Tag: Pres. Biden

Tonight Is The Night

The big news for today, Tuesday, is that Biden will strut into the joint session of Congress and give his speech, State of the Union….I will watch and write my review tomorrow but for those that have better things to do then here is what is expected tonight…..

President Biden delivers his second State of the Union address Tuesday night, but don’t expect a raft of specific new policy proposals given the near impossibility of making them reality in a divided Congress, reports the AP. Instead, expect a speech offering Americans general reassurances that the nation is on the right track, particularly with the economy in regard to inflation and unemployment. Presidential historian Luke Nichter of Chapman University sees Biden’s No. 1 goal as being a “calming presence” for the country. Another crucial task will be making the case that he should run for re-election, even as many Democratic voters are skeptical about that.

“I think this is an impossible speech to give because it’s a speech that requires him to speak both about the state of the union as it is and the direction he hopes to lead it, which is about playing the role of statesman,” political scientist William Howell of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy tells the Hill. “But it also is going to lay the groundwork for most likely his own run for office in 2024, which will call for him to be decidedly political and to cover all kinds of ground.” The war in Ukraine and China’s spy balloon are likely to surface as topics on the world front.

“(W)e’re told not to expect a red-meat, campaign-style speech,” per the Politico Playbook. “Instead, expect a traditional presidential call for unity—and a subtler pitch for steady leadership over partisan chaos as Washington heads into a high-stakes standoff over the debt limit and long-term fiscal planning.” The speech starts at 9pm Eastern, and notable guests include the mother of Tyre Nichols, the man who stopped a gunman at a California dance hall, and Bono.

This speech will probably be a yawn because there is very little Biden can say or promise that will be at all doable.

Stay tuned for the speech review tomorrow here on IST.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Government Will Be Up And Running

As the year comes to an end the Congress did what it was suppose to do….and the president signed the spending bill in a flourish….

President Biden on Thursday signed a $1.7 trillion spending bill that will keep the federal government operating through the end of the budget year in September 2023. Biden had a late Friday deadline to sign the bill to avert a partial government shutdown, the AP reports. The White House said the bill was sent to the president on a commercial flight to St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands, where Biden is vacationing, per CNN. The bill will “invest in medical research, safety, veteran health care, disaster recovery, (Violence Against Women Act) funding—and gets crucial assistance to Ukraine,” Biden tweeted, adding, “Looking forward to more in 2023.”

A $1.7 trillion spending bill financing federal agencies through September and providing more aid to a devastated Ukraine cleared the House on Friday as lawmakers race to finish their work for the year and avoid a partial government shutdown. The bill passed mostly along party lines, 225-201. It now goes to President Biden to be signed into law, per the AP. Passage of the bill represented a closing act for Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s second stint as House speaker, and for the Democratic majority she led back to power in the 2018 election. Republicans will take control of the House next year and Rep. Kevin McCarthy is campaigning to replace her.

He is appealing for support from staunch conservatives in his caucus who have largely trashed the size of the bill and many of the priorities it contains. He spoke with a raised voice for about 25 minutes, assailing the bill for spending too much and doing too little to curb illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl across the US-Mexico border. “This is a monstrosity that is one of the most shameful acts I’ve ever seen in this body,” McCarthy said of the legislation. The speech prompted a quick quip from Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., who said “after listening to that, it’s clear he doesn’t have the votes yet,” a reference to McCarthy’s campaign to become speaker.

The bill runs for 4,155 pages, not including amendments the Senate added. It contains about a 6% percent increase in spending for domestic initiatives, to $772.5 billion. Spending on defense programs will increase by about 10% to $858 billion. The massive bill wraps together 12 appropriations bills, aid to Ukraine, and disaster relief for communities recovering from hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires. Lawmakers provided roughly $45 billion for Ukraine and NATO allies, more than even Biden requested, an acknowledgment that future rounds of funding are not guaranteed with a new GOP-led House.

It is such good news….we can have a government for another few months…..

Let me ask…..what part of massive cash for Ukraine will keep our government working?

I hear a lot of guff about how there is too much pork in these types of bills….and yet they say nothing about this bit of pork belly.  Why?

One last question that never gets asked and when it is there is never an answer.

