If this comes to pass, it will be a great belated Christmas present.

Now if we could only do the same with some of California's other aging members of the far Left, many that originated from OUTSIDE of California.

1. Nancy Pelosi, 71 (Baltimore, Maryland)
2. Pete Stark, 80 (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
3. Barbara Boxer, 71 (Brooklyn, New York)
4. Maxine Waters, 73 (Saint Lois, Missouri)
5. Henry Waxman, 72 (an actual Californian from L.A.)
6. Lynn Woolsey, 74 (Seattle, Washington)

I'm not surprised. Being one of the smarter dog breeds, the border collie likely has a substantially higher I.Q. and a better grasp of free-market economics than many attending Occupy Denver.

Yep, there was real fraud on Wall Street like the Magnetar scandal.

However, look at the sordid history of Fannie and Freddie and ALL the prudent reforms blocked by those in Government.
http://soquelbythecreek.blogspot.com/2010/02/fann...

Most people don't realize that late on Christmas Eve 2009, the Obama Administration promised UNLIMITED financial support to Fannie and Freddie. Why late on Christmas Eve? To minimize press exposure.

Biggest question? Why hasn't there been any hearings, arrests, or trials? At a minimum, there was severe neglect by many in Congress. Some of these members of Congress still accept general campaign contributions from those on Wall Street.

Did you know that, according to publicly-available campaign records, Mr. "Raise My Taxes" Doug Edwards and his wife gave over $550,000 exclusively to the Democratic Party and its candidates and interests across multiple states? Why has nobody mentioned this?
http://soquelbythecreek.blogspot.com/2011/09/stag...

For those interested, here’s the actual data with links to the data sources.
http://www.editgrid.com/user/soquel_by_the_creek/...

Do you really believe that this question was purely by luck or do you think that the question was planted by a Democratic Party operative?

QUESTION: What Percentage of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Are Also Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC)?
http://soquelbythecreek.blogspot.com/2011/08/what...

QUESTION: What is the Congressional Progressive Caucus?
http://soquelbythecreek.blogspot.com/2010/08/soci...

Thanks to the asinine Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and the down economy, the federal and state government finally paid me back the "extra tax dollars" that they "borrowed" twenty years ago when I exercised some stock options from which I haven't yet benefited. The result was an unexpected windfall of a large tax refund.

I thought that money was long gone. My wife and I fretted over the refund. Knowing the government's poor fiscal condition, we though about donating the money back to the California and federal governments. However, because we would have NO control over how that money would be spend, we instead gave most if to local schools and charities, where we KNOW it will be well spent.

Anybody can give extra money to the federal government. Here's a link how. http://soquelbythecreek.blogspot.com/2010/09/usef...

Strangely, if people could control how those funds are spent, the government might actually receive more donations. Otherwise, in my opinion, it's just more money down the hole.

The nonsense doesn't end with the CBC. Nearly 90% of the CBC are also members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC). In fact, members of the CBC make up over 50% of the CPC membership.

What Percentage of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Are Also Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC)? http://soquelbythecreek.blogspot.com/2011/08/what...

The race of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus has nothing to do with their abject failure. It has EVERYTHING to do with the so-called "progressive" politics.
My recent post What Percentage of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Are Also Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC)?

Jimmy Hoffa Jr. apparently missed the great irony. His brand of union thug-ism has already killed two! His father and the once great city of Detroit.

Even members of President Obama's Cabinet realize that our current welfare state cannot continue in its present form. Allow me to quote from the conclusion of the 2011 Social Security and Medicare Trustee Report. The emphasis is mine. http://www.ssa.gov/oact/trsum/index.html

"CONCLUSION

Projected long-run PROGRAM COSTS FOR BOTH MEDICARE AND SOCIAL SECURITY ARE NOT SUSTAINABLE under currently scheduled financing, and will REQUIRE LEGISLATIVE CORRECTIONS if disruptive consequences for beneficiaries and taxpayers are to be avoided.

The FINANCIAL CHALLENGES FACING SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE SHOULD BE ADDRESSED SOON. If action is taken sooner rather than later, more options and more time will be available to phase in changes so that those affected can adequately prepare."

The report is signed by three Cabinet-level officials from the Obama Administration:

* Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury, and Managing Trustee

* Hilda L. Solis, Secretary of Labor, and Trustee

* Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Trustee

DAMON: [0:06] "The wealthy are paying less than they paid, you know, at any time else, I mean, certainly in my lifetime, and probably ... probably, you know, in the last century."

FACT: The share of total income tax paid by upper-income taxpayers has actually INCREASED over time. http://www.heritage.org/budgetchartbook/top10-per... http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/250.html

FACT: There is a difference between the marginal tax rate and the actual taxes paid by a taxpayer, called the effective tax rate. The effective federal tax rate for ALL taxpayers has dropped since at least the 1980s. The absolute drop was larger for upper-income taxpayers because they also pay among the highest effective rates. Taxes from upper-income taxpayers are also swayed by recession. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HSMvzhbQ6n8/TYaBX0dvuJI...

FACT: According to Wikipedia, Matt Damon was born in 1970.

FACT: The so-called Bush Tax Cuts reduced the top marginal tax rate on the wealthy from 39.6% to its current rate of 35%. Similarly, the bottom tax rate was reduced from 15% to 10% (though many often forget to mention this point). The top margin rate was reduced by 11.6% while the bottom marginal rate was reduced by 33%.

FACT: During Mr. Damon's lifetime, the lowest top marginal tax rate was actually 28%, passed by Congress in 1986. Although many refer to this as one of the Reagan Tax Cuts, this Legislation was co-sponsored by Democratic Congressman Dick Gephardt (MO) and by Democratic Senator Bill Bradley (NJ).

FACT: 28% is lower than 35%.

FACT: The "last century" includes the period from 1912 until today.

FACT: The modern income-progressive tax system started in the United States in 1913 after the passage of the Sixteen Amendment (see one author's take on the damage wrought by the Sixteenth Amendment). http://soquelbythecreek.blogspot.com/2010/04/hidd...

FACT: Thanks to the Revenue Act of 1913, the top marginal tax rate was 7% until 1917 when dramatically Congress raised taxes to pay for the United States' entry into World War I, under the Wilson Administration.

FACT: During the last century, the lowest top marginal tax rate was 7%.

FACT: 7% is lower than 35%.

FACT: Technically, before 1913, there was no federal income tax (in modern times, hence the requirement for the Sixteenth Amendment so that income taxes would be considered Constitutional). Because 1912 falls within the "last century," one could argue that the lowest top marginal tax rate was actually 0%. But, I'd be quite happy with 7%.

For a more detailed look at recent tax history, see "Pretty Pictures and a Political Rorschach Test." http://soquelbythecreek.blogspot.com/2011/03/tax-...