Repubs determined to kill another 100,000 plus jobs

I’ve said it before Repubs are doing all they can to push unemployment higher and the country into a double dip recession, if not depression.  They see economic misery as the best path to Repub wins in 2010 and 2012 since they know Americans always blame and vote against the party that controls the white house when the economy tubes.  Latest evidence is their determined effort to end the most successful piece of the stimulus package— Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Emergency Contingency Fund--that created at least 250,000 jobs.  

See here http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2010/09/republicans_guilty_of_mass_mur.html

and here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/09/30/if-we-re-serious-about-jobs-don-t-stop-job-creation

A national disgrace—Too many of our children live in poverty

Nationwide, one in five American children lived in poverty in 2009.  For the average family of four, this means that their combined income for the year was less than $21,954.  A map at the link below presents the new data on child poverty rates by state, which ranged from highs of 31.0% in Mississippi and 29.4% in the District of Columbia to a comparable low of 10.8% in New Hampshire.  Visit this link to see the poverty rate for children in your state.  http://www.epi.org/analysis_and_opinion/entry/Child_poverty_rises_dramatically/#When:20:16:12Z

Repubs $1.5 trillion higher deficits than under Obama's budget

The Center for American Progress took a close look at the Repub “Pledge to America” particularly that part of the pledge where they say they have a new commitment to fiscal responsibility.  Guess what.  Under the Repub plan, the budget deficit would be about $200 billion LARGER in 2020 than under Obama’s plan.  Let the Repubs have their way and according to the Center’s analysis over the next 10 years Repubs would run up deficits $1.5 trillion HIGHER than under Obama’s plan.

Hey Repubs, where’s the fiscal responsibility? 

Take a look at this graph

Read the CAP report here:  http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/09/pledge_to_america.html

Repubs pledge if elected they will eliminate 1 million jobs.

You have probably heard of the Repubs Pledge to America announced by House Minority Leader John Boehner.  It is a pledge all right; a pledge to enact a combination of tax cuts for the rich and cuts in domestic spending that if enacted will result in a loss of an estimated 1.1 million jobs according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute.  See http://www.epi.org/page/-/pdf/pm171.pdf

Teachers and parents--the Repubs pledge to cut spending on education $10 billion IN ONE YEAR ALONE.

All you people worried about heart disease, strokes, childhood cancer, the spread of infectious diseases and medical research in general that might save your life or the life of someone you love—the Repubs pledge to cut $7 billion from those efforts IN ONE YEAR.

Those of you concerned about our deteriorating roads, bridges, water and sewer systems, and other infrastructure--the Repubs pledge to cut spending on those investments in our country’s future by $8 billion IN ONE YEAR ALONE.

These are just some of the cuts the Repubs pledge to make if elected.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says that the cuts that the Repubs pledge to make would “represent the deepest cut in funding for these programs from one year to the next in recent U.S. history.  See: http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3286

Oh, those of you who are worried about the tax burden of the rich--- the Repubs pledge to give people who make over $1 million a tax break of over $100,000 per year.  That's a tax break equal to more than double the entire annual income of the average American household NOT JUST FOR ONE YEAR BUT FOR EVERY YEAR IN FUTURE.  $100,000 per year FOREVER. 

What a party.  What a pledge.  Newt had a contract on America.  Boehner and his Repub/Tea Party friends have made a pledge to destroy America.

Why would they do this?  I have said it before.  Repubs see continued economic stagnation and high unemployment as the best path to control of the Congress and White House in 2012.  Their strategy is to do nothing to make things better for average Americans, keep unemployment high and blame Obama and Democrats for continued high unemployment and sluggish economy.  They think that strategy is working for them in 2010.  If the Repubs win in November, then the do nothing/make matters worse for average Americans strategy will become Repub gospel.  

So what is the pledge Repubs are really making to America?

Bad times for average folks?  You betcha!

A double-dip recession?  You betcha!

A possible second Big Depression?  You betcha!

More power for themselves?  You betcha!

Don’t cut the DOD budget, increase it—a lot.

By now, you have probably heard about Secretary of Defense Gates’ proposed cuts in the Defense Department budget.  If you haven’t go here:  http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2010/0903_defense_budget_ohanlon.aspx

Now generally, I’m all in favor of cutting the Pentagon budget—military/industrial complex and all that stuff.  But, this time I think the administration is nuts.  We’ve got 9.6% unemployment.  The economy is still struggling.  What we need at this moment is MORE government spending, not less.  Anyone with any sense knows that we need a second stimulus.  We also know that the Repubs are going to fight everything but tax cuts for the rich claiming their horror at the growing deficit.

