Tax Cuts Killing More Jobs

Trumponomics: What President Trump means for the global economy

(FULL) Mondelēz’ is Shipping 600 Nabisco American Jobs to Mexico

Unusual Allies Fight Sequester Cuts : Roll Call Influence

Unusual Allies Fight Sequester Cuts : Roll Call Influence:

click link

snip

Defense industry insiders joined with advocates for public health, research universities and other sectors that rely on federal funds Monday to issue a combined call to stop the upcoming sequester cuts.

The rare display of unity among groups that are often pitted against one another underscored shared concern over the across-the-board budget cuts scheduled to hit nondiscretionary spending March 1.

“We’re going to rise and fall together in this debate,” Emily Holubowich, the executive director of the Coalition for Health Funding and co-chairwoman of NDD United, said at a morning news conference at the National Press Club. “Working separately wasn’t working, clearly.”

The officials said the federal budget crisis requires Congress and the Obama administration to arrive at a bipartisan grand bargain that should include new tax revenues, an overhaul of entitlement programs and cuts to the nondiscretionary side of the ledger.

Holubowich called it an “unprecedented effort” to stop the sequester and noted that it marked “the first time under one big tent” for the organizations.

“These cuts have consequences and every American will pay the price,” she said, adding that the sequester would bring cuts to not only defense but also the medical research community, food inspections, national parks and public safety, among other areas.

Obama's News Conference - Taxes and Big Compromise

I Kinda Liked Mitt Romney, Until I Lost My Job

Dana Milbank: Celebrating lowered expectations

Dana Milbank: Celebrating lowered expectations

click link for full article

snip from article

House freshmen have been on the job for almost exactly a year, and until now they've done little more than talk about cutting the national debt.

But on Wednesday morning, eight lawmakers finally decided to take action. They scheduled a "major announcement," invited the media and declared that they had a plan to reduce the deficit by — are you sitting down? — $1.435 million.

That amounts to a whopping less than 0.00001 percent of what the nation owes. Among budget analysts, the technical phrase for this is "chump change."

The lawmakers announced that they were returning unused portions of their office budgets in the hope that the money could help pay down the debt. And they were feeling mighty pleased with themselves.

"Now, I can hear the pundits saying, 'Oh, these freshmen, they're just grandstanding,'" said Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C.. Now, why might a pundit say that? Well, maybe because Duncan delivered these words while posing before TV cameras and holding an 11-by-17 mock-up of a check with "taxpayer protection" written in the memo field. Upon completion of the grandstanding, they marched into the Capitol to deliver their "checks" to Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/dana-milbank/dana-milbank-celebrating-lowered-expectations/article_9089474e-7cf4-5b77-824b-d3eb19f976f2.html#ixzz1lhePcKsn

Russ Carnahan on HR 639 currency reform and fair trade act

January 9, 2012




Thank you for contacting me to share your support for H.R. 639, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act. I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.



As you know, H.R. 639 aims to mitigate the effects of currency manipulation by foreign countries. Specifically, the legislation empowers the Commerce Department to impose countervailing and anti-dumping duties if a foreign currency is found to have been undervalued or overvalued for an 18-month period. It may please you to know that I have cosponsored of this important legislation.



I share your concerns that the trade polices of foreign countries, especially China , harm American workers and businesses, particularly manufacturers. Since coming to Congress, I have supported several measures to remedy this situation. I have supported several bills in the Make It in America agenda, such as the Preventing Outsourcing Act and the U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act. Most recently, I rallied several of my colleagues from the Missouri congressional delegation to sign a letter urging the Obama Administration to swiftly address China 's evasion of anti-dumping and countervailing orders.



Given your interest in this issue, I want you to know that I have cosponsored the TRADE Act in each of the past two sessions of Congress. This legislation outlines a way forward to a new trade and globalization agenda that would benefit more Americans. Specifically, it would strengthen congressional authority in trade negotiations and ensure standards of fairness, economic growth, safety, labor, and human rights in agreements with foreign countries.



