Fwd: MyHeritage.org: Zero - Obamacare's links to conservative ideas

FEATURED VIDEO Heritage Grover Hermann Fellow Brian Riedl comments on the growing number of Americans receiving tax credits and the shrinking number of earners paying higher taxes to support them. More videos » April 20, 2010 | By Amanda J. Reinecker Zero - Obamacare's links to conservative ideas President Obama recently told Matt Lauer, anchor of NBC's "Today" show, that his highly partisan health care law borrows ideas directly from The Heritage Foundation's health care reform playbook. This is utterly false. As Heritage health policy analyst Bob Moffitt explains: The Obama health-care law "builds" on the Heritage health reform model only in the sense that, say, a double-quarter-pounder with cheese "builds" on the idea of a garden salad. Both have lettuce and tomato and may be called food, but the similarities end there.   This explicit misrepresentation of our research is part of an aggressive PR endeavor to paint Obamacare as a product of compromise and not the extremely partisan takeover of the health care system that it is. In fact, after their meticulous dissections of the bill, Heritage analysts found no redeeming attributes in Obamacare and have openly called for its repeal. Repealing Obamacare, explains Heritage Vice President Mike Franc, will require support from both sides of the political aisle. Not surprisingly, that support is growing as Americans learn more about their new health care law.   Companies are realizing the astronomical coverage costs they face; employers are facing severe cutbacks and overseas relocations as a result of the new tax and regulatory burdens; thousands of uninsured Americans are learning they'll remain so for another four years; and millions of Medicare Advantage recipients will suffer coverage reductions and even termination of their plans. This is just the tip of the iceberg. "More negative news is on the way," writes Franc. But disapproval of the bill is not enough. The road to repeal requires channeling America's dissatisfaction with Obamacare into enthusiasm for a market-oriented approach to health-care reform, which would be far less costly and would give Americans far greater freedom. » Read Heritage's commonsense, principled solutions on health care As Franc points out, "history demonstrates that those who tout commonsense solutions to difficult problems gain credibility and trust when they persevere." And that's why Heritage isn't giving up our fight to replace Obamacare with a system that puts patients first, not government bureaucrats and special interests. Tax Day Money Bomb a huge success! Thanks to an outpouring of support from our members and supporters, The Heritage Foundation's Tax Day Money Bomb last Thursday was a great success. All told, the Tax Day Money Bomb drew an astonishing $339,000—funds that will be dedicated right away to fighting for the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. The overwhelming support for the Tax Day Money Bomb made a statement about just how outraged conservatives are with big-government spending and high taxes. Conservatives have made their voices heard--and we aren't about to turn down the volume! The response to the money bomb shows the continued strength of the conservative movement and the faith our members have in The Heritage Foundation to lead the charge against unlimited federal spending. With the success of the Tax Day Money Bomb, we are able to continue this fight with renewed vigor. Not only do we have the resources to put our conservative ideas to work, but we know that we have the support of conservatives like you from around the country. Thank you for standing at our side. Leftist news network stirring trouble  "The surest way to incite violence is to suppress legitimate dissent," writes Heritage national security expert James Carafano. Unfortunately, the leftists pundits at MSNBC are trying to do just that by using "the anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing to declare open season on almost anyone right of center," including peaceful tea party protesters. Some Oklahoma City lawmakers recently proposed creating a state defense force, and MSNBC's liberal pundits are calling this an invitation to civil war. But the formation of such a force, Carafano explains, is "completely legal and appropriate under both the federal and state constitutions." Not only is MSNBC's criticism of conservative activists unbalanced and misguided, it is hypocritical.  As Carafano points out: Think back to its coverage of Code Pink and the antiwar protests of the Bush administration. None of its commentators fretted over whether the protesters would lead to a resurgence of left-wing violence such as that practiced by the Weather Underground, the Blank Panthers, or the Symbionese Liberation Army. That would have been totally inappropriate — but no more so than what it's eagerly doing now with conservative protesters. If MSNBC is worried about internal unrest, then it should examine its own practices, which amount to little more than fear-mongering and political posturing. And that won't make us any safer. > Other Heritage work of note In the wake of Moscow's tragic subway bombings in March, American security officials moved quickly to secure America's buses and trains. But was this reaction warranted, or a clumsy political move? The extremists who terrorized Moscow are not the same groups posing imminent threat to the U.S., argues The Heritage Foundation's James Carafano. "American intelligence needs to prioritize and focus on our most dangerous enemies -- and they ain't in Chechnya." Instead of focusing on illusory threats, we must be realistic about the enemies we actually face. The White House announced recently that it is shifting its attention from health care to job creation. Ironically, it is the recently-passed health care bill that will continue to cause job loss. But that isn't the only threat to job creation. For example, Washington lawmakers want to impose new taxes on energy. Heritage president Ed Feulner offers another solution. "Instead of another 'stimulus,' lawmakers should begin by reducing the corporate tax rate." Doing this, while maintaining the capital gains tax at 15 percent, "could create an average of at least 2 million jobs a year over the next decade." How is it possible that our nation's budget has gone from a $300 billion surplus to a $1.5 trillion deficit in one decade? Reckless, thoughtless overspending. Since 2000, the U.S. budget has experienced significant increases in nearly every government program. "The federal budget today is $1.3 trillion larger than in 2000 under President Clinton. Is America any better off?" asks Heritage's Brian Riedl. One thing is for sure: the solution is not slapping American families with even more taxes » Read Heritage's solutions to overspending and over-taxation. On the heels of the unpopular health care overhaul, liberals in Congress are now pushing for legislation that would set up a permanent fund to bail out large investment houses. Predictably couched in "pro-taxpayer" language, the legislation is anything but. There are several major problems with this bill, says Heritage's Brian Darling. "If creditors know they aren't likely take a loss, and risk has been eliminated from an investment, it's taxpayers who are assuming all the risk." > In other news On the list of top donors to President Obama's 2008 campaign, Goldman Sachs holds the number two spot: the company's employees gave $994,795. Goldman Sachs, one of the most prestigious investment banks, received billions of federal bailout dollars in 2008 and 2009. Arizona Republican Senators John McCain and John Kyl have proposed sending an additional 3,000 U.S. National Guard troops to monitor Arizona's increasingly dangerous border with Mexico. The two also requested an additional 700 miles in fencing. Arizona state lawmakers, meanwhile, passed a bill calling for officials "to determine if people are in the United States illegally," Reuters reports. Critics of the new policy argue it opens the door to racial profiling. America's rising public debt continues to endanger the global financial system. The government nevertheless continues to spend taxpayer dollars at an unsustainable pace. According to a report by the Department of Defense, Iran may be capable of striking the U.S. with an intercontinental ballistic missile by 2015. Reports like this one underscore the growing need to a robust missile defense. The EPA is inviting submissions of videos showing the benefits of federal regulation. Does this mean the EPA can't justify its regulations itself? "President Barack Obama issued a memo on Thursday that would require hospitals accepting Medicare or Medicaid funds to allow visitation rights to gay and lesbian partners," Reuters reports. By treating all relationships as equal, this federal intrusion strikes another blow against traditional family structures. Amanda Reinecker is a writer for MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation. Nathaniel Ward, the Editor of MyHeritage.org, and Eva Brates, a Heritage Foundation intern, contributed to this report.  Donate    |   Heritage on Facebook View as HTML  |   Update Your Profile   |   Unsubscribe

