Tuesday, June 18, 2024
33% Lees Likely To Support Trump After His Conviction
Trump's Insane Idea To Help The Rich And Hurt Everyone Else
If Trump is re-elected, he and his GOP cohorts have already told us they want to continue the tax cuts he got passed during his first term (over 80% of which went to the rich and super-rich). It won't help the working class at all, and will only have a tiny benefit for the middle class -- and it will add trillions more to the national debt. It's a very bad idea.
Now Trump has come up with an even worse idea. At his meeting with congressional Republicans, Trump floated the idea of doing away with the income tax completely and replacing it with a tariff on all goods entering the United States.
Before you celebrate the idea of no income tax, stop and think of what the tariff on everything would mean. It would mean higher prices of nearly everything you buy. And not just a little higher. To replace the billions received in income taxes, the tariffs would have to be very high - and that would make prices on goods much, much higher!
It would be disastrous for the poor. They are already struggling to get by, and raising prices much higher would mean they would struggle just to have a subsistence existence. Working class families would also be devastated. They are already barely keeping up with inflation. The higher tariffs would mean they'd fall behind, and many would drop into the poor class. Middle class workers would also suffer. All of these groups would pay much more in higher prices than they currently pay in income taxes.
Only one group would be helped. The rich would make out like bandits! They would be happy to pay the higher prices, because it would be much less that they have to pay in taxes - and they could easily afford the higher prices.
It's just one more crazy idea that shows Trump, and his GOP cohorts, only care about one small group - the rich (and especially the super-rich). They don't care about hurting ordinary Americans as long as they can serve the rich.
Monday, June 17, 2024
Sunday, June 16, 2024
Republican Party Is Campaigning On Lies
The Republican Party has several issues they are campaigning on for this election. They are telling voters that inflation is out of control, that massive numbers of immigrant are crossing our southern border, that the murder rate is rising, and that oil production is down under this administration.
Unfortunately for them, none of that is true (see the charts above). The rate of inflation has dropped significantly, and some grocery stores are now lowering their prices. The number of immigrants at the southern border has also dropped significantly. The murder rate (and that of other violent crimes) is way down, and no where near record levels. And the amount of bill being produced by the U.S. is at a record level.
The GOP is hoping voters won't check the facts. They are hoping their lies will be believed. Don't let Tham fool you!
Saturday, June 15, 2024
In Effect, The Supreme Court Has Legalized Machine Guns
In the late 1920's and 30's, the criminal element in the U.S. found a very effective weapon to use against law enforcement (and citizens) - the machine gun. Congress realized that this could not be allowed to continue. In 1934, a law was passed to place an excise tax and registration requirement on machine guns. Since most Americans could not qualify for registration, the law, in effect, outlawed machine guns - and the country was safer.
But gun nuts are an ingenious lot, and over the years they came up with devices that would turn a semi-automatic weapon into a machine gun - allowing it to fire hundreds of rounds a minute with a single press of the trigger. In 1986, Congress again acted. They outlawed the modifications that turned a semi-automatic into a machine gun.
The came the invention of the "bump stock" - which again allowed a gun to shoot hundreds of rounds a minute with a single press of the trigger. And that resulted in the largest mass shooting tragedy in U.S. history.
On October 1, 2017, a mass shooting occurred when 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada from his 32nd-floor suites in the Mandalay Bay hotel. He fired more than 1,000 rounds, killing 60 people[a] and wounding at least 413. The ensuing panic brought the total number of injured to approximately 867.
Responding to that, The ATF, during the Trump administration, said the bump stock qualified as one of the outlawed devices under the law, and they outlawed them. It was a reasonable decision, and necessary to protect the lives of innocent civilians.
But a gun owner and licensed dealer in Texas didn't like the ban on bump stocks. He filed suit in federal court.
ON Friday, the Supreme Court issued a decision. They ruled that, on a technical point, the bump stock did not actually make a semi-automatic weapon a machine gun - and they overturned the ban. They were wrong!. Using a bump stock, in effect, does allow a weapon to fire as a machine gun!
