March 29, 2011
Politics Notes 3/2011

SCOTUS corruption:

  • Scalia & Thomas attended conservative events & fundraisers by billionaires who raise money for conservative candidates who ran ads against Democrats
  • Thomas’ wife formed non profit organization against HCR, formed lobbyist shop for Republicans to repeal law
  • Thomas failed to report his wife’s income from non profits
  • Scalia gave speech to Republican lawmakers organized by Tea Party caucus
  • Alito attended fund raising dinner for a conservative magazine

Monthly notes:

  • As union membership decreased over the years, so did middle class income
  • US only spends 2.4% on infrastructure, Europe over 5%, China closer to 10%
  • 90%+ of Planned Parenthood funds are for prevention, only 2% for abortion
  • 40,000 more abortions per year if Planned Parenthood goes away
  • A half of Americans think HCR was repealed or weren’t sure
  • Women still only make 80 cents per $1 for a man
  • Only 3% of fortune 500 companies CEO’s are women
  • They wrote the second amendment when they had muskets
  • We used to be 5th in the world in infrastructure in 2002, now 23rd
  • Ronald Reagan put taxes on gas to pay for roads
  • We need sacrifice from the top income earners & wall street who have gotten all the breaks in the past 10 years, we need to take back the power from the people who really hold it
  • Regulations in Japan saved thousands of lives
  • Walker gave tax breaks to corporations which created their deficit
  • GE 14%, Carnival Cruise paid 1% in 2009 taxes
  • GE paid NO TAXES in 2010, plus got $3.2B from federal government
  • $4.5B goes to oil companies in subsidies per year
  • Republicans start with kids (Head Start) & middle class & poor people when cutting budget
  • $40B in farm subsidies
  • Real welfare states are red states, blue states paying for red states: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v499/adiemas/welfarestates2.gif
  • Tens of thousands of Americans die prematurely every year because of coal
  • EPA proposed new standards for power plants, 1st national standard for mercury and other toxins, regulations prevent thousands of deaths per year
  • 52 million uninsured in 2010 (vs 38 million in 2001), 75 million skipped doctors visits, 49 million spent 10%+ of income on HC (vs 31 million in 2001), 75% uninsured found it impossible to find a plan they could afford
  • Mercury levels in environment have risen 1-3% every year since the industrial revolution
  • In 2006 experts predict a total collapse of world fish stock in 40 years
  • Using only 3% of Arizona, it has enough solar energy to power the US
  • NIMBY = Not In My Back Yard
  • Florida gave $1.5M tax cuts for the rich, Michigan gave tax cuts to oil companies, Arizona wants to drop health insurance for 100K poor people
  • Tomahawk missiles cost $1-1.5M each
  • Reagan reformed the tax code when he learned GE paid no taxes in the 1980’s, in 1990’s GE started to lobby for less taxes and won, GE doesn’t have to pay taxes on profits overseas
  • Bush in 2004 the American Jobs Creation Act gave $13B a year in tax cuts to corporations (GE saved $1B in 3 years)
  • McCain was buddies with Kadafi 18 months ago
  • 70% of crops we eat bees pollinate
  • In 1950 share of taxes from corporations was 30%, now 6.6%

Montly Questions:

  • How come it’s never the time to talk about it? (Re: oil after BP, guns after AZ shootings, nuclear after Japan disaster)
  • Workers got collective bargaining rights in 1959 so it took 51 years to bankrupt states? (Re: Wisconsin)
  • All of a sudden Obama wants money for war and now the military budget is a problem?

3:04pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZQOKYy3vhDUB
(Notes: 10)
  
Filed under: reagan taxes unions SCOTUS women EPA pollution 
February 28, 2011
Politics Notes 2/2011

Monthly political notes for February 2011:

  • Harvard study claims ending war on drugs could save $76.8 billion a year
  • 3.2% of Americans on probation, in jail, or on parole since 2008
  • American incarcerates more of its citizens than any other country, 25% of entire worlds prison population
  • $70B a year spent on corrections
  • Top 1% = 34.6%, top 1-10% = 38.5%, bottom 90% = 26.9% (from 2007, note that super rich have gone up since the economy tanked)
  • US 42nd worst in Gini Coefficient
  • Richest 74 people made as much as the lowest 19 million people
  • 1970 CEO made 74 times what the average worker made, 2005 = 465 times more, Japan CEO made 20 times what the average worker made
  • 93% of Chamber Of Commerce spending for Republican candidates or against Democratic candidates in 2010
  • Republicans want to cut: AmeriCorps ($373M), family planning assistance, Corporation For Public Broadcasting spending ($531M), EPA by 18%, eliminate programs that help local police ($298M), EPA program that helps clean water, eliminate investment in highspeed rail ($53B), cut Amtrak budget by 14% ($224M), subsidies for the poor, Indian health care, road construction, no details on Congress’ own budget, cut NASA by 1%, FBI & US Marshals receive 4% increase, health research frozen at $31B, renewable energy programs by one half, weatherization programs terminated, cuts to WIC by $758M or 10%
  • Taxes at lowest level since 1950
  • Eisenhower was pro union, Reagan started union busting with firing air traffic controllers
  • In 2009 the top 5 most profitable companies were oil companies
  • House Democrats want $40B cut in oil subsidies over 5 years, Republicans say no
  • Under Clinton: richest .5% got tax increase of 3%, gas tax 3.4% increase, raised income on Social Security, all equaled more prosperity
  • Bush tax cuts on the wealthy, two unfunded wars = trying to clean up mess now
  • Defense budget $670B and doesn’t include nukes (they’re in energy)
  • A lot of stuff came from unions
  • Union decline bad for everyone except CEOs
  • In 1983 unions were 20.1%, now down to 12%
  • Top 400 people make as much as bottom 50%
  • Of 10 richest members of Congress (7 D’s and 3 R’s), all voted to extend the Bush tax cuts for the rich
  • From 2007-2009 Wall Street profits up 720%, unemployment up 102%, home equity down 35%

3:45pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZQOKYy3Kis6g
(Notes: 9)
  
Filed under: taxes clinton unions prisons spending cuts defense