Fwd: Side Effects: Want that Tax Refund? Show Us Your Insurance Card First

April 20, 2010 Want that Tax Refund? Show Us Your Insurance Card First  Obamacare requires all individuals to carry health insurance for themselves and their families. Those who don't will have to pay a penalty. And the Internal Revenue Service is the agency charged with making sure the uninsured pony up. Just how will the IRS do that? It's not something lawmakers got around to actually, you know, writing down in any detail in that big bill. That's even harder to do than reading that monster. But now that they've made Obamacare the law of the land, they're starting to take an interest in the question. No doubt some are blaming the daily eruptions on congressional staff. The Senate Finance Committee recently held a hearing to explore what the IRS might do to enforce the congressional mandate to buy health insurance. One answer headlined the Wall Street Journal's report on the hearing: IRS May Withhold Tax Refunds to Enforce Health Care Law: Steven T. Miller, IRS Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement, explained that, though the agency "won't audit you to make sure you have purchased health insurance under provisions of the new health-care law…it may withhold your tax refund if you can't demonstrate that you are insured." According to the Journal, if the IRS does not receive notification that a taxpayer has insurance, the agency will notify the taxpayer that he or she must pay a tax penalty. Then, if the penalty payment does not arrive, the IRS may withhold tax refunds due to the filer. But, then, what happens if the taxpayer doesn't have a refund coming? Of course, as Obamacare increases the tax agency's power, it will also increase its payroll. Heritage Tax Policy Analyst Curtis Dubay noted on FOX Business Network: "[The IRS will]… be in charge of enforcing the individual mandate that we all have health insurance. They're also going to be in charge of making sure businesses provide health insurance for employees. So they're going to have to add lots more workers." In Washington, it seems, you can't spell health insurance without I-R-S. That's a shame, because Congress could have dramatically expanded private health insurance without resorting to an unconstitutional mandate. To learn about far better alternatives (hint: auto enrollment in employer-based insurance and a universal tax credit system, for starters), go here. RECENT ENTRIES The Doctor Is NOT In Get Ready to Wait for Your Health Care Obamacare's "Donut Hole" for Young Adults Share Today's Side Effects Facebook Myspace Digg Linkdin Twitter   Facebook Twitter YouTube Kindle Flickr Support our work by becoming a member with your gift of $25 or more. The Heritage Foundation 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002-4999 Call us at (202) 546-4400 Add morningbell@heritage.org to your address book to ensure that you receive emails from us.

