Massive conflict of interest

***********************************
 Councilor Bowie's wife working as an administration assistant with the Police Department  poses a massive conflict of interest  for Mr. Bowie.  


 Mr Bowie should recuse himself  not only on pay issues affecting his wife but on ALL  Police Department business.


As long as Mrs. Bowie works for the PD, the department has indirect if not direct leverage on one of the  council votes.  If Mr. Bowie doesn't push the PD agenda the  department has the ability to affect the quality of life in the Bowie household.


 It could even effect their income. The threat of job loss is always  there. A department head can always find a legitimate reason to fire an employee.


State and Federal lawmakers are never allowed to pass  legislation that directly affects their own business ventures .Why shouldn't we hold our local politicians to the same standard. Mr Bowie shouldn't be allowed to vote on matters that could potentially affect his family income.


I am surprised this obvious conflict has been overlooked for so long.
 
 Mr. Larochelle  has often talked about the council policing itself .This conflict is a good place to start.




Joe
************************************

Joke of the Day

Dear Dad,
$chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can`t think of anything I need. $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you.
Love,
Your $on


The Reply:

Dear Son,

I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.
Love,
Dad

Military Pensions on the block

6 reasons we can't stop the economic meltdown

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (MarketWatch) — What a year. Rage in London, Egypt, Athens, Damascus. All real. Just a metaphor in the new “Planet of the Apes” film? No, much more. Warning: More rage is dead ahead. Across our planet a new generation is filled with rage. High unemployment. Raging inflation. Dreams lost. Hope gone. While the super -rich get richer and richer.

http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/08/16/market-watch-tax-superrich-riots-rage-2012-59981/

Media Bias

Joke of the Day

A Revolution is Underway

http://lewrockwell.com/kwiatkowski/kwiatkowski272.html

San Francisco Subway Shuts Cell Service to Foil Protest; Legal Debate Ignites

http://12160.info/page/2649739:Page:571537

Money Masters

Posting

   It has been brought to our attention that posts cycle off the front page of the blog so fast people have to search the blog to find a recent post.


 In the future any editorial will be left on the top of the main page for at least 3 days and the main blog page will be been increased to 30 posts.


There is always a trade off between fast page loading and the amount of content on the page.


Thank you for you comments.


Joe, Doc and Barney

The tiny dot

Joke of the day

A woman in her eighties made the evening news because she was getting married for the fourth time. The following day she was being interviewed by a local TV station, and the commentator asked about what it felt to be married again at that age and would she share part of her previous experiences, since it seem quite unique the fact that her new husband was a ‘funeral director.’ After a short time to think, a smile came to her face and she proudly explained that she had first married a banker when she was in her twenties, in her forties she married a circus ring master, and in her sixties she married a pastor and now in her eighties, a funeral director.

 The amazed commentator asked her why she had married men with such diverse carriers. With a smile on her face she explained, ‘I married one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go.’

Unaccounted votes in Iowa straw poll

218 unaccounted for votes in the Iowa straw poll, are we seeing vote fraud to block Ron Paul from winning first place?
http://www.federaljack.com/?p=96347

Patriot Act secret legal interpretation

Two Senators have been warning for months that the government has a secret legal interpretation of the Patriot Act so broad that it amounts to an entirely different law — one that gives the feds massive domestic surveillance powers, and keeps the rest of us in the dark about the snooping.
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/08/senate-panel-keeps-secret-patriot-act-under-wraps/

The story of your enslavement

Foxnews Cuts Off Ron Paul’s Iowa Straw Poll Speech While He’s Talking Patriot Act & Foreign Policy

Bachmann wind Paul close second

Michele Bachmann Wins Aimes Iowa Straw Poll As Ron Paul Places Second Despite Widespread Corporate Media Sabotage
http://theintelhub.com/2011/08/13/michele-bachmann-wins-aimes-iowa-straw-poll-as-ron-paul-places-second-despite-widespread-corporate-media-sabotage/

