11 Temmuz 2012 Çarşamba

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8 Temmuz 2012 Pazar

Farewell Sister Peter: a founding tax justice activist

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I have just heard the sad news from Jersey that Sister Peter died on Saturday 30th June 2012 after suffering a massive stroke.

Sister Peter - pictured above in 2010 - was amongst the founders of Tax Justice Network.  Ten years ago, even before the network was mooted and formally launched, Sister Peter participated in a conference in Saint Helier, Jersey, which focussed on tax havens and the harm they do to poor and vulnerable people.

Through her close connections with religious activists in the Republic of Congo she knew all about the role played by tax havens in enabling illicit financial flows and tax evasion.  And having spent her entire life taking action to help young people in need, she understood precisely why tackling tax havens has to be an over-riding priority to secure economic justice.  For the past ten years she has been steadfast in supporting TJN's activities and encouraging others to work with us. 

And the motorcycle?  In 2009 she told me that since childhood she had always wanted to ride pillion on a motorcycle, so the following year I took her on a tour of the parish of Saint Peter, where I grew up, and she was thrilled and happy as a young child (even if she did lean the wrong way at corners!)

Sister Peter: a wonderful person.


John Christensen

Links Jul 2

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How Delaware Thrives as a Corporate Tax Haven NY Times
Jun 30 - "Officials in the Cayman Islands, a favorite Caribbean haunt of secretive hedge funds, say Delaware is today playing faster and looser than the offshore jurisdictions that raise hackles in Washington. And international bodies, most recently the World Bank, are increasingly pointing fingers at the state." Great report, added to our A-Z story archive.


In Caymans, It’s Simple to Fill a Hedge Fund Board DealBook
Jul 1 - "An analysis of thousands of United States securities filings by The New York Times shows that dozens of directors sit on the boards of 24 or more funds in the Caymans, which individually are supposed to be overseeing tens of billions of dollars in assets."


UK: Banks are serially corrupt. But Vince Cable's shareholder plan won't work Guardian
Jul 2 - Prem Sikka writes: "Change the whole system of banks' corporate governance. For starters, make directors personally liable for criminal costs."


UK: Scapegoats aren't enough: a Leveson for the Banks? CRESC
Jul 1 - "CRESC research shows that the problems won’t be solved by firing a few top bankers, prosecuting a few white collar criminals, or even by conducting an inquiry into the workings of Libor ... We need a root and branch reform of the system so that banks become properly functioning public utilities governed by social purposes." See comment on Treasure Islands.


The Golden Age of Financial Journalism, British Edition Bloomberg
Jul 2 - Interesting view across financial reporting in the wake of "the seemingly never-ending litany of banking misdemeanors."


News over ownership of Congolese oil blocks raises further corruption concerns Global Witness
Jun 30 - Global Witness is calling for full disclosure of the beneficiaries of British Virgin Island companies to address concerns over possible corruption.


UK: ICAEW chief denounces promoters of abusive tax avoidance schemes Tax Journal
Jul 2 - "There is ‘no place’ in the accountancy profession for the creation or maintenance of tax avoidance schemes such as those detailed in the recent ‘Secrets of the tax avoiders’ series published in The Times, the CEO of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales has declared." Hat tip: Offshore Watch.

UK laws are to blame for Vodafone tax controversy, says chief Vittorio Colao Telegraph

Jun 30 - "Vodafone's chief executive, Vittorio Colao, has attempted to draw a line under the tax controversy that has dogged the company by revealing that Vodafone would pay more corporation tax in Britain if the Government handed back some of the £5.96bn the mobile giant was required to pay up front for access to mobile spectrum.
Chesapeake’s 1% Tax Rate Shows Cost Of Drilling Subsidy Bloomberg
Jul 2 - "Chesapeake Energy Corp. made $5.5 billion in pretax profits since its founding more than two decades ago. So far, the second-largest U.S. natural-gas producer has paid income taxes on almost none of it."


U.S.: Citizens for Tax Justice working for fair and sustainable tax system The Oklahoman
Jun 30 - "CTJ has always opposed the Bush tax cuts and has criticized President Obama's plan to extend them. The tax cuts were unaffordable when they were enacted, which is why they were temporary, and they're unaffordable now."


Wealthy French consider Swiss tax exile swissinfo
Jul 2 - "Hollande promised during his campaign election to review the dual taxation agreements between France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, and would like to target tax exiles’ income and assets."