Establishing a fair system of currency valuation will assist American industries climb out of the recession and hire new workers. Americans should be confident that their hard work is not undermined by unfair trade practices of foreign countries.



Currently, H.R. 639 has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. As a cosponsor of this bill, I will work with my colleagues to seek its passage. Please be assured I will continue to work to ensure that our trade laws are beneficial to American businesses.



I always appreciate hearing the views of constituents about issues facing Congress. Please feel free to contact my office if I can be of further assistance to you on this or any other matter of concern. I also hope you will find my website, carnahan.house.gov , a useful resource for keeping up with my work in Washington and the 3rd District of Missouri, and I welcome you to sign up for my e-newsletter at carnahan.house.gov/updates .

Sincerely,

Russ Carnahan

gop roadto recovery doc

"Republican Road to Recovery" Budget Rebuttal

How the Middle Class Got Screwed---USW

from USW site

Afterburner with Bill Whittle: Rich Man, Poor Man

you got to see this garbage

poor are getting richer? good use of spin I must say

refrigs? hell of a differenced in a used model or a brand new super model

tea-party-response-to-state-of-the-union--gotta love Michele

#/v/4510861/tea-party-response-to-state-of-the-union/?playlist_id=87485

click link above. Love Ms Bachmann by the way. Makes my work easier.

from Fox news this clip.

Conversations with History: The Labor Movement, Protectionism, and the International Economy, with Douglas A. Fraser - UCTV - University of California Television

Conversations with History: The Labor Movement, Protectionism, and the International Economy, with Douglas A. Fraser - UCTV - University of California Television

click link above. this deals with labor movement and some history on the subject. worth watching

pension unhappiness in Canada--usw

http://www.uswa1005.ca/
(from site)

Welcome to 1005

USW Local 1005 and its 900 members and 9,000 pensioners are waging a battle on behalf of ALL of us. Foreign-owned companies, like U.S. Steel, are attempting to steal our futures by attacking our pensions while the Harper government is attempting to hand public pensions over to private Banks.

Winning this battle for Hamilton Steelworkers is the first step in a National Campaign to defend retirement security for everyone. Join the fight-back: -------

this is needed in America where pensions and benefits are always on the chopping block for workers.

poverty stats--not new news

--nothing new. we had discussion of poverty/indexes and the like earlier this year. Nothing changed for the better I would think for these stats from last year.

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http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iCuYeWPyl7zqXPWi1Ck9mmYyAr7wD9IGP99G1?docId=D9IGP99G1

Census finds record gap between rich and poor
By HOPE YEN (AP) – 4 hours ago

WASHINGTON — The income gap between the richest and poorest Americans grew last year to its widest amount on record as young adults and children in particular struggled to stay afloat in the recession.

The top-earning 20 percent of Americans — those making more than $100,000 each year — received 49.4 percent of all income generated in the U.S., compared with the 3.4 percent earned by those below the poverty line, according to newly released census figures. That ratio of 14.5-to-1 was an increase from 13.6 in 2008 and nearly double a low of 7.69 in 1968.

A different measure, the international Gini index, found U.S. income inequality at its highest level since the Census Bureau began tracking household income in 1967. The U.S. also has the greatest disparity among Western industrialized nations.

At the top, the wealthiest 5 percent of Americans, who earn more than $180,000, added slightly to their annual incomes last year, census data show. Families at the $50,000 median level slipped lower.

"Income inequality is rising, and if we took into account tax data, it would be even more," said Timothy Smeeding, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who specializes in poverty. "More than other countries, we have a very unequal income distribution where compensation goes to the top in a winner-takes-all economy."

