U.S. Politics

[Rick Plant]

‘Longest streak on record’: Economists praise ‘very strong’ jobs report



The economy continues to explode. The February jobs report released Friday morning is being called "very very strong" and "very solid" by economists.

The economy added 678,000 new jobs, greatly beating expectations (one Harvard economist admits he projected 150,000.) Unemployment dropped to nearly pre-pandemic levels.

The AP calls it "another gain that underscored the economy’s solid health as the omicron wave fades and more Americans venture out to spend at restaurants, shops and hotels."

"The Labor Department’s report Friday also showed that the unemployment rate dropped from 4% to 3.8%, extending a sharp drop in joblessness as the economy has rebounded from the pandemic recession."

Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research:

@DeanBaker13 "as expected, another very strong report 678k jobs, unemployment down to 3.8 percent."

@DavMicRot "US has gained 506,000 more jobs in Biden's first 13 months, than it did in Trump's first 37 months (i.e., our peak month before the COVID crash)."



Calling it "longest streak on record," New York Times economics, business, and data reporter Ben Casselman notes: "We've added at least 400k jobs every month since May."

@bencasselman "Time for charts! (Will update as I get time.)
First off, the 678k gain in February was another in a streak of strong growth. We've added at least 400k jobs every month since May. That's the longest streak on record."



"This was an unambiguously strong jobs report," writes economist and public policy scholar Justin Wolfers, a professor the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

"Strong payrolls growth. Similar strength in the household survey. Broad-based gains. People getting back to work. Robust revisions. And signs that wage growth may not be the constraint some had feared."

https://twitter.com/bencasselman/status/1499740035737952258

[Rick Plant]

We're finally getting it done': President Joe Biden talks infrastructure in Wisconsin

On Wednesday on the heels of his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden traveled to Superior, Wisconsin. The purpose of the visit was to talk up the president’s bipartisan infrastructure law.

"When I signed that infrastructure law 100 days ago, we hit the ground running announcing $100 billion in new investments to create jobs for millions of Americans, modernizing our roads, our airports, our ports, our waterways," he said.

Biden touted some keys points in his speech at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

He said the legislation will replace all the lead pipes in the country, so people have access to clean water. And he saif the funding will provide affordable high-speed internet access to every American whether in urban, rural, suburban or tribal areas.

Biden also referenced Tuesday’s State of the Union address. In it, he talked about plans this year to improve 65,000 miles of highways and repair 1500 bridges.

Superior borders Duluth, Minnesota, and the Blatnik Bridge crosses both cities. Biden said folks know its value because many used the bridge to get their families to safety when the Husky Oil Refinery exploded in 2018.

"What you may not know, the bridge is 61 years old at the end of its useful life. The corrosion over the years has lowered the weight it can sustain to safely handle. This bridge also has outdated design — tight curves led to higher-than-average crash rates on this bridge," he said.

Biden added that there are 971 bridges in Wisconsin and 661 bridges in Minnesota in poor condition. And, he said there are nearly 7,000 miles of highway between the states that need repair.

"And now after years of talking about infrastructure, we’re finally getting it done," Biden said.

Ahead of the visit by the Democratic president, Wisconsin Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany said he supports an improvement project on the Blatnik Bridge. But he also wanted Biden to mention rebuilding the refinery in Superior and getting pipeline projects done.

"Like Line 5 — there is a permit that’s being held by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources right now for Ashland County. It is critical to get that done," he said.

Tiffany said that is some of the infrastructure that fuels America.

https://www.wuwm.com/2022-03-03/were-finally-getting-it-done-president-joe-biden-talks-infrastructure-in-wisconsin

[Rick Plant]

Jen Psaki - White House Press Secretary 

When it comes to U.S. energy production – and how we achieve energy security – it’s important to look at the facts. So here are 9 specifics:

1. Production is up, rising, and approaching records, yet Russia’s actions still leave our consumers vulnerable. It’s a reminder that real energy security comes from reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

2. U.S. production of natural gas and oil is rising and approaching record levels: More natural gas than ever this year, more oil than ever next year, and, even with a global pandemic, more oil production this past year than during the previous administration’s first year.

3. The trendlines also point up. Oil production is up more than 700K b/d from Jan to Dec of last year, and is projected to be up more than 700K b/d from Jan to Dec this year, and to rise nearly 500K b/d to new record over the course of next year.

4. In fact, the U.S. was a net exporter of petroleum + petroleum products in each of the last two years, and will be a net exporter of natural gas for years to come.

