I have a profile of St lawmaker of Matthew Shepherd below. He is pictured below with Mike Huckabee. Here are some of the best clips and quotes from Huckabee.
I have since Dec 22nd been including a profile of a St lawmaker in almost all my posts. Today I have a profile of Matthew Shepherd. I have also included a list of all of the other st lawmakers I have already covered below and the date the blog post appeared. I will be including profiles on all the rest of the Republican lawmakers in the coming days. If you are a Republican St Lawmaker I would love to hear from you and if you had some material you would like to send me to include in your profile, then I would love to include it.
Thank you for taking time to visit www.shep4rep.org. As a lifelong resident of El Dorado and Union County, I believe that we stand at a critical time in the history of our state and our community. We have seen the closing of businesses and industry, and the associated job loss. The people of District 6 deserve strong leadership in Little Rock.
As the son of a judge and a public school teacher, I understand the sacrifice and heavy responsibility of public service, and I feel I am up to the task. My wife and I have chosen to raise our children and make our home here – and it is because of my family and yours that I choose to seek the position of State Representative from District 6. Our families’ futures are too important for us to sit idly by.
We deserve aggressive leadership working to ensure that our community is a place where our families can continue to live and thrive.As your state representative, my focus will be to do what is right for District 6, and make sure that Union County is never overlooked in Little Rock, particularly when it comes to economic development and jobs. Together I believe that we can work to create a better tomorrow for ourselves, and more importantly for our children and those to follow.
In the coming months l look forward to visiting with you about the issues which concern you the most, as my campaign plans to focus on our future. It is with a servant’s heart, I make this run for office – and as I do so I ask for your vote, your support and most importantly your prayers. Please do not hesitate to contact me at anytime at 870 814-2080 or matthew@shep4rep.org .
Many times government will be filled with “do-gooders” and they will have the best intentions. However, the end results of their plans do not help the people they want to help. Milton Friedman also points out that their are many private companies that want the trade policies of the government altered to “help the little guy in the street,” but they really want to help themselves.
There are few people that benefit from the estate tax, but insurance companies and lawyers probably are on the top of the list. Many times results of government actions do not match the original intentions of the lawmakers. This is the case with the estate tax.
Milton Friedman noted:
“One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results…Almost all government programs are started with good intentions, but when you look at what they actually achieve, there is a general rule. Almost every such program has results that are the opposite of the intentions of the well-meaning people who originally backed it.”
In this series on the Estate Tax I will be quoting portions of the article “The Economic Case Against the Death Tax,”(Heritage Foundation, July 20, 2010) by Curtis S. Dubay. Dubay is a Senior Analyst in Tax Policy in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.
Who Benefits from the Death Tax?
Despite its devastating impact on the economy, jobs, and wages, the death tax has persisted for more than 90 years in its modern form and could well survive this year’s moratorium unless Congress acts soon. An entrenched group of special interests that benefit from the death tax and hold large sway with Congress are the reason for the resilience of the death tax:
· Estate tax lawyers and planners. Even though they face large death tax bills, estates from wealthy families pay considerably lower taxes than they otherwise would—because of estate tax lawyers and planners. Wealthy families hire expensive estate lawyers to arrange their affairs in a legal manner to minimize the impact of the death tax on their estates, or in some cases escape liability all together. Estate tax lawyers and planners have an obvious vested interest in seeing the death tax remain in place. As long as it does, they can continue to collect lucrative fees for arranging estates to minimize death tax liability.The fees paid by families to minimize their death tax liability are a drag on economic growth. The families could invest the resources they use to protect their estates so businesses and entrepreneurs could create new jobs; instead the money is diverted to protect the estate from the death tax.
· Life insurance companies. As long as the death tax remains in place, life insurance companies will continue to collect premiums from family businesses that cannot afford estate lawyers and planners but want to protect their businesses. In order to protect their assets from being liquidated when they die, these families purchase life insurance policies that will pay the living members of the family enough to cover the death tax liability when a family member passes away. The life insurance policies are expensive, but not as expensive as estate tax lawyers and planners. The life insurance companies enjoy increased profitability while they continue to collect premiums for policies to protect against the death tax year after year. The premiums families pay to insurance companies siphon off limited resources that the families could use to expand their businesses and add new workers.
· Large businesses. The death tax is an impediment for family-owned businesses that could expand to compete with larger businesses because it creates a large disincentive for the family businesses to expand. If a family-owned business grows large enough, it will push the value of the family’s estate over the death tax’s exemption level and the family will owe a hefty amount when the current owner dies. Faced with endangering the life of the business because of the death tax, many families choose to keep their businesses smaller than they otherwise would have. This prevents them from competing more forcefully against larger businesses that are not family-owned and do not have to worry about the death tax.Large businesses also benefit from the death tax in another more direct way. Even though some family businesses choose to remain small to keep the death tax at bay, others take the risk and grow as large as possible. When a family member passes away these family-owned businesses often lack the necessary cash to pay the death tax, as explained above. If the family cannot raise the cash necessary to pay the death tax from selling certain assets, it is forced to sell the entire business. Larger businesses can then buy these competitors and acquire a larger share of the market in the process. These transactions sometimes occur before a death occurs so the family does not have to go through a difficult and complicated transaction during a period of mourning.
