Tax Reform – R&R – Reachout and Rebuild

New York: Most Unequal State in the Nation!

David Posnett — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 22:18:11 +0000

A new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) recently found that New York State is home to the highest concentration of extreme wealth in the United States. New York State also has the greatest income inequality in the United States. By both of these measures, New York is the most unequal state in the nation.

The Fiscal Policy Institute’s latest brief, Inequality in New York and Options for Progressive Tax Reform, details ITEP’s findings as they apply to New York State, reviews additional research and data on New York State’s income and wealth inequality, and lays out their implications for New York State tax policy.

Key findings include:

New Yorkers worth over $30 million collectively own $6.7 trillion in wealth. These ultra-rich New Yorkers are just 0.4 percent of the state population.

New York’s ultra-rich also hold about one-fifth of the total wealth held by all ultra-rich Americans — the highest concentration of wealth in any state.

Of the $6.7 trillion held by ultra-rich New Yorkers, ITEP estimates that $3.1 trillion consists of unrealized capital gains. Much of this wealth will never be taxed under current law.

New York State tax implications include:

New York’s current tax system, taken as a whole, is regressive: the wealthy pay about the same combined state and local tax rate as the bottom 40 percent.

Because of the substantial overlap between high income earners and owners of extreme wealth, increasing the progressivity of the existing Personal Income Tax would help to address extreme inequality.

At a minimum, the state should not allow the current PIT rates on high earners to expire, as they are currently set to, in 2027.

New York can further address extreme inequality, and increase the overall progressivity of its tax system, through a number of tax policy options, including:

Increasing tax rates on long-term capital gains for high-income taxpayers

Taxing unrealized capital gains on a mark-to-market basis for wealthy taxpayers

Increasing taxes on business profits, such as those earned through pass-through entities such as LLCs, and targeting the profit-shifting of multinational corporations

Taxing inherited wealth, or fixing the estate tax by lowering the exemption threshold and eliminating step-up in basis

Revising the state constitution to permit a direct wealth tax

This will be relevant after December 6, 2022, when “Invest in Our New York” establishes its strategy/agenda for the legislative session.

Geraldine R. Maslanka

The Movement for a Wealth Tax in Washington State

David Posnett — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 16:04:48 +0000

The Movement for a Wealth Tax in Washington State

By Geraldine Maslanka

Legislators in Washington state are taking bold steps towards instituting a state-level wealth tax. The proposed tax is a 1 percent levy on wealth over $1 billion, applying to fewer than 100 households in the state.

According to the state’s Department of Revenue, the tax would raise an estimated $2.25 billion in 2023 and $2.5 billion in 2024. At a February 2 hearing, House Finance Committee chair Noel Frame said it’s time to put a new “tool in the toolbox for comprehensive structural tax reform.” The state’s current tax system places an enormous burden on Washington’s working class.

At the February 2 virtual hearing, over 40 witnesses lined up to testify in support of HB1406, an act to “improve the equity of Washington state’s tax code” by creating a wealth tax and “taxing extraordinary financial intangible assets.”

Many witnesses pointed out that Washington state has one of the most regressive tax systems in the country, with no income tax, a weak corporate tax system, and an overdependence on sales taxes. “Low income families pay 18 percent of their income in taxes while the very wealthy pay less than 3 percent,” observed John Burbank from the Economic Opportunity Institute in his testimony.

“This state is a wonderful place to raise a family and to plant roots,” said Mary Curry, a Tacoma resident and owner of a day care center, in testimony before the committee. “But how do I build when the tax laws are so harsh to the working class such as myself?”

