As we gather together for Thanksgiving, we will likely be faced with political discussions about the affairs of the day with less-than-enlightened friends and family, Herewith, MCV PAC presents a cheat-sheet of fast facts for you to arm yourself for those inevitable knock-down, drag-out battles … er, cordial discussions.

The 9-page fact sheet is presented in a Q&A format as a downloadable PDF file and covers:
* Some Key Info
* Health Care
* National Debt
* Cap and Trade (Carbon Tax and Global Warming)
* Things You Can Do

Look at it …or… download a copy for your own use or handout …or… to file share with others

http://www.missourivalues.org/thanksgiving_fact_sheet_2009.pdf

Bottom line: Analysis shows that your increased tax burden will be from $1300 to $2000 per year. The range depends on whether you are single or married and what forms Cap and Trade, forced healthcare purchases and penalties, and increased national debt/inflation ultimately take. Note that these are taxes that EVERYONE WILL PAY, since many of the taxes will be hidden in goods and services we purchase, or as taxes and fees collected by employers. Remember that the Obama-Biden campaign repeatedly stated that you would not pay one cent more in taxes if you earn less than $250,000 (or $200,000, or $150,000 depending on which speech it was).
Moreover, although allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire is not covered, Bush tax cuts to expire in 2010 will result in the loss of an additional one million jobs!

MCV PAC hopes this arms you for future debates, or at least puts all the facts you need in one convenient document and location. Thank you for all you do to preserve and spread Missouri’s conservative values.

MCV PAC wishes you and your family a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Below is a list of the tax increases Congress and the Administration have proposed to finance health care reform. This list includes taxes in the bill passed by the House of Representatives, the bill the Senate is currently debating, and other taxes mentioned as a possible way to pay for health care reform. Both house and senate taxes are listed since all are fair game in the final consolidated bill.

1. An income surtax on taxpayers earning more than $500,000 a year,
2. An excise tax on high-cost “Cadillac” health insurance plans that cost more than $8,500 a year for individuals or $21,000 for families,
3. An excise tax on medical devices such as wheelchairs, breast pumps, and syringes used by diabetics for insulin injections,
4. A cap on the exclusion of employer-provided health insurance without offsetting tax cuts,
5. A limit on itemized deductions for taxpayers with a top income tax rate greater than 28 percent,
6. A windfall profits tax on health insurance companies,
7. A value-added tax, which would tax the value added to a product at each stage of production,
8. An increase in the Medicare portion of the payroll tax to 3.4 percent for incomes great than $200,000 a year ($250,000 for married filers),
9. An excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages including non-diet soda and sports drinks,
10. Higher taxes on alcoholic beverages including beer, wine, and spirits,
11. A tax on individuals without acceptable health care coverage of up to 2.5 percent of their adjusted gross income,
12. A limit on contributions to health savings accounts,
13. An 8 percent tax on all wages paid by employers that do not provide their employees health insurance that satisfies the requirements defined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services,
14. A limit on contributions to flexible spending arrangements,
15. Elimination of the deduction for expenses associated with Medicare Part D subsidies,
16. An increase in taxes on international businesses,
17. Elimination of the tax credits paper companies take for biofuels they create in their production process–the so-called “Black Liquor credit,”
18. Fees on insured and self-insured health plans,
19. A limit or repeal of the itemized deduction for medical expenses,
20. A limit on the Qualified Medical Expense definition,
21. An increase in the payroll taxes on students,
22. An extension of the Medicare payroll tax to all state and local government employees,
23. An increase in taxes on hospitals,
24. An increase in the estate tax,
25. Increased efforts to close the mythical “tax gap,”
26. A 5 percent tax on cosmetic surgery and similar procedures such as Botox treatments, tummy tucks, and face lifts,
27. A tax on drug companies,
28. An increase in the corporate tax on providers of health insurance, and
29. A $500,000 deduction limitation for the compensation paid by health insurance companies to their officers, employees, and directors.

MCV PAC believes that instead of rushing through a badly conceived health care bill and raising taxes to pay for it, Congress should focus first on economic recovery by dropping all talk of tax increases and extending permanently the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. That is the only way to increase the incentives to work, save, invest, and take on new economic risk that will pull the economy out of the “Great Recession” and get unemployed Americans back to work.

Threatening the companies and high income earners that create jobs and employ so many of us is not going to instill confidence in our economy, our freedom to work, our investments, or the future of our country.

Term Limits and the 2009 Recession

What do term limits and the 2009 economic recession have in common? They are both past their due date in the eyes of MCVPAC.

Most readers will recall the recession of 1992 that struck during President George H.W. Bush’s reelection campaign. Many factors played a role in his unsuccessful bid for a second term, but none greater than the economy. Everybody will remember the famous James Carville slogan, ‘It’s the economy, stupid.” The recession of 1992 is largely seen by politicians as an event that crippled the reelection of a politician with previous approval ratings ranging from the mid 50’s to upper 80’s.

Because of that, and because no politician in Congress wants to lose their precious seat, our Congressional leaders have done anything and everything to prevent a recession since 1992. From rewriting banking and accounting laws to pumping trillions of your tax dollars into the economy, they have spared no expense, at our expense, to ensure that the dreaded R word doesn’t inflict their hopes of returning to Washington.

Because of their actions, many top economists now believe this recession has been years in the making, years overdue. Perhaps, if the Federal Reserve hadn’t printed more money to pump into the economy and regulations existed for the security of our financial system, not the security of a politician’s reelection, this recession would not be as severe as it is.

For this reason, MCVPAC believes term limits for Congress are not only in order, but mandatory to true reform. With term limits in place, perhaps our leaders would tackle the pressing issues of our day, instead of protecting their campaign coffers.

Every Republican voted against weakening the reform rules passed last year by the Democrats with much posturing. Not one Democrat voted to retain the Reform Rules.

Surprise, Surprise….
The Democrat-controlled House rules passed tonight take the three most important changes of Rules Reform Commission and either eliminate or weaken them:

1) Prohibition against gut and run amendments (amending in Rules) – eliminated
2) 24 Hour wait before voting after amending - in my view eviscerated.  Democrats  will say no, but there is a GIANT loophole the Democrats can, and I predict will, use
3) 11 pm limit on voting - weakened.