Immigration Reform Legislation: The Wasted Years and What Might Have Been.

 With immigration in the headlines again and the GOP doing its best to create a crisis over the issue its time to re-examine the past to understand what has taken place and chart a future that really matters and makes a difference for America, the people and a immigration policy that works.  And there is a reasonable road map to work from.

In June of 2013, the democratic controlled U.S. Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform legislation by a vote of 68-32.  Fourteen Senate republicans joined all democratic Senators and voted to pass the legislation.  The bill provided $30 billion to beef up border control security, including advanced security, 700 miles of wall, doubled the number of border security agents and other items part of the issues.  The George W. Bush Institute said the legislation was bullish on the U.S. economy.  It was a long debated bill by the U.S. Senate who came together and voted for a very good bill to address the immigration issue.  However, the republican controlled U.S. House failed to take up the bill and let it die.  The republicans wanted a piece meal bill instead and failed to even debate the Senate passed bill.

The failure of the republican controlled U.S. House to debate the Senate bill and offer a immigration reform bill to work out the difference haunts America to this very day.  And the Trump  administration refusal to introduced comprehensive immigration reform legislation the past 4 years violated Trumps and the GOP's promise to do so during the campaign of 2016.  If the Senate's 2013 immigration bill had  become law, the U.S. would be in much better shape today concerning the problem and well ahead in controlling the issue. 

The Biden administration has an immigration reform plan and a good place to start would be the legislation that was passed in 2013 as those issues are still applicable.  The outline is there for the legislation and its past time to act and those who continue to try and obstruct the issue should be held accountable.  There are no valid excuses to no  longer act on the matter.

This commentary written by Joe  Lorio 

Job Creation and The Unemployment Rate for April 2021

 The U.S. Labor Department reported that 266,000 jobs were created in April and that the unemployment rate came in at 6.1%.  The unemployment rate for March was 6% and ticked up in April because 430,000 people started looking for jobs and not all could find work.  The department also  lowered March's job numbers from the reported 916,000 to 770,000 jobs created.  And as usual the GOP and their allies tried to paint the jobs report in a negative view because some economists were predicting higher numbers.

But the facts tell us the recovery from the recession and pandemic has been uneven all along because of the many factors that were severe.  The Biden administration realized that and that is why President Biden is proposing other legislation to boost job creation, the economy and  lower unemployment with his infrastructure proposal.  It is a key piece of legislation that is needed now for the economy.

A review of some facts that is taking place shows the following;  In President Biden' first full 3 months in office, Feb. - April 2021 1,504,000 jobs have been created.  That is a monthly average of 501,000 jobs created.  In President Trump's first full 3 months in office, Feb. - April 2017 544,000 jobs were created.  That is a monthly average of 181,333 jobs created.  In Trump's last 3 months in office, Nov. - Jan. 2021, 154,000 jobs were created.  That is a monthly average of 51,333 jobs created.  

So President Biden has done a better job in creating jobs than President Trump  even before and after the recession and pandemic and Trump inherited an economy that was in its 77th month of economic expansion and job growth.  And every  one knows the sad state of the economy and job creation that Biden inherited.  The data tells us the economy is recovering slow but sure as more and more phases of the economy will continue to kick in and move the process farther.  

The data also shows that April's job numbers were not weak and that the negative voices who over estimated their predictions should stop playing politics with the economy.  In the mean time, congress needs to pass infrastructure legislation and move past the negative talk.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

Republican Opinion Writer Rich Lowry Once Again Feeds Dis-information To His Readers

 In Lowry's opinion column published in the New Orleans Advocate of May 5, titled, "How the GOP lost interest in opposing spending" Lowry pushes the concept that GOP should oppose deficit spending and be deficit hawks when out of office.  In other words it is AOK for the GOP to run up record deficit spending when they are in power and then be hypocritical on the issue when out of power.

Lowry then blames Trump for how the GOP lost interest in opposing spending and Trump's record deficit spending.  The opinion column is a deliberate piece of mis-information and dis-information.  The GOP's record of deficit spending began on President Reagan's watch 40 years ago and continued to take place on President's Bush 41, Bush 43 and Trump's watch.  Lowry and the GOP both know that but they like to mis-inform the people.  It is part of their constant plan of dis-information. Lowry now wants to see the GOP to go full speed against President Biden's agenda, even though the President has a plan to finance that agenda, something the GOP never does.  They just finance their  agenda with deficit spending.

Politidose in its commentary overt the past 9 years has exposed the facts that the GOP and its so called conservative opinion writers are no fiscal hawks or even conservatives and their spending record proves it.  They are and will always be extreme in their ideology that reflects their hatred of the democratic party, American values and the TRUTH in particular.