Gerri

How to Climb out of the Financial Rut in NY State

David Posnett — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 20:16:07 +0000

On Feb. 5th R&R heard a presentation by Rebecca Saletan and Nick Lyndon on “The Invest in our New York Act”. It is a package of 6 bills for the State of NY. Together they are proposed to raise more than $50 billion/year in sorely needed revenue:

TAXING HIGH INCOMES

Progressive Income Tax S2622: Creates a tax system where New Yorkers pay a higher rate if they earn significantly more money.RAISES $12-18 BILLION

Right now, individuals with incomes between $21,400 and $1,077,550 are all taxed at roughly the same rate of 6.5%. Higher earners should pay a higher rate. This bill would raise the tax rates on the top 5% of income-earners ($300,000 and above).

Sponsored by Senator Robert Jackson and Assemblymember Demond Meeks

2. Capital Gains Tax A3152:

Taxes income from investments like stocks same as wages.RAISES $7 BILLION

Rich people make much of their income from investments like stocks, not from their jobs. The federal government taxes investment income at a much lower rate than wages. New York can fix this by adding a tax to investment income that’s equal to the tax break the rich are getting from the federal government.

Sponsored by Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assemblymember Ron Kim

TAXING WEALTH

3. Heirs’ Tax S3462 :

A progressive tax on large sums of inherited wealth.RAISES $8 BILLION

Many rich people also make their money from inheriting enormous sums. They can make up to $5 million in a year through inheritance and pay no tax on it. Inheritances of less than $250,000, family homes up to $2 million, money from pensions or retirement funds, and family farms will not be affected.

Sponsored by Senator Jabari Brisport and Assemblymember Michaelle Solages

4. Billionaires’ Tax:

An additional tax on billionaires, and constitutional amendment to allow a wealth tax. RAISES $23 BILLION IN THE FIRST YEAR, $1.3 BILLION PER YEAR THEREAFTER

New York already has a wealth tax: it’s called a property tax. Homeowners pay it every year. But if you own a massive stock portfolio, it is not taxed. This tax would treat billionaires’ gains in wealth as income, and these increases would be taxed at income tax rates. Additionally, a constitutional amendment would allow the state to tax large sums of intangible wealth—i.e., stocks, bonds and company ownership— in the future.

Sponsored by Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblymember Carmen De La Rosa

TAXING CORPORATIONS AND THE FINANCIAL SECTOR:

5. Wall Street Tax : A small tax on Wall St. financial transactions.RAISES $12-29 BILLION

Unlike other major financial centers like London and Hong Kong, New York doesn’t place any tax on financial transactions. The financial industry is the state’s largest industry: it makes up 30% of our economy. This bill places small taxes on trades of stocks, bonds and derivatives; a similar tax on stocks existed in NY until 1981.

Sponsored by Senator Julia Salazar and Assemblymember Yuh-line Niou

6. Corporate Tax S2833: A bill to repeal the Trump tax cuts, by restoring taxes on the profit a corporation makes each year. RAISES $9 BILLION

In 2017, Trump’s tax cuts reduced the federal corporate profit tax rate from 35% to 21%, and cut taxes on real estate businesses by 20%. New York can end these tax breaks in our state so that businesses pay the same tax as they did three years ago.

Sponsored by Senator Brad Hoylman and Assemblymember Anna Kelles

There is a detailed discussion with over 50 slides which is well worth reading (and beyond this summary):

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MX3-gtlQzBi0nRxNmfTKcziy7YjfB4Y6jnT5Gj-8jVo/edit?usp=sharing

Trump’s Economic Fallout

David Posnett — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 15:50:37 +0000

Guestwords in the East Hampton Star: Trump’s Economic Fallout for Suffolk County and Long Island

By John Tepper Marlin and Steven Newman October 1, 2020

President Trump’s three main economic initiatives have been radical 2017 cuts in taxes (at the expense of states and localities), unprecedented high tariffs on Chinese goods, and “deregulation” of federal agencies (entailing rejection of science-based programs). These initiatives have turned Washington, D.C., and the country upside down. How has this worked out? Following are some outcomes.

Mr. Trump’s denial of Covid-19 gives him ownership of its economic impact: The virus is not just an act of God. Mr. Trump’s knowing denial of its threat and refusal to recommend wearing masks immediately was a betrayal of his country. The pandemic is a national challenge just as much as the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center towers. An early science-based national response would have greatly reduced the huge negative economic impact.

