| Obama's Massive Tax Hike On Its Way |
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In just 120 days, the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect. They will hit families and small businesses in three great waves on January 1, 2011:
First Wave: Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief
In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted several tax cuts for investors, small business owners, and families. These will all expire on January 1, 2011:
Personal income tax rates will rise . The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which two-thirds of small business profits are taxed). The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent. All the rates in between will also rise. Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again phase out, which has the same mathematical effect as higher marginal tax rates. The full list of marginal rate hikes is below:
- The 10% bracket rises to an expanded 15%
- The 25% bracket rises to 28%
- The 28% bracket rises to 31%
- The 33% bracket rises to 36%
- The 35% bracket rises to 39.6%
Higher taxes on marriage and family. The "marriage penalty" (narrower tax brackets for married couples) will return from the first dollar of income. The child tax credit will be cut in half from $1000 to $500 per child. The standard deduction will no longer be doubled for married couples relative to the single level. The dependent care tax credit will be cut.
The return of the Death Tax. This year, there is no death tax. For those dying on or after January 1 2011, there is a 55 percent top death tax rate on estates over $1 million. A person leaving behind two homes and a retirement account could easily pass along a death tax bill to their loved ones.
Higher tax rates on savers and investors. The top capital gains tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 20 percent in 2011. The top dividends tax rate will rise from 15 percent this year to 39.6 percent in 2011. These rates will rise another 3.8 percent in 2013.
Second Wave: Obamacare
There are over twenty new or higher taxes in Obamacare. Several will first go into effect on January 1, 2011. They include:
The Tanning Tax . This went into effect on July 1st of this year. It imposes a new, 10% excise tax on getting a tan at a tanning salon. There is no exemption for tanners making less than $250,000 per year. Page 2 of 2
The "Medicine Cabinet Tax" Thanks to Obamacare, Americans will no longer be able to use health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA), or health reimbursement (HRA) pre-tax dollars to purchase non-prescription, over-the-counter medicines (except insulin). The HSA Withdrawal Tax Hike. This provision of Obamacare increases the additional tax on non-medical early withdrawals from an HSA from 10 to 20 percent, disadvantaging them relative to IRAs and other tax-advantaged accounts, which remain at 10 percent.
Brand Name Drug Tax. Starting next year, there will be a multi-billion dollar tax assessment imposed on name-brand drug manufacturers. This tax, like all excise taxes, will raise the price of medicine, hurting everyone.
Economic Substance Doctrine. The IRS is now empowered to disallow perfectly-legal tax deductions and maneuvers merely because it judges that the deduction or action lacks "economic substance." This is obviously an arbitrary empowerment of IRS agents.
Employer Reporting of Health Insurance Costs on a W-2 . This will start for W-2s in the 2011 tax year. While not a tax increase in itself, it makes it very easy for Congress to tax employer-provided healthcare benefits later.
Third Wave: The Alternative Minimum Tax and Employer Tax Hikes
When Americans prepare to file their tax returns in January of 2011, they’ll be in for a nasty surprise—the AMT won’t be held harmless, and many tax relief provisions will have expired. The major items include:
The AMT will ensnare over 28 million families, up from 4 million last year. According to the left-leaning Tax Policy Center, Congress’ failure to index the AMT will lead to an explosion of AMT taxpaying families—rising from 4 million last year to 28.5 million. These families will have to calculate their tax burdens twice, and pay taxes at the higher level. The AMT was created in 1969 to ensnare a handful of taxpayers.
Small business expensing will be slashed and 50% expensing will disappear. Small businesses can normally expense (rather than slowly-deduct, or "depreciate") equipment purchases up to $250,000. This will be cut all the way down to $25,000. Larger businesses can expense half of their purchases of equipment. In January of 2011, all of it will have to be "depreciated."
Taxes will be raised on all types of businesses. There are literally scores of tax hikes on business that will take place. The biggest is the loss of the "research and experimentation tax credit," but there are many, many others. Combining high marginal tax rates with the loss of this tax relief will cost jobs.
Tax Benefits for Education and Teaching Reduced. The deduction for tuition and fees will not be available. Tax credits for education will be limited. Teachers will no longer be able to deduct classroom expenses. Coverdell Education Savings Accounts will be cut. Employer-provided educational assistance is curtailed. The student loan interest deduction will be disallowed for hundreds of thousands of families.
Charitable Contributions from IRAs no longer allowed. Until this year, a retired person with an IRA could contribute up to $100,000 per year directly to a charity from their IRA. This contribution also counts toward an annual "required minimum distribution." This ability will no longer be there
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Dan Coats will be in Alexandria, Indiana, at Rachel's Highway Cafe, 2617 So. Park Ave. on Tuesday Sept. 7th from approximately 12:00 to 1:00 .
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By: Hugh Hewitt
Examiner Columnist
August 29, 2010
Minimum estimate of Saturday's crowd on the Mall: 300,000 Maximum estimate: One million people.
Meaning of the crowd: An enormous upheaval in the emotions of average Americans is coursing through the country, with a certain significance for November's elections. It will have a lasting, profound impact on America's political direction.
Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin provided an occasion to glimpse this undeniable phenomenon. Of course, the interpretations of what the phenomenon is and what its consequences will be will keep the chattering class busy for weeks, if not years.
Some on the left are trying, with increasing desperation, to use old and new media to brand this surge in public participation in politics as sinister, even though it was preceded by a surge from the left of people and energy into President Obama's campaign.
The new tools of communication and the ease of movement have unleashed a tumultuous era of politics driven by the demand that elites not attempt to speak for, or condescend to, average citizens. They will not quietly or passively be lectured to, or insulted by, the president, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg or any anchor on any network, any columnist in any paper, or any blogger on any Web site.
The people on the Mall and the millions more who watched the gathering with satisfaction rather than fear are quite simply sick of the left, and of its vast sneer toward the traditions, values and, yes, faith of the American middle class.
The American Enterprise Institute's Arthur Brooks has quite accurately described America as a 70/30 nation, with the 70 percent presently massively underrepresented in the federal government, the Manhattan-Beltway media elite and academia.
The 70 percent is appalled by the placebo economics practiced by the president and the Congress over the past two years, shocked by its profligacy with the wealth of the republic, and sickened by the looting of the next generation's opportunities.
The 70 percent did not want Obamacare, but it has been thrust upon them.
The 70 percent did not want federal judges to declare "game over" in the complex discussion of what marriage is and means.
The 70 percent want a fence on the border that works, and do not want their concern over unregulated immigration dismissed as nativisim.
The 70 percent are not ashamed of their belief in God, deeply resent being labeled bigots because they view ground zero as land that ought not to be exploited for "messaging" of any sort by any group, and are enraged by the scorn which they encounter everywhere in media except Fox News and talk radio.
The 70 percent believe that the federal government is remote and clueless, and that the Constitution's principles of enumerated and limited powers and the sovereignty of the states are vibrant, important core values to the republic.
The 70 percent think Iran is in the grip of an evil, theocratic fascism, and that Israel is our true friend and ally deserving of our full-throated support.
We are in the middle of a perilous economic passage to a new competitiveness across the globe. We are watching other countries across the globe respond to the new demands of competitiveness by shrinking the public sector and encouraging private-sector growth. But American education is crippled by bureaucracy and burdened by the inability of a political class to demand reform of the practices and pensions of the public sector. Children have been hostages of this countrywide collapse of common sense for a generation, despite wave after wave of "reform".
Two years into what had been sold as a new politics and a new approach, the 70 percent are fully aware that they have been conned, suckered, and taken to the cleaners by a hyper-ideological amalgam of leftist public intellectuals, snarling bloggers, career politicians with limited abilities who are often corrupt, and a president wholly inexperienced in the management of complex problems who is in way over his head and prisoner to slogans and schemes that make for great campus debates -- but for disaster in the real world.
The people on the Mall were saying much more than "this far and no farther." They were saying "rewind and restart." They will hold that thought and that purpose as they peacefully, but with great passion and purpose, insist on real change come Nov. 2.
