[NFBMT] From the New York Times

Fri Dec 1 21:15:50 UTC 2017

Call! Call! Call!

We organized a calling marathon yesterday here at the CCB. The loss of
federal VR funds could close our doors as it denies many blind folks
the chance to come here for training.

Best,
Dan

On 12/1/17, Jim Marks via NFBMT <nfbmt at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I doubt Senator Steve Daines will vote no on the tax bill now, but we still
> have to try to influence his decision.  If you haven't called his office to
> request that he oppose the tax bill, please do so right away.  The tax bill
> is full of terrible outcomes for blind and other Montanans.  Government
> services that liberate us are going to be radically cut back should the tax
> bill become law.  For instance, we are going to see reductions in
> vocational
> rehabilitation, Medicaid, and Social Security.  We will have to pay more
> taxes as a direct consequence of this tax bill.  The federal deficit will
> grow massively, thus resulting in even deeper cuts in the near future.  .
> Many of us favor tax reform, but reform should take us forward, not
> backwards.  This particular tax bill the Senate is considering harms us.
>
> Senator Steve Daines
> https://www.daines.senate.gov/
> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorDainesMT/
> Twitter:  @SteveDaines
>
> Office Locations
> Washington, D.C.
> 320 Hart Senate Office Building
> Washington, D.C. 20510
> p: (202) 224-2651
>
> Billings
> 222 N. 32nd Street, Ste. 100
> Billings, MT 59101
> p: (406) 245-6822
>
> Great Falls
> 104 4th Street North, Ste. 302
> Great Falls, MT 59401
> p: (406) 453-0148
>
> Helena
> 30 West 14th Street, Ste. 206
> Helena, MT 59601
> p: (406) 443-3189
>
> Bozeman
> 13 S. Willson Ave. Ste. 8
> Bozeman, MT 59718
> p: (406) 587-3446
>
> Missoula
> 218 East Front Street, Ste. 103
> Missoula, MT 59802
> p: (406) 549-8198
>
> Kalispell
> 40 2nd St East, Suite 211
>  (KM Building)
> Kalispell, Montana 59901
>  p: (406) 257-3765
>
> Sidney
> 609 S. Central Ave. Suite #4
>  (Central Plaza Building)
> Sidney, MT, 59270
> p: (406) 482-9010
>
> Hardin
> 310 N Center
>  Hardin MT 59034
> p: (406) 665-4126
> Jim Marks
> Blind.grizzly at gmail.com
> (406) 438-1421
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NFBMT [mailto:nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sheila via NFBMT
> Sent: Friday, December 01, 2017 10:54 AM
> To: 'NFB of Montana Discussion List' <nfbmt at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Sheila <sheila.leigland at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NFBMT] From the New York Times
>
> Interesting article thanks for posting this.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NFBMT [mailto:nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bruce&Joy
> Breslauer via NFBMT
> Sent: Friday, December 01, 2017 6:58 AM
> To: nfbmt <nfbmt at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Bruce&Joy Breslauer <breslauerj at gmail.com>; marjorie
> <dmgregg at 3rivers.net>
> Subject: [NFBMT] From the New York Times
>
> The New York Times
>
> Politics
>
>
>
> Before Tax Bill Vote, Republican Senators Win Another 'Yes'
>
>
>
> By THE NEW YORK TIMESUPDATED 6:16 AM
>
>
>
> . The Senate will convene at 10 a.m. Friday to continue the debate on
> taxes,
> ahead of a possible final vote later in the day.
>
>
>
> . Republicans seemed to be inching toward victory on Thursday and picked up
> the support of Senator John McCain of Arizona.
>
>
>
> . But they faced a setback late in the day when they were left scrambling
> to
> find hundreds of billions of dollars in extra revenue to satisfy concerns
> about the bill's deficit effects.
>
>
>
> . Lawmakers are now mulling options that would result in a tax increase
> down
> the road, including a possible increase in the corporate tax rate and the
> revival of the alternative minimum tax on wealthy individuals and some
> companies.
>
>
>
> . Early Friday morning, Senator Steve Daines, Republican of Montana,
> announced his support of the tax bill, bringing Republican leaders closer
> to
> their goal.
>
>
>
> Senate leaders still need 50 votes for passage.
>
>
>
> Republican leaders ended Thursday with the same problem they started with:
> They still need to secure 50 votes to be able to pass their tax bill.
>
>
>
> Their effort appeared to be gaining momentum on Thursday, with talk of a
> final vote later that night or early Friday.
>
>
>
> But by the end of the day, they were contending with twin setbacks, both
> involving how the bill would affect federal budget deficits.
>
>
>
> The congressional Joint Committee on Taxation said in an analysis released
> on Thursday afternoon that the legislation would add $1 trillion to federal
> budget deficits over a decade, even after accounting for economic growth.
>
>
>
> In addition, a provision meant to prevent ballooning deficits ran into
> parliamentary problems. The provision would have increased taxes if
> economic
