Bark For Sark

Washington 19  Nebraska 7

Way to go, Dawgs!

Thanks For The Jobs...NOT!

US corporations had the best 3rd quarter earnings since the government started keeping track over 60 years ago.  And you know what?  They are hiring again.  Yes folks, they are hiring.  They are creating jobs.  BUT, the jobs are overseas.

The Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank, says American companies have created 1.4 million jobs overseas this year, compared with less than 1 million in the U.S. The additional 1.4 million jobs would have lowered the U.S. unemployment rate to 8.9 percent, says Robert Scott, the institute's senior international economist.

 From here

And republicans want to cut their taxes more.  Why, so they can help the Chinese economy?

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all you Critter Crappers!

Want To Save $160 BILLION Per Year

GET THE HELL OUT OF AFGHANISTAN!

From Thom Hartmann

Why the Media isn't Talking about the War...

You need to know this. A new study by the Pew Research Center may explain why outrage isn't growing around the country over the unpopular war in Afghanistan. Simply - the media is not talking about it. This year - Afghanistan surpassed Vietnam as the longest military engagement in American history. It was also the bloodiest year on record in the 9-year war. In great detail - a release of wikileaks cables illuminated the conflict for Americans to see the brutality clearer. And - a strategy review released by President Obama stated the US military will likely be involved in the country for at least another 4 years. Yet - according to the new Pew study - the American media has only devoted 4% of it's coverage to Afghanistan. The war costs taxpayers more than $160 billion a year - but it's not even talked about in the public sphere - even in terms of deficit reduction - which has been a hot-button topic all year. Media outlets claim the story of the war simply doesn't interest people - so they don't cover it. And therein lies the problem with our news media - instead of reporting the news we NEED to know - they report what we WANT to know like partisan politics - or the royal wedding - or bed bugs. Ending this war is one of the greatest challenges facing all of us right now. Unfortunately - Americans can't take a stand against the war if corporations who own our news media - and have interlocking boards of directors or company divisions in the defense industry - won't cover it.

 

There is a hell of a lot of things that could be done with $160 billion dollars per year.  That's  $1.6 TRILLION DOLLARS over 10 years.  And people bitch about extending unemployment benefit which are a fraction of the $160 billion a year that this war is costing us, not to mention the lives of thousands of people.

It is disgusting and we should get out, NOW!

Poor Will Pay More

Why is it that the poor have to pay more and the rich have to pay less?

In 2009 and 2010 lower income people were eligible for a "Making Work Pay Tax Credit".  It provided a tax credit of up to $400 per person and $800 per couple.  So what happened to it?  It has been replaced by a "temporary" 2% reduction in Social Security withholding.

So, what's so bad about that?

Making Work Pay gives the most help to those that need it the most.  SS withholding reduction gives help to those that need it the least.  Once again the higher wage earner wins out over the lower wage earner.

David Dayden over at FDL shows a chart by Nancy Altman of Social Security Works that compares the two programs.  Here is the chart.

Again, we see things weighted to the top while the people who need the help are at the bottom.

The 2% reduction in SS withholding is being touted as a benefit for the poor.  Where is the benefit?  People making under $20,000 per year will get an effective tax INCREASE, while people earning over $106,800 will get an additional $2136 per year.  

For republicans, this is normal.  For Democrats, this is disgrace. 

Isn't A Compromise Supposed To Be Between The Two Extremes?

 

 

What the hell is this shit?

From Daily Kos

Sometimes A BJ Makes A Lot Of Sense

The BJ in this case is BJ from DemWit with her post titled Bad week for the little guy: a chronology.

Here is what people are angry at with extending the Bush tax cuts for everyone.  Take a look at this figure:

 

All the benefit of extending the Bush tax cuts go to people making over one million dollars per year.   According to the figure, the rest of us get practically nothing.

This figure, while true, is somewhat misleading because of the scale of the numbers and the number of people involved at each income level.  For example, with the Bush tax cuts, the bottom tax percentile is 10%.  If the Bush tax cuts were to expire, their rate will go up to 15%.  That is a 50% increase, but the actual amount of money is so small compared to the $100,000 that the millionaire plus's get, that it gets lost in this figure.

But a 50% increase in taxes is NOT nothing to the person that is paying it.  Want to hear people scream?  Try raising the millioniares taxes by 50%.  It's the same increase, but millionaires have a bigger voice...and owned part of Congress.

BJ has gone to a lot of trouble to describe what has happened over the past week or so, and how the tax compromise benefits the majority of Americans.  She also shows how the Democrats have worked hard to the benefit of the majority of Americans and the economy, and how the republicans have repeatedly been willing to sacrifice the welfare of the majority of the American people and the American economy so that the top 2% of people can continue getting their Bush Bonus Tax Cuts.

Whether you agree with the tax cut compromise or disagree with it, go to DemWit and read BJ's post.  It is well worth the time and clearly delineates the differences between the what the Democrats want to accomplish for all the American people and what the republicans want to accomplish for only 2% of the American people.

BJ, job well done!

Another Example of Failed Republican Economic Policy

From ThinkProgress.org, 

During the 2008 Presidential campaign, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) praised the Irish economy for its low corporate tax rate and said that if the U.S. would just follow suit, companies would “be able to create jobs, increase your business, make more investment.”

 He was not the only one.  Many conservatives over the last several years have been touting the great Irish economy.  They have held up the Irish economy as an example of what we should do, of what economic policies we should be following.

Well, how has that worked out for the Irish?

Again, from the above referenced article, 

Now, Ireland is undertaking draconian austerity measures, including raising personal income taxes by €1.9 billion and cutting the minimum wage, in order to receive an €85 billion bailout.

And the republicans are shutting down our damn government until they get more tax cuts from the wealthy.

What a bunch of

 S

(SHITHEADS -- for the visually impaired)