Just in from CNN

[LogGrad98]

You are so out of touch with this, Log.

I walk at work with a guy who's 71. He's been ranting and raving about state workers not getting the same pay raises or benefits as Utah state congressional members ever since I started here ten years ago. I politely correct him every time but he's one of those old guy repeater types, but has apparently been that way for several decades according to other co-workers.

Your rantings about this, like every other mainstream thinking, are exactly opposite and smell of old man think (no offense, I know you aren't there yet and I deplore the day I get there). Congress' pay is a pittance compared to their station and commensurate with their experience, and it's nothing compared to the Founding Father's pay. Go measure Washington's pay that he so humbly refused in comparison to gold. It was somewhere between $18,000,000 and $25,000,000 in equivalent currency, based on the price of gold.

What our current REPRESENTATIVES get paid is a shame. Pay them some more money and support honest and wise men and maybe the lobby issue will go away. Extra long winded addition: Look at Chaffets quiting the daily grind. That was one honest dude IMO, regardless of whether I agreed with anything he said or not. I would vote for him if he ran again, regardless of stance.

I was not talking about local or state politics. I was instead referring to the issue when the economy tanked in 2008 timeframe and federal workers had their pay frozen and jobs eliminated, all very publically, while congress approved raises for themselves. My mother was a federal worker at the end of her career then and took a hit to her retirement over the whole thing. Now again, I am not saying congress shouldn't be paid fairly, but so often they seem to fail to recognize that timing and public perception are key. For several years before that they had actually put off their own raises, and since then there has not been a raise approved (although that is largely a result of infighting and an increase in lobbyist dollars in washington) but then to choose to take the raise when they also passed laws that negatively affected other federal workers shows some bad judgement really.

I do believe that our representatives need to be paid fairly for what they do, especially at state and local levels, but at the highest levels they show again and again how out of touch they are with the populace as a whole.

Overall congressional pay is reasonable imo, and could probably actually go up a bit. But another thing to consider is that there is virtually no one in congress that is not one of the storied "1%". One thing that cannot be quantified accurately is the perks and lobby dollars associated with it. More than a few lawmakers greatly extended their personal wealth after they entered office and virtually none of them were relegated to the "poor house" as a result. It could be argued that any of them could make more in the private sector, but to me that is a straw man argument with no way to prove it one way or the other, as simply comparing "similar position and title" is not a valid comparison as it assumes that each of them would basically be a CEO or a high-powered attorney and that simply isn't true.


Now this whole thing could easily devolve into an argument over fair relative pay for different members of society, like teachers, policemen, firemen, doctors, nurses, professional athletes, and politicians, among many others. Is pay equitable for service performed compared to all others, etc.

 

[Gameface]

On tax cuts, Trump is the modern day JFK

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/14/opinions/trump-modern-jfk-opinion-moore/index.html

(CNN)How sad is it that the party that brought us John F. Kennedy's tax cuts, economic growth and higher wages is now the party that puts redistribution ahead of prosperity.

Not a single House Democrat on November 16 or Senate Democrat on December 2 voted for their version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Not one.
Some argue that the Trump tax cut will increase the deficit, but they should listen to the wisdom of JFK in 1962, when he, too, was battling a large deficit. President Kennedy declared at the New York Economic Club that "it is a paradoxical truth that tax rates are too high today and tax revenues are too low -- and the soundest way to raise revenues in the long run is to cut rates now.''

JFK knew that America's biggest problem was not the budget deficit but a growth deficit. And based on Donald Trump's proposed tax cuts, he seems to share JFK's wisdom.

Kennedy was, of course, proven exactly right. After the tax cuts were enacted after his death, America experienced one of the greatest periods of prosperity in our history.

Larry Kudlow's 2016 book "JFK and The Reagan Revolution" documented the post-JFK tax cut growth spurt. "The tax payments by the wealthiest filers nearly doubled," he wrote. "We had many quarters of 6% growth back then."
That same effect was duplicated when Ronald Reagan chopped the top income tax rate from 70 to 28% and the corporate rate from 46 to 34%. The share of taxes paid by the richest 1% rose around 6% from 1980 to 1990. Total tax revenues surged from $517 billion in 1980 to just over $1 trillion by 1990.

 

[Gameface]

Companies wasted no time announcing plans to use some of their steep tax savings to boost their workers.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/12/20/news/companies/wells-fargo-bonuses-tax-cuts/index.html

Wells Fargo (WFC) and Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) said they plan to hike their company-wide minimum wages to $15 an hour. Other firms including Comcast (CCZ) and AT&T promised $1,000 bonuses.

Congressional Republicans on Wednesday pushed sweeping tax reform legislation through both chambers, and it now heads to President Trump for his signature. Among other things, it will slice the corporate tax rate to 21% from 35%.

AT&T

The telecom firm said it will give 200,000 employees a $1,000 bonus.