World Bank: progressive income taxes 'grossly underused' in Latin America

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The World Bank's latest edition of its new publication Inequality in Focus states some things that we've said before, but bear repeating.
"The redistributive potential of personal income taxes is grossly underutilized in the countries studied. although pro- gressive, these taxes represent a small share of total revenues, and some countries do not even have personal income taxes. any tax reform in the future should examine the redistributive potential coming from higher income taxes on top earners."
And, as we keep repeating, a large share of personal income taxes and other taxes that ought to be shouldered by the wealthiest sections of society get evaded and avoided. The World Bank continues:
"When indirect taxes are taken into account, the net income of the poor and the near poor can be lower than it was before taxes and cash transfers. . . . Indirect or consumption taxes (mainly Value Added Taxes or VATs) are regressive because the poor consume a higher share of their incomes, and therefore pay a higher proportion of what they earn in consumption taxes than the rich."
Not rocket science, but this isn't what the purveyors of the Washington Consensus have been telling us for many years.

Elsewhere, note this statement just out from World Bank Managing Director Mahmoud Mohieldin:
“Until recently,” Mohieldin told participants, the mantra was, “Growth will trickle down and we can always clean up afterwards.” Such economic assumptions have been debunked in recent years, he said.
In light of the crisis, common sense seems to be breaking out all over the place, supporting what we and many of our allies have been saying for years. We have the IMF saying (albeit timidly) that it's time to think seriously about cross-border capital controls. We have The Economist saying (timidly) that it's time to tax capital. We have the OECD saying that it's time for automatic information exchange. We have participants from around the world challenging the OECD's dominant transfer pricing system. We have a Conservative British Prime Minister calling aggressive tax avoidance 'morally wrong.' We have, back to the main subject of this blog, tax justice breaking out in Latin America.

The wind is in our sails.

Links Jul 3

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Where the Money Lives Vanity Fair
Jul 3 - Nicholas Shaxson delves into the murky world of offshore finance and presidential candidate Mitt Romney's financial affairs ...  involving Cayman bank accounts, Swiss trustees, Bahamas trusts, Panama corporations ...Note that Huffington Post front page today leads with Nick's article, citing CTJ's Rebecca Wilkins: “It is shocking that a presidential candidate should think that is O.K.”
See also:
The British Virgin Islands’ Box 438: The Best-Connected, Tax-Friendliest Address in the World? Vanity Fair

Jul 3 - "It’s actually an office in a stuccoed building in Tortola’s banking district where agents assist companies hoping to incorporate or set up trusts in a tax-friendly jurisdiction..." See the web of political connections of people who use it.
See also:
What's In Romney's Offshore Accounts? The Nation

Jul 3 - "Shaxson does not allege that Romney or Bain has ever broken the law. But the public has a right to know about ethics and probity, not mere legality, of Romney’s personal and professional financial history."
See also:
Is Mitt Romney Secretly Stashing Money In Offshore Bank Accounts? Business Insider

Jul 3 - “What Romney does not get,” Washington lawyer and offshore expert Jack Blum told VF, “isthat this stuff is weird.” - Jack Blum is Chair of TJN-USA.
Keep the Dictators Out of Malibu New York Times

Jul 2 - "Despots and crooks love to bring their money to America, not only for prestige but also because our corporate secrecy laws, like those of Switzerland and Luxembourg, make it almost impossible for law enforcement agencies to figure out who has money sheltered here. So long as those loopholes remain open, ... there is nothing to prevent future Mr. Obiangs from laundering their money in the United States."
Australian Tax Office targets Pacific tax havens Radio Australia

Jul 3 - "Business executives hoping to hide their income in Pacific tax havens have been put on notice by the Australian Taxation Office ... they are the next targets of Project Wickenby." See recent blog.
Money Laundering Tip: If they don’t serve the time you haven’t done the crime Eurodad

Jul 3 - On why the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) recommendation that tax crimes be made a money laundering predicate offence should be adopted worldwide.


New chair of HMRC is former KPMG senior partner Tax Research UKJul 3 - The revolving door continues to turn. 


Pass notes No 3,203: Liechtenstein GuardianJul 3 - "Voters in the principality voted overwhelmingly in favour of the hereditary monarch's right to ignore the results of their referendums. Why?"


Links from TJN-Germany - see here.

