http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/06/26/3674328/michigan-preemption/
"Michigan’s legislature passed a bill this week that blocks any cities in the state from passing their own minimum wage increases or paid sick leave requirements."
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Maine Governor 'Jokes' About Shooting Cartoonist And Executing Lawmakers
Maine Governor 'Jokes' About Shooting Cartoonist And Executing Lawmakers
"Paul LePage says he would "like to shoot" a cartoonist who advocates for an expanded rail system and that he'd like to "round up and execute" lawmakers."
"Paul LePage says he would "like to shoot" a cartoonist who advocates for an expanded rail system and that he'd like to "round up and execute" lawmakers."
ALEC Plans Corporate Control and Privatization Of Every City In America
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/06/25/alec-plans-corporate-control-privatization-city-america.html
"Many Americans have never heard of the Koch brothers much less their legislative arm in Congress and, more importantly, state legislatures across the country. What the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) does is allow corporations to write legislation for Republicans to introduce and then pass into law. Corporations pay the Koch brothers’ ALEC for the privilege of allowing their operatives to write corporate legislation for Republicans and it makes ALEC, and now a subsidiary, more powerful than any special interest, lobbyist, state legislator, and in the majority of cases informs how and why corporations control Republican state governments. Apparently, though, controlling state legislatures is not enough for the Kochs and their corporate cabal so they set their sights on local jurisdictions like city councils, mayors, school districts, and county supervisory boards to round out their sphere of corporate influence on America from the federal government down to the local village council."
"Many Americans have never heard of the Koch brothers much less their legislative arm in Congress and, more importantly, state legislatures across the country. What the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) does is allow corporations to write legislation for Republicans to introduce and then pass into law. Corporations pay the Koch brothers’ ALEC for the privilege of allowing their operatives to write corporate legislation for Republicans and it makes ALEC, and now a subsidiary, more powerful than any special interest, lobbyist, state legislator, and in the majority of cases informs how and why corporations control Republican state governments. Apparently, though, controlling state legislatures is not enough for the Kochs and their corporate cabal so they set their sights on local jurisdictions like city councils, mayors, school districts, and county supervisory boards to round out their sphere of corporate influence on America from the federal government down to the local village council."
Michigan Republicans move to block local sick leave and minimum wage laws
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/26/1396940/-Michigan-Republicans-move-to-block-local-sick-leave-and-minimum-wage-laws
"One of the things Republicans like to do with control of state government is make sure that cities and towns don't pass any pesky laws improving conditions for workers. We can't have local government ruining all the good work state-level Republicans are doing in keeping workers poorly paid and forced to go to work even when they're sick, can we? Certainly not—and Michigan Republicans are on it."
"One of the things Republicans like to do with control of state government is make sure that cities and towns don't pass any pesky laws improving conditions for workers. We can't have local government ruining all the good work state-level Republicans are doing in keeping workers poorly paid and forced to go to work even when they're sick, can we? Certainly not—and Michigan Republicans are on it."
Scott Walker: Equal pay laws are bad because they pit men and women against one another
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/24/1396165/-Scott-Walker-Equal-pay-laws-are-bad-because-they-pit-men-and-women-against-one-another
"One of the reasons Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker tries so very, very hard not to express opinions on things is because when he does pipe up with one, it is often inane. Case in point: Walker was asked what he thought of laws that would require equal pay for men and women. He doesn't like those, because they "pit one group against another group"."
"One of the reasons Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker tries so very, very hard not to express opinions on things is because when he does pipe up with one, it is often inane. Case in point: Walker was asked what he thought of laws that would require equal pay for men and women. He doesn't like those, because they "pit one group against another group"."
The Entire World Knows GOP Trickle Down Is Disastrous For Americans And The Economy
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/06/22/entire-world-gop-trickle-disastrous-americans-economy.html
"It is also a sad truth that Republicans do, in fact, know their only economic agenda is disastrous for all but the richest one-percent and their corporations, they just refuse to admit it in a public forum where voters might hear them laughing about an economic agenda the whole world knows is a raging failure"
"It is also a sad truth that Republicans do, in fact, know their only economic agenda is disastrous for all but the richest one-percent and their corporations, they just refuse to admit it in a public forum where voters might hear them laughing about an economic agenda the whole world knows is a raging failure"
The first-ever Super PAC criminal is going to jail. But the real scandal is what's legal.
http://www.vox.com/2015/6/24/8838687/super-pacs-2016-bush-rubio
"In his Citizens United v. FEC decision, Justice Anthony Kennedy said there was no need to put campaign fundraising limits on outside groups. Since these groups weren't connected to the candidates themselves, he reasoned, their spending wouldn't "give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption."
This year's candidates and their Super PACs are doing their best to prove him wrong. To be more specific, Carly Fiorina, Jeb Bush, and Marco Rubio are doing their best to prove him wrong."
"In his Citizens United v. FEC decision, Justice Anthony Kennedy said there was no need to put campaign fundraising limits on outside groups. Since these groups weren't connected to the candidates themselves, he reasoned, their spending wouldn't "give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption."
This year's candidates and their Super PACs are doing their best to prove him wrong. To be more specific, Carly Fiorina, Jeb Bush, and Marco Rubio are doing their best to prove him wrong."
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Divide-and-Conquer Walker Thinks Equal Pay Is Divisive
Divide-and-Conquer Walker Thinks Equal Pay Is Divisive
"Just days after Walker was first sworn-in as governor in 2011, he spoke privately about his plans to "divide and conquer" Wisconsin unions in a videotaped conversation with billionaire GOP financier Diane Hendricks, his single largest donor. “Any chance we'll ever get to be a completely red state and work on these unions....And become a right-to-work [state]?,” Hendricks asks in the January 2011 video. Walker replies: “Well, we're going to start in a couple weeks with our budget adjustment bill. The first step is we're going to deal with collective bargaining for all public employee unions, because you use divide and conquer.… That opens the door once we do that.” Although in the years to follow Walker would insist that right to work would not get to his desk, in 2015 Wisconsin became the 25th right to work state after he signed the ALEC-inspired bill into law."
"Just days after Walker was first sworn-in as governor in 2011, he spoke privately about his plans to "divide and conquer" Wisconsin unions in a videotaped conversation with billionaire GOP financier Diane Hendricks, his single largest donor. “Any chance we'll ever get to be a completely red state and work on these unions....And become a right-to-work [state]?,” Hendricks asks in the January 2011 video. Walker replies: “Well, we're going to start in a couple weeks with our budget adjustment bill. The first step is we're going to deal with collective bargaining for all public employee unions, because you use divide and conquer.… That opens the door once we do that.” Although in the years to follow Walker would insist that right to work would not get to his desk, in 2015 Wisconsin became the 25th right to work state after he signed the ALEC-inspired bill into law."
ACA Ruling Safeguards Subsidies No Matter Who Occupies The White House
ACA Ruling Safeguards Subsidies No Matter Who Occupies The White House
"There is certainly plenty of Republican angst today over the decision, but they should all be thanking the Chief Justice for hauling their butts out of the political fire. Had it gone the other way, they would have been forced to admit they had no plan now or ever for how to deal with dead citizens' blood on their hands."
"There is certainly plenty of Republican angst today over the decision, but they should all be thanking the Chief Justice for hauling their butts out of the political fire. Had it gone the other way, they would have been forced to admit they had no plan now or ever for how to deal with dead citizens' blood on their hands."
The Supreme Court’s Obamacare Decision Is The Biggest Possible Win For The Obama Administration
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/06/25/3673911/supreme-courts-obamacare-decision-biggest-possible-win-obama-administration/
"The attorneys and activists behind this lawsuit came to the Court hoping to gut Obamacare; instead, they placed it on the strongest possible legal footing."
"The attorneys and activists behind this lawsuit came to the Court hoping to gut Obamacare; instead, they placed it on the strongest possible legal footing."
Obamacare Keeps Working As Uninsured Rate Keeps Dropping
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/06/23/obamacare-working-uninsured-rate-dropping.html
"The CDC’s survey results confirm what other surveys have also verified. Obamacare has reduced the uninsured rate in America significantly."
"The CDC’s survey results confirm what other surveys have also verified. Obamacare has reduced the uninsured rate in America significantly."
Scott Walker Reveals Extreme Views On Equal Pay
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/06/24/3673423/scott-walker-equal-pay/
"He also likened the push for equal pay laws to seeking to make more people reliant on government."
"He also likened the push for equal pay laws to seeking to make more people reliant on government."
Bobby Jindal Broke Louisiana So Badly That Even the GOP Doesn’t Want Him | The Nation
Bobby Jindal Broke Louisiana So Badly That Even the GOP Doesn’t Want Him | The Nation
"In sum, Jindal made Louisiana the test site for an experiment in socially conservative, pro-corporate governance that wound up wrecking the state so badly it can’t be ignored."
"In sum, Jindal made Louisiana the test site for an experiment in socially conservative, pro-corporate governance that wound up wrecking the state so badly it can’t be ignored."
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Bobby Jindal’s pathetic presidential hopes: He wrecked Louisiana — and now he wants a job promotion
Bobby Jindal’s pathetic presidential hopes: He wrecked Louisiana — and now he wants a job promotion
"And then there’s the small matter of how Jindal’s policies have transformed Louisiana into a fiscal disaster and left him one of the least popular governors in America. He’s less popular in his own reliably Republican state than the Democratic president he hopes to replace. The guiding principle of Jindal’s economic policy has quite literally been to keep Grover Norquist happy – he made a promise to the anti-tax activist to never raise taxes in his state, and even as budget deficits ballooned owing to enthusiastic tax cuts and falling oil prices, Jindal refused to break his word. The state can’t really cut spending any more than it already has, and it’s running out of gimmicks to paper over the budget shortfalls. Even the Republicans in the state legislature have called Jindal’s approach to governing irresponsible and “insane"."
"And then there’s the small matter of how Jindal’s policies have transformed Louisiana into a fiscal disaster and left him one of the least popular governors in America. He’s less popular in his own reliably Republican state than the Democratic president he hopes to replace. The guiding principle of Jindal’s economic policy has quite literally been to keep Grover Norquist happy – he made a promise to the anti-tax activist to never raise taxes in his state, and even as budget deficits ballooned owing to enthusiastic tax cuts and falling oil prices, Jindal refused to break his word. The state can’t really cut spending any more than it already has, and it’s running out of gimmicks to paper over the budget shortfalls. Even the Republicans in the state legislature have called Jindal’s approach to governing irresponsible and “insane"."
Scott Walker’s brilliant electoral strategy: Alienate every woman in America
Scott Walker’s brilliant electoral strategy: Alienate every woman in America
"So now working women are government dependents if they want to be paid equally with men? That’s a very strange way to look at it, not to mention a very weird way to attract voters."
"So now working women are government dependents if they want to be paid equally with men? That’s a very strange way to look at it, not to mention a very weird way to attract voters."
White Supremacist Group That Influenced Roof Is Paid For With Your Tax Dollars
White Supremacist Group That Influenced Roof Is Paid For With Your Tax Dollars
"That's right. The CCC is a 501(c)(4 )tax-exempt organization which claims to be organized for social welfare. As such, it pays no taxes as other for-profit organizations do, which means those taxes you pay help the CCC stay in the business of promoting white supremacy."
"That's right. The CCC is a 501(c)(4 )tax-exempt organization which claims to be organized for social welfare. As such, it pays no taxes as other for-profit organizations do, which means those taxes you pay help the CCC stay in the business of promoting white supremacy."
