Sam's Big Government Backpack
Posted on Feb. 02, 12 | 02:05 PM by Andrew Roth | Topic: Federal BudgetKey Vote Alert - "YES" on Permanent Earmark Ban
Posted on Feb. 02, 12 | 10:32 AM by Andrew Roth | Topic: Key Vote Alert SenateKEY VOTE ALERT
"YES" on Toomey Permanent Earmark Ban (Amdt #1472)
The Club for Growth urges all Senators to vote "YES" on Toomey Amendment #1472 to the STOCK Act (S. 2038). The bill is currently being considered on the Senator floor and we expect a vote on the amendment to take place later today. A vote on this amendment will be included in the Club's 2012 Congressional Scorecard.
Earmarks are bad policy and bad politics. Congress needs to end them permanently.
Our Congressional Scorecard for the 112th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.
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Key Vote Alert - "NO" on the Highway Bill (HR 7)
Posted on Feb. 01, 12 | 02:44 PM by Andrew Roth | Topic: Key Vote Alert House and Senate"NO" on the Highway Bill (H.R. 7)
The Club for Growth urges all House members to vote "NO" on the American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act (H.R. 7). The bill is currently being marked up in committees, but we expect floor consideration in the days and weeks ahead. A vote on this plan, and perhaps procedural votes, will be included in the Club's 2012 Congressional Scorecard.
Simply put, this is a massive 846-page bill that doesn't cut any spending at all. Indeed, it spends at least $30 billion more by supplementing fuel taxes with additional revenue from other sources.
Supporters of the bill will claim that there are plenty of positive reforms in the bill, like no earmarks or enhancement projects, but it's still a remarkably bloated and inefficient piece of legislation. True reform would devolve infrastructure building and maintenance back to the states and end or greatly reduce the federal gas tax. Bills that do that are currently being sponsored by Rep. Tom Graves (H.R. 3264) and Sen. Jim DeMint (S. 1164). Supporters of H.R. 7 will also say that devolution takes time, but that this bill is going in the right direction. This is standard politician-speak for slowing down the reform agenda so that business-as-usual can resume sometime in the near future when nobody is looking. The time for reform is now.
Our Congressional Scorecard for the 112th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.
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After Three Years, Obama Promises Only One Term
Posted on Feb. 01, 12 | 09:02 AM by Andrew Roth | Topic: Crazy LiberalsKey Vote Alert - "NO" on Export-Import Bank Reauthorization
Posted on Jan. 31, 12 | 09:16 AM by Andrew Roth | Topic: Key Vote Alert House and Senate"NO" on Export-Import Bank Reauthorization (HR 2072/S 1547)
The Club for Growth urges all members of Congress to vote "NO" on reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank. Congress may take up consideration of HR 2072 or S 1547, or possibly some new proposal before the Bank's current authority expires at the end of May. A vote on this reauthorization, and perhaps procedural votes, will be included in the Club's 2012 Congressional Scorecard.
The Export-Import Bank's actions are nothing more than market-distorting subsidies that pick winners and losers in the private sector. Market forces should dictate trade flows, not bureaucrats and politicians.
While supporters of the Ex-Im Bank claim that it is self-sufficient and doesn't add to the federal deficit, the real problem is that the Bank's financing helps some companies to the detriment of other firms and taxpayers. A prime example, among many, is the Bank providing financing for foreign airlines to buy American aircrafts, thus allowing those companies to better compete against American airlines. In addition, Congress and the President are trying to expand the Bank's $100 billion finance cap by at least 35%. President Obama has a laudable goal of doubling exports within five years, but he shouldn't be allowed to goose the numbers by handing out market-distorting tax dollars to companies that curry the most favor or have the best lobbyists. Not only should members of Congress reject this expansion of authority, but they should reject the Bank's charter and shut it down for good.
Our Congressional Scorecard for the 112th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.
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Hat tip: Greg Mankiw
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Cato Institute Fact-Checks Obama's State of the Union 2012
Posted on Jan. 25, 12 | 04:16 PM by Barney Keller | Topic: Crazy LiberalsEconomics for the Long Run
Posted on Jan. 25, 12 | 02:17 PM by Andrew Roth | Topic: General EconomicsMember Comments (1)
Chris Chocola Appears on Varney and Company To Discuss The GOP Presidential Field
Posted on Jan. 24, 12 | 01:10 PM by Barney Keller | Topic: Cap and TradeA "Reasonable Profits Board"?
Posted on Jan. 20, 12 | 03:49 PM by Andrew Roth | Topic: Crazy LiberalsThe Democrats, worried about higher gas prices, want to set up a board that would apply a "windfall profit tax" as high as 100 percent on the sale of oil and gas, according to their legislation. The bill provides no specific guidance for how the board would determine what constitutes a reasonable profit.
The Gas Price Spike Act, H.R. 3784, would apply a windfall tax on the sale of oil and gas that ranges from 50 percent to 100 percent on all surplus earnings exceeding "a reasonable profit." It would set up a Reasonable Profits Board made up of three presidential nominees that will serve three-year terms. Unlike other bills setting up advisory boards, the Reasonable Profits Board would not be made up of any nominees from Congress.
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