NC Democrats Admit They Really Hate Citizens Keeping More Of Their Own Money

They can exclaim whatever talking point they want, but in any tax reform debate it’s easy to see that Democrats hate The Government getting less money and citizens keeping more of what they earn

(WRAL) Lawmakers and Gov. Pat McCrory struck a deal on tax reform Monday, ending a weeks-long impasse over how to rewrite a tax code that hasn’t been significantly overhauled since the 1930s. (snip)

The package will reduce both personal and corporate income taxes. It also eliminates the estate tax and preserves the ability of most nonprofits to get refunds of what they pay in sales taxes.

According to an analysis by the legislature’s nonpartisan staff, taxpayers at both ends of the income spectrum will pay less. For example, a married couple filing jointly with two children who make $40,000 a year will pay $80 less under this tax plan. The same couple filing jointly with two children who make $250,000 will pay $2,434 less.

The measure replaces the three-tier personal income tax system with a flat tax of 5.8 percent in 2014, which drops to 5.75 percent in subsequent years. Standard deductions increase to $7,500 for single filers, $12,000 for heads of households and $15,000 for married couples.

Corporations will also see their tax rate drop down, and the NC gas tax, one of the highest in the nation, will be capped till June 30,2015. Two tax free holidays will be eliminated. This will supposedly raise $500 million less through income tax. And that’s where Dems go off the rails

“It is very likely that as a result of this failure to pursue real, comprehensive tax reform, state sales taxes and local property taxes will go up in the future,” Alexandra Forter Sirota, director of the liberal N.C. Budget & Tax Center, said in a statement. “That’s what happened in every other Southern state that has personal and corporate income taxes that can’t keep up with growing public needs.”

For liberals, raising taxes is considered comprehensive tax reform, and they think it is a Bad Idea for people to have more of their own money.

Sen. Mike Woodard, D-Durham, also criticized the proposal for its cuts to state spending in coming years.

“What happens is, if this is not revenue neutral, our citizens lose,” Woodard said. “The services we provide – education, health care – these are going to suffer under this tax proposal.”

What they don’t note is that when people have more of their own money, they tend to spend it. It flows through the economy, which means jobs are created and more people earn an income, which means in the real world more money flows into the local and state treasuries.

There’s also the notion that government should spend the people’s money wisely, instead of using the taxpayers as piggy banks and unlimited slush funds to push their own pet projects. Of course, that’s a problem for both parties. Democrats just happen to be worse. And they sure hate the notion of citizens keeping more of their own money.

Read: NC Democrats Admit They Really Hate Citizens Keeping More Of Their Own Money »

Eugene Robinson: Hey, We Need To Talk About Why People Are Scared Of Young Black Men

Eugene is not a happy man….but, then, are Liberals ever happy?

(Washington Post) Justice failed Trayvon Martin the night he was killed. We should be appalled and outraged, but perhaps not surprised, that it failed him again Saturday night, with a verdict setting his killer free.

Except for one problem: we have a system of Law, not justice. There was a tragic series of circumstances that led to Trayvon Martin’s death. But, none of them were against the Law. Except perhaps Trayvon assaulting Zimmerman first. I’d suggest reading this article by William Saletan for a good recap. We cannot base on criminal legal system on feelings and interpretations, but on facts. Zimmerman is guilty of very bad judgement. That’s not against the law as written. And, I bet everyone who enters the legal justice system would like to be held to a standard of hard facts and evidence, not emotions.

Our society considers young black men to be dangerous, interchangeable, expendable, guilty until proven innocent. This is the conversation about race that we desperately need to have — but probably, as in the past, will try our best to avoid.

Yet, that’s a conversation Eugene failed to have during the following thirteen paragraphs, except in terms of saying “it’s racist” and “you’re mean”.

This might be the most contentious thing I’ve ever written. Like most, I stay away from writing on race, because people will immediately brand one a raaaaacist. But, why do people have concerns about young black men? Could it be that many young black men think the “thug life” is cool? That street fighting is cool? That tattooing themselves up is cool? That acting the part of a thug is cool for many? Where are the parents of these kids to set them on the straight path? Oh, that’s right, Liberal policies about the family have led to a massive breakup of the family, particularly for Blacks, who have the highest rate of illegitimate births of any race in the US.

Not all of that applies to Trayvon. He apparently had a loving family, and, let’s face it, not every parent can control a teenager. Probably few can, at least in their secret lives. I can’t say I was a little darling during my teen years, hanging out with a somewhat bad crowd for a few years. But, the suspensions, being caught with empty bags of pot, vandalism, having stolen jewelry in his possession, street fighting, pictures of guns and pot on his social timeline, and an apparent predilection for the drug “Lean” highlight a teen who was out of control.

