THIMPHU (Reuters) – A Buddhist monk could face five years in prison after becoming the first casualty of a stringent anti-smoking law in the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, which vows to become the first smoke-free nation.
The monk has been charged with consuming and smuggling contraband tobacco under a law that came into force this month, the newspaper Kuensel reported Friday, having been caught in possession of 72 packets of chewing tobacco.
Bhutan, where smoking is considered bad for one's karma, banned the sale of tobacco in 2005. But with a thriving smuggling operation from neighboring India, the ban failed to make much of an impact.
The new law has granted police powers to enter homes, threatening jail for shopkeepers selling tobacco and smokers who fail to provide customs receipts for imported cigarettes.
"He can be charged with smuggling of controlled substances, which is a fourth degree felony," a police official from the Narcotic Drug and Law enforcement Unit of Bhutan, who did not want to be identified, told the Bhutan Today newspaper.
A fourth degree felony can carry a sentence of five years.
Smoking in private is not illegal, but as the sale of cigarettes is banned, smokers are restricted to 200 cigarettes or 150 grams of other tobacco products a month that can be legally imported. They must provide a customs receipt when challenged by police.
A student at a 400-year-old monastic school, the monk has not been publicly identified. He bought the tobacco from the Indian border town of Jaigoan, 170 km (110 miles) south of the capital Thimphu and said it was for personal use.
The 24-year-old said he was unaware of the new law, according to local media. He was carrying no tax receipt from the customs department.
Bhutanese have been compliant with the new laws amid much grumbling. The legislation has hit the formerly thriving black market for tobacco products, as it is now cheaper to pay taxes and obtain a receipt than to pay black market prices.
Illegal cigarette sales -- previously a major source of income for small shops -- have almost stopped as shopkeepers say it will be difficult to hide tobacco from a sniffer dog. (Editing by Matthias Williams and Ron Popeski)
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Friday, January 28, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
At Obama’s midpoint, an altered State of the Union
WASHINGTON — Nearly two years ago on a cold February day, President Barack Obama stood for the first time before a joint session of Congress and spoke of a national day of reckoning.
It was time not just to stabilize the shaken economy, he declared, but to reach for lasting prosperity.
His goals were expansive: overhauling health care, cutting the deficit, improving schools, finding a way out of Iraq and a way ahead in Afghanistan. Most of all, creating jobs. Jobs by the millions.
It was time not just to stabilize the shaken economy, he declared, but to reach for lasting prosperity.
Photo by AP
In this Jan. 27, 2010, file photo President Barack Obama, flanked
by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, and Treasury Secretary
Timothy Geithner leaves the U.S. Capitol after delivering his
State of the Union address.
by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, and Treasury Secretary
Timothy Geithner leaves the U.S. Capitol after delivering his
State of the Union address.
His goals were expansive: overhauling health care, cutting the deficit, improving schools, finding a way out of Iraq and a way ahead in Afghanistan. Most of all, creating jobs. Jobs by the millions.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Obama steps up business outreach
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - President Obama, sending another strong signal that he intends to make his White House more business-friendly, traveled to this industrial city Friday to appoint a prominent corporate executive as his chief outside economic adviser and to spotlight his efforts on job creation.
Here in the birthplace of General Electric, where the company's historic brick edifice and iconic neon-script logo loom over downtown, Obama turned to Jeffrey R. Immelt, the company's chairman and chief executive officer, to run his outside panel of economic advisers. Immelt will succeed Paul A. Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman, who is stepping down.
The selection of Immelt, who was by Obama's side during his trip to India last year and again this week during the visit to Washington of President Hu Jintao of China, is the latest in a string of pro-business steps the president has taken. He has:
Installed William Daley, a former JPMorgan Chase & Co. executive, as his chief of staff.
Scheduled a major speech next month to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Ordered federal agencies to review regulations with an eye toward eliminating some.
Taken together, the moves amount to a carefully choreographed shift in strategy for the White House, both substantively and on the public-relations front, as Obama makes the case to the nation that the United States has moved past economic-crisis mode and is entering "a new phase of our recovery" that demands an emphasis on job creation. That will be part of his theme in Tuesday night's State of the Union address.
As he moves into the second half of his term and lays the foundation for his 2012 reelection campaign, Obama will try to frame the national conversation on the economy around this crisis-to-job-creation narrative.
