December 13-16, 2017
Dec 13 00:54 Trump's, McConnell's, silver lining, Bannon's defeat Dec 13 21:19 GOP grass roots to Dems: drop dead Dec 14 03:34 The DFL's' Fischbach problem Dec 14 04:17 Obamanomics vs. the Trump Recovery Dec 14 06:47 Smith's socialist tendencies Dec 14 07:48 Tax bill's hidden improvement Dec 15 23:19 Individual choice haters hate smoking Dec 16 04:37 Schumer will rue this Tuesday Dec 16 10:10 Obama's bragging vs. reality
Prior Months: Jan Feb ~ May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Trump's, McConnell's, silver lining, Bannon's defeat
Let's be clear about something. When Doug Jones won the Alabama special election Tuesday night, he won because Steve Bannon's candidate did what Bannon's candidates always do. Bannon's candidate lost a race that mainstream Republicans couldn't lose in a million lifetimes. Predictably, Democrats are misreading what tonight's results mean.
Tuesday night's victory is the result of a terrible, far-outside-the-mainstream, candidate who thought he had a mandate from God misunderstanding how toxic he'd become. If Democrats think they'll get to run against a lengthy list of candidates that share the same qualities as tonight's loser has, they'll quickly be disabused of that foolish notion.
Martha McSally isn't a clone of tonight's loser. Republicans have already recruited top-tier candidates to run against vulnerable incumbents in Missouri, Florida, Indiana, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Montana and West Virginia. Any thought that this will turn out well for Democrats in 2018 will quickly be dispatched.
The Democrats' seismic victory Tuesday in the unlikely political battleground of Alabama brought jubilation, and a sudden a rush of confidence, to a party that has been struggling to gain its footing since Donald Trump won the presidency 13 months ago. Democrat Doug Jones's triumph, the result of a vigorous turnout of the party's traditional voters and of Republican splintering in a deeply conservative state, sent a thunder clap across the national political landscape that Democrats hope will signify an emerging comeback at the start of the 2018 midterm election campaign.
There's no disputing that Democrats are feeling exhilarated after tonight's victory. That thrill of victory won't last long, though. Republicans will pass the tax reform bill before Jones is seated as Alabama's junior senator for the next 3 years.
Tonight's loser refused to admit that he'd lost:
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Most likely, tonight's winner is thrilled. MSNBC certainly is:
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The best news of the night for Republicans is up for debate. Arguments could be made that the best thing is that Republicans don't have to run with Bannon's loser strapped to their neck. That's certainly a positive. Another argument that could be made is that mainstream Republicans can now emphasize tonight's defeat as proof that Bannon's candidates are losers in primaries, thereby giving top-tier candidates a better shot at winning primaries. Still another argument could be made that the best news is that Republicans rejected sexist pigs even though it hurt their party.
Democrats tried claiming the moral high ground when Al Franken and John Conyers resigned amidst allegations of sexual harassment. It didn't take long for Republicans, President Trump especially, to highlight that a special election in Michigan would replace Conyers with either his son or his nephew and that Minnesota's DFL governor would pick a DFL legislator to replace a DFL senator. In other words, Democrats didn't stand to lose a thing.
Republicans voted their values despite the fact that they lost an important Senate seat. Finally, it's worth noting that 'moderate' Democrats will have to defend their voting in lockstep with Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren on judges and on cutting taxes. They also have to explain why they threatened to shut down the government.
Posted Wednesday, December 13, 2017 12:54 AM
Comment 1 by JerryE9 at 13-Dec-17 09:52 AM
I still read it differently. I think us stupid Republicans let the Democrats do it to us AGAIN-- to take down our candidate with political dirty tricks released just before the election. True or not, it stinks to high heaven when something 40 years old just /suddenly/ pops up so conveniently timed. And then us Republicans throw our OWN under the bus. Time after time they pull these stunts, like Lucy pulling away the football, and we fall for it.
