Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45329987#45329987
rashard mendenhall san antonio weather austin box austin box nebraska football nebraska football the academy is
বৃহস্পতিবার, ১৭ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
বুধবার, ১৬ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Millionaires on Capitol Hill: Please tax me more!
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Md., right, answers questions after a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011. Huddling behind him, from left are, Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., Sen. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D, and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Md., right, answers questions after a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011. Huddling behind him, from left are, Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., Sen. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D, and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
From left, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., talk in the hall before a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., second from right, accompanied by House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Md., right, and others, gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Supercommittee co-chair Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011, as she emerged from a closed-door meeting of the panel. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Lobbyists for a day, a band of millionaires stormed Capitol Hill on Wednesday to urge Congress to tax them more.
They had a little trouble getting in. It turns out there are procedures, even for the really rich.
But once inside, their message was embraced by liberals and tolerated by some conservatives ? including the ideological leader of anti-tax lawmakers, who had some advice for them, too.
"If you think the federal government can spend your money better than you can, then by all means" pay more in taxes than you owe, said Grover Norquist, the head of a group that has gotten almost all congressional Republicans to pledge to vote against tax hikes. The IRS should have a little line on the form where people can donate money to the government, he suggested, "just like the tip line on a restaurant receipt."
One of the millionaires suggested that if Norquist wanted low taxes and less government, "Renounce your American citizenship and move to Somalia where they don't collect any tax."
In the silence left by the private efforts of the "supercommittee" to find $1.2 trillion or more in deficit cuts by Thanksgiving, free advice flowed in public.
And not just any advice: pie-in-the-sky suggestions from those not connected to the talks, mostly to reopen debates that have led nowhere. The millionaires want the panel to raise taxes on people who earn more than $1 million, even though most Republicans are committed against the idea. And 150 House member and senators urged a much bigger debt-and-deficit deal, even as a small-scope agreement is proving elusive.
While they were at it, the lawmakers insisted that bipartisanship was not, in fact, dead.
This group of House members and senators shared a stage and some jokes and signed a letter urging the supercommittee of Republicans and Democrats to find the required $1.2 trillion in cuts ? plus about $2.8 trillion more. They all want the panel to avoid triggering automatic cuts as a penalty for failing.
So this uneasy alliance of 150 Republicans and Democrats will vote for whatever deal the supercommittee strikes?
"No," said House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer. "Nobody's going to commit to the deal until they see the deal."
What deal? There is no evidence that one is near, so the millionaires tried to meet with anyone who would meet with them.
The progressive caucus did, eagerly and on-camera. The rest wasn't so easy.
At a basement entrance to the Capitol, a police officer pointed to the name badges that identified each wearer as "Patriotic Millionaire."
"That is not a visitor's badge," the officer said. "Go to the visitors desk and get a visitor's badge."
Off they trudged, a group mostly of men in business-casual clothing toting laptops and umbrellas, to a desk visited by tourists and lobbyists. Badges secured, they headed in.
Lawrence Benenson, vice president of Benenson Capitol Co., ran into freshman Rep. Kristi Noem, R-Idaho, in an elevator.
"I'm with the Patriotic Millionaires and we want to pay more in taxes," he told her.
Noem grinned.
"How much more?" she asked.
Then it was off to meet, not with senators but their staffs ? and not in the Capitol but in offices across the street.
Progress was not made, by all accounts.
A meeting with an aide to Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., opened with his aide announcing that the senator believes the wealthy pay more taxes than their fair share, according to one of the millionaires, Matthew Palevsky, a consultant and founder of the Council on Crime Prevention.
"We defined it as not paying our fair share," Palevsky said of the 20-minute chat. "It was clear we were coming from different points of view."
In a meeting with Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas, the congressman faux-proposed ? apparently ? to an aide to the millionaires. She declined.
Then it was off, on a bus not a limo, across town to see Norquist.
Why were they bothering with him?
"That's what I asked this morning," said one of the millionaires, Frank Jernigan, a former senior software engineer for Google.
"It's a media hook," offered another, Guy Saperstein, a retired lawyer and former president of the Sierra Club Foundation.
Such candor is not the norm in these parts.
For his part, Norquist said he was ready for the group with a tongue-in-cheek Torah lesson: Maimonides and his "eight degrees of charity." That's what Norquist says the millionaires are essentially proposing with their tax-me-more pitch. Perhaps there should be a ninth, Norquist suggested.
"Nobody's holding them back" from donating money to the federal government, he said as he prepared for the group's arrival. "They're saying, 'Gee, I'd sure like to write a big check to the federal government, if someone would just stop stopping me.'"
___
Associated Press writer Larry Margasak contributed to this report.
Associated Presskraken kraken calvin johnson calvin johnson kenyon martin kenyon martin lizard lick towing
Zuccotti Park ruling got it right, say experts (VIDEO)
Zuccotti Park has been re-occupied by protestors but was the court's ruling constitutional? ?Experts say yes.
The eviction of Occupy Wall Street demonstrators in Manhattan was a dramatic turn in a nearly two-month standoff, inspiring howls of protest from the protesters and their supporters. But New York and other cities that have cracked down appear to have the law ? and history ? on their side.