> growth fell short of expectations, but it was deemed by the Senate
> parliamentarian to run afoul of budget rules that must be followed if the
> bill is to be shielded from a Democratic filibuster.
>
>
>
> Without the so-called trigger, the votes of a handful of Republicans,
> including Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, appeared at risk.
>
>
>
> "Senator Corker has been pretty clear he doesn't want any deficit
> spending,"
> Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, said on Thursday, adding that he
> did not agree with the Joint Committee on Taxation's assessment.
>
>
>
> To pass the tax bill in the Senate, Republican leaders can lose only two of
> their members, assuming Democrats are unified against the measure.
>
>
>
> Friday could be a long day.
>
>
>
> The Senate will convene on Friday morning and the debate on taxes will
> continue. At some point, the Senate will undertake a marathon of amendment
> votes known as a vote-a-rama. Eventually, there would be a final vote on
> the
> legislation.
>
>
>
> But in the meantime, Republicans need to decide how they want to change
> their bill. To satisfy Mr. Corker, for example, Republicans were discussing
> putting in place tax increases that would take effect some years from now,
> a
> step that would soften the deficit effects of the legislation.
>
>
>
> Will they decide to raise taxes?
>
>
>
> The options under discussion to satisfy the deficit hawks could essentially
> result in a tax increase down the road. Lawmakers have talked about raising
> the corporate tax rate above 20 percent after a period of years. There's
> also discussion about reviving the alternative minimum tax, or A.M.T., on
> high-net individuals and some companies.
>
> Both of those ideas are unlikely to sit well with some Republicans,
> including those in the House, who could be criticized for essentially
> voting
> to increase taxes.
>
> Lawmakers may decide that's a risk worth taking or they could ultimately
> decide to jettison the deficit hawks' concerns and lose their votes.
>
>
>
> Party leaders gained another vote early Friday.
>
>
>
> Mr. Daines had objected to the bill because of how it treated pass-through
> businesses, whose profits are distributed to owners and taxed at individual
> rates. Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, has also been in that
> camp.
>
> The Senate tax bill allows pass-through owners to deduct 17.4 percent of
> their business income as a way of lowering their taxes. Republicans were
> planning to increase the deduction to 20 percent to address the concerns
> over how pass-through owners were being treated by the bill.
>
> Now, the deduction is to be raised to 23 percent, an aide to Mr. Daines
> said.
>
>
>
> "After weeks of fighting for Main Street businesses including Montana's
> farmers and ranchers, I've decided to support the Senate tax cut bill,
> which
> provides significant tax relief for Main Street businesses," Mr. Daines
> said
> in a statement on Friday morning.
>
>
>
> Several senators are worth watching.
>
>
>
> As Republicans mull changes to their tax plan, the spotlight will focus on
> several senators with varying concerns.
>
> Republican leaders do not need to win over all of these lawmakers. In fact,
> they could decide that some demands are simply not worth meeting - assuming
> they can satisfy other Republicans and therefore get the 50 votes they
> need.
> Vice President Mike Pence can also provide a tiebreaking vote.
>
> At least a handful of senators have expressed concerns about the deficit,
> including Mr. Corker and Senators Jeff Flake of Arizona and James Lankford
> of Oklahoma. Now that the trigger is dead, Republicans may need to come up
> with another idea to protect against piling up debt as a result of the tax
> overhaul.
>
>
>
> The move to sweeten the tax break for owners of pass-through businesses
> should help with securing Mr. Johnson's vote. But it was not clear early
> Friday if the change was sufficient to nudge him into the yes column.
>
>
>
> Finally, there is Susan Collins of Maine, a moderate Republican who has her
> own concerns about the tax overhaul. She wants the bill to allow
> individuals
> to deduct up to $10,000 in property taxes, and adding that provision could
> help win her over.
>
>
>
> Joy Breslauer, President
>
> National Federation of the Blind of Montana
>
> Web Site: http://www.nfbofmt.org
>
>
>
> Live the life you want
>
>
>
> The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
> who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we
> work
> together to help blind people live the lives they want.
>
>
>
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> om
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>
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-- 
Dan Burke
President, NFB of Denver

"Blindness is not what holds you back.  You can live the life you want!"
My Cell:  406.546.8546
Twitter:  @DallDonal