Elected Officials Have Failed To Protect Our School Children As The Killing Continues Again and Again.

 This time at a religious school in Nashville, Tenn., where three nine year old school children and three adults were gunned down and killed by a shooter with two assault type weapons and a hand gun according to Nashville police.  And once again young school children are paying the price with their lives because our elected officials have failed to take the necessary steps to protect them.

The same mentally that is trying to ban books in our schools, discriminate against certain people and continue to support trump's personal attacks against law enforcement people and support his stolen elections lies are the same officials who oppose common sense solutions to gun violence deaths.  They also refuse to finance the means to keep our schools and its children safe.  And they are the same ones aligned with the NRA and benefit from the NRA's huge campaign war chest.

We can also predict that Nashville will not be the last school where children who represent our future will die by gun violence.  Unfortunately, we know that because it is a repeat of events that have taken place over and over again and again.  And every time there are those in power who just turn their backs like the cowards they are and do nothing to stop the carnage.

The people need to ask themself how can they continue to support such officials who lack the character and courage to be responsible and stand up to what is taking place.  Innocent school children who do not have the means to protect themself against assault type weapons should have an opportunity to grow up in a safe school, educate themself so they can become good productive citizens and live the American dream.  There is no greater tragedy than taking the life of a child at school.  Sending prayers after school gun violence deaths is not the answer or a commitment to stop the killings.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Opinion Writer Catherine Rampell Has No Idea Why The U.S. Economy Has Been So Strong.

 Rampell, in her opinion column of 3/16 published in the New Orleans Advocat titled, "Why the economy is stronger than expected, again" makes an attempt to "maybe" answer the questions with her own questions that fall flat and speculative.  She says "maybe" something weird has been happening with the numbers and our measurements are off.  

Nothing weird is taking place for those who are familiar with the history of job creation and the economy over the past 100 years.  PolitiDose commentary is familiar and predicted in commentary in December 2020 and early January 2021 in describing how and why President Biden's policies would create jobs and bring the economy out of the Trump/GOP economic recession.  Democratic administrations have a 100 year historical record of job creation and strong economies by a great majority over GOP administrations.  

Jobs are not created during an economic recession, they are actually lost.  And every GOP administration in the past 100 years has given the country an economic recession.  President Clinton's administration created more jobs in just 8 years than Reagan, Bush 41, Bush 43 and Trump's administrations created in the 24 years they served.  Reagan, Bush 43 and Trump cut taxes for you know who that was supposed to create a booming economy and job creation. But President Clinton raised taxes on those same folks, balanced the budget with surpluses, paid down over $400 billion on the national debt, created a record number of jobs and the country enjoyed a great economy.  Under the Reagan administration the unemployment rate stayed over 10% for 10 straight months from September 1982 to June 1983.  It remains the highest sustained unemployment rate in the last 70 plus years.

Historical facts can be used in advanced to project outcomes and that is what PoitiDose has done for the past 9 plus years.  Democratic administrations have accomplishments because they govern with policies and plans to meet the issues at hand.  The GOP govern with a corrupt ideology that has no relationship to the real issues at hand.  PolitiDose commentary predicted how the Obama administration would move the country out of the great Bush43 recession of 2008 with plans and policies to bring back the economy with jobs and did the same thing with President Biden turning around the great Trump recession.  President Obama created more jobs in 8 years than Bush41, Bush43 and Trump did in the 16 years they served.

The only ones who do not get it are the uninformed and the GOP.  And so, my fellow Americans, stay tuned to PolitiDose, your daily dose of political commentary for the facts concerning the real issues.

This commentary writtng by Joe Lorio 

 

The Media In General Has Failed To Inform: Instead, They Are The Enablers Of The GOP and Their Talking Points.

 The conservative media and their journalist/opinion writers feed the public misinformation to influence their opinions on the issues.  The general media enables the GOP's misinformation and lies by refusing to balance that with the facts that would inform the public.  A good example is the issue being played out at this very moment concerning congress raising the debt ceiling to fund government that congress already approved.