Thank goodness the people have columnist E.J. Dionne to write the TRUTH  about the issues and inform the public.  Lowry and the GOP are still Trump's ditto heads and the people spoke loud and clear back in the November elections who they trust the most.  Lowry and the GOP will continue to be relentless in their lies about President Biden's agenda because they have nothing left.  And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe  Lorio

Note:  Yes Mr. Lowry, the republican party lost interest in opposing spending but it started 40 years ago, its not a recent thing.

The U.S. Economy Grows In The First Quarter of 2021.

The U.S. Commerce Department announced that the economy grew at the annual rate of 6.4% in the January-March quarter and noted it was better than the 4.3% growth in the previous October-December quarter of 2020.  The department also announced that U.S. incomes surged in March by a record breaking 21.1%.  Consumer spending rose 4.2% in March, the best showing since June 2020.

All the good news reflecting:  (a)  the billions of dollars in government support payments aimed at putting the country firmly on the road to recovery. (b)  And economists are saying, widespread vaccinations and declining virus cases, the reopening of more businesses and the huge infusion of federal spending should help sustain steady growth for the balance of 2021.  

The next report to look for is the Labor Department's report of job creation and the unemployment rate for April which will be released next week.  We already know from reports the number of people receiving unemployment aid reached its lowest point since the pandemic began last year.

So the first three months of 2021 has a good start for the nation and the U.S. economy and it is important now that President Biden's infrastructure plan be passed by Congress (with or without GOP support) and implemented to keep the economy growing and creating more jobs.  The success of the first three months was not surprising to the readers of PolitiDose because they were aware of precedent and the democratic party's success at governing. 

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

 

Another Valid Reason To Raise The Corporate Tax Rate

President Biden's proposal to raise the corporate tax rate from the present 21% to 28% to help finance his infrastructure plan (it was 35% before the Trump tax cut) received a justification from a recent report from J.P. Morgan who opined that "Its Time For Corporate Taxes To Catch Back Up With The Rest Of The World."  And J.P. Morgan, a very large corporation itself, should know.  The reasons given by business and the GOP for the past corporate tax cuts are undercut by the Morgan report.

J.P. Morgan's economic research reports as follows:  (1)  The US should increase corporate tax rates to catch up to other world economies.  (2)  The US is more focused than other countries on raising tax revenue from personal income and housing.  (3)  Before the 2017 Trump tax cuts, it found US corporate tax revenues lower than the global average.  (4)  Relative to other economies, the US prioritizes raising tax revenue from personal income and property.  In other words, the current American tax system raises more from people's paychecks and real estate investments than from companies, compared to the rest of the world. (Note from this writer:  And to think the US is the most advanced country in the world)  (5) Furthermore, dating back to 2000, revenues actually collected from American corporate taxes represented about 2% of the GDP versus a 3% average globally.  It reflects a complex system of exemptions and deductions embedded in the US tax code that reduces the corporate tax base and results in corporate taxes contributing a much lower share of total tax revenue in  the US than elsewhere.  (6)  And after the Trump tax cut the percentage fell to 1% of GDP, which explains the American reliance on taxing personal income and housing.  (7)  The US stands out as having the highest share of revenue from personal income (both labor and goods investment) across the economies in the study.  (8)  So called ordinary people account for a greater share of tax revenue in the US than elsewhere.

The report refutes the GOP and the business community's fairy tale that American companies need corporate tax reductions to be competitive in the world.  It also confirms what the average American knew long ago, that corporations do not pay their fair share of taxes.  And no one knew it all better than any one else than Politidose, the democratic party and especially former President Bill Clinton whose administration raised corporate taxes and his administration had the greatest economy in every category.  The Reagan, Bush 43 and Trump administration did not even come close and all three cut taxes for corporate America.  But all three did give the country an economic recession.  

The sad part of it all falls to the news media who promoted the republican talking points about how tax cuts for corporations were needed when they were aware of the past failures and the lies.  But PolitiDose was there over the last 9 years talking about those failures.  The media also let slide just how effective President Clinton's policies and plans were without corporate tax cuts.  

So now the future is in the hands of President Biden and he is well aware of the past failures of those tax cuts and that corporate America is not paying their fair share.  He is asking them to  do so now at a critical time for the economy.  The President, with his experience also knows that understanding the mistakes of the past is the key to a better future.  And we Americans do not want our future to look like the failed past.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

  

  

 

Republican Opinion Writer Rich Lowry Continues His Mis-information and Dis-information Campaign With Commentary

 Lowry can not bring himself to write the truth even to his own supporters and continues his mis-information in a commentary published in the New Orleans Advocate dated 4/7/21 titled, "Biden in big leagues for big spenders."  Lowry's statement that Biden is spending jaw-dropping amounts that would have been unimaginable prior to the pandemic and are still shocking even now, is a fairy tale.  

