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Secretary Rubio warns West Bank annexation endangers Trump’s Gaza plan – Reuters

“‘I mean, that’s a vote in the – yeah, that’s a vote in the Knesset, but obviously I think the president’s made clear that’s not something we’d be supportive of right now, and we think it’s potentially threatening to the peace deal,’ Rubio told reporters late on Wednesday before leaving for Israel…”

Depending on how the Trump Administration backs it up, Secretary Rubio’s warning for Israel to stop (or slow down – check the quote above) annexing the West Bank could be a positive development. Based its actions over decades, it would be hard for a clear-eyed diplomat not to perceive Israel’s long-term policy toward Palestinians: 1) displace them however possible (harassment, debasement, apartheid policies, violence), and 2) take their land. There will be no lasting peace as long as Israel pursues these tactics and goals. Like any population under the control of a hostile power, Palestinians will resist. Israel will use any violent opposition as a pretext to accelerate the conquest.

In order to stabilize the situation in Gaza — and advance President Trump’s case for a peace prize — US negotiators are now trying to slow Israel down. But actions speak louder than words. US policy remains umbilically tied to Israel’s Zionist ambitions. It will take more than jawboning to stop Israel’s expansion. In the end, protecting Palestinians (who suffer also from a lack of competent leadership) from ethnic cleansing probably will require a sizeable military force from outside. As this tragedy continues to unfold, will the US – or any other country – be willing to stop Israeli violence in Gaza, much less the West Bank?

The Trump Administration Can and Should Take Available Steps to Ensure SNAP Participants Get November Food Benefits – CBPP

“Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has indicated, and media have reported, that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will run out of funding for SNAP food assistance for November as a result of the government shutdown. This would leave more than 40 million low-income people, about 1 in 8 people in the U.S., without the food assistance they need, including about 16 million children, 8 million older adults, and 4 million people with disabilities…”

More State (or Is It Just Trump?) Capitalism – Harold Meyerson/American Prospect

“Treasury’s Bessent says the feds will jump into pharmaceuticals and shipbuilding. California’s Newsom says the state has produced and will sell insulin at $11 a pop.”

“…All these interventions, Bessent said, were, of course, a response to China’s domination of these industries, and its concomitant power to withhold their products from the United States. By recently blocking the export of its rare earth minerals to the U.S., China has made clear it has the power to cripple any number of crucial industries that need those minerals for the batteries that power their products.”

Food for thought?

NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s proposal for the city to operate a few grocery stores in low-income food deserts has been slammed as being “socialist.” Or would that be “state capitalism”?

Amazon may promise fast package delivery, but research shows that delivery drivers are paying the price – Harvard KSG

“Using survey data from nearly 10,000 workers at Amazon, UPS, and FedEx, researchers found stark differences in job quality:

  • Wages: Amazon delivery drivers average $19/hour, compared to $35/hour at UPS and $25/hour at FedEx
  • Wage growth: At UPS, pay rises with tenure—from $21/hour to nearly $40/hour after a decade. At Amazon, pay is flat: drivers start at $17–19/hour and stay there, regardless of experience.
  • Job stability: Nearly half of Amazon drivers had been on the job less than a year. By contrast, more than half of UPS drivers had worked there for a decade or longer.
  • Benefits: Almost all UPS drivers have access to health insurance, paid vacation, and retirement plans. At Amazon, fewer than half of drivers have such coverage.
  • Hardship: One in four Amazon drivers reported going hungry in the last month because they couldn’t afford food, and one in three said they couldn’t cover utility bills.

“In addition to lower pay and weaker protections, Amazon drivers face a uniquely intense level of technological surveillance: 60% of Amazon drivers reported being tracked on speed by a device, compared to about 30% of FedEx workers. Nearly three-quarters said their employer monitors the quality of their work using technology, far higher than UPS or FedEx.”

