CNN

Should the wealthiest Americans pay more taxes to send more troops to Afghanistan?

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Some top Democrats think the wealthy should have to pony up more taxes in order to pay for a troop increase in Afghanistan.

Democrat Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says people earning more than $200,000 or $250,000 a year should pay an "additional income tax."

Levin says richer Americans have done "incredibly well,” and that it's important to pay for a troop surge instead of increasing the federal debt.

Democratic Rep. David Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, also says
he favors a so-called "war surtax."

Obey says that people making $400,000 or $500,000 per year should be asked to pay as much as 5 percent of their incomes, while lower earners might pay a smaller amount - down to 1 percent.

Obey says if we don't increase taxes, the war in Afghanistan will "bleed every dollar in the budget away from any other initiative." Unless of course the government cut spending elsewhere. Hah!

First they wanted to tax the rich to pay for health care reform. Now they want to do it to pay for more troops for war. This administration also plans to increase the top income tax rate. Pretty soon the rich won't be.

The White House suggests it could cost as much as 40 billion dollars per year to send 40,000 additional troops into Afghanistan. President Obama is expected to announce his decision in the next few weeks. He will meet with his national security team tonight - again.

Here’s my question to you: Should additional taxes be levied against wealthy Americans to pay for more troops in Afghanistan?

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What can President Obama learn from Sarah Palin? (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

With President Obama now below 50 percent approval for the first time, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd suggests the president could learn "a thing or three" from Sarah Palin.

Dowd writes that with the former V-P candidate back on the trail for her book tour, she clearly hasn't boned up on anything and "she still has that Yoda-like syntax."

But Dowd warns it would be foolish for the Democrats to write off Palin. She says that although President Obama is highly intelligent and likable - he's not connecting on a gut level with the public. She suggests he might be getting too bogged down in pragmatism and the details of legislative compromises.

Dowd writes that the president, who she calls the "Cerebral One," might want to take lessons from Palin, the "Visceral One."

She writes: "Palin can be stupefyingly simplistic, but she seems dynamic. Obama is impressively complex but he seems static. She nurtures her grass roots while he neglects his. He struggles to transcend identity politics while she wallows in them. As he builds an emotional moat around himself, she exuberantly pushes whatever she has, warts and all..."

Meanwhile – it's clear Sarah Palin is saying something people want to hear. She sold 300,000 copies of her memoir on the day of its release - one of the best openings ever for a nonfiction book, easily topping people like Hillary Clinton.

As for President Obama - the Gallup Daily Tracking poll puts his approval rating at 49 percent - the first time he's dropped below 50 percent since taking office.

Here’s my question to you: What can President Obama learn from Sarah Palin?

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Should the Catholic Church deny communion to public figures, like Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who support abortion?

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

The Catholic Church wants Democratic Congressman Patrick Kennedy to stop taking communion - due to his support of abortion rights.

The bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, says he told Kennedy in February 2007 that it would be "inappropriate" to keep receiving the Catholic sacrament.

That request is suddenly in the spotlight as the Church gets more involved in the health care debate, particularly regarding the issue of abortion. Kennedy - the nephew of this nation's only Catholic president, John F. Kennedy - revealed the bishop's request to a newspaper over the weekend.

Just last month - Kennedy had criticized the bishops for threatening to oppose the overall health care bill if it didn't include abortion restrictions. The Church called Kennedy's position "unacceptable" and "scandalous."

Rep. Kennedy is not the first Catholic politician to want it both ways. In 1984, Democratic vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro came under attack from the church for not backing its position on abortion.

Kennedy's father - the late Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy - along with former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo - both Catholics - were also forced to defend their support of abortion rights.

At 30 percent, Catholics are the largest single religious group in Congress. Look for the Church to keep up the lobbying pressure on these lawmakers. When it comes to the health care bill - that could include not only abortion, but issues like immigrant rights and stem cell research.

Here’s my question to you: Should the Catholic Church deny communion to public figures who support abortion?

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How much faith do you have the government will do anything meaningful about the soaring national debt?

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty

The national debt has hit a record high of $12 trillion - which translates to about $40,000 for every person in this country.

And what's particularly troubling is the rate at which it continues to grow... increasing by almost 5 trillion dollars during the 8 years of Pres. Bush... followed by another $1.6 trillion increase so far under President Obama.

It's no surprise when you consider all the spending - wars, bailouts, stimulus package, etc. - under the current administration. Also - the recession and record unemployment mean there are fewer tax dollars coming in to offset spending.

