Legislative Report
February 2012
Fair Share?: An IRS report shows that 36 of President Obama's executive office staff owe the country $833,970 in back taxes. Also, the report finds that thousands of federal employees owe the country more than $3.4 billion in back taxes. That's up 3% in the past year. The areas with the largest amounts owed are: Postal Service, $270 million, Veterans Affairs, $151 million, and active duty military member, $100 million. According to current federal law, the only federal employees who can be fired for not paying taxes are IRS workers.
Debt Ceiling Again: The federal government’s debt limit increased by another $1.2 trillion, the final installment in a series of hikes that started last summer. This increase was granted in the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011, passed August 2 at the culmination of the debt limit debate. In mid-January, the House rejected the debt limit increase in a resolution of disapproval, but the Senate blocked that legislation. The debt ceiling is now $16.394 trillion.
Alternative to the US dollar: Unfazed by the US and EU sanctions, India in mid-January said that it is open to all mechanisms for payment, "whatever it takes," to buy Iranian oil, as it contributes around 12% of New Delhi's oil imports and it's difficult to find replacement on this scale. The mechanisms could include a mix of options that will enable India to buy Iranian oil without violating the UN sanctions, highly-placed government sources indicated a day after an Israeli website suggested that India has agreed to pay Iran in gold for oil purchases.
Adult Stem Cell Miracle: A 30-year-old man from Baltimore was diagnosed with an inoperable tumor in his windpipe, and he was out of options. Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, an Italian, had developed a technique using the patient's own bone marrow adult stem cells to build new tissue and save many lives. The cells started to grow and grew a new windpipe for the patient!
In the States: For more than two years, the Michigan Education Association has had a manual that:
- offers advice on how to pull off “Work-To-Rule” actions where employees refuse to do anything outside of what is included in their contract.
- states that the "MEA ... supports and defends its members who engage in a strike."
- states “Pick a target—personalize—and polarize the opposition.” Looks like it is from Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals.
- states “In terms of a bargaining message, the public responds most positively when we talk about children, quality in the classroom and the future.”
Source: investors.com; conservativebyte.com; economictimes.com (indiatimes); onenewsnow.com; Michigan Capitol Confidential.com
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