"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"NOYB" wrote in message
link.net...


As hard as it might be to believe that there's a senator with a more
anti-small business agenda than Kerry, Kennedy is even worse. He
voted
against NFIB-supported legislation 92% of the time in the 106th
Congress,
and 75% of the time in the 107th.

Any idea why he voted against such legislation? Or are you just
quoting
stuff you found on the web, without knowing the background?

I get an NFIB newsletter that discusses the Congressional issues that
affect
small businesses. In that newsletter is a synopsis about each issue,
and
a
member survey that asks you to vote your opinion on each issue. The
results
from all of the small business surveys that are returned are tabulated,
and
NFIB lobbies Congress for legislation that would most help small
business.
The NFIB then posts a follow-up newsletter that reports how each member
of
Congress voted on each issue. Kerry and Kennedy voted *AGAINST* the
NFIB
positions more than 3/4's of the time...placing them near the top of the
list of anti-small business members of Congress.



Be like a good journalist. A good news article always begins with a
paragraph which nicely summarizes the rest of the story so the reader can
decide whether he wants to continue. What sorts of things did he vote
against?

It's easiest if you read for yourself. I give you a list of Federal
"victories" that NFIB claims.
Read through 'em, tell me if you agree with NFIB...and then I'll tell you
how Kerry voted on
the issue.



NFIB and small business make the difference in Washington, D.C.


NFIB comes out fighting every time lawmakers and regulators try to
take another bite out of your business or your pocketbook. NFIB members from
all over the country make their voices heard, and Congress listens -- and
those victories translate into money in your pocket.

Main Street Secures Temporary Relief From FPI

With the President's signing of the fiscal 2004 omnibus spending bill,
small business scored another victory on the issue of open competition. The
bill included a provision that temporarily allows small businesses to
compete fairly with Federal Prison Industries (FPI) for all federal
contracts. The new law will be in effect until Sept. 30, 2004. NFIB has
fought hard to give small business a fair shot at federal contracts and will
continue to work until FPI's unfair advantage is permanently repealed.

Obstacles Cleared for Overtime Reform

Small business is closer than ever before to long-overdue updates in
the rules governing overtime pay. Much needed reforms to the Fair Labor
Standards Act would change the way in which "white collar" workers are
compensated. Efforts to prevent these much-needed reforms as part of the
recently passed $820 billion spending bill were thwarted, thanks to the
efforts of NFIB and others. NFIB will continue to work tirelessly to clear
any obstacles that stand in the way of overtime modernization.

Small Business Scores Health-Care Option With HSAs

President Bush signed legislation in December 2003, authorizing the
creation of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Taking effect Jan. 1, 2004, HSAs
are tax-free savings accounts for medical expenses that will allow more
small-business owners to obtain affordable health coverage for themselves
and their employees.

Any taxpayer with a high-deductible insurance plan can contribute up
to $2,600 a year ($5,150 for families) into an HSA account. The new law also
allows both employers and employees to contribute to these accounts. HSAs
replace Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs), a temporary program that had
tighter eligibility and contribution restrictions.

NFIB and its 600,000 members fought hard to create this permanent
savings account program. Thanks to NFIB and others who lobbied on Capitol
Hill, small businesses now have another free-market health-care option
through HSAs.

NFIB Helps Repeal Baby UI Rule

Imagine if your business had to pay higher unemployment taxes because
your state government drained down its unemployment fund to provide paid
family leave to workers in your state. Thanks to NFIB and others, this won't
happen. NFIB helped stop the Birth and Adoption Unemployment Compensation
Rule of 2000 ("Baby UI"), a Clinton-era regulation that could have
endangered already shrinking state unemployment compensation reserves.
Unemployment taxes are paid to support those who leave work involuntarily,
but Baby UI would have allowed states to expand unemployment compensation
beyond its legislative framework. NFIB and others stopped this expansion,
preventing higher unemployment insurance rates for your business.

Income, Expensing, Dividend and Capital-Gains Tax Relief

NFIB and its 600,000 small business owner members worked hand-in-hand
with President Bush and congressional supporters to pass a tax-cut package
designed to stimulate the economy and provide Main Street with tax relief.
Thanks to the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, 23
million small-business owners will receive tax cuts averaging $2,209,
according to the Treasury Department. NFIB members participated in
presidential roundtables across the country over the past several months,
providing input on the small-business perspective and NFIB members and
lobbyists worked to ensure key provisions were included in the final bill.
Several NFIB members watched President Bush sign the tax relief into law in
May 2003. Those provisions included:
a.. Income-tax rate reductions, expected to aid many small-business
owners. The majority of small-business owners file their taxes as
individuals.
b.. A quadrupling of the expensing limit, from $25,000 to $100,000,
allowing small-business owners to deduct more capital expenditures in the
year of purchase instead of depreciating them over many years.
c.. A significant cut in dividend and capital-gains taxes, designed
to spur investment and economic growth.
Due to Senate budget requirements, provisions in the final bill expire
over the next several years, but NFIB continues its work for permanent tax
relief!