The corporate tax cuts did not deliver on business investment: The main idea behind the 2017 Tax Act was to reduce the top federal tax rate on corporations from 35 percent to 25 percent. At the last minute, the law, which skipped customary hearings and staff analysis, took the tax rate down to 21 percent, even lower than its major advocates had asked for. Mr. Trump claimed the law would close tax loopholes, about which his newly uncovered tax returns show him to be informed. But few loopholes were closed by the 2017 law. He said businesses would invest the money and thereby create jobs. But after a few months, corporations switched to using the money to buy back their stock, which made a negligible contribution to job creation.

The impact of a fiscal change on the economy is measured by the “fiscal multiplier” — the change in gross domestic product for each dollar of change in tax cuts or spending. A 2015 Congressional Budget Office analysis concludes that fiscal multipliers are more successful for spending programs than tax cuts, for lower-income than for higher-income taxpayers, and for periods of recession than for booms. A widely cited fiscal multiplier for corporate tax cuts is only 0.32, compared with multipliers of 1.71 for an increase in food stamps, 1.55 for extending unemployment benefits, and 1.44 for infrastructure investment.

Tax cuts for individuals: The Tax Act substantially reduced tax rates for the top personal income brackets. When new money gets into the hands of average people, they spend it, because they have real needs that are not being met. This is not true for the very rich. Nevertheless, Mr. Trump argued that tax breaks should go to highest-income taxpayers. Policies that increase unemployment benefits, child credits, and food stamps are not only more equitable, they also generate more jobs.

The Tax Act’s cap on the SALT deduction hit New York State hard: The lowering of the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent in 2017 was paid for in part by a radical cap on the deductibility of state and local taxes (SALT) at $10,000 per taxpaying unit, whether single or married and filing jointly. This cap was deliberately targeted at higher-tax blue states. New York State has suffered the most, as indicated by the July jobs data, the latest we have. Jobs were down from a year earlier in every one of the nation’s 49 metro areas with a 2010 census population of 1 million or more. They are below the level of five years ago in more than half of these metro areas.

The five worst-hit metro areas in the country over five years include all three of the large New York State metros — Rochester, Buffalo, and New York City (which takes in a wide swath including Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties, northern New Jersey, and a piece of Pennsylvania). The SALT cap was a shock to state and local officials, who are scrambling to address lost tax revenues, and one of the hardest-hit cities is New York, which, unlike the federal government, must raise new taxes, cut spending, or borrow. That’s a choice between higher taxes, fewer employees, or postponed fiscal stress. Cutting the quality of services, from sanitation and health care to schools, will affect real estate values just as much as high taxes. Coupled with new interest in less-dense living to avoid exposure to Covid-19, this is making the East End of Long Island a beneficiary. But Suffolk can’t afford to let the engine of its prosperity falter.

The cap on the SALT deduction encourages moves by higher-income residents: The cap on the SALT deduction has made it more attractive and urgent for higher-income individuals to move to lower-tax states and communities. Blue-state residents have been moving to red states and will presumably seek to raise standards of education and other government services in their new locations. One silver lining is that it doesn’t take very many people moving from a populous blue state to increase electoral support for quality education in a small red state. Residents of New Jersey and New York are moving to Florida, while Californians are moving to Idaho and Nevada. Residents of New York City are moving to less-dense communities like East Hampton. Activism for better-quality services may generate some surprises in future elections.

Stressed states and localities need cash and are not getting it: This fiscal year has caught nearly every government by surprise. The CARES Act gave the Federal Reserve the right to lend to states and localities, but the Fed is acting as if the facility is intended as a last resort, for municipalities that can’t obtain private financing. But the municipal bond industry and many state laws favor long-term investment, not financing an operating deficit. Forcing municipalities to cut spending while the coronavirus crisis is still at our door is reverse Keynesian of the kind that exacerbated the worst years of the Great Depression.

