Salem-News.com News Feed for articles tagged with taxes www.salem-news.com 2010 Your Congress is at work again bringing about the next war and spending more money on the military than the military wants. Congress is inching its way to a war with Iran by passing resolutions written and put forth by the powerful pro-Israel lobby group, AIPAC. http://salem-news.com/articles/may222012/wars-spending-jc.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may222012/wars-spending-jc.php Tue, 22 May 2012 19:59:00 PDT A ProPublica analysis of the landmark mortgage settlement reveals states have diverted $974 million of the funds to pay down budget deficits or fund programs unrelated to the foreclosure crisis. Paul Kiel and Cora Currier explain, "That’s nearly forty percent of the $2.5 billion in penalties paid to the states under the agreement." http://salem-news.com/articles/may222012/foreclosure-deals-pp.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may222012/foreclosure-deals-pp.php Tue, 22 May 2012 18:15:00 PDT Wage theft is inherently challenging to quantify. Wage theft occurs when employers pay workers less than the minimum wage, don’t pay time-and-a-half for overtime hours, cheat on the number of hours worked, steal tips or don’t pay workers at all. http://salem-news.com/articles/may222012/wage-theft.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may222012/wage-theft.php Tue, 22 May 2012 16:36:00 PDT Since 1995 an institution called the ‘Transparency International’ [TI] has been publishing data on countries ranked from least to most corrupt based on “perceived levels of corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys. Their definition: Corruption is essentially "the misuse of public power for private benefit." http://salem-news.com/articles/may212012/illusion-corruption-as.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may212012/illusion-corruption-as.php Mon, 21 May 2012 00:59:00 PDT A MapLight analysis of campaign contribution data from the California Secretary of State shows that a recent contribution of $500K from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg raises the total for committees supporting California's Proposition 29 (Cigarette Tax) to $8.5 million. Committees opposing California's Proposition 29 have raised nearly $40 million. http://salem-news.com/articles/may182012/voter-guide.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may182012/voter-guide.php Fri, 18 May 2012 02:50:00 PDT The Dodd-Frank Bill, an Act to regulate the American financial industry and provide investor and public protection, was passed by Congress and the Senate over a year ago. Since that time, at least one senator has observed that following the greatest scam in world history, all the known perpetrators are still prominent, richer than ever. http://salem-news.com/articles/may182012/political-blame-ba.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may182012/political-blame-ba.php Fri, 18 May 2012 01:37:00 PDT Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) today sent a letter to regulators, calling on them to close the “JPMorgan Loophole.” Although the Dodd-Frank Act prohibits banks from proprietary trading, the regulators’ proposed rule creates a new loophole that could allow proprietary trading to continue even after the law goes into effect. http://salem-news.com/articles/may182012/merkley-jpmorgan.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may182012/merkley-jpmorgan.php Fri, 18 May 2012 00:55:00 PDT Occupy Salem will present a forum featuring activist Rosalie Pedroza sharing her views on single payer health care. The forum will take place at 7 pm on Monday, May 24th at the office of Oregon PeaceWorks, 104 Commercial St. NE, in downtown Salem. http://salem-news.com/articles/may182012/occupy-salem.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may182012/occupy-salem.php Fri, 18 May 2012 00:50:00 PDT Mass demonstrations in support of 2500 Palestinian hunger strikers swept through the West Bank this weekend. Marchers moved through the streets of Hebron, Kafr Qaddoum, Nablus, Nabi Saleh, Ni’lin, Ramallah, al-Walaja and outside of Ofer prison. The picture at right was taken in Hebron. http://salem-news.com/articles/may132012/us-money-israel-jw.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may132012/us-money-israel-jw.php Sun, 13 May 2012 16:36:00 PDT One of the most famous sentences in the English language is the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” http://salem-news.com/articles/may132012/jail_conservatives_dj.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may132012/jail_conservatives_dj.php Sun, 13 May 2012 00:09:00 PDT Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, cosponsor of the Merkley-Levin provision in Dodd-Frank that put into law the Volcker Rule, issued the following statement after news that J.P. Morgan lost at least $2 billion in portfolio hedging trades made by their risk management division. “What yesterday’s announcement makes abundantly clear is that even J.P. Morgan, supposedly the best risk manager on Wall Street, can make bets that go spectacularly wrong. http://salem-news.com/articles/may112012/volcker-rule.