Fwd: Morning Bell: The Wall Street Bailout Bill Threat to Your Bottom Line

04/20/2010 The Wall Street Bailout Bill Threat to Your Bottom Line This past Friday, President Barack Obama again threatened to veto any financial reform bill that fails to tightly regulate financial derivative products which many blame for the 2008 economic crisis. Derivatives work like insurance to protect certain investments, and provide stability to the price of most goods and services. For example, farmers buy derivatives on the price of their crops, so if the price of their crop plummets, the price of the food at the grocery store won't change that much. Airlines buy derivatives on oil, so if the price of oil goes up drastically, they won't have to immediately hike ticket prices. Lehman Brothers CEO Dick Fuld shares President Obama's view on derivatives. He also blames them for the downfall of his Wall Street firm. But a closer examination of Lehman's failure shows that derivatives may just be a convenient scape goat. Bankruptcy examiners found that it was bad business decisions hidden by complex accounting tricks, not addressed by the current Wall Street Bailout Bill at all, that brought Lehman down. In fact, Lehman's derivatives positions represented only about 3.3 percent of its net assets, and the bankruptcy examiner found its derivatives trades were reasonable and more carefully monitored than Lehman's other assets. So whenever Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) says his Wall Street Bailout Bill "would have prevented that kind of events from happening" he needs to explain how. If anything, the Dodd plan will only make future Wall Street bailouts more likely and more costly while also stifling consumer choice.

Fwd: MRC Alert: MSNBC's Deutsch Frets Over 'Anger in America,' Incorrectly Labels IRS Plane Bomber a Republican

 

A daily compilation edited by Brent H. Baker, CyberAlert items are drawn from daily BiasAlert posts and distributed by the Media Research Center's News Analysis Division, the leader since 1987 in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.

 

Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996
Tuesday April 20, 2010 @ 10:07 AM EDT

1. MSNBC's Deutsch Frets Over 'Anger in America,' Incorrectly Labels IRS Plane Bomber a Republican
MSNBC's Donny Deutsch kicked off a week-long segment on Monday about "America the Angry" and hinted that the "rageaholics" in this country could create another Oklahoma City-style attack. After one guest mentioned Joe Stack, the man who flew a plane into an IRS building, Deutsch wrongly derided, "I don't know whether he was Republican or Democrat. I'm assuming he was probably a Republican."

2. NYT's Zernike Slams 'Angry,' White, Male, Reactionary Tea Party Movement Mired in the Past
New York Times reporter Kate Zernike saw Tea Party activists calling for a return to an era of less-onerous federal government as reactionaries wishing for a racially homogenous America: "They tend to be white and male, with a disproportionate number above 45, and above 65. Their memories are of a different time, when the country was less diverse." Shouldn't "less diverse" read "less taxed"?

3. MSNBC Talking Points: Touting Obama as a Pro-gun President, Lecturing Activists for 'Worrying' Too Much
MSNBC on Monday repeatedly promoted Barack Obama as a pro-Second Amendment President and chastised gun-rights activists for "worrying" so much over this issue. News Live host Monica Novotny talked to Skip Coryell, the founder of the Second Amendment march on Washington and complained, "What are you guys worried about?

4. CNN's Rick Sanchez Goes After 'Cheap Shot' From NewsBusters
CNN's Rick Sanchez named me [MRC news analyst Matthew Balan] and NewsBusters to "the very top" of his daily 'List That U Don't Want 2 Be On' on his Rick's List show on Monday. Sanchez criticized me [Balan] for apparently not being able to tell he was "joking" during a segment on April 15 where he stated that "you think it's too cold to have a volcano" in Iceland. I have been monitoring the anchor since September 2007, before he landed his regular weekday gig on CNN. It actually isn't the first time he recognized my criticism of him. On November 12, 2008, Sanchez actually complimented NewsBusters on air: "...[T]he NewsBusters website, which constantly monitors this show -- and we're glad that they do -- questioned my conversation- criticized it with Neal Boortz. In particular, our suggestion that the GOP needs to remain adamantly anti-abortion, to try and keep the Southern vote." However, Monday was the first time that Sanchez mentioned me by name on the air.

5. Columnist Kathleen Parker on CBS: Tea Parties 'Dangerous;' Internet Journalism 'Like Terrorism'
On Sunday's Face the Nation on CBS, host Bob Schieffer asked columnist Kathleen Parker about her views on the tea party: "the rhetoric that's coming out from the right side, especially from the tea party....you think it may be dangerous." Parker replied: "this heated rhetoric and some of these words...that are pretty loaded, 'reload,' 'targeting'...there's a danger there."

6. Flashback: Media Blamed and Condemned Conservatives After Oklahoma City Bombing
"In a nation that has entertained and appalled itself for years with hot talk on the radio and the campaign trail, the inflamed rhetoric of the '90s is suddenly an unindicted co-conspirator in the blast," charged Time magazine Senior Writer Richard Lacayo in the May 8, 1995 edition of the news weekly, the first quote cited in a "Special Purveyors of Hate & Division Issue" published at the time of the MRC's Notable Quotables newsletter. We also featured a gem from Bryant Gumbel: "The bombing in Oklahoma City has focused renewed attention on the rhetoric that's been coming from the right and those who cater to angry white men," including Rush Limbaugh.