OWS

[O Really]

Meet the lobbyists, donors and bundlers behind Hillary's $157 million juggernaut

So if these high-rollers are going to be players anyway, would you rather them fund only Republicans?

[Vrede too]

After 35+ years of transferring wealth away from the middle class I would rather that there was a difference between many Dems and Republicans, and that we have some reason to hope that our banker/Wall Street/fat cat dominated politics might change.

[O Really]

After 35+ years of transferring wealth away from the middle class I would rather that there was a difference between many Dems and Republicans, and that we have some reason to hope that our banker/Wall Street/fat cat dominated politics might change.

Well sure, but while you're hoping for that, for the Cubs to win the Series, and world peace led by beauty pageant contestants, it would be good for Dems to get well funded. Being somewhat beholden to the purse holder isn't good, but it's better than being out of office.

[Vrede too]

At the moment Hillary is doing worse for having solicited the money and we do have a viable choice.

“We have to reduce the influence of money in our politics, so that a handful of families and hidden interests can’t bankroll our elections -- and if our existing approach to campaign finance can’t pass muster in the courts, we need to work together to find a real solution.

If we want a better politics, it’s not enough just to change a congressman or change a senator or even change a president. We have to change the system to reflect our better selves."

… I can’t do these things on my own. Changes in our political process  --  in not just who gets elected but how they get elected --  that will only happen when the American people demand it. It will depend on you. That’s what’s meant by a government of, by, and for the people.…Our collective futures depend on your willingness to uphold your duties as a citizen. To vote. To speak out.”

-- President Obama in his final State of the Union address.

Inside Chelsea Clinton and Ivanka Trump’s Unlikely Friendship

[O Really]

At the moment Hillary is doing worse for having solicited the money and we do have a viable choice.

Possibly, but whoever gets the nomination is going to need to be well-funded. It's for sure the Republican nominee will be.

[Vrede too]

I'd like to see if a pol can win a general without sucking up to the bankers/Wall Street/fat cats, but one probably can't even win the Dem nod.

Edit: Opps.

Bernie Sanders just melted away a 30-point Hillary Clinton lead in a new poll

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) closed a 30-point gap with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to virtually tie her in a new national survey published Friday.

The poll, from Quinnipiac University, found Clinton leading Sanders among national Democratic primary voters, 44% to 42%.

That was a wild swing from a mid-December Quinnipiac poll that found Clinton leading 61% to 30% nationally over Sanders....

The Quinnipiac poll found that Sanders would fare better than Clinton in hypothetical general-election matchups, an argument he has started to make on the campaign trail. For example, while Clinton would lose to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) by 7 points, Sanders would tie him, according to the survey. He would also double Clinton's margin of victory over real-estate magnate Donald Trump.

For his part, Trump continued to lead on the Republican side, according to Quinnipiac. He received 31% of the vote, followed by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at 22% and Rubio at 19%.

Wow, feel the Bern.

February 5, 2016 - U.S. Republicans Want Trump, But Rubio Is Best In November, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Dem Race Is Tied, But Sanders Runs Better Against GOP

... Sanders and Rubio are the strongest candidates in general election matchups. If former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg runs, he hurts Sanders more than he hurts any of the top Republican contenders.

Among Republicans, 30 percent say they "would definitely not support" Trump, while 15 percent say no to Cruz and 7 percent say no to Rubio.

Sanders has the highest favorability rating among top candidates, while Trump has the lowest....

General election matchups among American voters show:

Clinton tops Trump 46 - 41 percent;
Clinton ties Cruz 45 - 45 percent;
Clinton trails Rubio 48 - 41 percent;
Sanders thumps Trump 49 - 39 percent;
Sanders edges Cruz 46 - 42 percent;
Sanders and Rubio are tied 43 - 43 percent. If Bloomberg runs as a third party candidate in some contests, results are:
Sanders at 35 percent, with Trump at 36 percent and Bloomberg at 15 percent;
Sanders at 37 percent, with Cruz at 36 percent and Bloomberg at 15 percent.

Sanders has a 44 - 35 percent favorability rating among American voters. Ratings for other candidates are:

Negative 39 - 56 percent for Clinton;
Negative 34 - 59 percent for Trump;
Negative 36 - 42 percent for Cruz;
Positive 42 - 28 percent for Rubio;
Negative 20 - 25 percent for Bloomberg with 53 percent who don't know enough about him to form an opinion.

"While Trump, Clinton and Cruz wallow in a negative favorability swamp, by comparison, Rubio and Sanders are rock stars," Malloy said....

[Vrede too]

Stand with Sen. Warren: Tell Senate Democrats not to sabotage Wall Street cops (petition)

The Wall Street shilling Dems include Mark Warner of Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Angus King, an independent from Maine who often caucuses with Democrats.

[Vrede too]

States Where the Middle Class Is Dying

10. Arkansas
9. New York
8. Montana
7. California
6. South Carolina
5. Tennessee
4. North Carolina
3. Maine
2. Georgia
1. Rhode Island

Interesting, 3 blue, 5 red, 2 purple, not as big a partisan divide as usual for these kinds of things. It's all of us against the fat cats.

[rstrong]

[Vrede too]

DNC Chair Joins GOP Attack On Elizabeth Warren's Agency
Payday lenders get a new ally.

[Vrede too]

Obama's inversion curbs kill Pfizer's $160 bln Allergan deal

[Vrede too]

Ouch, I almost started feeling sorry for him.

[Vrede too]

Tell your Senators and Representative:

Support the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act

[Vrede too]

A response to your petition on corporate tax avoidance:

On March 22, 2016, a petition you signed -- urging the Administration to address corporate tax avoidance -- gained 100,000 signatures, the threshold for receiving a White House response. Thank you for your interest and engagement on this issue.

We are unable to comment on specific companies or deals, but we want to let you know that for years, President Obama has highlighted the unfairness of the so-called “corporate inversions” tax loophole, which allows U.S. companies to avoid U.S. taxes by relocating -- on paper -- to a foreign country.

Since 2014, the President has called upon Congress to close the inversions loophole, and has included a legislative proposal to close the loophole in each of his last three Budgets.

While Congress has thus far failed to act, the Treasury Department has used its authority under existing law to make it more difficult for American companies to undertake a tax inversion and to reduce the financial benefits of doing so. In fact, Treasury announced additional steps this month to limit inversions, building upon two prior actions it took in 2014 and 2015. The new actions address so-called “serial inversions” and limit a corporate tax avoidance practice known as “earnings stripping.”

In recognizing Treasury’s latest action, President Obama said:

“When companies exploit loopholes like this, it makes it harder to invest in the things that will keep America strong for future generations. . . . Many of those loopholes come at the expense of middle class families -- because that lost revenue could have been used to invest in our schools, make college more affordable, put people back to work building our roads, and create more opportunities for our children.”

Treasury’s action will limit corporate inversions, but it will not stop them outright -- only legislation can to do that. That’s why President Obama once again called upon Congress to immediately close the inversions loophole for good.

The proposal to stop corporate inversions is part of President Obama’s overall efforts to make the tax code fairer for working families -- including ending wasteful tax loopholes for those at the top, strengthening tax credits that help working families, and reforming our business tax system so that it encourages investment and job creation here in America.

Learn more about President Obama’s efforts to close the inversions loophole and the steps Treasury has taken here.



Thank you.

-- The We the People Team

[Vrede too]

Heard part of this on the radio:

Intelligence Squared U.S. debate: Eliminate Corporate Subsidies

On the panel FOR - Jack Abramoff.

Jack Abramoff!

Well, if anyone would know . . .

[Vrede too]

How to start a mid-air fight: Put a first class cabin on the plane

Interesting, seems like a microcosm for society. We can, should and do blame those who behave badly - obviously, not everyone does - but when this is the scientifically predictable result of growing class disparity, it also means that we are making poor societal choices.

[Seth Milner]

How to start a mid-air fight: Put a first class cabin on the plane

Interesting, seems like a microcosm for society. We can, should and do blame those who behave badly - obviously, not everyone does - but when this is the scientifically predictable result of growing class disparity, it also means that we are making poor societal choices

Win a great trip on Price is Right: "We'll fly two of you roundtripcoach to . . . . " (rapidly spoken one word)

[Vrede too]

DNC Chair Joins GOP Attack On Elizabeth Warren's Agency
Payday lenders get a new ally.

Wasserman Schultz Has a Change of Heart, But Too Little, Too Late

[Vrede too]

The Unequal States of America
Income inequality in the United States

Income trends have varied from state to state, and within states. But a pattern is apparent: the growth of top 1% incomes. Explore inequality in this interactive feature.

Average annual income of the top 1%: $1,153,293
What you need to make to be in the top 1%: $389,436
Average income of everyone else (the bottom 99%): $45,567
The top 1% makes 25.3 times more than the bottom 99%

The top 1% takes home 20.1% of all the income in the United States.

The share of all income held by the top 1% in recent years has approached or surpassed historical highs. (see US graph at link)

Income inequality in North Carolina

Average annual income of the top 1%: $745,686
What you need to make to be in the top 1%: $327,549
Average income of everyone else (the bottom 99%): $42,162
The top 1% makes 17.7 times more than the bottom 99% (below the national ratio)

The top 1% takes home 14.9% of all the income in North Carolina.

The share of all income held by the top 1% in recent years has approached or surpassed historical highs. (see NC graph at link)

Metropolitan areas

Kinston is the most unequal metro area in North Carolina.
The top 1% there makes 23.5 times more than the bottom 99%.
Average income of the top 1% in Kinston is $677,422.
The average income of the bottom 99% is $28,782.

Counties

Lenoir County is the most unequal county in North Carolina.
The top 1% there makes 23.5 times more than the bottom 99%.
Average income of the top 1% in Lenoir County is $677,422.
The average income of the bottom 99% is $28,782

You can look up your state, county or metro area income inequality numbers at the site. For county or metro areas using Control F (PC) or Command F (Mac) helps your search once you get the pop-up.

Ratio of top 1% income to bottom 99% income for all U.S. counties, 2013

Henderson County

Rank (highest to lowest ratio): 1341 out of 3064
Average income of the top 1%: $542,124
Average income of the bottom 99%: $39,068
Top-to-bottom ratio: 13.9 (below the state ratio)

Ratio of top 1% income to bottom 99% income for all U.S. metropolitan areas, 2013

Asheville (I guess Hendersonville is not a metropolitan area)

Rank (highest to lowest ratio): 257 out of 916
Average income of the top 1%: $680,792
Average income of the bottom 99%: $38,379
Top-to-bottom ratio: 17.7 (same as the state ratio)

[Vrede too]

Americans for Tax Fairness: