Big City, Big Spender: Byrds Of A Feather Spend Together
How Giuliani Killed The Line-Item Veto:
In 1997, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani Challenged The Constitutionality Of The Line-Item Veto. "New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani challenged the constitutionality of the presidential line-item veto on Thursday in a federal lawsuit seeking to keep New York from losing Medicaid funds. President Clinton's August veto 'unfairly targets the city and the state of New York,' Giuliani said. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court here." (Tom Raum, "N.Y. Mayor Fights Line-Item Veto," The Associated Press, 10/16/97)
Giuliani Successfully Sued All The Way To The Supreme Court To Have The Presidential Line-Item Veto Declared Unconstitutional. "Here's a little nugget from the past, a tale that may offer some insights into the next stage of the GOP presidential race, and the fortunes of front-runner Rudy Giuliani: The date is the mid-1990s, and Republicans have swept Congress with their Contract with America. A top promise is greater fiscal responsibility, and a crucial element of that is a vow to pass a line-item veto and give the president the power to weed out pork. In 1996 Republicans are as good as their word, and grant the opposition's Bill Clinton a broad new power to strip wasteful spending. Mr. Clinton is enthusiastic, and in August 1997 uses his tool for the first time to strike down a special-interest provision tucked in a bill. That provision gives New York hospitals a unique right to bilk extra Medicaid money, and the veto is expected to save federal taxpayers at least $200 million. Quicker than a Big Apple pol can say 'pork,' New York officials sue, challenging the line item veto's constitutionality. That suit, Clinton v. City of New York, goes all the way to the Supremes, which in 1998 put the kibosh on veto authority. The kicker? The guy who brought the suit and won--or, rather, the guy who helped stall one of the more powerful tools for reining in government spending--was none other than former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani." (Kimberley A. Strassel, "Rudy's Big Apple Baggage," The Wall Street Journal, http://www.opinionjournal.com, 4/13/2007)
In The Dissent, Conservative Justice Antonio Scalia Wrote That The Line-Item Veto Is "Entirely In Accord With The Constitution." "In a dissent joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, Justice Antonio Scalia said opponents of the veto had 'succeeded in faking out the Supreme Court.' He called the authority 'entirely in accord with the Constitution.'" (Richard Sisk and Frank Lombardi, "City Gains 1.2B From Line-Item Veto Ax," New York Daily News, 6/26/98)
Giuliani Praised The Decision As A "Very, Very Big Victory For New York City And For New York State." "Mayor Giuliani called the ruling a 'very, very big victory for New York City and for New York State' that would keep in place the federal Medicaid reimbursement formula for hospitals serving poor patients without insurance. 'Why the Clinton administration, that began on a note of wanting to give universal health care, ended up vetoing this particular area of legislation as a political matter, I will never understand,' Giuliani said." (Richard Sisk and Frank Lombardi, "City Gains 1.2B From Line-Item Veto Ax," New York Daily News, 6/26/98)
Now Running For President, Giuliani Supports A Line-Item Veto For The President. From Giuliani's 12 Commitments: "Propose a Constitutional Amendment Establishing a Presidential Line-Item Veto: A constitutional line-item veto would allow the President to fight for the national interest by cutting wasteful special interest programs without contributing to gridlock by vetoing an otherwise sound bill." (Giuliani For President Website, www.joinRudy2008.com/commitment.php?num=3, Accessed 7/7/2007)
University Of Pennsylvania's Factcheck.Org: Giuliani "Fought To Keep" The Commuter tax. "Also, it's worth noting that Giuliani's list doesn't mention one tax he fought to keep – New York City's commuter tax, which was lifted by the state Legislature in 1999. The mayor and the city council sued the state to maintain the tax – .45 percent of earned income for most of the people affected – but lost in court. The city had been collecting about $360 million per year from commuters from New Jersey, Connecticut and other parts of New York state." (Factcheck.org, "Giuliani's tax Puffery," FactCheck.orgWebsite, http://www.factcheck.org/, 7/27/2007)