Superfund Liability Relief

After years of work by NFIB and its small business owner members,
President Bush signed Superfund reform legislation in January 2002,
protecting innocent small business owners from unfair lawsuits. Before this
lawsuit, small business owners had been at the mercy of an environmental law
with many unintended consequences, including holding small businesses liable
for thousands of dollars in fines for legally disposing of household
garbage.

Fair Competition in Government Contracting

President Bush signed legislation in December 2001 that will stop
predatory contracting practices by Federal Prision Industries with
Department of Defense contracts. Before this legislation, small businesses
could not compete for many items -- linens, office furniture, services --
the DOD was forced to procure from contracts automatically awarded to
convicts. Soon small business will compete on a level playing field for
those contracts. NFIB has fought for increased small business access to
government contracts and continues its work to expand this access to other
departments.

Death Tax Repeal

Credited by both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times for
putting death taxes on the congressional radar, NFIB helped bury the death
tax. The death tax will gradually phase out over 10 years until 2010 when it
is eliminated entirely. Because of a procedural glitch in the Senate vote,
the death tax will return in 2011. Today NFIB and thousands of small
businesses are fighting for permanent repeal of the death tax.

Annual Deductions

In its first courtroom victory, the NFIB Legal Foundation helped
overturn a U.S. Tax Court decision that would have forced small businesses
to run through a confusing maze of tax calculations, as opposed to simply
deducting certain annual expenses. The Legal Foundation teamed up with the
trucking company U.S. Freightways Corporation and then the American Trucking
Association for simpler deductions on annual permits, licensing fees and
insurance premiums. In a classic David versus Goliath battle, this victory
reached far beyond the trucking industry to small businesses everywhere.

Ergonomics

The NFIB Legal Foundation was part of a full-court press that
successfully challenged the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's
(OSHA) ergonomics rule. Responding to the NFIB Legal Foundation lawsuit
against OSHA and an intense lobbying campaign by NFIB, Congress repealed
this law that would have cost small business owners more than $40 billion.
Instead of making mandatory ergonomics guidelines, OSHA has begun issuing
voluntary ergonomics guidelines. Despite this important victory, the Legal
Foundation continues to watch OSHA to ensure that small businesses do not
receive the brunt of the regulatory burden.

Cash Accounting Rules Broadened

In December 2001 the Internal Revenue Service expanded the kinds of
businesses that may use the cash accounting method to qualifying businesses
with less than $10 million in annual revenues. The rule change will allow
more than 500,000 businesses to reduce administrative costs, allow deduction
of supplies when purchased and eliminate taxes on income never received.
NFIB fought for the change based on a Member Ballot where 83 percent of
members said small business should be able to use cash accounting.

Home Office Deduction Restored

NFIB pushed Congress to restore the exemption that was limited by the
Supreme Court. Because of NFIB's efforts, home offices may be deducted if
they serve as the site of essential business administration.

Capital Gains Taxes Cut

NFIB supported a cut in the top capital gains rate from 28 to 20
percent for assets held 18 months, including small businesses. Assets held
over five years are taxed at 18 percent.

Capital Expensing Increased

NFIB worked with Congress to increase the amount of equipment a small
business owner can expense. Expensing limits will increase to $20,000 in the
tax year 2000, to $24,000 in tax year 2001 and $25,000 in 2003 and
thereafter. President Clinton's veto stopped Congress from increasing
expensing to $30,000 in 1999.

Tax Ruling: ISO 9000 Expensing

Multinational corporations are not the only businesses that contribute
to the global economy. Small business plays a role. But there are obstacles
to free global trade. One of these has been the ISO 9000 compliance
requirement for manufacturers to export. Meeting certification requirements
is expensive, mainly because of the labor costs, which are expended
immediately. Historically, the IRS has held that a business could not
expense these costs in one year but should capitalize the costs over several
years. NFIB took the lead, working with trade groups, to get a Revenue
Ruling from the IRS that permits costs to be expensed during the current tax
year.

Taxpayer Bill Of Rights Approved

NFIB was a strong supporter of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which puts
the burden of proof on the IRS when taxpayers seek reimbursement for legal
fees incurred from unjustified enforcement action.

NFIB Holds Family Leave In Check

NFIB helped hold back a plan proposed by President Clinton to expand
the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) by executive order. At present, the
FMLA applies to businesses with 50 or more employees, requiring them to
grant unpaid leave for family illness, births or adoption. The president
proposed using unemployment benefits to pay employees from any size company
for taking family leave at the birth or adoption of a child in states that
choose to participate in the program. NFIB worked to ensure that no state
passed the expansion of family leave to include paid leave.

EPA's Unwarranted Paperwork Stopped

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires companies that
handle or store hazardous substances to file Risk Management Plans. This
would have resulted in a $1 billion regulatory burden on small propane
retailers -- with no corresponding environmental or safety benefits. In
1999, NFIB helped win enactment of the Chemical Safety Information, Site
Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act (S. 880), convincing lawmakers that
more paperwork does not necessarily mean a cleaner environment.