Day: January 14, 2015

Categories
Immigration Politics

House Republicans Pass Bill to Dismantle Immigration Reform

The House on Wednesday voted to undo major provisions of President Obama’s immigration policy, approving legislation that would revoke legal protections for millions of undocumented immigrants. The vote drew outrage from Democrats and led more than two dozen Republicans, many worried about the perception that their party is hostile to immigrants, to break away, the New York Times reports.

The most contentious measures in the bill will most likely die in the Senate, where Democrats have said they will wage a filibuster and some Republicans are likely to join in opposition. The White House has said President Obama will not sign any bill that blocks his executive actions on immigration.

But the action in the House on Wednesday was a glimpse into how the new Republican-led Congress will navigate the divisive debate over the president’s immigration actions as lawmakers struggle to reach a compromise on funding the Department of Homeland Security. The department will run out of money at the end of February, and Republicans have said they will use the appropriations process as their vehicle for dismantling Mr. Obama’s directives.

Categories
Politics taxes

Report: Poor Families Pay Double The Tax Rate as Rich Families

And the Republicans rejoice. They have been working for this outcome for decades!

Middle- and low-income Americans are facing far higher state and local taxes than the wealthy, according to a new report assessing tax data from all 50 states.

In all, the analysis by the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) finds that the poorest 20 percent of households pay on average more than twice the effective state and local tax rate (10.9 percent) as the richest 1 percent of taxpayers (5.4 percent).

ITEP researchers say the incongruity derives from state and local governments’ reliance on sales, excise and property taxes rather than on more progressively structured income taxes that increase rates on higher earnings. They argue that the tax disconnect is helping create the largest wealth gap between the rich and middle class that has ever been recorded in American history.

“In recent years, multiple studies have revealed the growing chasm between the wealthy and everyone else,” Matt Gardner, executive director of ITEP, said. “Upside-down state tax systems didn’t cause the growing income divide, but they certainly exacerbate the problem. State policymakers shouldn’t wring their hands or ignore the problem. They should thoroughly explore and enact tax reform policies that will make their tax systems fairer.”

Categories
Politics

New Poll – Obama’s Approval Ratings Up 7 Points Since October

The Washington Post reports that President Obama’s approval rating is up 7 percentage points since October, pulling his support out from underwater but leaving Americans still divided over the president’s leadership, according to a new poll released Wednesday.

The CBS survey has the president’s approval rating at 46 percent, up from 39 percent when CBS last polled the question in October. That rise has been particularly sharp among political independents, whose support for the president has risen 11 percent in the last three months.

The White House has had a busy few months, announcing several major initiatives that include an executive action on immigration policy and expanded diplomatic relations with Cuba. Perhaps most notably, these new numbers fall against the backdrop of positive economic trends that have elevated consumer confidence to its highest level since the 2008 recession.

Categories
Charlie Hebdo Politics Terrorism

Top Al-Qaida Leader Takes Responsibility for Charlie Hebdo Murders

They’re proud. They murder the innocent in the name of their god – a man they say was a man of peace – and they gladly proclaim the deaths as a success story. How sick is that?

A top leader of Yemen’s Al-Qaida branch claimed responsibility Wednesday for the deadly terror attack on satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo that left 12 people dead.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) commander Nasr Ali al-Ansi said in a video message that the attack was “vengeance” for Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, according to the Agence France-Presse.

The AFP reported that Ansi said the group conceived of and financed the attack at the orders of al-Qaida’s global leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. He referred to the suspects in the attack, Cherif and Said Kouachi, as “heroes.”

Ansi also channeled deceased al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in issuing the warning “If the freedom of your speech is not restrained, then you should accept the freedom of our actions,” according to the AFP.

Categories
Charlie Hebdo Politics Terrorism

Millions Sold – New Issue of Charlie Hebdo Sells Out in Minutes

Radical Islamic terrorist tried their best to silence Charlie Hebdo in France last week by murdering 12 members of the newspaper. But that ill-conceived plot has backfired tremendously, as Charlie Hebdo is no longer just a French satirical newspaper, but has evolved into an international symbol in the fight against terrorism.

The world knows about Charlie Hebdo, and its latest publication sold out in minutes.

The satirical magazine announced last week it would continue with its weekly publication, increasing its print run to 3 million copies. The latest issue, featuring a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad on its cover, quickly sold out before dawn, The Associated Press reported. That is more than 50 times its normal circulation, with millions more copies expected to arrive.

Survivors of last week’s attacks, during which 17 Parisians were killed and many from the magazine, worked in borrowed offices to continue working on this week’s issue.

The cover features a tearful Muhammad, holding a sign that reads “Je Suis Charlie,” or “I Am Charlie,” — a line that has been invoked since the Jan. 7 attacks to show worldwide solidarity with the publication and support for free speech. The image appears below the headline “All Is Forgiven.”

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