He goes on to try and relate Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief package and the proposed $2.3 trillion infrastructure bill as being almost equal to Trump's fiscal 9/30/19 year spending of $4.4 trillion but is silent on the fact that Trump's $4.4 trillion spending spree was at a record level.  And of course Lowry did not mention at all that Trump's fiscal year ending 9/30/20 federal spending under Trump hit another record spending high of $6.5 trillion.  That was up 58% from the previous year Lowry quoted.

So it was Trump's spending of $4.4 trillion that was not only unimaginable and jaw-dropping before the pandemic, but never done before in the history of the U.S.  The record shows that the Trump administration was the first ever administration to have a four, five and six trillion dollar spending budget and that in the last 40 years, it was the Reagan, Bush and Trump administrations that had the largest increases in federal spending.

And when Lowry wants to talk about Biden's proposed spending its not even close to Trump's fiscal year 9/30/20 spending of $6.5 trillion. (which is the latest full fiscal year to compare)  Is it any wonder why Lowry never mentioned Trump's $6.5 trillion spending spree in his article???  Its Lowry and the GOP's way of dis-information on federal spending and debt because it is their party who are the big league spenders and why they are incapable of telling the truth.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

George Will's Opinion Column Full of Contradictions.

 Republican opinion writer George Will never seems to tire about his own contradictions.  The latest published in the New Orleans Advocate of 4/6/21 titled, "Biden and progressives hypocrisy about tax increases" Will opines the long standing republican mantra that raising corporate taxes to finance spending on the federal level such as the President's infrastructure proposed legislation should be financed instead by money creation or borrowing.

Of course borrowing money means deficit spending and debt, something Will and the republican party say they are opposed to.  Which contradicts the republican record of deficit spending and debt for the past 40 years.  Will knows that but just turns his head and looks the other way.  Will's statement that with "NO CORPORATE TAXATION" foreign countries would rush to invest here.  A statement not supported in fact.  But Will says "WISE PEOPLE" favor a corporate tax rate of zero.

The secret to understanding Will's comments points to the fact he could not talk or articulate about the Reagan, Bush 43 and Trump tax cuts for corporations and any positive impact they had on those administration's economy.  Nor did he mention how the country and its people did much better under the administrations of President Bill Clinton and Barrack Obama who did not cut taxes for Corporations.

And Will did not  mention how the Reagan, Bush 43 and Trump administration gave the country an economic recession despite the massive tax cuts.  And he was not about to mention the fact that every republican administration in the past 100 years gave the country and its people an economic recession.  

The record of the republican party concerning tax cuts for corporations, the economy, job creation, deficit spending and debt has been one great failure.  Their failed ideology extends to not understanding consumer spending accounts for 70% of the economy and having good paying jobs is what fuels consumer spending.  The democratic party understands that and that is where their policies and plans are directed.  

Will knew he could not write anything of interest about the tax cuts of Reagan, Bush43 and Trump to try and prove his support for zero taxes for corporations.  He also knew he could not write about the nations economic well being under President Clinton who raised corporate taxes and the nation did better in every economic and fiscal category and far out paced those republican administrations in job creation.  Corporate investment in plant and equipment even did better on Clinton's watch.  The republican's corporate tax cuts were supposed to be a boom for corporate investment in plant and equipment, but the boom took place on Clinton's watch.

The middle class are the only ones who are paying their fair share of taxes and those taxes could be lowered if all the tax breaks and loop holes for special interest and business would be eliminated.  And when republicans try to justify that companies like Amazon who pay no taxes, one can understand why their tax policies favor corporations.  Will could not even articulate how the most recent tax cuts for corporations under the Trump administration was beneficial to the U.S. economy, job creation, reducing deficit spending and debt or how American companies moved their overseas operations back to the states.  Nor did foreign companies flock to move their operations to the U.S.

The ideology of "TRICKLE DOWN  ECONOMICS" is still alive in the republican party and Will's culture despite its failures.  And there fore the future under President Trump's 4 year administration was like the failed past of previous republican administrations.  The future of  the Clinton years were much better than the 12 years of Reagan/Bush41.  The future of the Obama years were much better than the previous 8 years under Bush 43.

And the future under President Joe  Biden will be  much better than the past 4 years under President Donald Trump.  And the real story is still, those who understand the mistakes of the failed past will be able to create a better future for America and its people.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

  

  

Job Creation and Unemployment for March 2021

 The U.S. Labor Department reported the U.S. economy created 916,000 jobs in March and that the unemployment rate fell to 6% from 6.2% in February.  It was the best job creation month since August 2020.  The report also said February's job creation was adjusted upwards to 468,000 from the 379,000 reported in February's report.  March's manufacturing grew to its highest level since 1983 and the consumer confidence index was positive.  Job creation for February and March exceeded the number of jobs created in the previous four and half months.

There are still 8.4 million jobs that have yet to return to the economy since the recession began but February and March job numbers along with the stimulus and vaccine being administered are positive signs of an ongoing recovery.  Consumer spending is also being increased by the public.  The Labor Department is taking all those issues into consideration for their projections.

