Free Republic

Not what you've been told. Politicians exploit public ignorance. Few areas of public ignorance provide as many opportunities for political demagoguery as taxation. Today some politicians argue that the rich must pay their fair share and label the proposed changes in tax law as tax cuts for the rich. Let’s look at who pays what, with an eye toward attempting to answer this question: Are the rich paying their fair share? According to the latest IRS data, the payment of income taxes is as follows. The top 1 percent of income earners, those having an adjusted annual gross income of...

Paymar has enough votes to get the diminished gun control bill out of his committee. One of two Democrats who were opposed to his original bill -- Rep. Debra Hilstrom of Brooklyn Center -- said she will support the new proposal. Also stripped from Paymar's bill is a provision that would have restored some discretion to law enforcement in approving gun purchase permits. The NRA and gun rights advocates vowed to fight the newest version as well, saying it still doesn't accomplish the end goal of keeping guns out of the hands of criminals. They also argued Paymar's delaying tactics...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - With state health care costs soaring, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed more than $1 billion in spending cuts next year for public health programs along with caps in enrollments, new copayments for patients and lower reimbursements for providers. But he appears to have far fewer ideas for reining in the billions spent on employee benefits - the fastest growing part of the state's medical bill. Medi-Cal, the state's version of the federal Medicaid program, would lose about $900 million in funding next year. About half that money would come from a $454 million cut in support for...