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Pallin’ around with racists: Five neo-Confederates Rand Paul employed or embraced since 2009
Pallin’ around with racists: Five neo-Confederates Rand Paul employed or embraced since 2009
"In April of this year, Rand Paul listed a book by Thomas Woods on his since-deleted “recommend reading list.” Woods is a founding member of the League of the South, a white supremacist group that advocates for secession of southern states. A police officer in Alabama was fired on Friday because of his affiliation with the group."
"In April of this year, Rand Paul listed a book by Thomas Woods on his since-deleted “recommend reading list.” Woods is a founding member of the League of the South, a white supremacist group that advocates for secession of southern states. A police officer in Alabama was fired on Friday because of his affiliation with the group."
Libertarian Rush Drummer Denounces Ayn Rand: ‘Very Obvious’ Rand Paul ‘Hates Women And Brown People’
http://www.liberalamerica.org/2015/06/23/rand-paul-break-ayn-rand/
"Peart just became a U.S. citizen, and he is unlikely to vote for Rand Paul, or any Republican."
"Peart just became a U.S. citizen, and he is unlikely to vote for Rand Paul, or any Republican."
Rand Paul’s demented promise: I’ll do to America what Sam Brownback did to Kansas
Rand Paul’s demented promise: I’ll do to America what Sam Brownback did to Kansas
"As Paul’s Wall Street Journal op-ed notes, he crafted this plan with the assistance of some of the high priests of supply-side economic theory: frequently and flagrantly wrong bozo Stephen Moore, flat-tax evangelist and dimwit billionaire rights activist Steve Forbes, and the also frequently wrong Art Laffer, who launched the trickle-down revolution that’s given us over three decades of bad economic policy. Anyone familiar with these knuckleheads and the economic philosophy they espouse should already know what they’re promising with Rand Paul’s tax scheme: huge tax cuts aimed primarily at corporations and the wealthy will supercharge the economy and produce untold millions of jobs and untold trillions of dollars in tax revenue."
"As Paul’s Wall Street Journal op-ed notes, he crafted this plan with the assistance of some of the high priests of supply-side economic theory: frequently and flagrantly wrong bozo Stephen Moore, flat-tax evangelist and dimwit billionaire rights activist Steve Forbes, and the also frequently wrong Art Laffer, who launched the trickle-down revolution that’s given us over three decades of bad economic policy. Anyone familiar with these knuckleheads and the economic philosophy they espouse should already know what they’re promising with Rand Paul’s tax scheme: huge tax cuts aimed primarily at corporations and the wealthy will supercharge the economy and produce untold millions of jobs and untold trillions of dollars in tax revenue."
Bernie Sanders Draws More Supporters Than Every Republican Candidate as 4,500 Fill Rally
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/06/21/bernie-sanders-draws-supporters-republican-candidate-4500-fill-rally.html
"Sen. Sanders drew the second biggest crowd of the entire campaign in Denver. The only bigger crowd by official count was Hillary Clinton’s rally in New York last weekend. Sen. Sanders is pulling off the most impressive feat of the campaign. People are excited and showing up for his events.
Unlike Ted Cruz who drew a big crowd for his campaign launch by holding it a university event that students were forced to attend, the enthusiasm for Bernie Sanders is real. He doesn’t pay actors to come to his rallies and support him like Donald Trump did. His supporters are excited about their candidate.
The media and Republicans drone on about the depth of the Republican field, but early on in 2016, one trend continues for Democrats. Democratic candidates have the enthusiastic supporters. Republican candidates didn’t draw large crowds in 2008 or 2012, and the lack of GOP grassroots support is continuing in 2016."
"Sen. Sanders drew the second biggest crowd of the entire campaign in Denver. The only bigger crowd by official count was Hillary Clinton’s rally in New York last weekend. Sen. Sanders is pulling off the most impressive feat of the campaign. People are excited and showing up for his events.
Unlike Ted Cruz who drew a big crowd for his campaign launch by holding it a university event that students were forced to attend, the enthusiasm for Bernie Sanders is real. He doesn’t pay actors to come to his rallies and support him like Donald Trump did. His supporters are excited about their candidate.
The media and Republicans drone on about the depth of the Republican field, but early on in 2016, one trend continues for Democrats. Democratic candidates have the enthusiastic supporters. Republican candidates didn’t draw large crowds in 2008 or 2012, and the lack of GOP grassroots support is continuing in 2016."
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Weak Support By Working Moms Bewilders Republicans
Weak Support By Working Moms Bewilders Republicans
"When you refuse to pass a simple bill requiring equal pay for women for equal work, do you really expect kudos from the working women who get screwed by that?"
"When you refuse to pass a simple bill requiring equal pay for women for equal work, do you really expect kudos from the working women who get screwed by that?"
WageCrushers.org Tracks the Groups against Family-Supporting Jobs
WageCrushers.org Tracks the Groups against Family-Supporting Jobs
"WageCrushers.org, a web resource devoted to exposing the corporations, trade associations, "think tanks," and front groups working hard against better wages, benefits, and family-supporting jobs for the American workforce."
"WageCrushers.org, a web resource devoted to exposing the corporations, trade associations, "think tanks," and front groups working hard against better wages, benefits, and family-supporting jobs for the American workforce."
Brownback and Jindal go down in flames: America’s worst governors proven bullies, liars, fools
Brownback and Jindal go down in flames: America’s worst governors proven bullies, liars, fools
"Budget disasters and tax gimmicks in Kansas and Louisiana show incompetence -- and both parties know it"
"Budget disasters and tax gimmicks in Kansas and Louisiana show incompetence -- and both parties know it"
Billionaire Calls Trickle Down Economics a “Scam,” a “Con Job”, and “An intimidation Tactic”
http://thedailybanter.com/2015/06/billionaire-calls-trickle-down-economics-a-scam-a-con-job-and-an-intimidation-tactic/
"The fundamental law of capitalism is: when workers have more money, businesses have more customers, and need more workers. The idea that high wages equals low employment, it’s absurd. And you have to understand that when somebody like me tells somebody like you that [high wages equals low employment] is the case, the only thing that’s true about that statement is that if I can get you to believe it, it would be very good for me."
"The fundamental law of capitalism is: when workers have more money, businesses have more customers, and need more workers. The idea that high wages equals low employment, it’s absurd. And you have to understand that when somebody like me tells somebody like you that [high wages equals low employment] is the case, the only thing that’s true about that statement is that if I can get you to believe it, it would be very good for me."
Walmart Hides $76 Billion In Offshore Tax Havens While Stealing $6.2 Billion A Year From Taxpayers
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/06/17/walmart-hides-76-billion-in-offshore-tax-havens-while-stealing-6-2-billion-a-year-from-taxpayers/
"According to a study released last year by Americans for Tax Fairness, Wal-Mart costs American taxpayers $6.2 billion a year in public assistance, including food stamps, Medicaid and subsidized housing. A single Wal-Mart Supercenter costs us between $904,542 and $1.75 million per year as we subsidize their low-wage employees. So what’s the retail giant doing about it? Well, according to a new study Wal-Mart is hiding $76 billion in overseas tax havens to avoid paying the very taxes that allow their employees to eat."
"According to a study released last year by Americans for Tax Fairness, Wal-Mart costs American taxpayers $6.2 billion a year in public assistance, including food stamps, Medicaid and subsidized housing. A single Wal-Mart Supercenter costs us between $904,542 and $1.75 million per year as we subsidize their low-wage employees. So what’s the retail giant doing about it? Well, according to a new study Wal-Mart is hiding $76 billion in overseas tax havens to avoid paying the very taxes that allow their employees to eat."
FL Republicans Take Pity On Millionaires, Give Them A Tax Break On Yacht Repairs (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/06/16/fl-republicans-take-pity-on-millionaires-give-them-a-tax-break-on-yacht-repairs-video/
"The new tax cut would affect the über rich people who spend more than a million dollars on yacht repairs. Seriously."
"The new tax cut would affect the über rich people who spend more than a million dollars on yacht repairs. Seriously."
America is feeling the Bern: Bernie Sanders draws overflow crowds — and surges in the polls
America is feeling the Bern: Bernie Sanders draws overflow crowds — and surges in the polls
"According to Sanders’ campaign, more than 3,000 people have already RSVP’d for a rally in Denver, Colorado on Saturday."
"According to Sanders’ campaign, more than 3,000 people have already RSVP’d for a rally in Denver, Colorado on Saturday."
Elizabeth Warren's Rejoinder to Jamie Dimon Glistens With Truth Amid DC Blather
Elizabeth Warren's Rejoinder to Jamie Dimon Glistens With Truth Amid DC Blather
"Warren’s résumé comes with nearly 20 years of experience teaching corporate law at Harvard University, publishing nine books, chairing the Congressional Oversight Panel that oversaw the bank bailouts in 2008 (of which JP Morgan was a beneficiary), and coming up with the idea for and helping to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has already helped consumers avoid numerous predatory lending schemes and recouped more than $4.8 billionthrough its enforcement actions.
She has also become widely known for her tough critiques of the banking industry. She has questioned why the government didn’t break up the biggest banks, like JP Morgan, when it offered bailout money in 2008 and joined a group of Senators in 2013 to propose reinstating a Depression-era rule that separated commercial and investment banking. She’s been a staunch supporter of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform bill and stood in opposition to Republicans’ attempts to roll parts of it back."
"Warren’s résumé comes with nearly 20 years of experience teaching corporate law at Harvard University, publishing nine books, chairing the Congressional Oversight Panel that oversaw the bank bailouts in 2008 (of which JP Morgan was a beneficiary), and coming up with the idea for and helping to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has already helped consumers avoid numerous predatory lending schemes and recouped more than $4.8 billionthrough its enforcement actions.
She has also become widely known for her tough critiques of the banking industry. She has questioned why the government didn’t break up the biggest banks, like JP Morgan, when it offered bailout money in 2008 and joined a group of Senators in 2013 to propose reinstating a Depression-era rule that separated commercial and investment banking. She’s been a staunch supporter of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform bill and stood in opposition to Republicans’ attempts to roll parts of it back."
New Overtime Rules Will Be a Father’s Day Gift to Millions of Dads | Economic Policy Institute
New Overtime Rules Will Be a Father’s Day Gift to Millions of Dads | Economic Policy Institute
"The right to be paid for one’s overtime work is important for every worker because time is a valuable and scarce commodity, but it is especially important for parents and for their children."
"The right to be paid for one’s overtime work is important for every worker because time is a valuable and scarce commodity, but it is especially important for parents and for their children."
Marco Rubio Says Koch World Doesn't Want Anything From Washington. Really?
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/06/marco-rubio-koch-network-lobbying
"In Washington, money spent on hiring lobbyists often goes hand-in-hand with money spent on candidates, and according to a new report, many Koch network donors are playing the influence-peddling game."
"In Washington, money spent on hiring lobbyists often goes hand-in-hand with money spent on candidates, and according to a new report, many Koch network donors are playing the influence-peddling game."
One Simple Stat Puts Into Perspective Just How Bad Income Inequality Has Become
One Simple Stat Puts Into Perspective Just How Bad Income Inequality Has Become
"For Democrats and progressives, it’s about the rich becoming richer at the expense of everyone else. It’s about tax cuts that disproportionately favor the wealthy while everyone else picks up the tab. It’s about massive deficits caused by wars and bailouts that some within our government (mostly Republicans) now want the poor and middle class to pay for. For Republicans, it’s the newest talking point they like to throw around considering there’s really nothing else they can say that’s negative about the economy. For years Republicans claimed that Democrats using the phrase “income inequality” was some sort of class warfare – now they can’t seem to shut up about it. Though their “solution” to improve income inequality is more of the same policies that created the income inequality in the first place: Tax cuts for the rich, deregulating big business. It would almost be funny if they weren’t actually being serious."
