Political Discussion

[AnthonyI]

I have more about this if you want to read.

Top Senate Democrats are pulling a plan to penalize large corporations that don't have a $15 per hour minimum wage, two sources confirmed to The Hill.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) floated their "Plan B" after the parliamentarian ruled that a straight increase of the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour didn't comply with arcane budget rules that govern what can be included in the coronavirus relief bill.

Under the backup plan, outlined on Friday by Wyden, large corporations would get a 5 percent tax penalty if they paid workers less than a certain amount, with the amount of the penalty increasing over time. Democrats were also looking at giving tax incentives to small businesses to raise their wages.

But Democrats have dropped the effort, with one source familiar telling The Hill that there were concerns that working out the details could slow down the overall coronavirus bill. Democrats want to get the bill to President Biden's desk before unemployment benefits expire in a matter of weeks.

"We worked through the weekend and it became clear that finalizing Plan B with the caucus would delay passage and risk going over the jobless benefits cliff on March 14," the source said.

Senate Democrats nix 'Plan B' on minimum wage hike

Top Senate Democrats are pulling a plan to penalize large corporations that don't have a $15 per hour minimum wage, two sources confirmed to The Hill.

thehill.com

Why does it feel more and more like our two parties are just in a never ending game of chicken to see who flinches first..........of course, as always, it's not THEIR lives or lively hood at risk.

 

[Nee Lewman]

Why does it feel more and more like our two parties are just in a never ending game of chicken to see who flinches first..........of course, as always, it's not THEIR lives or lively hood at risk.

That’s exactly what’s going on.

to further on @nolalady and @Chucktshoes conversation, the republic also started to fail when the people stopped caring. No one writes or calls their senators anymore. They just get mad and don’t vote. A democracy actually needs the people to function. The people checked out a long time ago.

 

[RenegadeMonster]

2020 as led Republicans to play right out of Trumps playbook. Many Republicans believe that there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, despite evidence that proves otherwise.

This has lead to many red states taking action to address voter fraud and change election laws.

These new laws suppress the votes of Millennials and Gen Z as well as people of color making it harder for them to vote and as intimidating as possible.

One interesting fact I saw called out on CNN, is in these states such as Arizona, Texas, Georgia and Florida in 2020 people of color turning 18 in 2020 outnumbered white people turning 18 to register to vote. States are looking to make it harder for people to register, longer voter registration deadlines to be eligible to vote not to mention more frequently purging the voter rolls. On top of all this, a huge increase in poll monitors are being called for to combat voter fraud. This is straight up voter intimidation.

Currently the voting populous is composed of older, whiter and wealthier individuals than what the general population is. Many of these new voting laws are aimed at keeping this status quo and suppressing the political power in influence of the younger populous for years to come.

The House of Representatives are looking to address this. They have introduced sweeping new voter rights in the HR 1 Bill. The whole goal of this bill is to make it easier to register to vote and standardize the process across the country. One key part of the bill would make same day voter registration legal in all 50 states.

This bill is expected to pass the House of Representatives without issue with a vote straight down party lines. But it will go to the Senate to Die unless senate democrats use the nuclear option, change senate rules and override the inevitable filibusters the Republicans will surely attempt.

 

[RenegadeMonster]

Wow, I was reading more about how voter suppression laws target Millennials and Gen Z. Basically they try to make it as difficult and cumbersome as possible as well as confusing to deter young people from registering to vote.

Young people tend to move more often than than older people. And the GOP uses this to their advantage. The constitution allows states to purge the voter rolls if they believe a person as moved or died. Any indication that a younger person has moved will result in them being purged from the voting pool automatically. These same states are also eliminating automatically updating voter registration. So if you update your legal address with the state, they won't automatically update your voter registration or give you the option to update it at that time. You have to figure out the voter registration process and do that separately on your own.