Despite the fact that it micromanages drivers, Amazon continues fighting union organizing efforts, claiming the drivers are employed by its subcontractors rather than Amazon itself. Union advocates argue Amazon is a “joint employer.” See:

As a Delivery Worker Union Campaign Takes Off, Amazon Tries to Dodge Labor Law – NELP

More background:

An economist’s transfiguration:

U.S. spending has become more skewed. What does that mean for Americans? – Mark Zandi/Philadelphia Inquirer

“Consider that households in the top 10% of the income distribution, making more than $275,000 a year, account for almost half of all spending. We have data from when I started as an economist; back then, this group accounted for just over one-third of spending. Further illustrating the point, households in the top just over 3% of the income distribution are responsible for one-third of all spending. That’s up from closer to one-fifth when I started my career.

“Now consider households in the bottom half of the income distribution, those making less than $75,000 a year. They have only one-sixth of the spending pie, and that share has steadily fallen over the past several decades…”.

With the rising tide lifting only a few boats, is the field ‘economics’ devolving back to ‘political economy’?

The dirt is cheap. Know how takes time and money.

Monopoly Round-Up: Does the Left Have Trouble with Making Things in America? – Matt Stoller/BIG

“Why does it matter to make things in the U.S.? Well, there’s a question of sovereignty, of whether we can govern ourselves. We saw during Covid the perils of lacking key production infrastructure. But it goes way beyond that. Over the past few weeks, as I noted on Friday, we’ve seen extraordinary assertions of power by the Chinese state to exploit its rare earth magnet monopoly. Going forward, the Chinese government will demand the blueprints for all products made with rare earths, which is to say, everything from cars to fighter jets. And the Chinese government will give permission, one-by-one, for making such products, worldwide. Yes, China is now claiming industrial sovereignty over the entire world.”

The ore, it turns out, is not rare. China holds the upper hand because it has cornered the market on rare earth mining and processing technology:

How China came to rule the world of rare earth elements – NPR

Is it time for the US government and industry to launch a ‘Manhattan Project’ to catch up with China on producing components essential to the computing power that the country is banking on for economic growth and national security? Whatever happened to Yankee know how and being able to make things?

Tale of two Americas?

Most Americans are traveling less. But luxury hotel bookings are soaring. – msn/WaPost

“While many Americans have pulled back on hotel spending, so much so that the sector is facing some of its biggest declines since the pandemic, the wealthiest continue to spend on luxury stays. They’re benefiting from the run-up in stock markets and higher home values and shelling out for high-end hotels as part of elaborate vacations.

“That pattern is playing out across the economy. The housing market is stalled, but sales of million-dollar homes remain strong. And while lower-income car buyers have been shut out of the market, the wealthy are still snapping up pricey models.

“Hotels offer a particularly stark example of just how dramatically the affluent are driving the economy. Although much of the industry is struggling with fewer bookings and tumbling prices, high-end hotels are having a banner year. The Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis, have posted higher revenue, up 2.9 percent so far this year, according to CoStar, a commercial real estate data firm. That’s compared to a 3.1 percent drop for economy hotels.”

Wealthy US travelers are paying as much in hotel bills in one week as the median household pays for a full year of housing.

Americans can’t afford their cars any more and Wall Street is worried – Telegraph

“High levels of auto loan delinquencies are a clear sign of stress among lower and middle income households, says Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. ‘That should send off alarm bells,”’says Zandi – particularly considering unemployment is still relatively low at 4.3pc.

“The reality is that, increasingly, Americans cannot afford their cars anymore. The average price of a new car in the US has surged by 35pc since 2019 and surpassed $50,000 this year.”

Trump Team Plans IRS Overhaul to Enable Pursuit of Left-Leaning Groups – WSJ

“Effort would install Trump ally at agency’s criminal unit who has drawn up list of investigative targets.”

It Sure Looks Like Trump Is About to Weaponize the IRS – Mother Jones

“In an exclusive story on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported on the Trump administration’s plans to weaponize the IRS, much as he has weaponized the Department of Justice, against his perceived enemies. ‘Sweeping changes’ are planned, the Journal reported, citing anonymous sources, ‘that would allow the agency to pursue criminal inquiries of left-leaning groups more easily.’

