Conservative Columnist George Will Should Hang Up His Shingle.

 In a Times Picayune New Orleans Advocate opinion column of 11/4 titled, "For good of country, Biden and Harris should bow out of the 2024 election" which follows the negative conservative voices who have clamored for the same thing the past 12 months.  Never mind that the President was elected to serve 4 years and as of this date has served less than two years but want the President to make the decision public now.

Their purpose of wanting the President to declare now is to divide the country even more.  If the President would do so now, they would be the first to claim he is a "lame duck President" which is a political ploy to divide the country and do nothing.  There is no reason why the President should announce his decision at this point and should wait until the beginning of 2024.

The problem with Will and the negative conservatives is once again it is a democratic administration that has turned around the economic disaster of the previous GOP administration.  A reduction in federal spending, the deficit, record job creation, consumers who are still spending despite inflation and low unemployment and a America that is once again leading democracy.

It was George Will who tolerated Trump's lies, misinformation, his corruption and was silent when Trump ran for re-election.  Will's article was published 4 days before the congressional elections and the last sentence of the last paragraph suggest Will swallowed the negative conservative voices who predicted a Red Wave for the GOP on election day.  Will also failed to explain why he did not suggest Trump bow out of the 2020 Presidential election knowing how corrupt he was.

This writer in a previous Politidose commentary months ago expressed the opinion that the President would not seek re-election in 2024 and the reasons why.  This writer is of the opinion that it is Mr. Will who should hang up his shingle and do so timely.  The future of journalism is at stake.

This commentary written by joe Lorio 

Froma Harrop's Editorial Commentary Is Right On Target: And It Is Another Huge First For "Politidose."

Harrop's commentary published in the Times Picayune New Orleans Advocate of 11/7 titled, "Contrary to rumors, Democrats are better at the economy" was right on target and confirms what "Politidose" commentary has been saying for the past 9 plus years.  The only difference is "Politidose" commentary tells the story that Democratic administrations are best at governing all the issues and not just the economy and explains why and the details.  A good example is "Politidose" commentary dated March 19, 2021 titled, Presidential Leadership:  The Economy and Fiscal Matters The Past 40 years.

When it comes to governing the economy and the government's fiscal house, GOP administrations are so bad they cannot campaign on the issues, the numbers or the facts so they depend on lies and misinformation such as, Democrats are job killers, record spenders and the party of debt when the actual numbers support it is their own party they are describing.  Democratic administrations are best at governing the economy because they govern with plans and policies that address the issues.

Harrop knows the facts and so does "Politidose."  There are many issues that affect the economy.  Look at just a few major ones.  (a)  Every GOP administration in the last 100 years has given the country an economic recession.  That includes Reagan, Bush 43 and Trump who passed trillions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations that failed the economy.  (b)  Reagan was the only GOP President in the last 74 years to leave office with a lower unemployment rate than when he took office.  Every Democratic President during that same time period left office with a lower unemployment rate than when he took office with the exception of President Carter when the unemployment rate stayed the same.  (c)  The worst banking failures took place on the GOP watch of Herbert Hoover during the great depression, the collapse of the Savings and Loan took place on Reagan's watch in the 1980'0 and the Wall Street banks collapsed on the watch of President George W. Bush in 2008.  (d) No GOP President has balanced the federal budget since President Eisenhower in 1960, but two Democratic Presidents balanced 5 federal budgets during that same time period.  President Clinton balanced 4 and President Johnson balanced one.  (e)  No democratic administration lost jobs on his watch in the past 93 years.  But two GOP administrations did.  Hoover lost 6.4 million jobs on his watch and Trump lost 2.7 million jobs on his watch.  And for those 93 years, job creation under Democratic administrations can be described as robust while under GOP administrations, job creation can be described as very weak.

No matter what the category, Democratic administrations preform much better at governing for the people and the country.  What is lacking in the media is their failure to inform the people of the facts that are available at their fingertips.  Instead, they run with the GOP talking points of lies and misinformation.

The media desperately needs more journalists like Froma Harrop who obviously follows the facts to report and inform the people like her commentary of 11/7 did.  True information is wisdom, and that coupled  with political understanding, will always be the foundation for a better America.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

 

Louisiana's GOP Congressional Representation in Congress: Such A Phony On The Issue.

FEMA is once again a topic, especially in Louisiana concerning flooding and FEMA flood maps.  It is really nothing new and has been ongoing for many years along with higher premiums for flood insurance.  Now comes the latest in a Times Picayune article of 11/4 titled, "La. Delegation Demands Answers On Flood Insurance Changes" by staff writer Mark Ballard.