Bias is a part of life. We look at someone and judge them. Those judgements do not always meet the reality. I look at a young black man with tats and gold teeth wearing his pants low and I think “thug”. I look at a young white teen with a shaved head and hard look and I think “white supremacist”. Are those fair? Perhaps not. But, I bet you, regardless of your race, have preconceived notions. You can lie out-loud, but you can’t lie to your inner self.

Perhaps the race hustlers should be more concerned with changing dynamic for young black men and working to improve their lives, telling them that mimicking the thug life is not OK, even if they aren’t thugs. Perhaps they could change the dynamic where many consider education to be a “white thing” and bad. Perhaps they should consider just what they’re advocating and if that is a problem. Back in the latter half of the 20th Century, whites said “we’re tired of all being though of as racists because of the actions of a minority” and marched with Blacks for racial equality under the law. Whites said enough and pushed through laws like the Civil Rights Act. Perhaps it’s time for the Black community leaders to take care of their own.

More: Bob at The Camp Of The Saints notes a few posts by R.S. McCain on the thug culture, and writes

This phenomenon has invaded every sector of American Society.  It cares not what skin color one has, as it feeds off the Souls of it’s followers.  It is celebrated throughout Society.  It is deemed ‘cool’.  It can be found lurking in the blood-soaked streets of Chicago and in the sloppy dress of middle-class people.  It pervades the arts.  It pervades politics.  Most of America worships The Cult Of The Thug to one degree or another.

No restoration of our freedoms and liberties will long survive until we purge ourselves of such affections as we have for things like The Thug Culture.

Even more: Democrat Rep. Luis Gutiérrez is calling for hearings through the House judiciary committee. Gee, think Zimmerman will be treated in accordance with his Constitutional Rights?

Rick Moran has some thought some that.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

Read: Eugene Robinson: Hey, We Need To Talk About Why People Are Scared Of Young Black Men »

Awesome: We’re All Climate Deniers Now

So says Mary Pipher at Time

We Are All Climate Change Deniers

Almost all of us minimize or normalize our enormous global problems

Would you be shocked that this article is in the psychology section rather than science? I’m not.

I’ve learned not to argue too long with people who do not “believe in” human-made climate change. I figure it’s impossible to reason someone out of a position that they didn’t reason themselves into. But the fact is that even those of us who do believe climate change is man-made are in partial denial about our enormous global problems, and almost all of us minimize or normalize the situation.

Most Warmists do not want to discuss this with non-Warmists, because Warmists tend not to have facts on their sides, and one can’t argue for long when they’re only armed with talking points.

Our denial is understandable. Our species is not equipped to respond to the threats posed by global warming. Humans are built to find food and shelter, reproduce, and enjoy each other. We are genetically programmed to react to threats by fleeing or fighting, and at first, our environmental crisis does not seem to allow us to do either. We’re better at dealing with problems that are concrete, close-at-hand, familiar and require skills and tools that we already possess. Our global storm is invisible, unprecedented, drawn out, and caused by all of us. We have Paleolithic arousal systems, Neolithic brains, medieval institutions and 21st century technology—not a good mix for solving our climate problems.

She should probably see a fellow mental health worker to deal with her hysteria. Then try digging deep into the science, facts, and history. But, she won’t. Warmists cannot be dissuaded.

Read: Awesome: We’re All Climate Deniers Now »

If All You See…

…is champagne which will disappear because climate change will Man unable to grow grapes, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Autonomous Mind, with a post on Germany’s rebellion against wind power.

Read: If All You See… »

Warmists Posit 15 Feet Of Sea Rise For Every 3.6 Degrees F Rise In Temps

And just to make sure you’re not alarmed enough, here’s the headline

Seas may rise 10 yards during centuries ahead

I love that word “may”: it’s so utterly scientific, wouldn’t you say? Funny how Warmists will almost never make a hard prediction, like “there’s an 80% chance that sea level will rise 10 yards during the next 150 years” or something. They try and avoid this because when they make hard predictions they tend to be proven wrong. Hence why they even hedge their bets 50-100 years out.

Sea-level rise is currently measured in millimeters per year, but longer-term effects of global warming are going to force our descendants to measure sea-level rise in meters or yards.

