President Obama today signed into law an extension of tax relief.  The bipartisan package extends a series of provisions Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa sponsored and shepherded into law as chairman of the Finance Committee in 2001 and 2003 and as a leading supporter of biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.  The Finance Committee has exclusive Senate jurisdiction over taxes.  Grassley made the following comment on the President's signing of the bill into law.

"This will be good for taxpayers and the economy.  Raising taxes would have been the worst thing we could do with unemployment at nearly 10 percent. Continued tax relief gives people the ability to keep more of their money to use as they see fit, whether it's buying groceries or investing in their small business.  Sending more money to Washington would just result in more spending, which is the last thing the country needs.  The restoration of the biodiesel tax credit and continuation of the ethanol tax credit, along with 49 other tax incentives for different sectors of the economy, are part and parcel of job retention and creation.  Biodiesel has lost nearly 23,000 jobs because the credit lapsed.  Ethanol has 112,000 jobs at stake.  These industries offer the most effective alternative to expensive foreign oil from unfriendly countries."

The Grassley-sponsored tax-relief bill enacted in 2001 was the biggest in a generation.  It lowered marginal rates and created the 10-percent bracket.  It made tax-free savings plans for college a permanent part of the tax code, created the deduction for tuition, and secured the tax deductibility of interest on student loans.  If this tax relief wasn't extended in 2010, on average, Americans' tax bills would have gone up by 10 percent.  Without action:

--the tax deduction for college tuition would have gone away

--the expanded part of the tax deduction for interest on student loans would have gone away

--the 10-percent tax bracket for low-income workers would have ended

--six million very low-income taxpayers removed from the tax rolls altogether in 2001 would have been taxed again

--the tax-free treatment of employer-provided educational assistance would have gone away.  Across America, one million workers who go to school at night or part-time benefit from this tax relief.

--the tax benefit for certain bonds to improve and build schools would have gone away

--the tax-preferred expanded part of education savings accounts would have gone away

--there would have been a higher tax penalty for marriage

--the child tax credit would have been cut in half (from $1,000 to $500)

--the refundable child tax credit for many people who don't pay taxes would have gone away

--savers, investors and seniors would have paid higher taxes on dividends and capital gains

--the estate tax would have come back in full (to a 55 percent tax rate and $1 million unified credit exemption amount).

For more information on the biodiesel and ethanol tax credits enacted today, click here.

Sunday January 23, 2011, from 1pm - 5pm

WHERE: The Old Creamery Theatre

39 - 38th Ave. Amana, IA 52203

WHAT: Actors should prepare two short contrasting monologues (max. 1 minute each) one of which should be a comic piece (preferably contemporary)

Singers (in addition to the short monologues) should prepare 16 to 32 bars of one (or two contrasting) song(s) sung a cappella or with recorded accompaniment.

(A CD player will be available - NO accompanist will be provided)

Please bring a current picture and resume.

Seeking Equity and non-Equity performers of various ages (including college students and recent college graduates for intern positions) to fill roles in The Old Creamery's 2011 Main Stage, Studio, and Theatre for Young Audience series. ("Art" and "The Guys" on the Studio Stage and "A Don't Hug Me Christmas Carol" on the Main Stage are all fully cast at this time).

Intern opportunities generally require availability throughout the year (though some positions may be available with summer-only commitments). Internships include housing and a $225 per week living stipend. Intern duties involve all aspects of theatre and may include but are not limited to: performing, costuming, stage management, house management, prop design, set construction, lighting, promotions and assistant teaching of workshops.

Membership and applicable weeks in Equity's EMC program are available for main stage productions only.

Please call our business offices at (319) 622-6034 after January 17, 2011 to make an appointment.

If you are unable to attend these auditions, please send a headshot and resume to:

Sean McCall - Artistic Director

The Old Creamery Theatre Company

39 - 38th Ave.

Amana, IA. 52203

Or electronically to smccall@oldcreamery.com

Celebrate the joy of the season!  Join us for Rivermont Collegiate's Annual Holiday Open House, to be held Saturday, December 11th from 4:00-7:00 p.m.  The Rivermont Collegiate campus is home to the Historic Joseph Bettendorf Mansion, built on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi.  The Mansion is a local landmark, featuring Italian marble, painted ceilings, and hand carved woodwork.  Joseph W. Bettendorf, head of the Bettendorf Company, built his English manor style home in 1915 for his family and to entertain railroad magnates from the east.  The Mansion remained a residence of the Bettendorf family until it was sold to the Marist Society in 1959 and used as a seminary.  In 1973, St. Katharine's-St. Mark's School purchased the Mansion and moved the school from Davenport.  In 2002, the school was renamed Rivermont Collegiate, since it no longer had a religious affiliation.  In 1984, the Bettendorf Mansion was recognized for its historical significance to the people of Iowa and was entered in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Annual Holiday Open House is a chance for the community to view the Bettendorf Mansion in all its splendor, beautifully decorated for the holidays.  Rivermont Collegiate is located at 1821 Sunset Drive, directly off 18th Street behind K&K Hardware in Bettendorf.  Drop in between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. for light refreshments and tours of this local gem!

This event is open to the public and dress is casual - please RSVP to Brittany Marietta at (563) 359-1366 ext. 301 or marietta@rvmt.org.

Rivermont Collegiate is the Quad Cities' only private, independent, nonsectarian college-prep school for preschool through twelfth grade - visit us online at www.rivermontcollegiate.org.

For additional information on Rivermont Collegiate, contact Cindy Murray at (563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org.

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