"For Democrats and progressives, it’s about the rich becoming richer at the expense of everyone else. It’s about tax cuts that disproportionately favor the wealthy while everyone else picks up the tab. It’s about massive deficits caused by wars and bailouts that some within our government (mostly Republicans) now want the poor and middle class to pay for. For Republicans, it’s the newest talking point they like to throw around considering there’s really nothing else they can say that’s negative about the economy. For years Republicans claimed that Democrats using the phrase “income inequality” was some sort of class warfare – now they can’t seem to shut up about it. Though their “solution” to improve income inequality is more of the same policies that created the income inequality in the first place: Tax cuts for the rich, deregulating big business. It would almost be funny if they weren’t actually being serious."
Friday, June 19, 2015
Jeb!: 'My brother tried on Social Security'
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/16/1393782/-Jeb-My-brother-tried-on-Social-nbsp-Security
"Just to refresh everyone's memories on W's efforts on Social Security: In his 2005 State of the Union Address, Bush laid out his plan for diverting retirement savings from Social Security payroll taxes into private investments. Which truly did go over like a mashed potato sandwich with the public and members of Congress (except for Rep. Paul Ryan, who loved it so much he sponsored the legislation to do it). That would, of course, eventually bankrupt the program as less and less payroll tax money came in. And that was and always has been the ultimate goal of Republicans.
As American Bridge details Jeb! was there every step of the way with his brother. Now he's running to finish the job."
"Just to refresh everyone's memories on W's efforts on Social Security: In his 2005 State of the Union Address, Bush laid out his plan for diverting retirement savings from Social Security payroll taxes into private investments. Which truly did go over like a mashed potato sandwich with the public and members of Congress (except for Rep. Paul Ryan, who loved it so much he sponsored the legislation to do it). That would, of course, eventually bankrupt the program as less and less payroll tax money came in. And that was and always has been the ultimate goal of Republicans.
As American Bridge details Jeb! was there every step of the way with his brother. Now he's running to finish the job."
How to Steal From US Taxpayers While Blaming the Poor
How to Steal From US Taxpayers While Blaming the Poor
"About two-thirds of low-wage workers are employed by large corporations with over 100 employees. The very worst offender is probably Walmart, which pays its estimated 1.4 million U.S. employees so little that the average Walmart worker depends on about $4,400 per year in taxpayer assistance, for food stamps and other safety net programs.
As Walmart was depending on us, the taxpayers, to pay $4,400 a year to each of its employees, the company was spending the equivalent of $5,000 per U.S. employeefor price-boosting stock buybacks."
"About two-thirds of low-wage workers are employed by large corporations with over 100 employees. The very worst offender is probably Walmart, which pays its estimated 1.4 million U.S. employees so little that the average Walmart worker depends on about $4,400 per year in taxpayer assistance, for food stamps and other safety net programs.
As Walmart was depending on us, the taxpayers, to pay $4,400 a year to each of its employees, the company was spending the equivalent of $5,000 per U.S. employeefor price-boosting stock buybacks."
What Mitt Romney’s Bizarre Weekend Retreat Reveals About the GOP Primary | Alternet
What Mitt Romney’s Bizarre Weekend Retreat Reveals About the GOP Primary | Alternet
"It’s amazing that these people feel no shame in publicly supplicating themselves for these Big Money donors like a bunch of dancers auditioning to become Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders"
"It’s amazing that these people feel no shame in publicly supplicating themselves for these Big Money donors like a bunch of dancers auditioning to become Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders"
Bobby Jindal’s dishonest scheme: Even fellow Republicans are embarrassed by this one
Bobby Jindal’s dishonest scheme: Even fellow Republicans are embarrassed by this one
"Jindal’s SAVE bill is a scam – and everyone in the state capitol knows it."
"Jindal’s SAVE bill is a scam – and everyone in the state capitol knows it."
Thursday, June 18, 2015
A Tax System that Targets Workers
A Tax System that Targets Workers
"Where’s all this leading? In Arizona, the legislature has just yet again taken a meat cleaver to the state higher education budget, cutting $100 million — on top of a nearly 50 percent cut higher ed suffered in the aftermath of the financial crash. In Kansas, with Governor Brownback aggressively eviscerating the state income tax, funding cutbacks are forcing some local school districts to shut their school years down early. Other localities across the nation — think Ferguson, Missouri, for instance — are making up for the funding that used to come from tax revenues by doubling down on traffic fines and other penalties that fall largely on the poor and lower middle class."
"Where’s all this leading? In Arizona, the legislature has just yet again taken a meat cleaver to the state higher education budget, cutting $100 million — on top of a nearly 50 percent cut higher ed suffered in the aftermath of the financial crash. In Kansas, with Governor Brownback aggressively eviscerating the state income tax, funding cutbacks are forcing some local school districts to shut their school years down early. Other localities across the nation — think Ferguson, Missouri, for instance — are making up for the funding that used to come from tax revenues by doubling down on traffic fines and other penalties that fall largely on the poor and lower middle class."
White House race has already sparked $1 million in negative ads
http://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/06/11/17470/white-house-race-has-already-sparked-1-million-negative-ads
"To date, nearly all of the negativity has been directed at Democratic Party frontrunner Hillary Clinton, who announced her candidacy in mid-April.
This month alone, Clinton has been attacked by the Republican National Committee and a host of other conservative groups, including the Stop Hillary PAC and the Citizens United Super PAC."
"To date, nearly all of the negativity has been directed at Democratic Party frontrunner Hillary Clinton, who announced her candidacy in mid-April.
This month alone, Clinton has been attacked by the Republican National Committee and a host of other conservative groups, including the Stop Hillary PAC and the Citizens United Super PAC."
Donald Trump is about to prove what a joke the Republican Primary is
Donald Trump is about to prove what a joke the Republican Primary is
"With Trump officially joining the race, he vindicates the increasingly obvious analysis that the Republican Party, at the presidential level at least, is little more than a shell corporation for opportunists and careerists who aren’t interested in governing or even winning. The addition of Trump is the would-be final brick in the effort to turn the GOP’s nominating process into a dysfunctional and menacingly ugly reality show competition in which the contestants each scramble to be the most flagrant panderer to the Tea Party base and, subsequently, augment their Q-scores within the lucrative conservative entertainment complex. That’s the real prize, and Trump, above all the others, is aiming to scoop up as much of that as he can. He won’t win the nomination, but that’s not his goal, nor is it the goal of most of the field."
"With Trump officially joining the race, he vindicates the increasingly obvious analysis that the Republican Party, at the presidential level at least, is little more than a shell corporation for opportunists and careerists who aren’t interested in governing or even winning. The addition of Trump is the would-be final brick in the effort to turn the GOP’s nominating process into a dysfunctional and menacingly ugly reality show competition in which the contestants each scramble to be the most flagrant panderer to the Tea Party base and, subsequently, augment their Q-scores within the lucrative conservative entertainment complex. That’s the real prize, and Trump, above all the others, is aiming to scoop up as much of that as he can. He won’t win the nomination, but that’s not his goal, nor is it the goal of most of the field."
BUSTED: Donald Trump caught hiring extras for campaign launch at $50 a head
BUSTED: Donald Trump caught hiring extras for campaign launch at $50 a head
"the company, Extra Mile Casting, contacted background actors via email on June 12 seeking people to appear at Trump’s campaign launch and cheer for him, offering a rate of $50 in cash for less than three hours of work."
"the company, Extra Mile Casting, contacted background actors via email on June 12 seeking people to appear at Trump’s campaign launch and cheer for him, offering a rate of $50 in cash for less than three hours of work."
After Tax Cuts For Rich Wreck Budget, Kansas GOP Raises Taxes On Working Families
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/after-tax-cuts-for-rich-wreck-budget-kansas-gop-raises-taxes-on-working-families/
"Despite all of this, Brownback and Kansas Republicans are unrepentant for this gross mismanagement of state funding. The rest of the Republican Party clearly hasn’t learned anything from this experiment either, as legislators in Maine, Texas, Ohio, and Wisconsin are all pushing for their own versions of Brownback’s cuts. The trickle-down Reaganomics that are embedded in the Republican DNA have been proven to be a failure time and time again, but the conservative political machine refuses to stop funneling money to wealthy Americans while leaving everyday working families with empty pockets."
"Despite all of this, Brownback and Kansas Republicans are unrepentant for this gross mismanagement of state funding. The rest of the Republican Party clearly hasn’t learned anything from this experiment either, as legislators in Maine, Texas, Ohio, and Wisconsin are all pushing for their own versions of Brownback’s cuts. The trickle-down Reaganomics that are embedded in the Republican DNA have been proven to be a failure time and time again, but the conservative political machine refuses to stop funneling money to wealthy Americans while leaving everyday working families with empty pockets."
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
After Cutting Taxes On The Rich, Kansas Will Raise Taxes On The Poor To Pay For It
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/06/16/3669801/kansas-sales-tax-hike-budget-deal/
"Kansas lawmakers concluded the longest legislative session in state history Friday night by approving a slate of regressive tax hikes that will balance the state’s budget by targeting low-income workers and their families."
"Kansas lawmakers concluded the longest legislative session in state history Friday night by approving a slate of regressive tax hikes that will balance the state’s budget by targeting low-income workers and their families."
Walker's Wisconsin, a "Laboratory for Oligarchs"
Walker's Wisconsin, a "Laboratory for Oligarchs"
"Study after study has documented that misnamed "right to work" laws are associated with significantly lower wages for workers and undermine their skills and safety training. Walker promises more of the same in Wisconsin as the repeal of prevailing wage is being considered in the state legislature."
"Study after study has documented that misnamed "right to work" laws are associated with significantly lower wages for workers and undermine their skills and safety training. Walker promises more of the same in Wisconsin as the repeal of prevailing wage is being considered in the state legislature."
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Scott Walker's Shady Deals Win Him Campaign Cash From Billionaires
Scott Walker's Shady Deals Win Him Campaign Cash From Billionaires
"Mentioned in passing in the Times piece is Mark Block, the dirty political operative who built the Wisconsin chapter of the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a group integral to Walker’s good fortune. If you want to take the measure of the Wisconsin governor as he prepares a run for the Republican presidential nomination, Block’s contribution to Walker’s stardom is instructive.
When Block was tasked with building a new AFP chapter in the Dairy State, he did so with the expressed goal of challenging the teachers unions. As I reported for AlterNet in 2011, Block told participants in a February 2010 Sheboygan Tea Party rally (video) that he wouldn't be satisfied until membership in the Wisconsin AFP chapter equaled the membership of the state teachers union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council.
During the time that Block was building one of AFP’s most important chapters, he was also implicated in a voter-caging scheme in Milwaukee that targeted university students and residents of African-American neighborhoods for ballot challenges during the 2010 election, the one that landed Scott Walker, then the executive of Milwaukee County, the governor’s mansion. Also implicated in the scheme was Reince Priebus, then chairman of the state Republican Party, who was rewarded with the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee.
At first, Block denied using the auspices of Americans for Prosperity to mail out the 500 letters to targeted voters that would be used as the means to challenge their votes. But when Tim Dake, leader of the Tea Party group Grandsons of Liberty that was involved in the activist part of the scheme, pointed the finger at Koch’s man in Wisconsin, Block relented and admitted his and AFP’s involvement."
