Well, below is a sample of several other stories that I planned on sharing in a blog post or two, but have simply run out of time. Below is some additional news on the fiscal cliff, polling on the approval numbers of the Twinkie, my pick for the quote of the week, and more…
The Hill: Baucus Says $1 Trillion Needed in Cliff Deal
Democrats and Republicans could coalesce behind a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff that paired at least $1 trillion in fresh revenues and spending cuts, the Senate’s top tax-writer said on Thursday.
Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), the chairman of the Finance Committee, told Bloomberg Television that an increase in tax rates and a reduction in tax breaks would need to be included in any deal, to ensure that the math works.
Bloomberg Business Week has a chart showing which Dems may cave on some tax issues,click the link to view the chart:
As for the quote of the week, I think it should go to this soldier interviewed by The Missoulian at Fort Hood, Texas:
Sgt. Jason Schaeffer is facing his fourth tour, a rarity even among seasoned veterans. The ammo specialist from Casper, Wyo., is accustomed to being separated from his wife and five kids. The camaraderie and call to duty, he said, keeps him coming back.
“I’m basically over 1,000 days of deployment,” said Schaeffer. “I’m not addicted to war. It’s just a job. You go over and do what you have to do and come home.”
RedState.com: Can’t we leave the green energy boondoggle out of the military?
One of the most preposterous aspects of the sequester is that it randomly cuts the Pentagon’s budget across the board, treating naval ships and green energy programs equally. As Tom Coburn noted in his recent report on the Defense budget, “Department of Everything,” there are numerous wasteful programs within the DOD. Most prominently, Coburn discovered that the DOD ran 116 green energy initiatives in 2010, more than the EPA or the Department of [Green] Energy. Specifically, the Navy and the Air Force have been investing in fueling their fleets with biofuels. All branches have been co-opted into using “green building codes.”
So not only have we foisted the expensive and impotent green regime on domestic activity, we have tied our national security to the success of the failed green regime. Hey, why not take the E15 fuel on the road to Afghanistan and damage the tanks of our combat vehicles, all the while fleecing the taxpayers with the gratuitous cost?
Politico’s Morning Energy:
DISTRIBUTED WIND LOBBIES ON HILL: Several members of the Distributed Wind Energy Association were on the Hill yesterday to push for an extension of a 30 percent of investment tax credit available to wind power that is scheduled to expire at the end of this year. The credit was included in a tax extenders package passed by the Senate Finance Committee earlier this year. Executives met with several senators, including Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), as well as Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) and members of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Seiler: Schweitzer’s Record Not so Stellar
GFT: F15’s in Place for Now, Senators Abandon F15s for Long Term
The C-130 transport plane mission that the Air Force announced for the Montana Air National Guard last February is not set to arrive in Montana until fiscal year 2014, and the Montana senators said they will continue working to ensure that mission arrives on schedule.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas congressional delegation have fought to keep that transport mission with the Texas Air National Guard, Montana’s delegation and governor resisted losing the F-15 mission to the California Air National Guard in Fresno and other states’ political leaders have opposed the loss of their flying missions.
Also from Morning Energy:
SUSAN RICE HAS TRANSCANADA STOCK: Potential Secretary of State candidate Susan Rice holds as much as $600,000 of shares in TransCanada, the company seeking State Department approval to build the Keystone XL pipeline. Rice’s investments in TransCanada were first noted Wednesday by the NRDC’s On Earth. The sad Christmas tree in the lot has more: http://politi.co/U3midA
LTE from Bob Pyfer in Montana Standard: Proud Liberal, Democrat, Lobbyist Takes Issue w/ Schweitzer Tenure
I am a proud liberal democrat and I happen to agree with most of his political positions.
But I spent nine years working on nonpartisan legislative staff, and then 26 years representing non-profit consumer cooperative credit unions in the legislature.
I do thank Brian for his hard work and service, but I also hope incoming Gov. Steve Bullock will be not the demagogue with insulting bully tactics of a Schweitzer.
KTVQ.com: Rehberg’s first post-election interview
Rehberg says he has a solution that balances the budget.
“I have legislation that would repeal the two new entitlements that would exist within the President’s healthcare reform. That’s the expansion of Medicaid and the insurance premium subsidy. That immediately reduces spending by $1.4 trillion. It solves the problem.”
GFT: Loney files complaint alleging ‘irregularities’ at ExpoPark polling place
State Rep. Cleve Loney, a Great Falls Republican, said Tuesday he filed a complaint with the state commissioner of political practices Nov. 14 over what he called “irregularities” at the citywide polling place at Montana ExpoPark in Great Falls.
State Sen. Anders Blewett, a Democrat, passed out free bottled water, snack chips and candy to late registrants standing in line to get their ballots while wearing a badge stating he is a state senator, Loney said.
AP: The future of Twinkies is virtually assured.
Hostess Brands Inc. said Thursday that it’s in talks with 110 potential buyers for its iconic brands, which also include CupCakes, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos. The suitors now include at least five national retailers such as supermarkets, a financial adviser for the company said in bankruptcy court. The process has been “so fast and furious” Hostess hasn’t been able to make the calls seeking buyers it previously intended, said Joshua Scherer of Perella Weinberg Partners.
The update on the sale of the company’s brands comes as Hostess seeks approval in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York in White Plains, N.Y. to give its top executives bonuses totaling up to $1.8 million as part of its wind-down plans. The company says the incentive pay is needed to retain the 19 corporate officers and “high-level managers” during the liquidation process, which could take about a year.
KICKER Rasmussen: 57% Have A Favorable Opinion of Hostess Twinkies
Most Americans like Hostess Twinkies and are following the news about the company that makes them. They tend to blame a recalcitrant labor union for putting that company out of business.