Senate District 8 Three terms in the House, 1999 to 2005 Committees: Public Health; City, County and Local; Joint Legislative Audit; Joint Performance Review. Special connections: Her husband, Jim, is a surgeon who retired from private practice and now works for a firm that assigns him to other hospitals out-of-state on an as-needed basis. Has two sons who are doctors but they practice in other states. “If I’m sponsoring medical-related legislation, I want people to know that I have no family members with a practice in Arkansas,” she said. How to reach her: Home phone: 479-636-2115. “I check my home phone.” Legislative e-mail also works, but please “put your town. Otherwise I can’t tell if someone’s writing me from Denver or from Rogers.” E-mail: bledsoec@arkleg.state.ar.us. What you should know: Was unopposed in her bid for a vacant Senate seat. Was been active in her community, local causes and in Republican campaigns long before running for office. Her priority: Public health in general and setting up both a trauma center system statewide and a satellite medical school in Fayetteville in particular. Also interested in mental health issues. Wants more accountability in school spending. Firmest prediction for the session: Organizing a system for the state lottery will take a lot of lawmakers’ attention.
Did you know that Fed Ex started in Little Rock? Entrepreneurs like Fred Smith need to be encouraged, not discouraged by government. Here is a funny Fed Ex Commercial from the 1980’s.
On July 3, 1981, I was in Prague, Czechoslovakia in the middle of a 20 country student tour. Our group of 48 American students had the opportunity to speak to a Communist government official for over an hour. We asked him several questions. My questions were quite direct and I share some of them at a later time.
However, I did want to share one question that I asked. I told the official about an entrepreneur from Memphis named Fred Smith. Back in the early 1970’s we heard about how Smith had this crazy idea about delivering overnight packages from LA to San Francisco via Memphis. Sounded like it would not work, but Smith was able to invest all his money and eventually it paid off. His idea was successful.
I asked the simple question: Could something like this happen here in Communist Czechoslovakia? He responded, “No. That is because no private citizen is allowed to own that much capital. The government must do things like that.”
There was no chance for entrepreneurs to exist in communist countries. I was simply pointing out that economic freedom allows an environment for entrepreneurs. Why would someone put the time and energy in putting together a grand plan like Fed Ex when the benefit and reward would just go to a communist government? Entrepreneurship should be encouraged, but many times today in the USA we find that our lawmakers pass laws that discourage entrepreneurs.
In this series on the Estate Tax I will be quoting portions of the article “The Economic Case Against the Death Tax,”(Heritage Foundation, July 20, 2010) by Curtis S. Dubay. Dubay is a Senior Analyst in Tax Policy in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.
Stifling Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is vital to economic growth. Entrepreneurs who start businesses create new jobs that help expand the economy. The death tax stands in the way of entrepreneurs. When a person weighs the risk of a new business venture, he takes into account all the costs he will face in order to determine the final return he will earn. He then weighs whether the return he could earn is worth the risk of losing all he invests in the enterprise. The death tax raises the costs an entrepreneur will pay because it promises to confiscate a portion of his business upon his death. The prospect of their children or other family members being forced to pay a hefty tax in order to keep the business they have rightly inherited causes many entrepreneurs to refrain from starting a business. That means fewer jobs are created and economic growth is slower than it would have been in the absence of the death tax.
Successful entrepreneurs who create the most jobs pay high marginal income tax rates throughout their working years. When the top federal income tax rate is combined with the average federal rate and federal payroll taxes, those who take the risk to start a business often pay marginal tax rates of close to 50 percent. The death tax is yet another tax an entrepreneur must pay if he uses the disposable income left over after paying taxes to grow the business and increase its value
I am Josh Johnston, and I am a Republican candidate for State Representative of the Arkansas 59 th District. I would like to share who I am, and why I want to be your State Representative.
I was born and raised right here in Cleburne County. I am married to Jennifer Wildman Johnston, and we have two children. Our son Jacob is 10 years old, and our daughter Jenna is 2 years old. My family and I attend Clearview Baptist Church in Heber Springs, where I serve as a Deacon and Jennifer teaches elementary students in the Christian school.
In 2003, I started my first business, Quality Rock. We now currently employ 25 people with operations in Hopewell, Letona, and Jerusalem. We plan to open another operation in Drasco in the near future.
I believe this country was founded as a Christian nation, and to this day, still is a Christian nation. The growth, prosperity and protection of this country comes only from God. I cannot stand by any longer to see our heritage, and rights of freedom of religious expression, being disassembled under the guises of political correctness.
I believe that in order for our government to properly function, our governing bodies must realign with the foundations set forth in our Constitution. I also believe that the people elected to these governing bodies be accountable to only one entity, their constituents. I believe in a government that is “of the people, by the people, for the people”. In our current day, we are watching the Federal government overstep its boundaries, and infringe upon statesʼ rights.
I believe that small business is the catalyst that drives our stateʼs economy. All levels of government must work to become more understanding of small business, and work to meet the needs of small businessmen and women. Burdensome regulations and over-taxation must cease for small businesses in Arkansas in order for them to survive and flourish.