Links Jul 4

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Kenya: AG goes after billions held illegally abroad Business Daily
Jul 4 - Attorney-General Githu Muigai said "The office under the new law has been mandated to act as the asset recovery authority. We have received materials from Switzerland, Japan, United Kingdom, Jersey and other countries where billions of shillings are being held illegally."
France: Mystery of the L'Oreal heir, 'Mr Nicolas' and the envelopes stuffed with euros Guardian
Jul 3 - Saga of tax evasion, large cash transfers from Swiss bank accounts, and allegations of illegal campaign contributions.
Romney's offshore wealth deeply hidden Agence France Presse
Jul 4 - More on Nicholas Shaxson's Vanity Fair report ---"While his campaign insists Romney has not exploited the offshore havens to avoid paying necessary US taxes, the difficulty in tracking the overseas transactions and holdings raises questions about the candidate's finances in the heat of a campaign."
U.S.: Documentary Tackles Corporate Tax Evasion Citizens for Tax Justice
Jul 2 -  Reporting on a recent screening of "We're Not Broke."
IRS Says Offshore Tax Disclosures Have Yielded $5 Billion Bloomberg
Jun 26 - "The IRS and the Justice Department have been pursuing criminal cases against U.S. taxpayers with undeclared assets around the world. In many cases, the U.S. has used data on promoters, advisers and bankers that it gleaned from voluntary disclosures."
Target Promoters Of 'Dodgy' Tax Schemes, CIOT Says Tax-News
Jul 4 - Head of the Chartered Institute of Taxation has said "The UK's mis-selling laws could be used to crack down on promoters of 'dodgy' tax schemes."
Moving Manchester United to the Cayman Islands football365
Jul 4 - News on the famous British football (soccer) club - "Under the reorganisation, the team would become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Manchester United Ltd, a newly-formed holding company based in the Cayman Islands." See comment on Tax Research UK.
Guatemala Debt Beats Regional Peers As Tax Plan Reverses Deficit Bloomberg

Jul 4 - Reporting on Guatemala's economy - includes strengthening measures against tax evasion.
The World’s Wealth Capgemini/RBC

From The World Wealth Report 2012: "The population of high net worth individuals edged slightly higher in 2011 while global wealth declined."
Tilting the power balance back towards fairness Financial Times
Jul 3 - Letter from Philip Jennings, General Secretary, UNI Global Union, Switzerland - "The crisis is a direct result of a system rigged for the benefit of the elite ... Democracy has to tilt the power balance back toward fairness, transparency and inclusion. Only through a global independent inquiry with the power of sanctions will this be possible."

