A soon to be released United Nations report will say that scientists have 95% certainty that humans are the principle driver of our warming planet. Scientists aren’t arguing about whether the Earth’s atmosphere is warming. The melting glaciers and thermometers don’t lie. But yet all the physical signs of climate…
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s . . . a Tax Penalty!
One of the big political stories yesterday was Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney correcting his top advisor, Eric Fehrnstrom, thus giving us the accurate description of how the individual mandate to purchase health insurance will be enforced. Yesterday Mr. Romney called it a tax and on Monday of this week Mr.…
Off Shore Tax Haven
This morning Frank Knapp joined Sen Carl Levin in a press conference in support of the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Bob Keener617-610-6766bobkeener@businessforsharedpropsperity.org Business Leaders Join Senator Levin to Support New Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act Bill Would Close Tax Loopholes, Raise Needed Tax Revenue, Level…
House member shot…Repeal vote postponed
House Republicans are postponing a vote to repeal the healthcare law scheduled for next week after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) in Arizona. Keep Congresswoman Giffords and all the victims of this shooting in your thoughts and prayers. UnConflicted is the small business advocacy blog of Frank Knapp,…
Raises at utilities—Who pays?
This week the S.C. Public Service Commission (PSC) is holding a hearing on SCE&G’s request for an electric rate increase. As an intervenor I have been actively involved in the negotiations with the power company in an effort to significantly cut the initially requested 9.5% hike in rates. The S.C.…
Still Fighting the War
Photo by Kim McManus It sure is difficult to give good information about the new health care law when the critics keep fighting the war. Such was the case this morning when I appeared on a panel sponsored by the Charleston Regional Business Journal. One of the other three panelists…
Voter Unrest
Today’s primary elections in several states are said to be a test of voter unrest. A large source of that unrest I discuss in my opinion editorial that ran in The Hill’s on-line version today. Contrary to what you have heard from the tea partiers this unrest has more to…
NFIB Fights to Protect Their Money…At Your Expense
When the media ran the story that the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) was joining the “frivolous” lawsuit against the U.S. government over the new healthcare law, there were a couple important pieces of information missing. The national press is not doing its job so let me help them.…
DONE!!! Guv’s Veto Overridden
The SC Legislature gave Governor Mark Sanford a “parting” gift—a 50-cent increase in the state’s cigarette tax.Thanks for playing, Guv. Sanford has successfully fought the tax increase for years regardless of the purpose of the tax—even when it was to help make health insurance more affordable specifically for small business.…
Chairman Emeritus Tim Wilkes
I took a short drive up to Winnsboro this weekend to visit an old friend who I hadn’t seen in far too long. Tim Wilkes is the chairman emeritus of our Small Business Chamber. He served as our organization’s chairman until he developed some life-threatening health problems which forced him…