NY Republican State Senate Leader Joseph Bruno Called For The Repeal Of The Commuter tax. "But Mr. Bruno, a Republican of Rensselaer County, pointed out yesterday that the city is benefiting from a $2.1 billion surplus, and that Mr. Giuliani has proposed $405 million in tax cuts for city residents. The Senator said it was only fair to provide similar benefits to the 450,000 residents of suburban counties in New York State who pay the commuter tax." (Abby Goodnough, "State Senate Republicans Seek To Drop Commuter tax," The New York Times, 5/12/1999)
Giuliani Immediately Threatened Legal Action In Order To Keep The tax. "A spokeswoman for Mr. Giuliani said tonight that he would file suit to retain the tax, maintaining that the state cannot end it without the permission of the city." (Clifford J. Levy, "Leaders In Albany Plan To Eliminate tax On Commuters," The New York Times, 5/13/1999)
Giuliani: "We Will Challenge It. We Will Go To Court And We Will Win." (Gregg Birnbaum, "Rudy Goes To War With Albany," The New York Post, 5/14/1999)
Giuliani Even Said That The Commuter tax Should Be Increased Rather Than Eliminated. "Earlier today, Mr. Giuliani assailed the Legislature for seeking to end the commuter tax, saying that if anything, it should be higher." (Clifford J. Levy, "Leaders In Albany Plan To Eliminate tax On Commuters," The New York Times, 5/13/1999)
Governor Pataki Signed The Repeal Into Law, Despite Giuliani's Protests. "Gov. George Pataki signed the law eliminating New York City's commuter tax yesterday at the Rockville Centre train station, much to the delight of hometown state Sen. Dean Skelos, who for more than a decade championed calls to remove the tax." (Monte R. Young, "Pataki Signs Commuter tax Repeal," New York Newsday, 5/28/1999)
Following The Repeal For New York Residents, Commuters From New Jersey And Connecticut Filed A Lawsuit Claiming The Repeal Was Unconstitutional. "A New Jersey man and a Connecticut man filed a joint class-action lawsuit against Gov. Pataki yesterday, charging the state's newly passed * and highly controversial * New York City commuter tax repeal for in-state residents is unconstitutional." (Dareh Gregorian, "Gov Sued From Every Direction For Ending Commuter tax," The New York Post, 5/29/1999)
Giuliani Filed A Lawsuit Challenging The State's Authority To Repeal The tax. "Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and City Council Speaker Peter Vallone joined forces and filed a lawsuit yesterday to challenge the Legislature's repeal of the city's commuter tax, insisting the measure was unconstitutional… The suit argues the Legislature passed the measure too quickly and did not receive city permission in what's called a Home Rule message." (Liz Willen, "City Sues Over tax Repeal," New York Newsday, 6/3/1999)
The State Supreme Court Rejected Giuliani's Argument And Ruled The Entire tax Unconstitutional. "A Manhattan judge on Friday, in effect, rewrote the state law repealing the New York City commuter tax, an action which authorities said could cost the city more than $360 million a year. Supreme Court Justice Barry Cozier said the law, which repealed the payroll tax only for state residents but left it intact for out-of-state commuters, was unconstitutional. His ruling means the tax is eliminated for all commuters…Cozier agreed with lawyers for New Jersey, Connecticut and two private individuals that the new tax law, scheduled to take effect July 1, violates several provisions of the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiffs had argued that taxing some commuters and not others was unfair to those who still would be forced to pay. The judge rejected the city's argument that the law is special legislation requiring a so-called home-rule message before any change is made. A home-rule message is a request from the city to the state to alter a law affecting city affairs." ("Judge Eliminates Commuter tax," New York Newsday, 6/26/1999)
The Giuliani Administration Vowed To Appeal The Ruling. "City officials said the court ruling would be appealed." ("Judge Eliminates Commuter tax," New York Newsday, 6/26/1999)