7 Temmuz 2012 Cumartesi

My thoughts on Mississippi's Nov. Initiatives

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As usual, while most Mississippi voters are focused on individuals seeking the various statewide, legislative and county offices, many may not be aware that there are three initiatives on the ballot as well that will impact their lives greatly. Below is my take on those initiatives and where I stand on them. I will start with Initiative #31: Should government be prohibited from taking private property by eminent domain and then transferring it to other persons? Initiative #31 would amend the Mississippi Constitution to prohibit state and local government from taking private property by eminent domain and then conveying it to other persons or private businesses for a period of 10 years after acquisition. Exceptions from the prohibition include drainage and levee facilities, roads, bridges, ports, airports, common carriers, and utilities. The prohibition would not apply in certain situations, including public nuisance, structures unfit for human habitation, or abandoned property. During my time in the Mississippi House of Representatives, this issue showed its importance as we were trying to figure out how to get Nissan to locate their new plant in Canton. We committed millions of dollars in infrastructure development which included the use of eminent domain to make that happen. Eminent domain, which is the attainment of private property for public use, in that regard was a positive because it was used for public projects but it was clear it was beneficial for a private economic development interest. This initiative will clarify in the Mississippi Constitution that eminent domain is only supposed to be used for public projects. It will prohibit eminent domain to be used, for example, to acquire land for the building of a strip mall, factory or an office building. The Farm Bureau has taken the lead in pushing this initiative because any expansion of eminent domain for private economic development would immediately threaten the largest group of landowners in the state, our farmers. I will vote YES on this initiative. Initiative #27: Should the Mississippi Constitution be amended to require a person to submit government issued photo identification in order to vote? Initiative #27 would amend the Mississippi Constitution to require voters to submit a government issued photo identification before being allowed to vote; provides that any voter lacking government issued photo identification may obtain photo identification without charge from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety; and exempts certain residents of state-licensed care facilities and religious objectors from being required to show photo identification in order to vote. One of the most emotional days during my tenure in the Legislature was when we had to take a vote on making Voter ID mandatory, so much so that I wrote a column about it in the Jackson Free Press. Every member spoke on the floor and expressed their feelings, either in support or opposition, and afterwards many of us became closer, despite competing political philosophies. Needless to say this is an emotional issue to members of the African-American community that remember poll taxes and questions like how many bubbles are there in a bar of soap. Voter ID seems like a practical, innocuous argument to preserve the integrity of the voting process. However, it has been used to suppress voter turnout for certain groups in other states. In Tennessee, a 96-year-old Black woman was denied the right to vote recently because she did not have a driver's license. In Florida, college students cannot use their college IDs, even if they attend state universities. The author of the initiative, Sen. Joey Fillingane (R-Lamar County), organized the initiative drive after killing the Voter ID bill passed by the House in the Senate. His argument was that there needed to be a "clean" Voter ID bill, without provisions that would have allowed early voting, same-day registration and restoring the suffrage of first-time felons once they have served out their sentence. It is questionable whether the US Department of Justice will approve a Constitutional Amendment that requires Voter ID for all voters, but it is very possible. It is the only initiative that has a cost attached to it. It is estimated that the initiative, if passed, could cost as much as $1.5 million from the Department of Public Safety budget. Obviously the proponents of the measure do not feel strongly enough to convince the state's 82 Circuit Clerks to provide photos on the voter registration cards they provide in their respective counties. I will vote NO on this initiative. Initiative #26: Should the term “person” be defined to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the equivalent thereof? Initiative #26 would amend the Mississippi Constitution to define the word “person” or “persons”, as those terms are used in Article III of the state constitution, to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof. I am considered a pro-life politician. I was endorsed by Pro-Life Mississippi when I served in the House. I am opposed to abortion, an emergency medical procedure, being used as a form of birth/population control. I am a strong proponent of adoption and a former abstinence-only counselor. I voted for the House Bill that banned abortions in this state, but I was also the author of the amendment in that same bill that allowed exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the mother. As a Christian, I believe life begins at conception and that God has predestined our lives before our existence on this earth begins. However, I have also made the argument that the US Constitution and the Mississippi Constitution are not the 67th and 68th books of the Holy Bible. To redefine "person/persons" in Article III of the Mississippi Constitution would effectively ban abortions in this state, but how broad of a swath will this provision cut? Medical professionals are divided on whether the initiative would prevent in vitro fertilization and outlaw forms of conventional birth control. Would family planning activities be possibly outlawed? Would the exceptions of rape, incest and the health of the mother be considered? Here is another scenario that has not be broached: Say an immigrant couple from El Salvador comes to Mississippi without proper documentation. The wife becomes pregnant in Mississippi and then they are caught. At that point, the deportation process begins. If the personhood initiative is passed, does that fetus, which would be considered a person in the Mississippi Constitution have the right to stay, thus preventing the mother from being deported? If the Federal Government is successful in deporting the mother, can the child come back and petition for US Citizenship based on the notion it was conceived in Mississippi and was considered a person by that state's Constitution? This initiative has failed twice in Colorado, but will be introduced in four other states. The Mississippi initiative supporters' strategy is for this initiative to be challenged and struck down in the Federal Courts, moved up in the Federal docket to the Supreme Court of the United States, thus forcing them to re-visit the Roe v. Wade decision. I consider this an extreme action based on a constitutionally extreme political philosophy. I will vote NO on this initiative. Those are my positions. Research these initiatives for yourself and then cast your vote on November 8th.

Volvo Xc70

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Audi R8 Spyder

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2011 Honda Fit

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Nascar.com News

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Audi R18

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The Lost Art of Slow Dancing

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I know this is telling my age and starts my descent into old fogeyism, but I just have to ask this...what has happened to slow dancing? Recently, I was given a security detail for a high school party. At the party, the deejay was bumping the latest hits and party favorites and the young people were dancing. Sounds normal, right? It was anything but.

First, while dancing to the jams, I noticed that the boys were dancing in the middle of the dance floor, imitating fraternity stepping and several other popular gyrations. Meanwhile, the girls were circling around them, either on the dance floor or the wall, just watching. I thought I was watching a National Geographic special on an African tribe's traditional warrior dance, with the females watching, trying to pick out a suitable mate.

Then, as has been normal throughout the history of partying, the deejay started playing some slow jams, to give the revelers some rest, and allow the opposite sexes to interact. There was some interaction, but no dancing. Instead, I heard one of the young men say, "This is not a happy hour club!", obviously implying that only slow records should be played at establishments that serve alcohol.

When I was that age, I couldn't wait for a slow jam to come on, especially if I had a young lady that I was interested in at the party in my sights. It was a chance to interact, use my smoothest rap, which wasn't very smooth at all, and get close to a female with little noise as possible, just letting the groove move us. If there was no connection, no problem, but if there was, what a great start!

