WASHINGTON – You’ve probably heard that Benjamin Franklin quote that has now become a tired cliché: “In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Well, you could add “and convoluted tax proposals in the 110th Congress.”
Last month, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) introduced what he called the “Mother of All Tax Reforms,” a proposal he said would eliminate the alternative minimum tax and be tax-cut for middle-class Americans.
Mobile’s Congressman, Jo Bonner, told Lagniappe it was really the “Mother of All Tax Hikes.”
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank, took a look at the Rangel proposal and calculated the effect on each congressional district.
The median household income for our district, the First Congressional District of Alabama, in 2005 was $36,726 annually (the latest data available). According to this study, should this particular proposal miraculously find its way into law – which is considered a long shot with a razor-thin Democratic majority in the Senate and a Republican in the White House – it would cost each household $1,824 the first year it is in effect.
That’s a good bit of money. But when you add it up, it means $185 million in lost gross domestic product and 1,991 jobs to the local Mobile economy.
One could make the case this analysis is biased because it comes from a conservative organization. But, William W. Beach, director of the Center for Data Analysis at Heritage, told Lagniappe it wasn’t intended to be a partisan study and he has gotten interest from congressional members of both political parties.
When Sen. Jeff Sessions was fighting against the infamous controversial immigration bill earlier this year, he also used data compiled by the Heritage Foundation to show the cost to taxpayers.
The Rudy Bandwagon is loading up for the Mobile GOP
(Note: With the presidential election less than a year away, we’re going to take a look at the presidential candidates related to their local support.)
Having made two visits to Mobile and several others throughout the rest of the state, former New York City Mayor and Republican presidential frontrunner Rudy Giuliani is gaining popularity as the choice as the nominee with the leadership in the Mobile Republican Party – a remarkable feat considering the criticisms of his position on social issues including abortion and gay marriage.
However, Terry Lathan, the Alabama Grassroots Chairwoman for the Giuliani campaign, noted Giuliani’s concern over Alabama’s 2008 primary date.
“While making his second trip to Mobile on Oct. 12, my husband, Jerry, gave the mayor a brief history of our area,” Lathan told Lagniappe. “Rudy seemed intrigued by the different flags that had flown over Mobile and asked several questions. Like many Americans, the mayor thought that Mardi Gras was founded in New Orleans. Jerry explained our Mardi Gras history and also told him of the early voting in Mobile and Baldwin counties due to Mardi Gras being on Feb. 5. Mayor Rudy had his aides take notes on that important fact.”
Other Mobile GOP leaders on the Giuliani bandwagon include Mobile City Councilwoman Connie Hudson, Mobile County Republican Executive Committee Vice Chairman Kyle Callaghan and former Mobile mayoral candidate and city councilwoman Bess Rich.
“The mayor asked about the RSA Tower when he spotted it, it must be a New York thing, and he was also very interested in the USS [Alabama] Battleship as he passed it on his way to Oysterella’s Seafood Restaurant for a ‘Meet and Greet.’ While making his way to his car in the parking lot after the public event, the mayor noticed several firemen and EMT’s [emergency medical technicians] standing by their emergency vehicles. No matter what state, the mayor is drawn like a magnet to the men and women in uniform. He walked over to them, had some pictures made and chatted with them.”
Sessions Less Than Thrilled with Senate’s Democratic and GOP Leadership
When the Democrats ran in 2006 for the control of Congress, their angle was to criticize the Iraq war and its mishandling by the Bush administration. Since little has changed in the 10 months of their leadership, Congress’ approval ratings have suffered – from Democrat voters for not being more proactive over the Iraq issue and by Republican voters because it’s controlled by Democrats.
Sen. Jeff Sessions thinks there can be improvement on both sides.
“I don’t think it’s gone well frankly,” Sessions told Lagniappe. “Polling numbers have continued to drop. Very little of consequence has been passed. The Democrats have tried to force things through in a lot of different ways and have been unsuccessful for the most part.”
According to Sessions, not a single appropriations bill has made it through Congress and sent to the president, which is late considering Congress is almost to the end of 2007. He suggested there was a possibility the government might shutdown if the Democratic majority were to put all the appropriations into one enormous bill with “wasteful spending” that is not likely to be signed by the President.
But, the junior Alabama senator also had little positive to say about the GOP leadership.
“Let me say this – I also think that the Republican leadership is ineffective as we need to be in projecting and providing answers to complex questions like health care, like how to have a savings account that’s transportable, like having a complete reform of this complicated tax system that’s unworkable and that’s got to be reformed,” Sessions added. “We need to be doing more of those kind of things and fighting for progressive issues that all Americans can benefit from rather than just saying ‘no,’ which is sometimes what we have to do.”
Contact Jeff Poor at jeffreypoor@yahoo.com.
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