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| Walorski Tied With Donnelly |
Latest independent poll results show Second District Congressional candidate Jackie Walorski in a dead heat with Joe "Lap Dog" Donnelly. Donnelly plans to comment on the deadlocked race as soon as Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama tell him what to say.
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| Jackie Walorski Officially A Mamma Grizzly! |
| "Jackie Walorski will make an excellent representative of Indiana's 2nd Congressional District, having been born and raised there and serving as a state representative for the past five years. She knows the people, she knows the issues that matter to them, and most importantly, she knows what she stands for - limited government, fiscal restraint, and a proper respect for our Constitution."
- Sarah Palin
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| GOP Candidates Need Your Help |
Republican candidates need your support this election season. We have planned an aggressive marketing strategy to help make sure that we elect capable Republicans to office up and down the ballot. Your Party has worked out a joint strategy that helps candidates pool their funds for maximum effect, with the local Republican Party helping to subsidize their efforts. Of course, this all takes money. Please consider clicking on the contribution button on the left side of the web page and making a generous gift to the Republican 2010 Victory Fund. We appreciate your support!
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Republican nominee Dan Coats continues to hold a commanding lead in Indiana's U.S. Senate race. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey (500 likely, Aug. 4-7, +/-4.5%) in Indiana finds Coats with a 50-29 percent lead over Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth. It's Ellsworth's poorest showing to date. Seven percent favor some other candidate in the race, but 14 percent remain undecided. A month ago, Coats was ahead of Ellsworth 51-30 percent. Just5 percent of the state's voters rate the economy as good or excellent, 60 percent say it's poor, 28 percent say the economy is getting better, but nearly half - 49 percent - think it's getting worse. Sixty-four percent believe the Bush tax cuts should be extended , well above the level of support nationally. Only 27 percent think those tax cuts should be allowed to expire as scheduled at the end of the year. Seventy percent of Indiana voters favor passage of an immigration law like Arizona's in their own state. This, too, is higher than support among voters nationwide. Sixty-four percent say it's better to allow individual states to deal with illegal immigration than to rely on the federal government. This compares to 53 percent nationally. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. Coats is shown here at Howard County GOP headquarters in Kokomo last week. (HPI Photo by Brian A. Howey)
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| Coats Wows The Crowd At GOP Headquarters |
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| Senator Dan Coats |
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Senator Dan Coats gave a rousing talk to supporters at Republican Headquarters at noon on Tuesday. He touched on several keys items of interest to Hoosier voters including Obamacare, the growing debt, the failed stimulus, terrible court appointees and the troubled economy.
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| Tully Whacks Bauer and Crawford |
The Indianapolis Star editorial board sat down with two Indiana House Democrats who have a combined 78 years of service in the Indiana General Assembly. The editorial board and columnist Matt Tully were somehow shocked that Reps. Pat Bauer and William Crawford have 99 problems, but an idea isn’t one.
Maybe they were having a bad day. A really bad day.
That’s what I kept thinking last week during an hourlong meeting with Indiana House Speaker Pat Bauer and House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Crawford — an hour now in the running for My Biggest Waste of 60 Minutes This Year. Unless I end up watching an episode of “Jersey Shore” at some point, last week’s meeting will likely win the prize.
The two leading Democrats had asked to meet with a group of reporters and editors from The Star. It seemed like a good opportunity to talk about the upcoming House elections, and the ramifications that the outcomes of those races will have on the final two years of Gov. Mitch Daniels’ administration. I looked forward to hearing Bauer in particular share his views about the importance of Democratic control of the House.
But they arrived with little to say. Bauer started the meeting by pulling out a few pieces of scrap paper on which he had scribbled a few words.
“I’ve got notes, man!” he declared.
That’s all he had. — Matt Tully, Indianapolis Star
As Tully goes on to describe, Bauer’s only agenda is for Democrats to keep control of the House, because that’s important for some ill-defined reasons, and he also supports education. Bauer doesn’t really support public education, he supports teachers unions. Big difference. Each election year the Indiana State Teachers Association spends over $1 million on House Democrats to buy an agenda that opposes anything that resembles education reform.