Just what does the US expect in return for our ‘investment’ in Ukraine?

(Pause here for the sound of crickets)

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Biden And Changes To Social Security

The day after and I will attempt to recover from all the festivities and this damn head cold…..

I agree that Social Security needs updating….and yes it may soon go broke but not the fault of the program more so because of the idiots that have been working to kill this social program from it’s inception.

Pres. Biden is offering up a few changes that he says will go a long way to stabilizing the program.

A list of the changes Biden foresees…..

1. Lift payroll taxation on high earners

The most notable change proposed by Biden involves collecting more payroll tax revenue from high-earning workers. In 2023, all earned income between $0.01 and $160,200 is subject to the 12.4% payroll tax.  However, wages and salary above $160,200 aren’t subjected to this tax. Well over $1 trillion in earned income “escapes” the payroll tax this way every year.

Biden’s plan would reinstate the payroll tax on earned income above $400,000, while creating a doughnut hole between the maximum taxable earnings cap (the $160,200 figure in 2023) and $400,000 where earned income would remain exempt. Since the maximum taxable earnings cap increases over time, this doughnut hole would eventually close and subject all earned income to the payroll tax.

2. Change Social Security’s measure of inflation from the CPI-W to the CPI-E

The other sweeping change Biden is offering is to shift the program’s inflationary tether from the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) to the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E).

The issue with the CPI-W is that it tracks the spending habits of “urban wage earners and clerical workers,” which doesn’t make much sense when senior citizens make up the bulk of Social Security beneficiaries. Since the CPI-E specifically tracks the expenditures of seniors, it should result in more accurate cost-of-living adjustments being passed along to beneficiaries.

3. Increase the special minimum benefit

A third Social Security reform proposed by Biden involves increasing the special minimum benefit paid to lifetime low-earning workers.

This year, the maximum payout for a lifetime low-earner with 30 years of coverage is just $951 per month. That’s more than $180/month below the federal poverty level for a single filer. Under Biden’s plan, the special minimum benefit would rise to 125% of the federal poverty level. For a lifetime low-earner, it would mean a monthly payout boost of nearly $500.

4. Boost the primary insurance amount for aged beneficiaries

The fourth and final change would see the primary insurance amount (PIA) steadily increased over time for older beneficiaries. Specifically, the PIA would grow by 1% annually from ages 78 through 82 until a 5% cumulative increase was realized.

The purpose of boosting the PIA is to account for higher late-in-life expenditures. As we age, things like medical transportation costs and prescription drugs can become costlier. This would help offset some of those expenses.

The bigger problem for Joe Biden, and pretty much every president for the past four decades, is that getting the needed votes in the U.S. Senate to amend Social Security has been impossible. Whereas a simple majority of the vote suffices in the House, 60 votes are needed in the Senate to make changes to the Social Security program. Neither party has held 60 seats in the Senate since the late 1970s. This means any major overhaul to Social Security will require bipartisan support.

Basically a good idea but as usual will go nowhere at all.

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“lego ergo scribo”

That Hunter Biden Thing

With less than a month before the mid-terms and the perfect time to drop some dirt on candidates to provide a misdirection for the voter.

Walker in Georgia has his abortion thing and now the drop of news on the son of the president.

The team for Herschel Walker, the Georgia Republican and former NFL player running for a Senate seat, reportedly had quite some time to prepare for the news that broke Monday alleging Walker paid for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion. Sources tell Politico the team was made aware of the abortion issue, an allegation that is reportedly “well known” in Georgia, months ago, but that the team downplayed it in the hopes that it wouldn’t come out publicly prior to the November election. Top Georgia Republicans, however, reportedly warned Walker it could destroy his chances of being elected if it did.

One top GOP operative in the state who spoke to Politico says that Walker’s team downplayed, but, crucially, never actually denied the abortion story when discussing it and its potential ramifications. Walker, however, has publicly and vehemently denied the allegation since the story broke. Former President Trump, reaffirming his endorsement of Walker, said in a statement, “Herschel has properly denied the charges against him and I have no doubt he is correct.” On Tuesday, Sean Hannity made an odd comment on Fox News about Sen. Raphael Warnock, the incumbent Democrat in the Georgia race. “There is a family conflict with Herschel Walker that has been very public, which I think is sad for any family,” he told Newt Gingrich. “But there is also the same thing for Raphael Warnock.” He did not elaborate, and the Daily Beast reports it’s not clear what he meant.

