Gibbons Announces Plan to Keep More Money in the Pockets of Iowans

Friday, December 11, 2009, 12:32
Iowa, News Center
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31 comments

Gibbons Des Moines, IA- After consecutive months of increasingly startling unemployment numbers, Congressman Leonard Boswell’s stimulus is undoubtedly a failure. Since the passing of Democrats trillion dollar stimulus, Iowans have seen the economy continue to struggle while unemployment dramatically increases. Funding that was promised to go towards job creation and small businesses – the engine of the Iowa economy – has been spent on big-government policies.

“If we can’t trust Congressman Boswell and Nancy Pelosi to spend our money wisely, then let’s stop sending them our hard earned dollars. A real stimulus for our economy will be allowing people to keep more of their hard earned money to provide for their families,” said Jim Gibbons.

Today, Gibbons announces a tax holiday proposal that will help working Iowans and grow jobs. Under Gibbons proposal:

1.) Every taxpayer would pay no federal income tax for the first three months of 2010
2.) Every taxpayer would pay no FICA tax for the first 3 months of 2010
3.) Every employer with 500 employees or less would pay no FICA tax for the first 3 months of 2010.

For the typical Iowa family earning $50,000 a year, this would allow them to keep up to $3,000 that would otherwise be paid to the federal government.

“My plan will reduce taxes on small businesses and workers, putting more money in their pockets. The plan would utilize the billions of dollars in unspent stimulus money to provide a income tax holiday for working families,” Gibbons said.

“Leonard Boswell’s votes with Nancy Pelosi have wasted trillions of taxpayers money. As your congressman, Iowa families and small businesses can be assured I will work to stop this senseless spending and focus on keeping and growing jobs here in Iowa,” said Jim Gibbons.

“Boswell continues to push the same big-spending and anti-jobs agenda that has driven the economy into the ground. I’m running for Congress to help small businesses do what they do best – create jobs and jumpstart the economy.”

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31 Comments on “Gibbons Announces Plan to Keep More Money in the Pockets of Iowans”

mirage wrote on 11 December, 2009, 15:46
I was wondering how long it would take before a campaign released a really dumb press release and idea, but this one takes the cake for maybe the dumbest idea in years by any candidate……

Jim, if you are to be taken as a serious candidate, how do you propose this gets enacted in two weeks?
Jim, if you are to be taken as a serious candidate, how do you propose that Grandma gets her social security check if you have decided just to stop paying FICA in two weeks?
Jim, if you are to be taken as a serious candidate, how do you suppose any senior will get their hospital bill paid, any young survivor can get their college funding check, or the disabled person can pay their electric bill if you just decided to stop funding in two weeks?

I could say so much more about how completed dumb this idea is, but I sit here in wonderment how this release EVER made it through your campaign staff? Sadly, it seems with crazy ideas like just shutting off paying your taxes (a foolish, risky, reckless idea if I ever heard one), you better start over with an entirely new campaign staff with realistic, workable ideas.
Mr. Truth wrote on 11 December, 2009, 16:07
Good idea, Mr. Gibbons. So far today, ideas from Funk and Gibbons. Mirage, why not focus on saying good things about Brad Zaun or Leonoard Boswell instead of being so negative. Get in the holiday spirit. It’s almost 5 in Davenport!
mirage wrote on 11 December, 2009, 16:10
Happy holidays Mr. Truth……truth is, even Santa would say it is still the dumbest idea from a candidate from either party in years.
Mr. Truth wrote on 11 December, 2009, 16:17
Well, if the idea is good enough for Newt Gingrich and Eric Cantor, it’s good enough for me. And that’s the truth. Now enjoy the holidays and cheer up. It’s almost 5 in Davenport!
Amber Baum wrote on 11 December, 2009, 16:39
I support Brad Zaun but mirage you really make Brad look bad by coming here and criticizing everything candidate Gibbons proposes. It looks silly. I am proud to support Brad in this race for congress because he is the only republican running that I can count on to support civil rights for gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. A republican that is willing to stand up for civil rights is one I am proud to support.
Mr. Truth wrote on 11 December, 2009, 17:05
A little google search says that the NFIB, US Chamber of Commerce, and John Boehner also support the payroll tax holiday in 2010. Good idea, Mr. Gibbons.
mirage wrote on 11 December, 2009, 17:13
Mr. Truth, I support the Easter Bunny, peace in the middle east, and a balanced federal budget too, but you tell me in two weeks how we are to stop paying for FICA taxes…and for months…….explain that one in detail to me. Got any cost estimates to look at on this one?

I don’t agree with democrats much, but one has to agree with BleedingHeartland.com who calls this Gibbons proposal “idiotic”.