Ron Paul Vs. Military Industrial Complex Establishment Shills :

Ron Paul Vs. Military Industrial Complex Establishment Shills :

U.S. in drug business

U.S. federal agents allegedly cut a deal with the Sinaloa drug cartel that allowed it to traffic tons of narcotics across the border, in exchange for information about rival cartels, according to documents filed in federal court.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/08/05/americas-third-wardid-us-cut-deal-with-sinaloa-cartel/?cmpid=cmty_email_Gigya_America's_Third_War%3A_The_U.S._Cut_a_Deal_With_the_Sinaloa_Cartel%2C_Say_Court_Documents

The Riots in England Tells Us Never Surrender Our Firearms to the State

The Riots in England Tells Us Never Surrender Our Firearms to the State

                The United Kingdom has become a police state on steroids. The bankers have looted the nation with no more opportunity for young people and just getting by with very little. What also has happened is over 10 years ago is the people of the UK lost their right to keep and bear arms. These riots are out of frustration because of economic frustration and political corruption. There are many contributing factors for this happening. Most of the rioters are thugs out to create mayhem. Many good people are defenseless like sitting ducks.

                http://lonestarwatchdog.blogspot.com/2011/08/riots-in-england-tells-us-never.html

Root of the problem

Violence spreads beyond London

Market rigging?????

 Reason to suspect rigging of today's market

Webmaster's Commentary: 

The stick graph at the very bottom shows trading volume during the day, which starts high shoving the stock market up, then as the market hits a plateau the volume drops off! Right at the Fed Announcement volume picks up briefly as the sell orders hit, then note that volume jumps back up again just ahead of the second rise in the market prices! These new buy orders, almost matching the volume the day started with, are driving the DOW increase. The stock market is being rigged using supply-demand market forces, rather than earnings and dividends. "Someone" with access to unlimited financial  resources is gaming the system

Joke of the Day

A man is at work one day when he notices that his co-worker is wearing an earring. This man knows his co-worker to be a normally, conservative fellow, and is curious about his sudden change in “fashion sense.”

 The man walks up to him and says, “I didn’t know you were into earring.” “Don’t make a big deal, it’s only an earring,” he replies sheepishly.

 His friend falls silent for a few minutes, but then his curiosity prods him to say, “So, how long have you been wearing one?”

 “Ever since my wife found it in my truck.”

Bank run

The Guardian reports that while Western media has been silent on the issue Greece is in an absolute state of panic facing a Great Depression style run on the banks as people race to withdrawal their cash.

http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/08/02/greece-panic-masses-race-pull-cash-banks-causing-great-depression-style-bankrun-48201/

Down Down Down

BARACKALYPSE: World Financial Markets, Economy on the Brink; Obama Says Good News Is That It’s Solvable; Collapse Chart

http://theintelhub.com/2011/08/08/barackalypse-world-financial-markets-economy-on-the-brink-obama-says-good-news-is-that-it%e2%80%99s-solvable-collapse-chart/

London may soon be under Martial Law

London Set To Be Under Martial Law In Next 24 Hours – Troops To Deploy Against ‘Teenage’ Population
http://theintelhub.com/2011/08/08/london-to-be-under-martial-law-in-next-24-hours-troops-to-deploy-against-population-in-london/

Seal team hit

Watch the bloodbath tomorrow

Poll shows Dutch voters 2-1 against aid for Italy

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/08/08/business-eu-netherlands-financial-crisis_8607725.html

Dow down over 630 points

http://money.cnn.com/data/markets/dow/?iid=C_MT_Index

Germany says eurozone can't save Italy

Advisors in the German government think the eurozone's bailout fund won't be enough to save Italy from its current crisis, according to a media report.

http://www.thelocal.de/money/20110807-36801.html

Joke of the day

Amish Humor

Sign behind an Amish carriage:

"Energy efficient vehicle. Runs on grass and oats.

CAUTION: Avoid exhaust!"

