The BIG LIE, Republican Congressional Budgets

          It is your DUTY!   VOTE
This is an "edited" article by Stephen Ohlemacher 
to be released March 23, 2015 by Associated Press 
under the Title: "Fact Check".

The new House and Senate Republican budgets make a big boast: They both balance the federal budget within 10 years, without raising taxes.

The Republican's proposals would leave a $90 BILLION shortage each year for the next 10 years!

Their own numbers, however, say millions of American families and businesses would have to pay more in taxes to make the math work — about $900 billion more over the next decade.

Both the Republican Senate and Republican House budgets claim big savings by repealing President Barack Obama's health law. But at the same time, they rely on more than $1 trillion in tax revenue from the health law that they would supposedly repeal.

The two Republican nonbinding political documents that lack details, especially when it comes to taxes.  It  provides important insight into how majority Republicans in Congress would tackle the federal government's finances.  

THE CLAIM: "First and foremost, we balance the federal budget in less than 10 years by reducing spending by $5.5 trillion — without accounting gimmicks or higher taxes." —Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., chairman of the House Budget Committee, in a published opinion article.

"Republicans have put forward a responsible plan that balances the budget in 10 years with no new tax hikes, that protects our most vulnerable citizens, it strengthens our national defense, and it improves economic growth and opportunity for hardworking families." —Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., chairman of the Senate Budget Committee.

THE FACTS: Both Republican budgets say they will generate $41.67 trillion in revenue over the next decade. That is very close to the $41.75 trillion that would be generated under current law, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

<The LIE exposed not by President Obama's Executive Department's fiscal estimates, but the Congressional Budget Office's own nonpartisan fiscal staff.>

Current law assumes that more than 50 temporary tax breaks that expired at the start of the year will not be renewed. They include tax breaks for businesses big and small, as well as provisions that benefit commuters, teachers and struggling homeowners.

All together, the tax breaks add up to $898 billion over the next decade, according to CBO.

Do congressional Republicans really want to eliminate $898 billion in tax breaks?

No!   NOT TO DATE!

Most Republicans in Congress have voted numerous times to temporarily extend them. And over the past year, the Republican-controlled House has voted to make some of the more popular ones permanent.

Then why don't the Republican budget resolutions reflect the costs of providing those tax breaks?

<How many times have we heard this before?>

Republican budget writers assert that they can fill the revenue gap by simplifying the tax code and making it more competitive.

Both GOP plans call for overhauling the taxes paid by individuals and businesses. Without providing many details, they count on that overhaul to spark more economic growth, which would generate additional tax revenue.

<What cutting taxes to create more taxes?   When has that ever worked?>

"Our budget calls for comprehensive tax reform that would include lower rates for individuals and families as well as large corporations and small businesses who often file their tax returns through the individual side of the tax code," says the House plan. "Along with lower rates, we propose broadening the tax base by closing special-interest loopholes that distort economic activity."

The plan doesn't specify which "loopholes" would be closed. That would be left to the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee to figure out later.

<Ground Hog's Day all over?>

The Senate plan creates a reserve fund that could be used to help pay for a tax overhaul or to "extend certain expiring tax-relief provisions." But the budget resolution doesn't allocate any money to the fund.

<Call it the Santa Claus Fund or the Tooth Fairy under your pillow fund.>

Some policymakers in Washington say that letting temporary tax cuts expire isn't the same as increasing taxes. But congressional Republicans don't make that argument, especially about tax breaks that have been around for years and even decades.

To drive home the point, when Congress voted in December to extend the temporary tax breaks through the end of the year, the title of the legislation was the "Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014."

After the November Elections, the December extending of temporary tax breaks was called, the "Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014" and the Fox said to Little Red Riding Hood, "All the better to eat you with my dear."

            DUTY CALLS--VOTE!

Government by and for the People, next Joke

This what we voted for, really? 

It is long past time for a serious discussion. Discussion requires listening, inequitable tax codes, regressive sales and use taxes to allow special exemptions and corporate tax reductions has been revealed and no one was listening. Lawmakers don't lack courage, they have plenty of courage when it comes to special interests rewards.

 They have plenty of opportunity to reverse or stop the fiscal wreckage or correct legislative boondoggles and excesses . They enact legislation that takes effect four-six-eight years down the line, the results won't show immediately and by the time it does they will be term-limited out with racy new positions given by those whose favor they curried with legislative special treatments.

Take a roll call of past legislators and government political appointees and check out what they are doing today, with and for who?   It is so difficult to believe, the voters have been stomped on, beat up, totally violated and yet they vote for the sane public molesters time and time again.

In 1998 the voters passed Arizona Proposition 200, also known as the Clean Elections Act. Many of the people chosen by the voters have fought and tried to destroy the Act every since. Turning to this week the Senate rejected a bill to ask the voters to end the Clean Elections Act, then two Republican Senators changed their votes and on reconsideration the measure asking voters to repeal the public campaign funding system was passed and will go the 2016 ballot.

Was there anything wrong with the Act? Couldn't it be amended and fixed? Why if it has been working since 1998 have the political powers finally mustered enough strength to destroy it, who or what is behind it, certainly not the voters who placed it into law?

Another case of voter abuse, is the voter mandate on school finance adopted by the voters in 2000. When the Legislature decided it didn't want to follow the voters requirements, they just ignored them. The Courts have ordered the State to comply with the voters adopted measure.

What has happened? The Governor and the Legislature just spit in the voters eye and rather than make up the voter approved funds for schools, more financial cuts and demands without money for schools to do more. Yes, with less!

In 2000 the voters in Arizona were fed up with the results of how the Legislature was drawing the voting district lines and gathered signatures to put Proposition 106 on the ballot delegating the power to draw congressional and legislative district boundaries to an Independent Redistricting Commission. The voters decided they wanted an independent commission to complete the redrawing of lines every ten years after the census was completed by the Federal Government.

Behold the voters spoke again, and what has the Legislature done every since?

Fought tooth and nail to get back to their old ways of gerrymandering districts to favor their political needs and retain political power. Once again, right up to today, the choice of the people has been rejected to the point taxpayer dollars are being spent to challenge the decision of the voters in the Supreme Court of the United States.

The elected representatives of the people want to overturn another initiative sponsored by the people and get back their selfish, self-serving ways. Another case of slapping the people governed in the face.

Some how the people keep giving the keys to the government in Arizona to the elected people that pick and choose what voter decisions they like and will accept. Long overdue time for discussion? In Arizona we have what the dark money has bought, what we pay for with our tax dollars and so far what we as voters are allow to have by the political powers in Phoenix.