The Senate Finance Committee voted on Wednesday in two separate 13-10 votes to defeat Senator Orin Hatch’s (R-UT) amendments. One amendment would have stated that the current ban on federal funding of abortions except in cases of rape, incest or the mother’s health would apply to any new health care plan. The second amendment would have prohibited the government at any level from forcing health care providers to provide abortions. It is unconscionable to force someone who has moral objections against abortion to perform them. Yet this is exactly what could happen without this amendment.

Only one Democrat; Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND), voted with the Republicans in favor of the bills. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) voted with the Democrats in opposition of both bills. Republicans in Maine may want to reconsider voting for her in future elections.

The Democrats also blocked an amendment that would have required having a photo ID to use any new health plan. Republicans hoped that a photo ID would prevent illegal aliens from using government health care. They argued that it is possible to have a valid social security number that does not really belong to the person using it.

On Thursday, Republicans tried to add an amendment that would have prevented any new taxes or fees for individuals making less than $200,000 or for families making under $250,000. This would have codified President Obama’s campaign pledge not to raise taxes for individuals making less than $250,000 a year.  The losing vote was 12-11 with one Democrat voting with Republicans; Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR).

Democrats are poised to force major changes to the health care system of this country against the wishes of the majority of Americans. We must fight this. Send letters, sign petitions, and attend rallies. The future of a great America stands in the balance.

The most disturbing aspect  of the arrests was that several New Jersey elected officials were arrested, cuffed and charged with accepting bribes. These were:

Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano III (D),
Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell (D),
Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez (D),
Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini (D),
State Assemblymen Harvey Smith (D) and
State Assemblymen Daniel Van Pelt (D).

I was not surprised that they are all Democrats. Shameless Democratic corruption is commonplace in New Jersey. It is costing tax payers plenty. NJ taxes are among the highest in the nation. Property taxes are so high that they are steadily becoming a larger component of monthly expenses than the mortgage loan payments on homes. For example, it is not uncommon to pay ten to twenty thousand dollars a year for property taxes in a house that would pay ten percent of that amount in another state. New Jersey residents are taxed to death so that their representatives can sell them out to the highest bribe. It is sad and it proves that Democrats suck.

In addition to these arrests, the State Consumer Affairs Director, Joseph Doria (D) had his house searched. He has resigned from his post at Governor Corzine’s (D) request. Mr. Doria was a mayor of Bayonne and spent almost three decades in the state legislature before getting the job he is vacating from his buddy Corzine.

New Jersey, it is time to vote these incompetents and alleged criminals out of office. Please vote for Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie.

(More reporting is available from NJ.com and the New York Times. Pay attention to the fact that they either omit or soft-pedal the fact these elected officials are Democrats.)

Joe is not running for any public office. His life should not be discussed in every tabloid or left-leaning web site. Joe succinctly expressed one of the things that we all fear about Obama. That is, that he will take our hard earned money and give it away to a constituency that does not even pay any taxes. Obama should explain his taxation theories and his “spread the wealth” message.

We need more Joe the plumbers asking the questions that we all care about. I have advocated a debate where the questions all come in from the public without editing or any moderator interference. I think if this was done, we would really know the truth about the candidates and would have a debate that was truly worth watching.

How about it? How many of you want a fourth debate with questions from the average Joes and Janes? I do.

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that’s what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. “Since you are all such good customers,” he said, “I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.” Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.

But what about the other six men * the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share?’

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted
that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued
to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to
compare their savings.

“I only got a dollar out of the $20,”declared the sixth man. He pointed
to the tenth man,” but he got $10!”

“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar,
too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more than I got”

“That’s true!!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!”

“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison. “We didn’t get
anything at all. The system exploits the poor!”

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks so the nine sat
down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is
how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

This has been attributed to:

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia

Dr. Kamerschen has denied writing this and its origin is now in question. The lesson that the story attempts to teach is valid nonetheless.