Fortunately for the Town of East Hampton, the supervisor, Peter Van Scoyoc, and the town board have been able to keep the town functioning on a steady basis, but concentrating federal aid on businesses rather than local government means less fortunate communities face bleak options.

Tariffs on Chinese goods: Mr. Trump’s radical high-tariff moves are being paid not by Chinese producers but by American retailers and consumers, especially the fashion industry, which is suffering a knockout blow. China’s response to the U.S. tariffs has been to divert key supplies to Europe and has created shortages in this country — for example, in personal protective equipment and many medicines. China has meanwhile retaliated with tariffs on U.S. farm products. The relief program seems to have been concentrated on large agribusinesses, leaving small farmers without aid.

Deregulation has created new risks: The president’s science-denying efforts to roll back environmental, pharmaceutical, and other safety regulations have increased risks in each of these areas and have hampered a national response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over all, the economy has fared poorly. Yet the stock market has had an astonishingly good run. The main reason is that some corporations have been buying back their stock and the Federal Reserve has been flooding the financial markets with liquidity to help banks make loans and stave off business bankruptcies. Historically, the total return on stocks in the S&P 500 since 1947 has been higher under Democratic presidents, 10.8 percent per year, versus a rate under Republicans of 5.6 percent per year. The top performance was under Presidents Clinton and Obama, while the most negative was under Nixon and George W. Bush.

It’s a case of an open spigot for big business and a parched earth for states and local governments and nonprofits. This has left New York City in a financial crisis, but East Hampton has been relatively unscathed.

John Tepper Marlin has lived in Springs since 1981. He was for 20 years a federal government economist and the chief economist to three New York City comptrollers. Steven Newman, a resident of Queens, was chief of staff and first deputy to two New York City comptrollers.

Social Security Under Attack

David Posnett — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 02:04:18 +0000

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2020/08/12/489401/trumps-plan-defund-social-security/

The Social Security Act was signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a Democrat, on August 14, 1935, to function as a “federal safety net for elderly, unemployed and disadvantaged Americans,” while legislating that it cannot spend more than it receives through payroll taxes.

More than just a retirement program, it provides important life insurance and disability insurance protection as well. Over 64 million people, more than 1 in every 6 U.S. residents, collected Social Security benefits in June 2020.

One-third of all retirees are dependent on Social Security for 90 percent or more of their income, and over 60 percent depend on it for more than half of their income. About 61 million people are enrolled in Medicare.

Social Security and Medicare are both funded entirely through payroll taxes paid into “The Social Security Trust Funds” Every penny paid out must be paid with money coming in now and in the future from payroll taxes. There are no other funding sources.

We know the Republican Party, in its chronic itch to defund entitlement programs, has sought to cut Social Security, even though it operates at a very efficient administrative cost of around 2 percent.

Last month, due to his administration’s disastrous response to COVID-19, Trump signed an executive order delaying some payroll taxes until next year — but would then require payroll taxes to be doubled from January through April 2021 to restore losses.

However, within this executive order, Trump also asks his treasury secretary to “explore avenues, including legislation, to eliminate the obligation to pay the taxes deferred.” He was sounding an early call to scratch the itch and de-fund Social Security, along with Medicare.

And then, out campaigning more recently after his payroll tax delay order, Trump said: “If I win, I may extend and terminate. In other words, I’ll extend it beyond the end of the year and terminate the tax.”

If he were, in fact, to “terminate” the payroll tax, Trump would effectively leave the Social Security system with no ongoing funding at all. That means no Social Security and no Medicare benefits, since all funding of the system will have been terminated.

The Social Security Administration’s chief analyst, Stephen Goss, recently stated that if Trump’s (Republican) plan goes into effect, “we estimate that [the Disability Insurance] Trust Fund asset reserves would become permanently depleted in about the middle of calendar year 2021,” and that “the Social Security Trust Fund would become permanently depleted by the middle of calendar year 2023 with no ability to pay [Old-Age and Survivors Insurance] benefits thereafter.”