U.S. prepares for worst case scenario with Pakistani nukes

As US-Pakistani relations spiral downward, the specter of a showdown between the increasingly antagonistic allies is garnering more attention, including the worst-case scenario of the US attempting to “snatch” Pakistan’s 100-plus nuclear weapons if it feared they were about to fall into the wrong hands
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\08\07\story_7-8-2011_pg7_6

Postal Service in danger of default

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Postal Service posted a net loss of $3.1 billion in its third quarter and warned again it would default on payments to the federal government if Congress did not step in.
http://news.yahoo.com/usps-posts-3-1-billion-loss-q3-warns-145707721.html

London on fire, anti police riots

Hackers take 1 Billion and blame clients

Valiena Allison got a call from her bank on a busy morning two years ago about a wire transfer from her company’s account. She told the managers she hadn’t approved the transfer. The problem was, her computer had.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-04/hackers-take-1-billion-a-year-from-company-accounts-banks-won-t-indemnify.html

Who owns American wealth?

Saudi stock market first to plunge on S and P downgrade

Saudi Arabia's stock market dropped 5.46pc on Saturday as it became the first exchange to react to the historic US credit downgrade

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8686045/Saudi-stock-market-first-to-plunge-on-SandP-downgrade.html

China wants supervision over U.S. dollar

http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/08/06/china-calls-international-supervision-dollar-global-currency-replace-50641/

Joke of the day

A man will pay $10 for a $5 item he needs.

A woman will pay $5 for a $10 item that she doesn't need, because it's on sale.

FDA goes after countrys only safe MILK

http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2011/08/05/monsantos-fda-goes-after-the-countrys-only-safe-milk/

Truth

Standard and Poors said US credit rating could be cut even more

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8685668/Standard-and-Poors-statement-US-credit-rating-could-be-cut-even-further.html

Helicopter attack kills 31 troops

Taliban helicopter attack kills 31 US special forces troops

A Nato Chinook helicopter has been shot down by Taliban insurgents, killing 31 American special forces soldiers in one of the worst single incidents in Afghanistan.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8685756/Taliban-helicopter-attack-kills-31-US-special-forces-troops.html

Emergency G7 summit

Emergency g7 summit called as markets continue to fallhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8685548/Emergency-G7-summit-called-as-markets-continue-to-fall.html

The Lisbon Reporter: Council Collusion and Cronyism‏ Lisbon Style

The Lisbon Reporter: Council Collusion and Cronyism‏ Lisbon Style: " COLLUSION During the Town Council meeting on August 2, 2011, I believe we witnessed an outrageous act of collusion. During the ..."

US lost AAA rating friday

Related Content

• A trader stands outside the New York Stock Exchange following the end of the trading …
• Article: Instant view: U.S. loses AAA credit rating from S&P Reuters - 5 mins ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States lost its top-notch AAA credit rating from Standard & Poor's on Friday in an unprecedented reversal of fortune for the world's largest economy.

S&P cut the long-term U.S. credit rating by one notch to AA-plus on concerns about the government's budget deficits and rising debt burden. The move is likely to raise borrowing costs eventually for the American government, companies and consumers.
http://news.yahoo.com/p-reconsidering-u-downgrade-cnbc-001207261.html

Joke of the Day

The spending is Nuts

Alex Jones loses it (conspiracy theory)

Lone Star Watchdog: Gun Control and the Well-Regulated Militia

Lone Star Watchdog: Gun Control and the Well-Regulated Militia: "Secession cannot work without a militia. by Russell D. Longcore DumpDC.com Gun control is today’s subject. The issue has thankfully drop..."

Whats really happening

How many americans under surveillance

Joke of the Day

Lone Star Watchdog: Texas, I Rather We Secede Than Be Ruled by a Super...

Lone Star Watchdog: Texas, I Rather We Secede Than Be Ruled by a Super...: " Hearing about the new Super Congress being imposed on us sounds like the Supreme Soviet under the communist syste..."

