pianogonzology: economic

Showing posts with label economic. Show all posts

Friday, February 15, 2019

Bears . . .

. . . repeating . . .

No.	Claim	Fact or Explanation
1	launched an unprecedented economic boom rarely seen before	GDP increased by 4.2% in Q2 of 2018, a high under Trump. Obama surpassed that 4 times during his presidency.
2	created 5.3 million new jobs	Jobs actually increased 4.9 million.
3	added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs	454,000 new manufacturing jobs were added.
4	everyone’ said above would be ‘impossible’ to do	Manufacturing jobs grew at a similar rate under Obama and significantly faster during the 1990s (Clinton and Bush presidencies)
5	nearly 5 million Americans have been ‘lifted off’ food stamps	3.5 million Americans have gotten off food stamps. During Obama’s second term 5 million Americans got off food stamps.
6	passed a massive tax cut for working families	Over 75% of the Trump tax cut went to the wealthy
7	virtually ended the estate tax, or death tax	Only 0.2% of very wealthy Americans pay estate tax
8	U.S. is now the #1 producer of oil and natural gas in the world	This has been true since 2013 during Obama’s second term.
9	our economy is thriving like never before	The economy is not the ‘best’ in history and is currently showing signs of slowing.
10	“I want people to come into our country in the largest numbers ever”. . . legally	Trump supports a bill which would sharply reduce legal immigration. In 2019 he cut refugee admissions to the lowest level in 49 years.
11	year after year, countless Americans are murdered by criminal illegal aliens	Immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than native-born Americans.
12	San Diego used to have the most illegal border crossings in our country . . . a strong security wall was put in place . . . almost completely ended illegal crossings	The barrier ‘did not have a discernible impact’ on border crossings according to the Congressional Research Service (non-partisan).
13	El Paso used to have extremely high rates of violent crime . . . and considered one of our nation’s most dangerous cities	El Paso was never one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S.
14	(after building a barrier) El Paso is one of the safest cities in our country	El Paso had the second-lowest crime rate of cities its size before the barrier.
15	my budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years	Trump’s 2019 budget slashed $123 million from AIDS programs
16	Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments from birth	There is no such thing as abortion ‘moments from birth.’ NY law does not allow abortion after a woman is twenty-four weeks pregnant, unless the mother’s life is in immediate jeopardy.
17	I withdrew the United States from the ‘disastrous’ Iran nuclear deal	The UN’s nuclear watchdog said the Iran deal WAS working and Trump’s intel chief says Iran is still complying without the U.S.

. . . you figure out which high-profile person posited these gems at his 2019 state-of-the-union address.

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Thursday, September 6, 2018

Passion . . .

'Flames of Passion' by Mark Henson

Working at the thing you love
Brings peace and satisfaction
That is difficult to describe
To those who have never experienced it

Working at a thing that provides
Economic security (or pays the bills)
But is not an activity about which
You feel no passion or little affinity
Is another thing altogether
Yet familiar to many to experience it everyday

Bosely Beach
©2018 Raymond M. Jozwiak

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Friday, March 16, 2018

Bad . . .

. . . calls

(from https://www.marketwatch.com/story/kudlows-history-of-bad-economic-calls-2018-03-15#false)

". . . (Larry)Kudlow (appointed Director of the National Economic Council by US President Donald Trump) has made some enormous and stupendously bad calls. In the fall of 2007, when the housing and stock markets were collapsing, he downplayed it, writing in National Review that, “Despite all the doom and gloom from the economic pessimistas, the resilient U.S economy continues moving ahead quarter after quarter, year after year, defying dire forecasts and delivering positive growth.” Looking ahead to 2008—when the entire U.S. economy came crashing down and millions of Americans lost their jobs, and banks, automobile makers and mortgage lenders had it be bailed out to the tune of hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars—he said “we are about to enter the seventh consecutive year of the Bush boom.” . . . Anyone who thinks otherwise, he added with flair, “are going to wind up with egg on their faces.”. . . from 1993: “There is no question that President Clinton’s across-the-board tax increases on labor, capital and energy will throw a wet blanket over the recovery and depress the economy’s long-run potential,” Kudlow wrote. What happened next? The U.S. economy began an eight-year expansion, creating 21 million jobs—and the federal budget was balanced. . . Let’s hope that Kudlow’s forecasting skills have improved with age. . ."