"Mentioned in passing in the Times piece is Mark Block, the dirty political operative who built the Wisconsin chapter of the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a group integral to Walker’s good fortune. If you want to take the measure of the Wisconsin governor as he prepares a run for the Republican presidential nomination, Block’s contribution to Walker’s stardom is instructive.
When Block was tasked with building a new AFP chapter in the Dairy State, he did so with the expressed goal of challenging the teachers unions. As I reported for AlterNet in 2011, Block told participants in a February 2010 Sheboygan Tea Party rally (video) that he wouldn't be satisfied until membership in the Wisconsin AFP chapter equaled the membership of the state teachers union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council.
During the time that Block was building one of AFP’s most important chapters, he was also implicated in a voter-caging scheme in Milwaukee that targeted university students and residents of African-American neighborhoods for ballot challenges during the 2010 election, the one that landed Scott Walker, then the executive of Milwaukee County, the governor’s mansion. Also implicated in the scheme was Reince Priebus, then chairman of the state Republican Party, who was rewarded with the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee.
At first, Block denied using the auspices of Americans for Prosperity to mail out the 500 letters to targeted voters that would be used as the means to challenge their votes. But when Tim Dake, leader of the Tea Party group Grandsons of Liberty that was involved in the activist part of the scheme, pointed the finger at Koch’s man in Wisconsin, Block relented and admitted his and AFP’s involvement."
GOP lawmaker offers what may be the dumbest argument for voter suppression yet
GOP lawmaker offers what may be the dumbest argument for voter suppression yet
"Olsen has voted against the use of mail-in ballots and same-day voter registration, two initiatives meant to increase voter participation in California."
"Olsen has voted against the use of mail-in ballots and same-day voter registration, two initiatives meant to increase voter participation in California."
When 'Libertarian' Billionaires Default To Neoconservatism
When 'Libertarian' Billionaires Default To Neoconservatism
"The entire body of libertarian political theory rests on the false assumption that Kochs and Adelsons share exactly the same interests as the other 99.99% of Americans; convincing a majority of that majority to believe such nonsense is the highest art of libertarian rhetoric. When it comes to getting rid of estate taxes, labor laws, or environmental regulations, these guys are the most important ‘libertarians' on the planet, but that doesn't mean they're genuinely interested in greater freedom for anyone other than themselves - and it doesn't prevent them from pandering to cruel and violent sectarian impulses, or promoting zealots to positions of power, in order to get what they want. Call it a ‘one percent doctrine for the one percent'."
"The entire body of libertarian political theory rests on the false assumption that Kochs and Adelsons share exactly the same interests as the other 99.99% of Americans; convincing a majority of that majority to believe such nonsense is the highest art of libertarian rhetoric. When it comes to getting rid of estate taxes, labor laws, or environmental regulations, these guys are the most important ‘libertarians' on the planet, but that doesn't mean they're genuinely interested in greater freedom for anyone other than themselves - and it doesn't prevent them from pandering to cruel and violent sectarian impulses, or promoting zealots to positions of power, in order to get what they want. Call it a ‘one percent doctrine for the one percent'."
Erick Erickson Defends ALEC, Attacks 11Alive For Investigating Secretive Group
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/06/12/erick-erickson-defends-alec-attacks-11alive-for/203985
"Following an investigation by Atlanta's 11Alive into the inner workings of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) -- the secretive organization that brings together corporate lobbyists and state legislators to draft model legislation businesses want to see passed - RedState editor-and-chief, Fox News contributor, and Atlanta-based radio host Erick Erickson gave an ALEC spokesman a platform to deflect questions raised by the report and used his own microphone to question the investigative reporter's character."
"Following an investigation by Atlanta's 11Alive into the inner workings of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) -- the secretive organization that brings together corporate lobbyists and state legislators to draft model legislation businesses want to see passed - RedState editor-and-chief, Fox News contributor, and Atlanta-based radio host Erick Erickson gave an ALEC spokesman a platform to deflect questions raised by the report and used his own microphone to question the investigative reporter's character."
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Oregon Becomes Fourth State To Pass Law Guaranteeing Paid Sick Days
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/06/13/3669059/oregon-paid-sick-leave/
"There is no countrywide requirement that employees have access to paid sick leave, however, unlike all other developed countries. That leaves about 40 percent of the workforce without the ability to take a paid day off if they get sick. And among those who do get the benefit, the trend has been toward offering fewer days."
"There is no countrywide requirement that employees have access to paid sick leave, however, unlike all other developed countries. That leaves about 40 percent of the workforce without the ability to take a paid day off if they get sick. And among those who do get the benefit, the trend has been toward offering fewer days."
Trickle-down’s middle-class massacre: Failure of conservative economics should discredit these bankrupt ideas forever
Trickle-down’s middle-class massacre: Failure of conservative economics should discredit these bankrupt ideas forever
"the trickle-down worldview has impacted policymaking for more than three decades. Not only is trickle-down still lodged firmly in place, but since the Great Recession, adherents of supply side have doubled down on their policies. The rhetoric supply-siders use may be shifting to be more supportive of the middle class, but their policies have gotten more extreme.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney ran against Obama in 2012 by proposing tax cuts for the wealthy that were far larger than the cuts enacted by President George W. Bush. The budget proposal by the House Republicans in 2013 would have provided bigger tax cuts to the wealthy than even the Romney plan. Further, these federal proposals for additional tax cuts for the rich would likely have required tax increases on the middle class, according to a number of analyses. Similarly, Republican governors like North Carolina’s Pat McCrory, Kansas’s Sam Brownback, Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, and New Jersey’s Chris Christie have recently proposed policies that cut taxes for businesses and the wealthy, but raise them on the middle class. In contrast, supply-side proposals of the past cut taxes most dramatically for the wealthy, but still reduced taxes for most everyone.
That supply-side supporters have become even more dogmatic in the aftermath of the Great Recession is not particularly surprising. American history shows that proponents of the dominant theory often do not admit the error of their ways, but rather become even more strident as evidence mounts that their logic has failed."
"the trickle-down worldview has impacted policymaking for more than three decades. Not only is trickle-down still lodged firmly in place, but since the Great Recession, adherents of supply side have doubled down on their policies. The rhetoric supply-siders use may be shifting to be more supportive of the middle class, but their policies have gotten more extreme.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney ran against Obama in 2012 by proposing tax cuts for the wealthy that were far larger than the cuts enacted by President George W. Bush. The budget proposal by the House Republicans in 2013 would have provided bigger tax cuts to the wealthy than even the Romney plan. Further, these federal proposals for additional tax cuts for the rich would likely have required tax increases on the middle class, according to a number of analyses. Similarly, Republican governors like North Carolina’s Pat McCrory, Kansas’s Sam Brownback, Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, and New Jersey’s Chris Christie have recently proposed policies that cut taxes for businesses and the wealthy, but raise them on the middle class. In contrast, supply-side proposals of the past cut taxes most dramatically for the wealthy, but still reduced taxes for most everyone.
That supply-side supporters have become even more dogmatic in the aftermath of the Great Recession is not particularly surprising. American history shows that proponents of the dominant theory often do not admit the error of their ways, but rather become even more strident as evidence mounts that their logic has failed."
Walker, Abele Want To Build Arena On The Backs Of The Poor
Walker, Abele Want To Build Arena On The Backs Of The Poor
"Scott Walker, as he usually does, caved in to the wealthy special interests, and came up with a cockamamie scheme on how he would borrow money to pay for the state's share - almost the same amount he cut from higher education - and the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County would chip in the rest."
"Scott Walker, as he usually does, caved in to the wealthy special interests, and came up with a cockamamie scheme on how he would borrow money to pay for the state's share - almost the same amount he cut from higher education - and the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County would chip in the rest."
Kansas Governor Begs Legislature To Fix His Tax Mess
Kansas Governor Begs Legislature To Fix His Tax Mess
"Governor Brownback. You rolled around in the Koch mud, and now you're stuck in it."
"Governor Brownback. You rolled around in the Koch mud, and now you're stuck in it."
Killing Medicare on back burner as Paul Ryan pushes 'tax reform'
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/10/1392061/-Killing-Medicare-on-back-burner-as-Paul-Ryan-pushes-tax-reform
"A key problem Republicans face with any new Paul Ryan plan is that voters know a little too much about the last Paul Ryan plan, and don't like what they know. Sure, this time it will include big promises of tax cuts (bigger for rich people than for you, but Republicans will have a talking point to obscure that), but you can confidently expect Democrats to remind voters—correctly!—that this is a plan coming from a guy whose end game is privatizing Medicare and Social Security."
"A key problem Republicans face with any new Paul Ryan plan is that voters know a little too much about the last Paul Ryan plan, and don't like what they know. Sure, this time it will include big promises of tax cuts (bigger for rich people than for you, but Republicans will have a talking point to obscure that), but you can confidently expect Democrats to remind voters—correctly!—that this is a plan coming from a guy whose end game is privatizing Medicare and Social Security."
Montana Republican Uses the Story of Noah’s Ark to Justify Why Americans Don’t Need Social Security
Montana Republican Uses the Story of Noah’s Ark to Justify Why Americans Don’t Need Social Security
"Once upon a time these sort of wackos could easily be ignored because nobody was really paying attention to them, let alone electing them to public office. But since the rise of the tea party, these crazy people now have a voice."
"Once upon a time these sort of wackos could easily be ignored because nobody was really paying attention to them, let alone electing them to public office. But since the rise of the tea party, these crazy people now have a voice."
Watch: Paul Ryan’s Obamacare Hypocrisy Gets DESTROYED In Two Minutes
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/watch-paul-ryans-obamacare-hypocrisy-gets-destroyed-in-two-minutes/
"The Republican House has made it their number one priority to deny healthcare to millions of Americans"
"The Republican House has made it their number one priority to deny healthcare to millions of Americans"
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Billionaire Republican to Montana: Old people should be more like Noah and build arks until they die
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/10/1392152/-Billionaire-Republican-to-Montana-Old-people-should-be-more-like-Noah-and-build-arks-until-they-die#
"A billionaire claiming the "concept of retirement is not biblical"? What could possibly go wrong?"
"A billionaire claiming the "concept of retirement is not biblical"? What could possibly go wrong?"
8 Ways the Supreme Court Has Been Destroying American Democracy | Alternet
8 Ways the Supreme Court Has Been Destroying American Democracy | Alternet
"Most people have little idea how badly the U.S. Supreme Court has damaged American democracy.
It’s not just watching a handful of billionaires drive the Republicans’ 2016 presidential contest from the inside out, as a result of the Court’s Citizens United ruling in 2010 and others that followed. There’s been a long line of anti-democratic rulings going back decades that have narrowed who can—and cannot—participate in politics, from citizens to candidates to parties and reformers."
"Most people have little idea how badly the U.S. Supreme Court has damaged American democracy.
It’s not just watching a handful of billionaires drive the Republicans’ 2016 presidential contest from the inside out, as a result of the Court’s Citizens United ruling in 2010 and others that followed. There’s been a long line of anti-democratic rulings going back decades that have narrowed who can—and cannot—participate in politics, from citizens to candidates to parties and reformers."
House Republicans sneak net neutrality attack into appropriations bill
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/10/1392153/-House-Republicans-sneak-net-neutrality-attack-into-appropriations-bill
"They're putting this provision deep inside a spending bill where it's going to be hard to carve out, attempting to do it as stealthily as possible. That could be because they don't want the public to know that they're doing it, because they're aware that the public overwhelmingly supports net neutrality. That includes conservative Republicans, 83 percent of whom support the concepts behind net neutrality."