The GOP controlled U.S. House has threatened a government shutdown if President Biden does not agree to reduce federal spending.  So lets look at their attempt to shift the blame to the President for their own record spending spree during Trump's 4 fiscal years, a period they do not want to talk about because it is so damaging to them and their party's fiscal disaster.  Plus they know the media has no interest in telling the American people the truth about the issues and the GOP lies.  Keep in mind the GOP during Trump's term had no problem raising the debt ceiling without cutting federal spending.  Let's examine the facts.

In the Trump/GOP's short four fiscal years total federal spending was $21.5 trillion, up 43% from Obama's last 4 fiscal years.  Total deficit spending was $7.5 trillion and $8.2 trillion was added to the national debt.  Total federal spending passed the $4, 5, and 6 trillion mark and at the end of Trump's 3rd fiscal year federal spending hit $6.5 trillion.  And in Trump's last fiscal year federal spending hit $6.8 trillion.  The last two fiscal years saw federal spending at record levels.  The Trump/GOP administration did nothing to reduce federal spending and did everything to increase federal spending to record levels.

Now, the GOP uses threats to hold the President and America hostage for the fiscal carnage of their last 4 years of governing if Biden does not agree to reduce federal spending and budget cuts.  The following is the President's record so far on fiscal matters.  Federal spending at the end of Biden's first fiscal year ending 9/30/22 was $6.2 trillion, a reduction of 8% from Trump's last fiscal year spending of $6.8 trillion.  Biden's 2nd fiscal year ends 9/30/23 and federal spending is projected to be close and around the same number according to reports.  The President recently released his fiscal year budget that ends 9/30/24 that projects federal spending to be $6.8 trillion, the same number in the Trump/GOP budget spending in their last fiscal year.  

In other words, The President has already reduced federal spending and his latest budget proposal does not exceed the Trump/GOP spending that ended their last fiscal year.  Yet, the GOP continues to lie about runaway spending under the Biden administration and the media runs with those talking points of lies and misinformation and never feels it has a responsibility to inform the American people of the facts and call the GOP out for its lies.  

Historical government records will show that democratic administrations have a much better record dealing with lower federal spending than GOP administrations and by far.  The record also shows that during the Clinton and Obama administrations federal spending increased at a much smaller rate than it did under Reagan, Bush 41, Bush 43 and Trump and by far.  Louisiana's representation in the Congress supported the fiscal carnage that took place on Trump and their watch and never demanded reducing federal spending or cutting the budget.  

PolitiDose commentary was there every step of the way over the past 9 years exposing the GOP's fairy tale of fiscal responsibility and the media's willingness to turn their backs on the truth.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The U.S. Economy, Job Creation and The Unemployment Numbers for February 2023.

 The Labor Department reported the economy added 311,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate came in at 3.6%.  It was the 25th straight month of positive job growth under the Biden administration and another punch to the gut of the negative voices of the GOP and their enablers who have projected doom and gloom for the economy since early 2022.  The economy has created over 800,000 jobs in the first two months of 2023.

The unemployment rate was up from last month's 3.4% as the Department noted that more people entered the work force looking for employment.  But the number is still at historically lows.  Wages were up 4.6% year to year, well above the pre-pandemic trend and down from the 5.9% increase in 2022.  The negative voices were predicting job creation in the 200,000 range and that unemployment claims would begin to explode but they are wrong once again.

The economy on Biden's first full 25 months has created over 11.3 million jobs, an average of 454,000 jobs per month.  Trump in his first 36 months in office (before anyone knew the word COVID) created 6.6 million jobs, an average of 183,000 per month.  But the economy ended up losing 2.7 million jobs on Trump's watch by the time he left office.  In President Obama's last 36 months in office 8.1 million jobs were created, an average of 225,000 jobs per month.  

Among the negative voices of the doom and gloom GOP and their enablers, the steady sane voice of the President and his party continue to move the country and its people forward despite the negative attacks.  When you have no accomplishments to talk about, the only thing left are lies, misinformation and personal attacks. 

The President should keep his focus on those issues that really matter and make a difference for the country and its people.  So far, he has done a good job at doing so.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

Louisiana's Attorney General Jeff Landry: The Trump Ditto Head Seeks His Support.

