Search Results for ‘republican tax’
Steve King, who has a reputation as being one of the craziest Congressmen in the House of Representatives, (which is quite an achievement considering his competition) is back and better than ever in the 110th Congress. After previous legislative accomplishments ranging from working to keeping 600,000 American citizens from voting to registering a bold protest against the use of condoms to fight Aids in Africa. Since, obviously, condoms promote AIDS. That’s right, on June 28, 2005, Steve King gave a speech in Congress attacking the establishment of a “condom culture” in Africa. He warned that once you create this “condom culture,” it can lead to “the elimination… of abstinence until marriage and monogamy after that”
So what’s Steve doing now? Well, he’s celebrating the 100 hours by sponsoring a Constitutional Amendment. This isn’t just a run of the mill amendment banning flag burning or making English our nation’s official language, his amendment, HJ 16, would make the Federal Income Tax unconstitutional. This is the type of bold legislation that our nation needs. Most politicians would hesistate to eliminate the income tax in a time of massive budget deficits and a foreign war. They wouldn’t have the zeal or the vision that Steve King has. After all, we didn’t need an income tax the last time we fought and won a unilateral war in the Middle East. We beat the Barbary Pirates with our government funded solely by tariffs. We can beat Al Queda and the Iraqi militias the same way.
So what’s Steve King’s next step once he eliminates the income tax? The word on the street is he’s gunning to run for Senate against Tom Harkin (despite some rumors that Harkin might retire). However, it seems likely that Harkin will run and make Steve King the 6th sitting Republican Congressman he’s defeated. And even Harkin doesn’t run, almost any Democrat should beat King if he runs for Senate. Iowa may have a quirky electorate but Iowans aren’t quirky enough to elect someone who is so clearly deranged to the U.S. Senate.
January 18th, 2007
In 1996 a recently elected state representative from Central Iowa sought out the land deal of the decade. What did he get? He made over $50,000 from scamming an elderly woman in Las Vegas, with the help of a local attorney (who would subsequently be disbarred), setting the stage for the biggest scandal in Central Iowa politics this side of CIETC.
Representative Danny Carroll of Grinnell is the Republican Speaker Pro Tem of the Iowa House. He was elected to the Iowa House in 1994 and was elected Speaker Pro Tem in 2003. Carroll is owner of the “Carroll Pumpkin Farm” and is a lobbyist with Iowa Telecom. An extreme social conservative, he has campaigned with GOP presidential hopefuls such as Senator Sam Brownback, Governor Haley Barbour, Senator John McCain, Governor Mitt Romney, and former House Majority Leader Newt Gingrich.
The mention of Gingrich is especially pertinent. With Democrats poised to take back the U.S. House and end the Gingrich-led Republican Revolution, the following tale of abuse of power and exploitation demonstrates that the GOP “culture of corruption” has clearly found its way into local Iowa politics, namely through Danny Carroll.
In 1999, Grinnell attorney Brian Bisbee was disbarred by the Iowa Supreme Court for “seriously violat(ing) his ethical responsibility as (a) lawyer.” Bisbee was representing Cora Creamer in the sale of her property to Representative Danny Carroll. Mrs. Creamer was an elderly widow who had fallen behind in her bills. She owed approximately $7,900 in back fees and taxes on her property and she wanted to sell her home. Typical practice is for a person to sell their home and subtract the liens and back taxes from the sale price at closing. What Bisbee didn’t disclose was that he was also participating in the transaction financially by working closely with Representative Carroll who was providing the financing for the deal. In the disbarment proceeding, an unnamed Grinnell realtor is mentioned. The Iowa Progress team has recently uncovered property records that decisively prove that Representative Carroll was the person behind the financing of the transaction as well as the holder of the deed & title.
Essentially, Bisbee & Carroll took a 50% interest in Mrs. Creamer’s Las Vegas home as payment for settling the liens and back taxes on the property.
They did not disclose to Mrs. Creamer that she only owed $7,900. The 50% interest in the home would amount to approximately $50,000. This placed Bisbee in the incredibly unethical position of both representing the interests of the seller and the buyer who was working behind the scenes to finish the deal - Danny Carroll. The liens and back taxes were all paid by Representative Carroll - as shown here. You can also search the public records on the Clark County Recorder’s site HERE.
Now, the rules relating to real estate professionals in Iowa operating out of state are shady, but for lawyers they are very clear. According to the Supreme Court opinion:
“Nothing in the record before us suggests that Bisbee disclosed to his client that the proposed financial arrangement was more advantageous for him than for her. Given this obvious conflict, it became Bisbee’s burden to establish that his transaction with Creamer was fair and equitable.”
Representative Danny Carroll participated in the scamming of a poor elderly woman for his, and Bisbee’s, own financial gain. This is what the Supreme Court said of Bisbee’s conduct:
“Bisbee’s financial entanglement with Creamer […] was costly to her. Moreover, his failure to cooperate in these proceedings has impeded the administration of justice and reflects poorly on his fitness to practice law. His disregard for his client’s interests, as well as those of the profession, demands a lengthy suspension.”