What does this mean for us if Trump, with his Republican majority, win?

What else does it mean?

James Ewing

Published as a letter to the editor in the Southampton Press this week.

Home Sales Plunge as a Result of Capping SALT

David Posnett — Sat, 02 Nov 2019 01:58:47 +0000

From the East Hampton Star comes a short notice burried on page B9: “Home Sales Have Plunged”.

By Jamie Bufalino

October 31, 2019

East End home sales in the third quarter were at an eight-year low, and the inventory of houses on the market has reached a 13-year high, according to a report from the Douglas Elliman Agency.

Sales over all have declined for the seventh quarter in a row, the agency reported. Sales of houses priced at or above $5 million were at their lowest level since 2013.

The slowdown in the real estate market continues to have an adverse impact on the Peconic Bay Region Community Preservation Fund. Revenues so far this year total $58.2 million, Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. announced on Friday, compared to nearly $73 million in 2018 — a decline of over 20 percent.

The preservation fund, which provides money for land preservation and water quality improvement, receives the proceeds of a 2-percent real estate transfer tax in the five East End towns: East Hampton, Southampton, Shelter Island, Southold, and Riverhead. Over the first nine months of the year, C.P.F. revenues from home sales fell 27.8 percent in East Hampton, 19.2 percent in Southampton, and 31.4 percent in Riverhead. Shelter Island’s were up 27.3 percent, and Southold’s increased by 6 percent.

Looking for a silver lining, Mr. Thiele said the 20-percent decline in overall revenue was an improvement from earlier this year. In May, C.P.F. intake was down 27.4 percent. Still, September’s intake, $5.38 million, was the lowest since March, when $4.56 million was collected.

The Douglas Elliman report attributed the slowdown in the real estate market to the 2017 tax reform law, which placed a $10,000 cap on the amount of state and local taxes — including property taxes — that can be deducted on federal returns. That cap, the report said, has made houses on the East End even less affordable.

Remember the Trump Tax law in Nov. 2017? Apart from a tax give away to the richest and to corporations, there was a mean spirited effort to punish coastal (democratic) states like California and New York, where real estate prices and taxes are high and state taxes too. We used to be able to deduct State And Local Taxes (SALT) from our federal tax income. But the Republicans drafted a bill that omitted these SALT deductions. Then it was amended and the SALT deductions were capped at $10,000. But voters did not like it! And Long Islanders, in particular, did not like it. Average real estate taxes are very high here.

Lee Zeldin had originally voted for Trump’s tax bill, but then the bill came back from the Senate (and a joint conference). Lee caught on that it was unpopular in his district. So he and a number of Rep. colleagues voted against the bill in the end (knowing that it would pass anyway).

At the time there were several blog posts on this tax bill on this site: https://resistancesuffolk.blog/2017/12/02/the-republican-tax-scam/

https://resistancesuffolk.blog/2017/11/11/zeldin-squirming-on-tax-bill/

https://resistancesuffolk.blog/2017/11/10/gaming-the-tax-plan-in-the-hamptons/

This last link (dated Nov. 10, 2017) states

“… the value of your home could decrease! Thanks Mr. Trump & Mr. Zeldin!”

Clearly, one of the concerns was that the capped SALT deductions might hurt housing prices. Now, just 2 years later, it is catching up with us and we are starting to see a major real estate slump.

https://www.leezeldinrecord.com/

Zeldin: Enabler of Trump’s Mob-rule

David Posnett — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 18:42:33 +0000

The Daily Beast: this is the Dems “golden opportunity” to beat Zeldin and calls Zeldin one of the Trump family’s “favorite congressmen,” a Trump “attack dog” “owned” by Freedom Caucus founder Representative Jim Jordan.