Republicans, who have spent the first weeks of the new Congress talking about repealing Obama's health-care law, have given the president an opening to do so. Here in Schenectady, Obama seized the opportunity.
"The past two years were about pulling our economy back from the brink," Obama said, standing before the backdrop of a huge generator in a well-lighted plant, with a giant American flag hanging from the ceiling. "The next two years, our job now, is putting our economy into overdrive."
With unemployment stubbornly stuck above 9 percent, where it has been for 20 consecutive months, and 14.5 million Americans without jobs, the labor market remains one of the biggest drags on the economy.
"Our job," the president said, "is to do everything we can to ensure that business can take root, and folks can find good jobs, and America is leading our global competition that will define our success in the 21st century."
The appointment of Immelt is not without complications for the president. GE has countless regulatory matters now before federal agencies, on subjects such as environmental cleanup. Just this week, the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission approved a deal in which GE would sell majority ownership of its NBC Universal Inc. entertainment unit to Comcast Corp., of Philadelphia.
Having the chief executive of such a company advising the White House on job creation at a time when Obama is assuming a more deregulatory posture could generate criticism for the president, who came to Washington vowing to reduce the influence of lobbyists and special interests.
Immelt will be chairman of the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness that Obama intends to create by executive order. In a statement issued Friday, Obama said he wanted the council to "focus its work on finding new ways to encourage the private sector to hire and invest in American competitiveness."
The council will be a reconfigured version of the board Volcker led, the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. That body, created by Obama when he took office in the thick of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, is set to expire Feb. 6.
Asked about his new role, during a conference call about GE's latest earnings report Friday morning, Immelt said the advisory post would give him a chance to contribute to issues in the broader economy, with a focus on competitiveness and jobs.
Immelt said his commitment to GE would not change. "This is my passion," he said of the company. "I am committed. I am a hard worker. I am focused on the company."
Though GE moved its headquarters away from Schenectady long ago, the city remains home to GE's largest energy division, and the company's plants here will build the steam turbines ordered by Reliance Power of India in a $750 million deal announced when Obama and Immelt were in India in November.
GE reported early Friday that it had earned $4.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010, an increase of 52 percent from the 2009 period as it made money in both its lending and industrial businesses.
R
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / Associated Press
President Obama, GE chief Jeffrey R. Immelt (left),
and plant manager Kevin Sharkey tour GE's plant in Schenectady, N.Y.
and plant manager Kevin Sharkey tour GE's plant in Schenectady, N.Y.
The selection of Immelt, who was by Obama's side during his trip to India last year and again this week during the visit to Washington of President Hu Jintao of China, is the latest in a string of pro-business steps the president has taken. He has:
Installed William Daley, a former JPMorgan Chase & Co. executive, as his chief of staff.
Scheduled a major speech next month to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Ordered federal agencies to review regulations with an eye toward eliminating some.
Taken together, the moves amount to a carefully choreographed shift in strategy for the White House, both substantively and on the public-relations front, as Obama makes the case to the nation that the United States has moved past economic-crisis mode and is entering "a new phase of our recovery" that demands an emphasis on job creation. That will be part of his theme in Tuesday night's State of the Union address.
As he moves into the second half of his term and lays the foundation for his 2012 reelection campaign, Obama will try to frame the national conversation on the economy around this crisis-to-job-creation narrative.
Republicans, who have spent the first weeks of the new Congress talking about repealing Obama's health-care law, have given the president an opening to do so. Here in Schenectady, Obama seized the opportunity.
"The past two years were about pulling our economy back from the brink," Obama said, standing before the backdrop of a huge generator in a well-lighted plant, with a giant American flag hanging from the ceiling. "The next two years, our job now, is putting our economy into overdrive."
With unemployment stubbornly stuck above 9 percent, where it has been for 20 consecutive months, and 14.5 million Americans without jobs, the labor market remains one of the biggest drags on the economy.
"Our job," the president said, "is to do everything we can to ensure that business can take root, and folks can find good jobs, and America is leading our global competition that will define our success in the 21st century."
The appointment of Immelt is not without complications for the president. GE has countless regulatory matters now before federal agencies, on subjects such as environmental cleanup. Just this week, the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission approved a deal in which GE would sell majority ownership of its NBC Universal Inc. entertainment unit to Comcast Corp., of Philadelphia.
Having the chief executive of such a company advising the White House on job creation at a time when Obama is assuming a more deregulatory posture could generate criticism for the president, who came to Washington vowing to reduce the influence of lobbyists and special interests.
Immelt will be chairman of the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness that Obama intends to create by executive order. In a statement issued Friday, Obama said he wanted the council to "focus its work on finding new ways to encourage the private sector to hire and invest in American competitiveness."
The council will be a reconfigured version of the board Volcker led, the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. That body, created by Obama when he took office in the thick of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, is set to expire Feb. 6.
Asked about his new role, during a conference call about GE's latest earnings report Friday morning, Immelt said the advisory post would give him a chance to contribute to issues in the broader economy, with a focus on competitiveness and jobs.
Immelt said his commitment to GE would not change. "This is my passion," he said of the company. "I am committed. I am a hard worker. I am focused on the company."
Though GE moved its headquarters away from Schenectady long ago, the city remains home to GE's largest energy division, and the company's plants here will build the steam turbines ordered by Reliance Power of India in a $750 million deal announced when Obama and Immelt were in India in November.
GE reported early Friday that it had earned $4.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010, an increase of 52 percent from the 2009 period as it made money in both its lending and industrial businesses.
R
Friday, January 21, 2011
The World's Happiest Countries
Most of the nations atop our list are democratic, business-friendly and boast strong social safety nets.
For most, being happy starts with having enough money to do what you want and buy what you want. A nice home, food, clothes, car, leisure. All within reason.
But happiness is much more than money. It's being healthy, free from pain, being able to take care of yourself. It's having good times with friends and family.
In Pictures: The World's Happiest Countries
Furthermore, happiness means being able to speak what's on your mind without fear, to worship the God of your choosing, and to feel safe and secure in your own home.
Happiness means having opportunity--to get an education, to be an entrepreneur. What's more satisfying than having a big idea and turning it into a thriving business, knowing all the way that the harder you work, the more reward you can expect?
With this in mind, five years ago researchers at the Legatum Institute, a London-based nonpartisan think tank, set out to rank the happiest countries in the world. But because "happy" carries too much of a touchy-feely connotation, they call it "prosperity."
Legatum recently completed its 2010 Prosperity Index, which ranks 110 countries, covering 90% of the world's population.
To build its index Legatum gathers data from 12 sources the Gallup polling group, the Heritage Foundation and the World Economic Forum. Each country is ranked on 89 variables sorted into eight subsections: economy, entrepreneurship, governance, education, health, safety, personal freedom and social capital.
The core conceit: Prosperity is complex; achieving it relies on a confluence of factors that build on each other in a virtuous circle.
For most, being happy starts with having enough money to do what you want and buy what you want. A nice home, food, clothes, car, leisure. All within reason.
But happiness is much more than money. It's being healthy, free from pain, being able to take care of yourself. It's having good times with friends and family.
In Pictures: The World's Happiest Countries
Furthermore, happiness means being able to speak what's on your mind without fear, to worship the God of your choosing, and to feel safe and secure in your own home.
Happiness means having opportunity--to get an education, to be an entrepreneur. What's more satisfying than having a big idea and turning it into a thriving business, knowing all the way that the harder you work, the more reward you can expect?
With this in mind, five years ago researchers at the Legatum Institute, a London-based nonpartisan think tank, set out to rank the happiest countries in the world. But because "happy" carries too much of a touchy-feely connotation, they call it "prosperity."
Legatum recently completed its 2010 Prosperity Index, which ranks 110 countries, covering 90% of the world's population.
To build its index Legatum gathers data from 12 sources the Gallup polling group, the Heritage Foundation and the World Economic Forum. Each country is ranked on 89 variables sorted into eight subsections: economy, entrepreneurship, governance, education, health, safety, personal freedom and social capital.
The core conceit: Prosperity is complex; achieving it relies on a confluence of factors that build on each other in a virtuous circle.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
House Republicans Begin Effort to Replace Health-Care Overhaul
Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. House Republicans outlined their first steps toward crafting new health-care proposals a day after voting to repeal the overhaul President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats enacted last year.
“Today is day one of our efforts to replace Obamacare with something better,” Representative Fred Upton of Michigan, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said at a news conference in Washington.
The House passed a resolution today authorizing four committees to begin work on new legislation. Republicans said they will focus on lowering costs, as opposed to the Democratic law’s goal of increasing coverage for uninsured Americans.