La's delegation thinks FEMA has not been transparent concerning their latest flood RISK RATING 2.0.  FEMA says they have been transparent since April 2021and spells out how in the article.  But the bottom line to all of this is nothing new.  FEMA's maps, flood zones, rising premiums and etc, have been an issue before congress for many years and the GOP has never done anything about it and it came up the last time on Trump's watch when the GOP controlled congress and they still did nothing to answer the problem.

Flood insurance will be settled in a fair and equitable manner only when the Insurance Companies control over the situation is taken away from them.  And that should and could have been done in Louisiana years ago by government regulations that require residential homes be built off the ground at a certain level.  If that was done after hurricane Betsy, flood rates would be much less than they are today and taken the control from the Industry would set a standard.

The public lacks leaders, both business and political with foresight and a progressive attitude toward the future.  Innovation is far removed from their thinking about future events.  So the same properties keep flooding over and over which gives Insurance Companies more control and we still build slab homes on the ground that will continue to flood.  

La's GOP's delegation in congress is one of excuses with the FEMA thing.  Former Louisiana's U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu accomplished more for Louisiana than the whole lot of the GOP delegation. 

This commentary was written by Joe Lorio 

The U.S. Economy, Job Creation and The Unemployment Rate for October 2022.

The U.S. Labor Department reported the U.S. economy added 261,000 jobs in October and the unemployment rate came in at 3.7%, two tenths of one percent higher than September when it was 3.5%.  It was the 21st straight month of positive job growth for the economy and October's job numbers exceeded the negative voices of doom and gloom who were predicting much slower growth.  The department also reported the September job numbers exceeded those earlier reported.

The good job numbers came a day after the Fed raised interest rates again to try and bring down inflation.  But the economy is not listening and is still going strong.  In fact, wages were up 0.4% in October over September's gains.  If the Feds continue their unnecessary actions, they will crash the economy, kill jobs and increase unemployment to unacceptable levels.  The negative voices do not care because they are the extreme who represent the big corporations whose profits are skyrocketing because they are inflating their prices to consumers.  The oil and gas industry is a good example and so are the food industry.  

President Biden and his administration are the only sane voices for the economy with the democratic controlled congress.  Their progressive positive policies have been able to survive the negative noise machine, their lies, misinformation and America is working and spending despite inflation.  It is the bright side the doom and gloom people are unable to accept. 

History and precedent tells us the democratic party has a record of governing the best.  The negative voices actually know that, they just have nothing left that is positive in their ideology to articulate.  And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

More Good News For The U.S. Economy, The Nation and The People.

 The Commerce Department reported that the third quarter GDP ending 9/30/22 expanded at an annual rate of 2.6%.  It followed on the heels of a negative first two quarters.  The GDP expansion was another blow to the doom and gloom GOP and their supporters who were predicting another negative quarter.

The Department also reported retail sales for September were up 0.6%.  It was a continuation of the good news concerning the federal budget that ended fiscal year on Sept. 30.  That budget recorded a 50% reduction in the federal deficit from the previous fiscal year and federal spending decreased 8% from the previous fiscal year.  The good economic news disappointed the GOP negative voices and their enablers who had predicted an economic recession before the end of 2022.  They are now saying it will take place sometime before the end of 2023.

The expansion of the GDP prompted   other negative pundits to predict that the Feds may hold back in the next round of interest rate hikes.  Those are the same pundits who urged the Feds to raise interest rates high and fast which they know would trigger an economic recession with the loss of jobs and an increase in unemployment.  But they don't care, they just want to see the President fail.

So, the economy continues to work, create jobs, lower unemployment and the consumer continues to spend despite inflation.  Maybe they remember that inflation in 1980 was 13.5% and 10.3% in 1981 and that from 1979 thru 1982 inflation averaged 10.32% per year.  And no one should forget that the average 30 year home mortgage rate from 1981 thru 1983 averaged 15.27%.  Yes, you read those numbers correctly.  

The negative voices want the country to fail so bad they can taste it.  They lack the character and courage to face the facts that the economy is working, despite their lies and misinformation and that it is a democratic administration who once again reversed the economic disaster of a previous republican administration.

And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Federal Spending and Federal Deficits Are Down Once Again Under A Democratic Administration. And It's Another Huge First For Politidose.

The U.S. Treasury Department reported that federal spending (outlays) for fiscal year ending 9/30/22 was $6.27 trillion, down $530 billion from the previous fiscal years (Trump's last fiscal year) federal spending of $6.8 trillion, an 8% reduction in fiscal spending.  The department also noted that the federal deficit was $1.38 trillion, down $1.4 trillion from the previous federal deficit of $2.78 trillion or 50% lower.  