 Landry, Louisiana's present GOP Attorney General who announced he is a candidate for Governor will travel to Florida to meet with Trump and receive his blessing according to a Capitol Buzz report that appeared in the New Orleans Advocate of March 5.  The story said Landry's campaign is very excited about it.

But this news was expected because Landry has long been a Trump ditto head and supported the corrupt actions of Trump while he was President including Trump's lies about the 2020 election being stolen.  Landry's lack of character and courage are hallmarks of being a Trump ditto head, that is why his  campaign is about personal attacks and no real plans or policies to talk about.  Past PolitiDose commentary was right on  target when it opined that a democratic Governor named John B. Edwards would be successful in reversing the failures of the previous 8 years of GOP rule.  And if Louisiana's next governor is a republican, one can look for Louisiana to slide back once again into regression.  The past record is there as a guideline to judge. 

And make no mistake about it, any elected official or one who seeks to be elected and seeks the support and endorsement of Donald Trump. supports Trump's un-American ideology of using any means to over turn the country's democratic process of elections and oppose the peaceful transfer of power.  And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe  Lorio 

Louisiana Courts Will Now Have The Chance To Hold The Oil and Gas Industry Responsible For Its destruction of Louisiana's Environment.

 The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Oil Companies appeal of a decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that tried to move the suit against them from state court to the federal court.  The damage suit against Chevron USA, Exxon-Mobil Corp., Conoco-Phillips Co, BP America and Shell for coastal damages was filed by Plaquemines Parish.

It was noted in a New Orleans Advocate column of March 1 that the 5th Circuit's ruling adds to the expectation that the rulings will clear the way for 42 other lawsuits filed in Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. John the Baptist, Vermillion and Cameron Parishes against a total of about 200 Oil and Gas Companies to begin being heard in state courts.  

If and when these lawsuits take place in state courts they will have the ability to hear the evidence and hold those companies responsible for the damage done to the state's environment that our elected officials have failed to act on for the past 50 plus years.  The evidence of the damage has been documented for years and is still ongoing.  The Oil and Gas Industry and our elected officials time of denial is up and can no longer be accepted, especially when they try the excuse of how the industry supports Louisiana by paying taxes.

The con game must end in Louisiana's state courts so the reconstruction of the environment can start for it will be a long lasting process.  A process that should have begun long, long ago if Louisiana's elected officials had the character and courage to do the right thing and if the Industry were good stewards of the environment.  

The Supreme Court made the right decision.  Now the State has to act and do its part in a responsible way.  

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Another First For PolitiDose Commentary.

For the past two years the negative voices of the GOP and their enablers adopted the doom and gloom opine concerning any policy and plans coming from the Biden administration.  For them, everything has been negative about the economy, job creation, foreign policy, deficit spending, the national debt, inflation, unemployment recession and the negative beat goes on and on.

PolitiDose commentary over two years ago dated 11/28/20 and 1/23/21 expressed the negative comments would take place because the GOP and their enablers have nothing left.  Their divisive talk is to cover their own failed past which is confirmed by history.  They are also aware that history tells the story that the democratic party are best at governing.  So the negative attacks, misinformation and lies are a part of their agenda to confuse and divide.  They have no positive or progressive record of their own to talk about.  

The big question that needs to be answered still remains.  How can a large part of the media in general continue to enable the GOP's corrupted agenda and fail to report the sad truth how the GOP has failed the country and its people with such consistent misinformation, lies and allow the GOP's past history to be ignored. 

Is it any wonder why so many Americans are uninformed of facts and what is taking place.  A positive nation is one that knows the facts.  The media has taken the country down the negative road because they have chosen to sell the negative slant for higher ratings.  And the Fox News network leads the pack.  The media is still in love with Trump, a former President who has committed traitorous acts and continues to enable his anti-American rhetoric. 

And PolitiDose was there from the beginning to tell the true story how the positives that always drives America have been forgotten in favor of the negative rhetoric of the GOP and fueled by the media's embrace of the negative voices.  The country has just completed two years of an economy that has created a record number of jobs, the lowest unemployment in over 50 years, a consumer that is spending despite inflation and so much more but all the media wants to talk about is recession and the negative that have proved them wrong all along so far.

