McCain missed all 8 votes on energy legislation

[allvol123]

Originally Posted by volinbham

I think voting on bills is part of their job. If it's a BS bill, vote no and move on.

I understand your point, but can just as easily be satisifed in not voting for a bs bill.

[BigPapaVol]

Originally Posted by TennNC

well, it might be the most important nationwide issue. certainly one of them. and though neither is good, in an election where a good lot seems to be choosing the "lesser of two evils," I'd say 3 of 8 is less evil than 0 of 8.

depending upon the vote, right?

It's cowardly that they don't vote, but we are definitely in an era where a politician is much better off as an enigma than a known quantity. Either way, I want elected officials doing what they're massively overpaid to do. However, let's not pretend that this bill was some referendum on our energy program.

[allvol123]

What McCain missed out on in not voting on S. 3335

Extends the tax credit for producing electricity from wind facilities through 2009 and the tax credit for closed and open-loop biomass, geothermal, small irrigation, hydropower, landfill gas, and trash combustion facilities through 2011. Includes marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy as a renewable resource for purposes of such tax credit.
Extendsthe energy tax credit for solar energy and the residential energy efficient property tax credit through 2016. Extends the energy tax credits for fuel cell and microturbine property through 2017. Allows a new investment tax credit for combined heat and power system property.
Provides funding for new clean renewable energy bonds to finance electricity production from certain renewable resources and for qualified energy conservation bonds.
Allows tax credits for investment in advanced coal electricity and coal gasification projects.
Extends through 2018 the temporary increase in coal excise taxes. Sets forth special rules for refunds of coal excise taxes to certain producers or exporters.
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to Congress on Internal Revenue Code provisions that have the largest effects on carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions and to estimate the magnitude of those effects.
Allows accelerated depreciation for certain property used to produce cellulosic biofuel.
Extends through 2009 income and excise tax credits for biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Allows a tax credit for new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles.
Exempts from the heavy truck excise tax idling reduction devices and certain insulation.
Excludes from gross income reimbursements for bicycle commuting expenses.
Increases and extends through 2010 the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures.
Extends through 2013 the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial building expenditures.
Extends the tax credit for energy efficient appliances produced after 2007.
Allows accelerated depreciation for smart electric meters, electric grid systems, and certain reuse and recycling property.
Extends through FY2012 tax-exempt bond financing for qualified green building and sustainable design projects.
Extends through 2008: (1) the increased exemption amounts for the alternative minimum tax (AMT) and related AMT provisions; (2) the election to deduct state and local sales taxes in lieu of state and local income taxes; (3) the tax deductions for qualified tuition and related expenses and for certain expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers; (4) tax rules for treatment of stock and dividends of regulated investment companies and for qualified investment entities; (5) tax-free distributions from individual retirement accounts (IRAs) for charitable purposes; and (6) the tax exclusion for amounts received under qualified group legal services plans.
Extends through 2008 various business-related tax provisions, including: (1) the tax credit for increasing research activities; (2) the tax credits for Indian employment and railroad track maintenance; (3) accelerated depreciation for qualified leasehold and restaurant improvements, for improvements to retail space, for motorsports racing track facilities, and for business property on Indian reservations; (4) the expensing allowance for environmental remediation costs; (5) the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production activities in Puerto Rico; (6) the special rule for the tax treatment of certain payments to tax-exempt organizations by a controlled subsidiary; (7) issuance authority for qualified zone academy bonds; (8) tax incentives for investment in the District of Columbia; (9) the economic development credit for American Samoa; (10) the special rule for charitable contributions of food and book inventories; (11) the increased tax deduction for corporate contributions of computer equipment and technology for educational purposes; (12) the special rule for the reduction in the basis of S corporation stock for charitable contributions of property; (13) work opportunity tax credit eligibility for Hurricane Katrina employees (through August 28, 2008); (14) increases in alcohol excise taxes payable to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands; and (15) the tax credit for nonbusiness energy property.
Extends through 2009: (1) the new markets tax credit; (2) the tax credit for mine rescue team training expenses; (3) the expensing allowance for advanced mine safety equipment; (4) the subpart F exemption for active financing income earned on business operations overseas; (5) special rules for the tax treatment of payments between related controlled foreign corporations; and (6) expensing of costs of certain film and television productions.
Extends through 2014: (1) the suspension of tariff duties on certain wool products; and (2) the Wool Research Trust Fund.
Makes permanent the authorities for: (1) Internal Revenue Service (IRS) disclosure of tax information relating to terrorist activities; and (2) IRS undercover operations.
Lowers in 2008 the earned income threshold amount for determining the refundable portion of the child tax credit.
Allows individuals who receive a settlement from Exxon Valdez oil spill litigation to average any settlement or judgment-related income over a three-year period or contribute such income to a tax-exempt retirement account.
Allows an excise tax exemption for certain wooden arrow shafts.
Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require group health insurance plans to provide equal benefits for mental health or substance use disorders.
Modifies criteria for penalties on tax return preparers who understate tax liabilities.
Amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to extend such Act through FY2011.
Transfers from the Treasury $8.017 billion to the Highway Trust Fund.
Provides special tax benefits for individuals and businesses in federally-declared disaster areas, including: (1) expensing of business-related disaster expenses; (2) extended net operating loss carryover periods; (3) waiver of certain requirements for mortgage revenue bond eligibility; (4) income averaging; (5) additional tax exemptions for providing housing for individuals displaced by disasters; (6) employer tax credits for retention of employees; (7) extension of the replacement period for nonrecognition of gain for property; and (8) suspension of limitations on the tax deduction for charitable contributions; and (9) increased mileage rates for the use of a personal vehicle for charitable purposes.
Revises the program of tax incentives for investment in the New York Liberty Zone.
Sets forth revenue provisions relating to: (1) the inclusion in gross income of deferred compensation paid by certain foreign entities; and (2) increases in estimated tax payments of certain large corporations.
Requires brokers who are required to report gross proceeds from the sale of any publicly-traded security to report the holder's adjusted basis in such security and whether any gain or loss with respect to such security is long or short term.
Delays until 2019 the application of special rules for the worldwide allocation of interest for purposes of computing the limitation on the foreign tax credit.

