjugal visits, endless appeals, law suits for things like sex change operations etc, etc, etc) Or applying the Geneva Conventions to Terrorists – Conventions which were designed to prevent warfare such as terrorist perform.
Here is some additional stats to ponder:
Are There Too Many Lawyers?
The United States has only five percent of the world's population, but has fully seventy percent of the world's lawyers. (2) We spend more than eighty billion dollars a year on direct costs of litigation and on insurance premiums and a total of three hundred billion dollars on indirect efforts to avoid liability. (3) The threat of litigation has caused 47 percent of manufacturers to withdraw products from the market. (4) The threat of litigation has also discouraged no less than 25 percent of manufacturers from some types of product research. (5) Largely due to the fees brought in by the plaintiffs' bar, our trial lawyers are the best-paid attorneys in the world. (6) Per capita, we have 30 percent more lawsuits than do the Japanese, one of our main competitors in the creation of wealth. (7) In Japan, the ratio of engineers to lawyers is 20 to 1, but in this country it is 2.5 to 1. 1
A couple of more points to ponder, the US pounds the table around the world about the sanctity of the rule of law, but yet few people felt Bill Clinton should have been impeached despite breaking a very sacrosanct law since the writing of the US Constitution – lying under oath. This is what the Fifth Amendment was written for and he was a lawyer but instead of pleading the fifth – instead he chose to lie under oath. His choice and the law is very clear and aggressively prosecuted on this very point of law.
All of this while the Clinton Justice Department prosecuted, convicted, fined, disbarred, and locked up a Doctor/Lawyer for lying to a federal investigator about sex. Her crime came to light during the investigation and was tangential to the primary investigation but because she was shown to have lied – she was prosecuted to the full extent of the law – by Clinton Admin appointed lawyers! (Clinton was later disbarred but his lawyer friends have been pushing in Washington for years to get his disbarment overturned.)
Also worth noting Hillary is also a lawyer, the first lawyer she had selected (reportedly) for Bill’s Justice Department was she friend of many years and Rose Law firm colleague, Webb Hubbell. Hubbell was convicted so many times on so many counts – he came close to tripping the “3 strikes” law (ie life behind bars).
Hillary also had a political operative reviewing over 900 FBI files of prominent Republicans (possession of each is a felony) in the basement of the Whitehouse. No one was ever prosecuted.
She also arranged under false pretext to have career bureaucrats (ie not appointed) taken out of the Whitehouse in handcuffs – all were acquitted because the charges were trumped up. Reportedly, Hillary didn’t like them but could not fire them – so she found other means to get rid of them.
Many of the Clinton’s friends were lawyers – many also went to prison. Ted Kennedy lawyer – tell that to Mary Jo (From Wikiapedia: He was forced to withdraw from Harvard for two years in May 1951 after he was caught cheating on his final examination in a Spanish class.). Joe Bidden – lawyer who fabricated his resume but still gets re-elected. John Kerry is lawyer…and he lied repeatedly on the floor of the Senate about being in Cambodia during the Vietnam war…among others. And the list goes on.
Who’s watching out for ya baby?
Lawyers? Think about that as you pay your taxes… Eyes opened folks…it is our money they are taking “legally.” And now they can take our land “legally.” Thank you Democrats! “Protectors of the common man.” Right.
If you want more taxes – see a Democrat.
Want your land taken by corrupt State officials involved with shady land deals (Shady like Whitewater), See a Democrat.
If you are in this country illegally and want amnesty – See a Democrat.
Want more rights as a criminal? See a Democrat.
Want to drag this country down during time of war – See a Democrat.
Want terrorists to have protections against wiretaps – See a Democrat.
Do you want terrorist combatants to have US Constitutional rights (including being able to sue the USG! In US courts) – See a Democrat.
Want a late term abortion (ie where they dismember live viable babies in vivo) See a Democrat.
Want light sentencing for harden repeat offenders – See a Democrat.
Want light sentencing for child sex molesters – See a Democrat (and the ACLU.)
Want the US Constitution rewritten at the Federal bench – See a Democrat.
Appeasement? … Demies
Coddle Communist Totalitarian dictators? Demies
Show up for Michael Moore fabricated “documentaries” like a Hollywood opening but then impinge on ABC’s Freedom of Speech – like the whole Democratic establishment did to ABC’s “docu-drama” on 9-11 just last week? … and on and on.
Do you see a trend here? Are Republican saints? Hell no – they need watching too but I know who is stealing more of my rights and money and giving them to others. They all do – just one party does it much, much better than the other. Cut your losses! (Joe N. - New Jersey)
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COMMENTS
Follow The Money Trail To See Why Dem Congress Shields Trial Lawyers
Posted
By: 
Professor
on 5/11/2008 4:28:51 PM
"A scandal has been emerging in the trial lawyer industry. It points to a potentially cancerous growth in our economy that is killing jobs and hampering prosperity at a time when families are being pummeled by the rising cost of living. What are Democrats in Congress planning to do about it? So far, the answer has been: nothing.