"They're putting this provision deep inside a spending bill where it's going to be hard to carve out, attempting to do it as stealthily as possible. That could be because they don't want the public to know that they're doing it, because they're aware that the public overwhelmingly supports net neutrality. That includes conservative Republicans, 83 percent of whom support the concepts behind net neutrality."
Kansas Governor Declares War On The State Court System
http://samuel-warde.com/2015/06/kansas-governor-declares-war-kansas-courts/
"He even imported Arthur Laffer, the man who invented “trickle-down” economics, to sell it to the suckers, I mean citizens. The story line was that in eliminating taxes for 200,000 businesses and slashing the tax rates for the wealthy, businesses would flock to Kansas, creating jobs and more disposable income. Thus they would make up the difference in sales taxes. While all this was transpiring, Kansas would keep the budget balanced by cutting unnecessary expenditures in areas like social services, infrastructure, highways and education.
For the 2014 fiscal year, tax collections came in $333 million short of expectations. The Kansas legislature had cut $150 million in those “unnecessary expenditures,” but total collections were down $700 million from the previous year. The state had to raid the reserve fund to the tune of $320 million to balance the books.
In May, Moody lowered Kansas’ credit rating from Aa1 to Aa2, citing sluggish recovery and risky tax plan. In August, Standard and Poor’s followed suit by lowering Kansas’ bond rating from AA+ to AA, citing the state’s unbalanced budget caused by the 2012 tax cuts.
This year is even worse. Even wiping out that $380 million remaining in the reserve fund, Kansas is coming up $279 million short. According to the Kansas constitution, the books must be balanced and they’ve got less than three weeks to do it. The bell tolls at midnight, June 30.
Oh, and next year the shortfall is expected to be in the neighborhood of $800 million and the reserve fund cupboard is bare!"
"He even imported Arthur Laffer, the man who invented “trickle-down” economics, to sell it to the suckers, I mean citizens. The story line was that in eliminating taxes for 200,000 businesses and slashing the tax rates for the wealthy, businesses would flock to Kansas, creating jobs and more disposable income. Thus they would make up the difference in sales taxes. While all this was transpiring, Kansas would keep the budget balanced by cutting unnecessary expenditures in areas like social services, infrastructure, highways and education.
For the 2014 fiscal year, tax collections came in $333 million short of expectations. The Kansas legislature had cut $150 million in those “unnecessary expenditures,” but total collections were down $700 million from the previous year. The state had to raid the reserve fund to the tune of $320 million to balance the books.
In May, Moody lowered Kansas’ credit rating from Aa1 to Aa2, citing sluggish recovery and risky tax plan. In August, Standard and Poor’s followed suit by lowering Kansas’ bond rating from AA+ to AA, citing the state’s unbalanced budget caused by the 2012 tax cuts.
This year is even worse. Even wiping out that $380 million remaining in the reserve fund, Kansas is coming up $279 million short. According to the Kansas constitution, the books must be balanced and they’ve got less than three weeks to do it. The bell tolls at midnight, June 30.
Oh, and next year the shortfall is expected to be in the neighborhood of $800 million and the reserve fund cupboard is bare!"
House GOP would fund Amtrak crash investigations, but not crash avoidance
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/10/1392042/-House-GOP-would-fund-Amtrak-crash-investigations-but-not-crash-avoidance
"House Republicans offered a master class in the Republican agenda Tuesday, cutting Amtrak funding while showing that their safety priorities are on the side of appearances, not actual safety"
"House Republicans offered a master class in the Republican agenda Tuesday, cutting Amtrak funding while showing that their safety priorities are on the side of appearances, not actual safety"
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Thanks To The Obama Administration, Millions Will See Their Wages Raised Because Of Overtime
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/06/08/thanks-to-the-obama-administration-millions-will-see-their-wages-raised-because-of-overtime/
"Once again, President Obama is doing what Congress can’t do because of Republican obstructionism. Thanks to the Obama Administration, the Labor Department will soon be raising the current overtime threshold from $23,660 to as much as $52,000 which will extend time and a half overtime pay to millions of hard-working American employees. Currently, those who make under $23,660 are eligible to receive overtime pay. That accounts for approximately 12 percent of the working population. With the new law, which will place the eligibility at the median American income, up to 1o million Americans will see a raise – one that they have earned."
"Once again, President Obama is doing what Congress can’t do because of Republican obstructionism. Thanks to the Obama Administration, the Labor Department will soon be raising the current overtime threshold from $23,660 to as much as $52,000 which will extend time and a half overtime pay to millions of hard-working American employees. Currently, those who make under $23,660 are eligible to receive overtime pay. That accounts for approximately 12 percent of the working population. With the new law, which will place the eligibility at the median American income, up to 1o million Americans will see a raise – one that they have earned."
One Governor’s Audacious, Unprecedented Effort To Use Personal Wealth To Re-Create The Legislature
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/06/10/3665526/illinois-wealthy-governor-breaking-new-ground-money-politics/
"Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) may be pushing campaign finance and political spending into uncharted waters as he asserts himself in the first major battle of his tenure. Hanging over the legislature’s otherwise ordinary political wrangling to avert a budget catastrophe is a mammoth war chest, which the state’s governor has begun to deploy in an effort to re-create the legislature into one more sympathetic to his controversial agenda.
Rauner is a very rich man who carries with him the backing of a still-wealthier network of friends and supporters. These networks, which helped him raise a record sum in his initial run for office, are now funneling millions into his campaign fund and a pair of super PACs. Experts are calling this development an unprecedented use of money in politics, while raising concerns that the state of Illinois is flirting with plutocracy."
"Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) may be pushing campaign finance and political spending into uncharted waters as he asserts himself in the first major battle of his tenure. Hanging over the legislature’s otherwise ordinary political wrangling to avert a budget catastrophe is a mammoth war chest, which the state’s governor has begun to deploy in an effort to re-create the legislature into one more sympathetic to his controversial agenda.
Rauner is a very rich man who carries with him the backing of a still-wealthier network of friends and supporters. These networks, which helped him raise a record sum in his initial run for office, are now funneling millions into his campaign fund and a pair of super PACs. Experts are calling this development an unprecedented use of money in politics, while raising concerns that the state of Illinois is flirting with plutocracy."
Obama proposes overtime rule hiking wages for millions
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/08/1391597/-Obama-proposes-overtime-rule-hiking-wages-for-millions
"Republicans want none of that, of course, believing that employers should be able to squeeze every bit of work out of their employees—without paying them adequately for it—as possible."
"Republicans want none of that, of course, believing that employers should be able to squeeze every bit of work out of their employees—without paying them adequately for it—as possible."
Christie Officials Hid Wall Street Fees From NJ Officials
Christie Officials Hid Wall Street Fees From NJ Officials
"Earlier this year, IBTimes reported that the Christie administration had quietly changed how pension fees were reported. Amid a pay-to-play investigation and general scrutiny of Christie officials delivering pension deals to politically connected financial firms, the governor’s State Investment Council specifically classified $335 million of payments to financial firms as “performance allocations,” allowing the Christie administration to assert that the state paid just $265 million in fees that year."
"Earlier this year, IBTimes reported that the Christie administration had quietly changed how pension fees were reported. Amid a pay-to-play investigation and general scrutiny of Christie officials delivering pension deals to politically connected financial firms, the governor’s State Investment Council specifically classified $335 million of payments to financial firms as “performance allocations,” allowing the Christie administration to assert that the state paid just $265 million in fees that year."
Here’s How Bobby Jindal Could Go To Prison Instead Of The White House
Here’s How Bobby Jindal Could Go To Prison Instead Of The White House
"Rick Perry became the first candidate with an indictment to officially kick off his campaign last week, and now Bobby Jindal, who is expected to announce his candidacy on June 24th, could be indicted for misuse of public funds."
"Rick Perry became the first candidate with an indictment to officially kick off his campaign last week, and now Bobby Jindal, who is expected to announce his candidacy on June 24th, could be indicted for misuse of public funds."
Bobby Jindal Remains Grover Norquist’s Puppet Governor Despite Louisiana Budget Mess
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/06/09/bobby-jindal-remains-grover-norquists-puppet-governor-louisiana-budget-mess.html
"The fact that Republican state lawmakers in Louisiana feel that they have to beg for Norquist’s permission as they consider legislation is troubling in its own right, but Jindal is so thoroughly bought that he doesn’t even question Norquist’s decrees."
"The fact that Republican state lawmakers in Louisiana feel that they have to beg for Norquist’s permission as they consider legislation is troubling in its own right, but Jindal is so thoroughly bought that he doesn’t even question Norquist’s decrees."
Magical Mystery Tour of American Austerity: How One State Is Destroying Democracy and Poisoning Its People | Alternet
Magical Mystery Tour of American Austerity: How One State Is Destroying Democracy and Poisoning Its People | Alternet
"Something is rotten in the state of Michigan.
One city neglected to inform its residents that its water supply was laced with cancerous chemicals. Another dissolved its public school district and replaced it with a charter school system, only to witness the for-profit management company it hired flee the scene after determining it couldn’t turn a profit. Numerous cities and school districts in the state are now run by single, state-appointed technocrats, as permitted under an emergency financial manager law pushed through by Rick Snyder, Michigan’s austerity-promoting governor. This legislation not only strips residents of their local voting rights, but gives Snyder’s appointee the power to do just about anything, including dissolving the city itself -- all (no matter how disastrous) in the name of “fiscal responsibility"."
"Something is rotten in the state of Michigan.
One city neglected to inform its residents that its water supply was laced with cancerous chemicals. Another dissolved its public school district and replaced it with a charter school system, only to witness the for-profit management company it hired flee the scene after determining it couldn’t turn a profit. Numerous cities and school districts in the state are now run by single, state-appointed technocrats, as permitted under an emergency financial manager law pushed through by Rick Snyder, Michigan’s austerity-promoting governor. This legislation not only strips residents of their local voting rights, but gives Snyder’s appointee the power to do just about anything, including dissolving the city itself -- all (no matter how disastrous) in the name of “fiscal responsibility"."
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Walker, WI Republicans Want To End Watchdog Agencies
Walker, WI Republicans Want To End Watchdog Agencies
"The latest target for these goons is the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB), whose job is to make sure that the taxpayers money is being well-spent. It was the LAB who found the waste, the fraud and the pay for play being committed by Walker and is supposed job creations agency, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)."
"The latest target for these goons is the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB), whose job is to make sure that the taxpayers money is being well-spent. It was the LAB who found the waste, the fraud and the pay for play being committed by Walker and is supposed job creations agency, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)."
Somebody Forgot To Tell Bush, Cruz And Rubio The GM Bailout Worked
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/07/2016-gm-bailout_n_7523248.html
"By nearly all accounts, the 2009 rescue package saved a vital U.S. industry and, just maybe, the economic fortunes for an entire region."
"By nearly all accounts, the 2009 rescue package saved a vital U.S. industry and, just maybe, the economic fortunes for an entire region."
Dear Gov. Brownback: When You Find Yourself In A Hole, Stop Digging
Dear Gov. Brownback: When You Find Yourself In A Hole, Stop Digging
"We all know supply-side economics don't work, but for a certain class of the politically connected (stink tankers, ambitious staffers, lobbyists, and Republican politicians), tax cuts are the snake oil they must continue to sell. Kansas is a textbook example of a state in crisis, and the Republican governor and legislators are tying themselves in knots to find ways to increase revenue that won't affect their Koch patrons."
"We all know supply-side economics don't work, but for a certain class of the politically connected (stink tankers, ambitious staffers, lobbyists, and Republican politicians), tax cuts are the snake oil they must continue to sell. Kansas is a textbook example of a state in crisis, and the Republican governor and legislators are tying themselves in knots to find ways to increase revenue that won't affect their Koch patrons."
The United States Of Koch?
http://samuel-warde.com/2015/06/the-united-states-of-koch/
"To make this country good for business, in the minds of people like the Koch brothers, you have to gut any laws protecting workers, bust what’s left of unions, make certain you have an uneducated and fearful population that is easily manipulated by cloaking whatever it is you’re selling either in religious or patriotic rhetoric. It’s what was done in Kansas to re-elect a man who spit on the citizens of Kansas and it’s what Scott Walker has done in Wisconsin.
Now the Koch brothers mean to take it national."
"To make this country good for business, in the minds of people like the Koch brothers, you have to gut any laws protecting workers, bust what’s left of unions, make certain you have an uneducated and fearful population that is easily manipulated by cloaking whatever it is you’re selling either in religious or patriotic rhetoric. It’s what was done in Kansas to re-elect a man who spit on the citizens of Kansas and it’s what Scott Walker has done in Wisconsin.
Now the Koch brothers mean to take it national."
Walker's Wisconsin: Dead Last For New Businesses
Walker's Wisconsin: Dead Last For New Businesses
"Since Scott Walker became the governor of Wisconsin, he's been boasting about how he was making Wisconsin business friendly which would lead to all sorts of great jobs. He's now traveling the country using this claim as a major talking point.
The reality is, of course, very different"
"Since Scott Walker became the governor of Wisconsin, he's been boasting about how he was making Wisconsin business friendly which would lead to all sorts of great jobs. He's now traveling the country using this claim as a major talking point.
The reality is, of course, very different"
Kansas Dictator Sam Brownback Orders State Supreme Court To Obey Illegal Law…Or Else
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/06/09/kansas-brownback-supreme-court-defund/
"Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has signed a law declaring that the state judiciary branch will lose all funding if the state Supreme Court strikes down a law he favors."
"Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has signed a law declaring that the state judiciary branch will lose all funding if the state Supreme Court strikes down a law he favors."
Gov. Sam Brownback Will Eliminate Kansas’ Judiciary If It Fails To Rule In His Favor
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/06/09/brownback-eliminate-kansas-judiciary-fails-rule-favor.html
"Brownback is daring the Kansas Supreme Court to rule according to the Kansas Constitution and declare the Brownback “administrative law” unconstitutional."
"Brownback is daring the Kansas Supreme Court to rule according to the Kansas Constitution and declare the Brownback “administrative law” unconstitutional."
Fox News Host Embarrassed After Lie About President Obama Gets Fact-Checked
Fox News Host Embarrassed After Lie About President Obama Gets Fact-Checked
"Carlson’s statement most assuredly played right into the hands of conservatives, which was the point. There’s just one problem - it’s an absolute lie."
"Carlson’s statement most assuredly played right into the hands of conservatives, which was the point. There’s just one problem - it’s an absolute lie."
Lousiana Pols Ask Grover Norquist's Permission To Hike Taxes
Lousiana Pols Ask Grover Norquist's Permission To Hike Taxes
"Lawmakers are struggling with Norquist's restrictions as they enter the final four days of 2015 budget negotiations. They have to send the spending plan to Jindal's desk by Thursday evening.
The governor has threatened to veto any budget plan or tax bills that don't meet Norquist's "no tax" requirements."
"Lawmakers are struggling with Norquist's restrictions as they enter the final four days of 2015 budget negotiations. They have to send the spending plan to Jindal's desk by Thursday evening.
The governor has threatened to veto any budget plan or tax bills that don't meet Norquist's "no tax" requirements."
How A Right-Wing Political Machine Is Dismantling Higher Education in North Carolina | The Nation
How A Right-Wing Political Machine Is Dismantling Higher Education in North Carolina | The Nation
"What began as isolated ideological attacks is looking more and more like a wholesale gutting of the state’s public colleges."
"What began as isolated ideological attacks is looking more and more like a wholesale gutting of the state’s public colleges."
Fox News Now Just Reads RNC Talking Points On Air (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/06/05/fox-news-now-just-reads-rnc-talking-points-on-air-video/
"Fox host Steve Doocy has given up trying to play a journalist on TV. He just flat-out reads scripted Republican National Committee talking points."
"Fox host Steve Doocy has given up trying to play a journalist on TV. He just flat-out reads scripted Republican National Committee talking points."
They really are the party of stupid: The real story behind Scott Walker’s war on higher education
They really are the party of stupid: The real story behind Scott Walker’s war on higher education
"At the turn of the last century, the “Wisconsin Experiment” led the nation as a way to develop government policies that would promote the greatest good for the most people. Gov. Robert La Follette brought together government officials, university professors and business leaders to hash out intelligent state policies.
Today there is another Wisconsin Experiment underway. This one, though, is designed to tear apart that broad civic vision and replace it with an oligarchy."
"At the turn of the last century, the “Wisconsin Experiment” led the nation as a way to develop government policies that would promote the greatest good for the most people. Gov. Robert La Follette brought together government officials, university professors and business leaders to hash out intelligent state policies.
Today there is another Wisconsin Experiment underway. This one, though, is designed to tear apart that broad civic vision and replace it with an oligarchy."
How Big Business Invented the Theology of 'Christian Libertarianism' and the Gospel of Free Markets | Alternet
How Big Business Invented the Theology of 'Christian Libertarianism' and the Gospel of Free Markets | Alternet
"Over the second half of the 1940s, corporate leaders lavishly funded new organizations of ministers who would make their case for them."
"Over the second half of the 1940s, corporate leaders lavishly funded new organizations of ministers who would make their case for them."
Rick Perry Tries to Sound Intelligent About Wall Street – Fails Miserably (Video)
Rick Perry Tries to Sound Intelligent About Wall Street – Fails Miserably (Video)
"the former Texas governor came away looking like a complete imbecile after trying to bash the Dodd-Frank banking regulations while simultaneously calling for – you guessed it – banking regulations."
"the former Texas governor came away looking like a complete imbecile after trying to bash the Dodd-Frank banking regulations while simultaneously calling for – you guessed it – banking regulations."
John Boehner Once Again Forced to Hang Head in Shame and Admit President Obama’s Been a Success
John Boehner Once Again Forced to Hang Head in Shame and Admit President Obama’s Been a Success
"It must absolutely pain Boehner to have to hang his head in shame every month and basically admit that the economy is doing well under President Obama. Especially considering that for years all he did was fear-monger and lie to the American people about how practically everything this president has done – from raising taxes on the rich to the Affordable Care Act – was going to destroy the economy and cost us millions of jobs. And none of that has turned out to be true."
"It must absolutely pain Boehner to have to hang his head in shame every month and basically admit that the economy is doing well under President Obama. Especially considering that for years all he did was fear-monger and lie to the American people about how practically everything this president has done – from raising taxes on the rich to the Affordable Care Act – was going to destroy the economy and cost us millions of jobs. And none of that has turned out to be true."
George Will's Wife Works For Scott Walker
George Will's Wife Works For Scott Walker
"Will has not only received a cash prize from the Bradley Foundation but he also sits on their board.
The Bradley Foundation is one of the major dark money funders for Walker and for the shady groups that do Walker's dirty work, like trying to derail the John Doe investigations into Walker's illegal politicking.
But wait! There's more! There's always more.
The CEO and President of the Bradley Foundation is Michael Grebe, Wisconsin's Money Badger. Grebe is the guy that directed the foundation's money to Will, Walker and the various front groups. Grebe also was the chair of each of Walker's gubernatorial campaigns.
But never let it be said that Walker doesn't take care of them that take care of him. Continuing his long tradition of pay for play and cronyism, not only has Walker the Weasel passed all the policies Grebe wanted, but appointed Grebe's son to the Wisconsin University Board of Regents.
Once Wisconsin is finally able to rid itself of Walker and his ilk, it will take decades to get the stench of corruption out of the air."
"Will has not only received a cash prize from the Bradley Foundation but he also sits on their board.
The Bradley Foundation is one of the major dark money funders for Walker and for the shady groups that do Walker's dirty work, like trying to derail the John Doe investigations into Walker's illegal politicking.
But wait! There's more! There's always more.
The CEO and President of the Bradley Foundation is Michael Grebe, Wisconsin's Money Badger. Grebe is the guy that directed the foundation's money to Will, Walker and the various front groups. Grebe also was the chair of each of Walker's gubernatorial campaigns.
But never let it be said that Walker doesn't take care of them that take care of him. Continuing his long tradition of pay for play and cronyism, not only has Walker the Weasel passed all the policies Grebe wanted, but appointed Grebe's son to the Wisconsin University Board of Regents.
Once Wisconsin is finally able to rid itself of Walker and his ilk, it will take decades to get the stench of corruption out of the air."
A glimpse behind the curtain of how Koch-funded corporate front groups manipulate the news you read
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/05/1390905/-A-glimpse-behind-the-curtain-of-how-Koch-funded-corporate-front-groups-manipulate-the-news-you-read?detail=facebook_sf
"corporate front groups were disseminating the pro-Big Business propaganda to slant the news we read but this is a bit of a rare glimpse behind the curtain as to how it is sometimes done. In many cases, they actually pay for bloggers and professional "trolls" to write for them, submit letters to the editor and op-eds to newspapers, downrate articles on sites like Reddit, and give bad reviews to liberal books on places like Amazon.com while uprating pro-business books. In this case, they are fishing for free exposure from bloggers, apparently without checking first to see if the bloggers actually agree with their corporatist agenda."
"corporate front groups were disseminating the pro-Big Business propaganda to slant the news we read but this is a bit of a rare glimpse behind the curtain as to how it is sometimes done. In many cases, they actually pay for bloggers and professional "trolls" to write for them, submit letters to the editor and op-eds to newspapers, downrate articles on sites like Reddit, and give bad reviews to liberal books on places like Amazon.com while uprating pro-business books. In this case, they are fishing for free exposure from bloggers, apparently without checking first to see if the bloggers actually agree with their corporatist agenda."
Monday, June 8, 2015
PERRspectives: Obama Has Created Six Times as Many Jobs as Bush
PERRspectives: Obama Has Created Six Times as Many Jobs as Bush
"Back on January 9, 2009, the reliably Republican Wall Street Journal published a helpful analysis titled, "Bush on Jobs: The Worst Track Record on Record." Last week, Bill McBride of Calculated Risk provided an updated analysis to show just how dismal. Some of the highlights:
During Dubya's two terms in office, the U.S. economy created just 1.3 million new jobs. So far, six times more--7.7 million jobs--have been added 28 months into President Obama's second term.
The private sector actually lost 463,000 jobs under George W. Bush. In contrast, Obama has presided over 63 straight months of private sector job creation, 8.3 million in all.
Under small government Republican George W. Bush, the public sector at all levels grew by 1.7 million workers. In contrast, federal, state and local governments have shed 638,000 jobs since Barack Obama first took the oath of office.