“Obviously if we can get costs down the opportunity to afford health care goes up and you can get more coverage,” said Representative Dave Camp of Michigan, chairman of the House Ways and Means committee. “Our focus will be how can we make health care more affordable.”
The health-care law that cleared Congress in March 2010 with no Republican support was the top domestic priority for Obama and congressional Democrats, who then controlled the House and the Senate. It extends coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans, imposes new taxes on the highest wage- earners, calls for taxes on health-care companies and provides hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicare savings.
Republicans contend the law will raise taxes, destroy jobs and burden businesses with new requirements, such as the one that makes them report to the Internal Revenue Service any expenditure over $600.
Block in Senate
Democrats, who control the Senate, say the repeal effort will be blocked in that chamber -- and that, in any case, Obama would veto any such measure that reached his desk.
Representative John Kline, a Minnesota Republican and chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, said the committees will release a number of “smaller pieces of legislation” aimed at reducing health care costs. They have no timeline to complete their work.
Two committees have announced investigations into the law, one on its effect on jobs and a second on how the administration has granted waivers for some companies to avoid new rules.
The administration office has approved 222 waivers for companies, local governments and other organizations for part of the law requiring minimum coverage levels by employer insurance offerings, according to its Web site.
Representative Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican and chairman of the House Judiciary committee, told reporters he plans to hold hearings on the costs of medical malpractice insurance and the constitutionality of the 2010 law.
Writing Regulations
The House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to the administration today in opening an investigation into the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, the office in the Health and Human Services Department that writes many of the regulations to implement the health law.
“Most troubling is that your office is currently responsible for deciding who does not have to comply with the massive new regulations imposed,” wrote Upton.
The House Ways and Means Committee announced a hearing next week looking into how the law will affect employers and the economy.
“Employers of all sizes are expressing concern that the new mandates and regulations will deter them from hiring new employees, threaten their ability to retain existing workers, and harm their ability to increase wages for existing employees,” committee Republicans said in a statement on their website announcing the hearing.
Republicans also plan to use the House Appropriations Committee, headed by Representative Hal Rogers of Kentucky, to financially starve Obama’s overhaul measure by denying money for implementing some of its provisions.
“Today is day one of our efforts to replace Obamacare with something better,” Representative Fred Upton of Michigan, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said at a news conference in Washington.
The House passed a resolution today authorizing four committees to begin work on new legislation. Republicans said they will focus on lowering costs, as opposed to the Democratic law’s goal of increasing coverage for uninsured Americans.
“Obviously if we can get costs down the opportunity to afford health care goes up and you can get more coverage,” said Representative Dave Camp of Michigan, chairman of the House Ways and Means committee. “Our focus will be how can we make health care more affordable.”
The health-care law that cleared Congress in March 2010 with no Republican support was the top domestic priority for Obama and congressional Democrats, who then controlled the House and the Senate. It extends coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans, imposes new taxes on the highest wage- earners, calls for taxes on health-care companies and provides hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicare savings.
Republicans contend the law will raise taxes, destroy jobs and burden businesses with new requirements, such as the one that makes them report to the Internal Revenue Service any expenditure over $600.
Block in Senate
Democrats, who control the Senate, say the repeal effort will be blocked in that chamber -- and that, in any case, Obama would veto any such measure that reached his desk.
Representative John Kline, a Minnesota Republican and chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, said the committees will release a number of “smaller pieces of legislation” aimed at reducing health care costs. They have no timeline to complete their work.
Two committees have announced investigations into the law, one on its effect on jobs and a second on how the administration has granted waivers for some companies to avoid new rules.
The administration office has approved 222 waivers for companies, local governments and other organizations for part of the law requiring minimum coverage levels by employer insurance offerings, according to its Web site.
Representative Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican and chairman of the House Judiciary committee, told reporters he plans to hold hearings on the costs of medical malpractice insurance and the constitutionality of the 2010 law.
Writing Regulations
The House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to the administration today in opening an investigation into the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, the office in the Health and Human Services Department that writes many of the regulations to implement the health law.
“Most troubling is that your office is currently responsible for deciding who does not have to comply with the massive new regulations imposed,” wrote Upton.
The House Ways and Means Committee announced a hearing next week looking into how the law will affect employers and the economy.