Bisbee was disbarred in 1999, but because he declined to name his partner in crime directly, Carroll largely got off the hook — though not completely: after Bisbee’s disbarment, Carroll “voluntarily” retired from Ramsey-Weeks, the Grinnell real estate firm where he had been employed. I called up Bisbee yesterday who now runs an evangelical shelter in Missouri, to see if he’d answer any questions about his relationship with Carroll. He politely declined. Remember folks, this was a sitting state representative who had also served as a County Supervisor for many years prior. He participated in a deal that “impeded the administration of justice” and bilked a poor older woman of around $50,000. This is the same Representative Danny Carroll who says he values seniors.
But talk is cheap. And unfortunately, it seems Danny Carroll doesn’t put his money where his mouth is.
November 3rd, 2006
Today’s onslaught of autocalls and mailings proves it conclusively: Desperate Danny is in all-out attack mode. Automated phone calls paid for by the the Danny Carroll committee have been falsely claiming to voters that Eric Palmer has failed to pay his property taxes in Oskaloosa, and mailings paid for by the Republican Party of Iowa are making the same claim. They cite an office called the “Mahaska County Recorder of Deeds Office” — an office that, to the best of our knowledge, does not exist at all — for their proof.
It is the Mahaska County Treasurer’s office that handles property taxes, and their records clearly prove that Eric Palmer has paid every tax that he has been asked to pay. In a campaign press release, Eric’s response is quoted as follows:
For the record, I resent the implication that I have failed to pay property taxes in the community where I grew up, went to school, and raise my children… I’m a tax-paying member of this community who runs a business on the square downtown in Oskaloosa. I have copies of the property tax records from the Mahaska County Treasurer if there is any question. If Speaker Rants and Representative Carroll want to come back from Des Moines and personally show the people of House District 75 the documents showing otherwise I would welcome their visit.
It is very important that we make clear that there are absolutely no grounds for the claims made in the mailing and the autocall that Eric hasn’t paid his taxes. The Speaker Pro Tem of the Iowa House knows this is his only shot. He is so desperate to win that at this point he is willing to open himself to charges of libel. But the Republican smear machine remains a force to be reckoned with, even if they have nothing but lies to spread. That’s why Eric needs your money now more than ever.
October 23rd, 2006
I’d like to begin this rant with a quote from Iowa Republican Party spokeswoman Sarah Sauber:
“Voters are looking for fresh, new ideas to bring change rather than the old policies you get from Democrats”
What? The last time America got any significant policies from Democrats, the country was peaceful, prosperous, and had a balanced budget.
Speaking of old policies, though, there’s an interesting piece in Wednesday’s Washington Post. The World Economic Forum has dropped America’s economic competitive ranking from 1 to 6. Business taxes are at their lowest level in decades, regulations of just about everything have been rolled back, “frivolous” lawsuits have been reigned in, and pensions have gone out the window - everything Republicans have been pushing for has been done, and it ain’t working.
So there.
By the way, early voting began in Iowa Thursday, and Democrats - wait for it - are in the lead. The Des Moines Register reports that, as of Wednesday, Republicans trailed Democrats 11,000 to 50,000 in absentee ballots requested.
September 28th, 2006
Mike Gronstal and Mary Lundby are calling for a vote on anti-bullying legislation to protect gay students. Pat Murphy spoke to this issue when he came to our Campus Dems meeting last week, and Advocate.com notes the same pesky roadblock to which he alluded: Chris Rants. What does Rants find wrong with protecting GLBT students from verbal and physical harassment in school, you might ask? Here’s a charming quote: “We need to protect fat kids, kids with glasses, kids who are too smart, kids who aren’t too smart…. Schools should be a safe place regardless of whatever sets you apart.”
New York Governor George Pataki is opening an office in Des Moines this week, making him the first presidential hopeful to do so. New York Public Radio even calls it a “campaign office,” and doesn’t mention Freedom PAC, to whom the headquarters technically belongs.
The Register leads with both Culver and Nussle encountering a skeptical crowd at a VFW meeting Saturday, but based on the article, it sounds like Nussle had a harder time of it. Culver was asked where he would get the money to fund his proposals to help veterans, and responded with concrete plans to streamline the state budget and utilize the tax surplus. Nussle, on the other hand, was confronted with his anti-veteran congressional voting record, and replied, “My grandmother always taught me growing up that actions speak louder than words. Every opportunity I’ve had, when I’ve been chairman, I’ve increased the budget over what the president, over what the budget … recommended.” I’ll let you insert something snarky of your own here.
A new Register poll shows Hillary Clinton losing Iowa to four Republican potentials. It also finds that 57% of respondents think it is a bad idea for Vilsack to run for president.
Oh, and CIETC is thinking of changing its name.