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(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
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Thursday, November 30, 2017

Let's . . .

. . . File A Joint Tax Return . . .

(from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/trump-populist-not-when-it-comes-his-tax-plan-n824851)
THEN
". . . it will no longer be accurate to describe him (Trump) as an economic populist who pursues policies to benefit the poor and the middle class at the expense of the wealthiest Americans. The reason: The Senate tax plan he’s selling is the exact opposite of economic populism. . . During the 2016 presidential campaign — and even in his first year as president — Trump portrayed himself as an economic populist. . . Do you believe in raising taxes on the wealthy? TRUMP: "I do, I do, including myself. I do." (Today Show town hall, April 21, 2016). . . “The thing I'm going to do is make sure the middle class gets good tax breaks. Because they have been absolutely shunned.” . . .(“Meet the Press,” May 8, 2016) . . . “I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people who cannot defend themselves” (GOP convention speech, July 21, 2016) . . . “We are transferring power from Washington DC and giving it back to you, the American People ... The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.” (Inaugural address, Jan. 20, 2017) . . . “I have wealthy friends that say to me I don’t mind paying more tax. . . " (Wall Street Journal interview, July 25, 2017) . . “Our framework includes our explicit commitment that tax reform will protect low-income and middle-income households, not the wealthy and well-connected. They can call me all they want. It’s not going to help. I’m doing the right thing, and it’s not good for me. Believe me.” (Speech on the GOP tax plan, Sept. 27, 2017). . ."

NOW
". . . Under the Senate tax plan, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the poorest Americans are worse off (due to no longer receiving tax credits because the bill eliminates the health-care law’s individual mandate), while the richest American are better off; . . . Even if you exclude the individual mandate from the analysis, the CBO showsthe poorest will see their taxes go up by 2027, because the individual tax cuts are temporary while the corporate ones are permanent. . ."

Let's File A Joint Tax Return
©2018 Raymond M. Jozwiak

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Saturday, February 27, 2016

Would . . .

. . . That it were so simple . . .

(from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/benjamin-studebaker/bernie-vs-hillary-matters-more-than-people-think_b_9209940.html)
". . . So Bernie Sanders is not merely running to attempt to implement a set of idealistic policies that a Republican-controlled Congress is likely to block. He is running to take the Democratic Party back from an establishment that ignores the fundamental systemic economic problems that lead to wage stagnation and economic crisis. . . Those who say that the Democratic Party cannot be reclaimed by the FDR/LBJ types or that if it is reclaimed it will flounder in elections against the GOP are thinking too small. In the 1968 and 1976 republican primaries, this guy called Ronald Reagan was running to take the Republican Party back from the Richard Nixon types who went along with the democrats on welfare and regulation in a bid to return the republicans to their 1920s Calvin Coolidge roots. . ."

What do you think?
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Get your copy of OHO's Where Words Do Not Reach now!

The Ocean City Ditty Video is now on YouTube

My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

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Sunday, October 11, 2015

Forget It . . .

(from http://www.alternet.org/story/140137/american_amnesia%3A_we_forget_our_atrocities_almost_as_soon_as_we_commit_them)
". . . Why else send prisoners where they would be beyond the reach of the law -- a place, incidentally, that Washington is using in violation of a treaty forced on Cuba at the point of a gun?. . . torture has been routinely practiced from the early days of the conquest of the national territory, and continued to be used as the imperial ventures of the "infant empire" -- as George Washington called the new republic. . . torture was the least of the many crimes of aggression, terror, subversion, and economic strangulation that have darkened U.S. history, much as in the case of other great powers. . . "

But don't worry, Donald Trump's rantings, Kate Winslet's birthday and the 'adventures' of Real Housewives will soon divert our attention and . . . life goes on . . .