Next comes the voter registration deadlines. Which can be 3 months before an election in some states and proposed laws making it longer in some states. If you are bouncing between apartments every year this could result in you not being eligible to vote for one quarter of the year or more. Your voter registration gets purged because you moved. But because you moved, you can participate in an election if you moved within 3 months of that election.

The expanded voter registration requirements that some states are proposing are creating a scenario where college students who move into an apartment at the start of the fall semester could be ineligible to vote in a November election because they missed the voter registration deadline when they moved and updated their address. Young adults in college are much more likely to vote for democrats that republicans.

 

[RenegadeMonster]

No Repeal of the $170 Billion Tax Break for Billionaires and No Change in Minimum Wage: Why Democrats Can't Keep Their Promises in the Relief Bill — TIME

The Democratic party’s unified control of Washington has put them within striking distance of fulfilling a key campaign promise: a coronavirus relief package that will send $1,400 checks to lower and middle-income Americans, extend federal unemployment insurance through the fall, and allot...

apple.news

So, Billionaires get to keep their tax breaks? Was this too extreme and unpopular to push through? Or did all our politicians sell their souls?

 

[Chucktshoes]

No Repeal of the $170 Billion Tax Break for Billionaires and No Change in Minimum Wage: Why Democrats Can't Keep Their Promises in the Relief Bill — TIME

The Democratic party’s unified control of Washington has put them within striking distance of fulfilling a key campaign promise: a coronavirus relief package that will send $1,400 checks to lower and middle-income Americans, extend federal unemployment insurance through the fall, and allot...

apple.news

So, Billionaires get to keep their tax breaks? Was this too extreme and unpopular to push through? Or did all our politicians sell their souls?

The sooner you stop believing politicians give a flying fuck about you, the sooner you can get on with making yourself happy.

100% they are all liars, thieves and a long drop with a short rope is far too merciful of an ending for them.

 

[Chucktshoes]

Neera Tanden’s nomination has been pulled.

https://youtu.be/CAvYFTdwyUM

 

[wokeupnew]

There’s about 200 tenants that my property management company oversees. They’ve thrice sent out emails to the tenant mailing list urging us to vote NO on a Just Cause measure in the upcoming local election. That feels morally wrong for them to take advantage of that influence. They’ve been perfectly adequate landlords, I have had no complaints but this is just rubbing me the wrong way. I will gladly be voting YES for Just Cause and hope to hell it passes. It should pass because Burlington is very progressive, but the wording and way they’re spinning it for low information voters may sway some people. “Your rent will go up if this passes!” ffs

The Just Cause measure passed!!!

Burlington voters approve ‘just cause’ eviction protections, cannabis sales, ranked choice voting - VTDigger

Voters approved all of Burlington’s seven ballot items — including new eviction protections, retail cannabis sales, and regulatory powers to impose carbon taxes on buildings.

vtdigger.org

We also could have had a Bernie 2.0 but the progressive candidate for mayor lost by only 129 votes.

 

[AnthonyI]

The sooner you stop believing politicians give a flying fuck about you, the sooner you can get on with making yourself happy.

While I think this is a very broad stroke, it's hard not to feel this way most times and I can't argue your outcome.

 

[RenegadeMonster]

The SCOTUS saw a case on voting rights out of the state of Arizona yesterday.

And the case was is not looking favorable to anyone but the GOP.

Native Americans brought a lawsuit against Arizona election law stating new election restrictions in Arizona discriminate against Native Americans and diminish their vote.

Since 2005 the Native American vote has been under attack in Arizona. The majority of Native Americans vote by absentee ballots. They have no polling sites of their own on reservations and with Arizona closing and consolidating polling sites the closes ones to reservations were all axed.

Many Native Americans who live on the reservations are in poverty and transportation to polling sites is an issue.

