No Runny Eggs

The repository of one hard-boiled egg from the south suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (and the occassional guest-blogger). The ramblings within may or may not offend, shock and awe you, but they are what I (or my guest-bloggers) think.

Archive for October 10th, 2007

Wisconsin Taxpayer Rally – 10/17/2007

by @ 21:28. Filed under Politics - Wisconsin, Taxes.

My friends at AFP-Wisconsin are holding a Taxpayer Rally at the State Capitol on the 17th:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – October 9, 2007 Contact: Mark Block, (414) 475-2975

Americans for Prosperity to Hold -Defend Wisconsin-Taxpayer Rally- at State Capitol

Milwaukee -The free-market grassroots group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) will hold a citizen rally – Defend Wisconsin – Taxpayer Rally-

WHAT: Defend Wisconsin-Taxpayer Rally – to urge Wisconsin Legislators to pass a state budget with no tax increases.

WHO:

Mark Block, Wisconsin Director, Americans for Prosperity
Vicki McKenna, Radio Talk Show Host, WISN, Milwaukee and WIBA, Madison
Reince Priebus, Chairman, Republican Party of Wisconsin
Owen Robinson, Boots and Sabers
Pat Snyder, Radio Talk Show Host, WSAU, Wausau
Fred Dooley, The Real Debate

WHEN: 12:00 Noon; Wednesday, October 17, 2007

WHERE: Wisconsin State Capitol,
King Street Entrance,
Madison, WI

Transportation Provided: Register at afpwi.org
LaCrosse, Eau Claire, Wausau, Green Bay, Manitowoc, Racine, Waukesha and more.

Pre-Rally:

What: Meeting place prior to State Capitol Rally

Where: Kavanaugh’s Esquire Club, 1025 North Sherman Avenue, Madison, WI

When: 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Transportation Provided: Register at www.afpwi.org

Eau Claire, Wausau, Green Bay, Manitowoc, Racine, Waukesha, La Crosse

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is the nation’s premier grassroots organization committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

BE THERE!

Paul Ryan introduces Taxpayer Choice Act

by @ 18:59. Filed under Politics - National, Taxes.

My Congresscritter, seeing the writing on the wall of the Alternative Minimum Tax, introduced a bill that not only eliminates that, but offers a very simplified income tax. Ryan’s office sent along a couple of PDF files, one of which is basically the presser linked to above, with the other a slightly-more-expansive document with a couple of charts thrown in. The highlights, beyond killing the AMT:

  • Sets up a parallel system that offers the following:
    • Eliminates the current mess of standard and itemized deductions, replacing them all with a $12,500 single/$25,000 joint standard deduction and a $3,500-per-person personal exemption (both adjusted for inflation).
    • Uses two brackets; 10% for the first $50,000 of taxable income for single filers/$100,000 for joint filers, and 25% for amounts beyond that.
  • Makes the 2003 capital gains/dividend tax cuts permanent.
  • Allows one to choose which system to pay under, allows one additional “no-reasons” change, and allows additional changes for major life events (death, divorce and marriage are the 3 listed).

It’s a good start. I’d rather see a single rate (the lower, the better, and that also goes for the “Fair”Tax), and would much prefer that it replace the current system rather than operate alongside it.

2007 Weblog Awards nominations now open

by @ 16:12. Filed under The Blog.

The 2007 Weblog Awards

Mash the button above to start nominating worthy blogs (if you nominate me for anything, please let me know so I can hunt you down and ki…er, thank you). You’ll be able to do so until 10/15/2007.

One thing the organizers ask; please read the nominations before duplicating a nomination. If you like someone that’s already nominated, they do have a very informal way to register that; just click on the “+” sign next to the nominee.

Down goes Bolender’s and DeGrave’s attempt to consolidate power

by @ 15:15. Filed under Elections, Politics - Wisconsin.

The vote totals from yesterday’s election:

Should city ordinances be changed to allow the city clerk position to be appointed by the mayor, subject to confirmation by the Common Council?

No: 956
Yes: 490

Should city ordinances be changed to allow the city treasurer position to be appointed by the mayor, subject to confirmation by the Common Council?

