Recent comments

  • The bill is massive, so I haven't dug out all of the details but one of those subsidies was cut, a direct payment to farmers which is the one where rich or not received corporate welfare. See reuters factbox.

    But they shifted those subsidies into "insurance payments", so the corporate welfare appears to be simply shifted and hidden. This is $4.5 billion but the details on the insurance payments are not fully understood.

    Burying a corporate payola in legislation is often done with a semicolon and tricky referencing, so to be determined.

    Credibility: Lawrence O’Donnell is akin to quoting Bill OReilly. We cannot trust either of them for actual facts.

    Reply to: Corporate Welfare vs. Public Welfare   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • Washington Post: Another member of Congress is retiring to become a lobbyist after facing years of allegations that he violated House rules and federal law by using campaign funds to pay for personal trips to Scotland and Los Angeles—and by using a graduation party for his daughter to raise campaign cash.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/02/04/n-j-demo...

    Reply to: Corporate Welfare vs. Public Welfare   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • I hate to tell you but the German's did not invent this piss poor treatment of employees, the American companies did.

    They do it because they can. They could not do such piss poor treatment of workers in Germany due the nation's strong labor laws and unions.

    Ain't America grand? So much freedom to labor arbitrage the U.S. worker.

    Reply to: How Foreign Investors Treat American Employees   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • Read this excellent post from the co-founder, Paul Craig Roberts:

    "How Junk Economists Help The Rich Impoverish The Working Class"

    http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2014/01/28/junk-economists-help-rich-imp...

    Reply to: Inequality: From 1776 to the Present   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • Reaganomics was successful, it's goal was to keep the minimum wage low and wages in general as low as possible freeing up investment capitol, giving the lions share of the wealth to the fewest number of people. Check. It is good for the wealthiest, bad for the poor and middle class.

    Reply to: Inequality: From 1776 to the Present   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • They are passing a farm bill which has drastic further cuts to food stamps. Of course subsidies to corporate farms are in the billions still.

    Reply to: GDP 3.2% for Q4 2013   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • Reply to: GDP 3.2% for Q4 2013   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • Don't we all think the putting a lie in the title of a bill introduced in Congress should be outlawed?

    That's a clear corporate bill so employers do not have to provide health insurance to their workers. I'm sure the lie is trying to claim that if America returns to slave labor we'll have more job creation.

    (If we reduce wages and benefits to levels no one but a corpse could survive on, employers would hire more).

    Isn't this tiring? One needs a staff of 20,000 to keep track of all of the lies and manipulations coming out of D.C.

    Reply to: Obamacare Outsourced   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • The GOP's proposed a bill: The Save American Workers Act (it's all of 2 pages long, not counting the congressional credits), and says:

    "To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the 30-hour threshold for classification as a full-time employee for purposes of the employer mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and replace it with 40 hours.

    What it the game plan with this?

    SOURCE:
    http://waysandmeans.house.gov/Components/Redirect/r.aspx?ID=396597-25418008

    Reply to: Obamacare Outsourced   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • They are going to flood the U.S. labor market with so many guest worker Visas everybody in America's job is probably at risk.

    The GOP is making a deal so U.S. workers are going to be screwed so badly, probably so bad, nothing seen like it since maybe the time they shot people for trying to unionize, child labor, in the 1897.

    This is a real disaster heading this way for the U.S. citizen worker.

    Reply to: Trading Jobs for Ropes   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • I tune into the whores on TV once or twice a day to see what BS they spew or allow traitors to spew without daring to follow up with a legitimate question. I just saw a former mayor of Houston say that there was no way to verify whether or not someone in the US was a citizen or here legally so basically anyone here should be legal. Read that again, and again, and again. E-verify? Ever heard of it? Social Security numbers used to be one per customer, but I guess those days are done, now they only allow people around the world and here in the US to steal our $ and lives. This is what stands for "representation," eh? An elected executive in one of our biggest cities flat-out lying about the laws of the land, law enforcement, jobs, job creation, etc., etc. And of course the whores/puppets on TV and in government won't dare ask a question or follow up with the truth or anything else to make the shills uncomfortable. But hey, we can be homeless, struggle, and/or die, but don't dare interfere with the criminals and their corruption. Hey, is Dimon still collecting $20 million/year for Jefferson County bribes, the White Whale trades, derivatives, forging foreclosures, laundering money, manipulating silver and aluminum and oil, laundering Corzine's MF Global money, etc.? Is Buffett defending Dimon? Is our govt. take bribes/contributions from Wall Street and corporations on both sides? Is our country sold out and Rome circa 4th century? Is our currency devalued while private citizens/businesses control our finances via the Fed and Treasury? Yup.

    Here's an easy question for any moron in govt. or Wall Street or elsewhere to answer (but is actually impossible because it requires thought and integrity): is America's middle class doing better or worse in real terms following NAFTA, CAFTA, the repeal of Glass-Steagall, TARP, ZIRP, QE 1- infinity . . . ? Easy, right? In real terms, better or worse? Come on Fox, MSNBC, Bloomberg, CBS, ABC, CNN, an easy question to ask all day every day? No, too hard? Time for Knox distractions? Beiber distractions? "Dancing with the Stars"? Ah, yes, puppets dance on, dance on, obey the people with the $ pulling the strings, Versailles also had its distractions.

    "[A]ll the whores and politicians will look up and shout "Save us!"... and I'll whisper "no." "Watchmen."

    Reply to: Trading Jobs for Ropes   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • By SAM POLKJAN - January 2014

    "In my last year on Wall Street my bonus was $3.6 million — and I was angry because it wasn’t big enough. I was 30 years old, had no children to raise, no debts to pay, no philanthropic goal in mind. I wanted more money for exactly the same reason an alcoholic needs another drink: I was addicted."

