FoxNews.com A House Republican introduced a bill Monday that attempts an end-run
around President Obama’s approval to pave the way for construction of
the northern stretch of the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline.
The proposal by GOP Rep. Lee Terry would cover the Canada-to-Nebraska
stretch, the permit for which remains under federal review.
Obama has already approved the southern leg of the roughly
2,000-mile-long pipeline that would take crude oil from Canada and
mineral-rich Western states to refineries along the Gulf Coast of Texas.
“All I am saying with my legislation is: Mr. President, please treat
the northern portion of the pipeline in the same manner as you treated
the southern portion,” Terry, R-Neb., said on Capitol Hill. “You praised
the construction for the southern route but keep changing the rules for
the part that crosses the border."
See the original article here:
House Republican attempts end run on Obama to advance Keystone pipeline – Fox News
Monday, July 23, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Study says Obama tax proposals could cost 700,000 jobs
After learning that a Study says Obama tax proposals could cost 700,000 jobs Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner is rightfully hammering President Barack Obama on Tuesday after the accounting firm Ernst and Young released the results of a study funded by pro-business groups hostile to the Democrat's agenda.
The firm's results proved that Obama's proposed tax hikes on the so called wealthy would needlessly cost an already sputtering economy another 700,000+ jobs.
Obama has been relentlessly campaigning on the idea of extending the Bush-era tax cuts on income up to $250,000 level and let them expire for income above that level. He and his fellow Democrats accuse Republicans of holding middle-class tax relief hostage as a ploy to help the very rich (the so called wealthy would see the benefits of the tax cuts on the first $250,000 of income). Some polls have suggested that the public broadly supports the president’s ideas in principle, even though Republicans have pointed out that his proposal do not yet exist as legislation. Democrats are expected to water down some of the president's recommendations none the less.
The Ernst and Young study focused the impact of the consequences increasing the top marginal tax rates. They also studied the potentially disastrous effects of the other proposals included in the president's budget and broader tax plans.
This report exposes the four sets of provisions that would increase the top tax rates:
Here is what Ernst and Young concluded would happen:
The report was prepared by Ernst and Young on behalf of many pro-business groups that include the Independent Community Bankers of America, the National Federation of Independent Business, the S Corporation Association and the United States Chamber of Commerce. (Robert Carroll, one of its co-authors, served as deputy assistant secretary for tax analysis in George W. Bush's Treasury Department.)
When asked for a formal on the record response to the study, two White House officials declined to do so.
The speaker emphasized that the Republican-led House will vote this month to extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts setting the stage for a much broader debate on overhauling the entire tax code.
The firm's results proved that Obama's proposed tax hikes on the so called wealthy would needlessly cost an already sputtering economy another 700,000+ jobs.
"Our economy is still struggling under President Obama's policies, and his massive tax hike will only make things tougher," Boehner said in a statement. "It's one of the worst possible ideas at one of the worst possible times for families and small businesses." Said Boehner.
Obama has been relentlessly campaigning on the idea of extending the Bush-era tax cuts on income up to $250,000 level and let them expire for income above that level. He and his fellow Democrats accuse Republicans of holding middle-class tax relief hostage as a ploy to help the very rich (the so called wealthy would see the benefits of the tax cuts on the first $250,000 of income). Some polls have suggested that the public broadly supports the president’s ideas in principle, even though Republicans have pointed out that his proposal do not yet exist as legislation. Democrats are expected to water down some of the president's recommendations none the less.
The Ernst and Young study focused the impact of the consequences increasing the top marginal tax rates. They also studied the potentially disastrous effects of the other proposals included in the president's budget and broader tax plans.
This report exposes the four sets of provisions that would increase the top tax rates:
- The proposed increase in the top two tax rates from 33 to 36 percent and the other from 35 to 39.6 percent.
- The reinstatement of a limitation on itemized deductions for high-income taxpayers (called the "Pease" provision).
- The taxation on dividends treated as ordinary income at a top income tax rate percentage of 39.6 and also increasing to 20 percent the top tax rate applied to capital gains.
- The increase in the Medicare tax from 2.9 percent to 3.8 percent for high-income taxpayers as well as the application of the new 3.8 percent tax on investment income including flow-through business income, interest, dividends and capital gains.
Here is what Ernst and Young concluded would happen:
- Overall output in the long-term would fall by 1.3 percent, or $200 billion, in today's economy.
- Long term Employment would fall by 0.5 percent, or roughly 710,000 fewer jobs.