Year to year federal spending (outlays) has been down 4 times in the last 12 years, and all by democratic administrations.  It was down in fiscal years 2010, 2012 and 2013 under President Obama's administration and now in 2022 under President Biden's administration.  The last time year to year federal spending was down by a Republican administration was in 1955 by the Eisenhower administration, 67 years ago.  It is also worthwhile noting that federal spending in fiscal 2022 was down also from Trump's 3rd fiscal year that ended 9/30/20 when  federal spending came in at $6.5 trillion.

The readers of Politidose commentary knew it would all take place because of the democratic party's precedent on fiscal matters that go back too many years to count.  And Politidose commentary in December 2020 before Biden took office and on January 23, 2021 soon after he took office predicted how President Joe Biden would reverse the fiscal disaster of the Trump/GOP administration.

Trump and the GOP's fiscal deficit in their third fiscal year ending in 2020 was a record $3.13 trillion and broke the previous one year fiscal record set by former GOP President George W. Bush when the deficit came in at $1.4 trillion in his fiscal 2009 federal budget.  So, as of this writing, Trump and Bush 43 hold the record for the highest single year fiscal year deficit.

The Treasury Department also announced that federal revenues for fiscal 2022 were $4.896 trillion, a record due to the workforce having jobs and spending money and the tax increases to those who have not been paying their fair share.  

Once again it is a democratic administration that is reversing the previous GOP's fiscal disaster despite the lies and misinformation of the GOP, it's supporters and the media who ae willing to run with the GOP talking points of the democrats being the big spenders crumbles with the facts.  Those are the same voices who started the big lie about record spending under the Biden administration the day they took office.

Politidose commentary has been there for the past 9 years with the true story and the facts how democratic administrations are best at governing and who have been the most fiscal responsible party.  So, stay tuned to Politidose, for your daily dose of political commentary and tune out the negative voices and news media and the GOP's lies and misinformation.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio   

Who Ever Thought It Would Take Place In America?

 The U.S. Economy is strong and has been for the past 20 months according to the economic data.  Job creation has been the best (over 10 million jobs) in any 20 month period, the unemployment rate has fallen from 6.3% when Biden took office to 3.5% in September 2022, wages increased 5.9% in 2021 and are increasing 5% so far this year.  Consumers are still spending despite inflation and driving the economy. (Consumer spending represents 70% of the economy.)  Unemployment is at a historically low rate.  Inflation will probably run 8% for 2022, a far cry from 11.2% in 1979,13.5% in 1980 and 10.3% in 1981.  The President's infrastructure and inflation reduction legislation will start to kick in and continue to move the economy forward, create more jobs and lower unemployment even more.  American manufacturing has announced plans to increase their manufacturing footprint domestically.  The positive news on the economy goes on and on.

Yet, all we hear from the GOP and their supporters are doom and gloom every day.  And the media is willing to wage its 24/7 news cycle to repeat those negative voices.  For the past 7 months the negative voices of recession said it would take place before the end of 2022.  Now, they say some time in 2023.  They are predicting millions of jobs being lost and higher unemployment,  A worldwide recession with $200 barrel of oil.  They talk about today's inflation being the worst in the last 40 years but during the inflation of the 1980's unemployment stood at over 10% for 10 straight months from Sept. 82 to June 83, the highest unemployment in the past 70 years.  But the negative voices continue to take up the media's time with their doom and gloom wishes for the economy.  Every month they are still predicting job creation to be a disaster and every month they are wrong, but the media still carry their negative voices.

The media has chosen sides and chose to ignore the good economic news for the country and its people for the past 20 months and instead enabled the negative voices by publishing their false statements 24/7 and flooding the news cycle with doom and gloom.  By their negative voices who just want to see the President and the country fail.  The media has failed the people and the country at a time when truth, facts and democracy are under attack by the negative voices.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

 

Journalist Dana Milbank Exposes The GOP's Fear and Lies Campaign About Crime in America. And, It's Another First For Politidose.

 In a New Orleans Advocate commentary dated 10/18 titled, "It's Just Murder Living In A Red State" Milbank presents the facts how violent crime and murder take place more in GOP led red states then democratic led states contrary to the lies and fears being spread by the GOP and it's supporters.  And that contrary to the lies, violent crimes is generally worse in republican run states.  