    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/opinion/sunday/for-the-love-of-money.h...

    Reply to: Cash Hoarding becomes an Addiction   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • By CASEY B. MULLIGAN

    "Employees in families with income of less than 400 percent of the poverty line will lose access to generous federal subsidies if they make themselves eligible for employer health coverage by working full time at an employer that offers coverage to such employees. In other words, employees may have something to gain, or less to lose than they did before this year, by limiting themselves to a 29-hour work schedule....As the new law goes into full effect the next couple of years, I expect that more than 2 percent of workers will be 29ers."

    economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/shes-a-29er/

    Reply to: Obamacare Ain't Lookin' Too Caring   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • other hand...we always thought you were ok. ;)

    That line - "I have come to believe that I am the problem". No, you ain't. The policies that are funneling to the wealthy our output that would otherwise be creating opportunity or quality of life improvement for ALL of us, are. The forces arrayed against you, against all of us, have no soul, and want to deprive us of everything we have as output. They don't want to kill us, they want to stand us up against the wall with their claws as we live and struggle, and their goal is to collect from us into the grave and beyond. (A dead debtor can't make you any money, but they are working on that).

    Doesn't really sound like any of that is your doing, eh? Nor are you big enough by yourself, (or even with a couple hundred thousand neighbors) to do much - so it couldn't possibly be your fault.

    So time to bite the bullet. What we used to have is gone and likely not coming back in our lifetime, and I think we are just going to circle the drain for at least 2-3 decades, maybe more. All in all, past both our lifetimes. (Tens of millions could cooperate and make things better, I just don't see the scale of the work it would take being implemented)

    But if you know things like that are coming, do some learning to make yourself better at survival. Spend some time looking around for other things to do (like you have been, but do something new, because the old stuff isn't working). Learn how to make it through the day with a long stick and hat, and still be happy. (That takes practice, if you are used to using computers).

    Know this. YOU decide how you will look at the day, not them. No one can "make" you feel a certain way about something. That is entirely unique and within your control. You aren't in North Korea, and you aren't in a U.S. prison camp. You are doing better than some. It ain't much, but you do the best you can with what you have, and that will help you with that self-esteem issue.

    Shed the memory of what was. It. doesn't. matter. What matters is what's in front, and what you can do with it. You now know that this is not your fault, right? Do not let those bastards beat you down. Fight them.

    Your sister is lucky to have you. (Just watch A&E to see what she might have wound up with otherwise - EEK!).

    Good luck.

    Reply to: Long-Term Unemployed Baby Boomers in 2013   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • I am 51 years old and was laid off in 2008 from my job as a quotes administrator with a large aerospace company. I have some technical trade school certifications and have been working since I was 14 years old. I have been looking for a job for over 5 years now and have had two interviews in that whole period of time. I lost my job first, then I lost my home, my husband, my car, and my world has simply turned from normal to a constant nightmare. I have been at the mercy of the environment, and I get no benefits except for SNAP food benefits. I am so disheartened and have thought many times that it would be easier if I were not here anymore. I have come to believe that I am the problem. I have suffered great losses in the last 5 years and it all started with losing my job. I have been a survivor of many situations in my life, and I have only one person who is my family. I ave no where to turn, and I am discouraged and my self esteem is in the proverbial toilet. I just want a job and I cannot find one anywhere. I understand completely where you are coming from. I feel like my life is over. It really is. Even my own sister calls me a freeloader now. It cant get much worse than this.

    Reply to: Long-Term Unemployed Baby Boomers in 2013   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • There will be a breaking point when the money paid to advertise the campaigns of treacherous politicians won't work. The political pendualum is at or near its fascist apex, and I suspect will swing back until all these corrupt top hoarders (afterall, it is crony capitalism that allowed for such accumulation in the frst place) are hanging from lampposts.

    Not a wish, just an observation.

    Reply to: Cash Hoarding becomes an Addiction   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • This is a (probably paid) "social media branding" troll and I let one through the anonymous moderation queue to give a solid example of one.

    Kind of amazing isn't it? Someone sitting in the 3rd world somewhere writing comments for probably a penny or maybe 3, to promote billionaires.

    It's true, you can find these jobs online, where they pay people in 3rd world countries pennies to write comments on sites and so on.

    Reply to: Cash Hoarding becomes an Addiction   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • with videos of billionaires blasting regular people, see here. Narcissism at it's finest.

    Reply to: Inequality: From 1776 to the Present   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • All of the euphemisms employed by corporations are sad/amusing. Target's "guests" (customers). A retail store's "associates" (and this seems to be nearly universal). Obligatory meetings dubbed "team building". I often have wondered, silently, how many of my peers in these situations (for I've worked in retail) knew what the term "doublespeak" meant, or where it was first referenced.

    Reply to: Cash Hoarding becomes an Addiction   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:
  • you are going to stand by and support this comment "The truth is people don't need anywhere close to even 28,000 a year to live happily," ???

    If not anywhere close, then what? 10,000? is that the right number? Are you talking within the borders of the continental US or Thailand or Bolivia? Because if it's in the US you MIGHT be able to keep from dying from exposure on $28,000 a year in some parts of the country. Happy? highly unlikely.

    In all honesty you just laid out a huge crapper. It's been your way for over 34 years at least in the US and what do we have to show for it? A rapidly declining middle class, stagnant wages, declining social mobility, declining life spans and on and on it goes ... I don't think we will agree I'll just leave it at that

    Reply to: Cash Hoarding becomes an Addiction   10 years 10 months ago
    EPer:

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