We’ve spent the better part of five years telling anyone who will listen that Indiana Democrats are void of any real vision, leadership, or ideas. Hell, here’s the very first sentence we ever wrote on this blog:
It’s difficult to remember the last time I heard Sen. Harry Reid, Rep. Nancy Pelosi or State Rep. Pat Bauer offer up an original idea.
Be sure to read the rest of Tully’s column, it’s hilarious. You can just imagine him spending 60 minutes with two fossils of Indiana politics as they struggle for relevance in an issueless void of their own creation.
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| Interesting Town Hall Meeting |
| Herrell Trailing Badly In Polls Begins Negative Campaign |
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| Desperate Ron Herrell |
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You could have almost set your watch to it. As expected, Ron Herrell has begun a negative campaign of push-polling in House District 30. Push-polling is the technique where the caller tries to greatly influence the direction of the poll and trash the object of the poll, Republican Mike Karickhoff. With reports that Karickhoff may actually be polling in the 70% range in the race for HD 30, Herrell, unable to run on his record, has resorted to this negative tactic. Voters will, hopefully, look through this nefarious scheme of Herrell's and repudiate him in November.
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| I Hope I Can Get This Bumper Sticker Scraped Off And Change Parties This November |
| Obama The Great Job Killer |
WAYNE ALLYN ROOT: Barack Obama: The great jobs killer
As former President Ronald Reagan might have said, "Obama, there you go again."
The current occupant of the White House claims to know how to create jobs. He claims jobs have been created. But so far the score is Great Obama Depression 2.2 million lost jobs, Obama 0 -- a blowout.
Obama is as hopeless, helpless, clueless and bankrupt of good ideas as the manager of the Chicago Cubs in late September. This "community organizer" knows as much about private-sector jobs as Pamela Anderson knows about nuclear physics.
It's time to call Obama what he is: The Great Jobs Killer. With his massive spending and tax hikes -- rewarding big government and big unions, while punishing taxpayers and business owners -- Obama has killed jobs, he has killed motivation to create new jobs, he has killed the motivation to invest in new businesses, or expand old ones. With all this killing, Obama should be given the top spot on the FBI's Most Wanted List.
Meanwhile, he has kept the union workers of GM and Chrysler employed (with taxpayer money). He has made sure that most government employee union members got their annual raises for sleeping on the job (with taxpayer money). He made sure that his voters got handouts mislabeled as "tax cuts" even though they never paid taxes (with taxpayer money). And he made sure that major campaign contributors collected billions off government stimulus (with taxpayer money).
As far as the taxpayers -- the people who actually take risks with our own money to create small businesses and jobs and pay most of the taxes -- we require protection under the Endangered Species Act.
You won't find proof of the damage Obama is doing on Wall Street, but rather on Main Street. My friends are all part of the economic engine of America: Small business. Small business creates 75 percent of new jobs (and a majority of all jobs). I called one friend who was a wealthy restaurant owner. He says business is off by 60 percent. He's drowning in debt. He won't last much longer. His wealth is gone.
I called another friend in the business of home improvement. He says business is off 90 percent from two years ago. My contractor just filed personal bankruptcy. She won't be building any more homes. The hair salon where I've had my hair cut for years closed earlier this year. Bankrupt. But here's the clincher -- ESPN Zone just closed all their restaurants across the country. If they can't make it selling cheap food and overpriced beer with 100 big screens blaring every sporting event on the planet to a sports-crazed society, we are all in deep, deep trouble.
I've polled all my friends who own small businesses -- many of them in the Internet and high-tech fields. They all agree that in this new Obama world of high business taxes, income taxes, payroll taxes, capital gains taxes, and workers compensation taxes, the key to success is to avoid employees. The only way to survive as a business owner today is by keeping the payroll very low and by hiring only independent contractors or part-time employees provided by temp agencies.
