Arizona Democratic Party 2012 Heritage Dinner, Featuring Gov. Martin O’Malley

April 15, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Announcement from the Arizona Democratic Party:

First Lady Michelle Obama Fundraiser in Tucson on April 30

April 15, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: RSVP’s for photoline guests are DUE by April 26th, 9:00 p.m. (Guests must arrive no later than 4:00 p.m.) RSVP online at: https://my.barackobama.com/April30TucsonReception

Vice President Joe Biden Fundraiser in Phoenix this Thursday

April 15, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Seating is limited to about 120 at this event. RSVP’s for photoline guests are DUE by April 16th, 9:00 p.m. (Guests must arrive no later than 11:00 a.m.) RSVP online at: https://my.barackobama.com/april19phoenixluncheon

The coming week…

April 15, 2012

By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings   As usual, all agendas and calendars subject to change without notice… The legislature has reached the point in the session where the only real work left is the budget. Most of that work is going on behind closed doors in negotiations between the governor and the leadership … Read more

Dr. Word asks, Are “shiny objects” the new “distractions”?

April 15, 2012

by David Safier Dr. Word read on TPM that twice on CNN’s State of the Union, RNC Chair Reince Priebus called Dem issues "shiny objects." RNC Chair Reince Priebus on Sunday argued that it’s no big deal that presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney has sought an extension for filing his 2011 tax return, calling the … Read more

Update: What is Romney hiding from us?

April 15, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

I previously posted in What is Romney hiding from us?:

Jed Lewison at Daily Kos asks the right question: Why was Mitt Romney willing to hand over 23 years of tax returns to John McCain's vice presidential vetting team but he will not do the same with the public. What's in his tax records that he was willing to let McCain's people see but that he doesn't want to share with the rest of us?

Jed Lewison posts, Obama campaign renews call for transparency after report shows Mitt Romney hiding assets from public:

In the wake of yesterday's Washington Post report that Mitt Romney is exploiting a loophole in federal ethics laws to hide the details of his holdings through Bain Capital, the Obama campaign is renewing its call for transparency from Romney in a statement from campaign manager Jim Messina:

“Mitt Romney has asked Americans to elect him President based on his experience as a corporate buyout specialist.  Each week, new questions are raised about whether he took unusual steps to avoid paying his fair share in taxes.  Today’s report suggests that Governor Romney is exploiting a loophole in order to shield his assets and investments from public review.

“Mitt Romney has put his personal financial assets in a black box and hid the key, attempting to play by a different set of rules than any candidate in recent history. In fact, Mitt Romney’s own father released 12 years of tax returns when he ran for president.  President Bush released his tax returns dating back to 1991.  And President Obama released his returns dating back to 2000 when he ran for president.

“Governor Romney provided 23 years worth of tax returns to the McCain campaign so they could determine if he would make a suitable Vice President.  He must meet that same standard now so that the American people may judge whether he would be a suitable President, and whether there are any conflicts of interest that could cloud his judgment.”

The Buffett/Romney/Reagan Rule in Time for Tax Day

April 15, 2012

Posted by AzblueMeanie:

Democrats will bring a bill up for a vote this week on the "Buffett Rule," so-named after the "Oracle of Omaha" for his August 2011 opinion in the New York Times, Stop Coddling the Super-Rich – NYTimes.com in which Buffett wrote:

Last year my federal tax bill — the income tax I paid, as well as payroll taxes paid by me and on my behalf — was $6,938,744. That sounds like a lot of money. But what I paid was only 17.4 percent of my taxable income — and that’s actually a lower percentage than was paid by any of the other 20 people in our office. Their tax burdens ranged from 33 percent to 41 percent and averaged 36 percent.

* * *

But for those making more than $1 million — there were 236,883 such households in 2009 — I would raise rates immediately on taxable income in excess of $1 million, including, of course, dividends and capital gains. And for those who make $10 million or more — there were 8,274 in 2009 — I would suggest an additional increase in rate.

My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress. It’s time for our government to get serious about shared sacrifice.

Others have suggested calling it the "Romney Rule," The 'Romney Rule' makes it debut, after the multi-millionaire Vulture Capitalist investor who financially benefits from this "millionaire loophole" on his investment income, in order to highlight the unfairness of our tax system on the presumptive Tea-Publican nominee whose own tax proposals would shower a tax windfall on his super-wealthy investor class but raise the tax burden on middle-class Americans. Romney Tax Plan: Robin Hood in Reverse.

A third alternative was suggested by President Obama in a speech this past week, the "Reagan Rule," after President Reagan who also supported closing the "millionaire loophole" after being contacted by a wealthy investor much the same as Warren Buffett who told Reagan it was unfair.