Politics & Government - 13 July 2007

He rolls into office with the Soviet Union dissolving, and an economy just starting a recovery. Then he's lucky enough to be in office at the birth of a great new industry, the dot.com industry. Peace and prosperity, perhaps the best time in 50 years for a leader to enact bold new programs or pass important reforms.

Did Clinton reform Health Care, like he campaigned on? Resolve the Iraq situation in the 8 years he had? Reform Social Security? Fight Terrorism? Resolve the Israel/Palastinean conflict? End illegal immigration or pass immigration reform? Reverse the decline in manufacturing? Stop Outsourcing?

I can only think of the following accomplishments. He put some extra cops on the street, NAFTA, and Welfare Reform. All nice, but nothing great considering the Golden Opportunity he had.

Of all the great issues confronting our nation, was he able to resolve even one?

2007-07-13 13:06:58 · 19 answers · asked by Uncle Pennybags 7 in Other - Politics & Government

Name one progressive/positive thing that has come out of this Democrat Controlled congress. Name only items which have visible impact on daily American life and works to solve any the problems we face.

Do you think this party offers anything (other than multiple meaningless investigations)???

2007-07-13 13:06:19 · 12 answers · asked by Voice of Liberty 5 in Government

Obviously the laws aren't working.

2007-07-13 13:04:13 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Law & Ethics

shouldnt U.S. Constitution - Article 1 Section 8 be the law that forces us to pay?????
http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_A1Sec8.html

2007-07-13 13:02:56 · 10 answers · asked by Honor 2 in Other - Politics & Government

There has been much speculation and one with a gut feeling. I think it is probable but I hope it doesn't happen. What do you out in Web land think??

2007-07-13 13:01:24 · 7 answers · asked by Fiesty Redhead 1 in Government

Hedging Your Votes
Taxing questions.


Democrats have so far gotten the lion’s share of hedge-fund managers’ campaign contributions in the 2008 presidential money race — 75 percent, according to a Center for Responsive Politics/Absolute Return magazine analysis of the candidates’ first-quarter financials. Next week, when financials are due, we’ll know if the trend kept up in the second quarter. For now the more interesting question is: Will it continue after the Democrats raise taxes on private-equity and hedge-fund managers, as they appear determined to do?

Last Wednesday, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on “carried interest” — the percentage of a fund’s returns that its managers keep as compensation. This comes after 14 House Democrats proposed a bill that would more than double the taxes that fund managers pay on these fees. Your typical fund manager takes around two percent of the fund’s value as a fee for managing the money, and on this he pays regular income tax of up to 35 percent. In addition, he keeps around 20 percent of the returns on the fund’s investments — on this he pays the capital-gains tax rate, which President Bush cut to 15 percent in 2003. These funds are quite large, in the billions, and generate outsized returns, so these guys have been in the news lately for their astronomical take-home pay.

Now the Democrats want their cut. They say it’s not fair that these managers pay such a low rate on so much income. They want them to pay the regular income-tax rate — 35 percent.

Here’s where things get weird. Typically political parties crack down on the other party’s donors, not their own. But unlike their financial brethren in the greater securities/investments community, hedge-fund managers are consistent Democratic donors. While the industry overall only shifted its giving to the Democrats in 2006 when a power-shift looked all-but-certain, CRP/Absolute Return data show that hedge funds have favored Democrats for longer and by wider margins. In 2006 hedge funds gave 69 percent of their campaign cash to Democrats (the industry overall was more closely divided at 53-45). They gave 67 percent to Democrats in 2004. In 2002, it was 84 percent.

As mentioned above, first-quarter filings from the 2008 presidential candidates show that the funds continue to favor Democrats. Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd received the most — close to $350,000 — which reflects the large number of hedge funds in his state as well as his position as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. John Edwards came in second with over $190,000. Almost all of that money came from the Fortress Investment Group, which also paid him close to $500,000 in consulting fees last year. (Edwards told the Associated Press that he took the job “primarily to learn” about financial markets and their relationship to poverty.) Hillary Clinton came in third, followed by Rudy Giuliani and then Barack Obama.

A top Republican fundraiser I talked to simply didn’t believe these numbers could be accurate. He pointed to a number of high-profile hedge-fund managers who have given to Republicans, such as Paul E. Singer, a founding partner at Elliott Associates and major Giuliani backer. When I asked him to assume that the numbers were correct for argument’s sake, he said, “Then it would be the stupidest thing I could imagine.”