This news about Hunter Biden should give the Right media a wealth of stories to drive home the news….

The news drop on Hunter Biden…..

Four years into the investigation, federal agents say they have assembled enough evidence to justify charging Hunter Biden with crimes. The evidence concerns tax crimes and a statement connected to the purchase of a gun, the Washington Post reports. The decision on whether to prosecute President Biden’s son falls to David Weiss, the US Attorney in Delaware, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump. Chris Clark, a lawyer for Hunter Biden, criticized investigators for leaking information, saying that it’s a crime and that the decision is up to prosecutors who are “thoroughly weighing not just evidence provided by agents, but also all the other witnesses in this case, including witnesses for the defense.”

Congressional Republicans have been pressuring the FBI in the case, saying political considerations are affecting its decisions, per CBS News. Investigations by the Justice Department often take years. Attorney General Merrick Garland has not pushed Weiss to hurry his decision, saying there will be no improper pressure brought. The federal investigation has been broad, with the tax portion of it centered on whether Hunter Biden did not declare income related to business operations.

Fascinating…..The Trump kids got scrutinized and now the Biden kid….

What a game they play.

Is that a smile I hear on the faces of GOPers?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

AI Bill Of Rights

The Biden group has issued what is being called a new Bill of Rights….they take on technology…….

The White House rolled out a proposal for an artificial intelligence Bill of Rights Tuesday, saying that while automated systems have “brought about extraordinary benefits,” progress “must not come at the price of civil rights or democratic values.” The blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy lists five principles that should be built into AI systems to protect the public from discrimination and violations of privacy, Axios reports. The White House warned that automated systems including those used for patient care “have proven unsafe, ineffective, or biased,” and algorithms used in hiring decisions have been found to “reflect and reproduce existing unwanted inequities or embed new harmful bias and discrimination.”

The principles state that Americans should know when automated decision-making is being used and they should be able to opt out. They state that algorithmic bias should be limited and users should be given control of their data. The White House said the document was released after a yearlong consultation with two dozen government departments, as well as tech companies and civil society groups, the AP reports. The proposals are nonbinding and government regulation of artificial intelligence remains “minimal or nonexistent,” Axios notes, though numerous other sets of AI guidelines exist, including EU guidelines released in 2019 and an “algor-ethical” proposal the Vatican released in 2020. Companies including IBM have released their own ethical guidelines.

“This is the White House saying that workers, students, consumers, communities, everyone in this country should expect and demand better from our technologies,” Alondra Nelson, OSTP deputy director for science and society, tells Wired. Nelson says the blueprint is “really just a down payment” on moves to limit harmful AI, though critics say the proposal should have included a framework to hold people and companies responsible for abusive AI practices. The US Chamber of Commerce, meanwhile, warned that if some of the recommendations become law, it will “handcuff America’s ability to compete on the global stage,” reports Reuters.

I support the idea…..but corporations will see that their paid agents in Congress will make this just a fart in the political wind.

But for those interested in the bill and the actions….I have the link for you…..

https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/

Read it and decide for yourself….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Biden’s UN Speech

AS per usual the president of the United States has made his mandatory speech to the UN General Assembly….and as usual the speech is full of hypocrisy…..

Of course Ukraine had to be a prominent part of the speech…..

At the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, President Biden focused most of his speech on Ukraine and accused Russia of violating the UN Charter by launching the war.

“Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the United Nations Charter — no more important than the clear prohibition against countries taking the territory of their neighbor by force,” he said.

Biden’s comments highlight US hypocrisy on the issue as Washington currently occupies a major portion of eastern Syria despite the Syrian government’s opposition. The US also supports Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and its blockade of Gaza, and Saudi Arabia’s war and blockade on its neighbor Yemen.

Biden said that the US will continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia based on the principle that “you cannot seize a nation’s territory by force.”

The president also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of making “reckless” nuclear threats. Earlier in the day, Putin ordered a partial mobilization and warned Russia could use nuclear weapons if its “territorial integrity” was “threatened.”