It seems like now, the young men use the Little Webby approach ("Girl give me that!") instead of the suave, polite approach. Call me old school, but a woman, regardless of age, should be approached in the least harshest fashion possible. However, that does not seem to be the time we live in.

R&B seems to stand for Raunchy&Bold if you listen to the lyrics of the latest songs. All of the illusion of intimacy is gone, it is just raw. Therefore, I guess that love songs and slow dancing don't jive in this day and time. I have to adjust, but it does not stop me from longing for a more simpler, interactive time.

SIGH!!!

Early 2011 Random Thoughts

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Again, it is almost the end of January 2011 and I have let a lot of things go by because I have not had time to sit down and write down my thoughts. I don't even have time to jot them down then transpose it, but on this football championship Sunday, things have quieted down enough to put some things down that have been on my mind.

First, Haiti has disappointed me in a big way. Amidst recovering from its worst disaster ever, a cholera outbreak manifests because $10 billion in aid has been ineffective in improving the lives of the victims there. Whether it has not been spent or mismanaged, bottom line, our donations have gone for naught. Top it off with another controversial presidential election and the return of Papa Doc, and you have the best real-life soap opera in the modern ages. It is time for total UN intervention, as well as the OAS. This situation is why these organizations were founded and it is long overdue to get to work.

As for Africa, the audacity of the illegitimate president of the Ivory Coast is epic. Dude, you lost the election that you have put off for nearly a decade. The people do not want you. Put the guns down, get a plane ticket and get to steppin'. Any coalition government that is created because of your incredible sense of self will not work unless you no longer within the borders of that nation-state. That fact that you inaugurated yourself after the majority of the voters rejected you proves that you are not worthy of playing a role in that nation's future, period. God will keep account of the bloodshed your selfish act has caused. Meanwhile, there is hope in Tunisia and the Sudan. The Southern Sudanese people have desperately sought independence and judging from the initial sentiments prior to the official vote, it looks like that will become a reality. I hope and pray that this act of democracy will bring about a long overdue peace. To the north, the citizens of Tunisia have ousted another wanna-be dictator from the continent. Good for them and the beauty of it was, nobody really saw this coming.

Next, I want to touch on the Ted Williams story. The fact that a homeless alcoholic radio announcer has been given a second chance is what America is all about. But it was never going to be a bed of roses as some people tried to make it. A man with that God-given talent to be out of the normal loop of success and society as a whole meant that he had a lot of demons to exorcise. His reconnection with his family, no matter how caustic, was the first step. Meeting with Dr. Phil, or any psychologist for that matter, was a major step, because he has to be in the right mind frame to enjoy and blossom in this second opportunity. Now he is in rehab. To Mr. Williams: Get everything right with you and within you first. Then, and only then, will you live the life God wants you to have. Good luck to you, sir. I will be rooting for you.

In the no surprise category, the Scott Sisters are free, the Republicans in the US House repealed Health Care Reform and Sarah Palin says she will not shut up. All of those items have one connection: The 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama. MS Gov. Haley Barbour is seriously considering running for POTUS and freeing the Scott Sisters will be a feather in that cap. I am glad to see that the power of the Internet was used to make this a political decision and force justice to be enacted, but understand if Barbour had not made the calculation, then the fight would still be going on.

The Health Care Repeal vote this past week was another chapter in political theater in a time when the civil discourse was suppose improve in light of the Tucson tragedy. Knowing the legislative process, I know that changes to the Health Care Reform legislation could have been done without repealing the bill. Instead, the House Reupblicans chose an action that was just like Yul Brenner's Pharaoh expelling Charleston Hester's Moses, erasing the prophet's name from the Egyptian record and uttering the famous edict: "So it is written, so it shall be done!" Well, we know how effective that strategy was and the GOP repeal vote will be equally as effective and may have a backlash impact in the 2012 elections.

Palin's defiant stand on Fox News definitely is not a surprise, as a matter of fact it was anticipated as she is in a constant battle with irrelevance. Palin will run for POTUS in 2012. Get use to seeing her on every news channel until November 2012.

I know, I know, that was a lot, but I feel so much better. I am honored that y'all read it and I will continue to try to do better to be more timely with my thoughts.

Rahm's real fight

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As I write this, the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that they will hear the case that will determine if Rahm Emanuel, the former Illinois Congressman and White House Chief of Staff, can run for Mayor of Chicago. The ruling also has halted all ballots being printed until they make a final determination.