Lower-skilled adults ages 18 to 34 had the largest jumps in poverty last year as employers kept or hired older workers for the dwindling jobs available, Smeeding said. The declining economic fortunes have caused many unemployed young Americans to double-up in housing with parents, friends and loved ones, with potential problems for the labor market if they don't get needed training for future jobs, he said.

Rea Hederman Jr., a senior policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, agreed that census data show families of all income levels had tepid earnings in 2009, with poorer Americans taking a larger hit. "It's certainly going to take a while for people to recover," he said.

The findings are part of a broad array of U.S. census data being released this month that highlight the far-reaching impact of the recent economic meltdown. The effects have ranged from near-historic declines in U.S. mobility and birth rates to delayed marriage and the first drop in the number of illegal immigrants in two decades.

The census figures also come amid heated political debate in the run-up to the Nov. 2 elections over whether Congress should extend expiring Bush-era tax cuts. President Barack Obama wants to extend the tax cuts for individuals making less than $200,000 and joint filers making less than $250,000; Republicans are pushing for tax cuts for everyone, including wealthy Americans.

The 2009 census tabulations, which are based on pre-tax income and exclude capital gains, are adjusted for household size where data are available. Prior analyses of after-tax income made by the wealthiest 1 percent compared to middle- and low-income Americans have also pointed to a widening inequality gap, but only reflect U.S. data as of 2007.

Among the 2009 findings:

_The poorest poor are at record highs. The share of Americans below half the poverty line — $10,977 for a family of four — rose from 5.7 percent in 2008 to 6.3 percent. It was the highest level since the government began tracking that group in 1975.

_The poverty gap between young and old has doubled since 2000, due partly to the strength of Social Security in helping buoy Americans 65 and over. Child poverty is now 21 percent compared with 9 percent for older Americans. In 2000, when child poverty was at 16 percent, elderly poverty stood at 10 percent.

_Safety nets are helping fill health gaps. The percentage of children covered by government-sponsored health insurance such as Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program jumped to 37 percent, or 27.6 million, from 24 percent in 2000. That helped offset steady losses in employer-sponsored insurance.

The 2009 poverty level was set at $21,954 for a family of four, based on an official government calculation that includes only cash income. It excludes noncash aid such as food stamps.

Arloc Sherman, a senior researcher at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, noted the effects of expanded government programs in cushioning the impact of skyrocketing unemployment. For example, the Census Bureau estimates that 3.6 million people would have been lifted above the poverty line if food stamps were counted — a number that would have reduced the 2009 poverty rate from the official 14.3 percent to 13.2 percent.

Sheldon Danziger, a University of Michigan public policy professor, said while the U.S. has developed policies to combat poverty, it has trouble addressing ever-widening income inequality — even with a growing federal deficit and previous warnings by former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan about soaring executive pay.

An Associated Press-GfK Poll this month found that by 54 percent to 44 percent, most Americans support raising taxes on the highest U.S. earners. Still, many congressional Democrats have expressed wariness about provoking the 44 percent minority so close to Election Day.

"We're pretty good about not talking about income inequality," Danziger said.
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alas, the candies in congress cannot even let Bush taxcuts for top percent income folks perish by law. taxcuts for everyone will lapse by Jan 1st unless addressed

betty boop for president 1932

folks might wish to make comparison with Sara P

new russian fighter

As we export more and more technology and cash, some other nations are taking advantage. Russia and China has an active update program for their respective military technologies. Some of this is paid for by America.

Note: in America, we have bridges falling in rivers and in Missouri: we cannot agree on new bridge over the Mississippi. We have woes sending kids to schools (just look at some of the achedemic scores). On and on.

So much for the Yankee traders, masters of enterprize. So much for the techonoligical leader of the free world.

Time for folks to stand up and tell our fearless leaders such is unacceptable.

Might find vids useful:


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1986 More labor history: What has changed?

This clip deals with some of the labor history from 1986. what improvements we have made in the new century with leadership we can believe.

