Daily Clips: February 28, 2017

Daily Clips: February 28, 2017

US News ranks WA state as #5 in country:  They ranked states in terms of infrastructure, economy, crime, opportunity, health care etc…MA came in first, while NH came in second. Diversity rankings of US cities! I’m in a ranking sort of mood. Where do you think Seattle comes? Solar now employs twice as many people as the coal industry:  Hurray! What a fed rate hike in March would mean: On Monday, a combination of domestic and international factors contributed to a significant reassessment by market participants of the probability of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike in March. Now the markets are pricing in a more realistic probability of 52 percent, up from less than 40 percent last week .   Paul Constant describes what patriotism means to him:  Progressives around the country are marking President Donald Trump’s first state of the union address with videos, tweets, and Facebook posts marked with the “#ProudPatriot” hashtag. Here, Mr. Constant wrote a moving Medium piece where puts forward a very admirable vision of patriotism. It is our duty as Americans to make America better than it was yesterday.This can seem like an impossible task in a time when immigrants and trans Americans face life-threatening consequences from discriminatory, shoddily written executive orders. But I also see people every day who are working to improve the nation, from government employees doing their jobs in uncertain circumstances to protesters fighting for LGBTQ rights to politicians who are trying to do the best they can by their constituents. Tweet of the day: Tax-raising liberal Jerry Brown and tax-slashing true believer Sam Brownback took office at the same time. How's it going? pic.twitter.com/hX8qflHSRO — Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) February 28, 2017

Daily Clips: February 27, 2017

Daily Clips: February 27, 2017

George W. Bush: Media essential to democracy:  We live in odd times. The Treasury is considering 50-year bonds:   Having a liquid market is valuable, but the market is telling other bond issuers that it wants lots more long-term debt. The Treasury should sell more 30-year bonds, and even 50-year or 100-year bonds to meet that demand. Ireland, Belgium and Mexico have recently sold 100-year bonds. Ford, Disney and Coca-Cola have sold 100-year bonds as well. The Canadian Pacific Corp. sold a 1,000-year bond. And many governments, such as the U.K., have issued bonds that have no maturity date at all: Called perpetuals or consols, these bonds continue paying a coupon year-after-year until the principal is redeemed. The U.K. recently redeemed the consols that had financed its earlier wars against Napoleon and the kaiser. The subtle force of Tom Perez:  I, for one, I am quite pleased with the Perez selection and I’m on the far-left flanks of the Democratic Party. Justin Miller at American Prospect has a very good piece on the DNC’s new chair: Perez has proven himself an able handyman, steering a dizzying array of labor rules and regulations through Washington’s often-stymied bureaucracy despite constant political threats and general hostility coming from Republicans and the business lobby. Those include not only the overtime rule, but an expansion of federal labor protections to cover home-care workers; a long-shot crusade to establish new standards in the retirement-advising industry; an executive order to use the federal government’s contracting process to create good jobs; and a stern guidance aimed at stopping rampant worker misclassification. These Iowans voted for Trump. Many of them are already disappointed:  Morons. I’m not apart of the liberal crew that think we need to “level with” Trump supporters. I know this is a contentious position to hold. Charles Blow had a fantastic column the other day which summarized my feelings better than I could ever hope to articulate: This is why I have no patience for liberal talk of reaching
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Daily Clips: February 24, 2017

Daily Clips: February 24, 2017

CPAC attendees waved Russian flags:  What is happening to the Republican Party? How the Democrats can hijack the tax-reform debate:  Harold Meyerson over at American Prospect puts together a deep analysis of the economy and how Democrats (particularly in ’18) can win the economic debate. America’€™s monopolies are holding back the economy: Monopoly is a main driver of inequality , as profits concentrate more wealth in the hands of the few. The effects of monopoly enrage voters in their day-to-day lives, as they face the sky-high prices set by drug-company cartels and the abuses of cable providers , health insurers , and airlines . Monopoly provides much of the funds the wealthy use to distort American politics . Obamacare popularity highest in nearly seven years as repeal talk mounts:  I cannot describe how frustrated this makes me. Tweet of the day: He yelled "Get out of my country," witnesses say, and then shot 2 men from India, killing one https://t.co/92wUll37jQ — Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 24, 2017

Daily Clips: February 23, 2017

Daily Clips: February 23, 2017

Kevin Brady is this week’s Trickle Downer:  I’m sure it’s very difficult to choose just ONE trickle downer per week, but somehow Justin Miller manages. This week he highlights House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady. Brady and Paul Ryan are “hawking a “border adjustment” tax (BAT) that would levy what is essentially a tariff on imports and a rebate on exports.” Trump again vows to bring back U.S. jobs, but offers few details:  Has he ever offered any details? Boehner: Republicans won’t repeal and replace Obamacare Philly, PA: Soda companies, supermarkets report 30-50 pct. sales drop from 1.5 cent per ounce soda tax While transit use declines elsewhere, it’s booming in Seattle Tweet of the day: Betsy DeVos introduces herself as "the first person to tell Bernie Sanders to his face that there's no such thing as a free lunch." — Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) February 23, 2017

Daily Clips: February 22, 2017

Daily Clips: February 22, 2017

Trump may revoke transgender bathroom rules:  Back to the closet you go! What is it with old white men and not being ok with different people? Americans Are Drowning in Student Debt—Can Trump Save Them?  Trump’s student loan “plan” actually is quite liberal. During the campaign, he suggested that loan  payments should be capped at 12.5 of a borrower’s income, with the ability to earn loan forgiveness after 15 years. Top put this plan in perspective, Obama’s REPAYE plan “has borrowers pay 10 percent of their income over 20 to 25 years before qualifying for forgiveness.” Ryan’s tax plan is headed for failure:  Jennifer Rubin (who once was considered a Republican) criticizes Paul Ryan’s quite silly tax plan. Worth a read, if only to see Rubin lambasting the GOP’s rising star. Mitch Mcconnell says, “Winners make policy, losers go home” : Could he be any more of a dick? Tweet of the day: I wonder how many members of Congress would vote to raise the minimum wage if they were forced to live on $7.25 an hour for a year. — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 22, 2017