On May 19, trial lawyer William Lerach is expected to report to federal prison to begin serving the sentence he received after pleading guilty to charges of criminal conspiracy in conjunction with a class-action scheme involving his law firm, formerly known as Milberg Weiss.
According to federal investigators, Milberg Weiss officials masterminded a $250 million illegal kickback scheme involving their clients, and then lied in court about their actions. “The scope and the breadth of this conspiracy was breathtaking,” said U.S. District Judge John Walter, who sentenced Mr. Lerach, adding that the crimes involved go “to the core of our judicial system.”
More disturbingly, Mr. Lerach himself told The Wall Street Journal his illegal conduct and that of his law partners was an “industry practice.” At his sentencing, one of his supporting letters quoted Mr. Lerach as saying, “Everybody was paying plaintiffs so they could bring their cases.”
If in fact Mr. Lerach’s crimes are an “industry practice,” then the Milberg Weiss scandal has revealed a clear and present threat to our nation’s prosperity. Congress has an obligation to take action — by holding hearings to determine the extent of the scandal and the threat, identifying appropriate remedies and sending them to the president.
Nearly three months have passed since Mr. Lerach was sentenced, but Democrats in Congress have yet to conduct a single hearing to determine the extent to which crimes such as his are occurring in the rest of the industry.
The trial lawyer industry is, of course, a major source of campaign cash for the Democratic majority, which has happily accommodated the industry’s agenda. At the behest of the trial lawyer lobby, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has stonewalled a bipartisan national security bill needed to allow U.S. intelligence personnel to listen in on conversations involving al Qaeda terrorist operatives.
The bill passed the Senate with a lopsided bipartisan vote and appeared destined for the president’s desk. But then the trial lawyer industry — which opposes the bipartisan bill because it prevents patriotic companies from being sued after cooperating with the government’s terrorist surveillance efforts — called in its chits. House Democratic leaders have subsequently refused to allow the bipartisan bill to see the light of day.
The relationship manifested itself again this week when housing legislation was considered by Congress. Tucked into the housing bill was a $35 million taxpayer-funded slush fund for trial lawyers seeking to cash in on the housing downturn. The bill, if enacted into law, would “require that [$35] million ... be used for grants to state and local legal organizations with experience in foreclosure law.” A bill portrayed as an effort to help struggling homeowners was used to line the pockets of the Democratic majority’s trial lawyer allies, courtesy of American taxpayers and homeowners truly in need of help.
Last week, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, and I asked the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., to schedule a hearing on the Milberg Weiss trial lawyer scandal by May 19, the date on which Mr. Lerach is expected to report to federal prison. A copy of our letter to Chairman Conyers was also sent to Speaker Pelosi. To date, there has been no response.
A complete investigation of the trial lawyer scandal is needed to examine the scope of the threat to our economy. But a recent analysis by Congressional Quarterly observed that “[t]he majority Democrats in Congress, so many of whom are beholden to the financial largesse of trial lawyers, are unlikely to undertake that investigation.”
I hope that independent prediction proves wrong. Inaction in the face of a clear and present danger to our economy is negligence. But inaction for the purpose of protecting major campaign donors is corruption — the very scourge the current congressional leadership pledged to obliterate when it asked Americans to put it in charge.
I remain hopeful Chairman Conyers will put politics aside and schedule a hearing by May 19 that will allow the facts in the Milberg Weiss trial lawyer scandal to be examined in an appropriate and bipartisan way." (John Boehner/TownHall.com 5/9/08)
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Fraud-Busting Rewards Top $2 Billion
Posted
By:
G-man
on 1/2/2008 6:00:22 PM
Last year, the federal government spent more than $2.5 trillion dollars. Under many of its programs, it is losing 10 percent to corporate fraud. Even using conservative estimates, the amount of fraud exceeds $150 billion each year. And guess who makes up the difference? You do.
The government catches only 1 percent of corporate crooks who defraud government agencies like the military, the post office, Medicare and Homeland Security. This means corporations steal over $150 billion from important government programs every year. That leaves taxpayers, like you and me, to make up the difference. Each of us pays at least an additional $500 per year in extra taxes because of corporate fraud against the government.
 Doing the math, Congress realized it would be well worth it to pay between 15 percent and 25 percent of what the government collects against cheating companies as a reward to private citizens who report fraud. Lawmakers authorized the Department of Justice to create the highly successful Whistleblower Reward Program.