5. We also know that producers have no shortage of opportunity, nor – after the high profits experienced last year – do they have any shortage of capital.

6. And on public lands and waters (and let’s not forget that nearly 90% of onshore oil production in the U.S. takes place on non-federal land): The industry holds more than 9,000 unused, approved permits to drill onshore.

7. Despite all this, even at this scale, domestic production has not insulated us from the price volatility of fossil fuels or the whims of those who control them, such as President Putin. Americans know that.

8. The only way to protect US over the long term is to become energy independent. That is why the President is so focused on deploying clean energy technologies that don’t require fossil fuels bought and sold on the global market, which will always be vulnerable to bad actors.

9. So as we navigate how to protect Americans and the global community from Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine, let’s remember to move past the talking points and ground this discussion in facts.

https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1500587988610424838

[Rick Plant]

"This afternoon, I took a virtual tour of two Siemens facilities — one in California and one in Texas. Because of the investments our infrastructure law delivers, Siemens is upgrading and expanding these facilities — creating 300 new good-paying jobs."- President Joe Biden

[Rick Plant]

"The Blatnik Bridge connects Wisconsin and Minnesota — and is one of the most important bridges in the region. Bridges like this are critical to our economy and keep us connected. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest in fixing over 15,000 bridges." - President Joe Biden

[Rick Plant]

Trump-backed Arizona candidate threatens Australian journalist: ‘Your days are numbered’



Kari Lake, the Trump-endorsed candidate for Arizona governor, has made international news for her ongoing denial of the fact Donald Trump lost both her state and the country in the 2020 election.

Lake is featured in a new "60 Minutes" Australia exposé on the former president and his supporters.

"On '60 Minutes,' Donald Trump eyes off another go at the top job," the narrator says in a new tease of the program. "Only this time, he and his followers, aren't taking no for an answer."

The preview features Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland during the Trump administration. Taylor argued that the MAGA movement is "the biggest cult phenomenon in western history."

The video features Lake, a former local Fox broadcaster, threatening an interviewer while walking off set.

"You want to keep pushing propaganda, your days are numbered," said conspiracy theorist said, whom CNN has described as a "serial promoter of election lies."

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

The GOP plan is to raise taxes on Americans, cut social security, and gut their healthcare. It's the "Tax and Gut" GOP plan! 

RICK SCOTT’S “11 POINT PLAN TO RESCUE AMERICA” WILL RAISE TAXES ON AMERICANS AND CUT SOCIAL SECURITY



Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), a multimillionaire member of the Senate GOP leadership and chair of its election committee, has released his “11 Point Plan to Rescue America” that he says Republicans will pursue if they win back power. It’s no surprise that it recycles many of the worst GOP ideas over the years and attacks working families while protecting corporate tax cuts and billionaire tax cheats.

Toplines:

- The Republican leadership plan shows once again that they are on the side of the wealthy and corporations, rather than here to help working families. Their plan will raise taxes on 100 million Americans, most of them of moderate means.

- Under the GOP plan working families will pay $100 billion more in federal income taxes this year alone. Those making less than about $27,000 annually—would pay an average of nearly $1,000 more in taxes in 2022. Low-income families with children would see their after tax incomes slashed by more than $5,000 – about 20%.

- Meanwhile the GOP plan will not require the rich and corporations to pay a dime more in taxes. Not one tax loophole benefiting the rich and corporations will be closed. Not one billionaire will pay more in taxes. We need to create a tax system where the wealthy and corporations start paying their fair share of taxes like the rest of us do.

RAISING TAXES ON WORKING FAMILIES

- The GOP plan calls for raising taxes on 100 million low- and moderate-income Americans, while making it easier for billionaires and huge corporations to evade paying their fair share.

- It would increase federal income taxes by more than $100 billion this year alone. More than 80% of the tax increase would be paid by households making about $54,000 or less. 97% would be paid by those making less than about $100,000. [Tax Policy Center]

- Working families struggling to pay their bills already pay a larger share of their income in federal and state taxes compared with the wealthy. They pay Social Security and Medicare  payroll taxes, federal excise taxes like the gas tax, and state and local taxes. But the head of the Republican Senate campaign committee thinks they should pay even more.

- Requiring everyone to pay some federal income taxes would mean that low-income households would no longer receive much benefit from tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit, which rewards work, and the Child Tax Credit, which helps lift families with children out of poverty. These credits are fully or partially ‘refundable’ which means that even a family whose tax liability is zero, can still get a refund back at tax time. For example, if the credit is worth $600 and the family’s tax is $400, they would get a $200 check. Under the GOP plan, they would owe $100.