The issue is whether Emanuel has truly established residency to run for the office. There is a law that says a person running for mayor in an Illinois municipality must be resident of that municipality for one year before the election. There is also another law that says a person voting in any Illinois election must establish residency for one year prior to the election, unless said person is called into service for the United States of America.

Emanuel has a home in Chicago, for he was the Congressman for Illinois' 5th District from 2003 to 2009. Ironically, he replaced Rod Blagojevich in Congress. In January of 2009, he became the Chief of Staff for President Obama. He resigned in October of 2010 to run for mayor of his hometown.

Emanuel contends that he meets the residency requirement to be a voter in the upcoming election, thus making him a qualified elector, and therefore a qualified candidate for mayor. He claims that his service as Chief of Staff qualifies for the service to the United States exemption. The Chicago Board of Elections agreed with that premise and qualified him as a candidate.

However, that ruling was challenged to the Illinois Appellate Court and that court overturned their ruling. Unfortunately, I agree with the Appellate Court and I believe the Illinois Supreme Court will also. The problem for Emanuel is that while he may qualify as a voter for the election, the law concerning the qualifications as a candidate are clear and distinct. The fact that he has not been a resident of the state for one year prior to the election, and that absence is documented, Rahm Emanuel is not qualified to run for Mayor of Chicago.

It is a shame because he was the leading candidate going into the February 22nd primary. He campaigned on a positive vision for the city and was not only well-funded, but well-organized also. The main beneficiary of Emanuel leaving the race will more likely be former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun, who has also campaigned as a healer, not a divider.

If the Illinois Supreme Court rules otherwise it will be a surprise, but it is a tough fight that Emanuel has to engage in and in the long run, it will bring some clarity to Chicago politics, which would be a rare, but welcome, moment indeed.

My thoughts on Mississippi's Nov. Initiatives

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As usual, while most Mississippi voters are focused on individuals seeking the various statewide, legislative and county offices, many may not be aware that there are three initiatives on the ballot as well that will impact their lives greatly. Below is my take on those initiatives and where I stand on them. I will start with Initiative #31: Should government be prohibited from taking private property by eminent domain and then transferring it to other persons? Initiative #31 would amend the Mississippi Constitution to prohibit state and local government from taking private property by eminent domain and then conveying it to other persons or private businesses for a period of 10 years after acquisition. Exceptions from the prohibition include drainage and levee facilities, roads, bridges, ports, airports, common carriers, and utilities. The prohibition would not apply in certain situations, including public nuisance, structures unfit for human habitation, or abandoned property. During my time in the Mississippi House of Representatives, this issue showed its importance as we were trying to figure out how to get Nissan to locate their new plant in Canton. We committed millions of dollars in infrastructure development which included the use of eminent domain to make that happen. Eminent domain, which is the attainment of private property for public use, in that regard was a positive because it was used for public projects but it was clear it was beneficial for a private economic development interest. This initiative will clarify in the Mississippi Constitution that eminent domain is only supposed to be used for public projects. It will prohibit eminent domain to be used, for example, to acquire land for the building of a strip mall, factory or an office building. The Farm Bureau has taken the lead in pushing this initiative because any expansion of eminent domain for private economic development would immediately threaten the largest group of landowners in the state, our farmers. I will vote YES on this initiative. Initiative #27: Should the Mississippi Constitution be amended to require a person to submit government issued photo identification in order to vote? Initiative #27 would amend the Mississippi Constitution to require voters to submit a government issued photo identification before being allowed to vote; provides that any voter lacking government issued photo identification may obtain photo identification without charge from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety; and exempts certain residents of state-licensed care facilities and religious objectors from being required to show photo identification in order to vote. One of the most emotional days during my tenure in the Legislature was when we had to take a vote on making Voter ID mandatory, so much so that I wrote a column about it in the Jackson Free Press. Every member spoke on the floor and expressed their feelings, either in support or opposition, and afterwards many of us became closer, despite competing political philosophies. Needless to say this is an emotional issue to members of the African-American community that remember poll taxes and questions like how many bubbles are there in a bar of soap. Voter ID seems like a practical, innocuous argument to preserve the integrity of the voting process. However, it has been used to suppress voter turnout for certain groups in other states. In Tennessee, a 96-year-old Black woman was denied the right to vote recently because she did not have a driver's license. In Florida, college students cannot use their college IDs, even if they attend state universities. The author of the initiative, Sen. Joey Fillingane (R-Lamar County), organized the initiative drive after killing the Voter ID bill passed by the House in the Senate. His argument was that there needed to be a "clean" Voter ID bill, without provisions that would have allowed early voting, same-day registration and restoring the suffrage of first-time felons once they have served out their sentence. It is questionable whether the US Department of Justice will approve a Constitutional Amendment that requires Voter ID for all voters, but it is very possible. It is the only initiative that has a cost attached to it. It is estimated that the initiative, if passed, could cost as much as $1.5 million from the Department of Public Safety budget. Obviously the proponents of the measure do not feel strongly enough to convince the state's 82 Circuit Clerks to provide photos on the voter registration cards they provide in their respective counties. I will vote NO on this initiative. Initiative #26: Should the term “person” be defined to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the equivalent thereof? Initiative #26 would amend the Mississippi Constitution to define the word “person” or “persons”, as those terms are used in Article III of the state constitution, to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof. I am considered a pro-life politician. I was endorsed by Pro-Life Mississippi when I served in the House. I am opposed to abortion, an emergency medical procedure, being used as a form of birth/population control. I am a strong proponent of adoption and a former abstinence-only counselor. I voted for the House Bill that banned abortions in this state, but I was also the author of the amendment in that same bill that allowed exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the mother. As a Christian, I believe life begins at conception and that God has predestined our lives before our existence on this earth begins. However, I have also made the argument that the US Constitution and the Mississippi Constitution are not the 67th and 68th books of the Holy Bible. To redefine "person/persons" in Article III of the Mississippi Constitution would effectively ban abortions in this state, but how broad of a swath will this provision cut? Medical professionals are divided on whether the initiative would prevent in vitro fertilization and outlaw forms of conventional birth control. Would family planning activities be possibly outlawed? Would the exceptions of rape, incest and the health of the mother be considered? Here is another scenario that has not be broached: Say an immigrant couple from El Salvador comes to Mississippi without proper documentation. The wife becomes pregnant in Mississippi and then they are caught. At that point, the deportation process begins. If the personhood initiative is passed, does that fetus, which would be considered a person in the Mississippi Constitution have the right to stay, thus preventing the mother from being deported? If the Federal Government is successful in deporting the mother, can the child come back and petition for US Citizenship based on the notion it was conceived in Mississippi and was considered a person by that state's Constitution? This initiative has failed twice in Colorado, but will be introduced in four other states. The Mississippi initiative supporters' strategy is for this initiative to be challenged and struck down in the Federal Courts, moved up in the Federal docket to the Supreme Court of the United States, thus forcing them to re-visit the Roe v. Wade decision. I consider this an extreme action based on a constitutionally extreme political philosophy. I will vote NO on this initiative. Those are my positions. Research these initiatives for yourself and then cast your vote on November 8th.