“A senior IRS official involved in the effort has drawn up a list of potential targets that includes major Democratic donors, some of the people said.”

Targeting non-profits of ANY perceived political leaning is clearly wrong, may violate constitutional protection of free speech, and could be another building block in a police state. There is, however, a case for requiring non-profits to provide the public with current information about their sources of funding. (Try asking a non-profit CEO who is paying its bills and his or her salary.) What do you think?

Kansas, Missouri farmers went big for Trump. His tariffs are gutting them – KC Star

“Beijing’s targeting of red states isn’t random – it’s a wedge, amplifying distrust in federal promises. If unaddressed, this could fuel a rural exodus, hollowing out regions that define the United States’ character and feed its people.”

Trump’s tariffs are already hurting American businesses – LA Times

“U.S. tariffs are taxes on Americans, and stealthy ones. They show up as higher prices in grocery aisles, lower wages for factory workers and greater global risk premia. If Washington truly wants lower prices, stronger investment and resilient supply chains, officials should see at this point that the answer isn’t higher tariff walls. It’s stable rules, open markets and the simple economic truth that prosperity grows from trade.”

CCSE work on this issue:

Analysis: By blocking Trump’s tariffs, courts provide offramp for regressive tax policy hurting his base

Hill Oped

Size matters – IMF

IMF more upbeat about US growth than just months ago, but outlook is dimmer than last year – AP

But too many eggs in one basket?:

The AI bubble and the US economy – Michael Roberts

“The AI investment ‘bubble’ (as measured as the stock price relative to the ‘book value’ of a company) is 17 times the size of the dot-com frenzy of 2000 — and four times the subprime mortgage bubble of 2007. The ratio of the US stock market’s value to GDP (aka the ‘Buffett Indicator’) has moved up to a new record high at 217%, more than 2 standard deviations above the long-term trendline.”

AI Is the Market, and the Market Is the Government – Kyla’s newsletter

“AI was sold as the end of slop but what it delivered was more slop. The market rewards attention, not utility, and both AI and politics have adapted to that logic…”

The State Flat Tax Revolution: Where Things Stand Today – Tax Foundation

The article above posted by a conservative-leaning think tank fails to mention that flat income taxes are regressive, meaning they impinge on the budgets and buying power of lower-income workers relatively more than higher-income. See article below for more:

How Do Personal Income Taxes Work? – ITEP

“Graduated rates are the most straightforward way to make an income tax progressive and sustainable. Without such a structure, it is hard for a state to avoid taxing low-income people more than higher-income people. And a graduated rate helps ensure that the high concentration of income among the wealthy adequately contributes state revenue to fund services.”

People Are Furious With Democrats. Bernie Sanders Knows Why. – Nation

“By and large—with exceptions, and each state is a little bit different—the Democratic Party [at its top] is mostly made up of folks who have money and consultants, and politicians who work with folks who have money and consultants. And so, if you look at how many of the ‘leading Democrats’ function, are they out holding electoral rallies, talking to ordinary people? They can’t, because people aren’t going to come out—there’s not much to see. They spend an enormous amount of time raising money…. They’re not about to take on the people who provide them with the money…

“If your question is, ‘Is it conceivable that good people can take over the Democratic Party and make it a working-class party, a multigenerational party, welcoming diverse points of view?’—that’s a possibility. But I think people are now struggling with whether it is worth it. To take on Trump, do they want to take on AIPAC and the Democratic Party, or would you start a third party?…

“…here’s the insanity: How the hell, 50 years ago, before computers and cell phones, could one person not making a lot of money have at least a solid, lower-­middle-class lifestyle, and you can’t do it now?”