We ought to learn to recognize the tactic, first of all, and second, we ought to recognize that we can keep our personal integrity intact while still making a politically expedient vote for someone who MIGHT have less. We aren't electing role models or paragons of virtue. If we did that, the Senate would be empty.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 13-Dec-17 01:23 PM
Moore's defeat didn't have a thing to do with the Democrats' dirty tricks. Moore's defeat had everything to do with his being a repulsive candidate & a pervert. The women that came forward were, for the most part, credible. Moore's disastrous interview with Sean Hannity essentially sealed his fate.
If you want to not believe these victims, that's your right. It's also exceptionally foolish. If we want to win elections, we need to run the Steve Bannon-type troglodytes out of the party. Bannon is a loser & always has been.
GOP grass roots to Dems: drop dead
According to this article , Democrats are telling Republicans to not vote on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act until Doug Jones is seated. As part of the Republican grass roots, I have something to say to Sen. Schumer: drop dead. Your display of hyper-partisanship hasn't earned you a say in the matter. Further, why shouldn't we vote on something that will strengthen the US economy?
That's proof of the Democrats' willingness to put a higher priority on checking items off their ideological checklist than on doing the right thing for the people. In terms of morality, the Democrats don't have much of it. They're a depraved political party.
According to the article, "Jubilant after their surprise victory in the Alabama Senate election Tuesday night, Democrats called on Republicans to delay any further action on their tax overhaul until Doug Jones is seated in the upper chamber. Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, said at a press conference that Jones deserves to cast a vote on the legislation. 'Doug Jones will be the duly elected senator from the state of Alabama,' Schumer said. 'The governor didn't appoint him. He won an election. It would be wrong for Republicans to jam through the tax bill without giving the newly elected senator from Alabama the opportunity to cast his vote.'"
I didn't hear Sen. Schumer insist that Democrats let Scott Brown vote on the ACA. That's because Sen. Schumer put a higher priority on checking another item off the Democrats' ideological checklist than on doing the right thing for the people.
The good news is that Republicans are getting close to passing the bill and getting President Trump's signature:
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I'm betting it'll be signed before Christmas.
Posted Wednesday, December 13, 2017 9:19 PM
No comments.
The DFL's' Fischbach problem
According to this article , Sen. Michelle Fischbach, (R-Paynesville), "has been told by Senate Counsel that the state Constitution allows the Senate president to hold both jobs." That's her plan. The article then states "That plan would likely be challenged by Minnesota Democrats, since it puts a Republican a heartbeat away from the governorship and also allows the GOP to retain a Senate seat."
The DFL might want to cool their jets before filing that lawsuit. There's actually case law on this situation, which Scott Johnson wrote about in this post . Included in Johnson's post is a link to this tweet . According to the tweet, "There is no language in the Constitution requiring or justifying the conclusion that the Senate office of the president pro tempore becomes vacant when he becomes Lieutenant Governor, by reason of, and during, a vacancy in the office of the Governor" and that "there is no escape from the conclusion that the president pro tempore does not cease to be a senator when he becomes Lieutenant Governor by reason of a vacancy in the Governor's office."
This article, however, reaches a different conclusion:
A memo from the Senate's top lawyer backing up her position cites an 1898 Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that decided the same question. In 1898, the lieutenant governor presided over the Senate. A 1971 constitutional amendment separated the two jobs.
A 1968 amendment prohibited senators or representatives from holding "any other office" but the Senate lawyer contends the "core reasoning" of the earlier court decision still applies. He did, however, warn Fischbach that her plan to hold two offices at once could be challenged in court.
With Minnesota's Supreme Court stacked with DFL operatives, I'd expect the Court to rule in the DFL's favor.
Posted Thursday, December 14, 2017 3:34 AM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 14-Dec-17 04:46 PM
When this goes to the Supreme Court, I guarantee they will side with the DFL and only allow her to hold one office position. The court is packed with DFL/Dayton appointees and they refused to do the right thing in the line item veto case so it makes sense that they would stomp all over Michelle's quest to hold both positions.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 14-Dec-17 11:55 PM
Because she'll be part of the administration, she'll have access to their strategy meetings. That's the DFL's dilemma. I said in the post that the DFL operatives on the Supreme Court will side with Gov. Dayton. The good news is that we'll get rid of a GOP squish when they rule on it. A special election will be called, which the Republican will win handily.