Clearly, it is.
mirage wrote on 11 December, 2009, 17:19
and Mr. Truth….none of your references support shutting off funding to FICA…here is a link for you to study…get your facts straight…….
http://www.nfib.com/issues-elections/issues-elections-item/cmsid/49039/
Mr. Truth wrote on 11 December, 2009, 17:32
I’m sorry mirage but go talk to an accountant about what employment and self employment taxes are. Please. You look ridiculous. Just try to not be negative for a day. It will do you and the people you support some good. I like candidates like Gibbons and Funk that offer ideas. Call me crazy. And this idea is one supported by people like Newt Gingrich and Eric Cantor. So, color me crazy. Or just a conservative that believes that taxpayers make better decisions with their money than Leonard Boswell or Nancy Pelosi do for them.
daGOPman wrote on 11 December, 2009, 17:50
@Amber Baum, I don’t recall EVER seeing evidence that Brad Zaun is a supporter of GLBT rights. I don’t ever recall seeing him stand up for Same-Sex marriage. Please source it because I find it hard to believe.

@Mirage, You keep this up ppl will think ur on Zaun’s payroll. Your comments are utterly useless and your pander makes you look utterly useless as well.
mirage wrote on 11 December, 2009, 17:56
daGOPman….maybe you can explain then how to implement this new tax plan two weeks from now since Mr. Truth (can’t) won’t.

If you can’t, then it is as unrealistic as I said, and as idiotic as BleedingHerartland says.
daGOPman wrote on 11 December, 2009, 18:00
@mirage, I agree that implementation is impossible right now and it has no long-term value. I’m saying YOU are overzealous and it’s almost a waste of energy to even read what you type because I have yet to see you even entertain a thought not coming from the Zaun camp.
mirage wrote on 11 December, 2009, 18:09
daGOPman…ty for your honesty about implementation…..but, about my posts, you have a choice not to read them, and I will not read your posts which have been in my opinion overly pro-Funk. We will just agree to disagree. As to my other thoughts, you can see I post on several topics, not just the 3rd district race….for instance today there is a post on the Cownie ambitions……and before I have posts on many other items, including Conlin and others………
Dave Funk wrote on 12 December, 2009, 9:58
“Amber Baum wrote on 11 December, 2009, 16:39
I support Brad Zaun but mirage you really make Brad look bad by coming here and criticizing everything candidate Gibbons proposes. It looks silly. I am proud to support Brad in this race for congress because he is the only republican running that I can count on to support civil rights for gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. A republican that is willing to stand up for civil rights is one I am proud to support.”

Amber; I have seen nothing in Senator Zaun’s public history or voting record that would lend any credibility to your statement. If your making it to attempt to discredit him with the social conservatives, please come forth with evidence to prove your statement. If it’s not, I would ask you on behalf of all of the candidates running in this primary, to refrain from putting out inaccurate information, be it about Senator Zaun, Coach Gibbons or myself.

Dave Funk
http://www.CongressNeedsFunk.com
ConservativeMom wrote on 12 December, 2009, 15:14
mirage it is clear that you have no idea about paying taxes and owning a business. As a person who processes paychecks every two weeks and pay taxes once a month for a small business this would be a great benefit for both the employees and me.
And I figure if they can raise the debt ceiling in a matter of days they can do this no problem. And you know what I won’t criticize Mr. Gibbons if it doesn’t start until Feb. 1. I am glad to see a candidate coming up with ideas and going after Boswell.
desmoinesdem wrote on 12 December, 2009, 15:17
Amber Baum sounds like a troll to me. I looked up Zaun’s vote on the civil rights bill of the 2007 session. Several Republicans supported it, but he was a no vote. I am not aware of any pro-LGBT votes in his career, but please correct me if I am wrong.
ConservativeMom wrote on 12 December, 2009, 16:16
I just stopped back to see if anyone responded to my post and I find it interesting to see desmoinesdem defending Zaun. Anyone else find that interesting?
desmoinesdem wrote on 12 December, 2009, 17:32
ConservativeMom, I certainly won’t be defending Zaun in this campaign. I noticed comments here saying he had a “pro-gay” record, so I tried to find evidence of that. If he did have any pro-equality votes, that would make me respect him more, but I have not been able to find any examples of that.
wonders wrote on 12 December, 2009, 17:34
You know all the Zaun people are opposed to Gibbons’ business related idea. Is it because their candidate had troubles with his business and had to close it?
ConservativeMom wrote on 12 December, 2009, 18:01
I still find it interesting. I will be watching to see what other Republicans you defend. Guessing it will not be many if any.
mirage wrote on 12 December, 2009, 18:59
wonders, why are you coming in here with lies?…as you very well know, Zaun sold his business to another small businessman when he went to work for another company, and the business ran for some time under other ownership. I guess this shows your level of desperation….

