"1. Scream about the debt and deficit. 2. Shrink revenue by slashing taxes for the already palatial elite. Summarily dismiss all concerns about the debt and deficit, because, well, the debt and deficit don't really matter. Plus, tax cuts for the rich grow the economy anyway. Or maybe not. It doesn't matter. What matters is that one render unto the power elite the things that are the power elite's; everybody else can go to hell. 3. Scream about the debt and deficit. 4. Savagely gut Social Security and Medicare, because obviously the debt and deficit. Turns out the debt and deficit do matter. And to get the debt and deficit under control after slashing taxes on the rich will require nothing less than shared sacrifice from all Americans. But not really all Americans. The persecuted John Galts of the world have shouldered the burden of sacrifice long enough. Time, then, for all those particularly shiftless souls lacking the creativity and work ethic of the ruling class to sacrifice. Time for these ungrateful hordes to genuflect at the altar of capital and empty their pockets in tribute."
December 21, 2017
The 10 Step Scheme for One-Sided Class War
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/12/20/10-step-scheme-one-sided-class-war
America, you've just called up the Kansas tax scheme to the big leagues. Here's how to talk about it
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/20/1726255/-America-you-ve-just-called-up-the-Kansas-tax-scheme-to-the-big-leagues-Here-s-how-to-talk-about-it
"Oh America, you’ve just taken the big plunge. We’ve re-written the tax code without a single hearing, without expert testimony, without any review. We’ve adopted the Kansas tax plan, pushing forward ideas like the Laffer Curve and Dynamic scoring from the Double-A minor ball into the big leagues. But, before the tax plan comes into action, you’re going to see a lot of Republican celebration about how awesome this tax scheme is going to be. Before you enter into that discussion, there are a few points I’d like to make about how we even discuss the Trump Tax Scheme. This is not a tax “plan”, it is not a tax “cut”, this is a tax “scheme” or a “tax scam” Let’s be clear about something. A plan implies as though we have a good understanding of the overall outcome and we have a plan on how to deal with it. The Republican Tax Scheme is NOT a plan. At best, it is a tax scam and the results are pretty well known: In 2012, Kansas lawmakers, led by Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican, enacted a tax cut that eliminated state income taxes entirely for pass-through entities — such as sole proprietorships and limited liability partnerships — which are taxed at the owner’s individual income tax rate. The law also lowered individual income tax rates, cutting the top rate to 4.9 percent from 6.4 percent. The tax package reduced state revenue by nearly $700 million a year, a drop of about 8 percent, from 2013 through 2016, according to the Kansas Legislative Research Department, forcing officials to shorten school calendars, delay highway repairs and reduce aid to the poor. Research suggests the package did not stimulate the economy, certainly not enough to pay for the tax cut. This year, legislators passed a bill to largely rescind the law, saying it had not worked as intended. A cut implies that people see a reduction of taxes. This is also not, in fact, a cut for many. This is a tax EXEMPTION for those who the most wealthy, who will now be paying ZERO. Zero is not a tax cut. Zero is tax exemption."
"Oh America, you’ve just taken the big plunge. We’ve re-written the tax code without a single hearing, without expert testimony, without any review. We’ve adopted the Kansas tax plan, pushing forward ideas like the Laffer Curve and Dynamic scoring from the Double-A minor ball into the big leagues. But, before the tax plan comes into action, you’re going to see a lot of Republican celebration about how awesome this tax scheme is going to be. Before you enter into that discussion, there are a few points I’d like to make about how we even discuss the Trump Tax Scheme. This is not a tax “plan”, it is not a tax “cut”, this is a tax “scheme” or a “tax scam” Let’s be clear about something. A plan implies as though we have a good understanding of the overall outcome and we have a plan on how to deal with it. The Republican Tax Scheme is NOT a plan. At best, it is a tax scam and the results are pretty well known: In 2012, Kansas lawmakers, led by Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican, enacted a tax cut that eliminated state income taxes entirely for pass-through entities — such as sole proprietorships and limited liability partnerships — which are taxed at the owner’s individual income tax rate. The law also lowered individual income tax rates, cutting the top rate to 4.9 percent from 6.4 percent. The tax package reduced state revenue by nearly $700 million a year, a drop of about 8 percent, from 2013 through 2016, according to the Kansas Legislative Research Department, forcing officials to shorten school calendars, delay highway repairs and reduce aid to the poor. Research suggests the package did not stimulate the economy, certainly not enough to pay for the tax cut. This year, legislators passed a bill to largely rescind the law, saying it had not worked as intended. A cut implies that people see a reduction of taxes. This is also not, in fact, a cut for many. This is a tax EXEMPTION for those who the most wealthy, who will now be paying ZERO. Zero is not a tax cut. Zero is tax exemption."
The Only Way Paul Ryan Wins Is if Millions of Americans Lose
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a14470051/paul-ryan-tax-bill/
"Ignore any news report that calls what the Congress did “historic” in any sense except the ironic. Ignore any news report that prioritize what a “win” this is for the Congress and for the president*. Ignore any news report that describes what the Congress did on Tuesday as “keeping a campaign promise.” Ignore any news report that describes without the appropriate scorn the fact that this bill culminates a decades-long dream of Speaker Paul Ryan, the zombie-eyed granny starver from the state of Wisconsin. This culmination is roughly akin to the New Orleans Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878’s having been the “culmination” of a successful breeding program for the Aedes aegypti. Ignore all of this and concentrate on what’s really happening to the country. Paul Ryan dreamed of this day because Paul Ryan dreams of plutocracy. And now, with this bill, he has successfully arranged the first piece of his career-long effort to turn the clock of the American economy back to the 1890s. When he comes for what he calls “entitlement reform”—which he will, as soon as this idiot bill explodes the deficit—that will be the second piece. The Supreme Court (through Citizens United, McCutcheon, and Shelby County) already has cooperated in this great project. The president* is on board because he’s basically made of greed and ignorance. The large media conglomerates will go along for the ride because they are conglomerates first, and news-gathering entities second. This state of affairs could well be generational, and there’s no indication that the Second Gilded Age will be as vulnerable to progressive ideas as the first one turned out to be. The franchise is under assault. Citizenship itself is under assault.This is the world about which Paul Ryan has dreamed since he was a young lad, heir to a substantial fortune, yet going to college on Social Security survivor’s benefits that you and I and our parents paid for. You’re welcome again, d**khead."
"Ignore any news report that calls what the Congress did “historic” in any sense except the ironic. Ignore any news report that prioritize what a “win” this is for the Congress and for the president*. Ignore any news report that describes what the Congress did on Tuesday as “keeping a campaign promise.” Ignore any news report that describes without the appropriate scorn the fact that this bill culminates a decades-long dream of Speaker Paul Ryan, the zombie-eyed granny starver from the state of Wisconsin. This culmination is roughly akin to the New Orleans Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878’s having been the “culmination” of a successful breeding program for the Aedes aegypti. Ignore all of this and concentrate on what’s really happening to the country. Paul Ryan dreamed of this day because Paul Ryan dreams of plutocracy. And now, with this bill, he has successfully arranged the first piece of his career-long effort to turn the clock of the American economy back to the 1890s. When he comes for what he calls “entitlement reform”—which he will, as soon as this idiot bill explodes the deficit—that will be the second piece. The Supreme Court (through Citizens United, McCutcheon, and Shelby County) already has cooperated in this great project. The president* is on board because he’s basically made of greed and ignorance. The large media conglomerates will go along for the ride because they are conglomerates first, and news-gathering entities second. This state of affairs could well be generational, and there’s no indication that the Second Gilded Age will be as vulnerable to progressive ideas as the first one turned out to be. The franchise is under assault. Citizenship itself is under assault.This is the world about which Paul Ryan has dreamed since he was a young lad, heir to a substantial fortune, yet going to college on Social Security survivor’s benefits that you and I and our parents paid for. You’re welcome again, d**khead."
GOP tax plan doubles down on policies that are crushing the middle class
https://www.salon.com/2017/12/20/gop-tax-plan-doubles-down-on-policies-that-are-crushing-the-middle-class_partner/
"Contrary to what some may think, however, the U.S. has not always had a large middle class. Only after World War II was being middle class the national norm. Then, starting in the 1980s, it began to decline. President Donald Trump has portrayed the tax plan Congress is wrapping up as a boon for the middle class. The sad reality, however, is that it is more likely to be its final death knell. To understand why, you need look no further than the history of the rise and decline of the American middle class, a group that I’ve been studying through the lens of inequality for decades. The middle class, which Pew defines as two-thirds to two times the national median income for a given household size, began to grow after World War II due to a surge in economic growth and because President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal gave workers more power. Before that, most Americans were poor or nearly so. For example, legislation such as the Wagner Act established rights for workers, most critically for collective bargaining. The government also began new programs, such as Social Security and unemployment insurance, that helped older Americans avoid dying in poverty and supported families with children through tough times. The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation, set up in 1933, helped middle-class homeowners pay their mortgages and remain in their homes. Together, these new policies helped fuel a strong postwar economic boom and ensured the gains were shared by a broad cross-section of society. This greatly expanding the U.S. middle class, which reached a peak of nearly 60 percent of the population in the late ‘70s. Americans’ increased optimism about their economic future prompted businesses to invest more, creating a virtuous cycle of growth. Government spending programs were paid for largely with individual income tax rates of 70 percent (and more) on wealthy individuals and high taxes on corporate profits."
"Contrary to what some may think, however, the U.S. has not always had a large middle class. Only after World War II was being middle class the national norm. Then, starting in the 1980s, it began to decline. President Donald Trump has portrayed the tax plan Congress is wrapping up as a boon for the middle class. The sad reality, however, is that it is more likely to be its final death knell. To understand why, you need look no further than the history of the rise and decline of the American middle class, a group that I’ve been studying through the lens of inequality for decades. The middle class, which Pew defines as two-thirds to two times the national median income for a given household size, began to grow after World War II due to a surge in economic growth and because President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal gave workers more power. Before that, most Americans were poor or nearly so. For example, legislation such as the Wagner Act established rights for workers, most critically for collective bargaining. The government also began new programs, such as Social Security and unemployment insurance, that helped older Americans avoid dying in poverty and supported families with children through tough times. The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation, set up in 1933, helped middle-class homeowners pay their mortgages and remain in their homes. Together, these new policies helped fuel a strong postwar economic boom and ensured the gains were shared by a broad cross-section of society. This greatly expanding the U.S. middle class, which reached a peak of nearly 60 percent of the population in the late ‘70s. Americans’ increased optimism about their economic future prompted businesses to invest more, creating a virtuous cycle of growth. Government spending programs were paid for largely with individual income tax rates of 70 percent (and more) on wealthy individuals and high taxes on corporate profits."
Republican Attacks on Robert Mueller Are Absurd. But the GOP Has Been Lawless for Decades.
https://theintercept.com/2017/12/20/republican-attacks-on-robert-mueller-are-absurd-but-the-gop-has-been-lawless-for-decades/
"It’s simply the logical endpoint of decades of effort by the Republican Party and its media penumbra to shield the GOP from the rule of law or any small-D democratic norms. Today’s GOP sees any and all rules just as billionaire New York real estate developer Leona Helmsley saw taxes – they’re only for “the little people.” There’s always been a significant faction of the U.S. right, rooted mostly in large corporations, that’s similar to the right in Latin America, in that it genuinely sees democracy as illegitimate. The success of Franklin D. Roosevelt during the 1930s was a gigantic shock to their system, and there were two small scale efforts by Wall Street and big business to overthrow Roosevelt via military coup. Meanwhile, John Foster Dulles, a powerful corporate lawyer who later became secretary of state during the Eisenhower administration, told his clients facings new government restrictions: “Do not comply. Resist the law with all your might, and soon everything will be all right.” Dulles was wrong. From the viewpoint of conservatives, things did not get “all right” anytime soon. The New Deal was such a stunning political success that, starting with Roosevelt’s election in 1932, Democrats held the majority in the House of Representatives for 58 of the next 62 years until 1994. Democrats controlled the more-aristocratic Senate almost as firmly during the same period, for 52 years, and even managed to gain the presidency for a majority of that time. They provided an imperfect but real check on the right’s dream of rolling back the 20th century and returning the U.S. to the late 1800s. But Dulles and company handed their commitment to massive resistance down to their ideological descendants. And soon enough it erupted spectacularly during the presidency of Richard Nixon."
"It’s simply the logical endpoint of decades of effort by the Republican Party and its media penumbra to shield the GOP from the rule of law or any small-D democratic norms. Today’s GOP sees any and all rules just as billionaire New York real estate developer Leona Helmsley saw taxes – they’re only for “the little people.” There’s always been a significant faction of the U.S. right, rooted mostly in large corporations, that’s similar to the right in Latin America, in that it genuinely sees democracy as illegitimate. The success of Franklin D. Roosevelt during the 1930s was a gigantic shock to their system, and there were two small scale efforts by Wall Street and big business to overthrow Roosevelt via military coup. Meanwhile, John Foster Dulles, a powerful corporate lawyer who later became secretary of state during the Eisenhower administration, told his clients facings new government restrictions: “Do not comply. Resist the law with all your might, and soon everything will be all right.” Dulles was wrong. From the viewpoint of conservatives, things did not get “all right” anytime soon. The New Deal was such a stunning political success that, starting with Roosevelt’s election in 1932, Democrats held the majority in the House of Representatives for 58 of the next 62 years until 1994. Democrats controlled the more-aristocratic Senate almost as firmly during the same period, for 52 years, and even managed to gain the presidency for a majority of that time. They provided an imperfect but real check on the right’s dream of rolling back the 20th century and returning the U.S. to the late 1800s. But Dulles and company handed their commitment to massive resistance down to their ideological descendants. And soon enough it erupted spectacularly during the presidency of Richard Nixon."
The Chilling Trump Propaganda Airing Across Local News, Courtesy of Sinclair Broadcast Group @alternet
The Chilling Trump Propaganda Airing Across Local News, Courtesy of Sinclair Broadcast Group @alternet:
"Sinclair is known for its history of injecting right-wing spin into local newscasts, most notably with its nationally produced “must-run” commentary segments. The segments, which all Sinclair-owned and operated news stations are required to air, have included (sometimes embarrassing) pro-Trump propaganda missivesfrom former Trump aide Boris Epshteyn since the spring. Last week (one day after reportedly partying at Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C.), Epshteyn produced a new must-run segment essentially arguing that media are being too mean to the Trump administration"
"Sinclair is known for its history of injecting right-wing spin into local newscasts, most notably with its nationally produced “must-run” commentary segments. The segments, which all Sinclair-owned and operated news stations are required to air, have included (sometimes embarrassing) pro-Trump propaganda missivesfrom former Trump aide Boris Epshteyn since the spring. Last week (one day after reportedly partying at Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C.), Epshteyn produced a new must-run segment essentially arguing that media are being too mean to the Trump administration"
If the GOP tax plan were good, its proponents wouldn’t have to lie
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/if-the-gop-tax-plan-were-good-its-proponents-wouldnt-have-lie
"I can appreciate the fact that there are political considerations at play, and Mnuchin probably doesn’t feel comfortable telling the truth about the tax plan he helped craft, but to brazenly lie to the public this way is to treat Americans like fools. The Joint Committee on Taxation concluded that the average tax burden on everyone earning up to $75,000 would go up, not down, if the Republican plan is fully implemented as written. The Tax Policy Center also published a report yesterday that found, among other things, that most Americans would pay more under the GOP plan, while nearly 83% of the plan’s benefits would benefit the top 1% of Americans – which is actually worse than the plan passed a couple of weeks ago by Senate Republicans. Those who can least afford to pay more would be asked to pay more. Those who already have the most would get the most. “This is about the middle class”? “This is about working families”? It’s apparently not enough for the Trump administration to pick Americans’ pockets; Trump World feels the need to insult us, too."