Let that settle in for a moment. Barack Obama wasn't only facing the greatest financial collapse since the Great Depression. The Obama recovery alone in modern American history was undermined by the overall contraction of government at all levels. The mythmaking of Kevin McCarthy aside, Obama's expansion would have been more robust if Republicans on Capitol Hill and in state and local governments hadn't stood in his way. DC Republicans didn't just block Obama initiatives like the American Jobs Act and infrastructure investment that could have boosted employment when unemployment was mired at 9 percent and strangle job creation and consumer confidence with their debt ceiling hostage-taking. The destructive austerity policies of state and local governments created an "anti-stimulus," with layoffs of public sector workers and cuts to spending that only served to undermine the gains from the stimulus. By May 2013, the Hamilton Institute estimated those austerity policies cost 2.2 American million jobs and resulted in the slowest recovery since World War II. In April 2012, the Economic Policy Institute explained why:
The current recovery is the only one that has seen public-sector losses over its first 31 months...If public-sector employment had grown since June 2009 by the average amount it grew in the three previous recoveries (2.8 percent) instead of shrinking by 2.5 percent, there would be 1.2 million more public-sector jobs in the U.S. economy today. In addition, these extra public-sector jobs would have helped preserve about 500,000 private-sector jobs.
To put it another way, "Democrats saved the economy; Republicans tried to kill it." And as the job numbers continue to show, Barack Obama is just the latest to show the economy almost always does better when a Democrat is in the White House. Compared to Jeb Bush's brother, about six times better."
"Back on January 9, 2009, the reliably Republican Wall Street Journal published a helpful analysis titled, "Bush on Jobs: The Worst Track Record on Record." Last week, Bill McBride of Calculated Risk provided an updated analysis to show just how dismal. Some of the highlights:
During Dubya's two terms in office, the U.S. economy created just 1.3 million new jobs. So far, six times more--7.7 million jobs--have been added 28 months into President Obama's second term.
The private sector actually lost 463,000 jobs under George W. Bush. In contrast, Obama has presided over 63 straight months of private sector job creation, 8.3 million in all.
Under small government Republican George W. Bush, the public sector at all levels grew by 1.7 million workers. In contrast, federal, state and local governments have shed 638,000 jobs since Barack Obama first took the oath of office.
Let that settle in for a moment. Barack Obama wasn't only facing the greatest financial collapse since the Great Depression. The Obama recovery alone in modern American history was undermined by the overall contraction of government at all levels. The mythmaking of Kevin McCarthy aside, Obama's expansion would have been more robust if Republicans on Capitol Hill and in state and local governments hadn't stood in his way. DC Republicans didn't just block Obama initiatives like the American Jobs Act and infrastructure investment that could have boosted employment when unemployment was mired at 9 percent and strangle job creation and consumer confidence with their debt ceiling hostage-taking. The destructive austerity policies of state and local governments created an "anti-stimulus," with layoffs of public sector workers and cuts to spending that only served to undermine the gains from the stimulus. By May 2013, the Hamilton Institute estimated those austerity policies cost 2.2 American million jobs and resulted in the slowest recovery since World War II. In April 2012, the Economic Policy Institute explained why:
The current recovery is the only one that has seen public-sector losses over its first 31 months...If public-sector employment had grown since June 2009 by the average amount it grew in the three previous recoveries (2.8 percent) instead of shrinking by 2.5 percent, there would be 1.2 million more public-sector jobs in the U.S. economy today. In addition, these extra public-sector jobs would have helped preserve about 500,000 private-sector jobs.
To put it another way, "Democrats saved the economy; Republicans tried to kill it." And as the job numbers continue to show, Barack Obama is just the latest to show the economy almost always does better when a Democrat is in the White House. Compared to Jeb Bush's brother, about six times better."
Saturday, June 6, 2015
The Agenda to Raise America’s Pay | Economic Policy Institute
The Agenda to Raise America’s Pay | Economic Policy Institute
"Over the same period that most workers’ wages have stagnated, economy-wide productivity has risen by 64 percent. In short, the potential has existed for adequate, widespread wage growth over the last three-and-a-half decades—but these economic gains have not trickled down to the vast majority."
"Over the same period that most workers’ wages have stagnated, economy-wide productivity has risen by 64 percent. In short, the potential has existed for adequate, widespread wage growth over the last three-and-a-half decades—but these economic gains have not trickled down to the vast majority."
Bernie Sanders Exposes 18 CEOs who took Trillions in Bailouts, Evaded Taxes and Outsourced Jobs
http://pdafund.com/component/k2/item/65-bernie-sanders-exposes-18-ceos-who-took-trillions-in-bailouts-evaded-taxes-and-outsourced-jobs
"Sen. Sanders responded to the lecture from America’s CEO’s by releasing a report that detailed how 18 of them have helped blow up the deficit and wreck the economy by outsourcing jobs and evading US taxes."
"Sen. Sanders responded to the lecture from America’s CEO’s by releasing a report that detailed how 18 of them have helped blow up the deficit and wreck the economy by outsourcing jobs and evading US taxes."
Bernie Sanders Lays Into Republicans For Their Attack On Social Security
Bernie Sanders Lays Into Republicans For Their Attack On Social Security
"Unlike the GOP, Sanders actually has a plan to keep it solvent that doesn't involve asking Americans to work until they drop dead."
"Unlike the GOP, Sanders actually has a plan to keep it solvent that doesn't involve asking Americans to work until they drop dead."
The Dangerous ‘Red-State Model’ | The Nation
The Dangerous ‘Red-State Model’ | The Nation
"The failure of Brownback’s plan has made headlines not only because of its consequences in Kansas but also because of its potential impact on national politics. Brownback explicitly intended his plan to inform the policy debate in 2016 and beyond, but his gambit didn’t work as planned. As The Post’s editorial board wrote last year, “Mr. Brownback’s Kansas trial is rapidly becoming a cautionary tale for conservative governors elsewhere who have blithely peddled the theology of tax cuts as a painless panacea for sluggish growth"."
"The failure of Brownback’s plan has made headlines not only because of its consequences in Kansas but also because of its potential impact on national politics. Brownback explicitly intended his plan to inform the policy debate in 2016 and beyond, but his gambit didn’t work as planned. As The Post’s editorial board wrote last year, “Mr. Brownback’s Kansas trial is rapidly becoming a cautionary tale for conservative governors elsewhere who have blithely peddled the theology of tax cuts as a painless panacea for sluggish growth"."
Friday, June 5, 2015
Hillary Clinton Attacks GOP for Gutting Voting Rights and Lays Out 6 Major Reforms | Alternet
Hillary Clinton Attacks GOP for Gutting Voting Rights and Lays Out 6 Major Reforms | Alternet
"Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who launched his presidential campaign this week, had signed laws “that a federal court said were written to discriminate against minorities,” she said. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker cut early voting and made it harder for college students to vote. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed early voting legislation. And Jeb Bush was Florida’s governor in 2000 when a “deeply flawed purge” removed tens of thousands of legal non-white voters, contributing to George W. Bush’s appointment to the presidency by the Supreme Court."
"Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who launched his presidential campaign this week, had signed laws “that a federal court said were written to discriminate against minorities,” she said. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker cut early voting and made it harder for college students to vote. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed early voting legislation. And Jeb Bush was Florida’s governor in 2000 when a “deeply flawed purge” removed tens of thousands of legal non-white voters, contributing to George W. Bush’s appointment to the presidency by the Supreme Court."
What's The Matter With Kansas? The GOPers Running It Into The Ground
What's The Matter With Kansas? The GOPers Running It Into The Ground
"Wichita, Kansas is the home base for Koch Industries, in case you didn't know. That's one reason why it was so important for them to buy some favorable tax policies."
"Wichita, Kansas is the home base for Koch Industries, in case you didn't know. That's one reason why it was so important for them to buy some favorable tax policies."
Meet One of the Last Best Hopes to Stop the Plutocrats' Takeover of American Democracy | Alternet
Meet One of the Last Best Hopes to Stop the Plutocrats' Takeover of American Democracy | Alternet
"Plutocrats have been on a roll for a while in the U.S., and campaign finance reform is in full retreat. Though Americans hate money’s “obscene” role in politics, according to a new New York Times/CBS poll, they feel hopeless about changing it. Thanks to the Supreme Court’s Buckley and Citizens United decisions, money is speech and corporations are people, so forget about limiting what billionaires and Super PACs can contribute to campaigns."
"Plutocrats have been on a roll for a while in the U.S., and campaign finance reform is in full retreat. Though Americans hate money’s “obscene” role in politics, according to a new New York Times/CBS poll, they feel hopeless about changing it. Thanks to the Supreme Court’s Buckley and Citizens United decisions, money is speech and corporations are people, so forget about limiting what billionaires and Super PACs can contribute to campaigns."
Watch: A Nobel Economist Debunks Trickle-Down Reaganomics In Four Minutes
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/watch-a-nobel-economist-debunks-trickle-down-reaganomics-in-four-minutes/
"In this video, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz lays out a damning indictment of Ronald Reagan’s deregulation and sweeping tax cuts that have resulted in the worst income inequality in the developed world and have been holding America back for the past thirty years. He definitively debunks the delusional “trickle-down” theory of income transfer and bemoans the fact that social mobility in America has been crippled by the concentration of wealth in the top 1%, preventing hard-working Americans from moving upwards in society or improving their lots in life.”The same market forces, the same forces of technological globalization are at work in the same way in advanced countries. It’s not the economic forces. It’s our policies"."
"In this video, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz lays out a damning indictment of Ronald Reagan’s deregulation and sweeping tax cuts that have resulted in the worst income inequality in the developed world and have been holding America back for the past thirty years. He definitively debunks the delusional “trickle-down” theory of income transfer and bemoans the fact that social mobility in America has been crippled by the concentration of wealth in the top 1%, preventing hard-working Americans from moving upwards in society or improving their lots in life.”The same market forces, the same forces of technological globalization are at work in the same way in advanced countries. It’s not the economic forces. It’s our policies"."
The Kansas Supreme Court Challenged Republicans' Agenda. Their Solution: Replace the Judges.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/05/final-front-sam-brownbacks-battle-control-kansas
"Since Republican Sam Brownback became governor of Kansas in 2011, he and his allies in the GOP-dominated state Legislature have implemented drastic tax cuts—part of a "real, live experiment" in conservative governance, as Brownback put it in 2012, that has resulted in precipitously falling revenues. But Brownback's tax slashing hit a snag last year when the state Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to increase education funding, potentially forcing the governor to roll back his signature tax cuts in order to increase school spending. So conservatives in Topeka declared war on the court."
"Since Republican Sam Brownback became governor of Kansas in 2011, he and his allies in the GOP-dominated state Legislature have implemented drastic tax cuts—part of a "real, live experiment" in conservative governance, as Brownback put it in 2012, that has resulted in precipitously falling revenues. But Brownback's tax slashing hit a snag last year when the state Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to increase education funding, potentially forcing the governor to roll back his signature tax cuts in order to increase school spending. So conservatives in Topeka declared war on the court."
Judges Considering Criminal Probe Into Scott Walker May Be Implicated In Same Offense
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/06/02/3665064/judges-considering-criminal-probe-scott-walker-may-implicated-offense/
"In a newly released court filing, the prosecutor in the case raised the question of whether one or two of the justices hearing the case are implicated in the same kind of scheme. Two groups suspected of coordinating with Walker’s campaign have also spent $10 million to elect the four-justice conservative majority. The prosecutor’s heavily redacted brief also suggests that two justices, or, at least, their campaigns, may have committed the same offense that is at the heart of the Walker investigation—coordinating with dark money groups to get reelected."
"In a newly released court filing, the prosecutor in the case raised the question of whether one or two of the justices hearing the case are implicated in the same kind of scheme. Two groups suspected of coordinating with Walker’s campaign have also spent $10 million to elect the four-justice conservative majority. The prosecutor’s heavily redacted brief also suggests that two justices, or, at least, their campaigns, may have committed the same offense that is at the heart of the Walker investigation—coordinating with dark money groups to get reelected."