Arizona has also passed strict absentee ballot laws. Absentee ballots can only be delivered by the USPS or by a relative. Any other third party delivery person or service is prohibited and the ballot must be tossed. In addition to this, the ballots can only be dropped of or mailed to the correcting polling site. If they were dropped off at the wrong polling site they would be tossed. Which apparently is common, as the the closest polling sites to the reservations are often not their designated drop off site.

Mailing the ballots is an issue as well. The USPS doesn't service all reservations. Many people who live on reservations have PO Boxes.

An Arizona audit in recent elections has shown irregularity with compliance with their laws from Native Americans and are saying it's a voter fraud issue. All these irregularities are being documented as voter fraud officially. Which of course is firing up Trumps base saying see, we told you there was widespread fraud. My father is cheering victory and that this proves Arizona was stolen for example.

Arizona's arguments yesterday stated that Absentee ballots are the biggest potential source of voter fraud.

Judge Roberts questioned whether states should tolerate such potential fraud. He also stated he does not feel that the laws are racially biased and that he doesn't want to enable voter fraud.

Judge Roberts, has a track reader of favorable rulings in cases like this when race comes into play. But with him saying he honestly does not believe race comes into play here it's looking like he's going to vote in favor of the state of Arizona. He believes the election laws are valid to prevent fraud.

The final ruling with the 6-3 court, especially if Judge Roberts is signaling that he supports Arizona is not favorable to Native Americans. It also will have huge impacts on future laws that target people of color, latinos and Native Americans across the country as states look to make tougher voting laws after the 2020 election.

 

[RenegadeMonster]

Another two concessions were made on the stimulus bill last night.

The first one particularly infuriates me.

$1.4 Billion in Public Transportation relief has been cut from rail. Though, it does look like most of the money was earmarked for infrastructure updates and expansion verses offsetting losses last year that resulted in service cuts. Both are badly needed.

The other cut was a bridge. Apparently the bill was going to fund the construction of a bridge.

 

[RenegadeMonster]

Americans' wages have gone up, but the news is not all good

The average paycheck for American workers has gotten bigger during the pandemic. Ordinarily that would be cause to jump for joy. But the reason for this increase is grim: Millions of low-income jobs are gone, and that has pushed average pay higher.

www.cnn.com

2020 will go down in the history as seeing wage growth. The average wage went up 5.1%

But the reality of it is most people did not see an increase. The floor fell out in 2020. Many lower paid Americans lost their jobs. These job loses are what created the average wage growth.

"Wages grew largely because more than 80% of the 9.6 million net jobs lost in 2020 were jobs held by wage earners in the bottom 25% of the wage distribution," Gould and her colleague Jori Kandra wrote in a paper in late February.

The only real growth in wages were seen by millionaires and billionaires.


Edit: My father says these statistics are BS / Fake News. you had a historical low unemployment in all tracked groups in 2020, that would negate job losses. The economy was strong despite the pandemic and did very good under President Trump.

SMH

 

[Max Sterling]

Another two concessions were made on the stimulus bill last night.

The first one particularly infuriates me.

$1.4 Billion in Public Transportation relief has been cut from rail. Though, it does look like most of the money was earmarked for infrastructure updates and expansion verses offsetting losses last year that resulted in service cuts. Both are badly needed.

The other cut was a bridge. Apparently the bill was going to fund the construction of a bridge.

Why do they package things like this? Why can't they vote on individual issues? I feel like a lot more would get done if they didn't try to do 75 different things in one bill. You're guaranteed to have something in there that one side or the other doesn't agree on... If we could just pass the things that most people do agree on and then let people argue over the things they don't agree on, at least some things would be getting done while they bickered.

 

[RenegadeMonster]

Why do they package things like this? Why can't they vote on individual issues? I feel like a lot more would get done if they didn't try to do 75 different things in one bill. You're guaranteed to have something in there that one side or the other doesn't agree on... If we could just pass the things that most people do agree on and then let people argue over the things they don't agree on, at least some things would be getting done while they bickered.