Lastly, I want to talk about our military and veterans. I am a proud supporter of those that have served, and are currently serving in the military. It is the sacrifice of our military men and women, as well as their families, that upholds the foundation and freedoms of our great country. As your representative, the military members, and their families, will have my voice and support to meet their needs.
I believe this is a time that we truly need change in our governing. The change that needs to occur if our government is going to get back on track, starts here, in Cleburne County. I look forward to meeting you and sharing with you my ideas.
Series: Is Rightwing Rhetoric encouraging Violence? Part 3
Bill O’Reilly on the left-incited politicization of the tragic shooting of Rep Gabrielle Giffords.
In my last post in this series I stated,” I just wish that Gene Lyons, Max Brantley, Pat Lynch, Ernest Dumas, John Brummett and every other liberal would come out and condemn the liberals who have accused the conservatives of rhetoric that has encouraged the tragedy in Arizona. There is no connection at all between Jared Loughner and the conservatives. In fact, his favorite books include “The Communist Manifesto.”Then how could have the conservatives been guilty of encouraging this act of violence by Loughner?
This was written partly because I read the liberal NY Times columnist Paul Krugman’s comments through a link from the Arkansas Times on Jan 8th. Krugman asserted:
We don’t have proof yet that this was political, but the odds are that it was. She’s been the target of violence before…. Actually, it’s been scary for quite a while, in a way that already reminded many of us of the climate that preceded the Oklahoma City bombing.
You know that Republicans will yell about the evils of partisanship whenever anyone tries to make a connection between the rhetoric of Beck, Limbaugh, etc. and the violence I fear we’re going to see in the months and years ahead. But violent acts are what happen when you create a climate of hate.
Some liberals want to blame Sarah Palin for having tweeted during last year’s campaign that conservatives need not retreat, but reload. They want to blame her for linking that little gem to a map showing districts of Democratic House members who voted for health care reform and who were therefore “targeted.” This target was presented in the form of cross-hairs that were placed on the map to indicate the location of these Democrats’ districts.
Outrageous as that was, no fair-minded person can argue seriously that Palin was encouraging anyone to go shoot any of these Democratic House members.
He went on to quote a leading Republican political consultant who said, “For those who are politicizing this..U should be ashamed.” Brummett agreed. Then Brummett noted:
A lunatic gunman’s actions cannot be blamed on any reasonably sane or law-abiding person, even if that other person’s behavior well-represents the bad judgment and overheated rhetoric rampant in our modern political and pundit classes.
Nor can the lunatic’s actions even be blamed on the general culture of polarization, intolerance and rage created by this collective blather of contemporary blowhards.
Reasonable, responsible and essentially decent people can behold mindless political meanness and become frustrated by it, even to the point of engaging reciprocally in mindless political meanness. But they do not grab a pistol and shoot a member of Congress and anyone happening to be around her. Nor are they inviting anyone else to do that.
I want to say that there is at least one liberal in Arkansas that is willing to stand up against his own camp when he sees they have stepped over the line. I know what it feels like, because when I started writing on the subject of Unconfirmed Quotes of the Founders that I am afraid that my own conservative camp has been guilty of using more than the left, and as a result of my writings, I received lots of negative feedback from conservatives.
Truth sometimes steps on the toes of people in both camps. I am proud to say that I have offended some in my camp when I have confronted them with it. I wear it as a badge of honor.
Today I am profiling St lawmaker Eddie Joe Williams.
My friend Bob Robbins in front of my 67 SS Camaro
From the Beginning
Eddie Joe Williams was born in Sheridan, Arkansas in 1954. He lived in Sheridan until he joined the United States Army in 1972.
While attending military training in Colorado, Eddie Joe met the love of his life, DeLona Rudy. The two have been happily married since 1973. After serving a tour in the Army, Eddie Joe returned to Sheridan to begin his career with the Union Pacific Railroad.
Over his thirty years with the railroad, Eddie Joe worked his way from a laborer to the Regional Director of Transportation, who manages the day to day operations of the Eastern division of the railroad, which spans from Chicago to Louisiana.
Political Career
Due to the extensive travel required by being a senior manager, Eddie Joe decided to retire from management and raise his family in Cabot; where he began his public service.
For 15 years, Eddie Joe has been serving his community, beginning with an appointment to the planning commission. After serving on the planning commission, Eddie Joe was elected to serve on the City Council three consecutive times. Currently, Eddie Joe is serving his last year as Mayor of Cabot.
Family
Eddie Joe and DeLona have raised four beautiful daughters and currently have seven grandchildren.
Their oldest is Bethany (“Buffy”) Hartz. Buffy is married to Justin Hartz and they have four children; Lane 12, Carson 8, Maggie 8, and Caleb 6.
The next daughter is Amanda (“Mandy”) Glover. She is married to Michael Glover and they have one son, Spencer 5.
Next in line is Tiffinie (“Tiff”) Taylor. Tiff is married to Josh Taylor and they have two sons; Lawson 3 and Hudson 2.