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may112012/volcker-rule.php Fri, 11 May 2012 14:03:00 PDT We were told that the vast amounts of stimulus monies that had been set aside and earmarked were to be dedicated to bringing our economy back from the brink. Why are these funds being spent to help Chinese industries and to provide jobs to Chinese workers when U.S. industries are hurting so badly and U.S. workers are losing their homes? http://salem-news.com/articles/may032012/chinese-workers-bc.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may032012/chinese-workers-bc.php Thu, 03 May 2012 11:30:00 PDT What was Oakland’s muddy “Lake Quan” as Occupy went into winter hibernation has resurged as a sea of green. Green grass, that is. After Mayor Quan and OPD evicted the Occupy encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza late last year, stating the occupation encouraged rats and other creatures and destroyed the lawn, city officials ran water sprinklers for days to flood the park and discourage re-occupation. http://salem-news.com/articles/may022012/occupy-revival-sg.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may022012/occupy-revival-sg.php Wed, 02 May 2012 13:28:00 PDT Washington D.C.-based ALEC—the American Legislative Exchange Council, has just been charged in a Whistleblower complaint to the IRS by the nonpartisan advocacy group Common Cause. ALEC is suspected of, “misuse of charity laws, massive under reporting of lobbying, and obtaining improper tax breaks for corporate funders at taxpayer expense.” http://salem-news.com/articles/april262012/alec-politicans-mm.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april262012/alec-politicans-mm.php Thu, 26 Apr 2012 01:21:00 PDT For decades we have been told Cuba is a “bad” country and all the while the US government has imposed brutal sanctions on the people of Cuba. Why? Our government does not like the leader of their government, so for 50 years the strategy of our government has been to punish the Cuban people. Again why? http://salem-news.com/articles/april242012/sanctions-innocence-jc.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april242012/sanctions-innocence-jc.php Tue, 24 Apr 2012 05:21:00 PDT Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal will reflect on his state’s recent school choice expansion and stress the importance of continuing to increase educational options during a speech at the American Federation for Children’s third annual National Policy Summit. It will be held on May 3-4 in Jersey City, New Jersey. http://salem-news.com/articles/april242012/jindal-afc-summit.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april242012/jindal-afc-summit.php Tue, 24 Apr 2012 03:38:00 PDT For more than a decade, school advocates, teachers, and parents have talked about the need for kicker reform. Our Oregon is launching a signature gathering effort to qualify an initiative for the November ballot that would send money to K-12 classrooms by reforming the corporate “kicker” refund. http://salem-news.com/articles/april232012/kicker-reform.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april232012/kicker-reform.php Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:44:00 PDT I am a mother of four children living in Pico Rivera. In my daily life, I work as an interpreter, lead a girl scout troop, and take my girls to volleyball practice, Karate, and Aztec dance classes. But a part of me is always with my oldest son, who is locked away in the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). http://salem-news.com/articles/april212012/mothers-nightmare-lr.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april212012/mothers-nightmare-lr.php Sat, 21 Apr 2012 13:35:00 PDT Congressman Cicilline owes an explanation to Rhode Island taxpayers. While most of our larger cities contemplate bankruptcy, and citizens suffer the brunt of budget cuts, higher taxes, and slashed social programs, the congressman is lavishly giving your money away to a foreign country. http://salem-news.com/articles/april172012/cicilline-israel.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april172012/cicilline-israel.php Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:08:00 PDT One ignores that in 1949 there was a simple and cheap cure for polio if anyone happened to become ill. One ignores that polio was actually one of the least serious of infectious diseases and of those who did catch it, only 1% were left paralyzed. http://salem-news.com/articles/april162012/polio-game-sb.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april162012/polio-game-sb.php Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:37:00 PDT The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Citizens United, and a subsequent ruling in a lower court, Speech Now v FEC, changes the rules over making unlimited contributions to Super PACs. Contributors can now specifically advocate for or against federal candidates as long as they do not explicitly coordinate with those candidates' campaigns. http://salem-news.com/articles/april112012/super-pac.