No: 955
Yes: 492

Good work, voters.

Grading the Republican debate #8

by @ 14:18. Filed under Miscellaneous.

Since I’m a day late with the gradebook, it’s a good thing a lot of people took notes, like Mary Katharine Ham (who did the debate in lolDebatez format) Matt Lewis, Vodkapundit, and Huckleberry Dumbell, to back up my own PG-13-rated notes (rated such for language).  Let’s break out the red pen and start grading both the candidates and the moderators:

Maria Bartiromo – B – She had the benefit of having Chris Matthews as the co-host, and most of her questions were decent economic ones.

Sam Brownback – B – The good: Flat tax, drill’em oil policy, no tax increases, focus on the family.  The bad: electric cars (batteries do not work too well at zero degrees and colder, and it’s not a Wisconsin or Michigan winter without a few sub-zero nights), lack of stage presence, like of Greenspan, flat tax plan “optional”.

Rudy Giuliani – B – The good: Once again laid the smackdown on Ron Paul (though I would’ve dipped back to 12/7 instead of 9/11), seems to have turned over a new leaf from his ’80s witchhunt of Wall Street, good stage presence, sense of history (he actually dipped back before 9/11 for once).  The bad: Wrong side of line-item veto (to be fair, I don’t want a President with Wisconsin’s Frankenstein veto), I still can’t get over his ’80s witchhunt of Wall Street.

John Harwood – I, leaning toward F – My semi-drunk notes (I would’ve been racing Vodkapundit, but I had to pace myself because of Drinking Right later last night) only show him asking 2 questions, but both started off with “Wah!”

Mike Huckabee – D+ – The good: He won’t wait for a public opinion poll if inbound nukes are on the way, faith in the American consumer.  The bad: Repeating the “end of underground economy” lie vis-a-vis the “Fair”Tax, predicting a union comeback, supporting corn-a-hole, willing to spend billions just to deny the ‘Rats a political win (and giving them the actual win instead).

Duncan Hunter – C – The good: Understands we’re in a trade war, and that the Pubbies need to be more “human”.  The bad: He’s turned into a one-note pony, blind support for the “Fair”Tax.

Chris Matthews – F – Once again, Prissy Chrissy proved the truth behind the ancient Egyptian fable of the scorpion and the horse.  It was at the 45-minute mark, right after the first set of commercials, he plunged his stinger into the debate.

John McCain – C- – The good: Once again the most-quoted by his opponents, against compuslory union membership, command of history, won’t make the mistake of McShame-Slimeroad Lieberal Protection Act with the Internet, earmark-hater  The bad: Big-government lover, way out of his league on economic issues, bad stumbler (and that doesn’t count the problems hearing a couple of questions), egotistical.

Ron Paul – F – The good (yes, there is a good here): dislike of subsidies.  The bad:  Utter stupidity with regard to foreign relations, brain-dead on history, latent goldbug, dislike of subsidies seems more pro-forma than an actual core belief.

Mitt Romney – B- – The good: “(S)moother than a smoothie smoothed over with fine-grit sandpaper” (shamelessly stolen from Vodkapundit), says most of the right things.  The bad:  The record doesn’t support the rhetoric, support for farm subsidies while also supporting corn-a-hole, support for HiliaryCare Lite (i.e. TaxachusettsCare).

Jeffrey Seib – B+ – Two of the three questions he posed were very good ones.  He got the corn-a-hole monster out on the table (promptly flubbed by both candidates it was posed to).

Tom Tancredo – C- – The good:  The only candidate to recognize that the 3,000-lb hippo in the government part of the economic room is SocSecurity and Medicare, and the 3,000-lb hippo in the trade half is imported oil, won’t raise taxes.  The bad:  Somehow ties everything back to illegal immigration (stretching too far sometimes), gratuitous cheap shot at Brownback’s mother (which knocked the grade down a full grade).

Fred Thompson – B – The good:  Avoided the Prissy Landmines with aplomb, said that unionizing ballots should remain secret ballots, generally got stronger as the debate went on.  The bad:  Slow start, fumbled the one “specifics” question from Bartiromo.

[No Runny Eggs is proudly powered by WordPress.]