Obamanomics vs. the Trump Recovery
Katie Pavlich's fact-filled article proves that the 'Trump Recovery' is beating the daylights out of Obamanomics. It isn't even close.
Ms. Pavlich states her case by quoting people and statistics, starting with "Vice President Joe Biden today will kick off the Obama administration's 'Recovery Summer,' a six-week-long push designed to highlight the jobs accompanying a surge in stimulus-funded projects to improve highways, parks, drinking water and other public works", which Pavlich quoted from a Politico article. After that, she quoted former Obama advisor David Axelrod as saying "This summer will be the most active Recovery Act season yet, with thousands of highly-visible road, bridge, water and other infrastructure projects breaking ground across the country, giving the American people a first-hand look at the Recovery Act in their own backyards and making it crystal clear what the cost would have been of doing nothing."
Then Pavlich brought out the heavy artillery:
But when summer 2017 rolled around with a new president in the Oval Office, Donald Trump, things actually started to change and the recovery summer Americans were promised finally showed up. This year, 138,000 manufacturing jobs have come roaring back after a loss of 34,000 in 2016. In November alone, 228,000 new jobs were created and unemployment is at a 17-year low. The GPD since Trump took office has gone from 1.2 percent in the first quarter to 3.3 percent in the third.
This video tells the truth:
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"Small business owners are exuberant about the economy, and they are ready to lead the U.S. economy in a period of robust growth," National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)President and CEO Juanita Duggan says. "We haven't seen this kind of optimism in 34 years, and we've seen it only once in the 44 years that NFIB has been conducting this research."
"The NFIB indicators clearly anticipate further upticks in economic growth, perhaps pushing up toward four percent GDP growth for the fourth quarter. This is a dramatically different picture than owners presented during the weak 2009-16 recovery," NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg adds.
Finally, there's this:
Many argue increases in stock market gains shouldn't be used to gauge economic health on grounds they don't help the middle class. This is a false claim. The stock market is more accessible than ever to everyday, middle-class Americans who are taking advantage of investment opportunities. Given the probability Social Security will be an empty wasteland upon retirement, despite paying into the program for decades, many Americans have made retirement savings a priority. Workers inside small and large businesses alike invest in 401k plans and individual retirement accounts. The sharp rise in the stock market has greatly benefited those with retirement accounts, where growth is dependent on the health of Wall Street. Many people currently retired rely completely on high investment returns as income. The stock market factor should not be discounted for political gain, but instead acknowledged as another beneficial factor for the middle class.
The history is clear. Obamanomics sucked. The Trump Recovery continues.
Posted Thursday, December 14, 2017 4:17 AM
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Smith's socialist tendencies
Now that Gov. Dayton has officially picked Lt. Gov. Tina Flint-Smith to replace Sen. Franken in the U.S. Senate, it's time to introduce Ms. Flint-Smith to Minnesotans. That's the purpose behind Briana Bierschbach's article attempts to do. Ms. Bierschbach's article describes Ms. Flint-Smith as "a behind-the-scenes operator in DFL political circles who rose to the lieutenant governor job", adding that "Smith said she'd decided against running for governor. But now, she plans to serve out Franken's abbreviated term and run next fall to take his place in the United State's Senate."
TRANSLATION: Sen. Schumer essentially ordered Gov. Dayton to pick someone who was willing to do more than serve as a placeholder until this November's special election. Simply put, Sen. Schumer gave Lt. Gov. Smith a set of marching orders and she complied.
The article continues, saying she "quickly rose within DFL circles and moved on to work on several statewide races, including Walter Mondale's last-minute bid for the U.S. Senate in 2002 after the death of Paul Wellstone. Shortly after that race, she was recruited to be the vice president of external affairs at Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, leaving that job in 2006 to serve as Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak's chief of staff and eventually run his campaign for governor in 2010."