"I can appreciate the fact that there are political considerations at play, and Mnuchin probably doesn’t feel comfortable telling the truth about the tax plan he helped craft, but to brazenly lie to the public this way is to treat Americans like fools. The Joint Committee on Taxation concluded that the average tax burden on everyone earning up to $75,000 would go up, not down, if the Republican plan is fully implemented as written. The Tax Policy Center also published a report yesterday that found, among other things, that most Americans would pay more under the GOP plan, while nearly 83% of the plan’s benefits would benefit the top 1% of Americans – which is actually worse than the plan passed a couple of weeks ago by Senate Republicans. Those who can least afford to pay more would be asked to pay more. Those who already have the most would get the most. “This is about the middle class”? “This is about working families”? It’s apparently not enough for the Trump administration to pick Americans’ pockets; Trump World feels the need to insult us, too."
Wells Fargo CEO reveals the scam at the heart of Republicans’ tax bill
https://thinkprogress.org/wells-fargo-ceo-tax-reform-job-6b6b8462f239/
"The general consensus among economists is that cutting corporate taxes to spur economic growth — known as “trickle-down economics” — hardly worked in the 1980s economy and would surely fail in today’s modernized economy."
"The general consensus among economists is that cutting corporate taxes to spur economic growth — known as “trickle-down economics” — hardly worked in the 1980s economy and would surely fail in today’s modernized economy."
More signs of guilt: Trump’s campaign was warned about Russia, and said nothing
https://www.salon.com/2017/12/19/more-signs-of-guilt-trumps-campaign-was-warned-about-russia-and-said-nothing/
"In the summer of 2016, the FBI was already investigating “pervasive connections” between Trump and the Russians"
"In the summer of 2016, the FBI was already investigating “pervasive connections” between Trump and the Russians"
Putin foe Garry Kasparov warns Americans are letting Trump turn the US into a Russia-like dictatorship
Putin foe Garry Kasparov warns Americans are letting Trump turn the US into a Russia-like dictatorship
"Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov warned that the United States is dangerously allowing President Donald Trump turn the country into Russia. He should know — he lived through it. In a long Twitterstorm, Kasparov explained that he sees many of the same tactics Russia used being deployed by Trump. One example was Trump’s knack for “lying constantly while attacking targets for lying.” Another, he noted, is the “escalation of rhetoric to dictatorial extremes.” At the same time, Trump has pointed his fury toward American institutions like the electoral system, free press, separation of powers and even law enforcement. “If someone is attacking those institutions instead of strengthening them, it’s time to pick a side. Rule of law or by strongman?” he asked. “Rule of institutions or of tribe? The history of making the wrong choice here is clear"."
"Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov warned that the United States is dangerously allowing President Donald Trump turn the country into Russia. He should know — he lived through it. In a long Twitterstorm, Kasparov explained that he sees many of the same tactics Russia used being deployed by Trump. One example was Trump’s knack for “lying constantly while attacking targets for lying.” Another, he noted, is the “escalation of rhetoric to dictatorial extremes.” At the same time, Trump has pointed his fury toward American institutions like the electoral system, free press, separation of powers and even law enforcement. “If someone is attacking those institutions instead of strengthening them, it’s time to pick a side. Rule of law or by strongman?” he asked. “Rule of institutions or of tribe? The history of making the wrong choice here is clear"."
Ex-NSA analyst explains why Americans should be terrified by Clapper’s claims about Trump
Ex-NSA analyst explains why Americans should be terrified by Clapper’s claims about Trump
"James Clapper’s suggestion that President Donald Trump was a Kremlin “asset” should be taken seriously, according to a former National Security Agency analyst and counterintelligence officer."
"James Clapper’s suggestion that President Donald Trump was a Kremlin “asset” should be taken seriously, according to a former National Security Agency analyst and counterintelligence officer."
We are sleepwalking toward war with North Korea
https://www.vox.com/world/2017/12/18/16733560/north-korea-war
"Among the small community of experts and policymakers who follow this issue closely, the alarm is palpable. These are the people who most clearly understand what the costs of war with North Korea could be and who most intimately understand the balance of forces on the Korean Peninsula. And they are very, very worried."
"Among the small community of experts and policymakers who follow this issue closely, the alarm is palpable. These are the people who most clearly understand what the costs of war with North Korea could be and who most intimately understand the balance of forces on the Korean Peninsula. And they are very, very worried."
How an Industry Group Is Driving Trump's Workplace Safety Agenda
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/42952-how-an-industry-group-is-driving-trump-s-workplace-safety-agenda
"The Trump administration is fundamentally reshaping the nation's approach to workplace safety, scrapping Obama-era protections and tools intended to hold dangerous companies accountable. Some of these rollbacks have hewed to the National Association of Manufacturers' agenda. For example, finding out about workers' injuries and deaths now is harder to do because of changes under the Trump administration. In March, President Donald Trump signed a resolution, after it narrowly passed Congress, that companies vying for large federal contracts no longer had to disclose labor violations, including workplace safety penalties."
"The Trump administration is fundamentally reshaping the nation's approach to workplace safety, scrapping Obama-era protections and tools intended to hold dangerous companies accountable. Some of these rollbacks have hewed to the National Association of Manufacturers' agenda. For example, finding out about workers' injuries and deaths now is harder to do because of changes under the Trump administration. In March, President Donald Trump signed a resolution, after it narrowly passed Congress, that companies vying for large federal contracts no longer had to disclose labor violations, including workplace safety penalties."
Who Said It: A Republican Congressman or a Classic Christmas Villain? Take the Quiz @alternet
Who Said It: A Republican Congressman or a Classic Christmas Villain? Take the Quiz @alternet:
"When it comes to the poor, Mitch McConnell's views are virtually the same as Mr. Potter's from "It's a Wonderful Life"."
"When it comes to the poor, Mitch McConnell's views are virtually the same as Mr. Potter's from "It's a Wonderful Life"."
The Triumph of the Oligarchs
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/12/18/triumph-oligarchs
"The Republican tax plan to be voted on this week is likely to pass. “The American people have waited 31 long years to see our broken tax code overhauled,” the leaders of the Koch’s political network insisted in a letter to members of Congress, urging swift approval. They added that the time had come to put “more money in the pockets of American families.” Please. The Koch network doesn’t care a fig about the pockets of American families. It cares about the pockets of the Koch network. It has poured money into almost every state in an effort to convince Americans that the tax cut will be good for them. Yet most Americans don’t believe it. Polls shows only about a third of Americans favor the tax plan. The vast majority feel it’s heavily skewed to the rich and big businesses – which it is. In counties that Trump won but Obama carried in 2012, only 17 percent say they expect to pay less in taxes, according to a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Another 25 percent say they expected their family would actually pay higher taxes. Most Americans know that the tax plan is payback for major Republican donors. Gary Cohn, Trump’s lead economic advisor, even conceded in an interview that “the most excited group out there are big CEOs, about our tax plan.” Republican Rep. Chris Collins admitted “my donors are basically saying, ‘Get it done or don’t ever call me again.’” Senator Lindsey Graham warned that if Republicans failed to pass the tax plan, “the financial contributions will stop.” By passing it, Republican donors will save billions – paying a lower top tax rate, doubling the amount their heirs can receive tax-free, and treating themselves as “pass-through” businesses able to deduct 20 percent of their income (effectively allowing Trump to cut his tax rate in half, if and when he pays taxes). They’ll make billions more as their stock portfolios soar because corporate taxes are slashed. The biggest winners by far will be American oligarchs such as the Koch brothers"
"The Republican tax plan to be voted on this week is likely to pass. “The American people have waited 31 long years to see our broken tax code overhauled,” the leaders of the Koch’s political network insisted in a letter to members of Congress, urging swift approval. They added that the time had come to put “more money in the pockets of American families.” Please. The Koch network doesn’t care a fig about the pockets of American families. It cares about the pockets of the Koch network. It has poured money into almost every state in an effort to convince Americans that the tax cut will be good for them. Yet most Americans don’t believe it. Polls shows only about a third of Americans favor the tax plan. The vast majority feel it’s heavily skewed to the rich and big businesses – which it is. In counties that Trump won but Obama carried in 2012, only 17 percent say they expect to pay less in taxes, according to a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Another 25 percent say they expected their family would actually pay higher taxes. Most Americans know that the tax plan is payback for major Republican donors. Gary Cohn, Trump’s lead economic advisor, even conceded in an interview that “the most excited group out there are big CEOs, about our tax plan.” Republican Rep. Chris Collins admitted “my donors are basically saying, ‘Get it done or don’t ever call me again.’” Senator Lindsey Graham warned that if Republicans failed to pass the tax plan, “the financial contributions will stop.” By passing it, Republican donors will save billions – paying a lower top tax rate, doubling the amount their heirs can receive tax-free, and treating themselves as “pass-through” businesses able to deduct 20 percent of their income (effectively allowing Trump to cut his tax rate in half, if and when he pays taxes). They’ll make billions more as their stock portfolios soar because corporate taxes are slashed. The biggest winners by far will be American oligarchs such as the Koch brothers"
MSNBC’s Ruhle challenges GOP to find one lawmaker who defends enormous Wall Street tax loophole
MSNBC’s Ruhle challenges GOP to find one lawmaker who defends enormous Wall Street tax loophole
"The two hosts began by sharing clips of President Donald Trump vowing to get rid of the carried-interest loophole, once telling a Trump rally crowd that investors benefiting from the amendment to the tax code were “getting away with murder.” Appearing on CBS on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin absolved Trump of responsibility for the GOP keeping the loophole. “That was up to the House and the Senate,” Mnuchin said on Face The Nation. “The president likes the overall bill and there’s obviously little parts of this bill he would have tweaked differently himself. The president couldn’t get every single little detail he wanted and that was one that got left out.” With Mnuchin laying blame on GOP lawmakers, host Ruhle challenged Republicans to send someone – anyone — on their show to defend the continuing giveaway to the rich."
"The two hosts began by sharing clips of President Donald Trump vowing to get rid of the carried-interest loophole, once telling a Trump rally crowd that investors benefiting from the amendment to the tax code were “getting away with murder.” Appearing on CBS on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin absolved Trump of responsibility for the GOP keeping the loophole. “That was up to the House and the Senate,” Mnuchin said on Face The Nation. “The president likes the overall bill and there’s obviously little parts of this bill he would have tweaked differently himself. The president couldn’t get every single little detail he wanted and that was one that got left out.” With Mnuchin laying blame on GOP lawmakers, host Ruhle challenged Republicans to send someone – anyone — on their show to defend the continuing giveaway to the rich."
Twitter weighs in on the #CorkerKickback
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/18/1725479/-Twitter-weighs-in-on-the-CorkerKickback"Since it was revealed that Sen. Bob Corker’s sudden support for the Republican tax scam had nothing to do with principle and everything to do with lining his own pockets, Twitter has been having a field day."
WATCH: CNN’s Erin Burnett smacks down Grover Norquist for claiming the GOP was never ‘obsessed with the deficit’
WATCH: CNN’s Erin Burnett smacks down Grover Norquist for claiming the GOP was never ‘obsessed with the deficit’
"CNN’s Erin Burnett on Monday smacked down Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist after Republicans positioned themselves to pass a bill that would drastically increase the debt despite the GOP’s past hysteria over the rising deficit."
"CNN’s Erin Burnett on Monday smacked down Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist after Republicans positioned themselves to pass a bill that would drastically increase the debt despite the GOP’s past hysteria over the rising deficit."
Collins gives the finger to Maine, says 'yes' to the tax cuts
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/18/1725623/-Collins-gives-the-finger-to-Maine-says-yes-to-the-tax-cuts
"Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) apparently doesn't want to run for anything in Maine anymore, because she just announced she'll be voting "yes" on the tax cuts bill, despite the overwhelming opposition of her constituents."
"Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) apparently doesn't want to run for anything in Maine anymore, because she just announced she'll be voting "yes" on the tax cuts bill, despite the overwhelming opposition of her constituents."
The GOP Tax Plan Will Complete the Destruction of America’s Middle Class Wealth
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/12/18/gop-tax-plan-will-complete-destruction-americas-middle-class-wealth
"Reason two why the GOP tax plan will send middle class wealth tumbling: Republicans plan on using the budget deficits their tax cut creates as a rationale for cutting Social Security, Medicare, and other programs essential to America’s middle class."
"Reason two why the GOP tax plan will send middle class wealth tumbling: Republicans plan on using the budget deficits their tax cut creates as a rationale for cutting Social Security, Medicare, and other programs essential to America’s middle class."
CEOs Aren’t Waiting for the Tax Bill to Pass — They’ve Already Started Pocketing the Windfall
https://theintercept.com/2017/12/18/tax-bill-corporate-rate-stock-buyback/
"U.S. CORPORATIONS ARE already beginning the process of pocketing the winnings from the tax bill jackpot they expect to hit any day now, undercutting, in a remarkably public fashion, the pretense that the corporate tax cut will lead to greater investment in job creation. Since the Senate passed its version of the tax bill on December 2, 29 companies have announced $70.2 billion in stock buybacks, a maneuver that uses company cash to buy its own shares, which then drives up the price of those shares, rewarding major investors and executives whose compensation is directly tied to the company’s stock price."
"U.S. CORPORATIONS ARE already beginning the process of pocketing the winnings from the tax bill jackpot they expect to hit any day now, undercutting, in a remarkably public fashion, the pretense that the corporate tax cut will lead to greater investment in job creation. Since the Senate passed its version of the tax bill on December 2, 29 companies have announced $70.2 billion in stock buybacks, a maneuver that uses company cash to buy its own shares, which then drives up the price of those shares, rewarding major investors and executives whose compensation is directly tied to the company’s stock price."
