New Bill Would Require Online Retailers To Collect State Sales Taxes

By Lisa Kellman

A group of ten Senators proposed a bill Wednesday requiring online retailers to collect sales taxes in an effort to level the playing field for small businesses who are being out-priced by online competitors.

The effort to pass the Marketplace Fairness Act is being led by Sens. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).

“For over a decade, Congress has been debating how to best allow states to collect sales taxes from online retailers in a way that puts Main Street businesses on a level playing field with online retailers,” Enzi said.

As it currently stands, remote catalog businesses and online companies are not required to collect state sales taxes as local retail stores do. Instead, Americans are responsible for voluntarily declaring online purchases on their tax return.

If this bill is passed, however, online and remote industries would collect sales taxes electronically from their customers and send the money to the customer’s individual state.

The increased tax revenue would returnan estimated $28 billion dollars to states to be utilized at their own discretion.

“The legislation addresses a states rights issue: preserving the right of states to collect, or to decide not to collect, taxes that are already owed under state law,” Alexander said.

While 24 states have already implemented a similar sales tax collection method, the act proposed would be voluntary for the remaining states.

Amazon.com and other major online retailers as well as the Conservative Union President have expressed support for the legislation. Others, like eBay, have not been so quick to jump on board.

“This is another Internet sales tax bill that fails to protect small business retailers using the Internet and will unbalance the playing field between giant retailers and small business competitors,” said eBay VP Tod Cohen in a statement, according to reports.

Senate Dems Intro Constitutional Amendment To Combat Campaign Financing

In the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case of 2010, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment prohibited the censorship of political broadcasts when funded by unions or corporations. 

On Tuesday, Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Michael Bennett (D-Colo.) introduced a constitutional amendment that would give Congress the authority to regulate that practice. 

“[We] refuse to stand by idly and watch our elections be fundamentally degraded by the flood of corporate and special interest money,” Udall said. “Campaigns should be about the best ideas not the biggest checkbooks. It’s time to put elections back in the hands of American voters.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), a co-sponsor of the amendment, argued that the problem with campaign financing did not originate with the Citizens United case, but rather is rooted in the Buckley v Valeo case of 1976. The 1976 decision set limits on campaign contributions but ruled that spending money to influence elections was a form of speech protected by the First Amendment.

“Buckley v. Valeo was one of the worst decisions the Supreme Court has rendered in the past 100 years,” Schumer said. “Then, making matters worse, cam Citizens United - Buckley on steroids - which really took the First Amendment to an illogical, almost anti-democratic extreme.” 

The constitutional amendment the gang of Democrats introduced authorizes Congress to regulate and limit the amount of money raised and spent on federal campaigns, including independent expenditures. It would also extend this authority to the states.  

“Time and again I have chided my colleagues who would amend the Constitution every other day,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said. “But i think this one gets to the heart of our future as a nation and the heart of whether or not congressional reform can actually take place.”

Dems Fight For DREAM Act

by Kyle LaFleur

Democratic members of both houses joined the Secretary of Education and Homeland Security Wednesday to rally Congress to vote on the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act before the end of the lame duck session.  

The DREAM Act would allow minors under the age of 16 whose parents are undocumented immigrants to gain a path to citizenship provided they complete high school or reiceve a GED, have lived in the United States for at least five years, are of good moral character and plan to either attend an American university or serve in the military for at least two years.  

“This is in the interest, not just these young people, not just in the interest of their families and their communities, this is in the nation’s interest,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan. “We need their ingenuity, we need their creativity, we need their entrepreneurship skills, we need them to help lead the country where we need to go educationally.”

Critics of the bill have argued that it is just an amnesty plan disguised as an education bill.

“I want to make it absolutely clear, this is a very tailored and structured piece of legislation,” said Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.). “So tailored and so structured that if you’re 10 years old today and have only been in the country four years, you do not qualify for the DREAM Act.”

Gutierrez went on to point out that beneficiaries of this legislation would not receive pell grants, health care or government assistance if they chose to go on to college. He also added that those choosing to enlist in the military would be paying the ultimate tax to the United States. 

“That is the tax of our blood, of our life and our limb in defense of this nation,” said Gutierrez.  

Democratic leaders have called for the vote to be held Wednesday as they scramble to gain support on both sides of the aisle. 

Reid: Financial Reform Could Hit Senate Floor By Next Week

By Laurel Brishel Prichard University of New Mexico/ Talk Radio News Service

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters Thursday that he is pushing to get a full financial reform bill onto the Senate floor as early as next week.

Reid, along with Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) stressed that reform of the nation's financial system would not only protect the taxpayers, but make sure that institutions would not become “too big too fail”.

“[Republicans] seem clearly focused on protecting these big banks,” said Reid “It’s as simple as this: if you want a financial system that allows banks to become too big to fail, puts your retirement security in jeopardy and leaves consumers vulnerable to excessive risk, then you should support the Republican plan.”

The legislation would put in place a better regulatory oversight program to prevent the financial system from triggering another recession.

“Everyone agrees that our regulatory [system] is broken down,” said Schumer.

Schumer added that Republican warnings that the reform plan fails to act as a safeguard against future bailouts is unfounded. According to the New York Senator, the money that would go for any future bailout of a large institution would have to come from the institution itself, and not the taxpayers.

Only Thing On Durbin's Mind Is The Number 60

Travis Martinez - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

As the Senate prepares for a Saturday vote on whether or not to bring its health care bill to the floor, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) says he will be working feverishly to try to muster up 60 votes, including at least one from the other side of the aisle.

“It would be a real break if we get one Republican to join us and say yes, this is an issue worth debating,” said Durbin. “I’m not assuming a thing, we’re working hard to bring all 60 Democrat votes together to proceed with this historic debate.”

Durbin refused to divulge any information about the status of Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), a moderate who has remained quiet as to how she will vote on Saturday night.

“She's told Senator Reid," said Durbin."You'll have to ask Senator Reid."