“Employers of all sizes are expressing concern that the new mandates and regulations will deter them from hiring new employees, threaten their ability to retain existing workers, and harm their ability to increase wages for existing employees,” committee Republicans said in a statement on their website announcing the hearing.
Republicans also plan to use the House Appropriations Committee, headed by Representative Hal Rogers of Kentucky, to financially starve Obama’s overhaul measure by denying money for implementing some of its provisions.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
House set to pass health care law repeal
House Republicans were poised Wednesday to approve a bill repealing the health care law, taking their first major step toward rolling back the massive overhaul that has dominated the American political landscape for almost two years.
Only a handful of Democrats are expected to back the repeal, a smaller number than Republicans have predicted. Strong GOP opposition, which is expected to be unanimous, will give the vote the same partisan feel of the March vote to pass the law, underscoring once again the hardened political lines of the health care debate.
Only a handful of Democrats are expected to back the repeal, a smaller number than Republicans have predicted. Strong GOP opposition, which is expected to be unanimous, will give the vote the same partisan feel of the March vote to pass the law, underscoring once again the hardened political lines of the health care debate.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Debunking common myths about health-care reform
House Republicans plan to press forward Wednesday with their effort to repeal the health-care law enacted last year. They have the votes, so the bill's passage is not in doubt. But the Democrats who control the Senate have no interest in following suit, and President Obama pledged a veto. So this is mostly a symbolic act. But it does provide an opportunity to look back at some of the persistent myths about the legislation.
"This is a 'government takeover' of the health-care system."
Republicans repeatedly use this snappy talking point to bash Obama's crowning legislative achievement, but it is simply not true. In fact, PolitiFact.com labeled this claim the 2010 "lie of the year," but that has not stopped lawmakers from using it.
In many ways, the health-care law resembles the reform legislation that Massachusetts enacted in 2006 under then-Gov. Mitt Romney (a Republican and potential presidential rival of Obama in 2012). It builds on the existing private insurance system but adds requirements and incentives to ensure that most people have some form of health insurance.
"This is a 'government takeover' of the health-care system."
Republicans repeatedly use this snappy talking point to bash Obama's crowning legislative achievement, but it is simply not true. In fact, PolitiFact.com labeled this claim the 2010 "lie of the year," but that has not stopped lawmakers from using it.
In many ways, the health-care law resembles the reform legislation that Massachusetts enacted in 2006 under then-Gov. Mitt Romney (a Republican and potential presidential rival of Obama in 2012). It builds on the existing private insurance system but adds requirements and incentives to ensure that most people have some form of health insurance.
Monday, January 17, 2011
House set for health care repeal vote
Washington (CNN) -- The House of Representatives is set to vote on a repeal of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul this week, fulfilling a campaign promise of congressional Republicans and setting up a clash with the White House and Senate Democrats.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has scheduled a floor debate on the measure for Tuesday and a vote on Wednesday. The new GOP majority, in keeping with its "repeal and replace" mantra, will instruct various House committees to craft alternatives to the law.
House Speaker John Boehner has scheduled a floor debate on
repealing health care for Tuesday and a vote the next day
"Repealing the job crushing health care law is critical to boosting small business job creation and growing the economy," Boehner wrote online Monday.
The health care repeal vote had initially been scheduled for last week, but GOP leaders postponed it after the January 8 shootings in Arizona that killed six people and wounded 13, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona.
The measure is expected to pass the Republican-led House, but is believed to have little chance of clearing the Democratic-controlled Senate or surviving a certain presidential veto.
Republicans have acknowledged the virtual impossibility of an outright repeal, and have indicated there will likely be attempts to defund portions of the measure or eliminate specific provisions in the months ahead.
A couple of key Democrats said Sunday they were prepared to cooperate in the elimination of certain measures considered excessively burdensome to businesses. Leading members of both parties have expressed concern over a rule, scheduled to take effect in 2012, requiring businesses to issue 1099 tax forms to any individual or corporation from which they purchase over $600 in goods or services in a year.
"A lot of our small businesses came to me (after the health care overhaul passed) and said there's a lot of paperwork I now have to fill out," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, noted Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation." "We can change that. That's something we can absolutely agree on."
Promises of a more civil discourse in the wake of the shootings may cause some representatives to tone down their rhetoric over what continues to be a sharply polarizing and emotional issue. Boehner himself appears to have backed away from past assertions that Obama's overhaul is a job "killing" piece of legislation.