Congress is losing its grip on the power to spend Americans’ money – msn/WaPost

“The administration’s ‘aggressive’ incursion into the power of the purse follows decades of members of Congress ceding their authority to the executive on other matters like tariffs and war powers, according to Molly Reynolds, an expert at the center-left think tank the Brookings Institution. But the appropriations process — although messy and increasingly partisan in recent years — had remained generally free from the reach of the executive branch. ‘For a long time we have thought that appropriators were an independent base of power somewhat outside of the party structure,’ she said. ‘So one might have expected that even some Republican appropriators would be pushing back against what the executive branch is doing.’

“While some Republicans, like Collins, are challenging the White House, other Republican appropriators argue that the ballooning federal debt merits executive hardball, given that Congress has a long track record of approving more and more spending without making matching cuts.”

Is the expansion of US presidential power a threat to a democractic form of government?:

Donald Trump’s new “American Midnight” is upon us – Salon

“Nothing is more important at this point than looking closely at exactly how, in the past, major countries moved from democracy to dictatorship — whether, for example, [Adolf] Hitler taking power in Germany in 1933, or [Vladimir] Putin doing so in Russia in the early 2000s. We need to familiarize ourselves with every phase of that process so we can recognize it when it happens here. An early signal that it is indeed happening here is Trump’s eagerness to get troops on the streets of cities where he is unpopular. Dictatorship always has the threat of armed force behind it…”

An example from the past:

Rome’s Transition from Republic to Empire – National Geographic

Is Trump planning to build a triumphal arch across from the Lincoln Memorial?

Marjorie Taylor Greene Is a Thorn in the GOP’s Side, but on Its Left or Right? – TIME

“‘I’m not some sort of blind slave to the President, and I don’t think anyone should be,’ Greene said in an NBC News interview. ‘I serve in Congress. We’re a separate branch of the government, and I’m not elected by the President. I’m not elected by anyone that works in the White House. I’m elected by my district. That’s who I work for, and I got elected without the President’s endorsement, and, you know, I think that has served me really well.'”

‘Cast aside to die’: Voters struggle in deep-red Trump country – Alternet

“Coal miners supported President Donald Trump and thanked him at the White House in April for ‘trying to reinvigorate their struggling industry,’ writes The New York Times, but now those coal miners say that Trump is failing to protect them from an incurable illness that’s killing them. On Tuesday, dozens of coal miners will be outside the Labor Department protesting the Trump administration ‘arguing it has failed to protect them from black lung disease, an incurable illness caused by inhaling coal and silica dust,’…”

Trump is ‘obsessed’ with seeming pro-worker – but his actions suggest otherwise – Guardian

Count the ways: mass firings, sledgehammer tariffs raising prices, higher health premiums, tax cuts for the wealthy – and new regulations allowing employers to undercut US worker wages by paying foreign workers less. Read the end of the article and analysis below:

Major H-2A Wage Changes: Overview of New AEWR Methodology – Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development

“Although AEWRs have historically exceeded state minimum wages, some new AEWR rates now fall below state minimum wage rates.”

See Previous Posts

Featured

At least two think tanks are holding meetings this month on how to address Social Security’s financing shortfall.

A ‘conservative/progressive’ path to negotiating Social Security solvency: Bend the cost curve, grow revenue, and protect low earners – Karl Polzer/IQInk

Updated Oct. 8, 2025

“This paper presents options – some favored by conservatives, others by progressives – as a framework for negotiating an equitable solution to Social Security’s financing shortfall.  Taken together, the changes could generate up to twice as much in savings and revenue as needed to balance Social Security’s books…

“Congress could strike a deal drawing about half the savings needed to fix Social Security through a gradual benefit reduction by changing the formula for determining initial benefit levels while protecting the lowest earners.  The rest of the gap could be filled through tax increases.  These financing options provide room for targeted benefit improvements to help the lowest income pay their bills and families raise children.”

Judge says Trump administration ‘used antisemitism as a smokescreen’ against Harvard – USA Today

Trump Administration’s Cuts to Harvard Funding Are Unconstitutional, Judge Rules – msn/WSJ

CCSE correspondence with Harvard President Garber

“Prediction: Harvard University will be teaching students from all over the world long after what remains of Trump and his brain trust rest in silence beneath the ground. BTW, White House staff could benefit from taking free public finance courses at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Harvard has a positive fund balance. The United State government, not so much.”