and conservative mom…sure…if its a great idea to stop paying taxes, why dont we all stop paying taxes for the next five years!…GREAT idea. this non-paying taxes idea is idiotic and no one yet has shown me even if it was a good idea how to implement it in two weeks as Gibbons’ suggests.
ConservativeMom wrote on 12 December, 2009, 19:39
Mirage, I am not saying we should stop paying taxes. I am saying they should take some of the money we have already paid and use that to pay the upcoming bills rather than these outrageous ideas the Democrats come up with to spend money on. After all it is our money not the Governments. But Mirage maybe you like the Government spending your money on outrages projects. I am not a big fan of it.

Wow you are blowing things out of proportion aren’t you.

Again, I support Gibbons idea.
mirage wrote on 12 December, 2009, 19:58
conservative mom….Gibbons idea is in two weeks to stop paying taxes, income AND FICA, yet you say “im not saying we should stop paying taxes”, then u go on to “support Gibbons idea”. wow….i would say you are very confused.
I do however agree with you that we are spending WAY too much in Washington, and that it is our money not theirs, and projects are outrageous (like Boswell earmarking $500 thousand to honor Senator Culver’s contributions). In the end, conservative mom….we agree on WAY more than we disagree on. happy holidays.
desmoinesdem wrote on 12 December, 2009, 20:29
ConservativeMom, the only Republicans I’ll ever defend are the old-fashioned Rockefeller Republicans, whom people like you have driven out of the GOP. I give you right-wingers credit, though, for helping Democrats win over moderates.
crankright wrote on 12 December, 2009, 22:42
The problem with this proposal is that it only provides half of a solution. It does not address two of the fundamental causes of our current economic woes – namely runaway government spending and incomprehensible deficits. I agree with those who have stated that it is our money, and leaving money in the hands of taxpayers will provide much more economic stimulus than another government program to create jobs in nonexistent congressional districts. Unfortunately, suspending tax collections without a corrresponding reduction in spending will simply compound the deficit problem and not provide a lasting budget fix. And I don’t think the Treasury can run the presses any faster, so printing more money and inflating the money supply won’t solve the problem, either. I think most Iowans are smart enough to know that we can’t afford any more Obamalosioswell “freebies” – this country has been bankrupt for several decades, and it’s time to pay the bills.
Oh, and to Mr. Truth – I’m not surprised that Newt Gingrich would support an idea like this, and I don’t consider him a conservative. If you take the time to really listen to what Newt says, he simply uses conservative-sounding words to describe more government programs as solutions. A real conservative doesn’t look to the government for solutions.
hunter22 wrote on 13 December, 2009, 3:50
Separation of Greed and State… like Church and State.

The time has come, if you donate to a candidate, you are continuing the system of corruption and greed.

Have candidates legally agree not to take money..and refuse to give any donations……instead post debates/ information on the web, or one webpage, or in the press’s discussion rooms.

If they can not do that, then they can not be trusted.

Make Democracy work.
crankright wrote on 13 December, 2009, 10:32
hunter22, please note that we have a Republic, not a Democracy.
I agree that we need to have better discussion of the issues but the problem with the internet is it can be done anonymously, so there is no personal accountability for what you say (witness some of the stupid things said above). I’m all for the open and serious discussion of issues based on facts and principles, rather than baseless personal attacks. Until we can solve that problem political candidates will need money to get their message and ideas heard above the din of silliness.

Make the Republic work.
Amber Baum wrote on 14 December, 2009, 9:03
I know Brad very well and I know he supports civil rights for gays, lesbians and bisexuals because he told me so. And I was so proud of him when I personally encouraged him to protect gay youth and he voted to ensure they are safe in their schools. Brad is the kind of Republican that this moderate independent woman can vote for. The rest of you should be ashamed for not believing that gays, lesbians, and bisexuals deserve the same protections and equality as everyone else. I am proud of you Brad Zaun!
donlee wrote on 15 December, 2009, 11:37
Obama, Pelosi and Reid are anxious to spend our money. The banks said thanks for the billions but we’re not going to lend to small businesses. At least Gibbons is coming up with proposals designed to help me, you and Iowa businesses. I’ll take a tax holiday because the alternative is giving my money to the dems. No thanks!
mirage wrote on 16 December, 2009, 22:56
donlee, sorry, Gibbons expensive, not well thought out proposal piles up another $625 billion dollars of debt on my children, grandchildren, and everyones children and grandchildren. NO THANKS!