- Long term Capital stock and investment would decrease by 1.4 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively.
- Real after-tax wages would decrease by 1.8 percent, resulting in a decline in workers' standard of living relative to what would have occurred otherwise.
The report was prepared by Ernst and Young on behalf of many pro-business groups that include the Independent Community Bankers of America, the National Federation of Independent Business, the S Corporation Association and the United States Chamber of Commerce. (Robert Carroll, one of its co-authors, served as deputy assistant secretary for tax analysis in George W. Bush's Treasury Department.)
When asked for a formal on the record response to the study, two White House officials declined to do so.
"This report shows the president's small business tax hike threatens hundreds of thousands of jobs, and will lead to even less economic growth, less investment and lower wages for American workers," Boehner said.
The speaker emphasized that the Republican-led House will vote this month to extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts setting the stage for a much broader debate on overhauling the entire tax code.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Copy of the Declaration of Independence
Before getting your Copy of the Declaration of Independence read this short essay to learn of its importance.
The history books of today don’t tell the whole story of what took place leading to and during the Revolutionary War.
The colonists didn't just fight the British; they were British subjects in a state of siege. The repression of their rights and liberties had been growing for many years. The colonists were actually in a state of war for two years prior to the signing of the copy of the Declaration of Independence; they fought their own government at that time for independence!
The events leading to the decision to declare independence are well delineated in the Declaration of Independence, drafted as a bill of particulars and reasons.
For over 20 years prior to the Declaration, the British Parliament passed and enforce a series of excessive taxation and navigation measures that could think were calculated to arouse to the highest spirit of resistance in America.
By King’s order, the stationing of British troops in Boston in 1768, to aid in the enforcement of the Townshend Acts was viewed by many as an violent act of oppression. On March 5, 1770, the irritated colonists ridiculed the "red-coats" to the level of "snow-balling" a British sentry. This led to a riot, which ended in costing the lives of several colonials.
Among them was the Negro, Crispus Attucks, who was considered the first person to die in the long battle for independence and freedom.
Samuel Adams of Massachusetts established the Committees of Safety and Committees of Correspondence among the colonies that slowly began to work. When the royal governor of Virginia dissolved the House of Burgesses, the Colonists independent representation before the king, in June, 1774, the members met unofficially to adopt a resolution calling upon all the colonies to send delegates to a Continental Congress to meet in Philadelphia in September.
September 5, 1774, The First Continental Congress began their sessions in Philadelphia, with the attendance of 56 delegates representing every colony but Georgia.
Independence was a hotly debated issue with a plan for compromise that was proposed by Joseph Galloway of Pennsylvania narrowly defeated by one single vote of adoption.
Fifty-six men, appointed by their fellow citizens of each Colony, meeting in Congress assembled, decided on the only logical course of action by which they could remove the yoke of tyranny by declaring the independence and sovereignty of the individual colonies.
By the authority of the good people of the colonies, these fifty-six men signed the original Copy of the Declaration of Independence, mutually pledging to each other their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.
Seldom, however, do people wonder what happened to those fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors to the King and tortured brutally before they died. Twelve others had their homes ransacked and burned to the ground. Two lost their sons while fighting in the Revolutionary War; another had two of his sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds while fighting in the war.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four of the signers were lawyers and jurists. Eleven of them were merchants; nine others were farmers and large plantation owners. They were all men of means and well educated.
They signed the Declaration of Independence with the understanding that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton, a wealthy planter and trader from Virginia, watched his ships destroyed by the British navy. His losses forced him to sell his home and his property to pay his debts; he died in rags.
The British hounded Thomas McKean so much that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in Congress without pay, while his family was kept in hiding. He lost all of his possessions and lived a life of poverty as his reward.
The properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton were looted by vandals and soldiers.
Thomas Nelson, Jr. wrote that the British General Cornwallis had taken over his home for the Headquarters at the Siege of Yorktown. Nelson quietly urged General George Washington to open fire destroying his home. Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis also had his home and properties destroyed and the British jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
New Jersey’s John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their thirteen children fled for their lives as his fields and gristmill were laid to waste. John Hart lived in forests and caves for over a year before returning home to find his wife dead and his children gone. He died within weeks heartbroken and exhausted.
Lewis Morris and Philip Livingston also suffered similar fates.
These are only a few of the stories of the sacrifices of the American Revolution. These 56 men were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians; rather they were soft spoken men of means and education, yet, they valued liberty more.
Through their sacrifices, they gave us a free and independent America.
