Another First For Politidose

This writer on several occasions over a year ago pointed out that the real reason for the record deficit spending and debt created by Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 was to bankrupt the country so the government would have insufficient funds to support Social Security, Medicare and other needed programs that help the people and country. (See Note 1)

Now comes Paul Krugman, a journalist who is highly regarded in economic matters and writes for the New York Times reported on 2/24 in an editorial in the Times Picayune "that instead of trying to take on unpopular spending cuts the republicans instead went for popular tax cuts with the deliberate intention of worsening the governments fiscal position." In other words go the route of depriving the government of revenue and a sound economy, the government fiscal position will be harmed by deficit spending and debt.

Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 accomplished just that and now the country and its people are living in times of great distress. No one would be talking of deficit spending and debt today had it not been for those three Presidents and their ideology of trickle down economics they sold to America even though they knew what would happen. The Bush 43 Presidency was the nail in the coffin. Two unfunded wars and deficits and debt at levels never heard of before.

Those that are leading the republican party today have the same ideology. That is why they have nothing to offer but personal attacks. Paul Krugman's editorial should be read by everyone.

Note 1: U.S. Economy: Which Party Performs Best Part I dated 1/27/08

Republican Cycle of Record Federal Deficits and Debt dated 8/3/08

U.S. Senator Scott Brown

Scott Brown, the man elected to replace the late Ted Kennedy voted with the majority democrats 62-30 in favor of cutting off a filibuster of President Obama's jobs bill. Four other republicans voted in favor also, Senators Snow, Collins, Bond and Voinovich.

I wrote a commentary early after Mr. Brown's election and pointed out that his voting record would really tell the story of what the Senator stands for. His vote against the republican wishes (they wanted to filibuster the bill) immediately drew personal attacks from other conservatives. As usual, those conservatives rely on personal attacks because they are unable to compete or debate in a civil way and therefore have nothing to offer.

Senator Brown said, I came to Washington to be an independent voice, to put politics aside and to do everything in my power to help create jobs. I voted for it because it contains measures that will help put people back to work. That statement was truly an American statement that recognized the job problem facing the people and was able to put ideology aside and do what is right for the country and its people.

If Senator Brown continues to be independent with his vote on the issues and not be just another republican ditto head the nation will be better off and future needed legislation will have a better chance to pass congress. All it would take is 4 or 5 republicans to vote with the democrats, then the ditto heads can wallow in their own defeatist attitude.

One can only hope Senator Brown will continue to make his state proud on the important issues the people face. The choice is his to make.

Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise: A Not Too Flattering Tribute

Bruce Alpert, Washington Bureau wrote in the Times Picayune of 2/21 what appears to be a flattering article on Scalise (according to the title) but when one reads the article there is no mistake about Scalise's warped ideology.

The "professor" (Bruce's description) Scalise gave President Obama an F for his first year in office. Scalise also said, In this time in our country's history, when there's so much at stake and real concerns about the direction of our country, we got to fight because if the liberal democratic leadership gets their way, I think they could destroy our country. Its obvious that Scalise has the Obama administration mixed up with the Bush administration and what they did to the country and Mr. Scalise was there. It is also obvious Mr. Scalise thinks conservatives are the elite and should make all decisions for America and its people. If one uses Scalise's rating scale I guess Bush deserves a triple F minus.

Mr. Alpert says Scalise has cultivated some Democratic friends but could only name two. It was pointed out that Scalise voted 98% of the time with his party in 2009. Just another ditto head with no original thought. In Sept. 2009 the U.S. House voted in favor of the biggest overhaul of college aid programs. The CBO said the legislation would save the tax payers $87 billion. Mr. Scalise voted against that bill. Representative Cao voted yes.

Scalise also voted no in Nov. of 09 against the extension of unemployment insurance. The Louisiana Workforce Commission said 6829 Louisiana residents would be eligible. Scalise was only one of 12 to vote against the measure and the only one representing Louisiana that voted no.

