Today's
Feature
Blunt Votes
Against Democrats’ Debt Plan.
Supports
Alternative to Help Families Keep More of Their
Paycheck
Washington, D.C. –
Southwest Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt today
voted against a trillion-dollar spending bill
passed by the House of Representatives under the
guise of stimulating our nation’s economy.
"President Obama and I
agree that any plan designed to stimulate our
economy must be targeted and timely.
Unfortunately, the package mandated by the
Democrat majority fails to meet either of those
basic requirements.
"Just seven percent of the
trillion dollars in this legislation is slated
for immediate use and the rest funds everything
from buying bureaucrats cars to refurbishing
federal buildings. That’s certainly not a
package that will help our economy recover any
time soon, but it is a package that our children
and grandchildren will be repaying for
generations to come."
The Democrats’ plan will
cost every American over $2,700. The size of the
package passed by the House today is staggering
compared to past stimulus plans. When President
Franklin Roosevelt was facing 25 percent
unemployment during the Great Depression, his
entire "New Deal" proposal would cost
just half of the current trillion dollar package
after being adjusted for inflation.
Blunt voted for an alternative
to provide tax breaks to working families and
small businesses in addition to helping the
unemployed and stabilizing home values.
"Unnecessary government
spending and increased debt are simply not the
answer to our economic woes. If that were the
case, then the current national deficit would be
enough to ensure our economic strength for
decades to come," Blunt said. "The best
way to stimulate the economy is to get the
government out of your wallet by providing
immediate tax relief. The government wildly
spending a trillion dollars won’t create new
jobs and only hurts our economy in the long
run."
The plan Blunt supported would
reduce the lowest individual tax rates by 5
percent, immediately increasing family incomes as
a result. The Republican alternative allows small
businesses to receive tax deductions that free up
funds to retain or hire employees. Small
businesses represent almost 98 percent of
Missouri employers.
Blunt’s alternative gives
homebuyers a tax credit to encourage responsible
consumers to enter the now-stagnant housing
market. It would also make unemployment benefits
tax free so those between jobs are not further
burdened by irrational tax policies.
The alternative proposal is
below:
House Republican Economic
Recovery Plan
Immediate Tax Relief for
Working Families:
• Rather than a refundable
credit based on payroll taxes, House Republicans
propose reducing the lowest individual tax rates
from 15% to 10% and from 10% to 5%. As a result
every taxpaying-family in America will see an
immediate increase in their income with an
average benefit of $500 in tax relief from the
drop in the 10% bracket and $1,200 for the drop
in the 15% bracket. A married couple filing
jointly could save up to $3,200 a year in taxes.
Help for America’s Small
Businesses:
• Small businesses (those
employing less than 500 individuals) employ about
half of all Americans, yet they can be subject to
tax rates that siphon away one-third or more of
their income. House Republicans propose to allow
small business to take a tax deduction equal to
20% of their income. This will immediately free
up funds for small businesses to retain and hire
new employees.
No Tax Increases to Pay for
Spending:
• The stimulus proposal
pending in Congress includes record levels of
government spending that will substantially
increase the current deficit. House Republicans
are concerned that this level of spending will
result in some proposing near-term tax increases
on American families. House Republicans are
insisting that any stimulus package include a
provision precluding any tax increases now or in
the future to pay for this new spending. House
Republicans believe that any stimulus spending
should be paid for by reducing other government
spending, not raising taxes.
Assistance for the Unemployed:
• Incredibly, the Federal
Government actually imposes income taxes on an
individual receiving unemployment benefits. House
Republicans propose to make unemployment benefits
tax free so that those individuals between jobs
can focus on providing for their families.
Stabilizing Home Values:
• The real-estate market
is paralyzed as potential buyers wait on the
sidelines waiting for prices to fall even
further. This is becoming a self-fulfilling
prophecy. In order to encourage responsible
buyers to enter the market and stabilize prices,
House Republicans propose a home-buyers credit of
$7,500 for those buyers who can make a minimum
down-payment of 5%.
artCentral
ART NOTES from Hyde House
by Sally Armstrong,
Director of artCentral
Having promised to devote this
week’s article to additional information
about our first artist, Jim Bilgere, I hope
readers will forgive me for digressing on another
subject? I promise to deliver the information on
Jim next week. In the meantime, I want to devote
today’s writing to thanking my friend Sandy
Higgins for a great honor that she has surprised
me with. Last Friday evening I had my reservation
in place to attend the annual Chamber of Commerce
banquet at Memorial Hall. I attend yearly as a
Chamber member, and to support the artist award
given each year. ArtCentral renewed our
membership in the Carthage Chamber of Commerce
three years ago, because, as I told my board of
directors, I felt it was important to be an
active member in the local business community no
matter if we were benefitting directly or not. It
is difficult, if not dishonest, to ask a local
economy to assist you when you do not put forth
the effort to join with the local economy! The
Chamber of Commerce has been good to us to
publicize our various activities when it is
appropriate, and for this we are grateful. Back
in 1996, local art promoter and gallery owner
Sandy Higgins suggested to the Chamber that they
add to the list of awards given annually to
businesses and outstanding individuals who
contribute to the community, an artist award.
This award has since been given annually, to a
number of local artists and art leaders as well,
from our town as well as surrounding communities.
Since I have been the director of artCentral,
winners have included artist and former director
Robin Putnam, painter and sculptor Jorge Leyva of
Joplin, Jo Mueller, artist and current director
of SPIVA Center for the Arts in Joplin, and last
year, Sandy Higgins of Carthage. Sandy is not
only the originator of the award, she is a
driving force in the visual arts scene here in
Carthage still. Sandy not only was a founder of
Cast & Co., the founding organization of
artCentral back in 1991, she has been a promoter
of artists and an artist-agent, a gallery owner
of "Imagine" which was on the Carthage
square for a number of years, and long time
director of the still ongoing "Midwest
Gathering of the Artists" which began back
in 1979. I had the honor, and the genuine HUGE
surprise of receiving the award from Sandy at
this year’s banquet this past Friday! Each
former winner is responsible for
"fashioning" the one-of-a-kind trophy
for the new winner, but Sandy instead presented
me with a check in the amount of $500.00 for our
kid’s summer artCamp, to assist children to
attend this year. I am most humbled by this award
from her, the originator, and will use the money
to enhance and build this year’s camp in a
way that I think she intends. Thank you, Sandy,
from all of us here at artCentral!
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