4 Temmuz 2012 Çarşamba

Dealing with the Pain

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Yesterday, I was enjoying the game between the Bears and the Packers for the NFC Championship with friends. The Bears were losing but it looked like the defense had stopped the Packers' offense cold. All that was left was to see Jay Cutler, the Bears' quarterback, get his bearing and mount the comeback for the ages. That never happened.

Cutler apparently was injured just before halftime. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, today's MRI on Cutler's knee showed a Grade 2 MCL sprain. According to our eyes yesterday, it looked like something completely different. When the Chicago fans in the room saw Todd Collins come in the game and saw Cutler just standing around looking like he had given up, we lost it.

To be a fan of the 2010-11 Bears is to become an expert in body language. When Cutler is on, he looks like Gary Cooper in High Noon or Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry, the confident gunslinger who can look at opposing defenses and ask if they feel lucky today. When Cutler is off, he looks like Sleprock or Glum, head down, shoulders slumped and the frustrating look of disengagement on his face. It was the off Cutler we fans saw during the championship, on and off the field.

After he missed a wide open Devin Hester in the first quarter for a possible tying touchdown, Cutler's negative body language became very noticeable. Then he was gone. On the bench. In the biggest game of his life. I honestly thought, without knowledge of the severity of the injury, he had quit on his team. It certainly looked that way when third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie was quickly scouring over the pictures of the Green Bay defense, without any assistance from Cutler.

Bears fans were not the only ones who thought he had quit. Other NFL players on Twitter felt that way as well, watching the same thing we were watching. But according to his teammates, we were wrong. Brian Urlacher, the Bears' defensive captain, said those players were jealous and that the fans were stupid. Glad you are sticking up for your teammate, Brian, but over 60,000 "stupid"fans braved bitterly cold temperatures to watch you all disappoint them yet again, not to mention the thousands upon thousands of fans across the nation. Maybe the stupidity is being loyal to a team that has only won one championship in 48 years, but that is why we are called fans which is a shorter version of fanatics. We will deal with the pain of another heartbreaking season and we will hope that next year, if the NFL has a season, will be a championship year. Stupid is as stupid does.