The New York Court Of Appeals Rejected NYC's Appeal. "Deepening a financial blow to New York City, the state's highest court said yesterday that state lawmakers acted within their authority last year when they repealed a city tax on commuters and that the 'discriminatory' income tax still levied on out-of-state commuters must also be ended. That means out-of-state commuters will be reimbursed for the city tax they've paid retroactive to July 1 of last year, when the repeal for in-state commuters took effect. The city had collected the 0.45 percent tax since 1966." (Kara Blond, "Court Of Appeals Kill City's Commuter tax," New York Newsday, 4/5/2000)
"For A Classic Example Of The Politics Of Self-Interest, You Can't Beat New YorkMayor Rudolph Giuliani's Challenge To The Line-Item Veto. ... This Is No Disinterested Argument Over Constitutional Principles. Giuliani Wants His Piece Of The Pie, And Doesn't Care Who Gets Hurt In The Process." (Editorial, "Rudy Gets It All Wrong," Boston Herald, 10/19/97)
In 1998, Mayor Giuliani Praised The Death Of The Line-Item Veto As A "Very, Very Big Victory For New York City And For New York State." "Mayor Giuliani called the ruling a 'very, very big victory for New York City and for New York State' that would keep in place the federal Medicaid reimbursement formula for hospitals serving poor patients without insurance. 'Why the Clinton administration, that began on a note of wanting to give universal health care, ended up vetoing this particular area of legislation as a political matter, I will never understand,' Giuliani said." (Richard Sisk and Frank Lombardi, "City Gains 1.2B From Line-Item Veto Ax," New York Daily News, 6/26/98)
It sounds to me like Rudy supported Universal Health Care
Mayor Giuliani Still Gleefully Boasts How He "Beat" The Line-Item Veto. GIULIANI: "The line item veto was unconstitutional. I took Bill Clinton to the Supreme Court and beat Bill Clinton. It's unconstitutional. What the heck can you do about that, if you're a strict constructionist?" (CNBC, Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, Dearborn, MI, 10/9/07)
FACT: Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) Celebrated The End Of The Line-Item Veto, Which Threatened His Pork:
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) On The End Of The Line-Item Veto: "This Is A Great Day For The United States..." SEN. BYRD: "This is a great day; a great day for the United States of America, a great day for the Constitution of the United States. And I am happy and gratified at the decision that has been reached..." (Sen. Robert Byrd, Press Conference, 6/25/98)
Sen. Byrd Knew The Line-Item Veto Threatened His Ability To Bring Pork Back To His State. SEN. BYRD: "Now, as you fine people know, I fight to give to this country infrastructure, believing in it; that it helps the economy, and it's good for the national defense; it puts people to work and so on. There have been situations in which I have had items in appropriation bills. ... But The Line-Item Veto would be a powerful and very persuasive instrument to use on me or any other senator. It's a convincing tool, because I know what the people of West Virginia need. I've fought for their needs for 40 years. And I know that that line item veto could be useful to any president." (Sen. Robert Byrd, Press Conference, 6/25/98)
"Sen. Robert C. Byrd, Long The Prince Of Pork On Capitol Hill, Declared That If The Court Strikes Down The line item veto, It Would Be 'My Christmas Wish Come True.'" "The Supreme Court has now ruled the line item veto unconstitutional. The pro-spending lobby in Washington is uncorking bottles of champagne. ... In fact, last December, Sen. Robert C. Byrd, long the prince of pork on Capitol Hill, declared that if the Court strikes down the line item veto, it would be 'my Christmas wish come true.' Merry Christmas, Mr. Byrd." (Stephen Moore, "Regrouping To Revive Line-Item," The Washington Times, 6/30/98)
"Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani was recently in New Hampshire touting the 23 tax cuts he supposedly pushed through as mayor of New York City. He also announced his support for extending the Bush tax cuts and promoted other tax-relief measures he would advocate as president.