Robert Mueller Has the Trump Team Panicked, No Matter What the President Says @alternet
Robert Mueller Has the Trump Team Panicked, No Matter What the President Says @alternet:
"The revelation that Mueller has obtained a large number of emails issued during the transition period had clearly sent Trump’s team scrambling. It’s not just that Mueller had this material now, but that he seems to have obtained it weeks ago, meaning that recent questioning of everyone from Jared Kushner to Hope Hicks may have been responding to questions for which Mueller already had the answers in hand. Considering that half the people Mueller has already indicted were convicted for lying, that has to have everyone in the White House carefully reviewing their time with the special counsel."
"The revelation that Mueller has obtained a large number of emails issued during the transition period had clearly sent Trump’s team scrambling. It’s not just that Mueller had this material now, but that he seems to have obtained it weeks ago, meaning that recent questioning of everyone from Jared Kushner to Hope Hicks may have been responding to questions for which Mueller already had the answers in hand. Considering that half the people Mueller has already indicted were convicted for lying, that has to have everyone in the White House carefully reviewing their time with the special counsel."
Fox And Friends Furious Over Mueller's Legally-Obtained Trump Transition Team Emails
Fox And Friends Furious Over Mueller's Legally-Obtained Trump Transition Team Emails:
"Here's why "they don't like it." They thought they were going to get to lie about the contents of those emails. Some of them probably already have. Trump Junior spent 9 hours in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee last week, before he discovered Mueller had those transition emails. Others, including Hope Hicks, have been interviewed by Mueller's team before anyone knew those emails were in Mueller's hands. How many lies do you think they told?"
"Here's why "they don't like it." They thought they were going to get to lie about the contents of those emails. Some of them probably already have. Trump Junior spent 9 hours in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee last week, before he discovered Mueller had those transition emails. Others, including Hope Hicks, have been interviewed by Mueller's team before anyone knew those emails were in Mueller's hands. How many lies do you think they told?"
Fox News and Donald Trump are in a feedback loop that threatens to blow up the republic
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/18/1725468/-Fox-News-and-Donald-Trump-are-in-a-feedback-loop-that-threatens-to-blow-up-the-republic
"Propaganda is one of the most dangerous tools mankind has ever created. Fox is worse."
"Propaganda is one of the most dangerous tools mankind has ever created. Fox is worse."
Richard Painter Says Mueller Should Look Into Members Of Congress
Richard Painter Says Mueller Should Look Into Members Of Congress:
"In this video clip, former Chief White House Ethics Lawyer under George W. Bush really tore this entire "Mueller got the emails illegally" argument to shreds. What Painter thinks should really happen is a full investigation of Republicans in Congress who are putting up such a stink. Are they dirty too? Are they involved with illegal contributions to other members of Congress?"
"In this video clip, former Chief White House Ethics Lawyer under George W. Bush really tore this entire "Mueller got the emails illegally" argument to shreds. What Painter thinks should really happen is a full investigation of Republicans in Congress who are putting up such a stink. Are they dirty too? Are they involved with illegal contributions to other members of Congress?"
Ex-intel agent says Trump team damned itself by ignoring FBI on Russia: ‘We’re going to keep that as evidence’
Ex-intel agent says Trump team damned itself by ignoring FBI on Russia: ‘We’re going to keep that as evidence’
"A former counterintelligence agent says that President Donald Trump’s former campaign team may be in deep trouble after they ignored FBI warnings that Russia would try to infiltrate the campaign. NBC News reported on Monday that weeks after Trump became the 2016 Republican nominee for president, the FBI notified the campaign that foreign agents, including Russians, would “try to spy on and infiltrate his campaign.” Former FBI counterintelligence agent Frank Montoya told NBC that Trump’s campaign team would have been told, “If you see these kinds of contacts please let us know about them so we can keep you updated on the threat picture.” Although members of the Trump team had repeated contacts with Russians after the FBI warnings, officials with the campaign reportedly never notified law enforcement authorities. “If I give you a defensive briefing and the illicit behavior continues, I’m not going to just scratch my head over that, especially if I see continued interference,” Montoya explained. “If we’re telling these guys stuff and they are not acting on it, then we’re going to keep that as evidence"."
"A former counterintelligence agent says that President Donald Trump’s former campaign team may be in deep trouble after they ignored FBI warnings that Russia would try to infiltrate the campaign. NBC News reported on Monday that weeks after Trump became the 2016 Republican nominee for president, the FBI notified the campaign that foreign agents, including Russians, would “try to spy on and infiltrate his campaign.” Former FBI counterintelligence agent Frank Montoya told NBC that Trump’s campaign team would have been told, “If you see these kinds of contacts please let us know about them so we can keep you updated on the threat picture.” Although members of the Trump team had repeated contacts with Russians after the FBI warnings, officials with the campaign reportedly never notified law enforcement authorities. “If I give you a defensive briefing and the illicit behavior continues, I’m not going to just scratch my head over that, especially if I see continued interference,” Montoya explained. “If we’re telling these guys stuff and they are not acting on it, then we’re going to keep that as evidence"."
Here are 7 times Trump professed his undying admiration for Vladimir Putin
Here are 7 times Trump professed his undying admiration for Vladimir Putin
"The Trump-Putin bromance is no casual fling. A cascade of news reports has documented previously undisclosed contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 election. Last month, the Washington Post cataloged dozens of them. On election day, a Trump spokesperson denied any meetings with Russians. The indictments of Trump’s national security adviser, his campaign manager and deputy, and the staffer who facilitated a meeting with Russian officials provide further evidence of illegal activities by his entourage. Trump responded by calling the Russia investigation “fake news.” Now the Post has documented how Trump consistently rejects what U.S. national security agencies are telling him about Russia’s capabilities and intentions to manipulate the U.S. electoral process."
"The Trump-Putin bromance is no casual fling. A cascade of news reports has documented previously undisclosed contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 election. Last month, the Washington Post cataloged dozens of them. On election day, a Trump spokesperson denied any meetings with Russians. The indictments of Trump’s national security adviser, his campaign manager and deputy, and the staffer who facilitated a meeting with Russian officials provide further evidence of illegal activities by his entourage. Trump responded by calling the Russia investigation “fake news.” Now the Post has documented how Trump consistently rejects what U.S. national security agencies are telling him about Russia’s capabilities and intentions to manipulate the U.S. electoral process."
Ex-Bush adviser: GOP is spewing ‘B.S. and baloney’ about Mueller while doing Putin’s dirty work
Ex-Bush adviser: GOP is spewing ‘B.S. and baloney’ about Mueller while doing Putin’s dirty work
"As GOP lawmakers do their best to undermine the FBI and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible Russian collusion with President Donald Trump’s campaign team, a former Bush-era ethics attorney suggested another investigation be opened."
"As GOP lawmakers do their best to undermine the FBI and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible Russian collusion with President Donald Trump’s campaign team, a former Bush-era ethics attorney suggested another investigation be opened."
Net Neutrality Repeal Is Only Part of Trump’s Surrender to Corporate Media
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/12/15/net-neutrality-repeal-only-part-trumps-surrender-corporate-media
"The FCC is under attack—and so too is the First Amendment. As the primary regulator of how media and information gets to our nation’s citizens, the Federal Communications Commission has a critical role to play in protecting the open Internet, free speech, and free press in our democracy. Though the agency has always enjoyed a cozy relationship with the industries it regulates, ever since the Trump administration arrived in Washington, the FCC’s mission to preserve the public commons has been threatened, assaulted and torn asunder. And like a bad horror movie cliché, these calls to eviscerate the FCC have been coming from inside the agency. Repealing net neutrality has drawn a huge amount of public visibility—and rightly so—but that decision is just the latest in a string of ominous, industry-friendly giveaways by the Trump administration’s FCC. It has also rolled back local TV station ownership limits on media giants like Sinclair Broadcasting Group and rescinded the longtime “main studio” rule that required local stations to maintain community newsrooms and fostered more local journalism. And the agency’s leadership has begun a campaign to actively abdicate its enforcement mission and pass it over to the smaller, less well-funded Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which lacks the FCC’s deep industry knowledge and proactive regulatory power."
"The FCC is under attack—and so too is the First Amendment. As the primary regulator of how media and information gets to our nation’s citizens, the Federal Communications Commission has a critical role to play in protecting the open Internet, free speech, and free press in our democracy. Though the agency has always enjoyed a cozy relationship with the industries it regulates, ever since the Trump administration arrived in Washington, the FCC’s mission to preserve the public commons has been threatened, assaulted and torn asunder. And like a bad horror movie cliché, these calls to eviscerate the FCC have been coming from inside the agency. Repealing net neutrality has drawn a huge amount of public visibility—and rightly so—but that decision is just the latest in a string of ominous, industry-friendly giveaways by the Trump administration’s FCC. It has also rolled back local TV station ownership limits on media giants like Sinclair Broadcasting Group and rescinded the longtime “main studio” rule that required local stations to maintain community newsrooms and fostered more local journalism. And the agency’s leadership has begun a campaign to actively abdicate its enforcement mission and pass it over to the smaller, less well-funded Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which lacks the FCC’s deep industry knowledge and proactive regulatory power."
Rebuking Trump, Millionaire's Viral Video Shows How GOP Plan Is 'Just Big Tax Cut for People Like Me'
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/12/15/rebuking-trump-millionaires-viral-video-shows-how-gop-plan-just-big-tax-cut-people
"The "plan will make the rich richer and leave everybody else to pick up the bil"."
"The "plan will make the rich richer and leave everybody else to pick up the bil"."
Gorka Pulls The 'Trump Loves America More Than Obama' String
Gorka Pulls The 'Trump Loves America More Than Obama' String:
"Just a reminder that on Fox News a Nazi is telling us Trump loves his country and is a real American."
"Just a reminder that on Fox News a Nazi is telling us Trump loves his country and is a real American."
Republican Candidate Goes Full Nazi: Jews "Pretend" to be White to Undermine the White Race
https://thedailybanter.com/2017/12/paul-nehlen-anti-semitism/
"now that Trump has given his presidential seal of approval to white nationalism, Nehlen has dropped any pretense of being your average, run-of-the-mill bigot and he wants Trump's followers to know that he's really one of them."
"now that Trump has given his presidential seal of approval to white nationalism, Nehlen has dropped any pretense of being your average, run-of-the-mill bigot and he wants Trump's followers to know that he's really one of them."
Fire departments nationwide face $700 million funding cuts because of Republican-controlled Congress
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/11/1723262/-Fire-departments-nationwide-face-700-million-funding-cuts-because-of-Republican-controlled-Congress
"Hey, kids you like fire trucks and firefighters? Guess what? You local fire department is being treated the exact same way children’s healthcare grant-funding is being treated! As THV11 reports, the International Association of Firefights is trying to get the word out that while the republican-led Congress worries itself about how best to steal money from every American in order to give it to the wealthiest one percent, there are serious funding issues being held in abeyance."
"Hey, kids you like fire trucks and firefighters? Guess what? You local fire department is being treated the exact same way children’s healthcare grant-funding is being treated! As THV11 reports, the International Association of Firefights is trying to get the word out that while the republican-led Congress worries itself about how best to steal money from every American in order to give it to the wealthiest one percent, there are serious funding issues being held in abeyance."
Sorry Sessions, teen pot use actually dropped after Colorado legalization
https://thinkprogress.org/drop-teen-pot-use-colorado-legalization-1b3cc44232a3/
"Far fewer teenagers are using cannabis in Colorado since the state’s tightly regulated legal market for recreational pot got off the ground at the start of 2014, new data shows."
"Far fewer teenagers are using cannabis in Colorado since the state’s tightly regulated legal market for recreational pot got off the ground at the start of 2014, new data shows."
The GOP can’t stand that the American Bar Association finds Trump’s judges unqualified
https://www.salon.com/2017/12/11/the-gop-cant-stand-that-the-american-bar-association-finds-trumps-judges-unqualified/
"Several Trump nominees have provoked controversy for their lack of experience, particularly an Alabama circuit court nominee named Brett Talley, who is just 36 years old and has never tried a case. Talley's slim resume and his failure to disclose the fact that he is married to the chief of staff of the White House's top lawyer have made him one of the most controversial nominees in decades."
"Several Trump nominees have provoked controversy for their lack of experience, particularly an Alabama circuit court nominee named Brett Talley, who is just 36 years old and has never tried a case. Talley's slim resume and his failure to disclose the fact that he is married to the chief of staff of the White House's top lawyer have made him one of the most controversial nominees in decades."
Watergate reporter: Fox News hosts are 'abetting the cover-up' in White House special counsel probe
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/11/1723251/-Watergate-reporter-Fox-News-hosts-are-abetting-the-cover-up-in-White-House-special-counsel-probe
"Fox News hosts have launched an all-out attack on Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians during the 2016 presidential election."
"Fox News hosts have launched an all-out attack on Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians during the 2016 presidential election."
Did Trump direct Flynn to lie to the FBI and others about his Russia contacts? Mueller wants to know
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/11/1723319/-Did-Trump-direct-Flynn-to-lie-to-the-FBI-and-others-about-his-Russia-contacts-Mueller-wants-to-know
"Keep these four days in mind: Jan. 24: Flynn lies to the FBI about at least two contacts he had with Russia Jan. 25: Acting Attorney General Sally Yates is briefed by FBI agents about Flynn Jan. 26: Yates warns White House counsel Don McGahn that Flynn is in danger of being compromised; McGahn briefs Trump immediately after Jan. 27: Yates and McGahn meet again about Flynn; Trump asks former FBI director James Comey for his loyalty McGahn's actions following his briefing are crucial here because although Yates informed him that Flynn was at risk of being compromised, she testified that she didn't directly divulge to him that Flynn had lied to the FBI because she wasn't at liberty to reveal that information."
"Keep these four days in mind: Jan. 24: Flynn lies to the FBI about at least two contacts he had with Russia Jan. 25: Acting Attorney General Sally Yates is briefed by FBI agents about Flynn Jan. 26: Yates warns White House counsel Don McGahn that Flynn is in danger of being compromised; McGahn briefs Trump immediately after Jan. 27: Yates and McGahn meet again about Flynn; Trump asks former FBI director James Comey for his loyalty McGahn's actions following his briefing are crucial here because although Yates informed him that Flynn was at risk of being compromised, she testified that she didn't directly divulge to him that Flynn had lied to the FBI because she wasn't at liberty to reveal that information."
Stephen Colbert Delivers the Jeanine Pirro Takedown to End All Jeanine Pirro Takedowns @alternet
Stephen Colbert Delivers the Jeanine Pirro Takedown to End All Jeanine Pirro Takedowns @alternet:
"CBS Late Show host Stephen Colbert delivered a hilarious take on extremist Fox News host Jeanine Pirro for the blatantly opportunistic way her torches-and-pitchforks routine operates. Pirro made headlines this week for a frightening suggestion on her show that DOJ and FBI staffers be incarcerated essentially for Pirro's perception that they were against President Donald Trump. This came on the heels of a New York Times report that Pirro is so insufferable, Trump recently walked out during a meeting where she wouldn't stop delivering a "screed"."
