Big Dogs House

Down To Brass Tax, Caterpillar Might Move

Mar 28, 2011 Political

When the census numbers came in it was obvious that states with higher taxes lost population and those with lower taxes gained population. While a number of reasons could be responsible it is not unreasonable to assume that the tax situation played a part in the population shift. No one likes to pay more taxes, even Democrats who like to raise them.

The same is true of businesses. Case in point, Caterpillar and the state of Illinois. Illinois governor Pat Quinn raised taxes in January and that increase hurt business. Republicans who opposed the tax increase worried that businesses would leave the state. How right they were. Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman wrote a letter to the governor indicating that he is considering moving the business out of Illinois to a more business friendly state(read lower tax state) and he goes on to cite examples of offers from several states that might entice him to move.

I have been called, ‘cornered’ in meetings and ‘wined and dined’ — the heat is on,” Oberhelman wrote. “Before, I never really considered living anywhere else and certainly never considered the possibility of Caterpillar relocating. But I have to admit, the policymakers in Springfield seem to make it harder by the day. Pantagraph

A Republican who commented on the issue made an astute observation in noting that he is concerned about the number of businesses being approached that the state knows nothing about.

One can bet that if Caterpillar was approached many other businesses are being approached as well.

This is what happens when politicians impose taxes that rise to the level of a punitive action. Businesses move to places where they are welcomed and where they are not made the scape goats for financial difficulties encountered because of poor management by government.

This is nothing new. Businesses have been leaving the country because of the crippling taxes imposed by government. Caterpillar is feeling at the local level what many businesses have felt at the federal level and that company might now vote with its feet.

Like the people who have fled high tax states for those with lower taxes, Caterpillar must do what is in its own best interests and those of the shareholders.

The unfortunate reality is that politicians will fail to recognize the root problem and Caterpillar will end up being made the bad guy by Democrats hell bent on squeezing every last cent from those who produce.

Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

Tags: caterpillar, illinois, pat quinn, taxes

Why Does AP Need List Of IL Gun Owners?

Mar 1, 2011 Political

The Associated Press filed a Freedom of Information request to get a list of names of those citizens of Illinois who have a Firearm Owners Identification card (FOID). The FOID is an unconstitutional restriction on gun ownership issued by the state police and required before anyone is allowed to own a gun (shall not be infringed).

The state police have refused the request stating that it would violate the privacy rights of the people who have the cards. The Illinois Attorney General sees it differently. Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office released a letter saying the information should be made public.

So not only is Illinois violating the Constitutional right of people to keep and bear arms by infringing upon them, it is also declaring that people who own guns have no privacy.

I imagine the liberals and the people at AP (but I repeat myself) have no issue with this but let us look at it differently.

Suppose some group requested a list of women who have had abortions or a list of politicians who have been treated for a sexually transmitted disease or perhaps a list of people who have been treated for mental illness. Now suppose that these requests were denied based on the expectation of privacy but some Attorney General released a letter saying that the information should be released.

Imagine the uproar we would hear from the left.

So what happens if the list of people who own guns is released?

The criminals will know who does not have a gun so it will make it easier for them to decide whose house to rob…

Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

Tags: gun owners, illinois, invasion of privacy, lies

The Ultimate In Elitist Entitlement

Oct 15, 2010 Political

Michelle Obama went to Illinois and cast her early ballot (I wonder who she voted for) and while she was IN the polling place she discussed voting and how important it was for people to vote to keep her husband’s agenda going.

This violates Illinois election law which states:

“No judge of election, pollwatcher, or other person shall, at any primary or election, do any electioneering or soliciting of votes or engage in any political discussion within any polling place [or] within 100 feet of any polling place.”

Of course there was nothing done about this. In fact, she was given a pass because of who she is.

A top Ilinois State Board of Elections official tells the DRUDGE REPORT that Mrs. Obama — a Harvard-educated lawyer — may have simply been ignorant of the law and thus violated it unintentionally.

“You kind of have to drop the standard for the first lady, right?” the official explained late Thursday. “I mean, she’s pretty well liked and probably doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

You have to drop the standard for the first lady? Seems to me that she should be held to a higher standard especially since she is a LAWYER and Harvard educated at that.

No, we drop the standard for the elites. This is why they do not pay their taxes and run afoul of the very laws they force us to comply with. Ignoring the law is an elitist entitlement.

The only thing that made sense in the quote is that she probably does not know what she is doing.

Ditto for her husband, for whom she illegally campaigned.

You can bet the standard would not be dropped if the violator had been Laura Bush…

Source:
Drudge

Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

Tags: election laws, illinois, lawyers, michelle obama, standards

Looks Like Gitmo Will Be Open Longer Than Promised

Dec 26, 2009 Political

Barack Obama roared into office with lots of bluster and one of the things he did was sign an order to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He said that it would be closed in a year and that year ends in January of 2010. After Obama signed the order to close Gitmo he began to see how difficult it would be to close the place.

He was able to move a few of the prisoners but many remain and now he has a plan to move them to Illinois. I do not like the idea of moving them to the US. It really makes no sense to move them from one prison to another for the sake of closing Gitmo. The outcome is the same but with different locations. The only thing I like about it is that the terrorists held in Gitmo will move from the comfortable weather in Cuba to the harsh winters of Illinois. I love the idea of these people freezing their rear ends off. How many claims of torture will come from this?

The plan to move them to Illinois is meeting resistance form residents of the state and the whole plan requires Congressional action with regard to funding and changing the law that only allows detainees to be held in the US while they await trial. Many of them have not been charged so the law would need to be changed. Many members of Congress might be reluctant to move these people to the US and to change current law when so many Americans oppose the idea. The whole mess now means that Gitmo will likely not be closed until 2011.

Oops, looks like Obama made a commitment that he could not keep. I think he overestimated his ability and the difficulty of accomplishing the task. I think he believed the messianic hype his followers were spewing and believed that he could walk on water.

Instead, he is drowning in a promise he could not keep.

This is what happens when they send a child to do a man’s job.

Somehow, he will blame this on Bush.

Source:
My Way News

Tags: broken promise, cuba, guantanamo bay, illinois, Obama, terrorists

Democrats Might Lose Obama’s Old Senate Seat

Nov 15, 2009 Political

Wouldn’t this be a kick in the pants? It looks like it is possible that a Republican could win the Senate seat that was held by Barack Obama. There is some infighting in Illinois among politicians who wanted the seat (part of the Blago deal making) but did not get it. The seat went to Roland Burris and he is not running for reelection.

Democratic Party leaders in Washington — and the Obama White House — failed to recruit a candidate strong enough to scare Rep. Mark Kirk — the Republicans’ best bet — from the race. The only luck they had was the decision by Sen. Roland Burris — appointed by now-indicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich to fill Obama’s remaining term — not to run to keep the seat. Chicago Sun Times

It looks like Mark Kirk has plenty of money and will make a contest of the whole thing.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if the seat held by Obama turned parties and that took the filibuster proof majority away from Harry Reid (who will likely be gone as well) and the Democrats?

Tags: burris, control, illinois, mark kirk, republican, senate seat