So my fellow Americans, stay tuned to PolitiDose for your daily dose of political commentary.  

This commentary written by Joe Lorio  

Raising The Nations Debt Ceiling: The Democratic Party Has The Best Negotiation Position Now, In The Past and For The Future. The GOP Only Has Its Failed Rhetoric.

The Republican controlled U.S. House is playing a "game" with raising the nation's debt ceiling in lieu of having a policy.  It's their "game" of federal spending when democrats control the White House, but have a big problem because they cannot walk their own talk regarding federal spending and creating debt.  They want a commitment from President Biden to reduce federal spending for their vote to raise the debt ceiling.

But the President said no deal, the debt limit needs to be raised so the federal government can pay the bills due and those already passed by congress.  He wants a clean bill just like it should be and has been done in the past.  Biden knows past GOP administrations have raised the debt ceiling with no such promises of reducing spending even though they had a chance to do so recently under President Trump for 4 years.

Democratic administrations are far ahead of GOP administrations on the issue of reduced federal spending and reducing deficit spending so "they" can control the debate on the subject and not the GOP.  President Biden's first fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/22, federal spending was down 8% from Trump and the GOP's last fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/21 and was even lower than Trump's third fiscal year budget.  Deficit spending was also down over 50% from Trump's last deficit in in fiscal 9/30/21.  During Trump's 4 fiscal years federal spending increased 41% over President Obama's last 4 fiscal years.  Federal spending under President Obama's 8 fiscal years was up only 25%.

During the 8 fiscal years of Reagan federal spending exploded and was up 75%.  Federal spending under the 4 fiscal years of President Geroge H.W. Bush increased 51%.  Federal spending under the 8 fiscal years of Bill Clinton increased 28%.  It increased an even 14% in each of his terms.  So, it is the democratic party that hold the upper hand when it comes to reducing federal spending.  The GOP is not even close because they have failed big time to control their own party's big spending problems.  Their spending, deficits and tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate America is responsible for 65% of the national debt that took place between President Carter's last fiscal year and President Trump's final fiscal year that ended 9/30/21.

So, my fellow Americans, it is the democratic administrations that has the best negotiation position for reducing federal spending.  They have been there, done that and walked the talk.  They proved it is not a "game" and governing is about policy and plans, not ideology and children's "games."  Unfortunately,  the media has enabled the GOP to play their children's "games" and not challenge their rhetoric of misinformation.

PolitiDose has exposed those "games" for the past 9 years in political commentary.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

 

The U.S. Economy, Job Creation and the Unemployment Rate for January 2023.

 The U.S. Labor Department reported the economy added a whooping 517,000 jobs in January and that the unemployment rate fell to 3.4%.  It was 3.5% in December.  It was the 24th straight month of positive job growth and the department made it clear the gains were spread throughout the economy.  The 3.4% unemployment rate was the lowest since 1969.

The department also reported the good news that U.S. job openings rose to 11 million in December, up from 10.4 million in November that indicates employers are still seeking to hire people and continue adding jobs.  Other good news on the economy was the fact that 5.7 million people in the U.S. were unemployed, the lowest since 2000.  The numbers tell the story of an economy that continues to add jobs and lower unemployment in a sustained way over a period of time and has been steady in doing so.

And all the while the negative voices of doom and gloom have been wrong about their predictions of a deep recession and a prolong period of a collapsed economic system.  The noise will continue because that is all the negative voices have left.  They are choking on their predictions that the economy would add 188,000 jobs in January.  The big shame is how the media enables the negative voices by publishing and running their doom and gloom fairy tales, especially their speculation of a recession in the 3rd. quarter of 2022.

The economy has added over 11 million jobs in President Biden's first 24 months in office.  That exceeds all the jobs created by the GOP's Herbert Hoover administration that lost 6.4 million jobs in 4 years;  Eisenhower's administrtion that gained 3.5 million jobs in 8 years:  George H.W. Bush administration that gained 2.5 million jobs in 4 years:  George W. Bush administration that gained 1.3 million jobs in 8 years and the Trump administration that lost 2.7 million jobs in 4 years.  And those 5 GOP Presidents served a total of 24 years.  In other words, President Biden in his first 2 years continues the precedent during the past 90 years of democratic administrations creating more jobs than the GOP and by a large margin.  Governing with policy and plans will always have a greater return and benefit for the country and its people than governing by ideology.  