We invite you to read a transcription of the complete text of the Declaration of Independence.
The history books of today don’t tell the whole story of what took place leading to and during the Revolutionary War.
The colonists didn't just fight the British; they were British subjects in a state of siege. The repression of their rights and liberties had been growing for many years. The colonists were actually in a state of war for two years prior to the signing of the copy of the Declaration of Independence; they fought their own government at that time for independence!
The events leading to the decision to declare independence are well delineated in the Declaration of Independence, drafted as a bill of particulars and reasons.
For over 20 years prior to the Declaration, the British Parliament passed and enforce a series of excessive taxation and navigation measures that could think were calculated to arouse to the highest spirit of resistance in America.
By King’s order, the stationing of British troops in Boston in 1768, to aid in the enforcement of the Townshend Acts was viewed by many as an violent act of oppression. On March 5, 1770, the irritated colonists ridiculed the "red-coats" to the level of "snow-balling" a British sentry. This led to a riot, which ended in costing the lives of several colonials.
Among them was the Negro, Crispus Attucks, who was considered the first person to die in the long battle for independence and freedom.
Samuel Adams of Massachusetts established the Committees of Safety and Committees of Correspondence among the colonies that slowly began to work. When the royal governor of Virginia dissolved the House of Burgesses, the Colonists independent representation before the king, in June, 1774, the members met unofficially to adopt a resolution calling upon all the colonies to send delegates to a Continental Congress to meet in Philadelphia in September.
September 5, 1774, The First Continental Congress began their sessions in Philadelphia, with the attendance of 56 delegates representing every colony but Georgia.
Independence was a hotly debated issue with a plan for compromise that was proposed by Joseph Galloway of Pennsylvania narrowly defeated by one single vote of adoption.
Fifty-six men, appointed by their fellow citizens of each Colony, meeting in Congress assembled, decided on the only logical course of action by which they could remove the yoke of tyranny by declaring the independence and sovereignty of the individual colonies.
By the authority of the good people of the colonies, these fifty-six men signed the original Copy of the Declaration of Independence, mutually pledging to each other their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.
Seldom, however, do people wonder what happened to those fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors to the King and tortured brutally before they died. Twelve others had their homes ransacked and burned to the ground. Two lost their sons while fighting in the Revolutionary War; another had two of his sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds while fighting in the war.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four of the signers were lawyers and jurists. Eleven of them were merchants; nine others were farmers and large plantation owners. They were all men of means and well educated.
They signed the Declaration of Independence with the understanding that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton, a wealthy planter and trader from Virginia, watched his ships destroyed by the British navy. His losses forced him to sell his home and his property to pay his debts; he died in rags.
The British hounded Thomas McKean so much that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in Congress without pay, while his family was kept in hiding. He lost all of his possessions and lived a life of poverty as his reward.
The properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton were looted by vandals and soldiers.
Thomas Nelson, Jr. wrote that the British General Cornwallis had taken over his home for the Headquarters at the Siege of Yorktown. Nelson quietly urged General George Washington to open fire destroying his home. Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis also had his home and properties destroyed and the British jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
New Jersey’s John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their thirteen children fled for their lives as his fields and gristmill were laid to waste. John Hart lived in forests and caves for over a year before returning home to find his wife dead and his children gone. He died within weeks heartbroken and exhausted.
Lewis Morris and Philip Livingston also suffered similar fates.
These are only a few of the stories of the sacrifices of the American Revolution. These 56 men were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians; rather they were soft spoken men of means and education, yet, they valued liberty more.
"For the support of this declaration, with the firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
Through their sacrifices, they gave us a free and independent America.
We invite you to read a transcription of the complete text of the Declaration of Independence.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
George Washington's Copy of the Constitution
Fox News released the story:
After a fierce bidding war between two unidentified parties forced the price to go up, Christie's erupted in applause erupted as the hammer came down for the 223-year-old book which sold for $9,826,500 to The Mount Vernon Ladies Association.
The 106-page leather-bound book has many of Washington’s personal annotations inside noted with care in the book’s margins. Washington’s family crest along with the motto mindexitus acta probat (meaning: the ends justify the means) are printed on the title page. Beside the crest, is the signature "G. Washington".
"There are four bound copies for members of the government, but the George Washington provenance makes this by far the best of all," Michael DiRuggiero co-owner of Manhattan Rare Books Company related to FoxNews.com.
"He clearly read it and annotated it to mark on his power. It's almost as though he used this book as a guide," DiRuggiero added.