Activist Post: Fears for US Army bullet-proof vests over poor tests

Activist Post: Fears for US Army bullet-proof vests over poor tests

Death Of The Freedom Of Speech - Making A Video Parody Mocking The Police Now Illegal

Death Of The Freedom Of Speech - Making A Video Parody Mocking The Police Now Illegal

Joke of the day

Mayor fires entire police force

Lieberman wants to cut Social Security for Defense

Judge allows American to sue Rumsfeld over torture

By NEDRA PICKLER - Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- 

A federal judge has ruled that former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld can be sued personally for damages by a former U.S. military contractor who says he was tortured during a nine-month imprisonment in Iraq.
http://12160.info/profiles/blogs/2649739:BlogPost:538251

10 Orders Citizens wont obey

http://www.saveourguns.com/OathKeepers10orders.htm

Joke of the Day

Bill to kill Internet Privacy

The Legislation That Could Kill Internet Privacy for Good

The Atlantic
Conor Friedersdorf

An overzealous bill that claims to be about stopping child pornography turns every Web user into a person to monitor

Every right-thinking person abhors child pornography. To combat it, legislators have brought through committee a poorly conceived, over-broad Congressional bill, The Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011. It is arguably the biggest threat to civil liberties now under consideration in the United States. The potential victims: everyone who uses the Internet.

http://weeklyintercept.blogspot.com/2011/08/legislation-that-could-kill-internet.html

Fukushima Radiation Highest Ever, Exceeding Capacity of Measuring Device

http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2011/08/fukushima-radiation-highest-ever.html

Pakistan Nukes

US prepares for worst-case scenario with Pakistan nukes

By Robert Windrem
NBC News Investigative Producer for Special Projects
As U.S.-Pakistani relations spiral downward, the specter of a showdown between the increasingly antagonistic allies is garnering more attention, including the worst-case scenario of the U.S. attempting to “snatch” Pakistan’s 100-plus nuclear weapons if it feared they were about to fall into the wrong hands.http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/28/7189919-us-prepares-for-worst-case-scenario-with-pakistan-nukes

Joke of the day

Town Council Meeting tonight

Town Council Meeting tonight 7PM.  Aug. 2, 2011

This puts our own troops in danger of torture

U.S. 'black hole' prison's activities kept a secret

Tags:

• TORTURE/WAR CRIMES

There is a festering Obama war crime very unlikely to be mentioned during next year's skewering debates and character assassinations. On July 16, 2009 ("Mr. President: We Are Still Torturing?" cato.org), I reported:
"In a continuation of the Bush-Cheney practice of deliberately keeping certain groups of suspects far away from our courts and our laws, as well as hidden from monitoring by international human rights groups, the Obama administration has told a federal court our prisoners at Bagram (Air Field in Afghanistan), many held for more than six years without charges, have no rights under our laws."
http://whatreallyhappened.com/category/torturewar-crimes

Secret Law

White House Stonewalls Senators on Use of “Secret Law” to Spy on Americans

by Tom Burghardt / August 1st, 2011

During last spring’s run-up to the reauthorization of three expiring provisions of the USA Patriot Act, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) charged that the administration and the FBI were relying on a “secret” interpretation of law to vacuum-up exabytes of data, including cell phone location records and internet data mining that target Americans.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/08/white-house-stonewalls-senators-on-use-of-secret-law-to-spy-on-americans/#more-35476

Watch Goldman Sachs go under now

Lansdowne Partners sells entire $850m stake in Goldman Sachs

Lansdowne Partners, Europe's biggest hedge fund, has sold its entire $850m (£517m) position in Goldman Sachs in a move that underlines growing concerns about the prospects for the global banking sector.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/8673106/Lansdowne-Partners-sells-entire-850m-stake-in-Goldman-Sachs.html