Each Celsius degree of global warming is expected to raise sea levels during the centuries ahead by 2.3 meters, or 2.5 yards, according to a study published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

They get the 10 yards scarathon by multiplying 4 degrees C (double what the Warmists want to limit global temps from rising…like they can control the natural forces of the Earth and Sun) by 2.5, which gets you 10 yards, or 30 feet. Now, this is surely a far cry from the hundreds of feet that some predict, and more than others (Al Gore’s movie predicted 20 feet). And less than the stupidity the Weather Channel is pushing, based an artists drawings showing up to 25 feet on the West Coast.

But it’s not science, it’s prognostication. It has no basis in history, even for a very warm period. The average sea rise over the last 7,000 years is around 6-8 inches per century. The 2oth Century was around 8 inches. Entirely average. One would expect it too be much higher during a warm period (see this post for a bit more in-depth discussion). This occurred during a rise of around 1.4F since 1850. Do we really believe that a 3.6F rise (2C) would create 15 feet of sea rise?

And if this is so bad, why do Warmists refuse to change their own behavior?

Read: Warmists Posit 15 Feet Of Sea Rise For Every 3.6 Degrees F Rise In Temps »

Irony: “Moral Monday” Crowd To Rally For Abortion Rights

They’re doing their best to position today’s crazy protest as about being for “women’s rights”, but since the big topic over the last two weeks here in North Carolina has been legislation instituting a few basic, minor common sense solutions regarding abortion, we know what they mean

(WRAL) The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP says Monday’s protest at the state legislative building will focus on the rights and leadership of women.

It will mark the 11th gathering of people speaking out against policies advanced by the Republican majority of the General Assembly. The events have drawn thousands from across the state and have made headlines across the country, most recently in the New York Times.

“These attacks on women’s health are dangerous and are deeply unpopular, and that is why we are here,” said Melissa Reed, of Planned Parenthood.

Gee, if a Planned Parenthood representative is yammering on about “women’s health”, and the conversation has been about abortion as of late, does anyone else find it ironic to include it on “Moral Monday”?

A news conference will be held at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church at 4 p.m. A mass “Moral Monday” rally is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Halifax Mall in downtown Raleigh.

And more irony…or would that be hypocrisy?….to push abortion “rights” at a church.

Meanwhile, the City of Raleigh is not happy about having had to spend $69,000 on policing and arresting the unhinged protesters. The Wake County Sheriff’s department is likewise unhappy about spending over $40,000 so far for these nuts.

Read: Irony: “Moral Monday” Crowd To Rally For Abortion Rights »

Loathsome NYC Mayor Calls For End To “Shoot First” Laws

Imagine a scenario: you come home and your significant other is being sexually assaulted. The perp starts pulling out a gun. You have your gun. You have to wait for the perp to shoot first. Welcome to Michael Bloomberg’s world

(Politico) New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, one of the faces of national gun-control efforts over the last year, made a fresh case against Florida’s gun laws Sunday on the heels of the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin shooting death.

“Sadly, all the facts in this tragic case will probably never be known,” Bloomberg said in a statement.

“But one fact has long been crystal clear: ‘shoot-first’ laws like those in Florida can inspire dangerous vigilantism and protect those who act recklessly with guns. Such laws – drafted by gun lobby extremists in Washington – encourage deadly confrontations by enabling people to shoot first and argue ‘justifiable homicide’ later.”

Bloomberg’s comments beg the question: will he implement a policy for the NYPD which requires that they never shoot first? What if a deranged psycho mad about abortion laws is holding  a child hostage with a knife? NYPD snipers should have to hold their fire till the child is cut. Imagine your own scenario. If the policy applies to private citizens then it should apply to law enforcement, too. Oh, hey, what if a wacko upset over being cited for purchasing a big sugary drink points a gun at Bloomberg: do you think Mikey wants his protective detail to wait till the nutjob shoots? What do you think, Mike? Yeah, there’s your answer.

Meanwhile, Obama’s statement is chock full of exactly the kind of calm, reasoned discourse we expect from him

The death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy.  Not just for his family, or for any one community, but for America.  I know this case has elicited strong passions.  And in the wake of the verdict, I know those passions may be running even higher.  But we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken.  I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son.  And as we do, we should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in our own communities.  We should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis.  We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this.  As citizens, that’s a job for all of us.  That’s the way to honor Trayvon Martin.

First, he’s race baiting. Unsurprising. 2nd, the patronizing call for gun control, without mentioning that perhaps Trayvon should not have assaulted Zimmerman. 3rd, Obama sure doesn’t act like we’re a nation of law, considering all he’s done to ignore, including his most recent extension of the employer mandate out a year, despite what his own signature law states. Fourth, his administration ran guns into Mexico, resulting in the deaths of at least two US federal agents and over 200 Mexican citizens: where are his statements on that? And perhaps he should look to his hometown of Chicago and see what the law abiding citizen disarmament programs have wrought.