Skip to next paragraphA judge upheld New York's decision to clear?Zuccotti?Park. And even some experts known as supporters of First Amendment rights said the judge had it right.
"The short legal answer to these situations in New York City and other places today is that there are broad rights to protests, to march, to demonstrate and to be heard," said Floyd Abrams, a prominent First Amendment lawyer. "There is no right to occupy a public area on a full-time basis, including housing facilities and sleeping there."
Abrams said the protesters, by successfully bringing public attention to their message of corporate greed and economic inequality, have exercised their First Amendment rights. "What they can't do is go over the line in what is essentially a seizure by them of public property .... with no limitations."
Not everyone agrees. The American Civil Liberties Union has filed lawsuits ? and in some instances, won temporary restraining orders ? on behalf of Occupy activists in such places as Nashville, Oakland, Calif., and Trenton, N.J.
"There is no such thing as a beginning, middle and end to free speech rights," said ACLU executive director Anthony Romero. "The right ... doesn't toll after a certain time period."
Romero also said it's hypocritical to try to limit the duration of protests "when we celebrate the occupation of Tahrir Square (the site of anti-government protests in Cairo). Certainly no one was citing the Egyptians for their overnight, multi-day protests. We ought not to criticize the Occupy movement for demonstrating their points of view with similar zeal."
The judge's decision Tuesday was the latest development in a growing national drama that began when a community of bed rolls and tents sprang to life in a?park?near Wall Street nearly two months ago. The movement has spread across the country, and taken with it a tangle of legal, constitutional and public relations problems for city officials.
ios 5 features ellen degeneres show ellen degeneres show david guetta david guetta work of art iphone update
মঙ্গলবার, ১৫ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
President of Pa. charity linked to abuse resigns (AP)
PITTSBURGH ? The youth charity at the center of the child sex-abuse charges against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky received donations in recent years from hundreds of corporations, community groups and individuals ? including the judge who arraigned Sandusky earlier this month.
On Monday, The Second Mile's president resigned, saying he hoped his departure would help restore faith in its mission. The group also announced it had hired Philadelphia's longtime district attorney as its new general counsel.
Jack Raykovitz, a practicing psychologist, had led the group, which was founded by Sandusky in 1977, for 28 years.
Raykovitz had testified before the grand jury that recommended indicting Sandusky on child abuse charges. The panel said Sandusky found his victims through the charity's programs.
Annual reports show how widely popular the charity was before the scandal hit. Hundreds of corporations, community groups and individuals donated each year.
Among them was State College District Judge Leslie A. Dutchcot, who set Sandusky's bail earlier this month. She and her husband donated between $500 and $999 to The Second Mile in 2009, and she volunteered for the group, according to annual reports and her website.
The judge set bail for Sandusky at $100,000 unsecured ? meaning he did not have to post collateral to be freed but would have to post $100,000 if he ever failed to show up for a hearing.
Dutchcot did not immediately respond to a question on whether she will recuse herself from the case because of those past ties to The Second Mile. She has also removed the mention of The Second Mile from her website.
Major companies and their foundations also have given to The Second Mile. Between 2008 and 2010, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Highmark Foundation, The Hershey Company and State Farm Companies Foundation all gave $50,000 or more to the charity.
Raykovitz said in a statement Monday that he hopes his resignation would mark the beginning of a "restoration of faith in the community of volunteers and staff" at The Second Mile.
Tax forms indicate that Raykovitz's wife, Katherine Genovese, was executive vice president of The Second Mile. She has been with the group since 1984. It's not clear if she still works at the charity, as the staff biography page has been removed from the website.
The Second Mile has said that its youth programs serve as many as 100,000 children a year.
Sandusky, who retired from Penn State in 1999, informed The Second Mile board in November 2008 that he was under investigation. The charity subsequently barred him from activities involving children, charity officials said.
The ex-coach allegedly assaulted eight children over a 15-year span. His attorney has said he's innocent.
Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley and Senior Vice President Gary Schultz were charged with perjury. Both have denied wrongdoing and have left their university posts.
The scandal led to the departure of university President Graham Spanier and the dismissal of legendary head coach Joe Paterno after law enforcement officials said they didn't do enough to stop suspected abuse when it was reported to them in 2002.
The Second Mile also announced a new general counsel on Monday. Lynne Abraham is replacing Wendell Courtney, who resigned last week.
Abraham served as the top prosecutor in Philadelphia for nearly two decades, during which she was known for her no-nonsense approach. The city's first female district attorney, she earned the lasting nickname "one tough cookie" from former Mayor Frank Rizzo. She decided not to run again in 2009 and became a partner at the Philadelphia office of the Archer & Greiner law firm in early 2010.
The Second Mile board also said that it would conduct an internal investigation to assess policies and make recommendations regarding future operations. They hope to have those findings by the end of December.
boardwalk empire torrey smith torrey smith packers bears boeing 787 johnny appleseed hank baskett
Chile judge rules out trial for priest over abuses (AP)
SANTIAGO, Chile ? A Chilean judge is ruling out criminal charges against a prominent priest accused of molesting children.