The days of jobs in the private sector with big salaries, full benefits, and pensions are over. We've all seen where those kinds of jobs get you as a business owner -- in Bankruptcy Court or surviving on government welfare like GM and Chrysler. Or in the case of government itself -- completely insolvent, but surviving by ripping off taxpayers and fraudulently running printing presses at the Fed all day and night to print money by the trillions.
Unfortunately, small businesses don't have the power to impose taxes or print money. So unlike government, we'll just have to cut employees and run lean and mean.
It has now become clear that, outside of the burgeoning field of Census takers, there will be no major increase in new jobs for years to come. Outside government, Obama has created a wasteland of economic ruin and depression that looks much like the landscape of Mel Gibson's first movie "Mad Max." Without a printing press in Obama's world, you're just plain out of luck.
The days of believing the Obama propaganda about a jobs recovery are over. The trillion-dollar corporate handouts (neatly named "stimulus") may have kept big business in the money for the past 18 months, and artificially propped up the stock market, but small business is the real canary in the coal mine.
My small business-owning friends aren't creating one job. Not one. They are shedding jobs. They are learning to do more with fewer employees. They are creating high-tech businesses that don't need employees. And many business owners are making plans to leave the country. In a high-tech world where businesses can be run from anywhere, Obama has a problem. His one-trick pony -- raise taxes, raise taxes, raising taxes -- is chasing away the business owners he desperately needs to pay his bills.
So who is going to pay Obama's taxes? Not his voters. They want government to pay them. Who is going to create Obama's jobs? Not his voters -- they've never created a job in their lives.
So what is Obama going to do? Maybe he can get Pamela Anderson on the line.
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| 11 Reasons To Vote For Democrats This November |
| Senator Jim Buck Is The Taxpayer's Best Friend |
State Senator Jim Buck has established a reputation throughout the United States and the State of Indiana for being a conservative champion of the taxpayer. Senator Buck, who just last year won the prestigious national Thomas Jefferson Award, has made a legislative career of fighting both small fights and big fights to defend the Indiana taxpayer. Cutting taxes, reforming government and crafting governmental policy that favors the taxpayer have garnered Senator Buck some rave reviews in the halls of legislative power in Indianapolis. Senator Buck has proven himself to be his own man. He has ruffled a few feathers along the way as he stood his ground in defense of the taxpayer. A frequent target of barbs hurled by big labor, Democrat money wasters and the Democrat media, Buck has shrugged the criticism off as just "what comes with the territory." Howard County is extremely fortunate to be represented by an extraordinary public servant such as Senator Jim Buck.
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| Walorski Endorsed By National Right To Life |
Press Release
For Immediate Release
June 23, 2010
National Right to Life Endorses Walorski for 2nd District Congressional Bid
(Washington DC) – The National Right to Life Political Action Committee has announced their endorsement of Republican Jackie Walorski in the race for the 2nd District Congressional seat.
In the endorsement letter sent to Walorski, the National Right to Life wrote “You are a strong advocate for life. You have supported and sponsored pro-life legislation, and voted for its passage. And you oppose the use of federal funding for elective abortion. Your opponent, Joe Donnelly, voted to enact health care legislation that will provide government funding for health plans that pay for abortion on demand, and promote the rationing of lifesaving medical treatments.”
The letter concludes by saying, “Your exemplary pro-life record should earn you the support of all voters who are concerned with the right to life and with the protection of the most vulnerable members of the human family.”
Walorski accepted the endorsement and promised to continue the fight in Washington.
“The fight for life is a critically important issue and Hoosiers deserve leadership in Washington that reflects that,” said Walorski. “When Rep. Donnelly voted for the health care bill, he promised Hoosiers that federal funds would not go to pay for abortions. But since that vote groups on both sides of this issue have acknowledged that this is simply not the case.”
“I have been a frontline fighter against Planned Parenthood and the use of taxpayer dollars for abortions in Indiana and I will continue that fight in Washington.”