"Upon closer inspection, however, Giuliani’s record on taxes isn’t as conservative as advertised. In fact, a nonpartisan independent organization found that Mayor Giuliani actually opposed significant tax cuts, and would have denied hundreds of millions of dollars in tax relief for New Yorkers had he gotten his way.
"FactCheck.org, which is run by the non-partisan Annenberg School at the University Of Pennsylvania, has pointed out that Mayor Giuliani fought Republican efforts to kill the city’scommuter tax, and actually went to court to keep it alive."
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"In another instance, FactCheck.orgreported that Giuliani strenuously opposed a personal-income-tax-rate cut amounting to $469 million – but now claims credit for it as one of the 23 taxes he cut."
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"Moreover, Giuliani's refusal to sign Americans for tax Reform’s taxpayer Protection Pledge' raises serious doubts among economic conservatives about his commitment to keeping income-tax rates low.
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"As a long-time member of the supply-side cabal, I’m convinced that Governor Romney is the best candidate to extend the Art Laffer–Jack Kemp–Ronald Reagan supply-side revolution into the 21st century. Unlike the other GOP presidential candidates, Mitt Romney learned about free-market capitalism not from textbooks or Washington policy debates, but by practicing it for 25 years as an entrepreneur in the private sector.
"Moreover, Governor Romney was the first 2008 presidential candidate to sign the no-tax-rate-increase pledge. In major speeches earlier this year before the Detroit Economic Club and the Club for Growth, Romney came out for extending the Bush tax cuts, permanently killing the death tax, providing relief from the Alternative Minimum tax, lowering the corporate tax, and reducing marginal tax rates for all Americans.
"And the governor has put a bold new pro-growth tax reform on the table: abolishing taxes on capital gains, dividends, and interest for moderate-income taxpayers earning $200,000 or less annually. This innovative approach would not only boost savings, investment, and economic growth, it would further expand the ownership society to America’s broad middle class.
"More important, Governor Romney?s rhetoric about pro-growth tax relief actually matches his record."
Cesar Conda, formerly assistant for domestic policy under Vice President Cheney (2001-2003), is an advisory board member of The International Economy magazine. He also is a member of the Romney campaign’s economic-policy advisory team.
Rudy supported Mario M. Cuomor instead of George E. Pataki (R) (more). He said of Pataki, “He has one idea in this campaign and it’s borrowed from someone else.” Mr. Giuliani during an October 1994 show.
In March of 2007, The New York Times reported that Kerik was likely to also be indicted for tax fraud and illegal eavesdropping, and also disclosed that Giuliani had testified under oath in April 2006 that he had in fact been briefed on Kerik's mob links in 2000 — prior to his appointment of Kerik as Corrections Commissioner. Giuliani had previously denied knowing of these connections until years later (NYT Article).