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april112012/super-pac.php Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:09:00 PDT In the United States, more people are killed each year by doctor mistakes than in auto accidents. In his film, Sicko, Michael Moore tells us that the quality of US healthcare rates 37th among other nations. http://salem-news.com/articles/april092012/us-healthcare-wp.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april092012/us-healthcare-wp.php Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:39:00 PDT ASSE International Student Exchange Programs (ASSE) is seeking local host families for international high school boys and girls. These students are 15 to 18 years of age, and are coming to this area for the upcoming high school year or semester. These personable and academically selected exchange students are conversant in English, bright, curious and anxious to learn about this country through living as part of a family, attending high school and sharing their own culture and language with their newly adopted host family. http://salem-news.com/articles/april032012/exchange-students.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april032012/exchange-students.php Tue, 03 Apr 2012 22:42:00 PDT As a two-term library board member, I need to alert all citizens that our Salem Public Library is facing serious budget cuts and we need your help to reach a viable compromise. We're told that city officials will seek a 6-hour week for the W. Salem Library this year, way down from the present 31 hours. If this happens, our main library can be next on the chopping-block. http://salem-news.com/articles/march312012/library-rally-blc.php http://salem-news.com/articles/march312012/library-rally-blc.php Sat, 31 Mar 2012 13:27:00 PDT As expected, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrived in front of the Humboldt County Courthouse at 4 p.m. Wednesday to begin enforcement of the “urgency ordinance” passed by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. Prior to their arrival, Occupy Eureka members moved their information tables over the crack in the pavement denoting where the public sidewalk begins. http://salem-news.com/articles/march292012/eureka-occupy.php http://salem-news.com/articles/march292012/eureka-occupy.php Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:41:00 PDT "Obamacare's Supreme Court Disaster" screams the headline at Mother Jones. The Chicago Sun Times reports that the "President embraces term Obamacare." Search for Obamacare on Google and a paid advertisement for Obama's reelection website sits at the top of the page. With another election coming up the end game of the main legislative push of the administration's first term is coming to its conclusion. http://salem-news.com/articles/march282012/obamacare-victory-ew.php http://salem-news.com/articles/march282012/obamacare-victory-ew.php Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:35:00 PDT The Oregon Senate took action today on two major policy initiatives of the 2012 Session. House Bill 4165 implements the Early Learning Council, which will help coordinate resources and programs that serve Oregon’s youngest learners, ages 0-6. House Bill 4164 approves the business plan of the Oregon Health Insurance Exchange, an important step toward increasing access to quality, affordable health insurance for small businesses and individuals. http://salem-news.com/articles/march052012/capitol-bills.php http://salem-news.com/articles/march052012/capitol-bills.php Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:49:00 PST Developers have received almost $350 million in assistance over the years in the form of low-interest or free loans from the Portland Housing Bureau for affordable housing units. Almost the entire Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) loan portfolio was lent below inflation rates. Similar deals won’t be found at traditional lenders such as banks or credit unions, and for good reason. http://salem-news.com/articles/february292012/developer-loans.php http://salem-news.com/articles/february292012/developer-loans.php Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:40:00 PST The United States has selected March 1, 2012, the 58th anniversary of the Castle Bravo nuclear test, for its next launch of a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. The launch will take place at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with a target in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. http://salem-news.com/articles/february282012/nuclear-tests-le.php http://salem-news.com/articles/february282012/nuclear-tests-le.php Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:40:00 PST In this week's Reactor Reax, the 'Wizard of Ohama', Warren Buffett, wants the American taxpayer to pony up for dangerous nuclear power. It's quite a risk and a lot to ask of a citizenry but then he is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors in the world, which is sort of laughable as the U.S. economy settles lower and lower into the ground. http://salem-news.com/articles/february252012/reactor-reax.php http://salem-news.com/articles/february252012/reactor-reax.php Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:52:00 PST