National Right to Life Endorsement Letter: http://standwithjackie.com/media/pdf/NRTL_Walorski_letter.pdf
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For more information, visit us online at www.StandWithJackie.com
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| Washington (Jun 22)
In light of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s (D-MD) announcement this morning that House Democrats will not pass a budget this year – failing to fulfill what he has called “the most basic responsibility” of governing – the following important fiscal health warning has been issued:
THE BUDGET HAS BEEN
CANCELLED
WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT
THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET
PLANNED FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011 HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WASHINGTON DEMOCRATS’ OUT-OF-CONTROL SPENDING SPREE.
AN APOLOGY FOR THIS BETRAYAL OF AMERICAN TAXPAYERS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE FORTHCOMING AT THIS TIME.
BE ADVISED THAT THE FOLLOWING SERVICES WILL BE INTERRUPTED:
Imposing the fiscal discipline economists say is needed to create jobs and boost our economy
Reining in the out-of-control spending spree that is killing American jobs
Carrying out the “most basic responsibility of governing”
Stopping middle-class tax hikes that will sock family budgets at the worst possible time
Providing the leadership on jobs and the economy that Americans say is sorely lacking
Protecting our kids and grandkids from the enormous debt burden Washington has placed on them
We reserve the right to notify you of additional consequences that may arise in light of this budget failure, which is unprecedented in the modern era. In the interim, please brace for more spending, more debt, more tax hikes, more broken promises.
For families and small businesses looking for a government that listens to the people it serves and respects their hard-earned money, House Republicans are offering better solutions to cut spending now and help small businesses put people back to work.
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| The Daily Show On The South Carolina U.S. Senate Race |
| Governor Daniels In The Wall Street Journal |
Hoosiers vs. Crony Capitalism
How my state took on the Obama bailout machine and restored the rule of law.
June 10 will be a silent anniversary, but one worth noting by those alarmed at the past year's assault on free institutions. It was last June 10 when the federal government tossed aside the option of proven, workable bankruptcy procedures in order to nationalize Chrysler on behalf of its union allies. In order to provide preferential treatment to its cronies, the Obama administration confiscated the property of those creditors who had lent money to Chrysler in good faith, believing that their interest was legally secured and that they stood at the head of the line in the event of the auto company's failure. The shock wave through the economic markets from this arbitrary redefinition of "secured creditors" rights was profound. Could centuries of crystal-clear law really be overthrown by executive fiat? Apparently, yes. The Supreme Court declined to intervene in the takeover. The cost of corporate borrowing was clearly headed upward as the U.S. for the first time imitated those Third World despotisms where economic rules can be changed without warning at the ruler's whim and convenience.Equally profound was the message sent to the legal community, which quickly began to cite the "Chrysler precedent" as the now-acceptable judicial model for stripping secured creditors' rights in the name of expediency. Just days after the decision, the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League invoked the Chrysler case in an attempt to undermine secured creditors' rights and hasten bankruptcy. Those brave few who protested the brute force taking of their money were attacked by administration apparatchiks for the sin of doing their fiduciary duty to their investors and shareholders. Calls went out from the White House, encouraging submission and warning of the consequences of opposition. One by one, potential plaintiffs surrendered.The one effort to stop the Chrysler cramdown was launched by three Indiana pension funds. Believing they were making both a wise investment and a gesture supportive of a longtime state employer, Hoosier retired teachers and state policemen had purchased some $19 million in Chrysler's secured debt. The market consensus at the time was that, at 43 cents to par, the bonds were well below their value if bankruptcy ultimately came.Bankruptcy came, all right, but in a new, extra-legal form run by the federal government. The United Auto Workers, who owned no interest in the company, were simply handed a 55% interest, a gift valued then at $4.5 billion. When no one else wanted to buy the firm, Fiat was given a 20% stake for free to take it over. After this looting, the legitimate creditors were told to be happy with the remnants. For Indiana's retired teachers and state policemen, this amounted to 29 cents on