Also, consider that his statement could be construed as being upset that the jury found Zimmerman not guilty, which means he is throwing the 6 ladies on the jury and Zimmerman under his big bus. Shameful.

Also, Zimmerman is going to get his gun back, which is making liberals nuts. Er, nuttier. Roger Simon says Obama is the biggest loser in the case. And execrable Harry Reid says that this affair isn’t over yet. Does anyone think that Zimmerman could receive proper treatment and his constitutional rights in any suit brought by the DOJ when the Senate Majority Leader, along with other politicians, make statements against Zimmerman?

Look, George Zimmerman may have gotten away with murder, or a lesser charge that could have resulted in a jail sentence. Or may not have gotten away with anything. The fact remains that there were not enough pieces of physical evidence to convict. Had the prosecution gone with a lesser charge to start, perhaps he might have been found guilty. But Obama is right about one thing: we are a nation of laws, not a nation of men, and it was up to the government to prove their case. They didn’t. They couldn’t. So, no matter what our feelings are about the case, we can’t let them get in the way of Lady Justice, who is blindfolded for a reason. I’m sure all those people who are protesting based on their feelings would want to be accorded the same measure of Law if they ever got in trouble.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

Read: Loathsome NYC Mayor Calls For End To “Shoot First” Laws »

Fairfield, Illinois, Bans Strip Clubs Because Of Fracking

Of course, what’s to stop the creation of strip clubs in surrounding towns? (via Grist)

(Evansville Courier and Press) While Southern Illinois residents hope capitalize on an expected oil boom in the region — officials at Fairfield, Ill., have formed a “fracking committee” to look for opportunities that an increase in oil production could bring — they also hope to head off problems that sometimes follow an increase in the number oil field roughnecks.

Noting that a similar oil boom in North Dakota led to an influx of strip clubs there, the Fairfield City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Tuesday night prohibiting nude, seminude and exotic dancers in the city. The ordinance makes it “illegal for any person, firm, corporation, partnership, limited liability company or any other entity to operate any kind of business which provides as a form of entertainment either gratuitously or at cost, nude, seminude or exotic dancers.”

The pre-emptive ordinance was drawn up after news accounts began surfacing about strip clubs popping up around the oil work camps in North Dakota, and a resulting increase in criminal activity.

Under the newly enacted Fairfield ordinance, anyone violating the law may be fined $5,000 for each day the violation exists.

Of course, Liberals are against fracking, because, as Grist puts it

It’s bad enough that the fracking boom is making it more difficult for Americans to breathe clean air, feel safe drinking their water, and stand on steady ground.

And they also feel that fracking will cause the world to spontaneously burn to a cinder from “climate change”. Liberals/Warmists only like “alternative” energy sources, as long as they are either built far away from where they live or not built at all. Oh, and as one of the comments at the Courier and Press notes, perhaps Fairfield should worry about its Meth problem. Yeah, there’s a big problem with meth there.

Read: Fairfield, Illinois, Bans Strip Clubs Because Of Fracking »

If All You See…

…is a horrible carbon pollution infused beer bottle, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Allergic To Bull, with a post on the Hanging Tree and Justice

Read: If All You See… »

Can You Help Ally?

Donna Jenkins asked me to reblog this from You Will Go Out With Joy via Twitter. I’m happy to oblige

“She is aging out but says, ‘YES, I want to be adopted!'”

That is what Reece’s Rainbow says about Ally, a girl who has forty-nine days unti her sixteenth birthday.

Many kids her age dream of getting a car. Ally has no such hopes. She just wants what most of us take for granted: a family.

Ally’s sixteenth birthday will mean one of two things: a future all alone or a future with her family. This is it. She has one more chance. After age sixteen she can’t be adopted any more.

Could you be her family? If not, please do what you can to help her get one. Help Ally get the sweetest sixteenth birthday present imaginable. Give if you can, but more importantly, share and pray like you never have before.

Ally’s family can’t find her if they don’t see her.

What’s it too me? I’ll let you in on a little secret: I was adopted. Of course, I was just a little baby at the time, but my life has been enriched by having a formal family. But many, like Ally, have never had that benefit. Someone like Ally could be helped with a family, even if it is just a few years till she’s an adult. Love is forever.

Is there anything you can do to help?

Read: Can You Help Ally? »

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