Mayor Giuliani inherited a $2.3 billion deficit from his predecessor, David Dinkins. He left a $4.8 billion deficit for his successor, Michael Bloomberg. However, he has broadcast campaign advertisements in Iowa and other states, asserting that he “turned a $2.3 billion deficit into a multibillion dollar surplus.” Michael Cooper: Giuliani Boasts of Surplus; Reality Is More Complex, New York Times, August 25, 2007
In May 2007, Giuliani put responsibility for selecting the location of the Office of Emergency Management in the World Trade Center (long time a target of Ilsamist) on Jerome M. Hauer, New York City’s first Director of Emergency Management director who had been appointed by Giuliani himself and had served under Giuliani from 1996 to 2000. Hauer has taken exception to that account in interviews and has provided FoxNews and New York Magazine with a memo demonstrating that he recommended a location in Brooklyn but was overruled by Giuliani. Television journalist Chris Wallace interviewed Giuliani on May 13, 2007, about his 1997 decision to locate the command center at the World Trade Center. Giuliani laughed during Wallace's questions and said that Hauer recommended the World Trade Center site and claimed that Hauer said that the WTC site was the best location. Wallace presented Giuliani a photocopy of Hauer directive letter. The letter urged Giuliani to locate the command center in Brooklyn, instead of lower Manhattan, because "not as visible a target as buildings in lower Manhattan." Transcript: Rudy Giuliani on Fox News Sunday (2007-05-14). Retrieved on 2007-09-29, Onetime Giuliani Insider Is Now a Critic. Retrieved on June 12, 2007, Angry Giuliani Aide Lashes Back. Retrieved on June 12, 2007, Wayne Barrett and Dan Collins, \"The Real Rudy, September 11, 2006 The February 1996 memo read, "The Brooklyn building is secure and not as visible a target as buildings in Lower Manhattan." Giuliani Blames Aide for Poor Emergency Planning
When Bob from Manhattan asked in 1999 about a report linking a mayoral friend to ethical wrongdoing, Mr. Giuliani butted in. Why don’t you seek counseling somewhere, Bob? I think you could use some help. I can see the direction we’re going in — there are people so upset and so disturbed that they use radios for these sick little attacks on people,” Mr. Giuliani said. “I hope you take this in the right spirit, Bob.“You should go to a hospital. You should see a psychiatrist.”
He prevented city employees from contacting the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) about immigration violations.
Rudy said in a 1994 Press Confrence, "If you come here and you work hard and you happen to be in an undocumented status, you're one of the people who we want in this city."
In a Minneapolis speech in 1996 Rudy said; "There are times when undocumented immigrants must have a substantial degree of protection."
“There isn’t a mayor or public official in this country that is more strongly pro immigrant than I am. Including disagreeing with President Clinton when he signed an anti immigrant legislation about 2 or 3 years ago.”
Giuliani speaking fees draw scrutiny; Firm headed by `America's mayor' challenged in court, By Andrew Zajac, Washington Bureau, Published February 7, 2007
Rudy Giuliani married his second cousin, Regina Peruggi, in 1968. He later divorced her and obtained an annulment from the Catholic Church in 1982. He was married to Donna Hanover from 1984 to 2002. They have two children, Andrew and Caroline. He married Judith Nathan in May 2003. Giuliani had that really strange affair and divorcé, which most family people won't understand.
Giuliani is not very socially conservative.
During his term as Mayor of New York, and prior to 9/11, Rudy Giuliani made no qualms about being seen in public with his mistress (the current Mrs. Giuliani), while his then wife sat (disgraced) in Gracie Mansion. This will undoubtedly be brought to the fore, in addition to the fact the former Mrs. Giuliani had been his mistress prior to their marriage as well. Add these indiscretions to his present business dealings with the Mexican Government, both conservatives (already bogged down with an illegal immigration muddle) and liberals will have a field day.
NYC debt rose by $16 billion during his tenure in office to a total of $43 billion, and by the end of his term New Yorkers were paying around $6 billion a year in interest alone. His record on debt screams incompetence.
"Most of Clinton's policies are similar to most of mine." * Rudy Giuliani
Giuliani could destroy the "GOP brand" because he is pro-abortion and takes views on other issues that are radically different from most Republicans.
"We can't disqualify Dems like Hillary (Rodham Clinton) on social issues ever again" if Giuliani is the nominee.
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, reported that he earned $1.2 million last year from Bracewell & Giuliani, a Houston law and lobbying firm.
“What we have here is a fundamental disagreement over tax policies affecting American families. Mayor Giuliani crusaded against the line-item veto and fought very hard to keep a commuter tax burden on hardworking taxpayers. Governor Romney strongly disagrees with Mayor Giuliani on those issues, since the line-item veto helps reduce wasteful spending and families ought to be protected from higher tax burdens, instead of having their mayor file lawsuits in court in an effort to keep them.”
– Kevin Madden, Romney for President campaign spokesman
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