the dollar, a loss of $6 million versus the purchase price and millions more below the expected value in a standard Chapter 11 proceeding.When, alone among the victims, Indiana retirees went to court, they caused a lot of discomfort but no change in the outcome. The Second District U.S. Court of Appeals declined to overturn the cramdown, but the judges refused to go within a mile of the merits. How could they? The law calls certain instruments "secured" credit for a reason, and there was absolutely zero precedent for the Chrysler confiscation. In an article by Zach Lowe published last fall in the Am Law Daily and the American Lawyer magazine, UCLA Law School Prof. Lynn LoPucki said of the cramdown: "What happened . . . was so outrageous and illegal that until March of this year [2009], nobody even conceptualized it." The Second Circuit opinion, like the Supreme Court's refusal to stay the nationalization, went out of its way to state that the ruling did not reach the substantive issues raised.Aided by incensed counsel donating much of their time pro bono, Indiana returned to the Supreme Court with a slim hope of recovering its pensioners' assets, reinstating traditional American property rights and making secured credit secure once more. It seemed to some an exercise in futility: The judge in the Coyotes case commented from the bench that the "poor pension manager from Indiana . . . was kind of like the gentlemen in Tiananmen Square when the tanks came rolling."On Dec. 14, 2009, in the under-reported news story of the year, the Supreme Court granted the request of Indiana pensioners and took the case. The Court immediately ruled from the bench to strike down the decision of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, eliminating it as a possible precedent in any future proceeding. Our retirees are still out the $6 million but enjoyed the small vindication of being awarded the court clerk's costs at Chrysler's expense.The nation is not safe from crony capitalism. In the past year we've experienced the nationalization of the student loan industry and the passage of national health-care and financial-services regulation, each of which is rife with new opportunities for government favoritism and preferential handouts to favored corporations like Chrysler. But thanks to a quiet correction by the Supreme Court—and a little Hoosier stubbornness—the rule of law has been re-established. The greatest benefits will accrue not to lenders and borrowers but to all those whose jobs are created because investors once again can trust that the money they've risked is safe from seizure by the state.
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| Karickhoff Honored By Aiming Higher Organization |
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| Minority Leader Brian Bosma and Mike Karickhoff |
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House District 30 candidate Mike Karickhoff was honored, in Indianapolis, Tuesday evening, before a bi-partisan crowd of 700 participants at Governor Daniels' Aiming Higher PAC dinner. The fundraising dinner raised over $690,000 to be used in regaining control of the Indiana House of Representatives. The crowd was jam packed with key business and governmental leaders from around Indiana. It was amazing how many Democrats attended the event. This looks like a big year for Republicans!
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| Hoosier Access Features Mike Karickhoff |
Hoosier Access is pleased to bring you Mike Karickhoff (R) who is running for Indiana State House of Representatives District 30. Mike is running against Ron Herrell (D). District 30 includes most of the City of Kokomo as well as Howard and Taylor Townships of Howard County. You can see a map of the district here.
About Mike:
Mike Karickhoff is about making things happen. When you first meet Mike, his no-nonsense approach to life is apparent. A community leader with more than 25 years of local experience, Mike’s no nonsense method of problem solving has had great success in many areas. If you follow Mike around for a day, you will see a quick wit coupled with an ability to coordinate a wide variety of projects-all while juggling the demands of being an outstanding professional, civic and community leader and advocate, as well as a dedicated family man.
Professional life
Mike’s 30+ year career has always centered around service. After graduating from University of Missouri, he served as Assistant Director and then full Director of the Hannibal Missouri Parks and Recreation Department. When Kokomo’s Mayor Daily recruited Mike to lead his city’s Parks and Recreation Department, Mike returned to his Hoosier roots and led several projects for the city, including the creation of Kokomo Beach, the Carver Community Center remodel and expansion, the Wildcat Creek Walk of Excellence, Jackson Morrow Park, and the Kirkendall Nature Center. Mike became facilities director for Ivy Tech Community College in 2002. At Ivy Tech, Mike has overseen the expansion and improvement of college facilities to handle their rapid growth in the past seven years.
