ECONOMIC ISSUES
JOBS, THE ECONOMY, TAXES/ INCOME INEQUALITY, FEDERAL DEBT AND OCCUPY MOVEMENT
The L-Curve By David Chandler
This 3.38 minute video offers a quick picture of the outrageous income inequality that we have in the U.S. (The 1% vs. the 99%) Its implications for democracy are discussed.
Elizabeth Warren on the Debt Crisis, Fair Taxation
Elizabeth Warren responds to the Republican statement that the rich deserve all of their wealth.
Peter DeFazio: “And The Profits On Wall Street Are Obscene” By MoveOn.org
“Six Lies” from Summit For a Fair Economy By Robert Reich. 9/10/2011.
This 8 minute video is a rebuttal to 6 of the GOP most stated lies such as: Tax cuts for the rich trickle down to everyone else; Higher taxes on the rich would hurt the economy; Shrinking government creates more jobs; Cutting the deficit now is more important than boosting the economy; Social Security is a Ponzi scheme; Medicare and Medicaid are major drivers of the deficit; and lower income people don’t pay any taxes.
Also, at this site is a two minute video, “The Truth About The Economy”
How the Deficit Got This Big By Teresa Tritch. July 23, 2011.
Two graphs help to explain how the Bush administration took us from healthy budgetary surpluses at the end of the Clinton era with the prospect of future surpluses, to nine straight years of deficits.
Some Inconvenient Truths About the National Debt By ThinkProgress. June 1, 2011.
A chart shows what greatly increased our national debt –under the Bush Presidency: the 2001 & 2003 tax cuts, the Wars, the Economic Downturn/Recession, and TARP (the bank bailout). This also helps to counter Republican claims that Obama “tripled the deficit.”
8 Nasty Conservative Lies About the Democrats and Obama That Must Be Debunked Before the Election By David Johnson. Oct. 25, 2010.
For graphs, charts, and more in-depth explanations, click on the highlighted links within the article.
Under #4, a click on the links in the first sentence will show graphs substantiating job growth under the Stimulus Act – the BIKINI GRAPH.
Link CBO – narrative tells of the number of jobs created under the Stimulus Act.
Link “starve the beast” plan to read about the early roots of “starving the government”, privatization, trickle down, and deficit budgets. (Reaganism). Another link “restore the tax base” has graphs showing the relationship between top tax rates and federal debt and GDP.
13 Conservative Myths About Taxes – Debunked By Terrance Health. May 1, 2010.
Each point is further substantiated – click on the links within the article.
5 Conservative Economic Myths that Occupy Wall St. Is Helping Bust By Dave Johnson Oct. 10, 2011
Besides the usual myths, this article also confronts the “Business does everything better than government” lie and “Regulations Kill Jobs”. NOTE: the statement, “People coming in the door and buying things is what creates job
State of WorkingAmericapreview: The rich get richer By the Economic Policy Institute. Sept. 25, 2011.
This is a picture of what is happening in America. Click on: Health: A staggering rise in health insurance costs (and why we needed health care reform); also Wages: The declining value of minimum wage (Inflation-adjusted minimum wage: 1968 - $8.54; 2006 - $5.48; 2009 - $6.84; and Income: Income inequality in dollars and cents and the other links as well.
It’s the Inequality, Stupid By Dave Gilson and Carolyn Perot. 02/2011.
Eleven charts that show the inequality of wealth in America. The highlighted link “superwealthy beat the IRS” leads to a comparison between a janitor and millionaire’s effective tax rates.
Contrary to GOP Claims, U.S. Has Second Lowest Corporate Taxes in the Developed World By Marie Diamond. July 6, 2011
Guess Which 10 Companies Aren’t Paying Their Share: Senator Bernie Sanders’ Guide to Corporate Freeloaders By MoveOn.org. 4/30/2011.
5 Toxic Right-Wing Lies Obama Must Strike Down From His ‘Bully Pulpit’ By Andrew Kimbrell. AN EXCERPT: For the whole article, see: www.alternet.org/story/150788
One of the most constant lies from the Right Wing is that “Government is the Problem, not the Solution”. (Ronald Reagan).
“Meanwhile, it is indisputable that the two great crises in (the U.S.), the financial meltdown and the gulf disaster, were both a direct result of too little government, too little regulation of corporations acting badly (actually criminally).”
“Reactionary Narrative: Government is the problem. It is bad, even evil, and should be eliminated or privatized as much as possible."
Countering Progressive Narrative: Government is good and a major part of the solution to our economic and social problems—large, robust local, state and federal government services are critical to our individual and national well-being.
To be true to their “anti-big government” message, Tea Party rallies should have been festooned with signs such as “Fire the Fireman,” “No More Police,” “Bite the Postman,” “We Support Fewer Teachers and Overcrowded Classrooms,” “Collapse our Bridges – No More Infrastructure,” “We’ll Pave and Build Our Own Roads,” “Citizens for Salmonella,” “Unsafe Drugs for Everyone,” “ Americans for a Weak Defense,” “Senior Citizens Against Medicaid and Medicare.” These signs were missing, of course,…
This vagueness is important for the Tea Party and their big corporate funders because the entire “big government is evil” narrative is incoherent once it is actually thought through. Everyone wants and needs robust and effective government services. However, in the 1980’s the Reagan spinmeisters cleverly linked “big government” to “welfare moms”. Over the last three decades “big government” has been artfully equated with helping the poor, immigrants, and other “undesirable” communities. This clever narrative about “big government” remains a rallying cry for the Right because large corporations use this mantra as a convenient cover to work against regulations that might protect the American people or the environment but cut into their profits. Additionally, the more the Right can cripple government through spending cuts the more they can show how it’s not working.