From The Daily Beast: “Democrats hoping to finally oust Zeldin realize that his political hopes will likely live or die on how impeachment plays. Perry Gershon, his 2018 Democratic opponent… is treating the impeachment push as a golden opportunity to argue that Zeldin is no longer in touch with his district.”

The Daily Beast is right – Lee Zeldin doesn’t care about repealing the SALT cap, bringing high-paying jobs to Long Island, or lowering prescription drug prices. He’s totally out of touch with our district.

The Daily Beast also notes Zeldin’s extremism compared to other Republicans, a key reason why we need to beat him in 2020: “The impeachment inquiry….has placed Republican members of Congress largely into two categories: those who are willing to concede discomfort with the president’s actions and those who are determined to show their loyalty and devotion. Few have embraced the latter mission more than Zeldin.”

We need to unseat an unhinged right-winger who has “gone off into crazy Trumpworld” and rally behind our campaign to make Long Island affordable, to achieve universal health coverage, and to protect our cherished water.

Perry Gershon

Rush $5 today to show Lee Zeldin we know he’s a willing enabler of Trump’s mob-rule presidency.

Don’t Make Me Laugh

David Posnett — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 14:41:01 +0000

By Perry Gershon:

Lee Zeldin wants you to think he’s an environmentalist. He’s spending big bucks blasting that absurd idea across Long Island television.

Don’t make me laugh.

In his four years in Congress, Lee has voted against the environment over and over again. He’s taken tens of thousands of dollars from the oil and gas industry to prop up his campaign.

It’s no wonder Lee opposed protecting the environment on 21 out of 22 votes.

Lee opposed seven bills on air quality protections.

He opposed protections for clean water 19 different times.

He opposed protecting wildlife eight times.

And he continues to stand by a president who insists climate change is a Chinese hoax.

Get the idea? Lee Zeldin is no friend of the environment, of clear air and water, or protecting our planet for future generations.

Long Island voters have a clear choice in November.

I promise to work tirelessly to protect the environment – whether that be our clear air, clean water, clean energy production, or protecting wildlife.

Lee’s record is clear, and that’s just another reason why he has to go.

Donate $5 right now. Let’s show Zeldin we won’t stand for his hypocrisy on the environment.

Posts on R&R (since July 2018) related to Zeldin’s environmental record:

Zeldin’s Environmental Voting Record Goes from Bad to Worse

Posted on August 28, 2018 by D. Posnett MD

Lee Zeldin wants to Drill in the Ironwood Forest National Monument By Marc Rauch: Latest update: Zeldin’s Environmental Voting Record Goes from Bad to Worse in 2018 In the first 3 years of Lee Zeldin’s congressional term (2015-2017), he earned … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, Environment, EPA, Executive Order, GOP, National Parks & Monuments, Trump, Uncategorized, water quality, Zeldin | Tagged Environment, lee zeldin, voting record | 2 Comments | Edit

Zeldin’s War on the Environment

Posted on August 20, 2018 by D. Posnett MD

By Perry Gershon: (Source: https://www.facebook.com/pg/perry4congress/posts/?ref=page_internal) Lee Zeldin continues to support the Trump Administration’s destruction of our environmental protections. The new “plan” for coal represents one more example of the total disregard for the serious health effects of air pollution. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Pollution, Environment, Trump, Uncategorized, water quality, Zeldin | Tagged car emission, clean air, clean water, pollution | 2 Comments | Edit

Is Lee Zeldin Really “Good On The Environment”?

Posted on January 19, 2018 by francescarh

A slickly produced mailer from Lee Zeldin appeared in my mailbox this week. It touted our Congressman’s supposed record in “safeguarding our environment.” Mr. Zeldin has been very adept in pulling the wool over voters’ eyes about his actual environmental … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment | Edit

Zeldin Boasting about Environment Record?