“President Putin has made overt nuclear threats against Europe and a reckless disregard for the responsibilities of the non-proliferation regime,” Biden said.

US support for Ukraine in its war against Russia has escalated tensions to a point where many experts and officials believe there is a greater risk of nuclear war today than there was during the Cold War. But the US shows no sign of backing down on its policy of supporting Ukraine, and Putin’s moves on Wednesday signaled a Russian escalation in Ukraine.

An interesting speech…..and as usual it was full of contradictory statements…..

The US condemns others for the same things they do…..take for instance the invasion and occupation of Iraq….or US is currently occupies a major portion of eastern Syria despite the government’s objection.

I understand the support for Ukraine but we should stop trying to claim the moral high ground….it is as if “Do as I say not as I do” sort of thing.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Did Students Win?

For several years there has been a push to do something about all the massive student debt…..like forgive some or all of the debt that going to college has heaped upon the student.

Progressive been at the forefront of the proposals…..and Biden needs a win to boost his numbers and help Dems with the mid-terms.

And presto change-o the Dems come through…..

On Wednesday President Biden made good on his campaign promise to ease the burden of federal student loan debt. Under Biden’s plan, many Americans will be granted $10,000 in debt cancellation; those with the greatest financial need could see an additional $10,000 wiped away. The specifics, per a tweet from the president and the AP:

  • Borrowers who earn less than $125,000 a year, or families earning less than $250,000, will be eligible for the $10,000 loan forgiveness. For recipients of Pell Grants, which are reserved for undergraduates with the most significant financial need, the federal government will cancel up to an additional $10,000 in federal loan debt.
  • Biden also extended a pause on federal student loan payments for what the White House calls the “final time” through the end of 2022.
  • If his plan survives legal challenges that are almost certain to come, it could offer a windfall to a swath of the nation in the run-up to this fall’s midterm elections. More than 43 million people have federal student debt, with an average balance of $37,667, according to federal data.
  • Nearly a third of borrowers owe less than $10,000, and about half owe less than $20,000. The White House estimates that Biden’s announcement would erase the federal student debt of about 20 million people.
  • Proponents say cancellation will narrow the racial wealth gap—Black students are more likely to borrow federal student loans and at higher amounts than others. Four years after earning bachelor’s degrees, Black borrowers owe an average of nearly $25,000 more than their white peers, according to a Brookings Institution study.
  • The Washington Post cites previous estimates that put the cost of canceling $10,000 per borrower at about $230 billion; that doesn’t include the Pell Grant relief.
  • CNN points out the problem of college affordability is a big one that’s unchanged by today’s announcement. To wit, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found total federal student loan debt, currently at $1.6 trillion, will be back at that level within four years of wiping out $10,000 per borrowers

This will be good news for most of those that accrued the massive debt to get their education.

It is a good start but I do think it is not enough.

If they want to protect students then try doing something about the predatory lending practices ….but that is not happening because of the cash that pays for a do-nothing Congress.

At least $10,000 of debt will be canceled…..

Whatcha think?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Biden Bad News

The 2024 presidential election is not as far away as some may think. We still do not know for sure what Trump will do….and that is keeping some descent GOP candidates from actually considering a run….then there is the Dems. Will Biden run or will he step aside and let America look at someone else?

If his poll numbers are any indication then he is not smiling much these days.

His approval rating is in the toilet.

The New York Times is out with a new political poll that has remarkably low numbers for President Biden—among his fellow Democrats.

  • Don’t run: Maybe the most striking stat is that only 26% of Democratic voters want him to run again in 2024. For those under 30, that percentage drops to a bottom-scraping 6%. Biden has said he plans to seek re-election.
  • Sinking lower: His job-approval rating fell to 33% among all voters, with only 13% of them saying the nation is on the right track. His approval rating specifically among Democrats is 70%, which the story notes is “relatively low.”
  • Reaction: “Maybe the worst presidential poll I’ve ever seen,” writes Allahpundit at Hot Air. And yet, this piece lays out why, for various reasons, Biden will likely face Donald Trump again in a presidential election. “Nothing would better reflect the nagging sense of national decline and civic paralysis that colors all of our politics nowadays than two widely disliked guys who are well past their prime wheezing their way to easy renominations in 2024. God help us.”
  • Analysis: At the Washington Post, Philip Bump sees a big-picture factor at at play. “Biden’s age and job performance are both salient in this discussion, but the new poll also reflects something else: the simmering power struggle within the party between its left and moderate factions.” Generally speaking, those on the left are younger, but they are less concerned about Biden’s age than the older moderates. For them, it’s about policies, or the lack thereof.