Congress to decide whether Super Congress could impose gun control

Monday, 01 August 2011 12:07

Gun owner registration … bans on semi-automatic firearms … adoption of a UN gun control treaty -- all of these issues could very well be decided over the next 24 hours.
Both houses of Congress will be voting on a debt ceiling bill that establishes a legislative committee with TREMENDOUS powers.  Fox News is calling this committee a SUPER CONGRESS, because its legislative proposals (which could include gun control provisions) CANNOT be filibustered or amended in the Senate or House.
To understand what a huge deal this is, consider that House Speaker John Boehner is able to keep a mountain of gun control bills from coming to the floor of the House.  That’s the power of the Speaker.


http://gunowners.org/a08012011.htm

Lisbon Councilors unable to police their own

    If Lisbon Councilors are unable to police their own ranks should they be allowed to pass regulations for the rest of us.


   On my way to Sunday breakfast, I noticed a large truck parked on the street in front of a  councilors home. This vehicle is well above the weight limit for the  roads in the  housing development and an obvious breach of traffic regulations.


   This has been an ongoing problem for a number of years without any solution.  It  appears that this councilor is getting special privileges from the town Manager and  Police Department.   Is there a "quid pro quo?"


 This very councilor votes on every police matter including the salary increases of the members of the police department. She also voted to renew  the Town Managers contract. 


   This also reflects on the integrity of the other Council members 
that allow this behavior.  


    If the Council is unable to police their own maybe its time to 
find  replacements  with better character.


by Joe


    

Government spying on your computer

Congress out to spy on your 'puter

By JULIAN SANCHEZ

If Congress had to name laws honestly, it would be called the "Forcing Your Internet Provider to Spy On You Just In Case You're a Criminal Act of 2011" -- a costly, invasive mandate that even the co-author of the Patriot Act, Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.), says "runs roughshod over the rights of people who use the Internet."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/congress_out_to_spy_on_your_puter_z8eadkV4ktqtKfanoon1eL#ixzz1TnHiIK2F

3 freedoms lost this week

Possible nuclear sub accident

A nuclear submarine in the port of Dalian in northern China has suffered an accident and is leaking radiation, according to a former Japanese fighter pilot-turned-blogger.

“The area is strictly closed off by the Chinese military, and the situation is said to be very dangerous,” Mamoru Sato wrote in Japanese of the alleged July 29 incident.

http://12160.info/pages/chinese-nuclear-accident-alleg

Innocent Americans arrested for filming public servants

A disturbing trend: many innocent Americans arrested for legally filming on-duty public servants

By Madison Ruppert

Editor of End the Lie

In recent years an unsettling pattern in law enforcement interactions has emerged. American citizens, innocent of a crime, filming a public servant performing their duties in public, have been targeted and had their constitutionally protected rights destroyed.

The cases continue to pile up, some more disturbing and egregious than others. One of the most shocking examples is the case of the Las Vegas man, Mitchell Crooks, who was brutally assaulted by an on-duty police officer for filming the officer from his own property.

More at:

http://EndtheLie.com/?p=17273

Makes more sense than our politicians

Best to think twice before criticising Israel

BEST TO THINK TWICE BEFORE CRITICISING ISRAEL

July 30, 2011 at 22:03 (Activism, Censorship, Free Speech, Israel, Oppression, Palestine,zionist harassment) 

“Attempts to silence opposition to the illegal Israeli occupation and policies is un-American and amounts to political and academic censorship.”

*

http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2011/07/30/best-to-think-twice-before-criticising-israel/

Gold strikes new record high on US default fears

Gold strikes new record high on US default fears

The Daily Bell - As America Continues to Tank, What Will You Do?

The Daily Bell - As America Continues to Tank, What Will You Do?

Congressional Sources: Republicans and Democrats Reach Tentative Debt Deal - The Note

Congressional Sources: Republicans and Democrats Reach Tentative Debt Deal - The Note

Its time to bring our troops home

This is what gives Police a bad name.

I'm glad we have more professional PD.

Joke Of The Day

A  government employee sat in his office, and out of boredom, decided to see what was inside his old filing cabinet. He poked through the contents and came across an old brass lamp. "This will look good on my mantel," he said, and took it home with him. 