Last but not least is Hannah. Hannah is married to David Warren. Hannah and David do not have any children, but they have a wonderful dog named Winston.
Currently Eddie Joe’s greatest enjoyment is spending time with his grandchildren.
American Family Business Institute’s Dick Patten argues the estate tax will hurt jobs because of its impact on family farms and family-owned businesses. It will cost a million jobs.
The estate tax encourages people to spend their money instead of investing it in the economy and trying to make a profit. This is simple economics and people acting in their own best self interest.
In this series on the Estate Tax I will be quoting portions of the article “The Economic Case Against the Death Tax,”(Heritage Foundation, July 20, 2010) by Curtis S. Dubay. Dubay is a Senior Analyst in Tax Policy in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.
Undermines job creation. Because the death tax discourages saving and investing, it also undermines job creation. Resources that otherwise would have been available for businesses to use to expand their operations and add new workers are consumed by people who deem it wiser to spend the money now than invest it knowing their inheritors will have to pay the death tax later. Furthermore, resources that businesses otherwise would have used to add jobs are diverted to protect families from the death tax.
Suppresses wages and productivity.Since the death tax lowers saving and investing, there are fewer resources available for businesses to purchase additional tools and equipment or replace old and worn-out pieces with new ones. That means less capital their workers can use, and therefore the workers’ productivity does not increase as much as it would have in the absence of the death tax. If the business cannot replace worn-out capital, the productivity of its workers declines. Wages are a function of a worker’s productivity, growing more slowly when productivity slows, and declining when productivity decreases.
R-Berryville
House District 91
Serving his second term
Committees: Transportation; Agriculture
Special connections: House Minority leader
How to reach him: E-mail: kingb@arkleg.state.ar.us. On weekends, call his office at 870-438-4565. Messages are checked.
What you should know: Represents one of the most diverse districts in the state, with Eureka Springs in the middle surrounded by conservative countryside. Interests include helping tourism. Has become strong opponent of ethanol subsidies. Favors more research on biodiesel.
His priority: “Fighting for tax relief, including the reduction in the grocery tax and tax relief for manufacturers. The biggest crisis people face is losing their job.”
Firmest prediction: “A lot of people are going to get fenced off from what they want because money will be hard to get.”
Which brings us back to Sarah Palin. No, it’s not her fault in any legal or moral sense, although if somebody shot Palin herself after, say, Michael Moore put Alaska in the cross hairs, there’d be hell to pay. It’s not the fault of those yoyos swaggering around tea-party meetings carrying assault weapons, displaying “liberal hunting licenses” or listening to Glenn Beck’s delusional rants about President Obama’s imaginary concentration camps. It’s all just hijinks, satire, harmless joking. It’s also not Rush Limbaugh’s fault. Nor is it Newt Gingrich’s for writing that a Democratic president’s “secularsocialist machine represents as great a threat to America as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union once did.” But you know how we’re constantly being told that the Democrats are the party of no consequences, no personal responsibility and crippling moral relativism? It turns out they’re not the only ones.
Indeed, when Little Rock jihadist Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad was arrested in June 2009 for the murder of Army private William A. Long, 23, and the shooting of Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, it took three days for the White House to issue a limp, politically correct statement expressing “sadness” over the attacks, which President Obama opaquely described as a “senseless act of violence” (instead of the intentional systematic act of Islamic terrorism that it was). In the same week, the Obama administration issued an immediate condemnation and statement of “outrage” over the shooting death of late-term abortionist George Tiller.
Don’t get me wrong. I strongly condemn the violence against George Tiller, but also I am saddened that the majority of Muslim Imams have not come out and quickly condemned the violence by Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad in Little Rock against U.S. Army recruiters (which my son Hunter is one). Likewise, I just wish that Gene Lyons, Max Brantley, Pat Lynch, Ernest Dumas, John Brummett and every other liberal would come out and condemn the liberals who have accused the conservatives of rhetoric that has encouraged the tragedy in Arizona.There is no connection at all between Jared Loughner and the conservatives. In fact, his favorite books include “The Communist Manifesto.” Then how could have the conservatives been guilty of encouraging this act of violence by Loughner?
Sarah Palin correctly noted that Ronald Reagan was right when he said, “We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.”
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Today I am profiling State lawmaker Bill Sample
Last updated: March 9, 2010
Bill’s Topic of the week:
As a public officer, I am working for you. You have ideas and I want to hear them. The best way to represent you is to hear your thoughts and ideas, and work to get things done. Please see my Contact page so you can e-mail or write to me.
A little about Bill:
Bill is an Arkansan. He was born and raised in Arkansas.
Bill is a husband, father, brother, grandfather, uncle, and just a good down home, hard working everyday man.
Bill and his wife Betty Ann are the owners of Pestco, Inc.
Did you know?
We elected Bill to the House of Representatives in 2004, representing District 30. Bill is now serving his third and last term.
To see Bill’s State Representing history, go to the Arkansas Legislature web site.
Bill’s State Representative Work includes:
Advocate for Veteran’s health care.
Introduced comprehensive immigration legislation.
Passed legislation regarding driver’s license and identification cards issued to aliens.
