Warren Buffett Opposes the Energy Tax
By Tim Cameron on June 24, 2009 7:03 PM
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett supported Barack Obama's Presidential bid last year, and has never been a proponent of major tax cuts. But in an interview today with CNBC, Buffet slammed the new Energy Tax being voted on in Congress this week saying it is a "huge tax" that will "harm an awful lot of people".
While Buffett's opposition to this legislation underscores the damage the Energy Tax will do to our economy, you don't have to be a financial wizard to know that a massive tax increase isn't the cure to our ailing economy. In fact, it could turn this recession into the next Great Depression.
"Sales are down somewhat," Lottery Commission Executive Director James Scroggins said. "You get into a tough economy and people are trying to figure out how to pay the mortgage."
Lottery officials have estimated it could lose $10 million to $12 million in sales when the Arkansas lottery kicks off. And some retailers along the border are worried.
Hanson said the Legislature could enhance ticket sales by relaxing guidelines that require the lottery to send 35 percent of its receipts to education. The formula limits the amount of money that can be spent on prizes that generate lottery sales. They say ticket sales would increase without the rule and more money would be generated for education.
Scroggins said the lottery also faces gaming competition from Oklahoma's more than 100 tribal casinos which raked in $2.5 billion in revenue last year, a 22.5 percent increase from 2007
"...the Oklahoma Lottery started operating in October 2005 amid predictions that it would generate $150 million a year or more for public education. But in four years, the lottery has generated only about $280 million."
"Scroggins characterized the original estimates as "unrealistically high" and said they were based on lottery games that were eventually disallowed in the state, including pull tabs and video lottery games."
"Scroggins characterized the original estimates as "unrealistically high" and said they were based on lottery games that were eventually disallowed in the state, including pull tabs and video lottery games."
If I might correct, the architect of the collapse of the Soviet Union - well, the partial architect, Ronald Reagan helped as well, that would be Mikhail Gorbachav:-- END RUSH --
Mr Gorbachav, uh RUSSIA was destroyed, the Soviet Union was destoyed by freedom, it was destroyed by capitalism. It was destroyed by American exceptionalism. Socialism, as an opponent to capitalism, is what died with the Soviet Union. Communism, as an opponent to capitalism, is what died and that ladies and gentlemen is what Barack Obama inherited. Barack Obama continually childishly immaturely blames predessors for all of the mess that he and he alone has compounded. If he wants to talk about what he inherited I'd like to put it down on the record with what he inherited. The problem is he inherited it temporarily - he's in the process of destroying it ...
Barack Obama inherited.....He did not claim the right to remake it, to rewrite it, to change it, he swore to uphold it.
- greatness in a nation
- he inherited the birthplace of the individual
- he inherited the defender of liberty at home and abroad - The United States of America
- he inherited the opportunity to lead a nation of shear exceptionalism
- a nation of equal opportunity
- a nation which featured it's citizens the right to fail and to try try try again
- he inherited the financial center and capital of the world
- Barack Obama inherited the country that has successfully championed capitalism and widespread prosperity
- he inherited a nation which liberated billions of people who lived in oppression
- he also inherited great responsibility
- he inherited the responsibility to lead this great nation
- the world's lone super power
- a nation oriented toward the good of humanity
- he inherited the responsibility to preserve and strengthen the free markets and economies that made this the greatest nation in the history of human civilization
- he inherited the responsibility to continue the philosophy and the tradition of a country founded on Judeo-Christian morals, ethics and principles
- he inherited the Constitution of the United States
And he's in the process of wreaking as much damage to the Constitution as he can get away with nominations like Sonia Sotomayor as he is wreaking damage to the US economy. Barack Obama did not inherit a mess, he leads a mess.
He inherited the United States of America where anything is possible and greatness has been delivered to the world time after time after time in the form of private sector inventions, innovations, advancements in products that improved people's lives for over 200 years. He inherited a country of individuals energized by their liberty and strengthened by their character. Barack Obama inherited the leadership of the greatest collection of human beings in the history of human existence.
And what has he done with this inheritance. He has run around the world and apologized at every stop he makes for what he considers the sins, the immorality, and the unjust unfairness of the way he perceives the United States of America.
He inherited a country that liberates the oppressed, as I said, he inherited the greatest economy in history, he inherited that, nothing more nothing less, plus the Constitution. There is nothing to apologize for.
It is childish, it is babyish, it is immature, it is unbecoming anyone who holds the office of President of the United States to run around crying like a baby while lying about the mess he inherited. Because he didn't inherit a mess, he inherited years and decades of stewardship from the oval office of the greatest nation in history. In his mind, he inherited a flawed social experiment. He has now made the mess - that is the United States economy. He is making a mess of the United States foreign policy.
There is a lot to be proud of this country but you don't hear much about that from the oval office or wherever Obama's teleprompter happens to be planted. We don't hear people in his administration talk about how proud they are of this country and how proud they are of the people who make this country work. There is a lot of work to be done but not the way Obama is proceeding. He is creating more work for future generations to reclaim their birthright that is the greatness of this country. Barack Obama is destroying what others before him preserved & expanded upon. He's now saying - we can no longer postpone health care, just like we couldn't postpone stimulus, we couldn't postpone TARP - we now can't postpone health care. If he gets what he and the Democrats want, single payer national health care, your kids and grandkids can forget the American dream as you and your grandparents knew it.
"TRUTH FOR TODAY"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:11 (NIV)
A believer should count it a wasted day when he does not learn something new from or is not more deeply enriched by the truth of God's Word. Scripture is food for the believer's growth and power - and there is no other. The church today ignores the exposition and application of Scripture at its peril, as the warning of Hosea to Israel suggests: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hos. 4:6). The church cannot operate on truth it is not taught; believers cannot function on principles they have not learned. The most noble are still those who search the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11)."
"10) What's your spiritual intake of God's Word?
Are you malnourished, or are you expecting a well-balanced diet of reading, hearing, studying, memorizing, and meditating upon Scripture?
What needs to change this week?"