Precedent does not lie, it tells a story and can be used to make a judgement about the future.  Too bad the media is so ill informed and influenced by the GOP's talking points that contain lies and misinformation.  The negative voices will continue their assault on the facts and their doom and gloom talking points but Politidose commentary will continue to report the good news about the economy as it takes place.  It was precedent that allowed Politidose commentary to predict the economic progress the country would make under the administration of President Biden and did so in commentary in December 2020 and January 2021.  And you read it here first in Politidose.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Columnists Catherine Rampell And Mark Ballard Have No Knowledge of The Federal Budget and or Federal Spending According To Their Recent Commentary.

Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell and New Orleans Advocate opinion writer Mark Ballard wrote related columns in the Advocate dated 1/26 and 1/29 concerning the GOP controlled U.S. House demanding the Biden administration to cut spending before they agree to raise the debt ceiling.  The House even passed legislation that would roll back spending already approved by congress since Biden's election.  The article rightly points outs that the GOP cannot stipulate what should be cut.

Both writers seem to be ignorant of the federal budget and federal spending because they enable the GOP talking points that the democratic party are the big spenders and that is an absolute lie and opinion writers should know that and inform their readers.  The Office of Management and Budget and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) publish the official federal budget numbers which are available to the public and journalists and it tells the story how the GOP are the party of big spenders and not the democratic party.

Those in the media regularly publish the talking point of the GOP that spending under the Biden administration is out of control  and massive.  But the media lacks the character to report that total federal spending at the end of President Biden's first fiscal year that ended 9/30/22 was down 8% from Trump's last fiscal year of federal spending.  Total federal spending in Trump's last fiscal year was $6.8 trillion.  It was $6.2 trillion in Biden's first fiscal year.  The federal deficit at the end of Trump's last fiscal year was $2.7 trillion.  It was $1.3 trillion at the end of Biden's first fiscal year, a reduction of 50%.

In the past 42 years the largest increase in total federal spending for Presidential terms are as follows:  Reagan, 8 fiscal years up 75%;  Bush 43 8 fiscal years up 61%;   Trump 4 fiscal years up 46%;  Bush 41 4 fiscal years up 41%;  Clinton 8 fiscal years up 28%;  Obama 8 fiscal years 25%.  And going back past those 42 years the numbers change little.  In the past 60 years, year to year federal spending decreased only 4 times.  It took place 3 times on Obama's watch and one time on Biden's watch.  

During the past 70 years, the national debt increased during the following President's fiscal years in office at the below percentage rate.  Reagan 186%.   George W. Bush 105%.  Nixon/Ford 98%.  Obama 70%.  George H.W. Bush 54%.  Carter 43%.  Trump  41%.  Clinton 31%.  Kennedy/Johnson 18% and Eisenhower 8%.  Years of precedent and facts tell the story of a GOP that has a huge spending problem and the creation of debt, while the democratic party has been the most fiscal responsible party.  

The title of Catherine's column was, "Can Republicans Balance The Budget."  Well, facts and precedent tells us the last republican administration to balance the federal budget was Dwight Eisenhower in 1960, over 60 years ago so Catherine could have answered her own question.  During that same period of time two democratic Presidents balanced 5 budgets, LBJ balanced one and Clinton balanced four.  

Opinion writers and jounalists had many years to correct the GOP's talking points of democratic administrations being the big spenders but choose instead to enable them and publish the falsehoods.  In other words, their motto of informing the people is a fairy tale.  So, stay tuned to Politidose, your daily dose of political commentary to understand the facts.  

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Note:  All numbers above taken from the records of the CBO, Office of Management and Budget or the Treasury department.  The numbers that spell out the percentages have been published in previous Politidose commentary over the past 9 years.  The official government word for spending is OUTLAYS.