The article talks about Scalise sharp tongue. That is a ditto head mantra because conservatives have nothing to offer. Like talking about the federal deficit after they bankrupted the country. Scalise was part of the republican administration that gave the country the largest one year deficit in the country's history, $1.4 trillion in Mr. Bush's last fiscal year budget and Scalise was silent.

Mr. Scalise and the conservatives see what every one is starting to realize. The economy is getting better, jobs losses have been reversed and Mr. Scalise like his fellow conservatives can not stand to see the country and its people return to the prosperity they deserve. And what is more frustrating to the ditto heads is that it is happening on a democrats watch. That drives them crazy.

Front Man For The Oil And Gas Industry

Chris John, President of Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association wrote an editorial published in the Times Picayune of 2/19/10. He does not like President Obama's budget for fiscal 2010/2011, that he says proposes higher taxes and eliminates incentives on the Oil and Gas industry. He does not explain that and the rest of his editorial is really curious to say the least. His higher tax must be in conjunction with Obama's plans to let the remaining Bush tax cuts expire, but John does not say.

Mr. John said the gulf continues to prove that more resources are available if government will allow our industry to economically pursue the energy at our doorstep. Mr. John's words economically pursue seem to be code words for the continuation of billions of dollars of corporate welfare that the industry has enjoyed for over 40 years and has done nothing to make the country less dependent on foreign oil.

The fact is the oil and gas industry generate enough profit to do as much drilling and production as they want to. The price the consumers are paying for a barrel of oil and a gallon of gasoline has reached its highest level in the past several years, and as of this writing a barrel of oil is still over $70/barrel. At the same time the industry's finding and production cost are going down. Marathon Oil announced just the other week their production cost was reduced 15% in 2009.

Now a word concerning taxes that business pays. Until the law was changed a few years ago many businesses paid no taxes. Those who do, pass those taxes on to the consumer in their price structure. Those businesses that receive corporate welfare or so called incentives has never resulted in lower prices to the consumer. This writer worked in the oil field trucking industry for over 24 years. The state of Louisiana at that time charged the trucking industry a 2% transportation tax. That 2% was built into the truckers rates for hauling and passed on to the consumer paying the freight bill. I feel Mr. John is aware of that fact since his family has been the owner of an oil field trucking company.

Mr. Obama's budget shows that the federal government is expecting individual income tax revenue of $1.12 Trillion which represents 43% of federal revenue. Corporate income tax is expected to be $270 Billion. Yea that's right, billion. The price of a barrel of oil and gallon of gasoline is enough incentive for the industry to stay busy. The problem is greed. The industry wants all the tax breaks and incentives at the expense of the people and then charge outrageous prices even when consumers are cutting back their use of gasoline. The CEO's make out like bandits with bonuses and other goodies. That is really what tax breaks and incentives are all about.

Keep in mind, the Bush administration passed legislation that gave the oil and gas industry billions of dollars in tax breaks and incentives and oil shot up to $150 barrel and gasoline over $3.50 gallon. Record profits were recorded. The oil and gas industry is only entitled to being treated fairly like all businesses. No special favors or tax breaks. They should also take the responsibility for any damage their activity does to the environment and hold themselves responsible.

President Obama's First Year In Office

Despite the conservative noise making machine and the tea parties, America has made progress in the first year of the Obama administration. Consumer confidence is up since taking office and record job losses under Bush's administration has been reversed and on a steady basis. The unemployment rate which started to go up each month before Obama took office has now been stabilized. Still too high but the more the job market improves the more unemployment will go down.

Major parts of the economy are growing again and the GDP for the fourth quarter of 2009 was up over 5% annual rate. Manufacturing orders are steady and up for the past several months. The stock market (DJIA) average has gained over 4000 points and portfolio's are up. Financial markets have been stabilized to a greater extent and lending has increased. Retail sales have been up so consumer spending has increased, not yet to the extent needed to propel the economy but enough for a turn around and heading in the right direction.