But the debt is also costing us big bucks to maintain: the interest alone on the u-s debt in the next decade is expected to be near $5 trillion. And if interest rates go up, and they will at some point, the price will be even higher.

In 2015, the estimated interest due will be equal to one-third of all federal incomes taxes expected to be paid that year.

Pres. Obama has pledged to take "serious steps" to reduce America's debt. Really? When? Maybe after we spend close to another trillion dollars we don't have for health care reform.

And - with a mid-term election coming up next year, good luck getting the politicians to make tough decisions on tax hikes or spending cuts. The only thing they're willing to cut is the taxpayer's throat.

Here's my question to you: How much faith do you have the government will do anything meaningful about the soaring national debt?

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Senate Democrats are proposing a 5% excise tax on elective cosmetic procedures.

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty

Something called "Botax" might help pay for health care reform. The name derives from a tax on Botox... which in the case of some Hollywood types could raise millions.

Senate Democrats are proposing a 5% excise tax on elective cosmetic procedures... that includes things like Botox injections, breast implants, tummy tucks, face lifts, liposuction, teeth whitening, eyelid repairs, etc.

The tax would bring in an estimated $6 billion over 10 years and wouldn't apply to cosmetic surgery meant to fix a deformity or injury.

Drug makers and plastic surgeons think this is a terrible idea. The company that makes Botox calls it an "easy target" and says the tax is "unnecessarily punitive".

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons says it will hurt countless American women of every income level - that it's not just a tax on "wealthy, suburban Republican women."

They claim the tax would come at a particularly difficult economic time - when many women are trying to spruce up their looks as they search for jobs. I would offer that if you're out of work you probably wouldn't be getting Botox injections... but hey, what do I know?

It could have been worse. Lobbyists apparently succeeded in persuading lawmakers to reduce the tax from 10%, which would have brought in $11 billion over a decade.

Over the summer, many thought that Democrats weren't serious about the cosmetic surgery tax... but Harry Reid and Co. brought it back because they "needed money to make the bill work"."

SO HERE'S MY QUESTION TO YOU: Should the government tax cosmetic procedures like Botox, tummy tucks and liposuction to help pay for health care reform?

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Rudy Giuliani may have his eye on becoming the next U.S. Senator from New York.

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty

Rudy Giuliani may have his eye on becoming the next U.S. Senator from New York.

The Daily News reports that the former New York mayor is strongly considering a run next year for Hillary Clinton's old Senate seat - now filled by Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

A Giuliani spokeswoman says he hasn't made any decisions yet... quote "Rudy has a history of making up his own mind and has no problem speaking it" unquote... adding that when he decides, he'll tell New Yorkers on his own.

The National Republican Congressional Committee says it wouldn't be appropriate to comment on any "unannounced candidates"... although they say "any credible Republican" could have a good shot at capturing New York's senate seat.

Giuliani had earlier been considering a run for governor - but reports now say he's decided against it. Some claim that's because Giuliani would have likely lost the governor's race to potential Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo – while he may have a better chance to win a senate run.

The Daily News report also suggests Giuliani could use a U.S. Senate seat as a stepping stone to run for president in 2012.

Been there, done that - and not very well either. In 2008 – Giuliani was an early favorite for the Republican presidential nomination.

But he self-destructed when he decided against putting a lot of time into the early-voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire... he skipped the South Carolina primary - planned to win big in Florida. He got clobbered…and that was that.

Here's my question to you: Should Rudy Giuliani pursue a career in national politics?

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(PHOTO CREDITS: Getty Images)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty

Most Americans think that authorities could have prevented the massacre at Fort Hood... and when the politicians sniff this kind of sentiment, they can't wait to rush into hearings.

A new CNN-Opinion Research Corporation Poll shows 64 percent of those surveyed say law enforcement or the military should have been able to stop the shooting rampage... 31% say the incident on the Texas Army base couldn't have been prevented. The poll also found Americans are split as to whether the attack was an act of terrorism.

U.S. Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan, who is Muslim, is charged with thirteen counts of premeditated murder. He's accused of wounding dozens more.

The Senate Homeland Security Committee held its first hearing into those shootings today. They want to know if authorities failed to "connect the dots" when it came to Major Hasan. NPR reports that Hasan's supervisor at Walter Reed wrote a memo two years ago saying he showed a "pattern of poor judgment and a lack of professionalism."