The Acts of Congress volume, printed for him in 1789, is in nearly-pristine condition and includes a copy of the Constitution, a draft of the original Bill of Rights, the acts responsible for creating the Executive, State and Treasury departments.
The book was at his Mount Vernon home until 1876, at which time it was sold by George Washington's nephew, Lawrence Washington, at a Philadelphia auction house in 1876 for a mere $13, roughly $277 in today’s value. The newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst came in possession of the book and then it was sold in 1964 to businessman H. Richard Dietrich Jr. for $27,000 or around $200,000 today’s value.
"An item of this quality would attract collectors of Americana and non-collectors because of its rarity. It's extraordinary," DiRuggiero said.
The current owners, The Mount Vernon’s Ladies Association own and maintain Washington's Mount Vernon estate. Their association is noted as the oldest national historic preservation organization in the United States.
Thanks to them, George Washington’s Copy of the Constitution is back home where it belongs…
Book containing George Washington's copy of Constitution fetches nearly $10MA book originally owned by George Washington that contains his own annotated copy of the Constitution recently sold for close to $10 million dollars at Christie's, this amounted to more than three times the expectations.
After a fierce bidding war between two unidentified parties forced the price to go up, Christie's erupted in applause erupted as the hammer came down for the 223-year-old book which sold for $9,826,500 to The Mount Vernon Ladies Association.
The 106-page leather-bound book has many of Washington’s personal annotations inside noted with care in the book’s margins. Washington’s family crest along with the motto mindexitus acta probat (meaning: the ends justify the means) are printed on the title page. Beside the crest, is the signature "G. Washington".
"There are four bound copies for members of the government, but the George Washington provenance makes this by far the best of all," Michael DiRuggiero co-owner of Manhattan Rare Books Company related to FoxNews.com.
"He clearly read it and annotated it to mark on his power. It's almost as though he used this book as a guide," DiRuggiero added.
The Acts of Congress volume, printed for him in 1789, is in nearly-pristine condition and includes a copy of the Constitution, a draft of the original Bill of Rights, the acts responsible for creating the Executive, State and Treasury departments.
The book was at his Mount Vernon home until 1876, at which time it was sold by George Washington's nephew, Lawrence Washington, at a Philadelphia auction house in 1876 for a mere $13, roughly $277 in today’s value. The newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst came in possession of the book and then it was sold in 1964 to businessman H. Richard Dietrich Jr. for $27,000 or around $200,000 today’s value.
"An item of this quality would attract collectors of Americana and non-collectors because of its rarity. It's extraordinary," DiRuggiero said.
The current owners, The Mount Vernon’s Ladies Association own and maintain Washington's Mount Vernon estate. Their association is noted as the oldest national historic preservation organization in the United States.
Thanks to them, George Washington’s Copy of the Constitution is back home where it belongs…
Friday, July 6, 2012
Where can I see the original copy of the US Constitution
Where can I see the original copy of the US Constitution?
At the U.S. National Archives
has the original copy of the US Constitution on display in Washington DC.
Each of the 13 colonies was
issued their own copy of the Constitution for ratification as well as Congress.
There were on the order of twenty copies claimed to exist.
December
12, 1787 - Pennsylvania
ratifies 46-23
December
18, 1787 - New Jersey
ratifies 38-0
January
2, 1788 - Georgia
ratifies 26-0
January
9, 1788 - Connecticut
ratifies 128-40
February
6, 1788 - Massachusetts
ratifies 187-168
April
28, 1788 - Maryland
ratifies 63-11
May
23, 1788 - South Carolina
ratifies 149-73
June
21, 1788 - New Hampshire
ratifies 57-47
June
25, 1788 - Virginia
ratifies 89-79
July
26, 1788 - New York
Ratifies 30-27
November
21, 1789 - North Carolina
ratifies 194-77
May
29, 1790 - Rhode Island
ratifies 34-32
Total
Votes: 1071 for - 577 against
The original hand written
and signed copy of the Constitution of the United States is stored at the
National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.
The National Archives
Building, the original
headquarters, opened in 1935 and is informally known as Archives I. It is located
north of the National Mall on Constitution
Avenue in Washington,
DC.
The Rotunda for the
Charters of Freedom displays the three main formative documents of the United States and its government, the
Constitution of the United
States, Declaration of Independence and the
Bill of Rights. These three documents are collectively known as the Charters of
Freedom.
You can also find the
original a copy of the 1297 Magna Carta confirmed by Edward I.