While polishing the lamp, a genie appeared and, as usual, granted him three wishes. 

"I would like an ice-cold Coke right now." He gets his Coke and drinks it. Now that he can think more clearly, he states his second wish. "I wish to be on an island with beautiful women, who find me irresistible." 

Suddenly, he's on an island with gorgeous women eyeing him lustfully. He tells the genie his third and last wish. "I wish I'd never have to work again." Instantly, he was back in his government office. 

Immunity for big Banks

(Reuters) - State attorneys general are negotiating to give major banks wide immunity over irregularities in handling foreclosures, even as evidence has emerged that banks are continuing to file questionable documents.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/20/us-foreclosure-banks-immunity-idUSTRE76J7J820110720

What are you putting into your mouth?

What's really in the food? The A to Z of the food industry's most evil ingredients

Click Here for more

Thursday, July 28, 2011 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger

Joke Of The Day

Tracking

Internet Censorshilp

The Lisbon Reporter: INCOMPENTENT OR JUST PLAIN STUPID‏

The Lisbon Reporter: INCOMPENTENT OR JUST PLAIN STUPID‏: "To The Lisbon Reporter Does no one but Mr. Fillmore and me find the letter written and sent by Lisbon Town Manager Steve Eldridge to R..."

Obama faces legal bind if time runs out

By Robin Harding in Washington

If Congress does not raise the debt ceiling on time then President Barack Obama and the Treasury will struggle not to break one or other law passed by Congress.

The law will fence the administration in; but the ambiguity of the situation might also free it to invoke all manner of creative legal arguments, including a claim that the debt ceiling is illegal under the 14th amendment to the constitution.

More Here

Joke Of The Day

Have you heard about the guys who drove their pickup truck into a lumberyard?

One of them walked in the office and said, "We need some four-by-twos."

"You mean two-by-fours, don't you?" the clerk said.

"Let me go check," replied the man, and he went back to the truck.

"Yeah, I meant two-by-fours," he said, returning a few moments later.

"Alright. How long do you need them?"

The customer paused for a minute to think and then finally said, "I'd better go check."

After awhile he returned to the office and said, "A long time. We're building a house." 

Does Lisbon's Manager denigrate his employees?

Why would the Lisbon Town Council renew the contract of a Manager that  treats his  subordinates with such disdain?

I hope our hardworking employees aren't abused like this.

Gold Star Plates now available

Click Here

Joke Of The Day

A couple is sitting on the porch sipping wine.

 The wife says, "I love you."


The husband says, "Is that you or the wine talking?"


The wife replies, "It's me, talking to the wine."

Intellectuals solve problems; geniuses prevent them: : Albert Einstein

Ford takes US Taxpayer bailout and deserts sinking ship; will build three new car factories in China!

Click here

Visualization of US debt

click here

Toxic air grounds F-22

The U.S. Air Force is making some progress in finding out what is wrong with their F-22s. It appears that some toxins are somehow getting into the pilot's air supply. This has kept all 168 F-22s grounded for three months, so far.

More here

Canada blocks UN from declaring asbestos a “hazardous” substance

Canada blocks UN from declaring asbestos a “hazardous” substance

Gitmo prisoner

Joke Of The Day

Traffic Accident

Well, Your Honor, I really didn't mean to get into a fight with the driver of the car I ran into the other day.

I was rear-ended, which caused me to rear-end the car in front of me. The driver, whom you can see is a dwarf, approached aggressively after the accident yelling, "I am NOT happy."

I decided that I would try to lighten things up and answered, "OK, I can see that, but then which one are you?"

That's when the fight started.

WikiLeaks documents shed light on US-backed intervention in Libya | World News |Axisoflogic.com

WikiLeaks documents shed light on US-backed intervention in Libya | World News |Axisoflogic.com

The Lisbon Reporter: Total Lack of Professionalism on the Part of the T...