Not looking too good for ‘Uncle Joe’….

Personally I hope he steps aside.

I have not been impressed by anything he has done in his admin so for…..he has entered a war, protected corporate massive profits, and screwed the American people at every turn.

Yes I know he is better than a Trump….but for me that is NO DAMN excuse….Dems are pathetic and there leader is the most pathetic.

Enough Said?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Biden’s Answer To SCOTUS

By now we all are aware of the decision by those political hacks we call the Supreme Court on Roe v Wade…..

What to do?  What to do?  Well the president has an idea…..

President Joe Biden said Sunday he is considering declaring a public health emergency to free up federal resources to promote abortion access even though the White House has said it doesn’t seem like “a great option.” He also offered a message to people enraged by the Supreme Court’s ruling last month that ended a constitutional right to abortion and who have been demonstrating across the country: “Keep protesting. Keep making your point. It’s critically important.” The president, in remarks to reporters during a stop on a bike ride near his family’s Delaware beach house, said he lacks the power to force the dozen-plus states with strict restrictions or outright bans on abortion to allow the procedure, the AP reports.

“I don’t have the authority to say that we’re going to reinstate Roe v. Wade as the law of the land,” he said. Biden said Congress would have to codify that right and for that to have a better chance in the future, voters would have to elect more lawmakers who support abortion access. Biden said his administration is trying to do a “lot of things to accommodate the rights of women” after the ruling, including considering declaring a public health emergency to free up federal resources. Such a move has been pushed by advocates, but White House officials have questioned both its legality and effectiveness, and noted it would almost certainly face legal challenges.

The president said he has asked officials “to look at whether I have the authority to do that and what impact that would have.” On Friday, Jen Klein, the director of the White House Gender Policy Council, said it “didn’t seem like a great option.” “When we looked at the public health emergency, we learned a couple things: One is that it doesn’t free very many resources,” she told reporters. “It’s what’s in the public health emergency fund, and there’s very little money—tens of thousands of dollars in it. So that didn’t seem like a great option. And it also doesn’t release a significant amount of legal authority. And so that’s why we haven’t taken that action yet.”

Will this do any good?

NO it will not!

Sounds to me as if it is a PR ploy looking toward 2024….after all he is not all that popular right now with the American people.

Whatcha think?

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“lego ergo scribo”

Biden Moves On Abortion

Since SCOTUS did what the conservs have wanted for 50 years and made Roe v Wade a mere shadow of its former self…..all activists have been bitching and ranting that the Dems are doing nothing but throw out platitudes…..with all that criticism Biden has decided to do something that might help in November during the mid-terms….

President Biden will take executive action Friday to protect access to abortion, according to three people familiar with the matter, as he faces mounting pressure from Democrats to be more forceful on the subject after the Supreme Court ended a constitutional right to the procedure two weeks ago. The White House said Biden will speak Friday morning “on protecting access to reproductive health care services,” but the actions Biden was to outline were expected to be limited in scope, the AP reports. He is expected to formalize instructions to the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to push back on efforts to limit the ability of women to access federally approved abortion medication or to travel across state lines to access clinical abortion services.

Biden’s executive order will also direct agencies to work to educate medical providers and insurers about how and when they are required to share privileged patient information with authorities—an effort to protect women who seek or utilize abortion services. The order, coming two weeks after the high court’s June 24 ruling that ended the nationwide right to abortion and left it to states to determine whether or how to allow the procedure, comes as Biden has faced criticism from some in his own party for not acting with more urgency to protect women’s access to abortion. Since the ruling, Biden has stressed that his ability to protect abortion rights by executive action is limited without congressional action.

For me this is a limp wrist attempt to appear as doing something when doing as little as possible.

Yes Biden is at least doing something…..but my question is….Is he really doing anything substantial or is it just part of the election two step?

Your thoughts, please.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”