Friday, January 17, 2025
Independents Far Outnumber Both Democrats And Republicans
The chart is from the Gallup Poll -- done in 2024 of a nationwide sample of 14,162 adults, with a 1 point margin of error.
About 217,000 Workers Filed For Unemployment Last Week
The Labor Department released their weekly unemployment report on Thursday. It showed about 217,000 workers filed for unemployment benefits in the week ending on January 11th. Here is the official Labor Department statement:
In the week ending January 11, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 217,000, an increase of 14,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 201,000 to 203,000. The 4-week moving average was 212,750, a decrease of 750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 213,000 to 213,500.
President Biden Warns About The Impending Oligarchy
I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern. And this is a dangerous — and that’s the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultrawealthy people, and the dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked. Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead. We see the consequences all across America. And we’ve seen it before.
More than a century ago, the American people stood up to the robber barons back then and busted the trusts. They didn’t punish the wealthy. They just made the wealthy play by the rules everybody else had. Workers want rights to earn their fair share. You know, they were dealt into the deal, and it helped put us on the path to building the largest middle class, the most prosperous century any nation the world has ever seen. We’ve got to do that again. . . .
powerful forces want to wield their unchecked influence to eliminate the steps we’ve taken to tackle the climate crisis, to serve their own interests for power and profit. We must not be bullied into sacrificing the future, the future of our children and our grandchildren. We must keep pushing forward, and push faster. There is no time to waste. It is also clear that American leadership in technology is unparalleled, an unparalleled source of innovation that can transform lives. We see the same dangers in the concentration of technology, power and wealth.
You know, in his farewell address, President Eisenhower spoke of the dangers of the military-industrial complex. He warned us that about, and I quote, “The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power.” Six days — six decades later, I’m equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech-industrial complex that could pose real dangers for our country as well. . . .
You know, in the years ahead, it’s going to be up to the president, the presidency, the Congress, the courts, the free press, and the American people to confront these powerful forces. We must reform the tax code. Not by giving the biggest tax cuts to billionaires, but by making them begin to pay their fair share.
We need to get dark money — that’s that hidden funding behind too many campaign contributions — we need to get it out of our politics. We need to enact an 18-year time limit, term limit, time and term, for the strongest ethics — and the strongest ethics reforms for our Supreme Court. We need to ban members of Congress from trading stock while they are in the Congress. We need to amend the Constitution to make clear that no president, no president is immune from crimes that he or she commits while in office. The president’s power is not limit — it is not absolute. And it shouldn’t be.
And in a democracy, there is another danger — that the concentration of power and wealth. It erodes a sense of unity and common purpose. It causes distrust and division. Participating in our democracy becomes exhausting and even disillusioning, and people don’t feel like they have a fair shot. We have to stay engaged in the process. I know it’s frustrating. A fair shot is what makes America America. Everyone is entitled to a fair shot, not a guarantee, just a fair shot, an even playing field. Going as far as your hard work and talent can take you.
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Very Few Think Trump's DOJ/FBI Will Be Neutral
GOP Is Ready To Punish Most Americans To Subsidize The Rich
The chart above (from Politico.com) is the preliminary list of things the congressional Republicans are considering cutting. Why? So they can give massive tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires (the only people in the country that don't need government help).
Don't let the innocent sounding names fool you - these are cuts! They want to cut billions from Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare, assistance for the poor, climate change, student loan bailouts, and other things that currently help ordinary Americans.
If they cut all (or most) of these things, millions of Americans would be hurt. And even added to Trump's proposed tariffs (which would increase inflation), it would not be enough to offset the tax cuts they want for the rich and corporations.
Republicans like to pose as the fiscally responsible party - the party that want to lower the federal debt. But their tax cut for the rich would increase the federal national debt massively. They only oppose spending when it helps ordinary Americans. When it's a giveaway to the rich they don't mind increasing the debt.
There were voters in the last election that voted for Trump and the GOP because they thought it would be better for working people. They were fools. The Republicans (and their orange demagogue) don't care about anyone but the rich.
The Republican Party is the party of the rich and corporations. THAT IS JUST A FACT!
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