I think a lot of it has to do with feeling like these bills would not pass on their own or may not be popular. They try to bundle things to give them a chance to pass as well as keep things moving. For example, a solo bill for something that many people senators don't feel is important or likely to pass may not get a vote on the floor. The senate majority leader may decide it waste too much time in debate and opposition for what it archives and there are more important issues at hand.


Public transportation is commonly part of these bundles, rarely do we ever get a standalone bill. Public transportation is usually opposed by Republicans looking to make cuts to it. It's too expensive, frivolous spending in their opinion. Another heated point would by why would they spend tax payers money on a bill that only really impacts people in the north East Corridor or California or put another way Blue States. Why should Red States tax dollars go to paying for projects in blue states. They believe it should be the other way around. That blue states fund red states. Not to mention that Republicans believe in Capitiaismn, and that public transportation should be service run by private entities and not the government. Public transportation is not profitable and requires subsidies to be affordable to those who use it. This is why you don't see the private industry take over and run it like Republicans believe should happen in a free market.

Public transportation isn't universally popular with democrats either. It's expensive and only benefits the few who live in the area of the project. Capital investment in our infrastructure has been lacking the last 40 plus years. Other developed nations spend around 30% of their GDP annually. We are no where near there.

 

[nolalady]

Watching this very skeptically...

The biggest ACA-related item in the American Rescue Plan, which the House passed last week, would address one of the most persistent complaints about the law among customers and political opponents alike: sky-high premiums for people who don't qualify for federal tax credits to help pay them.

The tax credits can go a long way for those who qualify — in many cases, it's possible to find a plan with zero premiums. But everyone making more than 400 percent of the federal poverty line ($51,520 for an individual) falls off a "subsidy cliff" and has to pay full price. Premiums vary widely depending on local health care costs, and plans often are so expensive that customers forgo insurance.

For the next two years, the American Rescue Plan would expand the tax credits to higher earners and cap the maximum premium anyone is expected to pay at 8.5 percent of their income. It would boost tax credits at lower incomes, as well: People making less than 150 percent of the federal poverty line ($19,320 for an individual) would be expected to pay $0 in premiums for a benchmark plan, for example.

For those with lower incomes, the bill would boost incentives for states to expand Medicaid by having the federal government pick up the tab for new recipients. Twelvestates, including Florida, Georgia and Texas, have refused to accept Medicaid dollars through the ACA. It's unclear whether the bill would affect their calculations.

The changes, which would be temporary, closely mirror Joe Biden's health care agenda from the presidential campaign, and Democrats are expected to try to make them permanent down the line.

Obamacare would get a big (and quiet) overhaul in the Covid relief bill

Democrats are proposing big changes to the Affordable Care Act. Here's why the debate is less fierce this time.

www.nbcnews.com

This legislation was largely given to the administration by health insurance lobbyists. They are doing everything they can to avoid a full public option for everyone. I don't see a huge amount of extra being done to make care affordable and this isn't going to do anything to change our current medical system. This is Biden going back to business as usual. Big pay offs for private insurance and it doesn't touch things like private equity in healthcare and surprise billing. How disappointing.

 

[RenegadeMonster]

@nolalady, correct me if I'm wrong, but these tax credits are only for plans bought on the Obama Care Marketplace and not for work provided healthcare plans.

I find it crazy that you could work a low wage job that does provide healthcare, but have to pay $400 a month for that healthcare and have high deductibles that make using said healthcare impossible. This will do nothing to solve situations like that if I'm reading it correctly.

 

[RenegadeMonster]

Pence pushes false election fraud claims in denouncing Democratic reform bill

Former Vice President Mike Pence is seizing on a Democratic-led initiative to streamline election standards to again push false claims of voting irregularities in one of his first public statements since leaving office.

www.cnn.com

Pence is peaking out for the first time since Trump left office. And he's parroting Trumps claims of widespread voter fraud. He came out with an Op Ed against the houses bill that would standardize election laws across all states.