When they learned of the program, many citizens become eager to get involved. They had been outraged by the corporate theft in the past, but didn't know what to do about it. Now, Congress had made it easy.
The government just reached a landmark. It has now paid out $2 billion in rewards to average citizens who have reported fraud. Since the reward program started, the Department of Justice has recovered more than $12.5 billion that it would not have otherwise obtained, netting taxpayers $10 billion back from cheating companies.
The Department of Justice considers the reward program a huge success and is prepared to pay out considerably more and larger rewards. Under the program, there is no limit to the amount of rewards paid, and there is no cap to the dollar amount paid to an individual. The reward is a formula based upon the size of the fraud case you report.
The average whistleblower reward is $1.5 million. The largest rewards in a case have topped $100 million. One day we will see a reward of $1 billion dollars! The Department of Justice is happy to pay these rewards, and the whistleblowers are happy to receive them. Whistleblowers are now responsible for one-half of all recoveries for fraud against the government. Not a bad return on an investment.
Recently, the IRS adopted its own whistleblower reward program. It hopes to be able to pay billions of dollars in rewards because it estimates that people are evading taxes by over $300 billion each year.
It's no surprise that fraud exists. Corporate greed has been around for a long time. But knowing it exists and reaching into your own pocket to pay $500 for it every year are two different things.
Isn't it time for you to get involved? Maybe you already know of a corporation that is cheating the government. Maybe you don't know of specific instance of fraud. But when the average reward is $1.5 million, it might be worth it to take a look around.
With nearly 10 percent of all government spending being lost every year, there are literally millions of opportunities for you to collect a reward." (Joel Hesch/WorldNetDaily.com 1/2/08)
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Democrats To Attach Add-Ons To Iraq Bill
Posted
By:
Heidi
on 3/3/2007 11:04:43 PM
"While Democrats try to restrict how President Bush can spend the $100 billion he wants for Iraq, they also hope to load his measure up with $10 billion in add-ons — from aid for avocado growers to help for children lacking health insurance.
Lawmakers also hope to add money for drought relief in the Great Plains, better levees in New Orleans and development of military bases that are closing down.
The expected battle with the White House over the add-ons is getting far less attention than debate over Iraq, but it could reveal a lot about how much Democrats will be able to rewrite the Republican president's budget later this year.
Bush has yet to veto a spending bill, and Democrats are gambling he'll sign the Iraq measure despite objections to spending he didn't seek. Republicans, meanwhile, may be reluctant to vote against the package since it contains funds for U.S. troops overseas.
Lawmakers from the Great Plains are pressing for about $4 billion in disaster aid for farmers suffering under drought conditions.
The California delegation is demanding help for citrus, avocado and other Central Valley farmers facing $1.2 billion in losses from a devastating January freeze. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., is a powerful ally in the effort to win the region unemployment, food and housing aid.
Gulf Coast lawmakers want $1.3 billion above the $3.4 billion requested by Bush for hurricane relief. Northwest lawmakers are desperate for about $400 million to extend payments to rural counties hurt by cutbacks in federal logging.
And governors are pressing for $745 million to address a shortfall in the State Children's Health Insurance Program that threatens to deny health coverage for about 500,000 children in 14 states. House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (news, bio, voting record), D-Wis., promised Tuesday that SCHIP money will be added to the Iraq bill.
Obey also has promised to add $3.1 billion for local communities affected by military base closings and for redeployment of 12,000 troops stationed in Germany and South Korea to domestic bases. To free funds for Democratic initiatives, that money was left out of a spending bill approved earlier in February.
Both Democrats and Republicans are pushing extra spending into the war funding bill as they seek to advance domestic priorities that would probably stall if advanced on their own.
That's not what the White House says should happen.
"This supplemental is about emergency spending for the global war on terror and we need to make sure we stay on that track," said budget office spokesman Sean Kevelighan.
Added House Minority Leader John Boehner (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio: "Our focus must be on supporting our troops in harm's way — without strings attached — not on using a military spending bill as an excuse to fund pork-barrel projects and other unrelated projects."
Bush and GOP leaders on Capitol Hill managed to keep prior war funding bills largely free of such budgetary add-ons when Republicans controlled Congress. Now that Democrats are in charge, the party's leaders are eager to use the cost of the war as leverage to force Bush to accept spending — such as aid to farmers — that he has successfully killed in the past.
"It's starting to become a train onto which a lot of baggage is being thrown that has got nothing to do with the war or really legitimate emergencies," said Sen. Judd Gregg (news, bio, voting record), R-N.H.
Countered Obey: "We will only fund what is necessary."
Whatever is added to the bill in the House is likely to grow in the freer-spending Senate." (ANDREW TAYLOR/AP/Yahoo News 2/28/07)
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