No peace, no prize. – Karl Polzer

“Republican members of the US Congress, which is financing Israel’s now escalating ethnic cleansing of Gaza, have nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.  It is hard to fathom the depth and irony of their fawning depravity.  The Nobel prize is clearly a trophy that he covets. But shouldn’t a peace prize have something to do with reducing conflict and killing? The US president and Congress, including a majority of Democrats, are doing the opposite of making peace.  They are facilitating Israel’s daily, systematic killing, starvation, and displacement of entire populations of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank…”

Trump ‘1-2 punch’ shifts tax burden from top onto middle-and lower-income Americans – Karl Polzer/CCSE

“Economists and business analysts increasingly agree that Trump’s tariffs are raising prices. There is far less awareness that the historic spike in tariffs – coupled with the tax cuts just made permanent by Congress – comprise a major shift in the tax burden. Taken together, these two changes promise to make the US tax system more regressive. In our increasingly unequal country, taxpayers at the bottom of the economic pecking order are taking on proportionally more of the tax burden as the well-off shoulder less…”

New capitalism III: Capital – Branko Milanovic

“Why is capital so concentrated and why so few have it?”

“The new capitalism has even in the rich countries failed to produce what Margaret Thatcher, and Friedrich Hayek before her, called ‘property-owning society’. (For good measure, Thatcher added ‘democracy’ too.) Even when we include income from forced savings that becomes pension wealth, between one-half and almost 90 percent of the population in rich countries are financial-capital destitute. That percentage becomes more than 90, or even more than 95, in less developed countries…”

Related CCSE work:

Half of Americans have no retirement savings — here’s how Congress can look after them …. op-ed

How the U.S. Retirement Saving System Magnifies Inequality – Society of Actuaries

Growing inequality has shrunk Social Security’s revenue. Revitalizing its tax base could help restore solvency without cutting benefits.

New Capitalism in America: Richest capitalists and richest workers are increasingly the same people – Global Inequality

Branko Milanovic: The World Under Capitalism – Stone Center/Toronto Public Library

Prof. Milanovic discusses two types of capitalism – “liberal capitalism” in the US and “political capitalism” directed by the Chinese Communist Party. Both systems have produced relatively high levels of income inequality.

Comparing United States and China by Economy – Statistics Times

2025 Social Security groundhog day:

US needs $28 trillion more over 75 years to pay promised benefits

“A few months after the Trump Administration chain-sawed Social Security’s leadership and staff, four newly installed senior officials overseeing the program released the annual report on its declining financial condition.  This year’s actuarial forecast is a bit gloomier due in large part to a benefit expansion enacted by the previous Congress.  However, in the big picture, not much has changed.  Social Security’s looming insolvency remains…

“As I have pointed out to the Senate Budget Committee, the process of spending down Social Security reserves already is increasing overall federal spending and pushing up annual deficits. Drawing down reserves in the Social Security trust funds requires the Treasury to sell bonds (or find other sources of revenue) to raise cash to pay the program’s 74 million beneficiaries.

“On pp. 51-52, this year’s report estimates that Social Security will draw down $181 billion from the combined trust funds in 2025 with the amount rising to $405 billion in 2033. As a result, the federal government is gradually moving to finance part of the program’s benefits through newly issued debt substituting for now-insufficient payroll taxes...”