Passed legislation that will help school boards save students that are involved in a suspension or expulsion hearing.
Bill sourced the funding for Mountain Pine to build Head Start.
Bill worked hard to get this stop light installed, allowing students from NPCC to enter and exit safely.
They moved the road, but did not install new signs. Bill saw to it that a new sign was installed so people from out of town could find the Lake Hamilton schools.
Grande Harvest Wines owner Bruce Nevins discusses the costs, time, and stress the estate tax, also called the death tax, places on his business, and the effect it will have on his family after he dies. It destroys investment in the economy.
Tomorrow I want to get back on my series about the Arizona tragedy being used by the liberals to blame the Republicans for creating an atmosphere of hate where people get hurt physically. However, today I want to drive home this point that liberals seem to stick to their liberal philosophy even if people get hurt financially.
I have wondered why liberals never seem to get the idea of people acting in their own self interest. When taxes are lowered then revenues many times go up because rich investors get out their wallets and invest further in our economy. I will give a perfect example later in this post.
It seems to me that liberals like Max Brantley, John Brummett, Gene Lyons, Pat Lynch, Ernest Dumas, and Mark Pryor seem to agree with President Obama that we should raise taxes for reasons of “fairness” even it hurts our economy.
In this series on the Estate Tax I will be quoting portions of the article “The Economic Case Against the Death Tax,”(Heritage Foundation, July 20, 2010) by Curtis S. Dubay. Dubay is a Senior Analyst in Tax Policy in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.
Capital is any resource that individuals or businesses use to generate income. Like anything else, when the income accruing to capital is taxed, its price rises and less of it is purchased. Less capital means slower productivity growth, lower wages, and fewer jobs. As such, taxes on capital should be minimal or nonexistent. In fact, there is a general consensus among economists that there should be no taxes on capital. The death tax:
Discourages savings and investment.
For those Americans who think that their estates may one day be subjected to the federal death tax, the tax sends a signal that it is better to consume today than invest and make more money in the future. Instead of putting their money in the hands of entrepreneurs or investing more in their own economic endeavors, Americans are encouraged to consume it now rather than pay taxes on it later.
Allan J. Favish wrote a brilliant article (“Obama on Taxes,” Dec 16) in which he showed how President Obama has contradicted himself lately concerning his view on raising taxes on the rich for purposes of “fairness.”
Basically President Obama said in his Democratic Presidential Debate in 2008 that as president he would still raise the capital gain tax even if it lowered the revenue received. Here’s is the transcript from the debate broadcast by ABC News on April 16, 2008 and moderated by Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos:
GIBSON: All right. You have, however, said you would favor an increase in the capital gains tax. As a matter of fact, you said on CNBC, and I quote, “I certainly would not go above what existed under Bill Clinton,” which was 28 percent. It’s now 15 percent. That’s almost a doubling, if you went to 28 percent.
But actually, Bill Clinton, in 1997, signed legislation that dropped the capital gains tax to 20 percent.
OBAMA: Right.
GIBSON: And George Bush has taken it down to 15 percent.
OBAMA: Right.
GIBSON: And in each instance, when the rate dropped, revenues from the tax increased; the government took in more money. And in the 1980s, when the tax was increased to 28 percent, the revenues went down.
So why raise it at all, especially given the fact that 100 million people in this country own stock and would be affected?
OBAMA: Well, Charlie, what I’ve said is that I would look at raising the capital gains tax for purposes of fairness.
We saw an article today which showed that the top 50 hedge fund managers made $29 billion last year — $29 billion for 50 individuals. And part of what has happened is that those who are able to work the stock market and amass huge fortunes on capital gains are paying a lower tax rate than their secretaries. That’s not fair.
And what I want is not oppressive taxation. I want businesses to thrive, and I want people to be rewarded for their success. But what I also want to make sure is that our tax system is fair and that we are able to finance health care for Americans who currently don’t have it and that we’re able to invest in our infrastructure and invest in our schools.
And you can’t do that for free.
OBAMA: And you can’t take out a credit card from the Bank of China in the name of our children and our grandchildren, and then say that you’re cutting taxes, which is essentially what John McCain has been talking about.
And that is irresponsible. I believe in the principle that you pay as you go. And, you know, you don’t propose tax cuts, unless you are closing other tax breaks for individuals. And you don’t increase spending, unless you’re eliminating some spending or you’re finding some new revenue. That’s how we got an additional $4 trillion worth of debt under George Bush. That is helping to undermine our economy. And it’s going to change when I’m president of the United States.
GIBSON: .But history shows that when you drop the capital gains tax, the revenues go up
OBAMA: Well, that might happen, or it might not. It depends on what’s happening on Wall Street and how business is going. I think the biggest problem that we’ve got on Wall Street right now is the fact that we got have a housing crisis that this president has not been attentive to and that it took John McCain three tries before he got it right.
And if we can stabilize that market, and we can get credit flowing again, then I think we’ll see stocks do well. And once again, I think we can generate the revenue that we need to run this government and hopefully to pay down some of this debt.
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Today I am profiling State lawmaker Lane Jean.