Meanwhile, it was the testimony of Hanie that convinced me that maybe Cutler did not quit on his team. Hanie said that Cutler came to him after the Bears cut the lead in half in the 4th Quarter, congratulated him and then told him to calm down, re-focus and take the team down the field again. That is the leadership old school players like Derrick Brooks and Mike Ditka expect from a team captain, but it is just not as fiery as they would have done it. Nevertheless, if Hanie's account is accurate, then that is all Cutler could do in that situation and I commend him for that.

So Jay, I apologize for my frustration. I am a fan. I want you and all the other Bears to do well and play with all your heart. I want you to rehab hard and take advantage of the time to listen Mike Martz and re-train your footwork. I want you to endure the pain in your knee to get better and I want you to endure the pain of this unfair criticism to make you a better player, a better leader and a better man. This may seem to be a low-point, although your cool demeanor would never reveal it, but it can be the fuel to re-ignite a new passion.

Drew Brees was told by 31 NFL teams that his reconstructed throwing shoulder was too much of a risk. New Orleans, with a new coach, decided to take a chance. Brees transformed that rejection in four years to become the most productive quarterback during that span and to become a champion. Maybe January 23, 2011 will be the moment that Jay Cutler dealt with the pain and laid the foundation for a champion to emerge.

Rahm's real fight

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As I write this, the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that they will hear the case that will determine if Rahm Emanuel, the former Illinois Congressman and White House Chief of Staff, can run for Mayor of Chicago. The ruling also has halted all ballots being printed until they make a final determination.

The issue is whether Emanuel has truly established residency to run for the office. There is a law that says a person running for mayor in an Illinois municipality must be resident of that municipality for one year before the election. There is also another law that says a person voting in any Illinois election must establish residency for one year prior to the election, unless said person is called into service for the United States of America.

Emanuel has a home in Chicago, for he was the Congressman for Illinois' 5th District from 2003 to 2009. Ironically, he replaced Rod Blagojevich in Congress. In January of 2009, he became the Chief of Staff for President Obama. He resigned in October of 2010 to run for mayor of his hometown.

Emanuel contends that he meets the residency requirement to be a voter in the upcoming election, thus making him a qualified elector, and therefore a qualified candidate for mayor. He claims that his service as Chief of Staff qualifies for the service to the United States exemption. The Chicago Board of Elections agreed with that premise and qualified him as a candidate.

However, that ruling was challenged to the Illinois Appellate Court and that court overturned their ruling. Unfortunately, I agree with the Appellate Court and I believe the Illinois Supreme Court will also. The problem for Emanuel is that while he may qualify as a voter for the election, the law concerning the qualifications as a candidate are clear and distinct. The fact that he has not been a resident of the state for one year prior to the election, and that absence is documented, Rahm Emanuel is not qualified to run for Mayor of Chicago.

It is a shame because he was the leading candidate going into the February 22nd primary. He campaigned on a positive vision for the city and was not only well-funded, but well-organized also. The main beneficiary of Emanuel leaving the race will more likely be former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun, who has also campaigned as a healer, not a divider.

If the Illinois Supreme Court rules otherwise it will be a surprise, but it is a tough fight that Emanuel has to engage in and in the long run, it will bring some clarity to Chicago politics, which would be a rare, but welcome, moment indeed.

Innovation: A Quick Note

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When President Obama spoke last night at the State of the Union, he stressed that America needs to be innovative again. Many people clearly interpreted that he was strictly referring to the science and the business community.

But there has to be innovation in one other major institution: government. In order for America to truly move forward and get out of crisis mode, politics as usual cannot continue. Those individuals that have been elected to public office, especially at the Federal level, have to be creative and innovative in addressing the concerns of the American people.

Nothing can be sacred. We must look at wasteful spending in all aspects of government. We must get more return for our entitlement investments in order for them to become self-sufficient. We must honestly look at revamping our current revenue system, that means taxes. We cannot protect earmarks that steer funds away from fulfilling general budgetary purposes. We cannot continue to point fingers at others and wait for the other side to blink.

This is the time for true, innovative leaders to emerge. This is the time for statesmen to rise above the noise and influence the masses to support creative ideas and concepts, regardless of which party they come from. This is our time to do great things. The only way that can happen is when politicians are more prone to open their minds rather than their mouths.

Innovation is not limited to industry. Government must practice it as well.