The truth is that she's just as hard left as Al Franken. She's anti-mining and anti-blue collar worker. She hasn't shown any interest in completing the Enbridge Pipeline. Smith hasn't lifted a finger to get PolyMet operational. Further, she's done pretty much what Alida Messenger has told the Dayton administration to do. This video essentially tells Minnesotans that DFL policies have failed Minnesotans:
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Listen to this litany of paradoxes:
"I've heard stories from families who are working 2 full-time jobs and are still struggling to find a good place to live. Minnesota has some of the best schools but I have talked to moms who are faced with driving 60 miles every day to get their children to a good pre-school. Minnesota has more people with health insurance than almost any other state, yet I have talked with farmers who have lost access to their long-time doctors and can't afford the health insurance premiums. Minnesota iron ore built this country yet I have talked with Rangers who are worried about the future of their small towns. Minnesota is often named as one of the best states for women yet even here, women still earn less than men and women of color and Native American women have even fewer opportunities. (sigh) We have so much opportunity in this state and in this country but we have so much work to do to make sure that that opportunity is broadly shared.
Let's go through that list. First, DFL taxes and regulations have killed capital investments, thereby killing jobs. The DFL doesn't trust in capitalism, which is why there's an outmigration of people from Minnesota to Iowa, North Dakota, Texas, Utah and Georgia. According to the state demographer, this trend isn't all retirees. It's prevalent through all age groups.
Next, the DFL's metro-centric policies have hurt people living in rural Minnesota. Don't blame this on Republicans. Republicans have fought with Gov. Dayton and Lt. Gov. Smith for rural Minnesota's priorities. Next, Lt. Gov. Smith hasn't lifted a finger to make PolyMet operational. If she gave a damn about the Iron Range, she would've fought for the Iron Range. Smith hasn't fought for the Range because she's a close friend of Alida Messenger, the most anti-mining DFL activist imaginable. I hope Rangers aren't fooled by Smith's faux empathy. Smith doesn't empathize with Rangers. She's visited the Range but that was a strictly a photo-op.
Another thing that Smith shouldn't get away with is her criticism of the ACA/MNsure. She was an integral part of getting that enacted into law as Gov. Dayton's Chief-of-Staff. It's indisputable that Smith's policies have hurt Minnesotans. Finally, Smith was Gov. Dayton's trusted ally long before he was elected. She isn't just a trusted ally. She's the architect of Gov. Dayton's campaign.
I don't doubt that Lt. Gov. Smith will try to project an image similar to Sen. Klobuchar's. That's smart politics. It's also exceptionally dishonest. Smith is more of a centrist than them pervert she's replacing.
Posted Thursday, December 14, 2017 6:47 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 14-Dec-17 10:03 AM
Schumer and the Smiths being socialists?
Come on, Gary. Get real.
It's looking like GOP-lite to me, and I had hoped for either a caretaker, or Keith Ellison, who admittedly does have democratic-socialist tendencies as evidenced by his early and loyal endorsement and support of Bernie.
Tina Smith seems to have not been a Bernie backer, in 2016.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 14-Dec-17 11:50 PM
The reason why Democrats have lost over 1,000 seats in the US House & Senate & state legislatures is because their agenda was rejected by the average citizen. If you want to call it GOP-Lite or whether it's called common sense or something entirely different is up to you. Personally, I call it human nature.
Assuming that people will do something because it's for 'the greater good' is collectivist fantasy. It's like the 'community of nations' in that it doesn't exist & never has.
In the 1980s & 1990s, the Democratic Party believed in capitalism. Since then, it stopped believing in capitalism & starting implementing collectivist policies. Further, they stopped enforcing laws, instead preferring special carve-outs for special interest organizations.
Comment 2 by Chad Q at 14-Dec-17 04:39 PM
Eric is right, neither one is a socialist. It's their policies and politics that are socialist but they would never allow themselves to become socialists because they want to rule over the peasants. They're capitalists through and through when it comes to their personal lives.
