#4
I wouldn't try that in state court as the court should be smart enough that when the legislative body tastes blood theirs could follow quickly if it decides to over reach the separation of powers. And in federal court, they should be wise enough to grasp even a modest control is called for on what is state business and what is federal business to retain the veneer of what the Constitution says.
Ill. gov tells AP that strain is like Pearl Harbor
CHICAGO Illinois' embattled but defiant governor turned to the history books to describe the emotional strain on him and his family, comparing his arrest last month to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.
"Dec. 9 to my family, to us, to me, is what Pearl Harbor Day was to the United States," Gov. Rod Blagojevich told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday. "It was a complete surprise, completely unexpected. And just like the United States prevailed in that, we'll prevail in this."
I know we've already got two, but this is some of the reaction...
ALBANY - Gov. Paterson, defying the liberal wing of his Democratic Party, has chosen little-known, NRA-backed, upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as New York's junior senator, it was learned last night.
The surprising - and, for many Democrats shocking - decision to pick the conservative Gillibrand, 42, from Hudson in Columbia County, was disclosed by the governor in calls to party officials and some members of the state's congressional delegation, many of whom said they were unhappy with the selection, sources said.
Gillibrand, a mother of two occasionally resented by colleagues for being an aggressive self-promoter, was strongly backed for the post by Charles Schumer, the state's senior senator, who said a woman and an upstater was needed on next year's ticket.
Paterson's decision - to be officially announced today at noon at the state Capitol - was made just 24 hours after Caroline Kennedy took herself out of the running. The decision was a major rebuff to some of the state's best-known Democrats interested in Clinton's seat, including Attorney General and former federal Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo, for whom Gillibrand once worked as a junior lawyer; Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, and Reps. Carolyn Maloney of Manhattan and Steve Israel of Suffolk County.
Sources said "at least five" members of the state's Democratic congressional delegation called Paterson to protest the possibility of Gillibrand's selection. One, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of Nassau County, even threatened a primary challenge. Gillibrand faces a special election in 2010. Democratic activists predicted that Cuomo, son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo, would also "seriously consider" challenging Paterson in a primary next year.
Calls were made from Paterson's office to leading Democrats and Republicans throughout the afternoon, inviting them to a special meeting room attached to the Capitol for "a major announcement." The inclusion of several prominent Republicans among the invitees was an early sign to insiders that Paterson planned to pick an upstate Democrat.
Gillibrand has won two successive elections in one of the heaviest GOP districts in the state, first upsetting incumbent Rep. John Sweeney and, in November, defeating former state GOP chairman and multimillionaire Alexander Treadwell, in one of the most expensive races in the nation.
Liberal Democrats have been wary of her because she ran for re-election with the backing of the National Rifle Association, opposed the federal TARP program to rescue banks, and has been less than enthusiastic about gay marriage.
#2
Liberal Democrats have been wary of her because she ran for re-election with the backing of the National Rifle Association, opposed the federal TARP program to rescue banks, and has been less than enthusiastic about gay marriage.
All this and Schumer backed her? What's up with that?
#6
What's the rule on a special election for her House seat? Sounds like the Repubs could get this one back.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/23/2009 14:10 Comments ||
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#7
Interesting that Bambi's seat went to a black man; Hildebeest's seat had to go to a woman. Are we so into identity politics that Senate seats become marked once a member of a certain group takes it? (White males need not apply)
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
01/23/2009 17:55 Comments ||
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#8
We just haaaaad to complain about Caroline kennedy, so Patterson went and found someone who could actually hold the seat in the election.
#11
I don't think the Repubs are competitive right now for a Nou Yalk senate seat. But her house seat? Get that one in the special and hang on in 2010.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/23/2009 20:14 Comments ||
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#12
Disenchantment with Bambi starting, and now this.
It would be nice to see the old style (Patriotic and LOYAL opposition) take the Democratic Party back from the howling mad liberal lunatics. Leftist scumbags.
ALBANY -- Gov. David A. Paterson has selected Representative Kirsten Gillibrand, a 42-year-old congresswoman from upstate who is known for bold political moves and centrist policy positions, to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to a person who spoke to the governor early Friday.The governor will announce his selection at noon in Albany. An aide to Ms. Gillibrand confirmed that she had accepted the appointment.
Ms. Gillibrand is largely unknown to New Yorkers statewide, but is considered an up-and-coming and forceful lawmaker in her district and has gained considerable attention from Democratic leaders in Washington.
Mr. Paterson made his final decision shortly before 2 a.m. Friday after a marathon series of phone calls and deliberations with his top aides, according to the person who spoke to him. He began making phone calls to other contenders about 9 p.m., and had notified most of the other contenders by midnight. By then, the only two candidates who had not heard from Mr. Paterson were Ms. Gillibrand and Randi Weingarten, the president of the United Federation of Teachers. More at link. Filing this under "seedy" because of all the political ramifications discussed. Politics, of course gets more coverage than the nominee's qualifications.
Maybe, next time, Timothy Geithner should pay an accountant. Or take a simple computer course.
Geithner, President Obama's choice to run the U.S. Treasury and spearhead America's recovery from its financial crisis, is well on his way to being confirmed after the Senate Finance Committee voted 18-5 Thursday to forward his nomination to the full Senate.
But the endorsement came only after he underwent embarrassing scrutiny for his failure to pay all of his income taxes in 2001 and 2002 -- a mistake he blamed on an easy-to-use computer income tax program used by 18 million taxpayers a year.
Geithner said he used the popular software program TurboTax to complete his income tax forms in those two years, and he failed to include self-employment taxes in his federal returns.
He said that, to his recollection, the program did not prompt him to report income and pay self-employment taxes.
"I mistakenly believed that I was meeting my obligations fully, including self-employment taxes, but I did not prepare my returns in a way that caught that mistake initially," Geithner told the committee, adding, "these are my responsibility, not the tax software responsibility."
But TurboTax itself says the program is designed for average taxpayers and prompts everyone to report any additional income or wages earned through self-employment.
"The way TurboTax works, we ask you your personal information up front" and "walk you down an interview path that asks you the source of your income," said Scott Gulbransen, a spokesman for TurboTax. Even if you fill out a W2 tax form from a primary employer, "once you're done with that it will ask you if you had other sources of income," he told FOXNews.com.
"The whole idea of TurboTax is to make sure we have all your information," Gulbransen said.
Intuit, the company that makes the software, estimates that its customers receive tax returns in the hundreds of millions of dollars every year, he said.
"There's a lot of time that's put in to make sure that the product is easy to use for the average American," Gulbransen said. "The numbers speak for themselves."
The tax program -- now in its 25th year -- is retooled annually, he said.
"Because the tax laws change every single year, the code, we -- in essence after every tax season -- have to recreate the product from the ground up as far as tax code goes," Gulbransen said. "So from that perspective, we update it every year for not only the federal taxes, but also for each individual state that has income tax."
Dan Maurer, a senior vice president of TurboTax, issued a statement Wednesday saying user input is key.
"TurboTax, and all software and in-person tax preparation services, base their calculations on the information users provide when completing their returns. TurboTax also has built-in error-checking tools that routinely catch common taxpayer mistakes.
"Federal law and our own privacy policy prohibit us from discussing specifics of any customer's return," Maurer said.
#4
Also - real tax prep. software (Lacerte, Pro System FX, etc.) would not have caught this either. The only 'prompt' that would have come up would be to ask for the FID and address of the 'day care' provider.
Real tax prep. software would also provide hyperlinks to the relevant instructions for a given IRS or state form (in this case, it's on Page 2 of the Form 2441 instructions - But do not include any expenses for sending your child to an overnight camp, summer school, or a tutoring program.)
This is a sign of his immaturity and his inability to do such an important job, said Shen Dingli, professor of American studies at Fudan University. He is digging a trap for himself because after a few months he will have to recognise that he has made a mistake."
#7
Oh, sure, I can see how Turbotax would have messed him up.
I mean, it's not like his employer told him he had to pay self-employment tax on his earnings, or gave him the money to pay the tax, or he signed a statement that he knew that money was to pay the self-employment tax, or anything....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/23/2009 21:38 Comments ||
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#8
Is he kidding. TurboTax is so generic and simple even a simpleton can use it.
New York Gov. David Paterson will name Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, an upstate Democrat, to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate, a Democratic official with knowledge of the governor's decision told FOX News on Thursday night. Gillibrand, elected in 2006, represents the state's 20th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is the first Democrat to represent the district since 1978 -- and the first female representative of the district.
Paterson is scheduled to formally announce his pick Friday.
"I'm honored just to be considered," Gillibrand told FOX News earlier Thursday.
But some New York City Democrats are skeptical of Gillibrand, who voted against the financial rescue package last fall. And the National Rifle Association has endorsed Gillibrand -- another cause for concern among some Democrats. In defense of the endorsement, Gillibrand told FOX News that she come from a "hunting family" and "wants to support hunter's rights."
The choice of Gillibrand follows weeks of broad speculation over whom Paterson would choose, the presumed frontrunners being state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President Kennedy.
Kennedy had campaigned vigorously for the position but withdrew her name from consideration Wednesday, citing "personal reasons." That sparked a flurry of media reports on other potential motives for her decision, rumors that she described, through a spokesman, as untrue "mudslinging."
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/23/2009 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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#1
Like Hillary, she comes from a Republican family. Also, is a "blue dog" and has a 100% NRA rating. Even Hillary can't match that - nor Caroline or Andrew.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
01/23/2009 10:46 Comments ||
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Hey! This is perfect for "Seedy Politicians"!
Of course it's real. You thought otherwise?
If you thought you had seen just about everything with the new presidents likeness, think again. Oh, I don't think it's even started yet.
Joseph Enterprises has added the Chia Obama to its line of Chia Pet products. O...O...O...bama.
If youve ever had a Chia Pet, then you know that seeds are put on the head, and water is added, producing instant green hair. ...and in six months, it'll turn grey. Or fall out.
Chia Obama will only be available online at www.chiaobama.com. It comes with a Chia seed packet, enough for three plantings. Or do one and save the seeds. You may have to eat them soon.
#3
Just got my collectable trading cards - says on the back of the one with Obama holding a baseball bat says he is a switch hitter (shows him standing in the left hand batting position), his on base percentage is 1.263
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