According to the last report only half of the $787 stimulus has been spent. There are many area's of the economy where states are putting in their applications to receive and spend the balance of the stimulus. The Regional Transit Authority in New Orleans was just awarded $45 million in funding for a new streetcar line in the city. As states line up their applications and the awards are granted more people will find badly needed jobs. There is much more to be done and the administration is working on that. Mean while the economy has been improving.

Progress has been made in Afghanistan and a number of high ranking Taliban leaders have been eliminated or captured according to reports. There were no major terror attacks on U.S. soil during Obama's first year in office and the country did much better in that regard than the previous administration did in its first year in office. The country is still on track with our withdrawal of troops from Iraq and should stay on track.

There is still much to be done and the President needs to stay focused. He must not let the negative noise machine dictate the agenda and he and the democrats in congress have to finish the job on health care reform and other important legislation that will help produce a sustained economy and sustain job creation. The reason that is so important is because the republican party still has no record of creating a sustained economy or job creation.

What President Obama And The Democratic Congress Should Do

President Obama and the democratic congress should enact their agenda and push it through congress. They were elected by the people and President Obama won a decisive win over John McCain in the November 2008 election and during the campaign ran on the issues now before congress and the American people. They should legally change the 60 vote rule and go back to the 50 plus 1 that governed congress and worked well for many, many years.

The republicans have proven during the past 12 months they will oppose any thing and every thing coming out of the Obama administration. It is a rerun and continuation of what they did during Clinton's eight years in office. They are the anti-American party who would rather see the country fail than succeed on a democrats watch. That is the essence of their opposition. They even stooped to the low of trying to impeach Clinton over an affair that many of them were guilty of themselves.

The President and democrats in congress can no longer let those childish people continue to hold America and its people hostage to an ideology that care for nothing except their own warped plan to continue to bankrupt the country, the economy and to have right wing policies that control our very thoughts.

The past three republican Presidents are responsible for the great majority of our federal debt and will not lift a finger to help reverse that burden. The democratic congress should pass health care on their own, continue to put reform into place concerning Wall Street and the Financial industry and move the country forward. Don't be afraid of the next election because if republicans are allowed to continue to obstruct that will play worse with the voters.

The President and democrats should have the courage of former President Truman, go after the republicans and expose them for what they are and what they represent, eight years of failure. The country is slowly but surely emerging from the big time mess Bush and the republicans bequeathed to the country and its people. Now is the time for the President and democrats in congress to stand tall and enact their agenda. The republicans have turned their back on their responsibility to the people so it now falls to the democratic congress to lead. Give the republicans the hell they deserve.

Has The Public Been Duped On Health Insurance

Based on company financial reports filed with the Security and Exchange Commission for 2009, the five largest health insurance companies racked up a combined profit of $12.2 billion, up 56% from 2008. That according to a report by "Health Care for America Now."

Other information in the report showed the companies covered 2.7 million people less than the year before and that three of the five insurers cut the propotion of premiums they spent on their customers medical care, committing relatively more to salaries, administration expenses and profits.

The latest poll shows that the people still oppose health care reform. They have been duped by both the republicans and the insurance industry and have failed to think for themselves based on what is taking place with the health care debate and how insurance companies are manipulating the facts.

Health insurer WellPoint, one of the five insurers in the report, in a separate report announced a 39% increase in rates for some California customers of its Anthem Blue Cross plan. These are the same people who said Health Care legislation would raise insurance rates. Yet they are raising rates like they do every year and the country does not have Health Care legislation at this writing. The insurance people lie just like the oil and gas industry.

It is time for state and federal regulators to step in and do what is necessary to change the outrageous behavior of these people. Their obscene profits and rate increases come at a time when the people are still trying to find jobs because of the recession. Insurance companies have no conscious and their monopoly has to come to an end.