Pence expressed concern about "the integrity of the 2020 election," citing "significant" and "troubling" voting irregularities in an op-ed for the conservative publication Daily Signal.

And this is what Pence has to say about the houses bill:

Pence suggested that the bill was an "unconstitutional power grab" and would increase opportunities for election fraud, trample the First Amendment, further erode confidence in elections and dilute the votes of legally qualified eligible voters.

So, are legally qualified eligible voters those that are whiter, older and wealthier? Those more likely to vote republican? And that we are diluting their vote?

I just don't see how it makes any sense that making election law the same in all 50 states and makes it easier for younger people and people of color to vote dilutes votes and tramples the First Amendment.

 

[dhodo]

Pence pushes false election fraud claims in denouncing Democratic reform bill

Former Vice President Mike Pence is seizing on a Democratic-led initiative to streamline election standards to again push false claims of voting irregularities in one of his first public statements since leaving office.

www.cnn.com

Pence is peaking out for the first time since Trump left office. And he's parroting Trumps claims of widespread voter fraud. He came out with an Op Ed against the houses bill that would standardize election laws across all states.



And this is what Pence has to say about the houses bill:



So, are legally qualified eligible voters those that are whiter, older and wealthier? Those more likely to vote republican? And that we are diluting their vote?

I just don't see how it makes any sense that making election law the same in all 50 states and makes it easier for younger people and people of color to vote dilutes votes and tramples the First Amendment.

Clearly the GOP plan going forward is a full court press for voter disenfranchisement. Really important to get a new voting rights act passed.

 

[nolalady]

@nolalady, correct me if I'm wrong, but these tax credits are only for plans bought on the Obama Care Marketplace and not for work provided healthcare plans.

I find it crazy that you could work a low wage job that does provide healthcare, but have to pay $400 a month for that healthcare and have high deductibles that make using said healthcare impossible. This will do nothing to solve situations like that if I'm reading it correctly.

No, you're right. They are pumping money into the ACA Marketplace, you know the thing we already proved doesn't help families afford health care. I'll give you a real world scenario. My friend was required to purchase his bread route and become his "own employer". The bread company owns the bread. My friend owns the truck and the distribution route that delivers the bread. He doesn't do bad, but being his own employee, the bread company is no longer on the hook for any payroll taxes or benefits for him or his family. He checked out the ACA Market place and the lowest plan he could get had a $12K deductible and would have cost them about $600/mo for the privilege to pay said high deductible.

There's been some grumbling about possibly putting out a true public option, but the insurance companies are not having any of that. We are at the point where it either cost less or just as much to pay doctors cash rather than getting insurance involved. At this point, I have to ask, why do I have insurance? If it's truly a catastrophic policy--which is what high deductible health plans are despite them being sold as an alternative to traditional HMO or PPO structures--then it needs to be priced as such. The only benefit of the HSA is that it comes out of pre-tax income, but you get tax breaks on medical expenditures post tax, so how much of a tax benefit is this really? HSA's aren't necessarily a bad idea; they just seem to be an idea that an insurance lobbyist put together to get people to buy into these crappy health plans.

 

[RenegadeMonster]

Employers jump on the HSA bandwagon as well because it keeps their costs down.

People heading into retirement age right now are actually vary excited about these new changes. On that other forum I'm on people posted about how if past this allows them to retire now. The only thing keeping them working is healthcare because they fall off that tax credit cliff if they were to retire. These changes would allow them to retire now and the 2 year get them to where medicare can take over. Great for people who are worried about going to work these days because of COVID-19 or who lost a good job and are working just for insurance until they can retire.

But other than that age group, these changes don't seem to help at all. Healthcare plans are just getting crappier and more expensive. The health insurers are generating more revenue and sharing more costs with the consumer. All while saying don't point the finger at us. Hospitals charge to much, or Big Pharma charge to much.