New taxes coming on January 1, 2011

This schedule brings home loud and clear how much taxes will increase in January of the coming year, unless the current laws are extended once again.  All of the tax repeals dating back to early 2000 will be reinstated and there will surely be new ones on top of these.  Say goodbye to small business growth.  Most small businesses are taxed at the individual rate and roughly one-half of all employees work for small businesses.  Think they can expand when their taxes are going to rise dramatically?  The forces of big government are now in control.  The private sector will continue to shrink, unemployment will not improve, the US will look a lot more like Europe, where 10% unemployment is the norm, innovation at all levels has shrunk, the administrative state reigns.  Thanks democrats!

Governer Christie -- a politician you can believe in?

Embedded in this post from the Powerline guys are two videos, one woth Paul Gigot of the WSJ and the other a message from the governer to citizens of NJ on the signing of the budget bill that balanced the budget without raising taxes.  In essence this was accomplished by cutting state expenses by 11%.  Christie is now proposing a more permanent fix by pushing for a limit of 2.5% per year on property taxes which he hopes to accomplish by means foa referendum which has to first be passed by the democrat legislature.  So far so good, Christie has done much more than many thought him capable of accomplishing in the short time he has been in office.  What's refreshing about this guy is his directness, and the certitude of his convictions.  He's actually making a difference in NJ and there is the chance his message will get through to other states with similar problems, like California.  Someone has to break the back of the out-of-control unions who have had the legislatures in a vice-like grip for decades.  Encouraging.