"I think that violent discourse in political life -- right, left or center -- is wrong and should be rejected," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "We, as elected officials, have an obligation to try and tone that down."
On "Face the Nation," Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, said, "I think that we Republicans, and I think Democrats alike, will realize that if we tone down the rhetoric sometimes our debate is more effective from our own side. It's better to have a more civil tone and a civil debate. And I think it behooves all of us to do so."
The health care debate during the last Congress was marked by months of acrimonious partisan exchanges, including a series of angry town hall meetings held by congressional Democrats during the summer of 2009. A number of threats were reported and congressional district offices were vandalized at the time.
Republicans continue to insist that the health care overhaul -- Obama's signature domestic accomplishment -- will hamper economic growth while doing little to control skyrocketing medical costs. Democrats have noted, among other things, the increased number of Americans covered by the law. They've also seized on a recent analysis from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office noting that a repeal of the overhaul would add $230 billion to the federal debt by 2021.
Democrats argue the analysis undermines Republicans' emphasis on fiscal responsibility.
GOP leaders, in turn, insist the analysis was based on unrealistic economic and fiscal assumptions originally provided by Democrats.
Nonetheless, Republicans have exempted a repeal of the health care law from new rules prohibiting legislation from adding to the federal debt.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has scheduled a floor debate on the measure for Tuesday and a vote on Wednesday. The new GOP majority, in keeping with its "repeal and replace" mantra, will instruct various House committees to craft alternatives to the law.
repealing health care for Tuesday and a vote the next day
"Repealing the job crushing health care law is critical to boosting small business job creation and growing the economy," Boehner wrote online Monday.
The health care repeal vote had initially been scheduled for last week, but GOP leaders postponed it after the January 8 shootings in Arizona that killed six people and wounded 13, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona.
The measure is expected to pass the Republican-led House, but is believed to have little chance of clearing the Democratic-controlled Senate or surviving a certain presidential veto.
Republicans have acknowledged the virtual impossibility of an outright repeal, and have indicated there will likely be attempts to defund portions of the measure or eliminate specific provisions in the months ahead.
A couple of key Democrats said Sunday they were prepared to cooperate in the elimination of certain measures considered excessively burdensome to businesses. Leading members of both parties have expressed concern over a rule, scheduled to take effect in 2012, requiring businesses to issue 1099 tax forms to any individual or corporation from which they purchase over $600 in goods or services in a year.
"A lot of our small businesses came to me (after the health care overhaul passed) and said there's a lot of paperwork I now have to fill out," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, noted Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation." "We can change that. That's something we can absolutely agree on."
Promises of a more civil discourse in the wake of the shootings may cause some representatives to tone down their rhetoric over what continues to be a sharply polarizing and emotional issue. Boehner himself appears to have backed away from past assertions that Obama's overhaul is a job "killing" piece of legislation.
"I think that violent discourse in political life -- right, left or center -- is wrong and should be rejected," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "We, as elected officials, have an obligation to try and tone that down."
On "Face the Nation," Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, said, "I think that we Republicans, and I think Democrats alike, will realize that if we tone down the rhetoric sometimes our debate is more effective from our own side. It's better to have a more civil tone and a civil debate. And I think it behooves all of us to do so."
The health care debate during the last Congress was marked by months of acrimonious partisan exchanges, including a series of angry town hall meetings held by congressional Democrats during the summer of 2009. A number of threats were reported and congressional district offices were vandalized at the time.
Republicans continue to insist that the health care overhaul -- Obama's signature domestic accomplishment -- will hamper economic growth while doing little to control skyrocketing medical costs. Democrats have noted, among other things, the increased number of Americans covered by the law. They've also seized on a recent analysis from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office noting that a repeal of the overhaul would add $230 billion to the federal debt by 2021.
Democrats argue the analysis undermines Republicans' emphasis on fiscal responsibility.
GOP leaders, in turn, insist the analysis was based on unrealistic economic and fiscal assumptions originally provided by Democrats.
Nonetheless, Republicans have exempted a repeal of the health care law from new rules prohibiting legislation from adding to the federal debt.
Herzog resigns from government following Labor breakup
Welfare and Social Services Minister says he hopes other Labor ministers follow him; Braverman: Our mandate was the peace process, Barak wasn't interested; Cabel says Labor lost its way, needs to refocus, regroup.
