On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to repeal a three percent withholding tax aimed at contractors doing business with the government. Passed several years ago, the tax is currently scheduled to kick in at the start of 2013. What impact would this additional tax have on contractors and job creation? How do Republicans explain this tax being adopted when Congress was under GOP control? What else do Republicans want to see the Senate consider that has passed the House? We discuss it all with Colorado Rep. Scott Tipton, a member of the House Small Business Committee and a longtime small business owner.
Three Martini Lunch 10/27/11
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are generally happy with improved economic growth in the third quarter. They’re disgusted with the liberal media as the Left blames the police for confrontations with Occupy Wall Street protesters. And they can’t believe Rick Perry is seriously considering skipping many of the coming GOP debates.
Steve Forbes Lauds Perry Flat Tax
On Tuesday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry unveiled his 20-20 tax plan, which would scrap the existing tax code and install a flat 20 percent income tax rate. It also calls for a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. Perry’s plan has won rave reviews from two-time presidential candidate and Forbes magazine publisher Steve Forbes. Why does he prefer the Perry plan to all the others coming from the GOP hopefuls? Why is he nervous about Herman Cain’s call for a national sales tax? What does he think of Mitt Romney’s 59-point plan? And what other reasons does he have for backing Gov. Perry. We discuss all these questions with Steve Forbes.
Biden’s Bogus Crime Numbers
For weeks, Vice President Joe Biden has claimed that budget cuts have forced cities to reduce the size of their police force. He says the Obama jobs bill would put more officers on the streets and rape and murder would increase if the plan is defeated. But what do the real statistics show? Is there a connection between crime rates and the number of police on the job? And should the federal government be in the business of hiring local cops? We ask Jim Kouri, vice president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police.
Three Martini Lunch 10/26/11
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are glad that James Carville thinks the lousy economy could spell defeat for Obama. They also groan as Mitt Romney tries to play it too safe in Ohio. And they’re scratching their heads over the latest Herman Cain web ad.
‘The Constitution Should Matter’
Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert is frustrated by what he sees as unconstitutional actions by President Obama and Congressional Democrats. Why does he say the Senate jobs bill would have been nothing but show even if it passed? What does he think of Obama acting unilaterally on mortgage and student loan policies? If this is unconstitutional, what if anything is Congress ready to do to put some checks on the president? We discuss it all with Rep. Gohmert.
Perry vs. Cain Tax Plans
On Tuesday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry unveiled his 20-20 plan. It’s a flat tax rate of 20 percent on income and he would lower corporate tax rates to 20 percent as well. Many other taxes would be eliminated. What should we make of the Perry plan? Is a flat tax the right way to go? What about Herman Cain’s Fair Tax approach? Is a national sales tax a good idea? And how should America respond to President Obama’s continued push for his economic plan – including higher tax rates for the wealthy? We ask Brian Wesbury, former chief economist for the Joint Economic Committee in Congress. He is now chief economist at First Trust Advisers in Illinois.
Three Martini Lunch 10/25/11
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review cheer Rick Perry for finally putting forth a serious policy plan on taxes. They also find good and bad in the assessment of Occupy Wall Street by liberal columnist Richard Cohen. And they wonder why Florida is making itself a winner-take-all primary in the GOP presidential race.
Rise of the Islamic Radicals
The Arab Spring started in Tunisia and most recently led to the death of a dictator in Libya. For the most part, our media have described these movements as driven by those yearning for freedom – not unlike the fall of the Iron Curtain. But now Libya’s new rulers are imposing radical Sharia law, Egypt is already killing religious minorities and the incoming leaders of Tunisia are the equivalent of the Muslim Brotherhood. Should we be OK with this trend if it’s what the people want or has the United States just facilitated the radicalizing of an already unstable region? Will these new regimes be supporting terrorism? And what should we expect in Syria – where the existing government seems to be increasingly vulnerable? We discuss it all with Brigitte Gabriel, founder of Act for America and author of “They Must Be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It”.
‘It’s All About Politics’
President Obama continues his campaign for piece-by-piece passage of his jobs bill, but Republicans are still not buying his arguments. Obama has repeatedly highlighted a bridge between Ohio and Kentucky as evidence of infrastructure upgrades that are needed and would be done through his plan. Ohio Rep. Steve Chabot represents the district containing the north end of the bridge and says Obama’s plan is about politics and not about creating good, long-term jobs. He also discusses how long those infrastructure jobs would take to be created? Chabot also explains why he’s sponsoring legislation to roll back a new Obama administration regulation that Chabot says would cripple the cement industry.