Posted on January 2, 2018 by maidstonejewelry

Recently Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), co-chair of the Long Island Sound Caucus and founding member of the “Congressional Estuary Caucus”, was joined by EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Regional Director Carrie Meek … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, Environment, EPA, Paris Climate Accord, Uncategorized, Zeldin | 4 Comments | Edit

More Bad Zeldin Environmental Votes

Posted on October 12, 2017 by D. Posnett MD

By Marc Rauch and Chelsea Estevez Since our last update in late August, fourteen bills impacting the environment have come before the House of Representatives. Lee Zeldin took the anti-environment position on 12 out of 14 of these recent bills. … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, Environment, EPA, Paris Climate Accord, Trump, Uncategorized, Zeldin | Tagged environmental justice, EPA, fracking, methane, ocean, public land | Leave a comment | Edit

Complete Lee Zeldin Environmental Voting Record

Posted on July 2, 2017 by D. Posnett MD

A great resource! D Posnett Marc Rauch·Friday, June 23, 2017 Complete Lee Zeldin Environmental Voting Record (Last Updated 6/29/17) Introduction Linked here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19e5j3Z3xupufWNReLsO-P69eL316sJDLBbf8EZDFklg/edit?usp=sharing is an easy-to-use Excel spreadsheet summarizing Lee Zeldin’s complete environmental voting record in Congress. Purpose This spreadsheet … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Pollution, climate change, Environment, EPA, National Parks & Monuments, Offshore Drilling, Uncategorized, Zeldin | Tagged energy, Environment, record, wind, Zeldin | 2 Comments | Edit

Lee Zeldin’s Duplicity on Environmental Issues

Posted on March 7, 2017 by D. Posnett MD

Marc Rauch, from Bellport, New York. had the following letter in the March 2, 2017 edition of the Long Island Advance: I was taken aback by Rep. Lee Zeldin’s “official positions” on protection of the environment, as reported last week … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Uncategorized, Zeldin | Tagged duplicity, Environment, pollution, Zeldin | 1 Comment | Edit

Zeldin & Environment?

Posted on February 19, 2017 by D. Posnett MD

My letter to editor of LI Advance was published this week- 2/16/2017 Voting to loosen standards on oil and gas industries Where is Congressman Zeldin on the environment? Two weeks ago I visited Congressman Zeldin’s office to talk with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Uncategorized | Tagged Environment, Zeldin | 5 Comments | Edit

Flip the House — Defeat Zeldin!

Posted on August 4, 2018 by amyturner2000

By Jacquelyn Gavron & Amy Turner, July 19, 2018 New York’s First Congressional District (NY-1), historically a swing district, is represented by Lee Zeldin (R). He was initially elected with Tea Party support and is an unwavering Trump loyalist with … Continue reading →

Posted in ACA, AHCA, economy, Environment, Guns, Health Care, Politics, Tax Reform, Uncategorized, Women, Zeldin | 3 Comments | Edit

Moral Obligation to send Zeldin packing

Posted on July 19, 2018 by D. Posnett MD

Published in the East Hampton Star – the July 10, 2018 To the Editor: Offered less than 10 days into our district’s 133-day congressional race, The Star’s advice to local Democrats (“First District Dilemma”) is not only premature, but also … Continue reading →

Posted in perry gershon, Uncategorized, Zeldin | Tagged David Rattray, democratic, gershon, Star, turnout | Leave a comment | Edit

Flip the House — Defeat Zeldin!

David Posnett — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 20:55:14 +0000

By Jacquelyn Gavron & Amy Turner, July 19, 2018

New York’s First Congressional District (NY-1), historically a swing district, is represented by Lee Zeldin (R). He was initially elected with Tea Party support and is an unwavering Trump loyalist with extremist views. Here’s a sampling of how he’s voted.

HEALTH CARE

Zeldin voted for the American Health Care Act—the Republican bill to repeal and replace Obamacare—which would have resulted in:

14 million people losing health care coverage in 2018 (51 million by 2026)
Huge Medicaid cuts ($834 billion)
Loss of coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, which includes pregnancy.