Daily Clips: February 21, 2017

Daily Clips: February 21, 2017

Resistance isn’t enough, says David Brooks: The central task for many of us now is not to resist Donald Trump. He’ll seal his own fate. It’s to figure out how to replace him — how to respond to the slow growth and social disaffection that gave rise to him with some radically different policy mix. Unions in the precarious economy:  Wow. If you want to really understand unions and their place in the US economy, you should read this piece. Extremely detailed. Washington drivers facing sticker shock in latest car-tab renewal bills: ST-3 was passed this November and to pay for the expansion, the car-tab tax will be raised by 0.8% based on a vehicle’s value. Mark Cuban: Robots will ‘cause unemployment and we need to prepare for it’ Jay Inslee for president? Governor’s profile is on the rise:  In my mind, there’s no way Jay is considering this opportunity. But it’s only 3 years until the election, so of course, let’s hype this story up. How to watch Mayor Ed Murray’s State of the City address from the Idris Mosque Tweet of the day: Trickle down economics is a fraudulent theory designed by the rich and their think tanks to protect billionaires and large corporations. — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 21, 2017

Daily Clips: February 17, 2017

Daily Clips: February 17, 2017

Inslee takes on Trump: State Republican Party Chair Susan Hutchison is trying to play to those questions, suggesting that Inslee might be interested in running for president himself. It’s one of the oldest political tactics used against a governor who deals with national politics: Get people to wonder whether their governor is working for them or just raising his own political profile. Hutchison claims to have “sources.” The West Coast is leading the way: Excellent podcast on Oregon, California, and Washington’s resistance. Puzder out, Acosta in: At the outset, Acosta appears to be a mild choice compared with Puzder. As a member of the Federalist Society and a former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, Acosta is unquestionably a staunch conservative, but he also is well regarded in government circles as a thoughtful colleague with a sharp legal mind. Democrats finally have a chance to take back the Washington Senate—and turn the state blue: What’s more, Democrats just recruited a very strong candidate , prosecutor Manka Dhingra, while Republicans still haven’t figured out who they’re running. Rossi hasn’t made up his mind, though it sounds like he’s viewing the position as a placeholder job . But no matter who picks up the baton for the GOP, they’re going to have a hell of a time hanging on to a seat where Trump got just 28 percent of the vote. Tweet of the day: Trump just dipped below 40% approval in Gallup; disapproval now higher than 55%. He's at 38-56. https://t.co/CmxBuQhvtb pic.twitter.com/XjVOXRei4U — Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) February 17, 2017

Andrew Puzder Was Terrible, but He’s Not an Aberration

Andrew Puzder Was Terrible, but He’s Not an Aberration

Daily Clips: February 15, 2017

Daily Clips: February 15, 2017

Are we headed for another Watergate? It’s been a long time, but remember this: The road to Watergate and the resignation of Richard Nixon began in April 1969, three months after his inauguration, when the president ordered Mr. Kissinger to wiretap members of his own staff in an effort to stop embarrassing leaks of secret information. One thing led to another until the commander in chief was athwart the Constitution. It’s been barely three weeks since the Trump team took office, and a distinct aroma has started wafting out of Washington, what Mr. Kissinger is said to have called “the odious smell of truth.” Welcome to the new dark ages, where only the wealthy can retire : The important thing to remember, however, is that none of this is as “inevitable” as the politicians would have us think. Many societies have an ageing population. But not all of them are willing to shove a frail 75-year-old back into a cut-throat service economy. That’s a specialism of societies that have embraced the utter madness of neoclassical economics, such as the UK and the US. Reichert votes against releasing trump taxes : What a guy. Monopolies are worse than we thought: There’s now evidence that market concentration could also be hurting workers , by decreasing the share of national income that they receive. It’s probably making inequality worse . Tweet of the day: finally asked at end of news conference about his campaign's contacts with Russian intelligence, Trump mouths "thank you" — John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) February 15, 2017

Daily Clips: February 14, 2017

Daily Clips: February 14, 2017

Ding, dong Michael Flynn is gone:  Valentine’s Day just got a whole lot better. The relentless pace of automation:  Yesterday, the Civic Skunk Works gang was talking about the automation crisis and the threat it represented to low-income workers. This MIT piece on automation would have come in handy during our discussion (that was filled with more generalities than we would have liked). Yellen’s testimony today:  Over at Crossing Wall Street (an investing/economics blog) there is a full breakdown of her Monetary Policy Report. The left needs to move beyond resistance: After all, at some point, the newly activated masses aren’t just going to want to protest against things, they will also want to be for something. As they start looking around for concrete alternatives, the Democrats are the only thing on offer. All the energy and effort of the Bush era gave us the neoliberal stagnation of Obama. Alex Jones being Alex Jones:  This is, verbatim, what he said on air. Prosperity makes monsters, adversity makes men. And every metric shows it: Un — off the chart depression, off the chart cancer, off the chart obesity, off the chart everything bad. And then you look at the controllers, who know all this and they’re trying to make it worse because — I used to think it was [unintelligible] said this, that they were doing all this because they were in competition with thinkers. No, no, no, no, no. Tweet of the day: Income inequality isn't the half of it: The racial wealth gap is stupefying. pic.twitter.com/7e8QLmJbfX — Lydia DePillis (@lydiadepillis) February 14, 2017

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