Response 2.1 by Gary Gross at 14-Dec-17 11:51 PM
They're both socialists because their policies are socialists. By their fruits, they shall be known.
Tax bill's hidden improvement
Tucked inside the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is a provision opening up oil and gas exploration in ANWR . Rob Bishop, (R-UT), one of the House's conferees, said "They realize, as we all do, that this area [oil exploration] : will provide well-paying jobs for the middle-class families as well as producing a source of energy for the rest of us."
Predictably, environmental activists disagreed, calling it "a poison pill." Lydia Weiss, government relations director for lands for The Wilderness Society, said "the majority of Americans oppose drilling in the Arctic refuge, and the numbers don't add up. This provision has no place in the budget, and drilling would not offset proposed tax cuts for the rich." Let that soak in, friends. That's what a whiny environmentalist sounds like when they lose. It's a sound we don't hear often enough.
Here's another beautiful sound:
Senate Democrats called on the Republican majority to hold off on a vote on tax reform until Alabama's Doug Jones, who won a special election Tuesday, could be sworn in. With Jones' election, Republicans would hold a slim majority of 51 seats.
I have a compact reply for Sen. Schumer: get lost. I don't agree with Karl Rove that often but his response to the opening question of this interview is perfect:
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Sen. Schumer can take a hike. Republicans will vote on the bill next week. Thus far, no Democrats have voted for these tax cuts. If the so-called moderate Democrats refuse to vote for these tax cuts, then there's no reason to wait on voting on this tax reform bill. Had Sen. Schumer negotiated in good faith, Republicans might've been responsive. Democrats didn't contribute anything except ad hominem attacks. Now, they're harvesting what they've planted. Republicans should clobber this punk for saying this:
"The American people are witnessing a master class in how one political party, relying on secrecy, distortion and brute force, can muscle an unpopular, deficit-exploding corporate giveaway to passage," Wyden said. "This is the ultimate betrayal of the middle class. It does not give middle-class Americans the tax cuts they deserve now, and it takes away Medicare and Social Security later."
People, that's the textbook definition of projection. Sen. Wyden knows what he's talking about. That's because he helped shove the ACA down our throats by participating in secretive closed-door negotiations involving only Democrats. The ACA certainly has hurt the middle class with high out-of-pocket expenses, limited choices and tiny networks.
Posted Thursday, December 14, 2017 7:48 AM
Comment 1 by JerryE9 at 15-Dec-17 09:12 AM
I've been to ANWR. Drill away! There is nothing to be hurt there and it is HUGE. We've seen how they can drill almost without damaging the terrain, where a city-lot-sized pad can be built and pump out an area of many square miles around it, and how those few pads are great resting places for the caribou herds, now over twice the size they were before Prudhoe Bay was built.
As for the Democrats, if we prohibit lying they would have nothing to say.
The "recent comments" sidebar would be really nice to have back.
Individual choice haters hate smoking
If there's a bunch of people who hate individual choice more than anti-smoking activists, I don't know who it'd be. The people who hate letting people choose their actions have recently gotten their way in Plymouth, St. Louis Park, Bloomington and Edina.
They're waging a coordinated campaign happening to raise the age that people can purchase cigarettes. Joel Spoonheim, director of health promotion at Health Partners, spilled the beans when he said "The most powerful tool that we have to prevent this very difficult, expensive, life-threatening addiction is to raise the age to 21." Later in the article, he said "Almost 95 percent of addicted smokers begin lighting up before their 21st birthday, citing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services."
What Mr. Spoonheim likely won't say is what percentage of those addicted smokers started before they're 18. I don't have anything except anecdotal information but I'm betting the percentage of addicted smokers among 15-17 year-olds makes up a significant percentage of those who are addicted by age 21. The reason that's important is because smoking under the age of 18 is already prohibited.
The thing these idiots aren't focused on is the real driver of this non-problem, namely demand. It's impossible to stop supply. Outlawing an activity didn't work with marijuana. Prohibition of alcohol didn't stop drinking. It just forced people to find different suppliers.