ENVIRONMENT

Don’t be misled into thinking that Zeldin’s an environmentalist due to his votes on LOCAL issues such as offshore drilling and the “Save Don’t Sell Plum Island” bill (introduced by Bishop, 2013). On NATIONAL issues, he’s consistently opposed regulation and was rated among the worst environmental regulators 3 years running by the League of Conservation Voters. Zeldin’s voted to:

Slash EPA funding by $500M
Permit coal companies to dump mining toxic waste in streams
Prohibit the EPA from requiring oil and gas companies to reduce methane pollution—a key contributor to global warming.

GOP TAX BILL

Zeldin boasts that he voted against the tax bill because it eliminated SALT deductions. But months earlier he had refused to sign a bi-partisan letter to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin protesting its elimination. He voted against it because Ryan didn’t need his vote to pass the bill and has said little about its other damaging provisions such as:

Huge tax breaks for corporations and the wealthiest Americans
Repeal of the estate tax
Eliminating deductions for vets, teachers, and those with student loans
Increased taxes on many middle-class families.

GUN SAFETY

Zeldin has received $56,281 in NRA donations, more than any sitting NY representative. He co-sponsored the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which would override New York’s strong gun laws and let gun owners from states with weaker laws carry hidden, loaded weapons in public places in New York and is opposed by law enforcement across the country, including AGs from 17 states, local police commissioners (including NYPD and SCPD) and the Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence (comprised of 12 associations including the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Association of Chiefs of Police, Major Cities Chiefs Association and the National Sheriffs Association). Zeldin has also voted against bills to:

Ban firearms in airports
Deny guns to people on the terrorist no-fly list
Prevent mentally ill veterans from buying guns
Fund CDC research on gun violence
Restrict the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms from regulating ammunition for semi-automatic weapons.

IMMIGRATION

Zeldin has been in lock-step with Trump’s immigration policies since his post-inaugural travel ban against Muslims and defended Trump’s comment about immigrants from “shithole countries.” He has also voted to:

Rescind DACA
Require state and local governments to comply with ICE requests to detain undocumented immigrants
Block funding for states and localities that have “sanctuary” laws on immigration.

LGBTQ RIGHTS

Zeldin has said he believes marriage should be between a man and a woman and has voted against the Marriage Equality Act of New York 2011 and legislation preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Zeldin has:

Supported Trump’s rescinding of Obama’s rule on transgender bathroom use
All but said he supported Trump’s ban on transgender people in the military.

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Zeldin voted for a bill to ban abortion at 20 weeks (directly challenging Roe v. Wade), which was opposed by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as a serious threat to women’s health and not based on sound science. Zeldin has supported:

Defunding Planned Parenthood
Federal legislation allowing parents to prevent their daughters from receiving abortions.

Zeldin Supports GOP Shenanigans

David Posnett — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 16:56:01 +0000

Published as Letter to Editor, The East Hampton Star

Fiscal Chicanery

July 10, 2018

Dear David,

If you are under any illusions about congressional Republicans’ intentions to undermine the financial security of American families, just take a look at their new budget plan. Barely six months after passing a huge tax cut for corporations and the wealthy that swelled federal deficits by almost $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years, the Republican-controlled House Budget Committee issued a plan on June 17 that bemoans the “irresponsible imbalance” of the federal budget.

With stunning hypocrisy, the document states, “The federal government is spending more than it takes in. This increasing disparity is largely due to mandatory . . . spending, which includes safety-net programs like Medicare and Social Security. . . .” The plan then proposes to cut Medicare spending by $537 billion through partial privatization.

This is fiscal chicanery, pure and simple, and Lee Zeldin is fully on board with it. In November, let him know you are not on board with it. Vote for Perry Gershon, Democrat, and you will be voting for a representative who will work for real tax reform that helps middle class families and small-business owners, rather than tax reform that further lines the pockets of the 1 percent and large corporations.

Sincerely,

CAROL DEISTLER