"CBS Late Show host Stephen Colbert delivered a hilarious take on extremist Fox News host Jeanine Pirro for the blatantly opportunistic way her torches-and-pitchforks routine operates. Pirro made headlines this week for a frightening suggestion on her show that DOJ and FBI staffers be incarcerated essentially for Pirro's perception that they were against President Donald Trump. This came on the heels of a New York Times report that Pirro is so insufferable, Trump recently walked out during a meeting where she wouldn't stop delivering a "screed"."
December 17, 2017
How Putin's proxies helped funnel millions into GOP campaigns
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/12/15/putins-proxies-helped-funnel-millions-gop-campaigns
"McConnell surely knew as a participant in high level intelligence briefings in 2016 that our electoral process was under attack by the Russians. Two weeks after the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a joint statement in October 2016 that the Russian government had directed the effort to interfere in our electoral process, McConnell's PAC accepted a $1 million donation from Blavatnik's AI-Altep Holdings. The PAC took another $1 million from Blavatnik's AI-Altep Holdings on March 30, 2017, just 10 days after former FBI Director James Comey publicly testified before the House Intelligence Committee about Russia's interference in the election. And consider Steve Mnuchin, Trump's campaign finance chairman. Could he have known that the Trump Victory Fund, jointly managed by the Republican National Committe and Trump's campaign, took contributions from Intrater and Kukes? Mnuchin owned Hollywood financing company RatPac-Dune with Blavatnik until he sold his stake to accept Trump's appointment as the Treasury secretary. Which PAC officials are making the decisions to accept these donations?"
"McConnell surely knew as a participant in high level intelligence briefings in 2016 that our electoral process was under attack by the Russians. Two weeks after the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a joint statement in October 2016 that the Russian government had directed the effort to interfere in our electoral process, McConnell's PAC accepted a $1 million donation from Blavatnik's AI-Altep Holdings. The PAC took another $1 million from Blavatnik's AI-Altep Holdings on March 30, 2017, just 10 days after former FBI Director James Comey publicly testified before the House Intelligence Committee about Russia's interference in the election. And consider Steve Mnuchin, Trump's campaign finance chairman. Could he have known that the Trump Victory Fund, jointly managed by the Republican National Committe and Trump's campaign, took contributions from Intrater and Kukes? Mnuchin owned Hollywood financing company RatPac-Dune with Blavatnik until he sold his stake to accept Trump's appointment as the Treasury secretary. Which PAC officials are making the decisions to accept these donations?"
Buried in 503-page tax bill, a new provision that personally benefits Trump
https://thinkprogress.org/new-republican-tax-bill-provision-trump-3307e94f099d/
"the final tax legislation contains a brand-new provision that wasn’t included in the House or Senate bills. It benefits real estate developers like President Donald Trump and his family. The provision was first highlighted by the International Business Times."
"the final tax legislation contains a brand-new provision that wasn’t included in the House or Senate bills. It benefits real estate developers like President Donald Trump and his family. The provision was first highlighted by the International Business Times."
Trump repeats PolitiFact’s ‘Lie of the Year’ minutes after earning dubious honor — and floats new one
Trump repeats PolitiFact’s ‘Lie of the Year’ minutes after earning dubious honor — and floats new one
"President Donald Trump repeated PolitiFact’s freshly minted “lie of the year,” and got down to work on spreading a contender for next year’s dubious honor. The nonpartisan fact-checking organization on Tuesday morning named Trump’s insistence that allegations of Russian election interference were a “hoax” as its lie of the year, and the president tweeted the claims anew a few minutes later."
"President Donald Trump repeated PolitiFact’s freshly minted “lie of the year,” and got down to work on spreading a contender for next year’s dubious honor. The nonpartisan fact-checking organization on Tuesday morning named Trump’s insistence that allegations of Russian election interference were a “hoax” as its lie of the year, and the president tweeted the claims anew a few minutes later."
GOP turns to decades-old lies to sell new tax scam
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/10/1722011/-GOP-turns-to-decades-old-lies-to-sell-new-tax-scam
"It’s no wonder that Republicans from Maine Sen. Susan Collins to House Speaker Paul Ryan have been struggling to manufacture lists of conservative economists to vouch for their voodoo. But more appalling than the grotesque GOP disinformation campaign itself is the Republican regurgitation of decades-old lies to sell it. The GOP’s best and brightest have been peddling the same fiscal fantasies since supply-side snake oil salesman Arthur Laffer first sketched his magical Curve on a cocktail napkin for Team Reagan in the 1970s. The passage of time has not made the GOP falsehoods any more true."
"It’s no wonder that Republicans from Maine Sen. Susan Collins to House Speaker Paul Ryan have been struggling to manufacture lists of conservative economists to vouch for their voodoo. But more appalling than the grotesque GOP disinformation campaign itself is the Republican regurgitation of decades-old lies to sell it. The GOP’s best and brightest have been peddling the same fiscal fantasies since supply-side snake oil salesman Arthur Laffer first sketched his magical Curve on a cocktail napkin for Team Reagan in the 1970s. The passage of time has not made the GOP falsehoods any more true."
Fascism's Return and Trump's War on Youth
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/42924-fascism-s-return-and-trump-s-war-on-youth
"Trump is the apostle of moral blindness and unchecked corruption, and he revels in a mode of governance that merges his never-ending theatrics of self-promotion with deeply authoritarian politics. One of the most disturbing features of Trump's fascism is his disregard for the truth and his embrace of an infantilism that demonstrates, for young people, a lack of any viable sense of critical thought, agency and commitment to social and economic justice. What's more, Trump has unleashed a rancid populism and racist-fuelled ultra-nationalism that mimics older forms of fascism and creates a culture of cruelty that both disparages its children and cancels out a future that makes democracy possible for them -- and therefore all of us. At the same time, Trump has embraced a merging of corporate power and politics that is characteristic of all fascist regimes, and in doing so, he has shifted wealth and resources away from vital social programs for young people into the hands of the financial elite."
"Trump is the apostle of moral blindness and unchecked corruption, and he revels in a mode of governance that merges his never-ending theatrics of self-promotion with deeply authoritarian politics. One of the most disturbing features of Trump's fascism is his disregard for the truth and his embrace of an infantilism that demonstrates, for young people, a lack of any viable sense of critical thought, agency and commitment to social and economic justice. What's more, Trump has unleashed a rancid populism and racist-fuelled ultra-nationalism that mimics older forms of fascism and creates a culture of cruelty that both disparages its children and cancels out a future that makes democracy possible for them -- and therefore all of us. At the same time, Trump has embraced a merging of corporate power and politics that is characteristic of all fascist regimes, and in doing so, he has shifted wealth and resources away from vital social programs for young people into the hands of the financial elite."
CDC banned from using 7 words, including “science-based,” in budget documents
https://www.vox.com/2017/12/16/16784498/cdc-seven-words-science-transgender-fetus
"The Trump administration has reportedly banned officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from using these seven words in budget documents — a move that some are calling downright Orwellian: evidence-based science-based vulnerable entitlement diversity transgender fetus According to the Washington Post’s Lena Sun and Juliet Eilperin, who broke the story Friday night, CDC policy analysts at headquarters in Atlanta were briefed about the banned words at a Thursday meeting with officials who oversee CDC’s budget.
"The Trump administration has reportedly banned officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from using these seven words in budget documents — a move that some are calling downright Orwellian: evidence-based science-based vulnerable entitlement diversity transgender fetus According to the Washington Post’s Lena Sun and Juliet Eilperin, who broke the story Friday night, CDC policy analysts at headquarters in Atlanta were briefed about the banned words at a Thursday meeting with officials who oversee CDC’s budget.
Net Neutrality Killed as FCC 'Hands Keys to Internet to Handful of Multi-Billion Dollar Corporations'
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/12/14/net-neutrality-killed-fcc-hands-keys-internet-handful-multi-billion-dollar
"Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also denounced the ruling: Once again, the Trump administration has sided with big money and against the interests of the American people. The FCC's vote to end net neutrality is an egregious attack on our democracy. With this decision the internet and its free exchange of information as we have come to know it will cease to exist. The end of net neutrality protections means that the internet will be for sale to the highest bidder, instead of everyone having the same access regardless of whether they are rich or poor, a big corporation or small business, a multimedia conglomerate or a small online publication. At a time when our democratic institutions are already in peril, we must do everything we can to stop this decision from taking effect."
"Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also denounced the ruling: Once again, the Trump administration has sided with big money and against the interests of the American people. The FCC's vote to end net neutrality is an egregious attack on our democracy. With this decision the internet and its free exchange of information as we have come to know it will cease to exist. The end of net neutrality protections means that the internet will be for sale to the highest bidder, instead of everyone having the same access regardless of whether they are rich or poor, a big corporation or small business, a multimedia conglomerate or a small online publication. At a time when our democratic institutions are already in peril, we must do everything we can to stop this decision from taking effect."
Mick Mulvaney: 'If You Get Your News On [Fox] You'll Love GOP Tax Plan
Mick Mulvaney: 'If You Get Your News On [Fox] You'll Love GOP Tax Plan:
"See, any critical thinking or review of Trump's plans and policies that are not completely favorable are biased and "fake news," whereas on Fox and Friends, they know how to focus on the right things. What has Trump's co-conspirators nervous while they are Stepford-wiving the public are a slew of new polls that show the American people hate the GOP's tax bill."
"See, any critical thinking or review of Trump's plans and policies that are not completely favorable are biased and "fake news," whereas on Fox and Friends, they know how to focus on the right things. What has Trump's co-conspirators nervous while they are Stepford-wiving the public are a slew of new polls that show the American people hate the GOP's tax bill."
American Taliban
https://www.salon.com/2017/12/13/american-taliban/
"Republicans aren’t a political party anymore. They’re the American Taliban. They’ve set out to lay waste to America as we’ve known it, and it’s gotten a lot harder to keep up with them, hasn’t it? The evil buggers have been nibbling away at us like ducks for so long there is hardly any flesh left on our bones. The latest scam they came up with was as predictable as it was venal. The “deficit hawks” in the Republican party who wouldn’t pass a single bill during the eight years Obama was in the White House unless it was “paid for” are in a so-called conference committee splitting hairs over how many trillions they’re going to add to the national debt. Meanwhile, their gimlet-eyed death ferret speaker of the house just announced plans last week to lay waste to “entitlements.” You remember “entitlements,” don’t you? Those are the programs you actually pay for with your payroll taxes, Social Security and Medicare, which aren’t entitlements at all, but rather the federally established insurance policies that protect the elderly against poverty and disease. “We’re going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit,” the Death Ferret said while being interviewed on a radio talk show. Medicare and Medicaid “are the big drivers of the debt” Speaker Paul Ryan explained. “That’s where the problem lies, fiscally speaking.” Do you see the genius at work here? I mean, just look at them! First they pass a so-called “tax cut” that actually raises taxes on tens of millions of lower and middle class Americans while cutting taxes on millionaires and billionaires and adding trillions to the deficit. Then they use the increase in the deficit to justify cutting the two federal programs that actually work to aid the people whose taxes they just raised. They do have a plan. We’ve spent the last 10 months watching them carry it out. Part of the plan is to overturn every single thing Democrats did under Obama."
"Republicans aren’t a political party anymore. They’re the American Taliban. They’ve set out to lay waste to America as we’ve known it, and it’s gotten a lot harder to keep up with them, hasn’t it? The evil buggers have been nibbling away at us like ducks for so long there is hardly any flesh left on our bones. The latest scam they came up with was as predictable as it was venal. The “deficit hawks” in the Republican party who wouldn’t pass a single bill during the eight years Obama was in the White House unless it was “paid for” are in a so-called conference committee splitting hairs over how many trillions they’re going to add to the national debt. Meanwhile, their gimlet-eyed death ferret speaker of the house just announced plans last week to lay waste to “entitlements.” You remember “entitlements,” don’t you? Those are the programs you actually pay for with your payroll taxes, Social Security and Medicare, which aren’t entitlements at all, but rather the federally established insurance policies that protect the elderly against poverty and disease. “We’re going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit,” the Death Ferret said while being interviewed on a radio talk show. Medicare and Medicaid “are the big drivers of the debt” Speaker Paul Ryan explained. “That’s where the problem lies, fiscally speaking.” Do you see the genius at work here? I mean, just look at them! First they pass a so-called “tax cut” that actually raises taxes on tens of millions of lower and middle class Americans while cutting taxes on millionaires and billionaires and adding trillions to the deficit. Then they use the increase in the deficit to justify cutting the two federal programs that actually work to aid the people whose taxes they just raised. They do have a plan. We’ve spent the last 10 months watching them carry it out. Part of the plan is to overturn every single thing Democrats did under Obama."
GOP strategist flays Republican tax plan: ‘Anyone who thinks this will trickle down has staggering ignorance’
GOP strategist flays Republican tax plan: ‘Anyone who thinks this will trickle down has staggering ignorance’
"Republican strategist Steve Schmidt on Thursday blasted his party for pushing a tax plan that he said will do little to help the working class while providing huge cuts for the wealthy and large corporations."
"Republican strategist Steve Schmidt on Thursday blasted his party for pushing a tax plan that he said will do little to help the working class while providing huge cuts for the wealthy and large corporations."
Here are the 10 most ridiculous lies Trump told in 2017
Here are the 10 most ridiculous lies Trump told in 2017
"President Donald Trump is lying at a rate that is literally unprecedented — in fact, a recent Washington Post analysis has found that, since this past October, Trump has been making an average of nine false claims per day."
"President Donald Trump is lying at a rate that is literally unprecedented — in fact, a recent Washington Post analysis has found that, since this past October, Trump has been making an average of nine false claims per day."
U.N. officials touring rural Alabama are shocked at the level of poverty and environmental degradation
http://www.newsweek.com/alabama-un-poverty-environmental-racism-743601
"A United Nations official investigating poverty in the United States was shocked at the level of environmental degradation in some areas of rural Alabama, saying he had never seen anything like it in the developed world. "I think it's very uncommon in the First World. This is not a sight that one normally sees. I'd have to say that I haven't seen this," Philip Alston, the U.N.'s Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, told Connor Sheets of AL.com earlier this week as they toured a community in Butler County where raw sewage flows from homes through exposed PVC pipes and into open trenches and pits. The tour through Alabama's rural communities is part of a two-week investigation by the U.N. on poverty and human rights abuses in the United States. So far, U.N. investigators have visited cities and towns in California and Alabama, and will soon travel to Puerto Rico, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. Of particular concern to Alston are specific poverty-related issues that have surfaced across the country in recent years, such as an outbreak of hookworm in Alabama in 2017—a disease typically found in nations with substandard sanitary conditions in South Asia and Subsaharan Africa.The U.N. investigation aims to study the effects of systemic poverty in a prosperous nation like the United States. According to the Census Bureau, nearly 41 million people in the U.S. live in poverty. That's second-highest rate of poverty among rich countries, as measured by the percentage of people earning less than half the national median income, according to Quartz."