Talkbacks (2)
Photo by: Ariel Jerozolimski [file
The first of the remaining Labor ministers quit the government Monday, following Defense Minister Ehud Barak's move to take four MKs with him and start a new faction on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference Monday afternoon, Isaac Herzog said that he is glad Barak left the party as it presents a chance to save the Labor party. Herzog said that he notified Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu a short while earlier that he was quitting the government. He added that he hoped Labor Ministers Avishay Braverman and Binyamin Ben-Eliezer would join him shortly. Herzog said he spoke to party officials about preserving party unity and to decide on a date for new primary elections.
Talkbacks (2)
Photo by: Ariel Jerozolimski [file
The first of the remaining Labor ministers quit the government Monday, following Defense Minister Ehud Barak's move to take four MKs with him and start a new faction on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference Monday afternoon, Isaac Herzog said that he is glad Barak left the party as it presents a chance to save the Labor party. Herzog said that he notified Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu a short while earlier that he was quitting the government. He added that he hoped Labor Ministers Avishay Braverman and Binyamin Ben-Eliezer would join him shortly. Herzog said he spoke to party officials about preserving party unity and to decide on a date for new primary elections.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
NY Lawmakers Urge Bi-Partisan Approach To Gun Debate
As Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford's health continues to improve, New York senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are urging the nation's lawmakers to come together to address the issue of gun control.
Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called Giffords a friend who has appealed for the kind of civil conversations many are calling for in the wake of the Tucson shootings.
Gillibrand says the country needs non-partisan lawmakers like Giffords who can work together to solve the big state and national problems.
"In New York families are suffering. They really are having a tough time making ends meet, and so we have to, as leaders, as a body of government, come together and do the people's business. That's what the election was about," said the junior senator.
The issue of gun control is at the forefront now after investigators say Jared Loughner was able to easily buy a gun in Arizona.
He is accused of killing six people and injuring more than a dozen others, including Giffords.
Loughner is said to have made the purchase even after being rejected by the U.S. military.
"I called upon the military, when they reject someone for excessive drug use, they should notify the FBI and put that information on the FBI's database," said Senator Charles Schumer.
While appearing on "Meet the Press," Republican Senator Tom Coburn from Oklahoma echoed Schumer's concern about guns falling into the wrong hands. The two are also expected to sit together at the president's State of the Union Address later this month.
"I'm willing to work with Senator Schumer and anybody else that wants to make sure people who are mentally ill cannot get and use a gun," Coburn said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- who has argued for years to keep guns off the streets -- took up the issue again on his weekly radio address.
"This issue isn’t an ideological battle, and it’s not about the Second Amendment. It’s about enforcing the law and maintaining public safety," said the mayor. "Too many innocent lives are at stake -- the lives of our families, our police officers, and our children, and all Americans."
Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called Giffords a friend who has appealed for the kind of civil conversations many are calling for in the wake of the Tucson shootings.
Gillibrand says the country needs non-partisan lawmakers like Giffords who can work together to solve the big state and national problems.
"In New York families are suffering. They really are having a tough time making ends meet, and so we have to, as leaders, as a body of government, come together and do the people's business. That's what the election was about," said the junior senator.
The issue of gun control is at the forefront now after investigators say Jared Loughner was able to easily buy a gun in Arizona.
He is accused of killing six people and injuring more than a dozen others, including Giffords.
Loughner is said to have made the purchase even after being rejected by the U.S. military.
"I called upon the military, when they reject someone for excessive drug use, they should notify the FBI and put that information on the FBI's database," said Senator Charles Schumer.
While appearing on "Meet the Press," Republican Senator Tom Coburn from Oklahoma echoed Schumer's concern about guns falling into the wrong hands. The two are also expected to sit together at the president's State of the Union Address later this month.
"I'm willing to work with Senator Schumer and anybody else that wants to make sure people who are mentally ill cannot get and use a gun," Coburn said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- who has argued for years to keep guns off the streets -- took up the issue again on his weekly radio address.
"This issue isn’t an ideological battle, and it’s not about the Second Amendment. It’s about enforcing the law and maintaining public safety," said the mayor. "Too many innocent lives are at stake -- the lives of our families, our police officers, and our children, and all Americans."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