Evidence that hedge-fund giving runs counter to the sector’s best interest also comes from the fact that the Managed Funds Association, which represents hedge funds in Washington, directs most of its giving to Republicans. In 2004 the split was 68-32. Even in 2006, with the rest of the industry trending Democratic, the MFA favored the GOP 57-41.

CRP executive director Sheila Krumholz says, “The Managed Funds Association is a good example of a business association giving for more pragmatic reasons, based on its legislative agenda and more in the general interest of these firms. Yet many companies,” she says, “even members of the association, give 100 percent to Democrats.” Avenue Capital Group, D.E. Shaw, Farallon, Fortress, and yes, Soros Fund Management are among the major Democratic donors who populate the association’s membership list.

One can think of several reasons why hedge-fund giving is so at odds to what one would perceive to be the best interest of the industry. First, most hedge funds are located in blue states and therefore represented by Democrats. It probably makes sense for these managers to give to a Chris Dodd, a Hillary Clinton, a Nancy Pelosi, even if they don’t share their ideologies. That could skew the data. But a closer look at the giving patterns of some of the top donors finds political contributions spread out over a large number of Democratic candidates and PACs. Thomas F. Steyer, senior partner at Farallon Capital Management in San Francisco, gave $1,000 to Nancy Pelosi (and $5,000 to her PAC), sure. But he’s given tens of thousands more to other Democrats, running the gamut from the hawkish Joe Lieberman to the very liberal Russell Feingold. Not all hedge funds are located in blue states, either. David Bonderman, a big Democratic donor, runs the Texas Pacific Group from Fort Worth, Texas.

Second, one could argue that influential lawmakers from both parties support higher taxes and more regulation on hedge funds, so it doesn’t matter whether they give to Republicans or Democrats. Iowa Republican Charles Grassley, ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, has long favored forcing hedge funds to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission, something they argue they shouldn’t have to do. And in a statement at Wednesday’s hearing, Grassley defended the idea of raising taxes on publicly traded partnerships like Fortress and Blackstone.
But this explanation is also lacking. It is the Democratic party, not the GOP, that seeks to roll back Bush’s investment-friendly tax cuts on dividends and capital gains. Carried interest and hedge-fund managers are merely the softest targets in what promises to be a broader Democratic attack on the Bush tax cuts. The fundamental logic — that the investor class is overcompensated and ought to pay more — is the same.
Listening to the Democratic vs. the Republican candidates for president provides an even clearer demonstration of the difference between the parties. John Edwards, ardent student of the industry though he may be, has come out in favor of higher taxation and increased regulation of private-equity and hedge funds. And Thursday the New York Sun reported that Barack Obama has also come out in support of doubling taxes on publicly traded partnerships. Hillary Clinton, who along with Chuck Schumer represents Wall Street in the Senate, is the only holdout so far (a spokesman told the Sun she is still “evaluating” the issue). This bit of politically-motivated reticence aside, the Democrats’ track record on taxes speaks for itself. By any measure of common sense, a smart man would bet on the GOP to keep taxes low and capital deregulated.

Finally, there’s the Soros factor. But while this can partially explain large discrepancies in past cycles, particularly 2004, Soros’s pocketbook was silent during the first quarter of 2007, and the Democrats dominated anyway.

What’s left is the explanation offered by CRP’s Krumholz: “I sense that, for these individuals, a lot of them are ideologically allied with the Democrats possibly in spite of economic interests that would seem to favor a Republican alliance.” In other words, it’s Thomas Frank’s What’s the Matter With Kansas, only in reverse. Hedge-fund managers tend to live near the top of cosmopolitan, culturally liberal societies. They tend to find Republican positions on embryo-destroying stem-cell research and gay marriage to be nothing short of primitive. They tend to be extremely bright and thus prone to the fallacious idea that if more people like them ran the government, they could solve just about any problem with a new government program. They can afford higher taxes.

Unfortunately, the rest of America can’t. Investment capital is the lifeblood of business expansion and job creation, and the idea that Congress can’t find offsets in the bloated federal budget and must raid Wall Street for more money is preposterous. I know — no one deserves to have their taxes raised quite like these extremely well-compensated benefactors of the party that seeks to destroy them. However, as usual, it’s up to conservatives to know better.