In a statement, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson hailed "Congress, working with the President" for taking a "monumental step" that will "create good-paying jobs."

(AT&T (T) is seeking to acquire Time Warner, CNN's parent company. The Department of Justice sued to block the deal in November.)

Boeing

The aerospace giant said it will spend $300 million on workers. The funds will be split evenly among worker training, upgrading facilities and a program that matches employees' charitable contributions.

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg "praised" the tax bill as "a critical driver of business, economic growth and innovation for the United States and for Boeing," according to a press release.

Comcast

The telecom firm, which owns NBCUniversal, said it will give out "special" $1,000 holiday bonuses to more than 100,000 "frontline and non-executive" employees.

Comcast also expects to "spend well in excess of $50 billion over the next five years investing in infrastructure to radically improve and extend our broadband plant and capacity, and our television, film and theme park offerings," according to a press release issued Wednesday night. "With these investments, we expect to add thousands of new direct and indirect jobs."

Two company spokesmen confirmed the announcement was tied to tax reform.

Fifth Third Bancorp

The financial services company says it will raise its company-wide hourly minimum wage to $15, signaling a pay raise for about 75% of its employees.

The bank also pledged to give out $1,000 bonuses to about 13,500 of its workers.

CEO Greg Carmichael attributed the move to the tax legislation. "The tax cut allowed the bank the opportunity to reevaluate its compensation structure and share some of those benefits with its talented and dedicated workforce," the company said in a statement.

Wells Fargo

The mega bank said it will hike its minimum hourly pay rate to $15. That will mark a $1.50 increase over the company's current minimum of $13.50 per hour.

Wells Fargo said the new minimum will become effective in March 2018.

The bank also said it will increase its charitable giving by about 40% to $400 million.

 

[Stoked]

If companies continue to do these kind of things well into 2018 that could spell trouble for the Ds in the 2018 elections. You just know that he is crowing. How long before he has a rally over this?

If the Rs pass a continuing resolution and extend CHIP funding for kids they have crushed the Ds to finish the year.

 

[JazzGal]

If these corporate tax cuts really make their way down to the workers instead of the shareholders, I will happily admit I was wrong about the tax bill and trickle down economics. Let's hope these companies follow through on what they say and that thousands of other businesses follow their lead.

I work for the State, so the trickle down will have to go a long way before it reaches me.

 

[Gameface]

Why Trump isn't getting the credit he thinks he deserves

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/26/politics/donald-trump-credit-year/index.html

While Trump's supporters approve of his actions and crusade against the establishment status quo, a majority does not, and it is Trump's conduct and personality, more than his list of campaign promises kept, that is dictating how his first 11 months in office are perceived.
The President has shown little sign of examining why he may not be getting full political value for a record that, contrary to his claims, is not the most glittering of any first-year president.
Trump, before leaving for his Christmas and New Years break in Florida, took a sarcastic shot at media appraisals of his record.

"With all my Administration has done on Legislative Approvals (broke Harry Truman's Record), Regulation Cutting, Judicial Appointments, Building Military, VA, TAX CUTS & REFORM, Record Economy/Stock Market and so much more, I am sure great credit will be given by mainstream news?" he wrote on Twitter Friday.

 

[JazzGal]

^This.

 

[franklin]

And then there is this ****:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/27/politics/barack-obama-hillary-clinton-gallup/index.html

(CNN)Former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remain the most admired man and woman in the United States -- a 10-year trend for Obama and 16 years running for Clinton.

Gallup's December poll found 17% of respondents named Obama the man they admired most, a dip from 22% of respondents saying the same last year. President Donald Trump took second place with 14% of respondents citing him when asked, open-ended, to name the man they admired most.

This is such a useless poll with obvious flaws. Why is CNN reporting on it? Because they seek to gain the political trash following that Fox News and MSNBC has.

*For the record, I vote Vanna White as most admired woman and Pat Sajak for the male award. I want to be as timeless.

 

[Archie Moses]

Grade A reporting here.

 

[DutchJazzer]

might be just me, but it seems any coverage of IRAN seems pro dictator murder regime. but then again that might just be me!

 

[Gameface]

Feds actively investigating Clinton Foundation

http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/05/politics/clinton-foundation-arkansas-probe/index.html

(CNN)Federal authorities are actively investigating allegations of corruption related to the Clinton Foundation, the charity of Bill and Hillary Clinton, according to a US official briefed on the matter.

The FBI and federal prosecutors are looking into whether donors to the foundation were improperly promised policy favors or special access to Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state in exchange for donations to the charity's coffers, as well as whether tax-exempt funds were misused, the official said.
The investigation, led by the FBI field office in Little Rock, Arkansas, is being overseen by the US attorney's office in the state, according to the source.

 

[babe]

well, this looks good to me. a number of articles out from CNN like this.

I think the future of the dem party hangs on proving a realistic sense of values, fair play, and common human decency. This from the guy who thought Trump was Hillary's Perot.