According to the CDC's statistics , the percentage of adults addicted to smoking in 1965 was 42.4%. By 1990, that percentage dropped to 25.5%. The next year, the CDC started publishing statistics on "students". In 1991, the percentage of students smoking was 27.5%. In 2013, that percentage had dropped to 15.7%. This chart is worth 1,000 words:
According to the CDC's chart, we've already achieved our goals for 2020 . This is interesting, too:
As of Plymouth's November decision, the country has nearly 275 towns in 18 different states with a tobacco sale age of 21, according to advocacy group ClearWay Minnesota. Edina voted to raise its minimum age in May, St. Louis Park voted in July, and Bloomington in early November. Detroit Lakes, in northwest Minnesota, was in the news in September when a proposed ordinance to raise the age to 21 was shot down, with members of the public voicing concerns that vapor-inhaling products were included in the ban. In November, St. Cloud approved raising the age to buy tobacco, but the mayor vetoed it. Mankato and North Mankato talked about an ordinance last summer and plan to take up the issue next year.
Other communities have expressed interest in pursuing ordinances. They range from metro-area communities to places in Greater Minnesota, Moilanen said. She declined to list specific cities, saying that she doesn't want opposition to launch counter-campaigns before those considerations become public .
In other words, Ms. Moilanen doesn't want a fair fight, most likely because she thinks it's a fight she can't win. Notice, too, that none of these ordinances prohibit smoking under the age of 21. They just raise the age when stores can sell to young people.
Let's be clear about this. It isn't provable that raising the age to 21 will have a positive effect on stopping smoking addiction, though that's certainly what ClearWay will insist happen. The percentage of young people who smoke is already dropping. What verifiable information will ClearWay be able to provide that shows raising the age mattered one iota?
Posted Friday, December 15, 2017 11:19 PM
Comment 1 by Lady Logician at 16-Dec-17 07:45 AM
It has been my experience that the "my body, my choice" people often feel that way about killing babies. When it comes to "my body, my choice" in cigarettes, sodas and fast food, they are worse than the Puritans....
LL
Comment 2 by Chad Q at 16-Dec-17 10:39 AM
Changing the age to buy from 18 to 21 will do absolutely nothing to stop under age smoking. If raising the age had any benefits, there wouldn't be under age drinking. This will just create an under age black market for tobacco products where the government will be left out of the loop.
Response 2.1 by Gary Gross at 16-Dec-17 09:46 PM
Chad's exactly right! Until you reduce demand, the supply chain will supply.
Comment 3 by eric z at 18-Dec-17 08:33 AM
Keep your fu**ing smoke to yourself, bless you, but you exhale it into the air we share.
Do you remember the days of hockey arena air going hazy before the end of the first period and your hair and clothing stinking from other folks' addiction?
Apples and oranges, Gary.
Response 3.1 by Gary Gross at 18-Dec-17 11:52 AM
Apples and oranges, Gary.Most definitely. I'm not against reducing smoking. I'm a non-smoker. It's just that these ordinances won't reduce smoking. That's been verified. Until you reduce demand, you're spinning your wheels.
Comment 4 by MtkaMoose at 18-Dec-17 10:52 AM
Wow Eric Z, I didn't know 18-21 year olds smoking in ice arenas were causing all the problems that these ordinances are trying to solve. Talk about apples and oranges!
Schumer will rue this Tuesday
Lately, Sen. Schumer has made a habit of saying that Republicans will rue the day the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passes . It isn't that he actually believes this. It's that he's trying to spin a major loss for Senate Democrats into a smaller loss. Seriously, only Bernie Sanders is stupid enough to think that the bill won't create jobs and get the economy running better.
Sen. Schumer issued a statement that said "Under this bill, the working class, middle class and upper middle class get skewered, while the rich and wealthy corporations make out like bandits. It is just the opposite of what America needs - and Republicans will rue the day they pass this."