Justice Sotomayor disagrees with the majority. She wrote:
"When I see a bird that walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck."
In other words, any device that makes a gun act like a machine gun has effectively turned that weapon into a machine gun.
The Supreme Court has just legalized the possession and use of machine guns in this country!
We already have loopholes in our background check law that allows anyone (even criminals) to purchase any kind of weapon they want. Now they will be able to weapon into a machine gun. That will cause the deaths of many thousands of innocent Americans (and law enforcement officers). And the 600 or so mass shootings each year will become even larger mass casualty events.
Don't expect the congressional Republicans to help rectify this terrible court decision.
Friday, June 14, 2024
About 242,000 Workers Filed For Unemployment Last Week
The Labor Department released its weekly unemployment report on Thursday. It showed that about 242,000 workers filed for unemployment benefits in the week ending on June 8th. Here is the official Labor Department statement:
In the week ending June 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 242,000, an increase of 13,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 229,000. The 4-week moving average was 227,000, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 222,250.
Justice Alito Is Afraid His Bias Might Be Hidden (SATIRE)
Alexandra Petri give us more great SATIRE in The Washington Post. This time her target is biased Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.
In the hours after Samuel A. Alito Jr. learned that secretly captured recordings of a private conversation were going to be made public, the Supreme Court justice was frantic, close associates say, worrying the tapes would undermine the image he has worked to create of exactly what kind of judge he is. But when publication revealed the comments to be merely an endorsement of the need “to return our country to a place of godliness,” that worry gave way to relief.
“That could have been so much worse,” Alito said in a subsequent interview. “What if I’d said something temperate or reasonable?”
“Any time I open my mouth, there’s always a chance that something might come out that doesn’t sound petty and vindictive,” the justice allowed. “What if I mishear something and accidentally agree that justices must take care to recuse themselves after any whiff of impropriety? It would take me years to recover from that.”
Alito, seemingly shaken by the possibility, then listed a series of far-fetched utterances that could be equally ruinous:
“I would never impose my religion on others.”
“It isn’t the role of the Supreme Court to legislate from the bench.”
“No, I would not accept a seat on a private jet, even if it was already going to the destination and so the seat would be just going to waste otherwise.”
Alito went on: “Why, just thinking about this made me so stressed that Martha-Ann had to read me my Obergefell dissent to calm me down.” Alito beamed. “In it, I complained that ‘those who cling to old beliefs will be able to whisper their thoughts in the recesses of their homes, but if they repeat those views in public, they will risk being labeled as bigots and treated as such by governments, employers and schools’ — something I printed under my name, publicly, and was proud of, and have repeated in speeches to the Federalist Society!”
Alito also worried that footage might surface from a recent party at which he recalled a guest saying Donald Trump was a wonderful man who deserved both unlimited power and to be the next president, during which Alito apparently remained silent.
“But I was nodding!” he insisted. “I was nodding! Don’t worry!”
So far, the justice has been lucky. But Alito urged anyone who might in the future question troublesome private remarks to go and study all his public speeches and published opinions.
“I am who I’ve always been in public,” Alito said. “Not some impartial justice in a black robe who considers himself above politics, but the guy who mouths ‘not true’ during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. If you have any doubt of who I am, look to my op-eds in the Wall Street Journal. I’m just a guy who wants the people who read the Wall Street Journal opinions section to know that he is being unjustly maligned by ProPublica. How else could I look Leonard Leo in the eye?
“My public life speaks for itself,” he concluded.
Still, Alito jumped at the chance to solidify his stances on a few more matters on the record. Ethics? “Unnecessary.” Women? “Vessels. They love to fly flags.” Previous precedent? “Absolutely immune, untouchable.”
He noticed the surprise on this reporter’s face and hastened to clarify: “Oh, precedent? I thought you said ‘previous president!’”
Supreme Court Rules Abortion Pill Is Still Legal In All States
In a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned lower court rulings that would have banned or restricted the sale of mifepristone (the abortion pill). That means the pill is still legal in all 50 states.