The Lisbon Reporter: Total Lack of Professionalism on the Part of the T...: "WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR The Town Council, by Charter, is responsible for policing the conduct and professionalism of the manageri..."

Joke Of The Day

Lone Star Watchdog: The War on Terror Has Finally Lost all Credibility...

Lone Star Watchdog: The War on Terror Has Finally Lost all Credibility...: "We are approaching the 10-year anniversary of September 11, 2001. We have to look back at who stands to gain from all this? W..."

Joke Of The Day

 A man walks into a lawyer's office and asks the lawyer what
 his rates are. "I charge $100 per 3 questions."
"That's rather expensive for only 3 questions, isn't it?"

 asks the guy.  "Yes it is. And your final question?"

Can you believe this !!!!!!!!!!!!

Evil Corporate Tax Holiday Gains Bipartisan Support

POSTED: JULY 26, 9:12 AM ET

Comment34

Nevada Democrat Shelley Berkley’s plan is to offer a pseudo-holiday – not the full-fledged happy-ending massage the companies wanted (i.e. a reduction from 35 percent+ to 5.25 percent) but a mere ten-point shave.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The madness that is the proposed tax repatriation holiday is continuing and gathering steam. More and more members of congress are coming out of the woodwork, scratching their chins in contemplative consideration as it were, pretending that they’ve just realized what a great day a corporate tax holiday would be – not that they’ve taken gazillions of dollars from the firms lobbying for it or anything.

The latest convert seems to be Nevada Democrat Shelley Berkley. Berkley’s plan is to offer a pseudo-holiday – not the full-fledged happy-ending massage the companies wanted (i.e. a reduction from 35 percent+ to 5.25 percent) but a mere ten-point shave:

Representative Shelley Berkley, a Nevada Democrat, is the latest lawmaker to consider legislation allowing multinational companies to send offshore profits to the U.S. at a reduced tax rate.

Her proposal, which was confirmed yesterday by Berkley’s communications director,David Cherry, would allow companies to return profits to the U.S. at a 25 percent tax rate, 10 percentage points below the maximum statutory rate. Most companies publicly supporting a holiday, such as Duke Energy Corp., have spoken favorably of the 5.25 percent rate that is being offered by Representative Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican.

One thing that people must understand about this tax repatriation business is that it’s a wholly bipartisan affair. It’s not solely the work of evil Republicans. This is a scheme that requires heavies in both parties to help ram the knotty, hard-to-sell legislation through. On the Democratic side, unsurprisingly, the main actor is going to be Chuck Schumer. John Kerry is also involved with this nastiness. Barbara Boxer led the 2004 effort and the failed 2009 campaign to get a holiday, and is rumored to be lurking somewhere in this business.

Note that Cisco, a California corporate heavyweight and one of the companies lobbying most ravenously for this tax holiday, has been a consistent lifelong contributor to Boxer. You’ll find Cicso is also a contributor to most of the other congressional allies in the repatriation holiday effort, as are companies like Motorola, Merck , Pfizer, Proctor and Gamble, Ford, and others.

If you would like to contact Rep. Berkley and tell her how much she would suck if she voted for this thing, here’s the form.

I’m still shocked at the lack of press coverage of this. In all this scratching and clawing over dimes here and there, and clamoring for trillions in cuts, we’re seriously considering what amounts to a gigantic new systematic loophole for corporate taxes?

Again, if they pass this thing one more time, the fiction of the "one-time holiday" disappears forever, and the next decade will see an explosion of exported profits, “transfer pricing,” and cunning use of correspondent banks to stealth-repatriate offshored funds. Everyone will know that the effective corporate tax rate has been dropped from 35 percent to 5 percent – all companies need to do is hide profits overseas and bring them back about once every presidential term or two.

This has the doubly negative effect of lowering revenue during the holiday years and reducing job investment in the intervening years, as private business revenue is kept outside the borders of the U.S. instead of staying here and dumped into the economy. Naturally, since this is the exactly stupidest thing federal lawmakers could consider doing, they are doing it.