- The plan would also reduce the value of the standard deduction for millions of low- and middle-income households, requiring them to pay a lot more in taxes. Low-income households making less than about $27,000 a year would pay about $1,000 more in taxes in 2022, on average. Low-income families with children would see their after tax incomes slashed by more than $5,000 – about 20%. [Tax Policy Center]

- McConnell has tried to deny that the GOP would raise taxes on the most vulnerable half of the country if given the chance, but his record gives the American people little reason to trust him. So long as McConnell continues to hide what he’ll do if he regains power, the Scott plan is the only insight we have for the whole Senate GOP.

PROTECTING WEALTHY TAX CHEATS

- The GOP plan seeks to defund the IRS, the cop on the beat trying to prevent the wealthy and corporations from evading their taxes. The nation’s richest 1% evade $160 billion in lawfully owed taxes every year.

- Yet, the GOP plan would slash the IRS budget in half. Because the GOP slashed funding for the IRS, between 2010 and 2019 IRS audit rates of millionaires declined by 71% and of large corporations by 54%.

PROTECTING EXTREME WEALTH CONCENTRATION

- The Senate GOP leadership’s 31-page plan makes no mention of closing the gaping loopholes in the tax code that allow billionaires and huge corporations to legally dodge their taxes, or that encourage multinational corporations to move jobs and profits offshore.

- In several recent years, billionaires such as Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Warren Buffett and Michael Bloomberg, have paid zero federal income taxes.

- In the three years since passage of the Trump-GOP tax scam in 2017, which mostly cut taxes for the rich and corporations, 39 big corporations—including FedEx and T-Mobile—paid zero federal income taxes, despite over $120 billion in collective profits.

CUTTING BENEFITS AND SERVICES

- The GOP’s reckless, radical plan appears to promote the end of federal guarantees of vital services like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans benefits, clean air and water. Under this plan, the GOP would abandon Americans to corporations and local governments with a long history of profiteering and discrimination, and even make it easier to hide the racist impact of public programs and practices.

- As with every other GOP plan in recent memory, this one claims to balance the budget and reduce debt—but not by catching rich tax cheats or stopping billionaires and big firms from paying little or nothing. Instead, the GOP once again plans to cut services and benefits that working families depend on. We’ve seen this GOP playbook over and over again.

- The GOP plan would make it harder for the federal government to respond to national disasters like the coronavirus, the 2008 financial crisis and climate catastrophes. As was shown during the pandemic, robust federal action is often the only way to keep workers employed, families fed and housed, and the economy afloat in times of national emergency. Choking off federal resources would leave Americans without help when they need it most.

SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGING



When @SenRickScott says “all Americans should pay some income tax” does he mean the billionaires who routinely pay nothing, or does he just mean the lowest-income Americans he considers “moochers?” Asking for a friend.

Once and for all, the 47% of Americans who have  too little income to pay federal income taxes aren’t “moochers.” The billionaires and their billion-dollar corporations who pay $0 in federal income taxes are.

“Billionaires got $2.1 trillion richer during the pandemic”
“Billionaires pay an effective tax rate of just 8.2%”
“Corporations see fattest profit margins since 1950”
“55 Fortune 500 companies paid $0 federal income tax”

Republicans: *raise taxes on 100 million lower-income Americans*

https://americansfortaxfairness.org/issue/talking-points-rick-scotts-11-point-plan-rescue-america/


Johnson backs Scott: Calls plan to raise taxes and cut social security “A positive thing”

Today, during a Breitbart News Daily interview, Wisconsin U.S. Senator Ron Johnson agreed with “most of” NRSC Chair Rick Scott’s 11 point plan to raise taxes on half of all Americans, while also cutting Social Security and Medicare, calling it “a positive thing.”

According to the Associated Press, Scott’s “11-point plan [would] would impose a modest tax increase for many of the lowest paid Americans, while opening the door for cutting Social Security and Medicare.” Already, the new Republican agenda has put GOP candidates in tight positions, especially in Ohio, Wisconsin, and Florida, and highlighted the “growing civil war” within the GOP.

Scott’s plan is facing fierce backlash and Johnson — who last month told Wisconsin workers he “wouldn’t insert [him]self” to fight for jobs in his own hometown and was caught complaining that he’s “only doubled” his wealth as a U.S. Senator — will now have to explain to voters why he thinks we should raise taxes on seniors and sunset entitlement programs millions of Wisconsinites rely on.

https://www.wispolitics.com/2022/american-bridge-johnson-backs-scott-calls-plan-to-raise-taxes-and-cut-social-security-a-positive-thing/

[Rick Plant]

Revealed: New GOP plan to raise taxes on working people and end Social Security



They’re at it again: Republicans want to raise taxes on poor and working-class Americans, end Social Security and Medicare, jack up pollution and corporate profits, all while continuing to pamper their billionaire donor base.

This time it’s the guy in charge of getting Republican senators elected and re-elected, Florida’s Senator Rick Scott.

You may remember him as the guy who ran the company convicted of the largest Medicare fraud in the history of America, who then took his money and ran for Governor of Florida, where he prevented the state from expanding Medicaid for low-income Floridians for all the years he ran the state.

Now he’s the second-richest guy in the senate and, IMHO, the leading candidate for the GOP nomination for president in 2024. And, true to form, he’s echoing the sentiments of the richest guy in the Senate, Mitt Romney, the last guy before Trump to have that nomination.

“There are 47 percent who are with him,” Romney said of Obama voters back in 2012, “who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. These are people who pay no income tax.”

Low income working people in America generally pay a higher percentage of their income as taxes than do most of our billionaires and multi-multi-millionaires. They pay Social Security taxes, Medicare taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, taxes in the form of fees for everything from a driver’s license to road tolls to annual car inspections.

As Romney pointed out, though, about 47 percent of Americans in 2012 made so little money that, after applying the standard deduction, they paid no income tax.

This doesn’t just reveal how few people pay taxes, though. To the contrary, it reveals how many Americans are living in or on the edge of poverty.

The simple reality is if you want more people to pay income taxes, all you have to do is raise working people’s pay. We saw this in a big way between 1950 and 1980, when Keynesian economics reigned and labor unions helped wages — and the taxes they paid — steadily rise for working people.

But Republicans don’t like the idea of what they call “wage inflation.” They’d rather just squeeze working people harder, while continuing their subsidies of the lifestyles of the morbidly rich “donor class.”

More than half of Americans make so little money from their employment that they can’t deal with an unexpected $1000 expense like a car accident or medical bill. And it’s these very people who Rick Scott and the GOP believe need to be further taxed so they’ll have what Scott calls “skin in the game.”

In the early years of the Reagan administration, before his neoliberal “trickle down” and “supply side” policies started to really bite Americans, only 18 percent of Americans were so poor that their income didn’t qualify to be taxed.

As “Right to Work for Less” laws spread across America and Republicans on the Supreme Court made it harder for unions to function, more and more working people fell below the tax threshold.

Today it takes two working adults to maintain the same lifestyle that one worker could provide in 1980, so an estimated 61 percent of working Americans this year will make so little pay that their income isn’t subject to taxation.

Rick Scott and the GOP’s solution to this situation isn’t to raise the income of working-class people. Quite to the contrary, they’re suggesting that low-income people should be hit with their very own income tax — in addition to the dozens of other taxes they’re already paying — all so multimillionaires and billionaires like Scott and his friends can hope to see their own taxes go down a tiny bit.

Doing his best imitation of Newt Gingrich, Scott has rolled out his 11-point-plan to soak the American middle class, lock down elections, destroy consumer protections, increase pollution and climate change, and squeeze a few more dollars out of every family, no matter how tight their budgets may already be.

Scott calls that “rescuing America.” And it may be true, if you’re morbidly rich and made your money spewing pollution or hustling opioids.

His plan not only calls for a 50 percent cut in the IRS workforce, presumably to end all audits of rich people like Scott, but also demands all federal legislation to “sunset” within five years. That would almost certainly end Social Security and Medicare, programs that have been in the crosshairs of Republicans since Reagan’s day.

Realizing how “raising taxes on 60% of American voters” will play in campaign ads, Mitch McConnell has backed away from Scott’s bizarre proposal. But Fox “News” is all over it, inviting Scott on repeatedly to hawk his plan and prepare the ground for his candidacy. After all, billionaires like Rupert Murdoch and his family need their tax breaks!

As Sean Hannity told Scott during a recent appearance, “I want to applaud you. I'd like to see the House and the Senate come together on these issues, make these promises to the American people, get elected and then fulfill those promises.”

No doubt multi-millionaire Hannity was speaking his own truth. But for the majority of Americans who are so poor they barely have to pay income taxes, Scott’s plan is just the latest in a 40-year barrage of assaults and insults coming from the GOP.

https://www.rawstory.com/revealed-new-gop-plan-to-raise-taxes-on-working-people-end-social-security-medicare/