This is a good thing, but it's not time to celebrate yet. The court did NOT rule that women have a right to the pill. They simply ruled that those who filed the case (a group of anti-abortion doctors) did not have standing to bring the case. That means the decision might be different if the case is filed again by someone the court believes does have standing.
The six right-wing justices just avoided the question in this ruling. If actually forced to rule on the legality of the abortion pill, they might vote very differently. And you can be sure the anti-abortion crowd will try again (as many times as they can). It took them 50 years to get Roe vs. Wade overturned, and they will not soon give up on trying to ban the pill.
And banning mifepristone is just the first step. Many on the right, both in Congress and the Supreme Court, have made it clear they would like to also ban contraception. And IVF (in-vitro fertilization) is also on the chopping block. The Alabama Supreme Court has already made a ruling that stopped IVF in that state. They are not alone. The largest evangelical church has just voted to make opposition to IVF a tenet of their religious organization.
Both the political right and the religious right seem determined to restrict women's rights in this country. The overturning of Roe vs. Wade was just the beginning. We must be prepared for a long fight on these issues as long as the Republicans have the power to block efforts to make sure women have equal rights.
Fortunately, President Biden understands this. Here is part of the statement he released about this latest decision of the court:
It does mean that mifepristone, or medication abortion, remains available and approved. Women can continue to access this medication – approved by the FDA as safe and effective more than 20 years ago.
But let’s be clear: attacks on medication abortion are part of Republican elected officials’ extreme and dangerous agenda to ban abortion nationwide. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Republican elected officials have imposed extreme abortion bans in 21 states, some of which include zero exceptions for rape or incest. Women are being turned away from emergency rooms, or forced to go to court to plead for care that their doctor recommended or to travel hundreds of miles for care. Doctors and nurses are being threatened with jail time, including life in prison, for providing the health care they have been trained to provide. And contraception and IVF are under attack.
The stakes could not be higher for women across America. Vice President Harris and I stand with the vast majority of Americans who support a woman’s right to make deeply personal health care decisions. We will continue to fight to ensure that women in every state get the health care they need and we will continue to call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law — that is our commitment.
Thursday, June 13, 2024
The Presidential Proclamation On Pride Month
From Whitehouse.gov:
During Pride Month, we celebrate the extraordinary courage and contributions of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) community. We reflect on the progress we have made so far in pursuit of equality, justice, and inclusion. We recommit ourselves to do more to support LGBTQI+ rights at home and around the world.
For generations, LGBTQI+ Americans have summoned the courage to live authentically and proudly — even when it meant putting their lives and livelihoods at risk. In 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in New York, brave LGBTQI+ individuals protested the violence and marginalization they faced, boosting a civil rights movement for the liberation of LGBTQI+ people that has transformed our Nation. Since then, courageous LGBTQI+ Americans continue to inspire and bring hope to all people seeking a life true to who they are. LGBTQI+ people also continue to enrich every aspect of American life as educators, entertainers, entrepreneurs, athletes, actors, artists, scientists, scholars, diplomats, doctors, service members, veterans, and so much more.
Advancing equality for the LGBTQI+ community is a top priority for my Administration. I signed the historic Respect for Marriage Act, which protects the marriage of same-sex and interracial couples. As Commander in Chief, I was proud to have ended the ban on transgender Americans serving in the United States military. I signed historic Executive Orders strengthening civil rights protections for housing, employment, health care, education, and the justice system. We are also combating the dangerous and cruel practice of so-called “conversion therapy” and implementing a national strategy to end the HIV epidemic in this country. We ended the disgraceful practice of banning gay and bisexual men from donating blood. We are doing this work here at home and around the globe, where LGBTQI+ community members are fighting for recognition of their fundamental human rights and seeking to live full lives, free from hate-fueled violence and discrimination.
