Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express

Congress Unlikely to Extend Hand to Ailing States
Thursday, January 06, 2011 By Kevin Freking, Associated Press Washington (AP) - Cut spending, raise taxes and fees, and accept billions of dollars from Congress. That's been the formula for states trying to survive the worst economy since the 1930s. As Republicans prepare to take control of the House and exert more influence in the Senate, it's clear that option No. 3 will soon wither. States will continue to face substantial Deficits over the next few years, but they will have to get by wi...

Congress unlikely to extend hand to ailing states
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cut spending, raise taxes and fees, and accept billions of dollars from Congress. That’s been the formula for states trying to survive the worst economy since the 1930s. As Republicans prepare to take control of the House and exert more influence in the Senate, it’s clear that option No. 3 will soon wither. States will continue to face substantial Deficits over the next few years, but they will have to get by with the end of stimulus spending and less financia...

Congress unlikely to extend hand to ailing states
Cut spending, raise taxes and fees, and accept billions of dollars from Congress. That's been the formula for states trying to survive the worst economy since the 1930s. As Republicans prepare to take control of the House and exert more influence in the Senate, it's clear that option No. 3 will soon wither. States will continue to face substantial Deficits over the next few years, but they will have to get by with the end of stimulus spending and less financial help from the Federal Government. ...

Feds warm states: Dont come to us, the well is dry
Cut spending, raise taxes and fees, and accept billions of dollars from Congress. That’s been the formula for states trying to survive the worst economy since the 1930s. As Republicans prepare to take control of the House and exert more influence in the Senate, it’s clear that option No. 3 will soon wither. States will continue to face substantial Deficits over the next few years, but they will have to get by with the end of stimulus spending and less financial help from the federal ...

Republicans won't be able to satisfy Tea Party
   With this week's revelation of a $3.7 billion shortfall in North Carolina's state Budget, the Tea Party acquired previously-unimaginable clout in Raleigh - especially when the Republican Party now controls both houses of the State Legislature for the first time in over a century.  Unfortunately, the Republicans won't be able to satisfy the Tea Party when it comes to State Government - and they won't be able to avoid alienating a lot of this state's people no matter what they do...

Republicans and Democrats Both Offer Promising Ideas for Economy
Recessions are nasty things, but they have their uses. Downturns force companies to make tough decisions they otherwise wouldn't, which in turn help them get leaner and improve efficiency. Recessions can also force policymakers to think hard about what can unlock economic potential. So it is today. If you look in the right places, something good is percolating in Washington that might actually help The Economy. Ideas are starting to emerge on Capitol Hill from both political parties that w...

The Party of NO Is About To Get Their Chance
The Republican Party is about to return from a two-year banishment, from political Siberia, back into the political mainstream as it seats its House majority for the 112th Congress. While “change” over the past two years has occurred (no matter what the rhetoricians say), some of the most progressive change in recent congressional history mind you, the Republicans spent most of their time trying to find the tail they lost in the 2008 Presidential Elections. For the past two years, th...

Thoughts on the Debt Limit Debate
The origins of the Federal Government’s statutory Debt Limit can be traced back to 1917, when the country was borrowing money to finance the Great War. Congress has voted to increase the limit numerous times over the decades, including 10 times since 2001. The present Debt Limit is $14.3 Trillion, and total outstanding Debt subject to the limit currently stands at just under $14 trillion. Given that policymakers don’t have the will to cut spending immediately in order to keep the deb...

Boehner To CBO: La La La, I Can't Hear You
New House Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Majority Whip Kevin Mccarthy enjoy a casual moment on the House floor. I know some of the Democrats are a little wacky, but this? These Republicans are just plain nuts. I'd forgotten what it was like to have the inmates in charge of the asylum. Their ability to communicate such deep denial seems to have paid off for them politically, at least for a while: Rescinding the federal law to overhaul the Health Care system, the first...

State Budgets Unsound Structures
There’s been a lot of talk about state Budget woes across the country as impacted by the Great Recession. However, beneath these cyclical declines in revenues are some far more daunting issues that states must confront to get themselves on a sustainable fiscal path. Today in Phoenix, Brookings Mountain West and its Arizona partners are formally releasing an important new report we've done on the troubling state Budget messes on display in California and three Mountain region states—...

Big Tobacco wants higher taxes on Little Tobacco
I’m not sure why we’re even talking about this since the Republicans aren’t interested in anything other than slashing and burning, but for the record: Texas is only one of two states that do not impose a fee on off-brand Cigarettes sold by companies that didn’t participate in the historic tobacco settlement a decade ago. Also, Texas levies only a 2-cent tax on a pack of “little cigars” that look like cigarettes. The state tax on Cigarettes is $1.41 a pack. ...

The Morning Plum
* White House talking points on Bill Daley: The White House is distributing a set of talking points to outside allies -- sent over by a source -- on how to sell the Bill Daley pick: Talking Points: Bill Daley * Bill Daley brings with him tremendous experience, strong values and a forward-looking vision to this White House. He will be critical to the President's mission of growing our economy and moving America forward. * From his time as President Clinton's Commerce Secretary, Bill Daley has ...