All of the documents are
stored in cases made of glass and titanium. The air in the cases is replaced
with argon and water vapor. The inside of the cases are kept at a relative
humidity of 40 percent to prevent drying of the sheepskin parchment that the
documents are written on. Argon gas is used to
prevent the oxidation damage to the material caused by oxygen in air.
All of these documents are
displayed to the public.
There are a few rules
though, among them flash photography of the documents is prohibited. The
reasoning behind this is because over time flashes can fade the documents.
You won’t stand in lines
to see individual documents (there is, however, a line to enter the rotunda) at
the National Archives, and visitors can easily walk from document to document.
Other exhibits important
American historical documents are also displayed at the National
Archives Building
such as the Louisiana Purchase and the Emancipation
Proclamation. You will also find collections of photography and other
historically and culturally significant American artifacts.
Where can I see the original copy of the US Constitution?
The National Archives
visitor center entrance is located at:
Constitution Ave. NW {between
7th & 9th St.}
Washington, DC 20408
Admission is free.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Copy of the US Constitution
The Original Copy of the US Constitution
The original Copy of the US Constitution is held at the National Archives, in Washington, D.C.
When the United States made the declaration to separate itself from Great Britain in 1776, there was no written constitution at that time. Each of the thirteen colonies had their own sovereignty and each had separate rules of law.
The idea was that the United States would act as one nation was still uncertain and undefined.
The Continental Congress was assembled to make the attempt to draft the nation's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. They were ratified in 1781, the same year that the Revolutionary War against Britain came to an end at Yorktown, Virginia.
The Articles of Confederation allowed each state its own "sovereignty, freedom and independence" (art. II). It proved to be an ineffective national constitution didn’t recognize a strong federal, or central, government did not provide the federal government the power to tax or regulate commerce.
The weak federal government along with insufficient funds for operation led to a number of problems in the 1780s: divisive economic warfare between states, inadequate national commercial treaties with foreign countries, and no ability to fund an army for opposition to British troops assembled in the Northwest Territory.
The overall weakness of the Confederation was fully exposed when there was no federal response to Shays's Rebellion in 1786-87 an armed uprising by debtor farmers in western part of Massachusetts against courts of law.
George Washington expressed his strong desire for a better union of the states:
“I am mortified beyond expression when I view the clouds that have spread over the brightest morn that ever dawned upon any country. You talk of employing influence to appease the present tumults in Massachusetts. Influence is no government. Let us have a government by which our lives, liberties and properties will be secured; or let us know the worst at once.”
The Continental Congress called for the Constitutional Convention to address the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation and create a better foundation for a union between the states.
On May 25, 1787, the convention began in Philadelphia with the intention of amending the standing Articles of Confederation. Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and George Washington had other ideas and made plans for an entirely new constitution.
Fifty-five delegates representing twelve states (all but Rhode Island) debated different plans for a more effective federal government. Their overall agreement led to a government consisting of three separate branches, the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. By instituting a system of checks and balances, it would restrain one branch from becoming too powerful.
However, they disagreed strongly over the particulars... two opposing plans for representation in a national legislature competed for the loyalty of delegates.
Edmund Randolph presented the “Virginia Plan, designed by James Madison, which called for a bicameral, or two-house, legislature. Representation in the lower house would be proportional to the population, then, representation in the upper house would be elected by those in the lower house.
Delegates from small states rightfully felt that this plan would give far too much power to large states. They favored the New Jersey Plan, designed to provide for a unicameral legislature with equal representation to each state.
The issue was settled when delegates voted for a compromise plan called The Great Compromise, or the Connecticut Compromise with the establishment of a Senate that gave each state two representatives and a House of Representatives that granted each state a number of representatives proportional to their population.
On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine delegates signed the final draft of the Constitution. From there the document went before each of the thirteen states for ratification. The ratification process became a highly spirited debate on the merits of the Constitution. The Federalists, supported ratification while those opposed to the Constitution were called the Anti-Federalists.
The Federalist leaders, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison made their eloquent arguments on behalf of the Constitution in a series of newspaper essays published as The Federalist Papers.
The ratification process, as defined in Article VII of the Constitution, required that nine of the thirteen states approve the Constitution independently, in special conventions. Ten months after the Constitution was completed, ten of the states had ratified it. Rhode Island was the last of the thirteen states to finally ratify the Constitution, on May 29, 1790, the date that officially made the Constitution the highest law of the land.
Copy of the US Constitution
You can view the signed original copy of the US Constitution at the National Archives, in Washington, D.C.
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