But for all the progress, we know real challenges persist. Last year, as we celebrated Pride Month on the South Lawn of the White House, I had the honor of meeting survivors of the Club Q and Pulse shootings, which tragically took the lives of LGBTQI+ Americans. Although my Administration passed the most significant gun law in nearly 30 years, the Congress must do its part and ban assault weapons. At the same time, families across the country face excruciating decisions to relocate to a different State to protect their children from dangerous and hateful anti-LGBTQI+ laws, which target transgender children, threaten families, and criminalize doctors and nurses. These bills and laws attack our most basic values and freedoms as Americans: the right to be yourself, the right to make your own medical decisions, and the right to raise your own children. Some things should never be put at risk: your life, your safety, and your dignity.
To the entire LGBTQI+ community — and especially transgender children — please know that your President and my entire Administration have your back. We see you for who you are: made in the image of God and deserving of dignity, respect, and support. That is why I have taken historic action to protect the LGBTQI+ community. We are ensuring that the LGBTQI+ community is protected against discrimination when accessing health care, and the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Justice launched a safety partnership to provide critical training and support to the community, including resources to help report hate crimes and better protect festivals, marches, community centers, businesses, and health care providers serving the community. The Department of Education and the Department of Justice are also addressing whether book bans may violate Federal civil rights laws when they target LGBTQI+ students or students of color and create hostile classroom environments. Additionally, we are providing specialized services through the nationwide crisis hotline for LGBTQI+ youth who feel isolated and overwhelmed — anyone who needs help can call 988 and then press 3 to be connected to a professional counselor. We are committing more resources for mental health programs that help families support and affirm their kids and are starting a new Federal initiative to address LGBTQI+ homelessness. We finalized new regulations requiring States to protect LGBTQI+ kids in foster care.
America is the only Nation in the world founded on an idea: We are all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. We have never fully lived up to that idea, but we have never fully walked away from it either. This month, we recommit to realizing the promise of America for all Americans, to celebrating courageous LGBTQI+ people, and to taking pride in the example they set for our Nation and the world.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2024 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to recognize the achievements of the LGBTQI+ community, to celebrate the great diversity of the American people, and to wave their flags of pride high.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
U.S. Public Opinion Is Turning Against Israel
These charts reflect the results of the CBS News / YouGov Poll -- done between June 5th and 7th of a nationwide sample of 2,063 adults, with a 3.2 point margin of error.
Atmospheric CO2 Is At A Record Level (& Still Climbing)
The following is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
Carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever — accelerating on a steep rise to levels far above any experienced during human existence, scientists from NOAA and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego announced today.
Scientists at Scripps, the organization that initiated CO2 monitoring at Mauna Loa in 1958 and maintains an independent record, calculated a May monthly average of 426.7 ppm for 2024, an increase of 2.92 ppm over May 2023’s measurement of 423.78 ppm. For Scripps, the two-year jump tied a previous record set in 2020.
From January through April, NOAA and Scripps scientists said CO2 concentrations increased more rapidly than they have in the first four months of any other year. The surge has come even as one highly regarded international report has found that fossil fuel emissions, the main driver of climate change, have plateaued in recent years.
“Over the past year, we’ve experienced the hottest year on record, the hottest ocean temperatures on record and a seemingly endless string of heat waves, droughts, floods, wildfires and storms,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “Now we are finding that atmospheric CO2 levels are increasing faster than ever. We must recognize that these are clear signals of the damage carbon dioxide pollution is doing to the climate system, and take rapid action to cut fossil fuel use as quickly as we can.”
Ralph Keeling, director of the Scripps CO2 program that manages the institution’s 56-year-old measurement series, noted that year-to-year increase recorded in March 2024 was the highest for both Scripps and NOAA in Keeling Curve history.
“Not only is CO2 now at the highest level in millions of years, it is also rising faster than ever,” said Keeling. “Each year achieves a higher maximum due to fossil-fuel burning, which releases pollution in the form of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Fossil fuel pollution just keeps building up, much like trash in a landfill.”
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Public Says A Felon Should Not Be Allowed To Be President
The chart above reflects the results of the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between June 2nd and 4th of a nationwide sample of 1,766 adults (including 1,566 registered voters). The margin of error for adults is 3.1 points, and 3 points for registered voters.
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