Lane was born in Columbia County. He is a graduate of Magnolia High and Southern Arkansas University. Lane’s work experience includes working on his family cattle farm and employed in his father’s (J. L. Jean) logging contractors business.
His government experience spans over 22 years. Lane is currently serving in his 15th year as Mayor of Magnolia, Arkansas. Two terms as a member of the Columbia County Quorum Court. Lane also served four years as a Columbia County Election Commission.
Lane was appointed to a four-year term by then Governor Mike Huckabee to the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. He also served five years on the Southern Arkansas University Board of Trustees. Lane currently serves on the board of Magnolia Economic Development Corporation, President of the Lower Southwest Arkansas Solid Waste Board and a member of the executive board for the Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District.
Lane’s other business and civic interest includes President of Reeves Land and Timber Company and a Board Members of Farmers Real Estate Corporation. Lane is also a member of the Magnolia Rotary Club and board position on our local WAGE and Adult Education Boards.
Lane is married to the former Judy Leonhard of McNeil, Arkansas. Lane and Judy have two children, Kelli Taylor and Gray Jean. They also have one grandson, Charlie Taylor. Kelli is married to Mark Taylor of Magnolia.
Lane and Judy are members of the Jackson Street Church of Christ in Magnolia, where Lane serves as a Bible school teacher for youth.
The estate tax is an immoral tax because it is really a death tax. ‘The Blessing of Enough’ author Rabbi Shmuley Boteach argues the estate tax is immoral.
Will Rogers has a great quote that I love. He noted, “Lord, the money we do spend on Government and it’s not one bit better than the government we got for one-third the money twenty years ago”(Paula McSpadden Love,The Will Rogers Book,(1972) p. 20.)
Liberals like Ernest Dumas, Max Brantley, and John Brummett all love the estate tax. It had its origin about 100 years ago in the USA. In 1910, Teddy Roosevelt summed up his feelings. “We grudge no man a fortune in civil life if it is honorably obtained and well used,” Roosevelt said. “It is not even enough that it should have been gained without doing damage to the community. We should permit it to be gained only so long as the gaining represents benefit to the community…. The really big fortune, the swollen fortune, by the mere fact of its size, acquires qualities which differentiate it in kind as well as in degree from what is possessed by men of relatively small means. Therefore, I believe in a graduated income tax on big fortunes, and … a graduated inheritance tax on big fortunes, properly safeguarded against evasion, and increasing rapidly in amount with the size of the estate.”
In 1916 Congress followed Roosevelt’s earlier wishes and tried to soak the rich with the estate tax in order to pay for World War I. Actually the estate tax revenues were over 5% of the total revenues gathered by the USA back then. However, I truly believe it is an immoral and stupid tax. It is a tax on capital and destroys jobs.and should be rejected for many other reasons. In the next few days I will look at several of these solid reasons.
In this series on the Estate Tax I will be quoting portions of the article “The Economic Case Against the Death Tax,” (Heritage Foundation, July 20, 2010) by Curtis S. Dubay. Dubay is a Senior Analyst in Tax Policy in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.
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Today I am profiling St lawmaker Allen Kerr.
State Representative Allen Kerr didn’t get his first peek at running a business—or government—after he won his first seat in office. No, it started when he took his first stand on the top of an overturned milk crate in 1968. That crate served as his stepstool to the cash register at his father’s Jacksonville grocery store.
From that perch he came to know that, like himself, his customers worked hard for their money and cared how they spent it. He learned about watching numbers carefully, whether it was a scrolling grocery store register tape, a spreadsheet that showed something wasn’t quite right in Pulaski’s county government, or double-dipping by elected officials. Allen eye’s showed a knack for funny math.
As a lifelong Pulaski County resident, a graduate from the Pulaski County school system, and a now a businessman in West Little Rock, Allen knows living, studying, working, and worshiping in Arkansas. He, his wife, Marliese, and his family attend Highland Valley United Methodist Church in West Little Rock.
For the past 26 years, Allen and Marliese have managed their successful business in their office at 1429 Merrill Drive in West Little Rock. During this time, the Allen Kerr Insurance agency has grown to be one of the largest insurance and financial services agencies in Arkansas for Farmers Insurance Group. Just as Allen watched over his customers at his father’s grocery store, he and Marliese now protect the property and financial futures for over 4000 customers and 500 million dollars in assets. For twelve consecutive years his agency has won the President’s Council award, the highest honor for Farmers Insurance Group.
More recently, Allen’s deep-rooted integrity and financial insight have served the public good for citizens of Pulaski County and Arkansas. In Pulaski County, he noticed something missing from the spreadsheets in the county’s Quorum Court. It was money—and lots of it. Turns out that Allen’s line of questioning revealed a scheme to steal taxpayer money, deplete the county reserve fund, and put Pulaski County in such a bad financial position it was forced to close portions of the county jail. He didn’t stand for five-finger discounts in his father’s grocery store, and he didn’t stand for it in the county checkbook, either. Just two months into his first political office, he uncovered massive fraud and wrote a blueprint to restore trust and financial stability to Pulaski County’s budget of $100 million.