The NFL, Corporate Welfare, Tax Incentives And The Transfer Of Wealth

The Super Bowl is the venue that chooses the world champion in pro football. The NFL created an event where the hype is larger than the game itself. It is a celebrity affair drooling with money. The NFL and its franchise owners are a wealthy bunch and the value of their franchises are going thru the roof. Yet they use their wealth to entice city and states to give them corporate welfare and other tax breaks that are unnecessary. Politicians are ready to dole out the concessions to these wealth builders that reduce state revenue. States find themselves with budget deficits because of those special interest give aways. The states and cities are being screwed by the elected officials, the NFL and its franchise owners.

The Oil and Gas industry has been the recipient of tax breaks for over 40 years, yet the nation is dependent on foreign oil more now than ever before. They even want the breaks when oil is $150 barrel and their profits are at an all time high. They have millions of acres of land they own or lease and have yet to drill one well on but still want the government to open up new lands for drilling. The price of oil and gas is manipulated according to supply and demand so the U.S. will always be dependent on foreign oil.

Defense contractors have cost over runs on a daily basis on their contracts with the government. The practice has been wide spread and on going for many years to the tune of billions of dollars that cost the tax payers.

Wall Street and the financial industry engineered the collapse of the economy and was caused by greed because the wealth of those two industries wanted more wealth. They used sub primed mortgages as their vehicle to more wealth.

David Broder, a Washington Post journalist reported a government report that showed between the third quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2009 house hold net worth fell by $17.5 trillion which was the equivalent to more than one years GDP. All but two months happened on the republican watch. That's the GOP who cater to wealth.

Federal and state governments are drowning in give aways to special interest groups which do nothing but transfer wealth from the average American to the wealthy. State governments are getting as bad as the federal government with corporate welfare. All at a time when the peoples needs are the greatest burden.

Our system of fairness in government is a thing of the past because the wealth of special interest groups and their clout are one sided. The problem has also destroyed the free enterprise system that we like to brag about because the system is stacked to favor the wealthy and eliminates competition. If any one thinks the meltdown of the economy and the transfer of wealth just happened, wake your self up.

The voters can change elected officials all they want but if the give aways to special interest is not reversed, nothing will change. That says it all.

Mitch Landrieu, Mayor Elect, City of New Orleans

Congratulation to Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu on his election on February 7 to be the next Mayor of New Orleans. Mitch was chosen in the first primary by almost 70% of the voters which was unprecedented. Mitch"s five opponents never had a chance the vote was so overwhelming.

Mr. Landrieu was a four term state representative and has been Lt. Governor for six years. His political life is a tribute to a family that believes in public service. Father Moon Landrieu was elected Mayor and served two terms ending in 1978. His sister Mary has been a U.S. Senator for twelve years and another sister Madeleine is a Civil District Court Judge. They are a family with courage that never run from a fight.

Mayor elect Landrieu understands the needs of the city and its people and the voters responded. The vote had no racial over tones and the majority of white and black voters gave their approval to Mr. Landrieu. He carried all but one of over 300 precincts in the city, that is how broad the consensus was for the mayor elect. There was no people division on this election day.

Mayor elect Landrieu faces a lot of challenges. The aftermath of Katrina is still with the city, the crime rate, streets that are in terrible condition, jobs, parts of the city that are dying and a host of other problems. But Landrieu is a political person who has heart and can get things done. He understands how government works and how it can be a positive factor in people's lives. He also understands what public service means. The following statements were made by Landrieu in his acceptance speech. It is worth while to read and hear the words again because it defines who Landrieu is as a person.

The people of New Orleans have called us to work hard. So we should accept the call. The people have asked us to sacrifice, and so we should. But the only way to do that is for us to seek, to find and to secure higher common ground where we come together as one people and do what is necessary to secure our future.

Every day during the campaign, I carried this card in my hand, and you should all have one, and you know what it says? One team, one fight, one voice, one city. One team, one fight, one voice, one city.

Those are very important statements and I believe Mitch Landrieu will govern accordingly.