So, what does this have to do with the DOD cuts?  Just this.  Repubs aren’t going to agree to any domestic spending for education, infrastructure, the environment or what have you.  Zip, zero, none.  But, now spending on defense, that’s another matter. 

Suppose Obama came out with not a DOD cut but a DOD spending binge?  New boats, planes, trucks, uniforms, technology, anything and everything the Generals and Admirals can think of to buy as long as it is something that can be built and bought in the next couple of years and require hiring people to get the job done.  Let’s don’t cut defense contractors, let’s double the number over the next two years.  Think about all the defense contractors and consultants out there that would be dancing a gig in the streets.  And, let’s spread the money around.  Let’s make sure some businesses-preferably some small business—Repubs love small businesses particularly those where the owner makes over $250,000 per year in taxable income—in every state and Congressional District gets some of the DOD dough.  Let’s make sure a lot of DOD money flows into those small businesses over the next two years.  Instead of closing bases, let’s open some old ones and fix up the ones that are still open, new paint, new furnishings, new computers, etc. etc. etc.  If we turned the DOD folks lose to be creative—along with the DOD suppliers—I bet we could find $800 billion of absolutely necessary DOD spending we could get out the door in the next 18 months, deficit be damned.

Let’s see the Repubs and Tea Party folks yell and scream about giving our guys and gals in uniform some extra stuff.  I love to see Saxby and Johnny here in GA yelling and screaming that the military bases that have been closed shouldn’t be reopened and that Lockheed Martin, the Boeing Company, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics (Gulfstream), Raytheon, BAE Systems, United Technologies (Pratt & Whitney), L-3 Communications, and all those other defense contractors big and small with operations in Georgia shouldn’t get any extra business thrown their way.  That would be a sight to see.  But, it wouldn’t happen.  And, it wouldn’t happen in any other state that gets DOD bucks.  Repubs might be able to object to spending on education but they could never object to spending on war stuff.  If they did, all Obama and the Democrats would have to do in wrap themselves in the nearest Stars and Stripes.

No/Nothings set to take House and Senate

Election Projection (http://www.electionprojection.com/index.php) as of today has the No/Nothing-Republican Tea Party Party set to take control of both the House and Senate. 

Senate: 50 No/Nothings  48 Democrat

House: 218 No/Nothings 217 Democrat

Relatedly, there is growing support in both parties for allowing the housing market to crash.  Home sales in July were off 29% from July 2009.  No/Nothing theory is that future home buyers will benefit from housing prices continuing to decline, i.e, the more houses in foreclosure or up for fire sale the better.  So, all you mortgage holders take heart.  Your bankruptcy will benefit future owners of your property.  Ain’t that great.

Expect more of this No/Nothing approach to not-solving the nation’s problems when No/Nothing Republican Tea Party folks get power.  Unemployment—Let it rise.  Homeless-Let them live in caves.  Hungry—Let’m starve.  Education—Fire the public school teachers, close the public schools.  R&D-Let the Chinese do it.  Health Care—Repeal. Why should you be entitled to medical care if you can’t pay for it?  Die.  Social Security: Privatize it.  Better yet, abolish it along with Medicare.  Old folks can eat dog food like they used to.  Yum!  Financial reform--Repeal.  Free the financial institutions to cheat whoever they want in any way they want.  Place your trust in your bank or credit card company to make sure you are taken care of, but good.  That's the No/Nothing way.  All we are saying is give ignorance and greed a chance.  

A No/Nothing acquaintance of mine put it this way:  "We need more prisons and workhouses, more Treadmill and Poor Laws in full vigor.  I don't care if the poor are without meat and drink, and means of warmth.  I say they get nothing.  I can't afford to make idle people merry.  If they would rather die than live as they do, then I say they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."  I swear this sounds like something straight out of Glenn Beck, but that's what he said.  

My suggestion:  Since the No/Nothing Repub Tea folks don’t want to do anything anyway and salivate over smaller government, why not just close Washington completely.  Let’s shut down the House and Senate, sell off the capital and senate and house office buildings or, better yet, abandon them so the price of real estate in D.C. can come down to more normal levels.  Hey, if it works for home owners, it should work for our new No/Nothing Repub Tea leaders.  Right?