"A United Nations official investigating poverty in the United States was shocked at the level of environmental degradation in some areas of rural Alabama, saying he had never seen anything like it in the developed world. "I think it's very uncommon in the First World. This is not a sight that one normally sees. I'd have to say that I haven't seen this," Philip Alston, the U.N.'s Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, told Connor Sheets of AL.com earlier this week as they toured a community in Butler County where raw sewage flows from homes through exposed PVC pipes and into open trenches and pits. The tour through Alabama's rural communities is part of a two-week investigation by the U.N. on poverty and human rights abuses in the United States. So far, U.N. investigators have visited cities and towns in California and Alabama, and will soon travel to Puerto Rico, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. Of particular concern to Alston are specific poverty-related issues that have surfaced across the country in recent years, such as an outbreak of hookworm in Alabama in 2017—a disease typically found in nations with substandard sanitary conditions in South Asia and Subsaharan Africa.The U.N. investigation aims to study the effects of systemic poverty in a prosperous nation like the United States. According to the Census Bureau, nearly 41 million people in the U.S. live in poverty. That's second-highest rate of poverty among rich countries, as measured by the percentage of people earning less than half the national median income, according to Quartz."
Republicans Just Made It a Lot Harder for Restaurant Workers to Fight Big Chains @alternet
Republicans Just Made It a Lot Harder for Restaurant Workers to Fight Big Chains @alternet:
"On Thursday, the National Labor Relations Board, led by Trump appointee Philip A. Miscimarra, undid an Obama-era ruling that protected workers, including subcontractors, from labor law violations. In an unsurprising move, all three Republicans on the Board voted together to undo the rule, while the two Democrats opposed them."
"On Thursday, the National Labor Relations Board, led by Trump appointee Philip A. Miscimarra, undid an Obama-era ruling that protected workers, including subcontractors, from labor law violations. In an unsurprising move, all three Republicans on the Board voted together to undo the rule, while the two Democrats opposed them."
Corporation and Nation
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/12/08/corporation-and-nation
"Trump and congressional Republicans are engineering the largest corporate tax cut in history in order “to restore our competitive edge,” as Trump says. Our competitive edge? Who’s us? Most American corporations – especially big ones that would get most of the planned corporate tax cuts – have no particular allegiance to America. Their only allegiance is to their shareholders. For years they’ve been cutting the jobs and wages of American workers in order to generate larger profits and higher share prices. Some of these jobs have gone abroad or been outsourced to lower-paid contractors in America. Others have been automated. Most of the remaining jobs pay no more than they did four decades ago, adjusted for inflation. When GM went public again in 2010 after being bailed out by American taxpayers, it boasted of making 43 percent of its cars in places where labor is less than $15 an hour – often outside the United States. And it got its American unions to agree that new hires would be paid half the wages and benefits of its old workers. Capital is global. Big American corporations are “American” only because they’re headquartered and legally incorporated in the United States. But they could (and sometimes do) leave at a moment’s notice. They also employ or contract with workers all over the world. And they’re owned by shareholders all over the world. According to research by the Tax Policy Center’s Steven Rosenthal, about 35 percent of stock in U.S. corporations is now held by foreign investors. So when taxes of “American” corporations are cut, foreign investors get a windfall. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates that the Senate majority’s tax bill would give foreign investors a tax cut of $31 billion in 2019. The House bill would give them $50.4 billion. That’s money that foreign investors would otherwise be paying into the U.S. Treasury."
Trump-Led American Politics Is Swamped by Epidemic of Unprecedented Lying @alternet
Trump-Led American Politics Is Swamped by Epidemic of Unprecedented Lying @alternet:
"Trump will soon tell his 2,000th lie as president. Seventy-one percent of Alabama Republicans believe Roy Moore."
"Trump will soon tell his 2,000th lie as president. Seventy-one percent of Alabama Republicans believe Roy Moore."
The Uncanny, Frightening Ways That Trump's America Mirrors Hitler's Germany @alternet
The Uncanny, Frightening Ways That Trump's America Mirrors Hitler's Germany @alternet:
"Nazi leaders and propagandists of the 1930s used the phrase Lügenpresse (“lying press”) at every opportunity to describe the media of their day; today Trump and his supporters are both undermining our faith in our press, and preparing us for a crackdown on press outlets like this one. And once net neutrality is done away with, they merely have to work with their friends in the multibillion-dollar ISP corporations who, like with the 2006 AT&T scandal and others, are more than happy to help “intelligence” agencies and the administration out. The phrase “Fake news” is simply the Trump version of Lügenpresse, and the goal and trajectory are the same. Even Mike Godwin, the inventor of Godwin’s Law (basically, that “whoever first mentions Hitler automatically loses the argument”), is now writing in the Washington Post that, “If you’re thoughtful about it and show some real awareness of history, go ahead and refer to Hitler or Nazis when you talk about Trump.” Fritz Thyssen was a very wealthy and politically active German industrialist in the 1930s—arguably the Murdoch/Koch/Adelson/Mercer/etc. of his day in Germany— helped fund the rise of Hitler because he thought it would be good for his business and that Hitler would cut his taxes. When I read his book I Paid Hitler, part apologia and part rationalization, I couldn’t help but wonder how the heirs of today’s GOP/Trump-financing billionaires will look back on this era. That’s assuming, of course, that any sort of real history of the events of this time survives Trump and Pence’s dual assault on our news organizations and net neutrality. As Hitler’s propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels famously said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie."
"Nazi leaders and propagandists of the 1930s used the phrase Lügenpresse (“lying press”) at every opportunity to describe the media of their day; today Trump and his supporters are both undermining our faith in our press, and preparing us for a crackdown on press outlets like this one. And once net neutrality is done away with, they merely have to work with their friends in the multibillion-dollar ISP corporations who, like with the 2006 AT&T scandal and others, are more than happy to help “intelligence” agencies and the administration out. The phrase “Fake news” is simply the Trump version of Lügenpresse, and the goal and trajectory are the same. Even Mike Godwin, the inventor of Godwin’s Law (basically, that “whoever first mentions Hitler automatically loses the argument”), is now writing in the Washington Post that, “If you’re thoughtful about it and show some real awareness of history, go ahead and refer to Hitler or Nazis when you talk about Trump.” Fritz Thyssen was a very wealthy and politically active German industrialist in the 1930s—arguably the Murdoch/Koch/Adelson/Mercer/etc. of his day in Germany— helped fund the rise of Hitler because he thought it would be good for his business and that Hitler would cut his taxes. When I read his book I Paid Hitler, part apologia and part rationalization, I couldn’t help but wonder how the heirs of today’s GOP/Trump-financing billionaires will look back on this era. That’s assuming, of course, that any sort of real history of the events of this time survives Trump and Pence’s dual assault on our news organizations and net neutrality. As Hitler’s propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels famously said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie."
The Republican Long Game
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/12/09/republican-long-game
"with Donald Trump in charge, Republicans feel no need to conceal. They have been emboldened, I think, to show their true selves because they feel Trump has their back with his supporters—and as long as they have that army behind them, they are willing to take the risk of promoting a “reform” nearly everyone else hates. Those aggrieved white men who form the bulk of rank-and-file Republicanism don’t care if they have to pay more taxes. They don’t care if their health insurance premiums soar. They don’t care if their children can’t afford to go to college. Surveys show that they are more devoted to Trump than to their own welfare, and they will follow Trump wherever he leads, even if he leads them to financial disaster. He voices their hatreds, and hatred trumps policy. Such is modern Republicanism."
"with Donald Trump in charge, Republicans feel no need to conceal. They have been emboldened, I think, to show their true selves because they feel Trump has their back with his supporters—and as long as they have that army behind them, they are willing to take the risk of promoting a “reform” nearly everyone else hates. Those aggrieved white men who form the bulk of rank-and-file Republicanism don’t care if they have to pay more taxes. They don’t care if their health insurance premiums soar. They don’t care if their children can’t afford to go to college. Surveys show that they are more devoted to Trump than to their own welfare, and they will follow Trump wherever he leads, even if he leads them to financial disaster. He voices their hatreds, and hatred trumps policy. Such is modern Republicanism."
GOP Tax Scam Attacks Renewables While Nurturing Nuclear and Fossil Fuel Industries
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/12/08/gop-tax-scam-attacks-renewables-while-nurturing-nuclear-and-fossil-fuel-industries
"Despite the recent boom in electrical generation from wind and solar—which soared to a record 10 percent of the nation's total generation in June—and the fact that the solar industry alone employs more Americans than coal, gas, and oil sectors combined, both the House and Senate versions of the Republican tax plan propose altering the conditions that have enabled the U.S. renewable industry to blossom."
"Despite the recent boom in electrical generation from wind and solar—which soared to a record 10 percent of the nation's total generation in June—and the fact that the solar industry alone employs more Americans than coal, gas, and oil sectors combined, both the House and Senate versions of the Republican tax plan propose altering the conditions that have enabled the U.S. renewable industry to blossom."
Theological scholar explains horrifying reason Trump’s supporters celebrated Armageddon in Pensacola
Theological scholar explains horrifying reason Trump’s supporters celebrated Armageddon in Pensacola
"In a Pensacola, Florida rally Friday evening, Republican state Senator Doug Broxson suggested to supporters of Donald Trump that the president’s controversial decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem may usher in the biblical end times."
"In a Pensacola, Florida rally Friday evening, Republican state Senator Doug Broxson suggested to supporters of Donald Trump that the president’s controversial decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem may usher in the biblical end times."
How the "Citizens United" Ruling Paved the Way for This Abhorrent Tax Bill
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/42820-how-the-citizens-united-ruling-paved-the-way-for-this-abhorrent-tax-bill
"This tax bill was not written to help the general populace of this country; it was crafted to appease those who run the show from behind the scenes: the donors and lobbyists."
"This tax bill was not written to help the general populace of this country; it was crafted to appease those who run the show from behind the scenes: the donors and lobbyists."
Trump's chief of CFPB spent last six years trying to stop regulations of payday lenders
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/8/1722599/-Trump-s-chief-of-CFPB-spent-last-six-years-trying-to-stop-regulations-of-payday-lenders
"As Donald Trump and his crew of wannabe-oligarchs take over and file off the teeth of every government protection agency in the country, it’s good to know how transparently swamp-filled the White House has actually become. When rumors began that OMB head Mick Mulvaney was being tapped to take over the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau it would have been laughable if it wasn’t really happening. International Business Times put in a FOIA requestion to the CFPB and received hundreds of pages of correspondence between them and Mick Mulvaney. Guess what Mr. Mulvaney was asking them about? During his congressional campaigns, Mulvaney vacuumed in more than $567,000 from donors in the commercial banking, credit and securities/investment industries, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. That includes more than $55,000 from donors in the payday and title loan industry, according to datafrom the National Institute on Money in State Politics. The letters reviewed by IBT show that much of Mulvaney’s criticism of the CFPB revolved around the agency’s attempts to regulate the payday lending industry, which provides short term, high-interest loans. The unregulated scam of payday loans was beginning to see a possible comeuppance over the past year and a half as more and more consumers were banding together and demanding satisfaction. The payday loan industry got their man in Mulvaney, and Mulvaney got his position at the top of the agency that could regulate their predatory practices. There’s a treasure trove that IBT put together, of Mulvaney’s letters to the CFPB, along with other Republican colleagues, attacking things like mortgage regulations∏but mostly the payday loan protections."
"As Donald Trump and his crew of wannabe-oligarchs take over and file off the teeth of every government protection agency in the country, it’s good to know how transparently swamp-filled the White House has actually become. When rumors began that OMB head Mick Mulvaney was being tapped to take over the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau it would have been laughable if it wasn’t really happening. International Business Times put in a FOIA requestion to the CFPB and received hundreds of pages of correspondence between them and Mick Mulvaney. Guess what Mr. Mulvaney was asking them about? During his congressional campaigns, Mulvaney vacuumed in more than $567,000 from donors in the commercial banking, credit and securities/investment industries, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. That includes more than $55,000 from donors in the payday and title loan industry, according to datafrom the National Institute on Money in State Politics. The letters reviewed by IBT show that much of Mulvaney’s criticism of the CFPB revolved around the agency’s attempts to regulate the payday lending industry, which provides short term, high-interest loans. The unregulated scam of payday loans was beginning to see a possible comeuppance over the past year and a half as more and more consumers were banding together and demanding satisfaction. The payday loan industry got their man in Mulvaney, and Mulvaney got his position at the top of the agency that could regulate their predatory practices. There’s a treasure trove that IBT put together, of Mulvaney’s letters to the CFPB, along with other Republican colleagues, attacking things like mortgage regulations∏but mostly the payday loan protections."
It's Not the Money, It's the Power
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a14389486/its-not-the-money-its-the-power/
"It’s not the money so much as it is the power to get it and the power to keep it and the power to control it. They have shown that they’re not beholden to any notion of patriotism, or to the idea of a country, in this effort. They want it all, and they don’t care if they break everything to get it, and they want to keep it, all of it, long after they have graves on which we can all gather to spit."
"It’s not the money so much as it is the power to get it and the power to keep it and the power to control it. They have shown that they’re not beholden to any notion of patriotism, or to the idea of a country, in this effort. They want it all, and they don’t care if they break everything to get it, and they want to keep it, all of it, long after they have graves on which we can all gather to spit."
Robert Reich: The GOP's Whole Economic Model Is One Giant Scam @alternet
Robert Reich: The GOP's Whole Economic Model Is One Giant Scam @alternet:
"Trump and congressional Republicans are engineering the largest corporate tax cut in history in order “to restore our competitive edge,” as Trump says. Our competitive edge? Who’s us? Most American corporations – especially big ones that would get most of the planned corporate tax cuts – have no particular allegiance to America. Their only allegiance is to their shareholders. For years they’ve been cutting the jobs and wages of American workers in order to generate larger profits and higher share prices. Some of these jobs have gone abroad or been outsourced to lower-paid contractors in America. Others have been automated. Most of the remaining jobs pay no more than they did four decades ago, adjusted for inflation. When GM went public again in 2010 after being bailed out by American taxpayers, it boasted of making 43 percent of its cars in places where labor is less than $15 an hour – often outside the United States. And it got its American unions to agree that new hires would be paid half the wages and benefits of its old workers. Capital is global. Big American corporations are “American” only because they’re headquartered and legally incorporated in the United States. But they could (and sometimes do) leave at a moment’s notice. They also employ or contract with workers all over the world. And they’re owned by shareholders all over the world. According to research by the Tax Policy Center’s Steven Rosenthal, about 35 percent of stock in U.S. corporations is now held by foreign investors. So when taxes of “American” corporations are cut, foreign investors get a windfall. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates that the Senate majority’s tax bill would give foreign investors a tax cut of $31 billion in 2019. The House bill would give them $50.4 billion. That’s money that foreign investors would otherwise be paying into the U.S. Treasury."