The Latest Economic News On The Recovery

The Labor Department reported the national unemployment rate for January was 9.7%. That was a reduction from December's rate of 10%. Not a great improvement, but still a welcome development. Economist still think the unemployment rate will average 10% the whole year in 2010. A Labor Department survey actually found that more than a half a million more Americans had jobs in December.

Also reported was the fact that the economy shed 20,000 jobs last month, a big improvement and job losses under President Obama has been drastically reduced after record losses under the Bush administration. Still, economist are projecting a slow job market because of the severity of the recession. No one can argue with the positive numbers or the fact that economist are cautious in their projections, however the positives going into 2010 are much more real than they have been in a long time and the President still has plans to keep the economy moving in the right direction.

New factory orders have been up for several months now and that is one of the best positive signs of a recovery. It is an area that was badly hurt and where job cuts have been drastic. The automobile and steel industries are awakening and their business is reported to be up. The American people are beginning to spend more, not yet enough to see a large leap for the economy but the GDP for the last quarter of 2009 was over 5% growth, a great number compared to the fact that the previous 3 quarters were in negative territory.

The President needs to keep a steady hand on his economic policies and make adjustments where necessary. He also needs to demand more from congress to produce legislation that will continue the economic expansion and job creation that is necessary. America has indeed turned the corner and is on its way to recovery despite what the negative voices are trying to sell.

The Latest Economic News On

U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu Did Her State and Country Proud

Louisiana's Senator Mary Landrieu stood proud and strong on the Senate floor Feb. 4 and defended her actions in adding $300 million to health care reform legislation passed by the U.S. Senate. The move was to plug a hole in Louisiana's Medicaid program that Louisiana Governor Jindal sought the change for. In her speech, Senator Landrieu questioned the political courage of Jindal who did not stand up for her when the going got tough.

Jindal wants it both ways, he wants the Louisiana delegation to solve the Medicaid problem but opposed the health care bill with or without the measure. He has no guts to solve Louisiana's own problem, he may have to make a decision to do that but wants other people to make the decision and catch the heat. This writer has in the past couple of months made commentaries about Jindal's lack of courage as a leader, especially on Louisiana's budget problems. It was posted first here on politidose.

Senator Landrieu showed her leadership as a Senator and representative for Louisiana and said after her speech, as reported, that she would stay at her front row desk on the Senate floor till 6pm to hear from any republican Senators who wanted to confront her. I have not heard yet of any takers. The republicans and their hatchet men, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have been reduced in size by this Louisiana gal concerning the subject matter.

Keep up the good work and the pressure Mary. Hopefully other democrats will step up to the plate as you did and give the republicans hell.

Cal Thomas: Another "Ditto Head" Journalist

The Cal Thomas editorial titled, "Obama's Q and A With The GOP" shows how uninformed conservatives are with the words, progressive, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Thomas has the ditto head mentality of republican conservatives who try to offer talking points about democrats that are devoid of truth and reality and offer nothing more than the standard ideology of hoping any thing they say about democrats stick. The same Karl Rove mentality of believing if the same lie is repeated over and over the people will accept it as the truth.

Thomas is still pushing across the board tax cuts to spur economic growth. George Bush tried that old worn out trickle down economics that resulted in a failed economy and the worst job creation since Herbert Hoover. Thomas and his conservative brothers still think of themselves as elite who know everything and want complete control of people's lives. His comment about Warren Buffett shows he has no clue of what President Obama was talking about. Thomas does not think the wealthy has any responsibilities at all.

If one puts the various editorials side by side that are written or broadcasts by conservative journalists over a period of time a picture is drawn that is really pitiful. It would show the same talking points over and over with no journalistic distinction for the sole purpose to discredit democrats. It reminds me of office break ins where evidence is tried to be obtained when there is no evidence at all except in the warped ideology of conservatives. In other words, create the illusion like Saddam being involved in the tragic attack of 9-11.

President Obama needs to remain strong like President Truman was in dealing with republicans. Their failed policies and ideology should not be allowed to repeat it self any time soon.