2007-07-13 12:58:16 · 4 answers · asked by mission_viejo_california 2 in Politics

Do you think that children of illegal immigrants that are born in America should be considered Iegal? What if only 1 of their parents are illegal?

2007-07-13 12:57:26 · 17 answers · asked by Chicago 4 in Immigration

How many of you are
1. Active in your chosen political party... (more than just tossing dollars at them)

2. Have ever volunteered to support your political system.. (poll workers, etc.)

3. Have ever ran for a political office.

Its easy to talk the talk... but its pointless unless you step away from the computer and do something about it.

2007-07-13 12:57:08 · 25 answers · asked by Kacy H 5 in Politics

he was a big lad and he dragged 3 cops for 40 yards before they got him down!!

Does anyone know what he did?

2007-07-13 12:56:44 · 22 answers · asked by ~Mustaffa~Laff~ 4 in Law Enforcement & Police

How can having a semi private hospital room not be in violation of HIPPA?
When your doctor makes rounds, they speak to you regarding your care with another patient and perhaps their family present, when the nurse gives your meds,etc.In a semi private room, you don't have alot of prvacy, hence the name "semi private". I have worked as a nurse in some small hospitals and have even had other patients ask me about "so and so's " status which I cannot legally divulge, but if you are in a room with another patient, how can you not hear everything? Do any other healthcare workers wonder about this ? Does anyone have any legal knowledge about this?

2007-07-13 12:56:36 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Law & Ethics

http://www.usvetdsp.com/murtha_tls.htm
Calling our troops cold blooded murderers, when does the troop bashing stop with the democrats?
Apologize or resign?

2007-07-13 12:56:29 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics

Well i was at the hospital a while ago. (i have diabetes) and was at a regular check up when i recieved a text message of an unknown number saying "I hope you die you fat f**k" then preceded to get more texts when i started to question this person. I have since found out who it was and i feel a strong need to get them back...big style. I dont want to resort to violence as thats not in my nature but im tempted lol. As you can tell it upset me slightly its not everyday that i get messages like that and i have never had a problem with this person before. Some of my friends approcahed him and his excuse was that "it was funny, a laugh" anyone got any ideas.

2007-07-13 12:55:35 · 15 answers · asked by spud 2 in Law & Ethics

Why don't people want to accept that Bush doesn't care about the constitution and has knowingly and willingly broken our laws. In case anyone needs proof that he has, consider the laws he had the departing republican congress pass legalizing torture and his wiretap crap. He insisted that those laws be made retroactive to 2001 so that they would cover his illegal actions for the several years those things were illegal. He only requested that they be made legal once it was clear that the republicans would lose control of the congress and senate. You republicans call the dems communist and there is the worst form of communism at work in the whitehouse and you daily defend the guy responsible fot it. I am an independent so don't waste your time saying, " Yeah, but Clinton lied about a goobersmooch." Wake up AMERICA!!!!!!!

2007-07-13 12:52:41 · 19 answers · asked by Guardian 3 in Politics

Maybe S. Vietnam would be a devloped country like S. Korea. S. Korea is a devloped country so don't even play.

What would happen to S. Vietnam if it remained free and they won the war?

N. Vietnam would end up like N. Korea? Isolated?

2007-07-13 12:51:50 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Military

Is it just me but so many conservative "journalists" like ann coulter and sean hannity as well as a lot of conservative politicians and supporters have made name calling an acceptable substitute for debate, everywhere i look all i see is conservatives (who for the most part are closet racists) calling their opponents names such as anti american and other crap but rarely do isee them sitting down to make any reasonable and constructive debate with people who do not think like them, why is that the case? and what can be done to stop it?

2007-07-13 12:49:49 · 17 answers · asked by ericktravel 6 in Politics

2007-07-13 12:47:55 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Law & Ethics

I'm all for freedom of speech people but there's a time and place for it. I've seen actual footage of people with posters saying all kinds of heinous, mean things at the funeral of soldiers. I don't care if you protest the war or not - it's incredibly mean and disrespectful to disrupt a funeral of anyone. These families are already grieving the loss of a loved one and then they have to deal with war protesters being completely disrespectful of their loss? I think it's HORRIBLE and I can't believe Congress hasn't passed a federal law against it. They have to stay a certain feet away but to me, that's not enough. I hope everyone on here writes their senators to complain. War protesters should be able to protest - that's their freedom - but do they have to do it at a funeral? NO CLASS. Ok - I realize there's not really a question here so much as me venting. Sorry! :)

2007-07-13 12:46:52 · 29 answers · asked by Anonymous in Military

I need to register to vote pretty soon, but I don't really know what to do. I presume that I'd go to the secretary of state's office, and that I'd need ID. But I don't have my driver's license yet either... could I get my license and then use that to register?

Also, do I have to register with a particular party, or can I remain unaffiliated? Does it cost anything to register? Is there a deadline by which I have to register? I know there has to be so much time before an election, but do I only have so long after turning 18?

Finally, I will be moving far away (but still within the same state) soon. Should I register there, where I will be attending school nine months (possibly more) of the year, or should I register here, where I have my permanent address?

2007-07-13 12:44:31 · 4 answers · asked by Rat 7 in Elections

I know once it expires it is no longer a valid driver's license, but is it still considered a valid form of identification? Please list source.

2007-07-13 12:41:30 · 16 answers · asked by just_another_guy_out_there 2 in Law & Ethics

and his refusal to listen to countless others is just plain arrogance

2007-07-13 12:41:18 · 34 answers · asked by badboysmovensilence 1 in Politics

He is really wanting to join so please don't answer if you really don't know.

2007-07-13 12:40:57 · 17 answers · asked by Chris 1 in Military

Because it's head of state is indirectly elected by a council of clergies.
These clergies or mullahs are elected by people. Isn't it same as
the United States?

2007-07-13 12:40:34 · 8 answers · asked by RAIHAN J 1 in Government

I know Hillary wants to pull the troops out (at least that's what she says) Would we have won the Rev War with a president like her, what about Clinton, Kennedy, Wilson, Taft or others?

2007-07-13 12:40:19 · 39 answers · asked by JBWPLGCSE 5 in Politics

Rep. Borris Miles (democrat) voted against a bill that gives Texans stronger legal right to defend themselves with deadly force in their homes, vehicles, and workplaces. Yet he can do it? Typical liberal socialist hypocrite. Here is the link
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,288737,00.html

2007-07-13 12:39:56 · 6 answers · asked by F123 2 in Other - Politics & Government

Is Hillary Clinton a lesbian?
Will the price of Pork Bellies go up if Hillery is Crowned ?
Who the hell is Obama & why is he running for presidency of the U.S.? I hate his simple-minded grins & such?
Liberals are always wanting to send food to Africa, why aren't their kids running the soup kitchens?
Why do liberals need government to hold their hand through life?

Would you want the proof of Saddam's intentions to be a mushroom cloud if we do nothing? Sorry folks but that's not bashing, it's what he asked America. Anyone who is familiar with my posts, what were you expecting? My point, stop complaining if you're part of the problem.

2007-07-13 12:38:12 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics

...is nothing but transparent pathetic pandering to the homosexual community ? How about a black debate ? A transvestite debate ? A debate for every little teeny demographic ?

Seems wrong.

2007-07-13 12:35:49 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics

2007-07-13 12:35:19 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics

Hey they want to get rid of the IRS, isn't that reason enough to support them?

2007-07-13 12:33:52 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Other - Politics & Government

I know that a lot of people moved to San Francisco during the Summer of Love. How did the rest of California follow so quickly? I thought a republic system is suppose to balance out opinions from differing areas to come to a middle ground. Somebody write a concise answer and dont be rude please.

2007-07-13 12:33:05 · 13 answers · asked by Jona 1 in Other - Politics & Government

Since we have such a pathetic, president, and even more pathetic congress, then why can't We The People, decide. I never see our representatives asking what the actual population what we would like. Are they not suppose to represent us. I do not understand how the American people just stand by and let these freaks do whatever they want, how long have they been trying to decide on what to do with abortion, health care, social security, damn even the war in Iraq. If we can vote for our representatives, then I will tell you I should be able to vote on these issues that they cannot draw to a close. Even if it means taking some time off of work to run down to the voting booth and voting on a specific issue. At least then it would be resolved. Of coarse, our vote would have to finalize the issue, and they (our representative freaks) could not bring it up again. We The People, would have to vote to again to make any changes. Stay or go, fight or not, bow or kneel, whatever it may be.

2007-07-13 12:32:54 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Government