For all the hoopla, the healthcare bill is not adequate in either house or senate versions and the "Employee Free Choice Act" is in limbo. Trade policy reforms? Wall Street Reform? Green jobs? Ending Iraq or Afghanistan wars? Credit Card abuse reform? list quite long, but enough

Green jobs? China got almost a billion dollars from imports of wind turbine equiptment. Stimulus is working for importers, that is fact.

Asked in previous posts: where are the leaders in congress?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OFYSC0bQNI
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Soar jobs petition

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Folks might wish to print this, sign and pass around to more folks. We shall do one at the next Soar meeting:

some steelworkers back to work on eastside

This is some good news for the folks on the eastside.

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Posted on Tue, Jun. 16, 2009
Workers return to U.S. Steel's Granite City mill to restart plant
BY WILL BUSS
News-Democrat


About 100 maintenance workers will return to U.S. Steel's Granite City mill this week to began preparing the plant to restart production.



United Steelworkers District 7 Sub District 2 Director Dave Dowling said more details about more jobs returning to Granite City Works may become known before the end of the week.



"In terms of production, when that might ramp up and start recalling workers, it's still unknown," Dowling said.



Jeff Evans, who as president of the Local 68 represents 140 electricians at the mill, said that 41 of his members are returning to work this week, and he anticipates the rest will be called back in two weeks. Evans also estimated that as many as 600 steel workers who work in the plant's blast furnace could be back in three to four weeks.



"I was told others would return soon, but they didn't give me a time frame," Evans said.



He has also heard that workers could be converting hot liquid steel strip into slabs in four weeks.



"It take a couple weeks to warm up the blast furnace," he said. "If they don't warm them up, that could cause damage."



Mike Fultz is one of 57 steel workers laid off from Stein Steel Mill Services, which is located adjacent to U.S. Steel mill, the week after 1,600 U.S. Steel workers were furloughed in December.



"We do not know, yet, but what Stein tells us is that welders are the first that will be called back," Fultz said. "You can't pour hot steel into cold pots."



U.S. Steel Corp. announced Monday that the Pittsburgh-based company plans to recall about 800 laid-off workers at a plant in Canada this summer. The Hamilton, Ontario, plant will restart production at its coke ovens to produce coke that will be shipped to Granite City Works.



The Canadian mill employed about 1,700 people when it was idled in October. About 700 workers elected to retire early. and more than 800 were laid off in waves starting in November.



Dowling said the reopening of the Granite City Steel mill represents a "glimmer of hope," though "we don't know how prolonged this increase will be. We're certainly hopeful that it's a sign of a more general recovery in manufacturing."



Even so, American steel producers and their employees face a big threat from imports of Chinese-made steel, including Chinese pipe.



On Monday morning, Steelworkers Local 1899 President Dan Simmons spoke before steel workers in Granite City before leaving to travel to Washington, D.C., where he will testify before the Congressional Steel Caucus. Simmons said he will discuss further action Congress can take to stabilize the steel industry. He said he will talk about the impact the six-month shutdown has had on the Granite City plant and will call on Congress to look "at policies that need to be in place that support manufacturing in the U.S. and support steel making in the U.S."



"The key thing to remember is for Congress to have the 'political will' to support manufacturing in the U.S.," Simmons said. "We've got laws on the books that support the vital importance of being able to make goods in this country. There just hasn't been the will there politically to enforce that."



"I will describe the outrage we felt as we went to the unemployment lines and watched miles and miles of steel pipe imported from India being unloaded in our backyard. Although a startup of steel making at Granite City later this summer has been announced, we don't yet know when all of our members may be called back to work. And certainly, the crisis in the steel industry and in American manufacturing is not over. Hopefully, the surge in orders that led to the announced start-up will be sustained by a real economic recovery."

Reporter Mike Fitzgerald contributed to this story. Contact reporter Will Buss at wbuss@bnd.com or 239-2526.


© 2007 Belleville News-Democrat and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.belleville