Christie Officials Hid Wall Street Fees From NJ Officials
Christie Officials Hid Wall Street Fees From NJ Officials
"Even as Chris Christie pushed to cut benefits to retired New Jersey firefighters, teachers and other state workers, saying there simply wasn’t sufficient money in the pension fund, his administration was concealing how millions of those pension fund dollars were spent.
Faced with intensifying criticism of skyrocketing fees the state pension was paying to financial firms, the Republican governor's officials have touted their own cost estimate. But they didn't offer a complete reckoning. The officials' testimony to state lawmakers and letter to one of the state’s largest newspaper chains earlier this year appeared to prove that the state’s fees were well below other states. In fact, the Christie administration’s pension analysis, obtained through an open records request by International Business Times, omitted so-called performance fees that the state is paying to Wall Street. Those levies, which give financial firms a cut of the state’s investment gains, now total hundreds of millions of dollars a year. A Christie administration presentation to state pension trustees also obtained by IBTimes similarly omitted those performance fees.
The disclosure that the Christie administration's cost estimates hid large payments to financial firms comes as New Jersey lawmakers are set to hold a hearing on Thursday to scrutinize the more than $600 million a year the state now pays in total pension fees. The hearing follows an IBTimes’ reporting series that prompted New Jersey pension trustees to launch a separate investigation into the fees -- some of which have been paid to financial firms whose executives made campaign contributions to Republican organizations backing Christie’s election campaigns."
"Even as Chris Christie pushed to cut benefits to retired New Jersey firefighters, teachers and other state workers, saying there simply wasn’t sufficient money in the pension fund, his administration was concealing how millions of those pension fund dollars were spent.
Faced with intensifying criticism of skyrocketing fees the state pension was paying to financial firms, the Republican governor's officials have touted their own cost estimate. But they didn't offer a complete reckoning. The officials' testimony to state lawmakers and letter to one of the state’s largest newspaper chains earlier this year appeared to prove that the state’s fees were well below other states. In fact, the Christie administration’s pension analysis, obtained through an open records request by International Business Times, omitted so-called performance fees that the state is paying to Wall Street. Those levies, which give financial firms a cut of the state’s investment gains, now total hundreds of millions of dollars a year. A Christie administration presentation to state pension trustees also obtained by IBTimes similarly omitted those performance fees.
The disclosure that the Christie administration's cost estimates hid large payments to financial firms comes as New Jersey lawmakers are set to hold a hearing on Thursday to scrutinize the more than $600 million a year the state now pays in total pension fees. The hearing follows an IBTimes’ reporting series that prompted New Jersey pension trustees to launch a separate investigation into the fees -- some of which have been paid to financial firms whose executives made campaign contributions to Republican organizations backing Christie’s election campaigns."
PERRspectives: Jeb Bush Wrongly Blames GOP Congress for Dubya's Spending and Debt
PERRspectives: Jeb Bush Wrongly Blames GOP Congress for Dubya's Spending and Debt
"As it turns out, it is Barack Obama who brought some budget discipline to Washington. On January 7, 2009, two weeks before Obama's inauguration day, CNN reported on the latest long-term budget forecast from the CBO. Just days before President Bush ambled out of the Oval Office for good, CNN explained "the U.S. budget deficit in 2009 is projected to spike to a record $1.2 trillion, or 8.3% of gross domestic product." With the recession in full swing and the massive TARP program passed at Bush's urging the previous fall, CBO predicted in January 2009 that federal spending would spike to $3.543 trillion dollars while tax revenue would plummet to an anemic to $2,357 trillion. Federal spending has hardly budged since. While the annual deficit has been reduced by two-thirds, Uncle Sam's outlays measured in constant FY 2009 dollars have dropped every year since George W. Bush left the Oval Office and Barack Obama moved in."
"As it turns out, it is Barack Obama who brought some budget discipline to Washington. On January 7, 2009, two weeks before Obama's inauguration day, CNN reported on the latest long-term budget forecast from the CBO. Just days before President Bush ambled out of the Oval Office for good, CNN explained "the U.S. budget deficit in 2009 is projected to spike to a record $1.2 trillion, or 8.3% of gross domestic product." With the recession in full swing and the massive TARP program passed at Bush's urging the previous fall, CBO predicted in January 2009 that federal spending would spike to $3.543 trillion dollars while tax revenue would plummet to an anemic to $2,357 trillion. Federal spending has hardly budged since. While the annual deficit has been reduced by two-thirds, Uncle Sam's outlays measured in constant FY 2009 dollars have dropped every year since George W. Bush left the Oval Office and Barack Obama moved in."
Bernie Sanders wants to debate GOP candidates now to expose their unpopular ‘reactionary agenda’
Bernie Sanders wants to debate GOP candidates now to expose their unpopular ‘reactionary agenda’
"Sanders said Republican candidates want to offset “huge tax breaks for billionaires” with “massive cuts” to programs that help millions of American, including Medicare, Medicaid, and – in the case of likely candidates Jeb Bush and Chris Christie – Social Security.
“They get away with that stuff because a lot of people don’t know what they are talking about,” he said.
Sanders said he would like a debate between Democrats and Republicans during the primary season so he could “confront them honestly and say to their face” what voters should know about their governing intentions."
"Sanders said Republican candidates want to offset “huge tax breaks for billionaires” with “massive cuts” to programs that help millions of American, including Medicare, Medicaid, and – in the case of likely candidates Jeb Bush and Chris Christie – Social Security.
“They get away with that stuff because a lot of people don’t know what they are talking about,” he said.
Sanders said he would like a debate between Democrats and Republicans during the primary season so he could “confront them honestly and say to their face” what voters should know about their governing intentions."
The 1 percent’s “centrist” propaganda war: Why Bernie Sanders & Elizabeth Warren are so threatening to the establishment
The 1 percent’s “centrist” propaganda war: Why Bernie Sanders & Elizabeth Warren are so threatening to the establishment
"These arguments for centrism are just red herrings cloaked as pragmatic advice, designed to distract people from real problems, like the fact the GOP is actually a dying breed, while the rise of the modern liberal movement is overwhelmingly associated with the millennial generation.
Indeed, the largest base for conservatism today will be, quite literally, dying off in the near future. The Republican party is the old white party, which is not a very good survival strategy, as white people will cease to be a majority in about three decades, and todays elderly will be dead. This seems to be a much more significant problem than the Democratic party going too far to the left, which is actually a wise strategy for the future, if we are to believe the data suggesting the millennial generation is the most liberal yet. In fact, a few years ago, a Pew poll suggested that millennials (18-29) view socialism more favorably than capitalism, which is quite astonishing for the United States.
Elizabeth Warren and the rising liberal movement have created a real fear within the Republican party and Wall Street."
"These arguments for centrism are just red herrings cloaked as pragmatic advice, designed to distract people from real problems, like the fact the GOP is actually a dying breed, while the rise of the modern liberal movement is overwhelmingly associated with the millennial generation.
Indeed, the largest base for conservatism today will be, quite literally, dying off in the near future. The Republican party is the old white party, which is not a very good survival strategy, as white people will cease to be a majority in about three decades, and todays elderly will be dead. This seems to be a much more significant problem than the Democratic party going too far to the left, which is actually a wise strategy for the future, if we are to believe the data suggesting the millennial generation is the most liberal yet. In fact, a few years ago, a Pew poll suggested that millennials (18-29) view socialism more favorably than capitalism, which is quite astonishing for the United States.
Elizabeth Warren and the rising liberal movement have created a real fear within the Republican party and Wall Street."
ALEC Responds To Atlanta's 11Alive, Still Blocks Video Footage Of What They Actually Do
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/06/03/alec-responds-to-atlantas-11alive-still-blocks/203873
"ALEC and their corporate sponsors have a vested interest in keeping their conferences confidential. In secrecy, lobbyists and lawyers construct model right-wing legislation to be introduced in state houses across the country."
"ALEC and their corporate sponsors have a vested interest in keeping their conferences confidential. In secrecy, lobbyists and lawyers construct model right-wing legislation to be introduced in state houses across the country."
ALEC Tries To Intimidate News Crew, Receives Knockout Punch Instead! – VIDEO
http://samuel-warde.com/2015/06/alec-responds-to-11alive-investigation/
"ALEC responded on its website and placed the blame for what had transpired at the Georgia resort squarely on the shoulders of the news crew because – well, because to tell the truth wouldn’t serve the purposes of ALEC and those who fund the operation."
"ALEC responded on its website and placed the blame for what had transpired at the Georgia resort squarely on the shoulders of the news crew because – well, because to tell the truth wouldn’t serve the purposes of ALEC and those who fund the operation."
Scott Walker: The First ALEC President?
Scott Walker: The First ALEC President?
"Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will address the annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in San Diego this July.
Walker’s speech at ALEC will be a reunion of sorts. Walker was an ALEC member as a state legislator in the 1990s, and the agenda that Walker has championed throughout his long political career has closely tracked the policies promoted by ALEC and its corporate funders, despite public opposition to many of those measures."
"Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will address the annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in San Diego this July.
Walker’s speech at ALEC will be a reunion of sorts. Walker was an ALEC member as a state legislator in the 1990s, and the agenda that Walker has championed throughout his long political career has closely tracked the policies promoted by ALEC and its corporate funders, despite public opposition to many of those measures."
The media’s most destructive meme: Why we need to admit that the GOP’s extremism is virtually unprecedented
The media’s most destructive meme: Why we need to admit that the GOP’s extremism is virtually unprecedented
"It’s a very neat trick by the Republicans. They may be extreme right wingers but they know exactly how to seduce a willing political media into focusing on anything but their growing fanaticism."
"It’s a very neat trick by the Republicans. They may be extreme right wingers but they know exactly how to seduce a willing political media into focusing on anything but their growing fanaticism."
Ted Cruz Tries Quoting JFK to Defend Republican Ignorance on Tax Rates, Fails Miserably
Ted Cruz Tries Quoting JFK to Defend Republican Ignorance on Tax Rates, Fails Miserably
"Almost everything Ted Cruz regurgitates is just some talking point that’s directly meant to pander to tea party voters. And it’s not as if reality, facts or history even matter – because he seems to literally just make up whatever he wants."
"Almost everything Ted Cruz regurgitates is just some talking point that’s directly meant to pander to tea party voters. And it’s not as if reality, facts or history even matter – because he seems to literally just make up whatever he wants."
Bullish on Bernie: Populist Presidential Platform Draws Overflow Crowds
Bullish on Bernie: Populist Presidential Platform Draws Overflow Crowds
"Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who spoke to overflow crowds in Iowa and Minnesota over the weekend following his official campaign kick-off in Vermont last Tuesday, is gaining traction with both the press and the public."
"Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who spoke to overflow crowds in Iowa and Minnesota over the weekend following his official campaign kick-off in Vermont last Tuesday, is gaining traction with both the press and the public."
NY Times/CBS Poll Concurs: Americans Hate Citizens United
NY Times/CBS Poll Concurs: Americans Hate Citizens United
"The findings reveal deep support among Republicans and Democrats alike for new measures to restrict the influence of wealthy givers, including limiting the amount of money that can be spent by “super PACs” and forcing more public disclosure on organizations now permitted to intervene in elections without disclosing the names of their donors."
"The findings reveal deep support among Republicans and Democrats alike for new measures to restrict the influence of wealthy givers, including limiting the amount of money that can be spent by “super PACs” and forcing more public disclosure on organizations now permitted to intervene in elections without disclosing the names of their donors."
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