Free Republic

Iran’s President, Hassan Rouhani, on Monday welcomed the extension of talks between his country and six world powers, and hailed it as “victorious” for Iranians. “We have neither compromised over Iran’s nuclear rights, nor will ever do so, and there is no doubt that the Iranian nuclear technology will remain functioning,” he said, according to the IRNA news agency. Rouhani once again repeated the slogan he used during his presidential campaign that the centrifuges will never cease rotating, while the wheels of the people’s lives, too, will rotate more smoothly. "Our nation has emerged victorious and will be victorious," emphasized...

Almost 11 million people couldn’t find a job in November, and for those who don't earn a paycheck, unemployment benefits work for the economy, too, a leading Democrat says. “Economists agree that unemployment benefits remain one of the best ways to grow the economy in a very immediate way,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (R-Calif.) said at a news conference on Thursday. She spoke after Democrats held a hearing on the impending expiration of unemployment benefits—an “essential lifeline that millions of Americans and their families depend on,” Pelosi said. …

When Barack Obama, floundering in the endless humiliation from the disastrous rollout of Obamacare, gave the country's insurance companies the "put option" to reject the one-year "cancellation" extension fix stemming from the whole "if you like your plan, you can keep it, period" fiasco, he committed a cardinal sin - he lost control of the situation, because from that point onward the decision was no longer in his court. Furthermore, due to the syndicate nature of insurance companies and state insurance commissioners implementing Obamacare, suddenly the decision was subject to game theoretical facets including cooperation and defection, or rather just...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration says it's granting a six-week extension until March 31 for Americans to sign up for coverage next year and avoid new tax penalties under the president's health care overhaul law. Monday's move had been expected since White House spokesman Jay Carney promised quick action last week to resolve a "disconnect" in the implementation of the law. ...

President Peres gives PM 14-day negotiation extension. Netanyahu, in thinly veiled criticism of Yesh Atid-Habayit Hayehudi pact, says delay is due to 'some parties boycotting others' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Shimon Peres on Saturday evening and officially asked him for an extension in order to form the new government. Peres granted the request. In a short press conference held in the President's Residence following the meeting, Netanyahu criticized what he called the "boycott" imposed by certain parties on others. "The main reason I have not been able to finish forming the coalition until now is – and...

An energy security group told The Hill on Friday that it does not expect the one-year wind credit extension it has supported to make it into a “fiscal cliff” deal. The Truman National Security Project's Operation Free campaign is preparing to fight for a retroactive extension to the credit next Congress. Michael Wu, the group’s advocacy policy director, said the extension would likely be left out of a short-term agreement to avoid automatic spending cuts and tax increases set to take effect Jan. 1. “Everything in a stopgap package would be geared toward keeping taxes from jumping on the middle...

Just how many new riders would jump on a train to one of Silicon Valley's most desired destinations? About 200, it turns out -- and it would cost taxpayers up to $175 million to build the rail line to Los Gatos. The new projections come from the Valley Transportation Authority's updated forecast for a long-envisioned light-rail extension. Still years from reality, the Los Gatos line would be one of the least-used light-rail extensions planned in the nation -- and would reduce South Bay vehicle traffic by a mere 0.01 percent.

Just thought I'd pass along some information I heard about just recently. For anyone who owes money to the IRS for 2011, & has been unemployed for at least 30days in 2011 or in these past few months of 2012, there is a special Extension form that will allow you to postpone paying for 6 months. It's form #1127-A, and it's called "Application for Extension of Time for Payment of Income Tax for 2011 Due to Undue Hardship". This is different from a normal extension, in that you don't have to pay anything up front. The late payment fee is...

Sam’s a profligate spender. No matter how much he earns, it’s never enough, and his mounting credit card debt is proof. Ironically, Sam is concerned about his retirement, so he takes a second, part-time job and deposits all those earnings into an IRA. While Sam’s personal finances are teetering on the edge, his retirement account is firmly planted on solid ground. Sam repeatedly raises the limit on his credit cards, but it doesn’t keep up with his lifestyle. His accountant is always on Sam’s case to follow a budget, but Sam hasn’t even prepared one. To ease some of the...

Obama tries to turn the tables on GOP with call for tax cut extensionBy Russell Berman and Bernie Becker 08/14/11 06:00 PM ET President Obama’s call for an extension of a payroll tax cut could upend the political dynamics in Congress heading into the fall, as Democrats adopt a trademark Republican tactic: warning against a looming tax hike. With the economic recovery stalled, the Obama administration is pushing aggressively to keep in place the payroll tax holiday that was enacted as part of the bipartisan tax deal Congress passed in December. Republican leaders have resisted that idea, preferring instead to...

PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) — Donald Trump says he has put off agreeing to an extension of his “Celebrity Apprentice” reality show while he weighs a presidential bid. The real estate mogul and potential Republican contender says he told NBC on Friday he could not commit to a three-year contract extension for the series until he decides whether he’s running. Trump spoke at an event at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Palm Beach. He offered familiar messages questioning President Barack Obama’s birthplace. He also said the U.S. should be entitled to Iraqi oil and praised the ultraconservative tea party. Trump says...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing to slash funding for most areas of state government and maintain a series of tax increases for five years to close California's huge budget deficit. ... He is calling for $12.5 billion in spending cuts, including reductions in welfare, social services, health care for the poor and higher education.

Highlights of the tax package passed by Congress late Thursday and sent to President Barack Obama. It would cost about $858 billion; most provisions, which were to expire Jan. 1, would be extended for two years, unless noted. The package extends: —Lower rates for taxpayers at every income level. The top rate, on taxable income above $379,150, would stay at 35 percent, instead of increasing to 39.6 percent. The bottom rate, on taxable income below $8,500 for individuals and $17,000 for married couples, would stay at 10 percent, instead of increasing to 15 percent. Cost: $186.8 billion. —More generous itemized...

Republicans poring over a 1,924-page spending bill proposed by Democrats to cover the rest of the fiscal year are threatening to ground the legislation to a halt, citing hidden earmarks and massive spending that would be enacted into law without a review process.

George W. Bush: Stop Calling Them "Bush Tax Cuts"Posted by Mary Dooe December 14, 2010 10:59 AM George W. Bush suggested in a radio interview on Monday that the debate over extending tax cuts in Washington might be made easier by using a phrase other than "Bush tax cuts." In the interview, conservative talk radio host Scott Hennen said that three of the most used words in politics in the last few months have been "Bush tax cuts." That's because of the debate raging over whether and how to extend the cuts, which were established in 2001 and 2003 and...

Conservatives aligned with the Tea Party ramped up pressure Monday on Republicans to vote down the tax deal before Congress. A Tea Party umbrella group circulated a petition in opposition to President Obama's tax deal with Republicans, while another high-profile GOP lawmaker aligned with the grassroots movement said he's inclined to vote against it. "The idea that this massive tax and spend bill has not yet even been written but may be voted on by the Senate this weekend is appalling, and has rightfully drawn the anger of the TeaPartyPatriots.org and other Tea Party activists, an anger that will not...

Speaking before the Senate vote was officially called, yet after the 68 votes needed to advance the bill, the president praised the Senate for moving forward on the package of tax cuts in the procedural vote this evening. “I am pleased to announce at this hour the United States Senate is moving forward on a package of tax cuts that has strong bipartisan support,” Obama said in a surprise statement from the Brady Briefing Room of the White House, “And this proves that both parties can in fact work together to grow our economy and look out for the American...

The tax cut compromise reached by President Obama and Republicans has passed its first hurdle in the Senate. According to breaking news, the tax deal has gained the 60 votes it needed to advance in the Senate. This would pave the way for the bill's passing in only a day or two. Despite the fact that the bill has now passed its first test, it has been met with some resistance by both Democrats and Republicans. Some Democrats argue that there should be no extension of tax cuts, while many Republicans believe that the extra spending in the bill would...

There seems to be some continuing confusion over exactly what form the unemployment extension takes in the Obama-GOP tax deal. On every occasion where I have discussed this, people have understood it to mean that unemployment benefits are being extended past the 99-week limit, allowing people to collect another 13 months of unemployment checks. That’s not actually the case, which I have stated in two earlier posts this week but not as a standalone point.The extension in this case applies to the entire program, not individual benefits. Both Gabriel Malor and Calculated Risk have noted the difference. The emergency federal...

Boehner is a tough, wily and underestimated son of Ohio, one of 12 children, a product of Catholic schools, a Bishop Moeller Crusader through and through. He is said to be loyal to his friends and to the traditions of the House, and last week he promoted three long-serving Republicans to the leadership of three committees where various sets of reformers had hoped to see new faces for a new era. Tea Party activists are outraged and, worse by far, the Pledge to America that Boehner and his colleagues promulgated on a House Web site as binding on the Republicans...