The President's Budget

President Obama introduced the nation's federal budget for fiscal 2010/2011 that begins October 1 and projects a deficit of $1.27 trillion. Those numbers are unacceptable to Mr. Obama and should be. He does understand the problem and is willing to admit to it and plans to do something about it. The big problem is the country can not overcome 20 years of deficit spending and debt in a short time and put the governments house back in fiscal order like it was on the watch of Bill Clinton.

The President in his budget eliminates the roughly $37 billion in tax breaks for the oil and gas industry and rightly so. That industry has been getting tax breaks for over 40 years, has not produced one extra barrel of oil or made the country less dependent on foreign oil. In fact the U.S. import of oil has been at its highest level according to oil man Boone Pickens. One should also remember Mr. Pickens said gasoline should be $4.00 gallon.

The budget says $1.12 trillion of income will come from individual income taxes. That is more than 43%. Corporate income taxes will only contribute $270 billion in income. Once again corporate America gets a free ride because of all their tax breaks and exemptions. The budget will also let the Bush era tax cuts for families and corporations earning more than $250,00.00 expire. A three year freeze on some expenses is also in the budget. It is ironic that corporate America gives out bonuses to its executives that almost equal their tax burden. Which means the $270 billion that they pay in corporate taxes is not a burden at all. The individual income tax numbers in the budget explains in simple terms how wealth has be transferred from the average citizen to the wealthy.

The reason the country did so well during the Clinton administration was the many tax breaks given to individuals and families that allowed them to have some extra money to spend which propelled the economy. Tax breaks to corporate America does nothing to encourage the people to spend money and in fact is a reason why corporate bonuses are so out of line. The democratic party needs to push hard and pass the Presidents budget and keep the country on track to reverse the deficit spending of the past. There are other proposals in the budget that will help put America to work that will go a long way in reducing future deficits.

Journalism: Conservative Style

Conservative journalist David Brooks who writes for the New York Times had an editorial titled "calling Ross Perot" that was published in the Times Picayune on January 30, 2010. The article was supposed to inform the people that the country needs a "saner Ross Perot" at this time in our history. Mr. Brooks has been a regular commentator on the News Hour for several years and appears on other T.V. programs from time to time. Using Ross Perot as an example to describe the situation that the country faces is typical of conservative journalists who can not compete in the real world in facing the truth and facts as they happen.

One comment Mr. Brooks made was "The deficits are the issue around which everything else revolves. The mounting deficits both symbolize Washington's institutional dysfunction and genuinely threaten the nation." But Mr. Brooks knows full well the deficit and federal debt was under control until Ronald Reagan took office and his administration started the march of increased federal deficit spending and debt and was continued through the administrations of Bush 41 and Bush 43, the latter who put deficit spending and debt through the stratosphere. Yet Mr. Brooks was silent all those 20 years of debt creation.

Thank the good Lord the Clinton administration came in between and returned the nation to balanced budgets and surpluses. Since a saner Ross Perot will never be President, Mr. Brooks should have used Bill Clinton as the model. Conservatives never like to talk about the Clinton administration because it reminds the people how well the country did on Mr. Clinton's watch and how he put the federal government's fiscal house in order and reversed the deficit spending and debt of Reagan/Bush.

Mr. Brooks also failed to understand how President Obama is changing the status quo and will continue to do so. Journalists should be on the side of truth and facts when they report to the people regardless of party affiliation. The massive deficits and debt by Reagan/Bush should have been addressed by journalists at the time it was happening, but they choose to look the other way. The republican ideology of speak no evil about another republican is alive and well but brings out the worst in journalism. The debt burden has been put on President Obama and now all of a sudden journalists see the light and want to talk about the deficit. Fox news even ran a headline that it was President Obama who was responsible for Mr. Bush's last fiscal year budget that came in with a record deficit of $1.4 trillion. Unlike the last three republican Presidents, President Obama will stand strong and face the issue