The Diversion

Political Cartoon is by Bill Day at floridapolitics.com.

Hispanics In The United States (4 Charts)

These charts are from the Pew Research Center, and paint a mini-portrait of Hispanics in the United States.

The top chart shows the number of people with Hispanic heritage living in the United States.

The second chart shows the number from each country of ancestry.

The third shows the percentage that are citizens of the United States.

The bottom chart shows the 10 states with the largest Hispanic populations.

Believe Him ?

Political Cartoon is by Darrin Bell at darrinbell.com.

Trump Whines And Blames Victims For His Failure

On Saturday, Trump responded to Puerto Rican officials who were begging for help by whining and blaming others. He could have responded by taking more action to get adequate help to the victims in Puerto Rico, but he didn't do that. Instead, he blamed Puerto Racan officials, Democrats, the media, and the citizens of Puerto Rico for making him look bad. It may well have been the lowest point of his troubled presidency so far.

Here is Dan Rather's response to Trump shameful narcissism:

Excuse me, Mr. President but your tantrum tweet storm this morning attacking the mayor of San Juan, a fellow American citizen dealing with a real-time life and death struggle for hundreds of thousands of her constituents on an island of millions in crisis, is not only far below the dignity of the office you hold. It fails even the most basic test of humanity. 

Did she have harsh words for your Administration's response to the aftermath of Hurricane Maria? Yes. It's called a reality check, and one that conforms to every firsthand account coming out of Puerto Rico no matter how much you try to deflect with your "Fake News" epithets. To take this personally is to put ego before country. And you also blame the Puerto Ricans themselves? That they want "everything done for them"? No. They just expect to be treated as any other American would. 

I have seen more than my share of wretched desperation over the course of my career. I have reported from crisis zones where matters of life and death hang moment to moment in the balance between action and inaction, where communication is limited, and the sense of panic is building. I have seen the most steadfast of leaders feel the crushing weight of responsibility as they survey a landscape of almost incomprehensible need. 

It does not take a saintly amount of compassion or empathy to feel for those who are struggling to stay alive, who are worried for the fate of family and friends, and who have seen so much that they have known and loved blown and washed away. You swore to "faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States" and that means a responsibility to look out for all Americans, even if they live on an island in the ocean, or look different or even speak a different language than what you think is America.

I worry that whoever has your ear has not adequately impressed upon you the gravity of this situation, or even the political price you are likely to pay (although that can be no where near the top concern at the moment). Or perhaps you have been told and haven't listened. 

Regardless, what Puerto Rico needs now is not rhetoric but help, not a bumbling response, but the precision and competence we expect of our government. I do not believe "blame the victim" is what Americans expect of their president.

Trump's "Katrina"

Political Cartoon is by Clay Jones at claytoonz.com.

An Act Of Patriotism

Less Of An Insult

Most Think Americans Are NOT Informed Voters

The chart above was made from information in a recent Rasmussen Poll -- done on September 24th and 25th of a random national sample of 1,000 likely voters, with a 3 point margin of error.

Only 12% of Americans believe their fellow Americans are informed voters, while 76% believe they are not informed voters. After seeing who the voters chose as president in the last election, I would have to agree with the 76% (three out of every 4 people).

A Win (For The Rich)

Political Cartoon is by Tom Tales in The Washington Post.

The Trump/GOP Tax Cut Is NOT For The Middle Class

Donald Trump has said the tax plan proposed by him (and the congressional Republicans) is designed to help the middle class -- not the rich. That is nothing short of an outrageous LIE!

The chart above is from the Tax Policy Center of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institute. They looked at the proposal, and what they found is no surprise to many of us. It turns out that the bottom 80% of Americans will get a tiny increase in the income they get to keep. The 80% to 95% bracket will actually see their taxes increase. The big beneficiaries of the tax proposal are the rich -- especially the top 1% (and of course, the corporations).

Don't fall for the Trump/Republican lies. This is NOT a middle class tax cut. It is a huge giveaway to the rich and the corporations. That should not surprise anyone, since those are the only entities the congressional Republicans really care about.

Too Much

Political Cartoon is by Matt Wuerker at politico.com.

This Country Does NOT Need A Corporate Tax Cut

(This image of corporate greed was found at TIMnovate. I don't know who the artist was who drew it.)

The biggest winners of all in the tax cuts proposed by Trump and his GOP cohorts are corporations -- the entity least in need of a tax cut. Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich gives us 6 reasons why corporations should not get a tax cut:

Trump and Republicans are trying to sell you the idea that American corporations need a tax cut in order to be competitive. That’s rubbish. Here are 6 reasons why:

First, American corporations don’t need it in order to be competitive internationally. After tax credits and deductions, their effective tax rate is just about the same as paid by corporations in most of our major trading partners, according to the U.S. Treasury. 

Second, American corporations are making more money than ever. Their after-tax profits are a higher share of the total economy than ever. American corporations earn nearly half of all global profits, even though the U.S. economy is about a fifth the size of the world economy.

Third, the long-term competitiveness of American corporations depends far more on a well-educated and skilled workforce, modern infrastructure, and basic research than on tax rates. And the way we finance these necessary public investment is through … taxes.

Fourth, American corporations are now paying less in taxes than they have in 65 years. Corporate tax receipts are the lowest percentage of the economy since just after World War II. If corporate taxes are cut, you will have to pay even more in taxes in order to make up the difference.

Fifth, if their taxes were cut, corporations won’t use the extra money to make new investments in plant, equipment, research and development, or jobs. They’re already using their vast stockpiles of cash to buy back shares and thereby boost stock prices, and for extravagant bonuses and salaries to CEOs and other top executives. That’s what they would do with any additional cash. 

Sixth, the reason they’re not investing more is because consumers don’t have the purchasing power to buy more, and that’s because most people’s incomes have gone nowhere for decades. And why is that? Because corporations have been holding down wages by outsourcing abroad, substituting software for jobs, contracting work out to part-time workers, and fighting unions. 

A corporate tax cut is the wrong solution to the wrong problem. The real problem is stagnant wages of most Americans, coupled with declining public investments in schools, roads, public transportation, and basic research – all the things average working Americans need in order to become more productive and get higher wages. To finance these we need higher corporate taxes, not lower.

Government Waste

Political Cartoon is by Lalo Alcaraz.

Imagine