[TennNC]

Originally Posted by volinbham

I think voting on bills is part of their job. If it's a BS bill, vote no and move on.

that would've put him in a massive, whole, steamy, stinky pile of political poo in the public debate about energy - at least now he can say he was out campaigning and meeting people. (obama can too, for the record).

i wonder if he was hemming a bit b/c oil cos wanted offshore drilling in that bill, and if he voted for any bill without it, he'd be in deep doo-doo with them.

[volinbham]

Originally Posted by TennNC

Not pressing? And extracting 7 months of usable oil off our coasts 10 years from now is pressing?

I seem to recall you calling for oil drilling as part of a comprehensive energy plan. Do you not care about the comprehensive part? Just the drilling part?

1. A bit of hyperbole on the 7 months comment.

2. Was offshore drilling part of the bill? Was nuclear part of the bill? If not, it was not comprehensive.

Still, voting should have occurred by both.

[TennNC]

Originally Posted by BigPapaVol

depending upon the vote, right?

It's cowardly that they don't vote, but we are definitely in an era where a politician is much better off as an enigma than a known quantity. Either way, I want elected officials doing what they're massively overpaid to do. However, let's not pretend that this bill was some referendum on our energy program.

for you and allvol123:

why is this a BS bill?

why would we not do everything we can to explore harnessing every bit of energy that's available? why would we not give incentives to companies to invest capital and allow our country to utilize new sources of energy?

b/c it's not allowing extended offshore drilling? where's the bs?

[allvol123]

Originally Posted by volinbham

1. A bit of hyperbole on the 7 months comment.

2. Was offshore drilling part of the bill? Was nuclear part of the bill? If not, it was not comprehensive.

Still, voting should have occurred by both.

I doubt he can really believe that himself. If it were 7 months, you think oil companies would expend the resources required to extract it? Oh yea, those silly economics.

[BigPapaVol]

Originally Posted by TennNC

that would've put him in a massive whole in the public debate about energy - at least now he can say he was out campaigning and meeting people. (obama can too, for the record).

i wonder if he was hemming a bit b/c oil cos wanted offshore drilling in that bill, and if he voted for any bill without it, he'd be in deep doo-doo with them.

joevol wanted me to ask you what a whole is?

[allvol123]

Originally Posted by TennNC

for you and allvol123:

why is this a BS bill?

why would we not do everything we can to explore harnessing every bit of energy that's available? why would we not give incentives to companies to invest capital and allow our country to utilize new sources of energy?

b/c it's not allowing extended offshore drilling? where's the bs?

Can you figure out the riddle there in your own post?

[TennNC]

Originally Posted by volinbham

1. A bit of hyperbole on the 7 months comment.

2. Was offshore drilling part of the bill? Was nuclear part of the bill? If not, it was not comprehensive.

Still, voting should have occurred by both.

this was indeed an important part of it. if i understand correctly, it was renewing credits for investment that had occurred for years already. why cut it off if we're supposedly serious about a comprehensive energy plan?

[TennNC]

Originally Posted by BigPapaVol

joevol wanted me to ask you what a whole is?

well played.

[BigPapaVol]

Originally Posted by TennNC

for you and allvol123:

why is this a BS bill?

why would we not do everything we can to explore harnessing every bit of energy that's available? why would we not give incentives to companies to invest capital and allow our country to utilize new sources of energy?

b/c it's not allowing extended offshore drilling? where's the bs?

did you read the bill? do you know anything about tax credits? do you know the value of tax credits? do you understand the level of incentive we're actually talking about here?

[volinbham]

Originally Posted by TennNC

for you and allvol123:

why is this a BS bill?

why would we not do everything we can to explore harnessing every bit of energy that's available? why would we not give incentives to companies to invest capital and allow our country to utilize new sources of energy?

b/c it's not allowing extended offshore drilling? where's the bs?

It certainly isn't a major bill on energy given the content. It extends some previously authorized tax credits and alters some other tax code. Hard to view this a comprehensive, or highly significant. If the energy issue truly is the greatest issue we face, this bill is embarrassingly weak in addressing the issue. Any of these provisions could be tacked onto a bill that would make a real difference.

[TennNC]

Originally Posted by BigPapaVol

did you read the bill? do you know anything about tax credits? do you know the value of tax credits? do you understand the level of incentive we're actually talking about here?

tell me.

[allvol123]

Originally Posted by volinbham

It certainly isn't a major bill on energy given the content. It extends some previously authorized tax credits and alters some other tax code. Hard to view this a comprehensive, or highly significant. If the energy issue truly is the greatest issue we face, this bill is embarrassingly weak in addressing the issue. Any of these provisions could be tacked onto a bill that would make a real difference.

But why should someone let that stop them from writing some idiotic article in a major newspaper that makes people think McCain really doesn't care about energy.