Day: August 3, 2011

Let’s Do Lunch…..My Treat

After many months of back and forth, talking points, finger pointing, lies and BS the whole debacle of the debt negotiations is over.  The minute the final vote was in the Reps sprinted to the airport so they could start their recess after pulling out their knee pads and shower caps…..and the Prez?  Well he started immediately after the vote on his newest talking point….Jobs.  And for being loyal supporters the Prez took his staff out to lunch to celebrate……

The WSJ is reporting……..

The lunch group included Mr. Obama’s budget director, Jack Lew; Vice President Joe Biden‘s chief of staff, Bruce Reed; the director of the National Economic Council, Gene Sperling; the White House’s top laison to Congress, Rob Nabors; and deputy White House Chief of Staff Nancy Ann DeParle. Mr. Obama sat at the table with a burger, fries and a salad in front of him, according to a pool report. The president was apparently in a good mood, sharing his spread with fellow diners, including 11-year-old Andrew Parker, who said Mr. Obama told him to choose any milkshake he wanted from his table.

A joyous lunch no doubt…….but my question is…..what the Hell are they celebrating?

The Dems got zero out of the deal….the GOP got just about everything they wanted……the the American people got a screwing that they soon will begin to feel…..and it was without Vaseline……so it will begin to hurt almost immediately….the markets tanked…….the debt will increase and jobs will be lost……I do not see much to celebrate…but then I am not a gutless politician!

If there is any of my readers that want to defend what the Dems and the Prez has done….please feel free to let us all know…..just what is the celebration for?

Letter To Candidates

Yesterday was primary day in Mississippi and all I could do was laugh at the outcome……

The Hotline reports that Mississippi Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant (R) won a crowded Republican primary with 59% of the vote, avoiding an August 23 runoff that will most likely be necessary for Democrats Johnny DuPree and Bill Luckett.

This is a letter that I sent to each candidate for the state of Mississippi……so now after the comedy of errors that was the debt debate and final deal……I ask ALL candidates to explain the thought…….

Dear Candidate:

You are asking the people of Mississippi to vote for you in an upcoming  primary…election after election we, the people, have been told and promised that tax cuts would make Mississippi a more prosperous state….year after year that has NOT been the case….and candidates are still trying to sell that idea and the people buy it….each and every time.  So my question is about these promised tax cuts.

Tax cuts….so far the only thing they have done is make for a great campaign slogan and a couple of bumper stickers…and that is about the extent of the promise……for more years than I care to count Mississippi has been at the top of every “worst” list and the bottom of every “best” list….so tax cuts have not help the state in anyway that is noticeable.

Every administration for the last couple of decades has cut taxes as way to attract good jobs to the state….and so far all it has done is basically pay corporations to re-locate in Mississippi…the jobs are NOT there….i.e.  a recent multi-million dollar industry has come to North Mississippi, they got tax cuts and breaks and economic development money and it will create 50 jobs…where was that tax incentive making Mississippi more prosperous?

We have heard the pundits use Connecticut as an example of what happens when taxes are raised….the business economy in the state sucks….but then if tax cuts are the answer why is Mississippi so far down the list?  By that analysis Mississippi should be leading the nation in jobs creation and a good economic atmosphere….we are NOT…so what is it that tax cuts is doing for the state?

Since jobs/education/health are all in the toilet in Mississippi….how will tax cuts change that?  And why, with all our past tax cuts is it not improving now?

My question is very simple….explain to me and the people of Mississippi just how tax cuts will make their life better and more prosperous?

How Will The Debt Deal Effect Me?

It is a done deal…..the president has signed the debt deal into law…..what now?

You have heard all the opinions on what will happen if we default and what will happen with the deal that has been made…….GOP says it will do this….and Dems say it will do that….and the Tea Party is just plain pissed…..but really now…how will it effect me and you….you know real people with real stake in the survival of the economy….how will it effect us mortals?

A great question and you will NOT hear an elected official that will actually tell you the truth….but rather go off onto a talking point rant or by quoting some lame political bumper sticker….so how will it effect you?

RJ Eskow of Campaign for America’s Future has written about it…….

1. You’ll be less likely to find a job if you’re looking. If you’ve got a job, you’re less likely to earn more money – and more likely to lose it.

The New York Times report of a secret agreement not to help the economy only confirms what we already knew: The President won’t aggressively push a jobs program, and the Republicans don’t intend to pass one in any case.

This is bad news if you or anyone close to you is currently unemployed — especially if you live an a hard-hit area, have been unemployed for a long time, are African American, or are older. It’s equally bad news if you’ve just graduated from college. This “grand bargain” won’t even extend your Federal unemployment insurance.

If you’re not working enough hours or haven’t seen your salary go up very much, this will hurt you too. Under-employment is also a symptom of an economy in need of stimulus, and that stimulus isn’t coming. And wages are stagnating, even for fully-employed people, too. There are several reasons for that — with high unemployment, employers don’t have to give raises to keep people. And a lot of employers are strapped, too, because they’re not making as much money as they used to.

In other words, of you’re one of the 22 to 24 million people in the country who are un- or under-employed, this deal is bad news. And if you’re one of the tens of millions of people with stagnant income, it will hurt you too.

By all means, please keep looking for a job and try not to surrender to despair. But this bill is a step backward for you.I know it’s going to be tough, and I feel for you. But hang in there and don’t give up. Join us in pressuring Washington to address unemployment. That will give you added purpose – and we sure could use the help.

2. Your housing value is likely to suffer.

The bipartisan coalition that bailed out Wall Street has agreed to exclude any help for suffering homeowners in their “grand bargain.” That means that a wave of foreclosures will continue unabated, driving down housing value, ruining millions of households, and depressing the local economy in tens of thousands of cities, towns, and neighborhoods.

The tax provisions we’ll describe in a minute are likely to make that problem even worse.

3. Your old age just got scarier.

A “chained-CPI” benefit cut will reduce Social Security by nearly ten percent by the time you’re 80 — and that’s if you retire right away. If you’re young the cuts will be even greater. Raising the retirement age is a huge benefit cut, too.

The right-wing “bipartisan” consensus isn’t willing to attack the real drivers of health care cost in this country, most of which come from our over-dependence on for-profit hospitals, insurance companies, and drug companies. That means benefit cuts are likely to be recommended by the “Super Congress” and implemented by that other body. (What should it be called from now on – the “Lesser Congress,” perhaps?)

That’s likely to mean an old age with more financial insecurity – unless this deal can be stopped, or the “Super Congress” is staffed with Democrats who believe in the higher good and not a deal for expediency’s sake.

Again, don’t despair. Join us in fighting to protect entitlement programs – or in electing politicians who will.

4. Your tax bill is likely to go way up.

You may have heard the phrase “revenue enhancement” and wondered why they don’t just say “tax increase.” Or heard the words “tax expenditure” and wondered why they didn’t just say “tax deductions.” Here’s why: The phrase “tax increase” is understood to mean raising tax rates, which would discommode the wealthy. But “revenue enhancement” also includes eliminating tax deductions that benefit the middle class but mean very little to the wealthy.

The American people are soooooo screwed……now think about what was written and then answer this question……who did the Congress actually have in mind when they passed the debt deal?  Here’s a clue if you are having problems with the question……..YOU were NEVER part of the equation!