It's important to remember that that's coming from a man who tried protecting Sen. Franken by recommending a do-nothing ethics committee investigation. Anyone that's willing to protect a pervert like Franken isn't a person whose opinion I'd value. Marco Rubio, a person whose political instincts I value, though not always his policies, has changed his vote from no to yes on the bill.
Implicit in Schumer's statement is Sen. Schumer's admission that the bill will pass. That's a victory for Republicans and the American people. Since President Trump was elected, the economy has surged. GDP is higher. Consumer confidence is soaring. Unemployment is at a 17-year low. Regulations that've been cut by this Congress and this administration have taken government's boot off the economy's throat. People's 401(k)s are getting richer.
For all of Sen. Schumer's whining, people are better off now than they were a year ago. Despite President Obama's BS, the economy isn't stronger because the Trump built off the blueprint that President Obama put in place. It's flourishing because President Trump tore President Obama's blueprint down, then rebuilt it from scratch. GDP for Q1 2017 was 1.7%. Q3 of 2017 is dramatically different, with GDP up at 3.3% with an asterisk. (That asterisk is that it would've been higher if not for 5 major hurricanes hitting the Gulf Coast in a single month.)
This is fantastic news:
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California said Friday that the chamber would vote on the plan Tuesday, with the Senate vote to follow shortly thereafter.
Expect there to be a lavish bill signing ceremony at the White House either Wednesday or Thursday. Sen. Schumer's spin won't change the fact that the middle class will see more in their paychecks after the start of the new year.
Posted Saturday, December 16, 2017 4:37 AM
No comments.
Obama's bragging vs. reality
This week, President Obama tried taking credit for what Maria Bartiromo has titled "the Trump Boom." The truth is that President Obama's policies have nothing to do with the reinvigorated economy. In fact, businesses are saying the opposite. According to Ms. Bartiromo, "Corporate earnings have risen and corporate behavior has changed, measured in greater capital investment. Businesspeople tell me that a new approach to regulation is a big factor . During President Obama's final year in office the Federal Register, which contains new and proposed rules and regulations, ran to 95,894 pages, according to a Competitive Enterprise Institute report."
These businesses certainly know why they're doing what they're doing. What they're saying with their actions and their words is that President Obama's regulatory policies stifled growth, not entirely but significantly, by adding tons of regulatory compliance costs. When capital formation shrinks, job creation shrinks, too.
Others have noticed that there's been a change and have adjusted accordingly:
For the first time in a long time the world is experiencing synchronized growth, which is why Goldman Sachs and Barclays among others have recently predicted 4% global growth in 2018. The entire world benefits when its largest economy is healthy, and the vibrancy overseas is reinforcing the U.S. resurgence.
This paragraph is especially enlightening:
Much has changed this year. Companies from Broadcom to Boeing have announced they'll move overseas jobs back to the U.S. American companies hold nearly $3 trillion overseas and may soon be able to bring that money home without punitive taxation. Businesses have begun to open up the purse strings, which is why things like commercial airline activity are rising substantially as executives seek new opportunities. Companies are looking to invest in growth .
Investing in growth requires employees participating in the rewards. When corporations get into 'merger and acquisition mode', employees suffer. It's easier for companies to merge with foreign corporations, then get taxed at lower rates. Democrats can whine about them doing that but it's their own fault. It's easier to work with corporations than trying to punish them. The government never wins in those match-ups.
Obama recently said that President Trump doesn't have an answer for how he'll get the economy growing. Either Obama is an economic illiterate or he's intentionally lying. President Trump's answer is to lower taxes and reduce regulations. That facts speak for themselves. Economic growth has virtually doubled under Trump's watch. Consumer confidence is soaring. Companies are moving back from overseas. Contrary to what President Obama said, this isn't a coincidence:
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Finally, there's this:
The Federal Register page count is down 32% this year. Mr. Trump says red tape becomes 'beautiful' when it is eliminated, and people who manage businesses certainly agree.
I'm not alone in thinking that Trump's policies are working. I'm predicting that President Obama's policies will be discredited within another year.
Posted Saturday, December 16, 2017 10:10 AM
No comments.
