The looming Obama tax increases

Will the Bush tax cuts soon be the Obama tax increases?

There has been much talk recently of extending the Bush tax cuts. These tax cuts were passed during President Bush’s administration in 2001 and 2003 to fight the recessions that resulted from the tech stock bubble and the 9/11 terror attacks. To get the votes needed to pass the tax cuts, an expiration date of December 31, 2010 was written into the law.

Read the rest of this article at:
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/the-looming-obama-tax-increases

Analysis of Roy Barnes on abortion, guns, and spending

Courtesy of Roy Barnes campaign

Over the past few months, I have used my blog to educate voters with a series of profiles of candidates for elections in Georgia. In several cases, I contacted the campaigns through telephone calls or email to clarify positions on issues or with question about the candidate’s background. After waiting for several weeks, I finally received a response from Roy Barnes, the Democratic candidate for Georgia Governor.

To read the rest of this article please click the link below:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5960992/roy_barnes_answers_questions_on_abortion.html?cat=9

Roy Barnes on abortion, guns and spending

Courtesy of Roy Barnes

Over a month ago on September 23, as I was preparing candidate profiles for the gubernatorial candidates, I submitted several questions to the Roy Barnes campaign along with a request for the rights to use a photo of Mr. Barnes to accompany the article. Although I called and emailed the campaign several times, there was no response so I finally published the article.

Finally, two days ago, I received response from the Barnes campaign. In order to fully educate the electorate, I will pass along what new information I received. Additionally, I have also received permission to use the photo that accompanies this article. You can read the full candidate profile of Barnes here.

To read the rest of this article please click the link below:
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/exclusive-roy-barnes-on-abortion-guns-and-spending

Coping with Obamacare’s price increases

If you have received your open 2011 enrollment package for your company’s health care benefits, like me you may have experienced some sticker shock this year. With the passage of the health care reform law, many Americans are finding that their health insurance premiums are going up and that their benefits are going down.

To make the most of your health insurance dollars, take a little extra time this year and examine all the alternatives that your company offers. One of the first things to consider is whether you and your family use your health insurance a lot or a little. If you rarely go to the doctor or get prescriptions filled, then you probably don’t need the most expensive plan with all the bells and whistles. For people who rarely use their insurance, a high deductible plan might save money.

Major medical plans typically have a deductible and many do not include copayments. This means that you will be responsible for paying your health insurance costs until you meet the deductible. For example, if your plan includes a $1,000 deductible, you will have to pay the first $1,000 of medical expenses for the year. After the deductible, these plans usually pay a set percentage, usually 80-90% of the medical bill. This leaves the employee to pay the remaining 10-20%. This is called coinsurance.

To read the rest of this article, please click the link below:
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/coping-with-obamacare-s-price-increases

Read Part 2 here:

http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/coping-with-obamacare-s-price-increases-part-2

Photo credit:
jscreationzs’s portfolio is:
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1152