September 25th, 2006
Via the Des Moines Register, we learn that the Iowa Farm Bureau has announced its “2006 Friends of Agriculture.” So who made it on to the illustrious list? Gubernatorial candidate Jim Nussle, secretary of agriculture candidate Bill Northey, congressional candidates Mike Whalen and Jeff Lamberti, and U.S. Representatives Tom Latham and Steve King. Hmm, I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something similar about all those guys. What is it? What could it be? Oh yes: they’re all Republicans.
(The group declined to endorse either candidate in the second congressional district but I guess that’s a win for the Dems.)
The Register waits until the last paragraph to remind readers that the bureau is “a Republican-leaning group that supports measures to restrict taxes,” but at least they did so at all. Context matters, especially in the case of innocuous sounding names. Without context, Americans might be fooled into believing some boating group that wanted swift truth or something was actually a surrogate for the Bush campaign. Nah, that would never happen.
The only person who may be surprised by the Bureau’s endorsements is Leonard Boswell — or at least his web designer. According to Boswell’s webpage, he’s garnered the Bureau’s endorsement “every time he’s run for office.” Not anymore, Boz. Not anymore.
UPDATE: The Congressman’s webpage has since been changed to remove the now-false sentence. Kudos for the quick response. And as an aside, I wouldn’t worry much about not getting the endorsement. It looks like Boswell is doing just fine.
September 12th, 2006
The Register editorializes today on the apparent tension between traditional Republican talking points and actual Republican performance:
This was a bizarre week in federal budget politics, as usual. Everything about the federal budget is bizarre. To wit:
President Bush bragged about “reducing” the red ink this year to “only” $296 billion. That will be the fourth largest deficit in history and only a modest improvement from last year’s $318 billion deficit. That’s hardly cause for celebration.
Locally, Republican congressional candidate Jeff Lamberti said pork-barrel spending is out of control and the federal budget process is broken.
He got that right, but it takes a large dose of chutzpah for Lamberti to cite it as a reason for people to elect him instead of Democratic incumbent Leonard Boswell.
Recall that the last time the Democrats controlled Congress, they produced healthy budget surpluses that put the country on a path toward paying down the national debt.
When Republicans took control of Congress and the White House, they promptly boosted spending while cutting taxes, producing the worst fiscal mess of modern times.
When Republican challengers in Congressional races run their “we need a change” campaigns (which every challenger’s campaign will at some point say), whom do they think they’re railing against? Maybe someone needs to ask Jeff Lamberti exactly which parts of the Bush (and Nussle) budgets he’s against in specific enough terms that he actually has to answer the question. Odds are he couldn’t think of anything he’d want to mention by name.
July 13th, 2006
I should make clear right now that this doesn’t upset me one bit, but it might upset some people. In the latest edition of the Evans-Novak Political Report (the daily emails), Robert “Secret Leaker” Novak whines and whines about the impending collapse of the Republican party. His evidence? Well, among a few other symptoms he identifies is this:
On Tuesday, Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) were supposed to meet with President Bush in the Oval office to discuss the tax bill, which, if passed, will be one of the most important Republican accomplishments of 2006 leading into the midterm elections. But Grassley bowed out, giving the excuse that he had constituents in town from Iowa. Even in the face of disaster, Republicans seem unable to get their act together.
The implication is that he bowed out because of Bush’s low approval ratings, so… Go Chuck! Still, we’ll be coming for your seat in 2010.
May 3rd, 2006
Senator, whether it’s explaining away Alito’s ethical missteps (the gist—senators lie so why expect federal judges to keep their word?), or championing Bush’s DOA social security reforms, or trying to make Swiss cheese out of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge, you’ve been playing rubberstamp republican for quite some time.
That’s why your “rare slap” at the Bush administration—calling for drug czar John Walters to be fired for a failure to act “fast enough to combat the rising use of methamphetamine”—comes to us as such a shock. A public disagreement with the Bush administration? Senator, is there something wrong?
Hopefully this isn’t the start of an independent streak; Iowans can’t have the Grassley we’ve come to know and love go and change on us. Senator, need we remind of your roots?
As a former assembly line worker, you know what it means to be a hard working blue-collar American. That’s why the U.S. Chamber of Commerce gives you a 100% pro-business rating, while the AFL-CIO gives you a 0% rating on your support for unions.
With five children and PhD work, you know the importance of education. That’s why you voted against moving $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education.
As a proud man of faith, you know that attempts to reduce teen pregnancy through education and contraceptives should be stopped at all costs. That’s just part of why NARAL gives a 0% rating to your support for reproductive rights.
Chuck, you have been serving Iowans for almost fifty years, don’t let us down now.
Next time you feel like breaking with the Bush administration, make sure it’s about corn syrup. We like that.
-Your loving state, Iowa.
April 27th, 2006
This is definitely a work in progress (pun intended), but Alec and I wanted to get this up as quickly as possible. This is the first installment of a hopefully-regular podcast about Iowa politics. This week, we talk about travelin’ Tom, Republican tax proposals, Fallon and Blouin visits (with audio), and more! Check it out and subscribe!
Note: I’m still working the RSS feed out, so until then, you’ll just have to listen or download from here.
April 26th, 2006
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