"Trump and congressional Republicans are engineering the largest corporate tax cut in history in order “to restore our competitive edge,” as Trump says. Our competitive edge? Who’s us? Most American corporations – especially big ones that would get most of the planned corporate tax cuts – have no particular allegiance to America. Their only allegiance is to their shareholders. For years they’ve been cutting the jobs and wages of American workers in order to generate larger profits and higher share prices. Some of these jobs have gone abroad or been outsourced to lower-paid contractors in America. Others have been automated. Most of the remaining jobs pay no more than they did four decades ago, adjusted for inflation. When GM went public again in 2010 after being bailed out by American taxpayers, it boasted of making 43 percent of its cars in places where labor is less than $15 an hour – often outside the United States. And it got its American unions to agree that new hires would be paid half the wages and benefits of its old workers. Capital is global. Big American corporations are “American” only because they’re headquartered and legally incorporated in the United States. But they could (and sometimes do) leave at a moment’s notice. They also employ or contract with workers all over the world. And they’re owned by shareholders all over the world. According to research by the Tax Policy Center’s Steven Rosenthal, about 35 percent of stock in U.S. corporations is now held by foreign investors. So when taxes of “American” corporations are cut, foreign investors get a windfall. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates that the Senate majority’s tax bill would give foreign investors a tax cut of $31 billion in 2019. The House bill would give them $50.4 billion. That’s money that foreign investors would otherwise be paying into the U.S. Treasury."
People with rare diseases join cancer patients on the list of those screwed by Republican tax plan
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/8/1722529/-People-with-rare-diseases-join-cancer-patients-on-the-list-of-those-screwed-by-Republican-tax-plan
"It’s starting to look like it would be a very bad idea to get sick, in any serious way, if the Republican tax plan becomes law. Ending cancer treatments for Medicare patients and partial Obamacare repeal aren’t the only ways the bill takes serious aim at health care. The tax bill could also cause problems for people with rare diseases"
"It’s starting to look like it would be a very bad idea to get sick, in any serious way, if the Republican tax plan becomes law. Ending cancer treatments for Medicare patients and partial Obamacare repeal aren’t the only ways the bill takes serious aim at health care. The tax bill could also cause problems for people with rare diseases"
Do You, Consumer, Feel Protected?
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a14313813/mick-mulvaney-cfpb-rollback/
"Still more from the We Learned Nothing From 2008 file, sub-paragraph: And We Could Care Less. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, another child of the regulatory backlash after the near-destruction of the world economy, is now being throttled by Mick Mulvaney, the Tea Party non-economist who hates the whole idea of the agency."
"Still more from the We Learned Nothing From 2008 file, sub-paragraph: And We Could Care Less. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, another child of the regulatory backlash after the near-destruction of the world economy, is now being throttled by Mick Mulvaney, the Tea Party non-economist who hates the whole idea of the agency."
I Study Liars. I’ve Never Seen One Like President Trump.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/12/08/i-study-liars-ive-never-seen-one-president-trump
"In Trump’s first 298 days in office, however, he made 1,628 false or misleading claims or flip-flops, by The Post’s tally."
"In Trump’s first 298 days in office, however, he made 1,628 false or misleading claims or flip-flops, by The Post’s tally."
December 16, 2017
'You Can Save My Life': Traveling on Same Plane, Man With ALS Confronts Sen. Flake Over GOP Tax Bill
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/12/08/you-can-save-my-life-traveling-same-plane-man-als-confronts-sen-flake-over-gop-tax
"Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) boarded a plane leaving Washington, D.C. on Thursday, less than a week after voting for a tax bill that could result in devastating cuts to disability programs."
"Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) boarded a plane leaving Washington, D.C. on Thursday, less than a week after voting for a tax bill that could result in devastating cuts to disability programs."
Trump makes it even easier for airlines to screw you by repealing baggage fee transparency rules
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/8/1722542/-Trump-administration-hands-airlines-a-pass-on-baggage-fee-transparency
"There is absolutely nothing that President Barack Obama did or tried to do for the people of this country that Donald Trump doesn’t want to undo. No matter how petty, no matter how painful. The Obama administration had proposed a rule requiring that as soon you start to buy a plane ticket, you’d be notified of how much in baggage fees the airline would charge, a measure that would help consumers compare prices and might, just might, make airlines hesitate to get out front with higher fees than their competitors. But no. The Department of Transportation (DOT) posted a notice on the Federal Register this week that it is withdrawing the proposed rule, along with another plan to force air carriers to disclose how much revenue they make from charging other ancillary fees. The administration, which has made easing regulatory burdens for businesses a top priority, said the rules would have “limited public benefit"."
"There is absolutely nothing that President Barack Obama did or tried to do for the people of this country that Donald Trump doesn’t want to undo. No matter how petty, no matter how painful. The Obama administration had proposed a rule requiring that as soon you start to buy a plane ticket, you’d be notified of how much in baggage fees the airline would charge, a measure that would help consumers compare prices and might, just might, make airlines hesitate to get out front with higher fees than their competitors. But no. The Department of Transportation (DOT) posted a notice on the Federal Register this week that it is withdrawing the proposed rule, along with another plan to force air carriers to disclose how much revenue they make from charging other ancillary fees. The administration, which has made easing regulatory burdens for businesses a top priority, said the rules would have “limited public benefit"."
GOP Budgets, Statements Make Plans Clear: Costly Tax Cuts for Wealthy Now, Program Cuts Later
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/12/05/gop-budgets-statements-make-plans-clear-costly-tax-cuts-wealthy-now-program-cuts
"The Senate bill raises taxes on millions of low- and middle-income households and raises the number of Americans without health insurance by an estimated 13 million."
"The Senate bill raises taxes on millions of low- and middle-income households and raises the number of Americans without health insurance by an estimated 13 million."
Paul Ryan's winning 2018 idea: Cut Medicare and Medicaid after giving $1.5 trillion away to the rich
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/6/1721831/-Paul-Ryan-s-winning-2018-idea-Cut-Medicare-and-Medicaid-after-giving-1-5-trillion-away-to-the-rich
"Noted sociopath and House Speaker Paul Ryan hasn't even gotten the odious tax bill—a massive redistribution of wealth from the bottom-up—in final form and passed. But he's already making good on the Republican promise to use the gaping hole it blows in the nation's deficit to start in with the granny-starving again. "We're going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit," Ryan said during an appearance on Ross Kaminsky's talk radio show. "... Frankly, it's the health care entitlements that are the big drivers of our debt, so we spend more time on the health care entitlements -- because that's really where the problem lies, fiscally speaking." Ryan said that he believes he has begun convincing President Donald Trump in their private conversations about the need to rein in Medicare, the federal health program that primarily insures the elderly. As a candidate, Trump vowed not to cut spending on Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid. (Ryan also suggested congressional Republicans were unlikely to try changing Social Security, because the rules of the Senate forbid changes to the program through reconciliation—the procedure the Senate can use to pass legislation with only 50 votes.)"
"Noted sociopath and House Speaker Paul Ryan hasn't even gotten the odious tax bill—a massive redistribution of wealth from the bottom-up—in final form and passed. But he's already making good on the Republican promise to use the gaping hole it blows in the nation's deficit to start in with the granny-starving again. "We're going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit," Ryan said during an appearance on Ross Kaminsky's talk radio show. "... Frankly, it's the health care entitlements that are the big drivers of our debt, so we spend more time on the health care entitlements -- because that's really where the problem lies, fiscally speaking." Ryan said that he believes he has begun convincing President Donald Trump in their private conversations about the need to rein in Medicare, the federal health program that primarily insures the elderly. As a candidate, Trump vowed not to cut spending on Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid. (Ryan also suggested congressional Republicans were unlikely to try changing Social Security, because the rules of the Senate forbid changes to the program through reconciliation—the procedure the Senate can use to pass legislation with only 50 votes.)"
Paul Ryan admits the GOP will gut Medicare and Medicaid to pay for tax cuts
https://thinkprogress.org/paul-ryan-tax-cuts-medicare-medicaid-f87d810ad5b9/
"Republicans in Congress are openly admitting they plan to use their tax reform bill to justify slashing funding for essential social programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and food stamps. The bill — which is expected to balloon the national deficit by at least $1 trillion, and which only benefits the country’s wealthiest in the long-term — has not yet been reconciled or signed. But Republicans aren’t wasting any time laying out what they see as the next step."
"Republicans in Congress are openly admitting they plan to use their tax reform bill to justify slashing funding for essential social programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and food stamps. The bill — which is expected to balloon the national deficit by at least $1 trillion, and which only benefits the country’s wealthiest in the long-term — has not yet been reconciled or signed. But Republicans aren’t wasting any time laying out what they see as the next step."
The Mike Flynn Freak Show Continues
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a14379244/michael-flynn-nuclear-reactors-middle-east/
"The guy was in business for himself—with some bad people—before his boss even took the job."
"The guy was in business for himself—with some bad people—before his boss even took the job."
Trey Gowdy not interested in investigating reported deal to 'rip up' sanctions against Russia
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/7/1722224/-Trey-Gowdy-not-interested-in-investigating-reported-deal-to-rip-up-sanctions-against-Russia
"The whistleblower recounted how Flynn reached out within minutes of Trump’s inauguration to say how Russian sanctions would be ‘ripped up’ and that a previously blocked scheme to bring Russian nuclear plants to the Middle East was ‘good to go.’ The letter was extraordinary both for the bluntness of Flynn’s statements, and for the timing that set the events literally 11 minutes into his presidency. Validating the account would seem extremely important. Unless you’re a Republican."
"The whistleblower recounted how Flynn reached out within minutes of Trump’s inauguration to say how Russian sanctions would be ‘ripped up’ and that a previously blocked scheme to bring Russian nuclear plants to the Middle East was ‘good to go.’ The letter was extraordinary both for the bluntness of Flynn’s statements, and for the timing that set the events literally 11 minutes into his presidency. Validating the account would seem extremely important. Unless you’re a Republican."
Former Jesse Helms aide blisters Trump’s racism: ‘I can’t look any minority in the eye now and say vote GOP’
Former Jesse Helms aide blisters Trump’s racism: ‘I can’t look any minority in the eye now and say vote GOP’
"A former aide to ultra-conservative ex-Senator Jesse Helms said that he is appalled at what the GOP has turned into under President Donald Trump, and claimed, as a campaign consultant, there is no way he would attempt to convince minority voters to vote Republican."
"A former aide to ultra-conservative ex-Senator Jesse Helms said that he is appalled at what the GOP has turned into under President Donald Trump, and claimed, as a campaign consultant, there is no way he would attempt to convince minority voters to vote Republican."
Why Did Facebook Give the Right-Wing 'Weekly Standard' Fact-Checking Duties? @alternet
Why Did Facebook Give the Right-Wing 'Weekly Standard' Fact-Checking Duties? @alternet:
"A conservative news organization has been approved to partner with Facebook to fact-check false news, drawing criticisms that the social media company is caving to rightwing pressures and collaborating with a publication that has previously spread propaganda."
"A conservative news organization has been approved to partner with Facebook to fact-check false news, drawing criticisms that the social media company is caving to rightwing pressures and collaborating with a publication that has previously spread propaganda."
Trump Jr. invents fake ‘privilege’ to justify stonewalling Congress on key discussion with his dad
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-jr-dodge-questions-a4fdf0cc2b6b/
"During voluntary closed-door testimony before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, Donald Trump Jr. cited “attorney-client privilege” to avoid answering questions about a critical discussion he had with his father this past summer following explosive New York Times reporting about the Trump campaign’s efforts to collude with Russia."
"During voluntary closed-door testimony before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, Donald Trump Jr. cited “attorney-client privilege” to avoid answering questions about a critical discussion he had with his father this past summer following explosive New York Times reporting about the Trump campaign’s efforts to collude with Russia."
'That's Not How It Works': Experts Call Out Don Jr's Bogus Claim of Attorney-Client Privilege
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/12/07/thats-not-how-it-works-experts-call-out-don-jrs-bogus-claim-attorney-client
"When Trump Jr. wasn't illegitimately invoking attorney-client privilege, he appeared to be hampered by what one lawmaker called a "very serious case of amnesia"."
"When Trump Jr. wasn't illegitimately invoking attorney-client privilege, he appeared to be hampered by what one lawmaker called a "very serious case of amnesia"."
The Stupidity of Donald Jr.'s Attempt to Stonewall Congress Almost Defies Belief @alternet
The Stupidity of Donald Jr.'s Attempt to Stonewall Congress Almost Defies Belief @alternet:
"The president's son hasn't the faintest idea how attorney-client privilege works."
"The president's son hasn't the faintest idea how attorney-client privilege works."
The problem with Mike Pence’s ignorance defense
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-problem-mike-pences-ignorance-defense
"When it comes to the Trump-Russia scandal, Mike Pence is often seen as someone on the periphery. The trouble is, the vice president has repeatedly made public comments about the scandal that were later found to be completely untrue."
"When it comes to the Trump-Russia scandal, Mike Pence is often seen as someone on the periphery. The trouble is, the vice president has repeatedly made public comments about the scandal that were later found to be completely untrue."
Trump Jr invents a ‘privilege’ to avoid Russia scandal questions
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-jr-invents-privilege-avoid-russia-scandal-questions
"Just so we’re all clear, Donald Trump Jr. isn’t an attorney. Donald Trump Sr. isn’t an attorney, either. Neither is a client of the other. And yet, the president’s son, unwilling to answer questions about a key area of interest, decided that since there was a lawyer around during a conversation with his father, he can now refuse to answer the Intelligence Committee’s questions. No, seriously. That’s what he said. First, this is nutty, even for Trump World. The attorney-client privilege exists to shield conversations between … wait for it … attorneys and clients. Trump Jr. appears to be making up a privilege out of whole cloth. Second, the legal creativity surrounding the Russia scandal is increasingly extraordinary. In recent months, we’ve seen prominent figures in the president’s orbit raise bizarre claims about executive privilege, even stranger arguments about a president being unable to obstruct justice, and now non-lawyers are claiming attorney-client privilege. I’m surprised law-school professors everywhere aren’t breaking out in cold sweats."
"Just so we’re all clear, Donald Trump Jr. isn’t an attorney. Donald Trump Sr. isn’t an attorney, either. Neither is a client of the other. And yet, the president’s son, unwilling to answer questions about a key area of interest, decided that since there was a lawyer around during a conversation with his father, he can now refuse to answer the Intelligence Committee’s questions. No, seriously. That’s what he said. First, this is nutty, even for Trump World. The attorney-client privilege exists to shield conversations between … wait for it … attorneys and clients. Trump Jr. appears to be making up a privilege out of whole cloth. Second, the legal creativity surrounding the Russia scandal is increasingly extraordinary. In recent months, we’ve seen prominent figures in the president’s orbit raise bizarre claims about executive privilege, even stranger arguments about a president being unable to obstruct justice, and now non-lawyers are claiming attorney-client privilege. I’m surprised law-school professors everywhere aren’t breaking out in cold sweats."
Donald Trump Jr. Refuses to Disclose His Discussions With His Father About Trump Tower Meeting
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/12/donald-trump-jr-refuses-to-disclose-his-discussions-with-his-father-about-trump-tower-meeting/
"During eight hours of questioning by the House intelligence committee on Wednesday, Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged that he and his father had discussed news of his controversial 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer after the New York Times revealed the secret sitdown this summer. But he refused to disclose the contents of their conversations. Trump Jr. “acknowledged having discussed the June 9 meeting and the emails that went into establishing that meeting after those emails became public,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the intelligence committee, told reporters after Trump Jr.’s interview with the panel. “He acknowledged discussing that meeting with his father.” The admission by his Trump’s eldest son raises the question of how closely the Trumps coordinated on their response to the bombshell revelations and could bolster the case that President Trump participated in an effort to craft a false public explanation for the Trump Tower meeting. Trump Jr.’s initial statement about the meeting, reportedly dictated by his father on Air Force One during a July 8 flight from Germany, inaccurately claimed that the discussion focused on adoption."
"During eight hours of questioning by the House intelligence committee on Wednesday, Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged that he and his father had discussed news of his controversial 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer after the New York Times revealed the secret sitdown this summer. But he refused to disclose the contents of their conversations. Trump Jr. “acknowledged having discussed the June 9 meeting and the emails that went into establishing that meeting after those emails became public,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the intelligence committee, told reporters after Trump Jr.’s interview with the panel. “He acknowledged discussing that meeting with his father.” The admission by his Trump’s eldest son raises the question of how closely the Trumps coordinated on their response to the bombshell revelations and could bolster the case that President Trump participated in an effort to craft a false public explanation for the Trump Tower meeting. Trump Jr.’s initial statement about the meeting, reportedly dictated by his father on Air Force One during a July 8 flight from Germany, inaccurately claimed that the discussion focused on adoption."
Koch-funded network targets New Hampshire’s renewable energy policies
https://thinkprogress.org/koch-network-goes-after-new-hampshire-5d9da939c2e8/
"With a Republican in the governor’s mansion, multiple organizations backed by petrochemical billionaires Charles and David Koch are ramping up their efforts to convince New Hampshire policymakers to weaken the state’s renewable energy policies."
"With a Republican in the governor’s mansion, multiple organizations backed by petrochemical billionaires Charles and David Koch are ramping up their efforts to convince New Hampshire policymakers to weaken the state’s renewable energy policies."
The GOP Tax Scam: Naming the Culprits
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/12/04/gop-tax-scam-naming-culprits
"It took quite a conspiracy of lies and mendacity to drive tax cuts for the superrich and giant corporations through both houses of Congress. The tax scam is no done deal – House and Senate negotiators must still agree on a single package, and that package must win approval in both houses. Given the narrowness of the margins for approval in both the Senate and House, and the significant differences between the bills each passed, the entire effort may still collapse – especially if the public grasps what’s at stake and mobilizes. But the uncertainty over the ultimate fate of the tax cut is no reason to delay identifying the culprits. Each and every person who had a hand in crafting and passing these proposals for monstrous transfers of wealth to the superrich must be held accountable. Some of the conspirators merit special attention: Gary Cohn. National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn engaged in a very public handwringing about whether to remain in the Trump administration in the wake of the Charlottesville outrage, but decided the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to make history by cutting taxes for the rich was too great to pass by. He continued to insist that corporate tax cuts would unleash new corporate investment – only to be greeted by a roomful of corporate executives who wouldn’t back up his story even by raising their hands in answer to a question about who would undertake new investment. Cohn racked up quite a record of interesting statements: “The wealthy are not getting a tax cut” (September 28). “I’m really not upset” that the wealthy are getting a tax cut (November 9). “The most excited group out there are big CEOs about our tax plan” (November 9). Marco Rubio. Unlike others on this list, Rubio offered a dose of honesty about the tax cut. But his plus points for truthfulness are offset by the immorality of his admission: These gigantic tax cuts are a set-up for immediate demands to slash Social Security and Medicare."
"It took quite a conspiracy of lies and mendacity to drive tax cuts for the superrich and giant corporations through both houses of Congress. The tax scam is no done deal – House and Senate negotiators must still agree on a single package, and that package must win approval in both houses. Given the narrowness of the margins for approval in both the Senate and House, and the significant differences between the bills each passed, the entire effort may still collapse – especially if the public grasps what’s at stake and mobilizes. But the uncertainty over the ultimate fate of the tax cut is no reason to delay identifying the culprits. Each and every person who had a hand in crafting and passing these proposals for monstrous transfers of wealth to the superrich must be held accountable. Some of the conspirators merit special attention: Gary Cohn. National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn engaged in a very public handwringing about whether to remain in the Trump administration in the wake of the Charlottesville outrage, but decided the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to make history by cutting taxes for the rich was too great to pass by. He continued to insist that corporate tax cuts would unleash new corporate investment – only to be greeted by a roomful of corporate executives who wouldn’t back up his story even by raising their hands in answer to a question about who would undertake new investment. Cohn racked up quite a record of interesting statements: “The wealthy are not getting a tax cut” (September 28). “I’m really not upset” that the wealthy are getting a tax cut (November 9). “The most excited group out there are big CEOs about our tax plan” (November 9). Marco Rubio. Unlike others on this list, Rubio offered a dose of honesty about the tax cut. But his plus points for truthfulness are offset by the immorality of his admission: These gigantic tax cuts are a set-up for immediate demands to slash Social Security and Medicare."
Two Top Republican Tax Writers Reveal Their Prejudice and Their Strategy
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/12/04/two-top-republican-tax-writers-reveal-their-prejudice-and-their-strategy
"It’s awful enough for Grassley to spout such ignorance. But the worse crime was to embed it in tax policy. Turning to Hatch’s statement, I cannot state the following adamantly enough: Because they have used the deficit to pay for a tax cut that blatantly favors the rich over the rest, Republicans have forfeited their ability to tell us what we can and can’t afford. Of course, they will continue to make that argument, as Hatch himself has, along with many of his colleagues. But do not forget this: They could have made their tax plan revenue-neutral. They decided not to, and they further decided, based on their revealed preferences, that the parts that help middle- and low-income families should expire, while those that help the rich should live on forever (see figure above)."
"It’s awful enough for Grassley to spout such ignorance. But the worse crime was to embed it in tax policy. Turning to Hatch’s statement, I cannot state the following adamantly enough: Because they have used the deficit to pay for a tax cut that blatantly favors the rich over the rest, Republicans have forfeited their ability to tell us what we can and can’t afford. Of course, they will continue to make that argument, as Hatch himself has, along with many of his colleagues. But do not forget this: They could have made their tax plan revenue-neutral. They decided not to, and they further decided, based on their revealed preferences, that the parts that help middle- and low-income families should expire, while those that help the rich should live on forever (see figure above)."
Stop Acting Like Trump Supporters Care About Anything Awful He Says or Does — They Don’t
https://forwardprogressives.com/stop-acting-like-trump-supporters-care-about-anything-awful-he-says-or-does-they-dont/
"Can we please stop acting as if the majority of Trump supporters care about anything else but blindly supporting this national embarrassment and probably the worst human being ever elected ‘president’? He’s belittled POWs, mocked a man with disabilities, used rhetoric that’s inspired Nazis, been praised by the KKK, called a Gold Star widow a liar, bragged about sexually assaulting women, and has now endorsed a credibly accused child molester. If they haven’t turned on him now, they’re never going to. Well, at least not until he does something that directly makes an impact on their lives in an extremely negative way that even they can’t ignore — then some of them will care. And even then, if they can’t deny that he did something that had a negative impact on their lives. I’ve seen firsthand that when faced with the reality that something he supports will screw them over, many Trump supporters will do just about everything they can to avoid blaming him for it. See, that’s how the minds of most Republicans work. They don’t care how awful someone is, or how other people’s lives are negatively impacted by the terribleness of that person, just as long as it doesn’t negatively affect them personally."
"Can we please stop acting as if the majority of Trump supporters care about anything else but blindly supporting this national embarrassment and probably the worst human being ever elected ‘president’? He’s belittled POWs, mocked a man with disabilities, used rhetoric that’s inspired Nazis, been praised by the KKK, called a Gold Star widow a liar, bragged about sexually assaulting women, and has now endorsed a credibly accused child molester. If they haven’t turned on him now, they’re never going to. Well, at least not until he does something that directly makes an impact on their lives in an extremely negative way that even they can’t ignore — then some of them will care. And even then, if they can’t deny that he did something that had a negative impact on their lives. I’ve seen firsthand that when faced with the reality that something he supports will screw them over, many Trump supporters will do just about everything they can to avoid blaming him for it. See, that’s how the minds of most Republicans work. They don’t care how awful someone is, or how other people’s lives are negatively impacted by the terribleness of that person, just as long as it doesn’t negatively affect them personally."
Secret Service spent $7,500 on golf carts during Trump's Thanksgiving Mar-a-Lago trip
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/11/29/secret-service-spent-7-500-golf-carts-during-trumps-thanksgiving-mar-a-lago-trip/906074001/
"The Secret Service spent nearly $7,500 on golf cart rentals while President Trump was in at his private golf club Mar-a-Lago for Thanksgiving. According to federal purchase orders flagged by progressive PAC American Bridge and reviewed by USA TODAY, the agency charged with protecting the president spent $7,470 on the rentals for Trump's Florida golf outings. Per pool reports, the president visited the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach four times last week and the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter once. The Secret Service signed a contract with the Florida cart rental company, Golf Cart & Utility Distributors, back in September. However, the latest Thanksgiving golf trips increased the total contract amount to $69,430. That contract, which lasts through May 2018, is the biggest purchase order the agency has made for golf carts since February, shortly after Trump took office. In total, since Trump was inaugurated, the Secret Service has spent at least $144,975 on golf cart rentals alone. Trump frequently travels to golf courses he owns not just in Florida but in Bedminster, N.J., and Sterling, Va."
"The Secret Service spent nearly $7,500 on golf cart rentals while President Trump was in at his private golf club Mar-a-Lago for Thanksgiving. According to federal purchase orders flagged by progressive PAC American Bridge and reviewed by USA TODAY, the agency charged with protecting the president spent $7,470 on the rentals for Trump's Florida golf outings. Per pool reports, the president visited the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach four times last week and the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter once. The Secret Service signed a contract with the Florida cart rental company, Golf Cart & Utility Distributors, back in September. However, the latest Thanksgiving golf trips increased the total contract amount to $69,430. That contract, which lasts through May 2018, is the biggest purchase order the agency has made for golf carts since February, shortly after Trump took office. In total, since Trump was inaugurated, the Secret Service has spent at least $144,975 on golf cart rentals alone. Trump frequently travels to golf courses he owns not just in Florida but in Bedminster, N.J., and Sterling, Va."
Six endangered Republicans could be doomed by the GOP's tax assault on the middle class
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/4/1721081/-Six-endangered-Republicans-could-be-doomed-by-the-GOP-s-tax-assault-on-the-middle-class
"In Comstock's 10th Congressional District, for instance, a solid majority of voters oppose the House GOP tax plan by a 58-40 percent margin. A sense of urgency also heavily favors those in opposition to the bill, with 47 percent of voters saying they "strongly oppose" it while only 21 percent "strongly support" it. That's probably because Comstock's voters have been paying a lot of attention to the bill and the more attention they pay to it, the less they like what they see."
"In Comstock's 10th Congressional District, for instance, a solid majority of voters oppose the House GOP tax plan by a 58-40 percent margin. A sense of urgency also heavily favors those in opposition to the bill, with 47 percent of voters saying they "strongly oppose" it while only 21 percent "strongly support" it. That's probably because Comstock's voters have been paying a lot of attention to the bill and the more attention they pay to it, the less they like what they see."
Grassley blasts working class for spending on booze, women, and movies
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/grassley-blasts-working-class-spending-booze-women-and-movies
"When Republicans talk up their tax plans, they usually make an effort to mention the middle class. The evidence shows that the current GOP proposals, when fully implemented, would actually raise taxes on millions of middle-class households, but at least in their public talking points, Republican officials try to avoid sounding plutocratic."
"When Republicans talk up their tax plans, they usually make an effort to mention the middle class. The evidence shows that the current GOP proposals, when fully implemented, would actually raise taxes on millions of middle-class households, but at least in their public talking points, Republican officials try to avoid sounding plutocratic."
McConnell: It was 'impossible' to make sure the middle class didn't get a tax increase in bill
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/4/1720985/-McConnell-It-was-impossible-to-make-sure-the-middle-class-didn-t-get-a-tax-increase-in-bill
"A little less than a month ago, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell insisted that "nobody in the middle class is going to get a tax increase." Within days, he had to walk that back a bit, to "You can’t guarantee that absolutely no one sees a tax increase." After passage of his tax bill, his singular legislative achievement as leader, he's now explaining away the fact that it doesn't do much for the middle class because it's "impossible" to write a bill that helps everyone, and that won't hurt someone."
"A little less than a month ago, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell insisted that "nobody in the middle class is going to get a tax increase." Within days, he had to walk that back a bit, to "You can’t guarantee that absolutely no one sees a tax increase." After passage of his tax bill, his singular legislative achievement as leader, he's now explaining away the fact that it doesn't do much for the middle class because it's "impossible" to write a bill that helps everyone, and that won't hurt someone."
Iowa senator defends tax plan by implying non-wealthy spend their money on “booze and women”
https://www.salon.com/2017/12/04/chuck-grassleys-declaration-of-class-warfare/
"Over the weekend, Republicans passed their $1.5 trillion tax cut, which primarily benefited wealthy Americans and slashed deductions for low- and middle-income citizens. As soon as it was passed, the GOP had to find a way to sell the bill to a public that has overwhelmingly rejected it. The answer has been class warfare."
"Over the weekend, Republicans passed their $1.5 trillion tax cut, which primarily benefited wealthy Americans and slashed deductions for low- and middle-income citizens. As soon as it was passed, the GOP had to find a way to sell the bill to a public that has overwhelmingly rejected it. The answer has been class warfare."