Paul Krugman: The Texas Omen
The "modern conservative theory of budgeting" isn't working in Texas. "If the theory can’t make it there, it can’t make it anywhere": The Texas Omen, by Paul Krugman, Commentary, NY Times: These are tough times for State Governments. Huge Deficits loom almost everywhere, from California to New York, from New Jersey to Texas. Wait — Texas? Wasn’t Texas supposed to be thriving even as the rest of America suffered? Didn’t its Governor declare, during his

GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy explains hiring ex-Tom DeLay aide
Bakersfield -- As we told you the other day in our profile, Bakersfield's own Rep. Kevin Mccarthy becomes the House Majority Whip at 9 a.m. (Left Coast time) Wednesday -- the No. 3 Republican position. You can watch the swearing-in festivities streamed live here. During our conversation in Bakersfield over pasta with beans, McCarthy explained why he appointed Tim Berry his Chief of Staff. That's the same Tim Berry who held the same position with convicted money launderer (and former House Whip...

Scott, Duncan Named House Whips
CHARLESTON — According to Independent Mail news coverage partner The Post and Courier newspaper in Charleston, U.S. Rep.-elect Tim Scott said today he and U.S. Rep.-elect Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., will serve as House whips under the leadership of U.S. House Majority Whip-elect Kevin Mccarthy. Scott said their new roles will be as a sort of concierge service to the Republican Caucus, allowing McCarthy to be more effective. “We’ll be Customer Service for parts of the Republican confer...

Bus pass
Theobald talks to Stephen Fincher and Scott DesJarlais, political newbies who are now Congressmen: Fincher, who won the seat held by retired Democratic Rep. John Tanner of Union City, said voters want Congress to get back to the basics.”Listen to the American People,” he said. He and DesJarlais are among numerous members of the GOP freshman class who have no previous political experience. “We need more business people (in Congress),” Fincher said.” People who know w...

Who does Constitution protect? No maam, not you, says Scalia
During the reading of The Constitution Thursday, freshman U.S. Rep. Scott Rigell, a Republican from Virginia, was assigned to read the first section of the 14th Amendment. That section reads: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall ...

Gov. Pat Quinn (D, IL) about to destroy IL Amazon affliliates?
It’s certainly looking that way: the Democrat-run (Democrat-dominated) State Legislature has just passed a bill to tax online purchases (via Points and Figures, via Instapundit): the bill is just waiting for Governor Pat Quinn’s (D) signature, which is almost certainly inevitable.  In fact, the state of Illinois is going to raise taxes across the board - because that’s what Democrats do .  Business is good; raise taxes.  Business is bad; raise taxes.  Business is in a

Illinois Dems Push Plan To Boost Income Tax By 75%, Double Cigarette Taxes...
SPRINGFIELD (AP) — Top Illinois Democrats have agreed to push a plan that would temporarily boost income taxes by 75 percent and double Cigarette taxes, Senate President John Cullerton said Thursday. Illinois’ Personal Income Tax Rate, now 3 percent, would climb to 5.25 percent for four years under the plan Cullerton outlined. After that, it would drop to 3.75 percent. That means someone who now owes $1,000 in state income taxes would owe $1,750 at the new rate, then $1,250 after fou...

Rush to implement Obama care causing local fallout for children
In the rush to pass the Obama care bill without an opportunity to learn what was in it until after it passed, a major New Mexico Health Insurer has stopped insuring Children. This has resulted in applications for Health Insurance for children to be denied. At issue, according to Presbyterian Health Plan President Dr. Dennis Batey, is that the new Health Care reform laws are so complex, that insurers have not had enough time to write plans that could be submitted to state Regulators for approval....

Morning Observations
The Democrats in the House of Representatives produced over 400 bills in the last Congress that the U.S. Senate did not have the time or inclination to act on. We didn't pay attention to most of those bills, although a few, like Cap & Trade, were big effing deals. When we see the Republican-run House pass bills to Repeal Health Care reform or ban czarism from the executive office, we shouldn't really get upset. It's theater. It is only important for setting precedents for future action should t...

Lieberman 'Open-minded' on changes to health care reform
The Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate is seen as a bulwark against Republican efforts to undo Health Care reform, but Sen. Joseph Lieberman says that he is going into the debate with an "open mind" about what changes, if any, would make sense. Lieberman said he does not favor repealing the entire law, but he wants to consider all the options as Congressional Republican push to unravel the Health Care overhaul. "I'm trying to keep opened-minded, listening to people who do want to Repeal or change...

Capitol Hill rookies jettison Tea on arrival
Incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, center, would not comment on Tuesday night's swanky Fundraiser for freshman Republican lawmakers. (Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images) WASHINGTON — Capitol Hill will be abuzz today with the arrival of a new class of Republican lawmakers who charged into office with a promise to shun the ways of Washington. But even as they publicly bash the capital's culture, many have quietly begun to embrace it. Several freshmen have hired Lobbyists — pre-e...

The new leadership
HOUSE MAJORITY The speaker: John Boehner, R-Ohio, is second in line for the presidency, behind the vice president. His most important daily roles will be setting the floor agenda, keeping parliamentary order, and appointing lawmakers to committee and subcommittee chairmanships, as well as to conference committees that craft final Legislation. The Majority Leader: Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., will have responsibilities that include daily, weekly, and monthly House floor scheduling; urging the rank a...

U.S. House Republican leadership/Leader Cantor set-up social media / web accounts
From the Republican leader’s press office: For the 112th Congress, Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and his office can now be found on Twitter as @GOPLeader. In addition, the Office of the Majority Leader presents a new Facebook page - House Chamber - to provide updates on the House of Representatives’ floor schedule in real-time. Here’s a full run-down of where you can connect with Cantor on the web: Twitter: Leader Cantor will take over the account once held by Speake...