And if Mr. Milbank's article sounds familiar, it's because you read it here first in several past "Politidose" commentary that goes back to last year.  It was also "Politidose" past commentaries that exposed the GOP lies about the economy, the national debt, job creation and federal spending.  Dana Milbank is one of the nation's top journalists for reporting the facts and a credit to news reporting.  Too many people in the media are willing to always run with the lying talking points of the GOP and it's supporters and fail to report the facts or correct the lying talking points.

The Republican party is well known for using personal attacks, lies and misinformation as party policy because they have no real policy to govern with and therefore no accomplishments to campaign and run on.  They also have many enablers in the media who act as their ditto heads.  The country and its people deserve the facts and Dana Milbank delivered with his timely commentary on violent crime in America in the red states.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The Economy, Job Creation and The Unemployment Rate for September 2022.

The U.S. Labor Department reported the economy added 263,000 jobs in September and that the unemployment rate came in at 3.5%. it was 3.7% in August.  It was the 20th straight month of positive job growth and unemployment matched the 3.5% low of the last 50 years.  Wages were up 5% for the year and 0.3% from August.

The negative noise machine once again got it wrong in predicting the job numbers would be disappointing for September.  They are also still calling for an economic recession that could take place if the Feds act irresponsible in raising interest rates.  The noise machine would like to see the President and the economy fail so bad they will stay in their negative mood of mis-information and lies into the future.  

The last time the unemployment rate was under 3.5% was in January 1969 when it hit 3.4%.  Job creation on President Biden's watch has been robust in his first 20 full months in office in keeping with the precedent set by past democratic administrations concerning job creation.  Job seekers are finding jobs and they have money to spend to keep the economy moving forward despite inflation.

The negative noise machine lacks the character to say anything positive about the economy, job creation, lower unemployment and how wrong they have been in preaching doom and gloom.  They are counting on lies and misinformation to sway the American voters because they have no positive record to run on.  

President Biden and the democratic party represent the few sane and steady voices in Washington on Democracy and the economy while the negative noise machine continue to live at the bottom of the barrel.  And once again it is a democratic administration that has reversed the job losses, higher unemployment and a failed economy of the previous GOP administration.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Another Balanced Budget For The State of Louisiana.

 Jay Dardenne, Governor Edwards Commissioner of Administration reported he is confident the state will report a balanced budget with surplus when the final budget numbers come in for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022.  Last fiscal year's surplus was $699 million according to Dardenne.  Governor Edwards plans and policies brought fiscal sanity to Louisiana's fiscal house after 8 years of unbalanced budgets by former Governor Jindal and the republican controlled state legislature.

And the Governor's administration accomplished fiscal sanity in a balanced way with state revenue increases, federal money, priority spending and budget cuts and adopting the ACA under the medicaid expansion for health insurance.  The fiscal turnaround was possible because democrats govern with plans and policy that address the real issues while the GOP govern by ideology, a personal code unrelated to the issues at hand.  The fiscal sanity was accomplished even though the Governor took office in 2016 with a projected $2.6 billion state deficit.  Governor Edwards plans and policies for fiscal sanity put an end to Jindal's massive budget cuts to education, health care and other needed services that took the brunt of Jindal's and the GOP controlled state legislature's cuts each year. 

Now that the state has balanced budgets and surpluses, some in the legislature are clamoring to eliminate Louisiana's state income tax that brings in approximately $5 billion annually in tax revenue, but they have no proposed plan to offset that lost revenue.  Dardenne warned, "we should not create a situation where the next governor or a new legislature has to immediately fix a problem we created."  Governor Edwards leaves office in January 2024.

Former Governor Jindal and the GOP controlled state legislature inherited a $787 million surplus from democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco and they blew it bid time with their fiscal disaster and governing by ideology.  Governor Edwards administration reversed all of that.  It is a mirror image of what the Trump administration left President Biden when he took office in January 2021.  That tragic gift to Biden was a $2.77 trillion federal deficit.  And one can bet when the Biden administration's first fiscal year ends on 9/30/22 the budget deficit will be much less than Trump's record deficit.

There is more good news that the Louisiana Workforce Commission announced.  The Louisiana unemployment rate for August was 3.8%.  The unemployment rate when Jindal left off ice was 6.2%, so as of August 2022 the unemployment rate has fallen 2.4% on Edwards watch.  The unemployment rate when Jindal took office in January of 2008 was 3.8% so unemployment increased 2.4% on Jindal's watch.

The fiscal sanity that has taken place on Governor Edwards watch is a mirror image that has taken place on the democratic watch nationally for the past 42 plus years.  And Politidose commentary was there calling the shots before they ever took place because of the past record of precedent.  So, forget the noise of the media in general and stay tuned to Politidose, your daily dose of political commentary.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio