Corporate America Must Prove Tax Reform is Good for Average Americans

Lowering the tax rate from the current 35% to the planned 20% will be a dramatic change for corporations. The GOP controlled congress contends that their planned corporate income tax cuts will result in more investment in new business and higher wages for American workers. Will it actually happen? We will have to wait until next year.

Read this report from CNBC.
A meeting of CEOs might seem to be a friendly gathering place for President Donald Trump’s chief economic adviser Gary Cohn, former president of Goldman Sachs. But at a gathering of chief executives hosted by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday November 14, business leaders called into question one of Cohn’s top arguments for slashing the corporate tax rate to 20 percent.

When one of the Journal’s editors asked the crowd if they planned to up their capital expenditure if the GOP’s tax plan went through, only a smattering raised their hands.

There’s little evidence to support the claim that tax breaks boost employment numbers.

A National Bureau of Economic Research study published in 2014 found “little evidence that corporate tax cuts boost economic activity” unless implemented in a recession.

Far from being short on cash, corporations are sitting on record amounts.

The informal poll was not the only disappointment for Cohn on Tuesday. Another non-scientific poll conducted at the gathering found that more than half of the CEOs present didn’t believe that Congress would pass a major tax bill by the end of the year.

Cohn had previously told reporters that tax legislation would be advanced by the end of the year, calling it a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Is this an opportunity to improve America’s middle class or an opportunity for higher dividend payments to shareholders?

We will know after the tax cut is put into effect. If the result of this tax cut does not provide higher incomes for the middle class the Republicans will lose in the next election.

America’s Car Sales

I continue to be a fan of midsized sedan automobiles. They offer enough space to provide comfortable accommodations for four people and with a little squeezing accommodate three people in the back seat along with a trunk that will hold two large suitcases for travel.

I don’t have to climb into sedans as I must if I drive an SUV or crossover vehicle. I can slide into a car with ease. So it is surprising to me that those SUVs or crossovers are now more popular than cars.

The other thing I find surprising is that American brands are not the big sellers. Could it be that Americans prefer quality over brand? Obviously the answer is yes.

Sales of midsized cars for the first 8 months of 2017.

Toyota Camry 247,775 Market share 20%

Honda Accord 221,013 Market share 18%

Nissan Altima 183,292 Market share 15%

Ford Fusion 138,489 Market share 11%

Chevrolet Malibu 117,173 Market share 10%

Hyundai Sonata 97,929 Market share 8%

Kia Optima 74,722 Market share 6%

Volkswagen Passat 45,994 Market share 4%

Subaru Legacy 33,559 Market share 3%

Mazda 6 24,814 Market share 2%

Chrysler 200 16,562 Market share 1%

Buick Regal 8,288 Market share >1%

All Others 1,122 Market share >1%

Toyota’s U.S. sales chief, Bill Fay, said consumers’ shift from cars to SUVs is one of the most dramatic the industry has ever seen. Three years ago, trucks and SUVs represented 50% of the U.S. market. They closed 2016 at 63% of total sales, and analysts don’t see that changing anytime soon. Boomers and millennials both like the space and the higher ride that SUVs offer, and improvements in fuel economy make them competitive with cars. The Honda CR-V was the bestselling SUV in the U.S. last year, with sales up 3% to 357,335.

Obviously I am in the minority.

U.S. Mass Shootings in 2017

A mass shooting is defined as the killing of four or more people at any venue. Here is a graph of the killings this year.

Click on graph to enlarge it.

The total to date is 532 people.

This graph includes today’s shooting a Sutherland Springs, Texas.

As a nation we appear to be willing to accept the killings as the price of the right to own a gun. In fact we can own as many guns as we want.

Of course there will be a vigil where candles will be light. Everyone will say a prayer but it is unlikely anyone will call for new gun controls.

Other nations have free democracies without the widespread ownership of weapons. It appears that this fact has not sunk into the heads of most Americans.

When Americans finally wake up to this fact perhaps we will see the passage of laws that limit gun ownership. Then again gun lovers seem to believe that their weapons are more important than life itself.

Antifa Coming November 4, 2017

Antifa is a contraction for “Anti-fascism.” The movements object is to resist Donald Trump and the people who support him in the belief that he stands for those who would create a fascist government.

There are reports that the Antifa movement wants November 4 to be the start of a civil war in the United States. Police are reportedly preparing for the events in these cities listed below.

As someone who is appalled in the direction Trump is leading this country I do support peaceful demonstrations even though they most likely won’t have any real impact.

I am happy to learn that there are others who are determined to stand up to Trumpism. Where will you be on Saturday?

Atlanta, November 4
6:00 pm
Euclid & Moreland Ave NE
Little 5 Points/Findley Plaza, Atlanta
Bring pots and pans, flashlights, glow sticks, lanterns, signs, banners, and everyone you know. The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go!
Facebook Event

Austin, November 4
1:00 pm
City Hall 301 West 2nd Street, Austin
Facebook event page

Boston, November 4
4:00 pm
Due to permit negotiations, the November 4th demonstration “This Nightmare Must End” The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go!” has been moved from Shoppers’ Plaza to the Parkman Bandstand in the Boston Commons.
Facebook event page

Chicago, November 4
1:00 pm
Federal Plaza, 219 S. Dearborn
Facebook event page

Cincinnati, November 4
1:00 pm
Piatt Park 100 Garfield Place

Cleveland, November 4
1:00 pm
Public Square
Facebook event page

Falmouth, MA, November 4
10:30 am
Move to Remove
Falmouth Town Green, Falmouth, MA

Honolulu, November 4
9:30 am
9:30am: Gather at Ala Moana Park (across from Pi`ikoi St.)
11:00 am: Rally at Thomas Square
Facebook event page

Indianapolis, November 4
11 am & 1 pm
11:00 am at the CVS parking lot, 46th & Keystone
1:00 pm at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, 38th Street entrance

Los Angeles, November 4
1:00 pm
Pershing Square
5th St. and Hill St ~ Downtown LA
Facebook event page

Minneapolis, November 4
12:00 PM
Berger Fountain at Loring Park
1382 Willow Street
Facebook Event

New York City, November 4
2:00 pm
42nd Street & Broadway NYC
Facebook event page

Omak, WA, November 4
9:00 am
Civic League Park
Facebook Event

Philadelphia, November 4
2:00 pm
Thomas Paine Plaza
1401 John F Kennedy Blvd, Philadelphia
Facebook event page

Pittsfield, MA, November 4
1:00 pm
Park Square 1 West Street
Pittsfield MA
Facebook event page

Portland, Oregon November 4
2:00 pm
Jameson Square Fountain, Portland Oregon
PDX Refuse Fascism! The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go!
RSVP and spread Facebook page

Salem, OR, November 4
3:00 pm

Salem Capitol
Facebook Event

San Francisco, November 4
3:00 PM
Union Square, San Francisco
Facebook Event

Seattle, November 4
12:00 pm
Gather at Seattle City Hall Plaza, 4th Avenue & James Street
Facebook Event

Tucson, November 4
2:00 PM
March begins at Tucson Comic Con / TCC
260 S. Church Avenue
Meet @ NO! Banner near front entrance

Is Age a Criteria for Holding Public Office?

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein ended months of speculation Monday when she said she was running for re-election in 2018. “I’m all in!” she tweeted and wrote in a Facebook post. At age 84, is Feinstein too old to run again? (If she won, her term would extend past her 91st birthday.)

My question is why should she be denied another term in office because of her age? I have seen her on many Sunday morning news shows and she is obviously able to hold her own against those that question her on the topic of the day. Her big issue is gun control and her responses to Chuck Todd on Meet the Press and Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday are always very well spoken.

Robert Byrd was the longest-serving Senator in United States history. In addition, he was, at the time of his death, the longest-serving member in the history of the United States Congress. That record was later surpassed by Representative John Dingell of Michigan. Byrd died at 92 still holding the office of senator from West Virginia.

Age should not be a criteria for holding public office. Donald Trump is now 71. If he holds office for eight years he will be 79 when he departs Washington. Ronald Reagan was 69 when he was inaugurated.

5 DACA Myths Debunked

Summary from CNN

Myth 1: It’s a pathway to citizenship

DACA gives beneficiaries a temporary reprieve from deportation, allowing them to stay lawfully in the country, granting them work permits and allowing them to obtain driver’s licenses. And it stops there.

“This is not amnesty. This is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It’s not a permanent fix,” Obama said when he announced the program five years ago. “This is a temporary stopgap measure.”

Myth 2: They don’t pay taxes

DACA recipients have paid about $2 billion in state and local taxes, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates. If they work they also pay income tax.

Myth 3: They get Medicaid and Obamacare

Some types of immigrants living in the United States have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, but under DACA, Dreamers are not eligible. DACA grantees cannot get Medicaid, either.

The only way for Dreamers to get health insurance is by receiving it from an employer, being a spouse’s dependent, going to a community clinic or purchasing it on their own outside the exchange, paying the entire premium.

Myth 4: They are going to college for free

It depends. DACA opened the doorway for undocumented immigrants to enroll in college, pay in-state tuition and, in some cases, gain access to financial aid packages.

While DACA students are not eligible for federal financial aid, some states let them pay in-state tuition, and a few offer them state-sponsored aid.

Myth 5: They are stealing jobs from American citizens

There’s actually a shortage of qualified workers in the United States, the Federal Reserve said in a survey of businesses across the country released in July.

A 2058 Prediction

The year is 2058. America’s greatest foreign relations challenge in the 21st century, North Korea’s desire to obtain a nuclear weaponized ICBM that can reach the United States has been stopped thanks to American and Chinese negotiators. The real threat has become nature. Rising sea levels and a warming climate has resulted in the United States becoming a super advocate for controlling all things that can further harm the environment.

Those that questioned the theory that climate change is real and doubted the effects that will result have largely become silent. They have become as rare as those who claim the world is flat.

Former Vice President Al Gore (deceased in 2036) is remembered as the man who first rang the warning bell about global warming. While his dates and impact were incorrect, his prediction that the world would be experiencing major changes thanks to global warming were correct.

There is now a 6 meter (20 foot) wall at the beach around much of southern Florida. Coastal plains have become part of the sea everywhere that is not protect by a sea wall.

Back in 2017 there were three successive years of Houston, Texas flooding that were called once in 500 years or once in a thousand year events. Even those who grew up there were trying to decide whether it was worth the fight to live in that flood plain. Most people have abandoned that city along with those who have left New Orleans.

Phoenix, Arizona summer temperatures now reach 120 Fahrenheit (49C) or more on the very hottest days. The population has grown because there is now an abundance of water and farming has become a significant industry in that state.

Los Angeles still has a Mediterranean climate along the coast but inland high temperatures now frequently reach 115 Fahrenheit (46C) in the summer. The highest temperature in the San Fernando Valley in 2057 was 120 Fahrenheit and the National Weather Service says more days close to that record are anticipated in the future. The humidity is now more similar to the east coast of the United States.

Solar panels are everywhere. Without them the cost of air conditioning would be too expensive for most families. Even now in 2058 many families have moved into communes to afford living in southern California.

Pride in Southern Heritage Does Not Require the Confederate Flag

Associated Press Report:
Robert Castello literally wears his Southern pride. The visor, suspenders and ring he donned Thursday were all emblazoned with the familiar design of the rebel battle flag.

Castello, whose Dixie General Store sells Confederate-themed hats, shirts, stickers and signs in rural eastern Alabama, said he doesn’t have any use for overtly racist groups like the Klan. Continue reading “Pride in Southern Heritage Does Not Require the Confederate Flag” →