During this first term in office, Allen was elected in a bi-partisan vote to become the budget chair for the quorum court. He turned the public’s attention to budget decisions, worked with others to save county dollars, and reallocated that money to open more jail beds, which in turn helped reduce the catch-and-release prison problem in Pulaski County. He finished his second year in office after being re-elected as the budget chair.
After talking with voters, he decided to seek the Arkansas State House seat for District 32, to which he was elected in November 2008, replacing a term-limited Sid Rosenbaum. In his first session, Allen worked on bills to make Arkansas a better place to live, work, and raise a family.
Meeting commitments he made as a candidate, he proposed a bill to increase the daily reimbursement amount counties receive from the state for holding inmates in their facilities. As it is, the state finds it cheaper to let prisoners languish in county jails rather than move them to state penitentiaries. The proposed reimbursement structure prompts the state to assume their responsibility and lighten the load of frequently overburdened, underfunded county jails. This bill was introduced in March of 2009 and is being studied by the City, County and Local Affairs Committee. In the meantime, Allen works to gain support for this bill, make room for more inmates, and lock down the statewide catch-and-release problem completely.
Another effort by Kerr to return taxpayer dollars to their right and proper use is the investigation into and exposure of double-dipping by some elected county officials in Arkansas. As it turns out, some entrusted by voters have been quietly “retiring” after their winning their unopposed primary elections—giving no notice to the public; waiting a 90-day period—some of them still functioning in their elected role; and then applying for retirement benefits—which they accrue at twice the rate of regular state employees. Once the benefits begin, these double-dippers quietly declare themselves “rehired” for their current position—but they take no new oath of office.
The public is none the wiser, but coffers are all the poorer, paying out a salary and retirement benefits at the same time. The officials claim refuge under a law enacted to keep the best state employees for the long term. The Attorney General, however, declared the practice illegal in his opinion delivered June 2. Kerr is working to draft bills to close these alleged loopholes, expose the current problems, and safeguard the public trust from here on out.
In the future, Allen Kerr will continue to speak as a voice for common sense in Arkansas government. He holds himself accountable first, then others, and opens the door to others who want to do the same. He says “Government has to be responsive and open to voters. All levels of government have lost voters’ trust. That can be regained only by doing the right thing.”
Knowing the right thing is choosing priority over popularity, Allen welcomes public inquiry. “The public has a right to know how their government business is conducted. Public servants have to hold themselves to the highest ethical standards and be open to public scrutiny.”
As he seeks re-election to the Arkansas House of Representatives, he invites you investigate his record and see if security, priority, and integrity win your vote.
New Series Part 1 Is Rightwing Rhetoric encouraging Violence
Former President Bill Clinton points out that “by and large these (threats to politicians) have systematically been coming out of the far right.” (3 min)
On Saturday I got to go to our first Saturday Worship Service at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock. This was so I could help my son and his family move in to Bryant at 11:30 am on Sunday.
“I think the vitriolic rhetoric that we hear day in and day out from people in the radio business and some people in the TV business and what (we) see on TV and how our youngsters are being raised, that this has not become the nice United States of America that most of us grew up in. And I think it’s time that we do the soul-searching,” the sheriff said.
On Sunday, Dupnik didn’t back down.
“I think we’re the tombstone of the United States of America,” Dupnik said of The Granite State, which a day earlier he called the “Mecca” of hatred and bigotry. “To try to inflame the public on a daily basis 24 hours a day, seven days a week has impact on people, especially who are unbalanced personalities to begin with.”
Then at 9:30 in the morning I watched “Face the Nation” and saw Rep Steny Hoyer, Democrat from Maryland assert, “I think the sheriff was right. Bob, when you and I grew up, we grew up listening to essentially three major news outlets: NBC, ABC, and of course, CBS. We listened to people like Walter Cronkite and Eric Sevareid, and Huntley-Brinkley, and they saw their job as to inform us of the facts and we would make a conclusion,” Hoyer said. “Far too many broadcasts now and so many outlets have the intent of inciting, and inciting people to opposition, to anger, to thinking the other side is less than moral. And I think that is a context in which somebody who is mentally unbalanced can somehow feel justified in taking this kind of action. And I think we need to all take cognizance of that and be aware that what we say can, in fact, have consequences.”
Dupnik wants us to believe that this shooter was an avid listener of Rush Limbaugh, but nothing could be further from the truth. We are now told that he did not like political news at all. It is my view that if this gunman in Arizona is an admirer of the Communist Manifesto as press reports indicate then all these allegations towards the right fall to the ground. This guy was a mental case. It appears at this point that he was a left wing mental case. Of course, there are plenty of right wing mental cases walking around too.
Glenn Beck on Bill Clinton’s comments on comparison on Okla Bombing atmosphere
to now and Tea Party and then Beck looks at radical left groups.
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I am profiling St lawmaker Duncan Baird today. This interview was the Morning News in 2009.
R-Lowell
House District 95
Freshman
Committees: Judiciary; State Agencies.
Special connections: National Rifle Association member; University of Arkansas Alumni Association; worked on many Republican campaigns before running for office.
How to reach him: Has a Web site with contact information: duncanbaird.com. E-mail: rep.baird@gmail.com. Home telephone, which forwards to his cell phone when he’s not there: 479-439-1717.
What you should know: Drew the highest seniority number of any freshman in the House. If he serves three terms, he will become the most senior member. This will help him get the committee assignments he wants.
His priority: “I really want to focus on the budget: a grocery tax decrease, helping the economy. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on the budget.”
His firmest prediction: The budget overall “is going to be the biggest issue in the session.”
Ronald Reagan and others comment on “Gun Control” efforts
Series on Gun Control: Part 6
Max Brantley commented on Jan 8th (Arkansas Times Blog) on the Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords getting shot and that led to his comments on the state of Arizona laws on guns: “As I said to a pro-carry lobbyist n the comment thread, the motivation of the shooter has no relevance to a fair question about open carry laws: Does widespread presence of openly carried weapons desensitize people to potential threats from people with guns when they turn up at a grocery store? If somebody strolls into the Kroger in Little Rock carrying a weapon, an alarm would be sounded. In Arizona, not so much. Those with concealed weapons have at least been through a background check.”
During this series on gun control, I will be quoting from an article “Gun Control:Myths and Realities” by David Lampo of the Cato Institute.
1. Thousands of children die annually in gun accidents. False. Gun accidents involving children are actually at record lows, although you wouldn’t know it from listening to the mainstream media. In 1997, the last year for which data are available, only 142 children under 15 years of age died in gun accidents, and the total number of gun-related deaths for this age group was 642. More children die each year in accidents involving bikes, space heaters or drownings. The often repeated claim that 12 children per day die from gun violence includes “children” up to 20 years of age, the great majority of whom are young adult males who die in gang-related violence.
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Today I am profiling the State lawmaker Justin Harris.
About Justin Harris
Justin Harris is a small business owner of a faith based preschool, Growing God’s Kingdom. Justin, along with his wife Marsha, have created 33 jobs in the small rural city of West Fork, AR. Justin has been married to his lovely wife for the past 10 years. They have three handsome boys Ethan (8), Isaiah (6), and Caelan (5). Justin knows what it takes to persevere and fight hard, even when life can be very difficult.
Justin was born in Muskogee, OK, to Linda Harris and the late Michael Harris. He grew up in a Pastor’s home, where often times the needs of others came before their own. At the age of 15, Justin’s parents divorced, leaving his family torn apart. During his Senior Year at Siloam Springs High School, he was left to take care of himself. He was able to excel, working full time, became class president, and was able to be in the top twenty of his graduating class.
Justin later went on to the University of Arkansas. He maintained a high grade point average, but due to having to work full time and pay his own way, he had to temporarily quit. Justin later came back, after 15 years, and finished his Bachelor’s Degree in Human Environmental Science concentrating in Child Development and Families. He wanted to show his children that nothing in life is impossible, and God is able to finish what He starts. Justin believes we must do the same, finish what we start. During this time in life, of barely making ends meet, Justin remained grounded in his faith. He attended Living Faith Church in Fayetteville for 9 years. During this time, he met the love of his life, Marsha Frederick, at church and spoke at her University of Arkansas class. Four months later they married, and have been happily married for 10 years.
Justin and Marsha soon had the opportunity to direct a church preschool. They took the enrollment from 14 to the maximum of 61. After three years, they felt like God was calling them in a new direction and they opened up their home and created Growing God’s Kingdom, Inc. They converted their garage into a classroom and taught 16 children daily and had a total of three staff, the three including themselves. Justin and Marsha wanted to make a greater difference in Northwest Arkansas, and opened the current facility Growing God’s Kingdom. GGK has over 33 employees, and 150 children in attendance daily. . During this time, Justin has had the opportunity to be on an Advisory Board for Children and Families in Little Rock. Justin and Marsha were also awarded “Professionals of the Year Award” by the NWA Child Care Association.
Justin continued to see a need that wasn’t being filled. People were constantly needing help, but didn’t know how to go about getting it. It wasn’t financial help, but help for getting things done. It could be a parent needing help with insurance claims, knowing what to do in local, state, or federal government, or maybe needing to know the rights for their own children in public school or home based education. I spent time working for them and was able to get things done for them and make a difference in their lives.
Justin wanted to pursue politics at an early age. Running for Student Body President and carrying around a sign for Bush and Quayle were just a part of his activities. He got involved in local government by serving on the Planning Commission, where he soon became Vice Chairman. Justin wanted to make more of an effort and ran for West Fork City Council, where his term ends December 31, 2010. Justin also works on the Budget and Personnel Committee.
Justin decided to run for Arkansas State Representative of District 87, after much thought, prayer, and discussion with his family. Justin is ready to work hard for District 87 and the people of Arkansas. “I look forward to serving the entire district, and taking conservative values to Little Rock!”
Justin was born in Muskogee, OK, to Linda Harris and the late Michael Harris. He grew up in a Pastor’s home, where often times the needs of others came before their own. At the age of 15, Justin’s parents divorced, leaving his family torn apart. During his Senior Year at Siloam Springs High School, he was left to take care of himself. He was able to excel, working full time, became class president, and was able to be in the top twenty of his graduating class.
The Daily Hatch 