More on these issues can be found in these CCSE articles and testimony:

‘Trump kids accounts’ in budget bill would drive up inequality and raise the national debt – Karl Polzer/CCSE

“Helping young people learn how to save and build up money for college and adult life are worthy goals. But new ‘Trump kids accounts’ embedded in the massive Republican tax and spending bill before the US Senate not only duplicate existing programs.  They also would widen financial gaps between families in our already very unequal country.  In addition, tax subsidies for money invested in Trump accounts would go mostly to well-off families and push up the national debt…”

Failure to prosecute and jail law-breaking employers is wasting $$ billions in the fight against illegal immigration – Karl Polzer/CCSE

“The federal government has had authority since 1986 to criminally prosecute individuals and companies employing workers not legally in the United State, but it has rarely used that authority regardless of the administration in office. A one-year snapshot taken during Trump’s first term found that no company was criminally prosecuted for having workers not authorized to be in the country, a Syracuse University study shows…

“Changing the equation to incentivize employers to help enforce, rather than skirt, the nation’s immigration laws does not mean subjecting them to cruel and unusual punishment.  No need to suspend billionaires and entrepreneurs in cages from a tower or use branding irons.  It does mean applying and stiffening laws against hiring illegals and tax avoidance.  Financial penalties, public shaming, and loss of contracts could be a start.  If that isn’t sufficient, start putting law-breaking employers in jail.  They are lining their pockets by stealing jobs from American workers, both native born and those immigrating legally.”

Thanks to the Virginian-Pilot for running our op-ed:

Many questions, few answers about exempting tips from taxes – Karl Polzer/Virginian-Pilot

“Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposal to exempt tipped income from state taxes — like President-elect Donald Trump’s on a national level — could help some low-wage workers.  However, it also poses risks for others and raises complex issues facing scrutiny as the state legislature begins its work…”

To provide access to all readers (the newspaper’s op-eds are gated), below is the original submission including links to sources:

Youngkin pitch to exempt tips from taxes could benefit some.  A better option is raising the $2.13 tipped minimum wage.

Statement to 11/20/24 US House Appropriations Committee hearing on Social Security:

A way to ensure Social Security can meet short- and long-term promises to American workers and their families: Bend the cost curve, grow revenue, and protect lower earners – CCSE

“As keeper of the federal government’s purse strings, the House Appropriations Committee plays a part in maintaining Social Security’s commitment to American workers, their families, and taxpayers.  First, Committee members can weigh in as Congress and the Treasury find hundreds of billions of dollars annually in cash outside the appropriations process to draw down Social Security reserves.  The Committee can also help ‘leave room’ in future budgets for revenue increases that might be necessary to keep Social Security solvent as it coordinates with House Ways & Means, Budget, and other Committees on tax and spending issues.”

A ‘conservative/progressive’ path to Social Security solvency: bend the benefit cost curve, grow revenue, and protect lower earners – CCSE

The next President and Congress will face daunting fiscal issues.  In the shadow of historic levels of national debt, lawmakers will be bargaining over trillions of dollars of taxes and spending as they deal with expiration of the Trump tax cuts.  On top of that loom major Social Security financing gaps.   Paying promised benefits will require the government to raise more than $2 trillion in cash over the next eight years and more than $24 trillion to achieve long-run solvency.

This paper presents policy options – some favored by conservatives, others by progressives – as a framework for negotiating a solution.  Taken together, the changes could generate more than twice as much in savings and revenue than needed to balance Social Security’s books. 

Four ‘low-budget’ ways Congress can help working-class families raise more children – Karl Polzer/ Washington Examiner op-ed

– Expand the child tax credit to help more working-class parents and grandparents raising kids.
– Provide Social Security credit for unpaid work raising young children.
– Update/improve SSI so more people with disabilities can work, save.
– If taxes must go up, hold the working poor harmless.

Click here for longer version including references and related articles.

It’s Social Security ‘groundhog day’ as trustees repeat annual forecast of declining finances

“…The trustees’ report, however, neglects to mention how Social Security already is impacting the overall federal budget.  As pointed out to the Senate Budget Committee, the mechanics of spending down Social Security’s reserves require the Treasury to draw funds from general revenue and issue new debt to the public.  As a result, Social Security is gradually and organically moving to paying for current benefits through debt substituting for now-insufficient payroll taxes that it traditionally relies on.”

Missing the obvious: life expectancy in the U.S. is closely related to income – Karl Polzer

“The underlying theory is simple:  More income and wealth allow people and governments to support more years of life.  Fewer resources put them at a disadvantage.  Some politicians who see the connection may be leery of talking about it.  Doing so would lead to awkward questions about improving working and living conditions for millions of Americans and dealing with growing economic inequality.