Paul Manafort Just Tried to Secretly Collaborate With a Colleague Linked to Russian Intelligence, Feds Say
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/12/paul-manafort-just-tried-to-secretly-collaborate-with-a-colleague-linked-to-russian-intelligence-feds-say/
"Following his October 30 indictment on federal charges, Paul Manafort worsened his legal woes by secretly drafting an editorial defending his work on behalf of a former Ukrainian president—cowriting the piece with a “long-time Russian colleague” who is “assessed to have ties to a Russian intelligence service”— according to a motion filed Monday by federal prosecutors. The alleged stunning move by Manafort has torpedoed the $11-million bail package that special counsel Robert Mueller’s team tentatively agreed upon with Manafort’s lawyers last week."
"Following his October 30 indictment on federal charges, Paul Manafort worsened his legal woes by secretly drafting an editorial defending his work on behalf of a former Ukrainian president—cowriting the piece with a “long-time Russian colleague” who is “assessed to have ties to a Russian intelligence service”— according to a motion filed Monday by federal prosecutors. The alleged stunning move by Manafort has torpedoed the $11-million bail package that special counsel Robert Mueller’s team tentatively agreed upon with Manafort’s lawyers last week."
December 14, 2017
Robert Reich: We Can't Let Trump End Net Neutrality @alternet
Robert Reich: We Can't Let Trump End Net Neutrality @alternet:
"Donald Trump’s handpicked chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, wants to abolish “Net Neutrality.” He wants to give telecommunications giants like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T the upper hand. Pai – himself a former Verizon executive – defends the rollback by “Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the internet.” Baloney. His plan would be a huge gift to cable companies."
"Donald Trump’s handpicked chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, wants to abolish “Net Neutrality.” He wants to give telecommunications giants like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T the upper hand. Pai – himself a former Verizon executive – defends the rollback by “Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the internet.” Baloney. His plan would be a huge gift to cable companies."
To Save Internet They Helped Create, Web Pioneers Demand FCC Cancel Net Neutrality Vote
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/12/11/save-internet-they-helped-create-web-pioneers-demand-fcc-cancel-net-neutrality-vote
"Joining the revolt taking place in the streets and online against FCC chair Ajit Pai's plan to kill net neutrality, more than 20 pioneers of the internet—including world wide web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and Vint Cert, one of the "fathers of the internet"—published an open letter on Monday slamming Pai's proposals as "flawed and factually inaccurate" and demanding that his agency cancel its planned Thursday vote. "The FCC's rushed and technically incorrect proposed order to abolish net neutrality protections without any replacement is an imminent threat to the internet we worked so hard to create," the letter reads. "It should be stopped." The letter went on to lambast the FCC for ignoring both expert analyses (pdf) calling attention to the GOP-controlled agency's "misunderstandings" of the web and the millions of public comments demonstrating that the American people are "clearly passionate about protecting the internet." Given the speed with which Pai is bringing his plan to a vote, the "FCC could not possibly have considered these [comments] adequately," the internet pioneers argue. "Indeed, breaking with established practice, the FCC has not held a single open public meeting to hear from citizens and experts about the proposed order." With their scathing open letter, internet founders and industry experts added to the massive flood of outrage sparked by Pai's plan to gut net neutrality protections, which was released last month."
"Joining the revolt taking place in the streets and online against FCC chair Ajit Pai's plan to kill net neutrality, more than 20 pioneers of the internet—including world wide web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and Vint Cert, one of the "fathers of the internet"—published an open letter on Monday slamming Pai's proposals as "flawed and factually inaccurate" and demanding that his agency cancel its planned Thursday vote. "The FCC's rushed and technically incorrect proposed order to abolish net neutrality protections without any replacement is an imminent threat to the internet we worked so hard to create," the letter reads. "It should be stopped." The letter went on to lambast the FCC for ignoring both expert analyses (pdf) calling attention to the GOP-controlled agency's "misunderstandings" of the web and the millions of public comments demonstrating that the American people are "clearly passionate about protecting the internet." Given the speed with which Pai is bringing his plan to a vote, the "FCC could not possibly have considered these [comments] adequately," the internet pioneers argue. "Indeed, breaking with established practice, the FCC has not held a single open public meeting to hear from citizens and experts about the proposed order." With their scathing open letter, internet founders and industry experts added to the massive flood of outrage sparked by Pai's plan to gut net neutrality protections, which was released last month."
Get set: Your internet bill is about to soar, thanks to Trump’s FCC
Get set: Your internet bill is about to soar, thanks to Trump’s FCC
"Thursday's the day that the Trump administration will overturn former President Obama's rules protecting consumers from greedy telecom companies manipulating internet access and pricing."
"Thursday's the day that the Trump administration will overturn former President Obama's rules protecting consumers from greedy telecom companies manipulating internet access and pricing."
Poll: Almost Nobody Likes Plan To Kill Net Neutrality. GOP FCC Chair Ajit Pai: We're Doing It Anyway
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/12/13/poll-almost-nobody-likes-plan-kill-net-neutrality-gop-fcc-chair-ajit-pai-were-doing
"Pointing to months of national protests, critics of Pai's plan charge that Americans "are sick and tired of the naked pay-to-play corporatism on display in tomorrow's vote"."
"Pointing to months of national protests, critics of Pai's plan charge that Americans "are sick and tired of the naked pay-to-play corporatism on display in tomorrow's vote"."
Trump's FCC Has Spent the Year Waging War on Democracy and the Press
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/42893-trump-s-fcc-has-spent-the-year-waging-war-on-democracy-and-the-press
"since his assault on net neutrality protections became of immediate concern, as Mike Ludwig reported last month, the mask is coming off: Pai is viewed by media advocates as one of the most dangerous figures in a Trump White House -- a telling statement, given how many of Trump's people are hiding deep in the shadows of scandal. "Pai's FCC is a farce and a tragedy and it is going on at one of the most powerful, most destructive and most inadequately covered government agencies," Copps said. Pai heads arguably the most aggressive wing of the administration, and inarguably the most politicized FCC in the commission's 80-year existence. Moreover, he does so at a time with immensely high stakes: The future of the internet is being shaped, increasingly large "mega mergers" are on the docket, and as noted above, all of this is happening in service to a president with nothing but derision for the press. "They are getting along famously," Feld said of Pai and Trump, noting their common usage of social media to sell policy proposals. Pai's attempt to destroy internet freedom, however, does have one silver lining: It has woken people up to the danger of his agenda, as well as the importance of media policy and of monitoring the FCC closely. The support for net neutrality in public comments in recent months has been overwhelming, and while Pai seems poised to ignore them, they do not go to waste."
The GOP's Tax Breaks for the Private Jet Set
The GOP's Tax Breaks for the Private Jet Set:
"When you think about who benefits from the Republican tax bill the Senate just passed, think of the people who own and ride in private luxury jets. We know that the benefits of tax bill are skewed to the very wealthy and a handful of global corporations. Republicans have been rushing this bill fully aware that the more people learn, the less they will like it."
"When you think about who benefits from the Republican tax bill the Senate just passed, think of the people who own and ride in private luxury jets. We know that the benefits of tax bill are skewed to the very wealthy and a handful of global corporations. Republicans have been rushing this bill fully aware that the more people learn, the less they will like it."
'Last Gasp of the Open Internet' as Web Defenders Mobilize Against FCC's Final Move to Kill Net Neutrality
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/12/14/last-gasp-open-internet-web-defenders-mobilize-against-fccs-final-move-kill-net
"In the period between his plan's release and Thursday's vote, Pai's proposals have been pilloried by a wide range of critics, including some of the web's pioneers and major websites. Hundreds of demonstrations have also taken place nationwide."
"In the period between his plan's release and Thursday's vote, Pai's proposals have been pilloried by a wide range of critics, including some of the web's pioneers and major websites. Hundreds of demonstrations have also taken place nationwide."
Trump’s FCC Wants to Kill a Free and Open Internet
http://billmoyers.com/story/net-neutrality-vote-kill-open-internet/
"Pai has reshaped the commission as a pass-through for the telecommunications giants, giving them virtually everything they want. Acting more like the associate general counsel of Verizon that he once was and less like the government regulator he’s supposed to be, Pai quickly began doing his utmost to wipe out whatever rules remain that keep open to citizens the lines of communication essential to a democracy. Right now, his sights are aimed at net neutrality, the set of protections approved by the FCC in 2015 that keep the big internet service providers (ISPs) like Verizon, Comcast, AT&T and Charter from completely taking over and deciding who can see what on the web, how fast and for how much. Why is this important? In a recent interview, Annenberg School Professor Victor Pickard says that net neutrality “speaks to a core social contract between government, corporations and the public… how can members of the public obtain information and services, and express ourselves creatively and politically, without interference from massive corporations?” That’s the nub of it. Ending net neutrality will squelch competition, innovation and small internet startups, and limit freedom of expression, independent voices and diverse viewpoints. More than ever, Big Business, like Big Brother, will control what you read, see and hear and limit your own ability to speak up and share your opinions, your creativity, your life."
"Pai has reshaped the commission as a pass-through for the telecommunications giants, giving them virtually everything they want. Acting more like the associate general counsel of Verizon that he once was and less like the government regulator he’s supposed to be, Pai quickly began doing his utmost to wipe out whatever rules remain that keep open to citizens the lines of communication essential to a democracy. Right now, his sights are aimed at net neutrality, the set of protections approved by the FCC in 2015 that keep the big internet service providers (ISPs) like Verizon, Comcast, AT&T and Charter from completely taking over and deciding who can see what on the web, how fast and for how much. Why is this important? In a recent interview, Annenberg School Professor Victor Pickard says that net neutrality “speaks to a core social contract between government, corporations and the public… how can members of the public obtain information and services, and express ourselves creatively and politically, without interference from massive corporations?” That’s the nub of it. Ending net neutrality will squelch competition, innovation and small internet startups, and limit freedom of expression, independent voices and diverse viewpoints. More than ever, Big Business, like Big Brother, will control what you read, see and hear and limit your own ability to speak up and share your opinions, your creativity, your life."
The Right Is Attempting to Roll Back the 20th Century @alternet
The Right Is Attempting to Roll Back the 20th Century @alternet:
"This legislation is more than a grotesque effort to take money from the poor and working class and give it to the very richest Americans and corporations. In reality, it is an effort to wholly remake American society by undoing the social progress of the New Deal, the Great Society and the civil rights movement."
"This legislation is more than a grotesque effort to take money from the poor and working class and give it to the very richest Americans and corporations. In reality, it is an effort to wholly remake American society by undoing the social progress of the New Deal, the Great Society and the civil rights movement."
'Property of Verizon' Projected on FCC Headquarters Ahead of Vote to Destroy Net Neutrality
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/12/13/property-verizon-projected-fcc-headquarters-ahead-vote-destroy-net-neutrality
"Ahead of a crucial vote that threatens the future of the Internet "as we know it" at the Federal Communications Commission scheduled for Thursday, defenders of net neutrality overnight went to the commission's headquarters in Washington, DC where they projected various messages—including "Property of Verizon"—on the building to draw attention to the corporate interests at play behind the proposal by FCC chairman Aijit Pai, a former lobbyist who worked for the telecom giant. Just last week, Pai was the keynote speaker at a corporate forum held at Verizon headquarters and earlier this week he reportedly joked at a dinner event about "being a puppet" for his former employer."
"Ahead of a crucial vote that threatens the future of the Internet "as we know it" at the Federal Communications Commission scheduled for Thursday, defenders of net neutrality overnight went to the commission's headquarters in Washington, DC where they projected various messages—including "Property of Verizon"—on the building to draw attention to the corporate interests at play behind the proposal by FCC chairman Aijit Pai, a former lobbyist who worked for the telecom giant. Just last week, Pai was the keynote speaker at a corporate forum held at Verizon headquarters and earlier this week he reportedly joked at a dinner event about "being a puppet" for his former employer."
December 6, 2017
The GOP Tax Scam: Naming the Culprits
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/12/04/gop-tax-scam-naming-culprits
"It took quite a conspiracy of lies and mendacity to drive tax cuts for the superrich and giant corporations through both houses of Congress. The tax scam is no done deal – House and Senate negotiators must still agree on a single package, and that package must win approval in both houses. Given the narrowness of the margins for approval in both the Senate and House, and the significant differences between the bills each passed, the entire effort may still collapse – especially if the public grasps what’s at stake and mobilizes. But the uncertainty over the ultimate fate of the tax cut is no reason to delay identifying the culprits. Each and every person who had a hand in crafting and passing these proposals for monstrous transfers of wealth to the superrich must be held accountable. Some of the conspirators merit special attention"
"It took quite a conspiracy of lies and mendacity to drive tax cuts for the superrich and giant corporations through both houses of Congress. The tax scam is no done deal – House and Senate negotiators must still agree on a single package, and that package must win approval in both houses. Given the narrowness of the margins for approval in both the Senate and House, and the significant differences between the bills each passed, the entire effort may still collapse – especially if the public grasps what’s at stake and mobilizes. But the uncertainty over the ultimate fate of the tax cut is no reason to delay identifying the culprits. Each and every person who had a hand in crafting and passing these proposals for monstrous transfers of wealth to the superrich must be held accountable. Some of the conspirators merit special attention"
Republicans Are Looting the Treasury While They Still Can
https://www.thenation.com/article/republicans-are-looting-the-treasury-while-they-still-can/
"They know a backlash is coming, and they’re making the most of their power while they have it."
"They know a backlash is coming, and they’re making the most of their power while they have it."
Two Top Republican Tax Writers Reveal Their Prejudice and Their Strategy
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/12/04/two-top-republican-tax-writers-reveal-their-prejudice-and-their-strategy
"It’s awful enough for Grassley to spout such ignorance. But the worse crime was to embed it in tax policy. Turning to Hatch’s statement, I cannot state the following adamantly enough: Because they have used the deficit to pay for a tax cut that blatantly favors the rich over the rest, Republicans have forfeited their ability to tell us what we can and can’t afford. Of course, they will continue to make that argument, as Hatch himself has, along with many of his colleagues. But do not forget this: They could have made their tax plan revenue-neutral. They decided not to, and they further decided, based on their revealed preferences, that the parts that help middle- and low-income families should expire, while those that help the rich should live on forever (see figure above)."
"It’s awful enough for Grassley to spout such ignorance. But the worse crime was to embed it in tax policy. Turning to Hatch’s statement, I cannot state the following adamantly enough: Because they have used the deficit to pay for a tax cut that blatantly favors the rich over the rest, Republicans have forfeited their ability to tell us what we can and can’t afford. Of course, they will continue to make that argument, as Hatch himself has, along with many of his colleagues. But do not forget this: They could have made their tax plan revenue-neutral. They decided not to, and they further decided, based on their revealed preferences, that the parts that help middle- and low-income families should expire, while those that help the rich should live on forever (see figure above)."
Donald Trump Is Waging War on Reality, and Reality Is Losing @alternet
Donald Trump Is Waging War on Reality, and Reality Is Losing @alternet:
"His relentless lying isn't a distraction or a sign of mental illness—it's his historical mission."
"His relentless lying isn't a distraction or a sign of mental illness—it's his historical mission."
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