Commitment to community
In the course of a day, you’ll find Mike at a Kokomo Common Council meeting, a Kiwanis board meeting, serving at holiday lights in Highland Park (a Kokomo Y’s Men’s project), or volunteering for the United Way or the Red Cross. You might also find Mike at a middle school basketball game where you would get to see the competitive side of Mike as he coaches a game. In all Mike does, there is passion and commitment to excellence. Mike is a man who cares about people and about making a contribution to the community and to individual lives, and he knows a positive attitude coupled with sound judgment and broad experience goes a long way toward making positive changes.
Commitment to family
Although the term “family values” may have become cliché, it truly is what Mike is about. He and his wife, Kelly, are committed to their family, their church and their community. For Mike, that commitment comes in many forms-city government, education, and concern about regional and statewide issues. Kelly also is a leader as she serves as executive director of the Howard County Historical Society. Together, they instill in their family the idea of the importance of leadership and of giving back to the community.
Read more after the leap
Why are you running?
I’m running because we need representation that is for District 30 not just from District 30. We need a legislator that has the understanding of the legislative process and an ability to communicate with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and the state administration about what we have to offer employers in District 30. My experience as a Councilman, Park Superintendent, and College administrator gives me an understanding this district and the legislative process that will help bring jobs to Indiana, Howard county, and Kokomo.
Mike’s Conservative Values?
I’m Pro-life, a fiscal conservative and believe in the position that you can’t spend money you don’t have. I support the marriage amendment and believe the best economic stimulus we could have in America is to strengthen the family. I am a Christian that supports traditional family values.
Mike’s goals for HD 30?
My goals would be to work with local officials in both the public and private sectors to bring jobs to our district and promote economic diversification. The development of a relationship with the state administration is important for the district. My 25 years of community involvement gives me a great perspective to promote our community with state officials.
Property Tax Cap issue?
I support the property tax caps. This legislation has forced local government and schools to operate with smaller budgets. We may only have one opportunity resize these institutions in our lifetime. It’s important that we do it correctly and efficiently. I want to part of the discussion of this resizing to insure we have great community services and amenities.
Township Government Stance?
I’ve learned that one size does not fit all. Township government has it place, even today, and in some places it works well and in others it may not. I support having the discussion and determining how best to provide those services, the outcome should ultimately be left to the voters.
I would like to thank Mike for taking the time out of his busy schedule to meet and talk with me about his race and the importance of getting the majority back into the hands of Republicans into the state house again.
I would encourage you to get involved with Mike’s candidacy by either giving of your time, finances or helping him get out the vote. You can follow Mike’s race through either his website, Facebook and Twitter. (links are below)
Website
Facebook
Twitter
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| It's Democrats Like This One Who Rammed Healthcare Down Our Throats |
| Scenes From Lincoln/Reagan 2010 |
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| Governor Daniels Speaks On The "Indiana Way" |
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| Former Congressman Bud Hillis Receives Lifetime Achievement Award |
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| Former State Senator Jim Butcher Accepts Lifetime Achievement Award |
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| Governor Daniels Greets The Karickhoffs |
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| Heath VanNatter Discusses Legislative Issues With Jamie Shepherd and Troy Parton |
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| State Senator Jim Buck and Sally Tate Enjoy The Fellowship |
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| Governor Daniels Mixes With The Crowd |
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| The Mikliks and Jill Dunn Chat About Local Politics |
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| Former State Representative John Smith and Debbie Smith Sport Their "Mitch Daniels For President" Buttons |
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| Herrell Receives Nothing But Special Interest Money In 2009 |
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| Ron "Please Rent Me" Herrell |
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Democrat State Representative Ron Herrell continued his claim to the title of "King of The Special Interests" when he filed his campaign finance report for 2009. Absolutely none of his campaign money came from individuals. Every last dime came from a special interest group with legislation pending in the Indiana Legislature.
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| One Year And $780 Billion Later |
"[I]f I could create one job in the private sector by helping to grow a business, that would be one more than Congress has created in the last six months."
Senator Evan Bayh
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Unemployment on February 17, 2009
7.7%
Unemployment on February 17, 2010 after spending $780 Billion.
9.7%
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