“The strong relationship between income and longevity is clear when comparing states… (E)ight of the nine states with the lowest median household income also are among the bottom nine in longevity.  Similar clustering occurs comparing the highest ranked states across the two categories. Seven of the nine states with the highest median household income also are among the top nine in life expectancy.   

“Realizing they are rowing in the same economic boat could prompt states to join forces on policy changes, particularly Mississippi, West Virginia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, New Mexico, Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee, and others ranking at or near the bottom…

“Presidential candidate and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley strongly proposes raising the program’s retirement age on the premise that increased life spans are undermining Social Security’s long-term solvency.  If long-held assumptions about longevity were challenged, and potential losses to low-income workers and low-income states caused by raising the eligibility age came to light, would she change her position?  Republican candidate Donald Trump, by the way, opposes cuts in Social Security as do most Democrats…”

Thanks to the Washington Examiner for running this op-ed:

Senate minimum wage bills make bipartisan compromise possible – Washington Examiner

For longer version with references, see:

Senate minimum wage bills make bipartisan compromise possible.  Now for the political energy to get it done. – Karl Polzer/CCSE

Previous work on this issue:

One way to make living easier in Virginia – letter to WaPost

Yes, raise the minimum wage, but don’t stop there – op-ed

Analysis: Considerations on Raising the U.S. Minimum Wage To Help Workers and Families While Minimizing Negative Impacts

The US should take a hard look at the Netanyahu government’s brutality before giving it more weapons – Karl Polzer/CCSE

“More Americans are rightly asking if Israel could neutralize Hamas without massive destruction and loss of civilian life.  Indiscriminate air attacks by the Netanyahu regime already have killed and injured tens of thousands of Gazans with no end to the violence in sight.  To put this in perspective, imagine how Washington, D.C., would look if a foreign government with the power to fence in the District of Columbia dropped a comparable number of bombs here while shutting off access to water and food and destroying most of the capital area’s housing and medical system.  UN officials say conditions in Gaza are catastrophic.”

Thanks to the Washington Post for publishing our letter to the editor:

One way to make living easier in Virginia – Karl Polzer/letter to WaPost

“Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) told reporters he is ‘concerned about the cost of living in Virginia and we’re continuing to evaluate how best to address that,’ as reported in the Nov. 26 Metro article ‘Budget battle looms in Virginia. Facing a tighter fiscal environment and Democratic control of the legislature, Mr. Youngkin and fellow Republicans could help working families without denting the budget by making an expected Democratic push for a higher minimum wage a bipartisan affair.

“The GOP has been trying to attract more minority and working-class voters. However, party leaders have stopped short of addressing core economic issues, such as supporting higher wages and better benefits, and mainly stress cultural issues…”

Background Information on these issues provided to Virginia legislators

McCarthy & Co. offer themselves up on the cross to help motivate lazy poor people back to work

Work requirements are a policy failure: Why are they still an option? – The Hill

Thanks to the Washington Post for running our letter:

“Letting Americans Down”

“How can House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), President Biden and Senate leaders claim to represent the working class and poor when Medicaid work requirements are a focal point in the debt ceiling standoff and the Trump-era tax cuts are not? According to the Congressional Budget Office, the work requirements in the Limit, Save, Grow Act would have a tiny impact (about $5.6 billion in fiscal 2025) on the nation’s $31.4 trillion national debt, but they would increase the number of uninsured and state costs and have no effect on hours worked by Medicaid recipients.

“In contrast, ending the Trump-era tax cuts, which disproportionately benefit the wealthy, could put a major dent in the national debt….”

Because most of this site’s readers won’t be able to get through the newspaper’s pay gate, here’s the draft of the letter sent to the Post:

Debt ceiling negotiators focus on a ‘speck’ in benefits for the poor, ignore the ‘logs’ in their own eyes.

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