What is going on is a change in the government's economic policy and plans to deal with an economy badly damaged that is turning the corner but still in need of government attention for much larger gains and sustainment.  The President's latest stimulus package and his recently proposed infrastructure legislation are important for a continued growth in the economy.  The virus shots are being administered and increased and is also an important element in putting people back to work and opening up the economy.

The negative voices of the GOP and the so called conservative media are so out of touch, obstruction and opposition are all they have left.  But the American people will remember their lack of governing the past 4 years and the mess they passed to the present administration.  The Biden administration faces a tough situation not of their own making but democrats know how to govern and face the issues with policies and plans that work.  And that is what the Biden administration is doing.  The negative voices will continue but the mature people in the Biden administration will deliver for the benefit of the country and its people. 

And when it takes place, you will have read it here in PolitiDose, your daily dose of political commentary.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

 

Oil and Gas Industry Jobs In Louisiana: The True Story

 Every time America elects a democratic President the public and especially the public in Louisiana are exposed to the big republican lie and fraudulent statements how Louisiana jobs will be killed, the industry will be shut down and the sky is falling doom rhetoric.  And the leaders of this propaganda ae Louisiana's so called conservative elected officials and the Louisiana opinion writers.  But PolitiDose has been telling the real story how the industry and its workers do better under democratic administrations and use facts to back it up.

Now we have more proof of the lies and the facts in the form of a chart published by the New Orleans Advocate dated 1/27/21.  The republicans and their ally opinion writers know of this information but they choose to propagate the lies.  What the chart shows is the number of jobs in Louisiana's oil and gas industry in the last 30 years had its greatest employment by far during the democratic administrations of President Bill Clinton and Barrack Obama.  It also shows Louisiana's worst employment took place on the watch of republican President Donald Trump.  

There were 59,500 jobs in 1998 and just 29,200 jobs in December 2020 in Louisiana's oil and gas industry according to the chart and report.  The chart also shows that in 2010, the year of the BP oil disaster and President Obama's moratorium, which the republicans said would kill jobs and ruin the industry, employment still stayed high and much greater than under Trump and the industry did not die.

The economy always plays a major role in employment, regardless of the industry, which is another reason why employment does so much better on the democratic watch.  Job creation under democratic administrations are leaps ahead of job creation under republican administrations.  And fewer, much fewer economic recessions take place on the democratic watch that interrupt the economy.  The opposite takes place on the republican watch and every republican administration in the past 100 years gave the country an economic  recession.  

Republican and industry lies have been a disaster for Louisiana employment.  What the state needs to do is broaden it industry base and job creation.  The state has paid too much attention to the oil  and gas industry for too long and neglected other options.  The state has also looked the other way on the industry's abuse of the states environment.  

We know the real facts, now we need real actions to take advantage of the facts.

This  commentary written by Joe  Lorio

The New Orleans Saints and The LSU Tigers: What Will This Season Look Like?

 The truth is no one really knows, especially the sports media who lack objectivity in their reporting.  Both teams have critical positions to fill with new faces.  The Saints ended last season exiting the playoffs for the fourth straight year and LSU finished its season playing .500 ball after going 15-0 the previous season and a national championship.

The New Orleans Saints:  The Saints will  start the season with a quarterback that has no record of playing at quarterback for a full  season with the team.  That means the quarterback and coach Payton will have to prove they can communicate.  The defense is still the same defense that plays great and at the same time plays bad too often, especially in games and against teams they can not afford to do so.  The Saints are not a team who have consistently played at the top of their game and are lacking at beating teams with a winning record. (they beat only one team last year during the regular season that had a winning record)

The LSU Tigers:  Last season was a disaster by any stretch after a national championship year and this year the Tigers have a new offensive and defensive co-ordinator.  Regardless what the credentials have to say, they have no record of success with LSU at this time.  Can they coach in the SEC with success?  Those two positions are most important to any football team.  What about coach O?  He did not do such a good job at coaching last year and his job as the leader is most important.  LSU is usually in the top 5 for recruiting so players talent is not the problem.  Last years team not only did not play well, they looked poorly coached.

So this writer believes all is not well in Saintland or Tigerland this season and as a result, do not be surprised what ever takes place.  If fans want to keep their sanity, do not expect too much from either team, just enjoy the moment if both teams show progress from last season and the coaching staffs show they belong.  As for the Saints quarterback situation, its one of the missing links and does not look  good.

Note:  It appears that the LSU investigation concerning the sexual conduct of some connected to LSU is putting former coach Les Miles and former President F. King Alexander front and center and giving little information out on the LSU players that were involved.  Are Miles and Alexander being made the scape goat with little attention being made about the players who were accused?

This commentary written by Joe Lorio