Judge Jessica Gonzalez says the statute of limitations has expired on the crimes that Fernando Karadima is accused of committing against three youths. A fourth case was eliminated because the victim's age at the time was not firmly established.
But her ruling on Monday says that the allegations are "truthful and reliable."
Karadima is now 80 and the Vatican already has sanctioned him by ordering him to a life of "penitence and prayer."
texas tech football michigan state michigan state bridge school miami dolphins charlie and the chocolate factory ou football
সোমবার, ১৪ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Pacific rim leaders mull ways to fend off EU woes
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, right, talks with Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd during a dinner with APEC ministers at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, right, talks with Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd during a dinner with APEC ministers at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Vietnam's President Truong Tan Sang, left, gestures as he speaks with to Emery Koenig, executive vice-president and chief risk officer of Cargill, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC, summit Friday, Nov. 11, 2011, in Honolulu. Man at center is an interpreter. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Vietnam's President Truong Tan Sang, left, speaks with Emery Koenig, executive vice-president and chief risk officer of Cargill, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC, summit Friday, Nov. 11, 2011, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Presidents Ollanta Humala, of Peru, right, and Truong Tan Sang, of Vietnam, shake hands during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC, summit Friday, Nov. 11, 2011, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Presidents Ollanta Humala, of Peru, right, and Truong Tan Sang, of Vietnam, shake hands during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC, summit Friday, Nov. 11, 2011, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
HONOLULU (AP) ? A push to build a Pacific free trade bloc gained ground Friday with Japan's decision to join negotiations, as Asia-Pacific leaders converging on Hawaii for an annual summit mulled ways to prevent Europe's crisis from derailing the global recovery.
The weekend meeting of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which brings together leaders from Russia to Chile, is focused on creating jobs and business through nuts-and-bolts measures such as investment in infrastructure and reforms aimed at providing more access to financing for the poor.
Such moves are gaining urgency, with the European Union warning of a possible "deep and prolonged recession" next year as the debt crisis that has engulfed Ireland, Portugal and Greece shows signs of spiraling out of control. A European recession would be felt sharply in the U.S., where growth is already anemic, and in Asia, which relies on Europe as a big market for its cars, clothing, consumer electronics and other exports.
"In the coming 12 months there is quite a strong likelihood that things will go worse," Hong Kong's chief executive, Donald Tsang, told a gathering of business leaders on the sidelines of the APEC meetings. "Global performance will be dragged down and then there will be an awakening, I hope," he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in opening a meeting of foreign and economic ministers that many forces outside the Pacific region will have an impact on it. "Global trends and world events have given us a full and formidable agenda," she said. "And the stakes are high for all of us."
As host of the annual summit, the U.S. has made expanding trade, promoting green growth and deepening cooperation on regulation and standards to help dismantle barriers to trade and nurture faster growth.
"We've even created an unofficial slogan: 'Get Stuff Done," Clinton said.
The U.S. also is hoping to garner support for a Pacific free trade pact that many APEC members see as a building block for a free trade area that encompasses all of Asia and the Pacific, covering half the world's commerce and two-fifths of its trade.
That goal advanced Friday with Japan's announcement that it will seek to join the bloc, called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, despite strong opposition from farmers fearful of exposure to greater foreign competition.
The Pacific trade pact, known as the TPP, currently includes Chile, New Zealand, Brunei and Singapore ? all relatively small economies. The U.S., Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Peru are negotiating to join. The participation of Japan, the world's third-largest economy, would vastly expand its reach.
At the same time they are working toward a broader agreement, countries continue to forge separate free-trade agreements. On Friday, Vietnam and Chile were to due to sign a free trade agreement on the sidelines of the APEC meetings.
The U.S. recently clinched long-sought free trade pacts with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama ? agreements that if ratified will bring to 20 the number of countries that have free trade agreements with the U.S.
In Honolulu, Washington was keeping up pressure on China to commit to faster trade liberalization and to freeing its currency, which U.S. officials say remains undervalued even though it has gained substantially against the U.S. dollar in recent years.
A statement by APEC finance ministers released Thursday included a call for exchange rate flexibility. Treasury Department officials said China's willingness to back such a commitment ? both at the Group of 20 meeting in Cannes last week and in Honolulu this week ? could encourage similar moves by other Asia-Pacific economies.
But Beijing's apparent openness to move faster on its currency policy was not matched by similar support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which earlier this week a senior official in Beijing described as "overly ambitious."
Overall, given APEC's lack of negotiating power ? all decisions are by consensus ? prospects for major changes are slim. But over the years the group's incremental efforts have helped build support for closer economic ties and freer trade.
Clinton said that by agreeing on something as rudimentary as shared safety standards for televisions, countries in the region saw exports of TVs jump by nearly half in three years.
___
Associated Press writer Jaymes Song contributed to this report.
Associated Pressbj penn roasted pumpkin seeds roasted pumpkin seeds pumpkin seed recipe mark madoff disturbia ufc results
এতে সদস্যতা:
পোস্টগুলি (Atom)