MORNING MESSAGE
Giuliani’s
impugning of the president’s patriotism was cankerous, but his bellicose assault
on Obama’s foreign policy is part of a growing war hysteria that is far more
dangerous. It is far past time for more sensible voices to be heard. This is a
time for the U.S. to address its real security needs, not to lurch mindlessly
into more wars abroad. We need to focus on rebuilding our economy at home, not
policing the world. We need to lead by example, not by force. We must learn that
the U.S. military cannot and should not be the answer to every horror and every
civil war in the world. Progressives who have been eerily absent from this
debate must find their voice.
Republicans Governors Consider Taxes
Some
Republican governors pushing tax hikes to balance budgets. Bloomberg:
“Governors in about 10 states, many led by Republicans, are proposing increases
this year … Several plans involve raising fuel taxes to pay for crumbling roads
and bridges, while Republicans including John Kasich in Ohio and Maine’s Paul
LePage want higher sales or other levies to offset income-tax cuts. The burden
of such taxes falls more heavily on the poor … In Nevada, two-term Republican
Governor Brian Sandoval has proposed $1.1 billion in new or continued business,
tobacco and other taxes to pay for education and initiatives such as expanding
full-day kindergarten.”
“Most
Americans Say the Rich Aren’t Taxed Enough” finds AP poll: “…more than
two-thirds of Americans think the wealthy pay too little in federal dues [but]
56% of respondents think their own federal taxes are too steep … A bid to raise
capital gains taxes on households with incomes greater than $500,000 saw support
at 56%, while only 16% opposed it. And a new tax on banks was supported by 47%,
while only 13% opposed it. The estate tax did not fare as well…”
Tax
cuts won’t help middle-class, argues EPI’s Larry Mishel, in NYT oped: “…a
one-time reduction in taxes through, say, expanded child care credits or a
secondary earner tax break, as Democrats propose, could help families. But as
wages continue to stagnate, it is impossible to continuously cut taxes and still
pay for things like education and social programs for the growing population of
older Americans … the key is to make raising wages the central focus of economic
policy making and to reverse decades of decisions that have undercut wage
growth.”
Neither
will independent contracting, says Robert Reich: “The rise of ‘independent
contractors’ is the most significant legal trend in the American workforce —
contributing directly to low pay, irregular hours, and job insecurity … But are
they really ‘independent’? … FedEx doesn’t tell its drivers what hours to work,
but it tells them what packages to deliver and organizes their workloads to
ensure they work between 9.5 and 11 hours every working day. If this isn’t
‘employment,’ I don’t know what the word means.”
Education
proposals no cure-all, says NYT’s Paul Krugman: “…soaring inequality isn’t
about education; it’s about power … there’s no evidence that a skills gap is
holding back employment … if businesses were desperate for workers with certain
skills, they would presumably be offering premium wages to attract such workers
… As for wages and salaries, never mind college degrees — all the big gains are
going to a tiny group of individuals holding strategic positions in corporate
suites…”
Gov.
Scott Walker has won his war on unions. W. Post: “…the once-thriving
public-sector unions were not just shrunken — they were crippled … The state
branch of the National Education Association, once 100,000 strong, has seen its
membership drop by a third. The American Federation of Teachers, which organized
in the college system, saw a 50 percent decline. The 70,000-person membership in
the state employees union has fallen by 70 percent.”
Backlash Against Greek Government
Temporary
Greek bailout deal sparks backlash. NYT: “Greek leaders scrambled on Sunday
to come up with a list of proposed changes to the nation’s austerity program
that would be acceptable to their creditors by a Monday deadline, even as they
faced a revolt by members of their own radical-left party, angered that the
government had bent to demands by Brussels … The sole concession to Athens was
to allow it to propose changes to the requirements agreed to with creditors by
the previous Greek governments, in effect allowing Athens to change the shape of
its obligations, not reduce them.”
“Alexis
Tsipras must keep his nerve” argues Reuters’ Hugo Dixon: “Mr. Tsipras now
has to present his own list of reforms by Monday evening. He must resist any
temptation to come up with half-hearted proposals that might appease his
extremist colleagues. Instead, Athens should propose radical reforms that the
previous conservative-led government was too conflicted to embrace. It should
surprise its eurozone partners with its zeal and so help restore their
trust.”
Obama, Warren Join Forces On Retirement
Obama
and Sen. Warren team up on regulating retirement advisers. Roll Call:
“President Barack Obama will be making a public push to strengthen the
regulation of financial advisers who provide advice about saving for retirement.
The two Senate Democrats with perhaps the most star power, Cory Booker of New
Jersey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, will join the president for the
rollout of the proposal at an event hosted by the AARP.”
Five Days Until Homeland Security Shutdown
Republicans
have five days to figure out how to fund Homeland Security. The Hill: “The
Senate is scheduled to vote Monday evening for the fourth time on a motion to
open debate on the House-passed DHS funding bill. The motion will certainly
fail, leaving a decision on what comes next to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) … Boehner could lay out his next
play when the House GOP conference meets on Wednesday morning, which would leave
him just 72 hours to prevent a shutdown. One option being floated is a
short-term spending bill known as a continuing resolution (CR), but it is not
clear whether this would pass muster.”
Senate
Republicans point to court ruling, to turn House away from shutdown. W.
Post: “‘Now we have the perfect reason to not shut it down because the
courts have decided, at least initially, in our favor,’ Sen. John McCain
(R-Ariz.) said last week … But despite McCain’s enthusiasm for funding Homeland
Security at this point, it remains unclear whether the far-right will
agree.”
Progressive
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