The committee also plans to look into why federal authorities didn't do anything after finding e-mails exchanged between Hasan and a radical Muslim cleric - with alleged ties to al Qaeda.

Also, there's the question of whether a joint terrorism task force that had information on Hasan shared it with the military and others. Experts say they worry about "political correctness" - and that some signs may have been ignored because Hasan is Muslim.

Pres. Obama wanted Congress to hold off on hearings until federal authorities finished their investigation.

SO HERE'S MY QUESTION TO YOU: Could authorities have prevented the Fort Hood shootings?

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Democratic Senators introduce their 2,074 page health care reform bill.

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty

With the Senate health care bill weighing in at 2,074 pages... this means we now have more than 4,000 pages of proposed health care legislation. 4,000.

One Republican senator is threatening to read the whole bill on the Senate floor... that could take up to two days. But –some are wondering if anybody is going to read this thing at all.

Another question is, with Thanksgiving and the Christmas season approaching, are people simply getting tired of this ongoing mammoth debate?

It's been months now - with a lot of media focus on health care reform since those town meetings and tea party protests of the summer... Yet it seems like we're nowhere near the end yet. The Senate and House bills have some significant differences when it comes to taxes, abortion coverage and the so-called "public option."

And If the bill makes it through the Senate – and that's still very much an open question - the two chambers will have to merge the two bills together – and then that final bill has to pass both houses.

But experts suggest that Americans are more tuned in than ever. A Senate historian says what's unusual about this debate is that people have been following it from the beginning - watching the bills go through committees, markups, etc. He says the public has paid a lot more attention to this than almost any other piece of recent legislation.

SO HERE'S MY QUESTION TO YOU: Are you losing interest in the health care reform debate?

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Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia is now officially the longest-serving member of Congress.

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty

Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia is now officially the longest-serving member of Congress –ever!

Ready?

The Democrat from West Virginia - who turns 92 tomorrow - has served for almost 57 years - including 6 years in the House and 51 in Senate... that translates to a record of 20,774 days.

He's served under 11 presidents - coming to Washington during the Eisenhower administration in 1953.

Byrd tops all other senators in the number of votes cast... that would be more than 18-thousand... and the number of leadership positions held - including two stints as majority leader.

He's never lost an election.

Byrd was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the early 40s... later calling it "the most egregious mistake" he'd ever made... and he voted against the civil rights act in the 60s... but he later followed a more traditional Democratic path, blasting Pres. George W. Bush's policies after 9-11 and during the Iraq war.

Byrd is thanking the people of West Virginia for their ongoing confidence in him... He says it's been the "quality and dedication of service" that has guided him and that he looks forward to serving them for quote "the next 56 years and 320 days."

Fine. But this isn't what our forefathers intended. They didn't envision career politicians - but rather people who would give a few years of their life to public service and then go back to farming or banking or whatever it is they did.

But without term limits - in a lot of cases, we wind up with politicians who spend their entire adult lives in Congress. And in many cases the results aren't good.

SO HERE'S MY QUESTION FOR YOU:Is it a good thing that a senator has set a record for serving nearly 57 years in Congress?

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Would you vote to re-elect Pres. Obama 1 year later?

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty

A year after President Obama rode into office on the mantra of hope and change, a lot of people are wondering, "Where's the beef?"

There's no question that change takes time... but there's been a lack of meaningful progress on so many of the big issues that faced him when he first occupied the Oval Office.

–Unemployment is now topping 10% and many think it will go even higher before things get better. We were told the stimulus package would keep it from going above eight percent.

–Health care reform, perhaps the president's top domestic priority, still has a long way to go before it becomes a reality - if it ever does.

–Deficits continue to soar, with the national debt now topping an astounding $12 trillion. This comes less than eight months after the debt hit $11 trillion.

–The president has committed to withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq but with renewed violence there it's an open question how soon they can all come out. Afghanistan has now become Obama's war... as he decides whether to add more troops.

–The president's January deadline of closing the Guantanamo Bay prison camp will likely go unmet.

As for other issues like immigration reform, legislation on climate change or regulating Wall Street - nothing yet.

The interesting thing is despite a lack of progress on a lot of these issues, the American people still like their new president.

A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows 55% approve of how the president is handling his job... Furthermore, apart from his job approval... a whopping 76% have a favorable view of Mr. Obama as a person.

SO HERE'S MY QUESTION FOR YOU: Would you vote to re-elect President Obama one year later?

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