The U.S. House of Representatives early next week will hold a vote on H.R. 9, a bill introduced by Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) to provide a one-year, 20 percent tax deduction for business income. The Cantor bill is sadly just another tax windfall for the rich, financed by larger federal budget deficits, which largely…
Category: Law
FCC Commissioner questions state attempts to limit municipal broadband
Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn has issued a statement saying that state efforts to limit municipal broadband deployments are new obstacles in meeting the goals of the National Broadband Plan. In a statement issued April 4, she wrote: “I have serious concerns that as the Federal Communications Commission continues to address broadband deployment barriers…
The Buffett Rule: A Basic Principal of Tax Fairness
Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. Meanwhile, over the last 30 years, the tax rates for middle class families have barely budged. That doesn’t reflect our values of fairness as a nation — and that’s why the President has proposed the Buffett Rule. The President believes we should build an economy…
Rick Scott Vetoes Bill Sending Non-Violent Drug Offenders To Rehab After Serving Half Sentence In Jail
“He said it was a ‘public safety’ issue. No it’s not,” said bill sponsor Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff (R-Fort Lauderdale) according to the Miami Herald. “These are non-violent drug offenders.” The bill, a rare common sense favorite during a legislative season that saw Scott approve dying animals and Jay-Z lyrics debated on the House floor, was…
Scott Walker Quietly Repeals Wisconsin Equal Pay Law
A Wisconsin law that made it easier for victims of wage discrimination to have their day in court was repealed on Thursday, after Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) quietly signed the bill. The 2009 Equal Pay Enforcement Act was meant to deter employers from discriminating against certain groups by giving workers more avenues via which…
Arizona’s Private Prisons: A Bad Bargain
Since 1987, Arizona’s Department of Corrections has been legislatively mandated to produce cost and quality reviews for its private prisons, in part to judge how they compare with state-run facilities. The data on costs were collected, but in recent years, it took a lawsuit by the AFSC for the Department of Corrections to release quality…
Boycotts Hitting ALEC, Group Behind ‘Stand Your Ground’ Gun Laws
Two of America’s best-known companies, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, have dropped their memberships in the American Legislative Exchange Council, a low-profile conservative organization behind the national proliferation of “stand your ground” gun laws. ALEC promotes business-friendly legislation in state capitols and drafts model bills for state legislatures to adopt. They range from little-noticed pro-business bills to…
Arizona’s ‘Show Me Your Papers’ Law in the U.S. Supreme Court
If the Court gives its blessing to this coordinated “attrition through enforcement” strategy and allows S.B. 1070 and its progeny to be implemented, the nation will return to a time of deep division, likely cleaved once again along regional lines, with some states passing welcoming laws, and others passing restrictive ones. Yet the ultimate objective…
Conservatives Wince At 5th Circuit’s Retaliatory Move
The legal battle over the constitutionality of the health care law was always going to be hard-fought. But in the aftermath of Supreme Court arguments, Republican-appointed appellate judges have taken the unusual step of publicly confronting President Obama after he bristled at the notion that the high court would overturn the law. That wouldn’t be…
Republican Fifth Circuit Mad at Obama, Gives Attorney Homework Punishment
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit may be the most ideological court in the country. When the oil industry’s allies in Congress wanted to protect the industry from drilling lawsuits, they passed a bill trying to force those lawsuits into the reliably industry-friendly Fifth Circuit. When a high school cheerleader sued…
French film, music industries shrink despite harsh anti-piracy law
A report published by the French High Authority for the Dissemination of Creative Works and Protection of Rights on the Internet HADOPI is being touted by file sharing opponents the world over as proof that so-called “graduated response” policies are very effective at stopping copyright infringement. Problem is, it neglects to mention something very important:…
Senate Republicans vote down measure to end ‘big oil’ tax breaks – CNN.com
Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a Democratic measure championed by President Barack Obama to end tax breaks for the major oil companies. The procedural vote of 51-47, which failed to reach the needed threshold of 60 in favor, killed the measure, which was given little chance of eventually winning approval in the Republican-controlled House. Four…
Supreme Court and Obamacare: What happens next
The Supreme Court likely will decide whether the Obama administration’s signature legislative accomplishment is unconstitutional within 48 hours. But aside from the nine justices and a handful of law clerks, none of us will know what that decision is until the summer. “By the end of this week, the justices will likely know, their law…
Surveillance Video of George Zimmerman Shows No Blood Or Bruises
In this stunning footage obtained by ABC News, George Zimmerman is scene being brought into the police station for an interview. In none of the clear, well lit shots of his jacket and clean shaven head are there visible any cuts, scrapes, bruises, or even dirt or soil. video platform video management video solutions …
7 Ways the Affordable Care Act Helps Latinos
As the Supreme Court holds hearings on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act this week, it is worth noting the ways Obamacare is improving the lives of Latinos. Given that Latinos are more likely to be uninsured than any other ethnic group, it comes as no surprise that a majority (66 percent) of Latino…
Faith Leaders Rally Around Affordable Care Act as a Step in the Right Direction
People of faith and other supporters came together outside the Supreme Court on Monday for a time of song and testimony in defense of the Affordable Care Act. On Monday the Court began hearing three days of arguments on the constitutionality of the law passed in 2010, which ensures all Americans have access to affordable…
Sunshine State Bets On Sunset For Health Care Act
Scott holds that, until the Supreme Court decides the case, the Affordable Care Act is not yet the law of the land. In an interview with member station WUSF in Tampa, Scott says until then, he has no interest in setting up a health care exchange. “All it’s going to do is raise the cost…
Supreme Court begins debating health care law [video] [audio of arguments]
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday began three days of potentially landmark oral arguments over the constitutionality of the sweeping health care law championed by President Barack Obama, with a majority of justices appearing to reject suggestions they wait another few years before deciding the issues. In one of the most politically charged cases in…
Why Obama Hasn’t Won The Battle Over Messaging About Health Care Law
Princeton sociology professor and health care watcher Paul Starr says part of the problem is that so much of the law hasn’t taken effect yet. “They’re only really going to become aware of the specifics of the legislation as we get close to the point where there’s enrollment in health plans and where people actually…
In Defense of ‘ObamaCare’
The ACA takes major steps towards reversing the failures of our market-driven system. The central feature of the new law addresses fears that losing a job, retiring early or starting a small business could result in being denied access to affordable health coverage. It does this by providing tens of millions of Americans with income-based…