What do you think?
Tell me at
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OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak. Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com

My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

Friday, May 29, 2015

Faulty. . .

. . . perception

(from http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/most-millionaires-think-they-are-middle-class-cnbc-poll-shows-n354766)
". . . A majority of millionaires polled describe themselves as middle class or upper middle class despite being among the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans, according to the results of the third CNBC Millionaire Survey. Fully 44 percent described themselves as middle class, and 40 percent said they were upper middle class. Only 4 percent described themselves as wealthy or rich, and 5 percent described themselves as upper class. Even those Americans worth $5 million or more—among the wealthiest 5 percent—still think of themselves as more middle class than wealthy. According to the survey, 49 percent of those worth $5 million or more define themselves as upper middle class, while 23 percent define themselves as middle class. Only 11 percent of the $5-million-plus millionaires define themselves as rich or wealthy. Wealth experts say the findings stem partly from the psychology of today's wealthy and partly from the growing economic divide between the super rich and the merely wealthy. . ."

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Weirdness . . .

. . . in my insulated little world. A Serious Problem in OUR human one.

(from http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/breaking/bal-orioles-protests-freddie-gray-camden-yards-20150425-story.html)
" . . . When Saturday’s (Baltimore Orioles baseball) game. . . went to extra innings, fans were asked to remain inside the ballpark until further notice. Soon, they were prohibited from leaving Camden Yards, and every gate around the concourse was closed as word traveled that protesters were heading back downtown. In the bottom of the decisive 10th inning, the gates opened and fans were allowed to leave. . . "

(from http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/orioles-john-angelos-baltimore-protests-mlb by Orioles COO John Angelos, son of owner Peter Angelo-in response to scattered violence during protests on Saturday)
". . . the principle of peaceful, non-violent protest and the observance of the rule of law is of utmost importance in any society. MLK, Gandhi, Mandela and all great opposition leaders throughout history have always preached this precept. Further, it is critical that in any democracy, investigation must be completed and due process must be honored before any government or police members are judged responsible. That said, my greater source of personal concern, outrage and sympathy beyond this particular case is focused neither upon one night’s property damage nor upon the acts, but is focused rather upon the past four-decade period during which an American political elite have shipped middle class and working class jobs away from Baltimore and cities and towns around the U.S. to third-world dictatorships like China and others, plunged tens of millions of good, hard-working Americans into economic devastation, and then followed that action around the nation by diminishing every American’s civil rights protections in order to control an unfairly impoverished population living under an ever-declining standard of living and suffering at the butt end of an ever-more militarized and aggressive surveillance state. . ."

(from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/us/baltimore-freddie-gray.html?_r=0# - after Monday's
riots in West Baltimore)
". . . Maryland’s governor activated the National Guard on Monday and the city of Baltimore announced a curfew for all residents as a turbulent day that began with the funeral of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, the nation’s latest symbol of police brutality, ended with rioting by rock-throwing youths, arson, looting and at least 15 police officers injured. The violence that shook the city broke out in the late afternoon in the Mondawmin neighborhood of northwest Baltimore, where Mr. Gray’s funeral had taken place. Angry residents threw bottles, rocks and chunks of concrete at officers who lined up in riot gear with shields deployed. Cars were set on fire, store windows were shattered, a CVS drugstore was looted, and the cafe inside a century-old Italian deli was destroyed. Trouble also erupted at the city’s Lexington Market. . . "

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Parties . . .

. . . we need more (than two) . . .

. . . if the media (and the electoral system) provided equal time and attention to ALL U.S. political parties instead of just the two with the most money, the most ridiculous of them could objectively be identified for what it is . . .

(from http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gop-flips-the-script-endorses-executive-overreach)
". . . About a year ago, the Republican condemnation of President Obama shifted – “he doesn’t lead enough” was out, “he leads too much” was in. The more Obama’s policy agenda succeeded in practical terms, the more the GOP argued the president is a lawless, out-of-control tyrannical dictator, hell bent on limitless power without regard for the Constitution. This week, however, Republicans are disgusted by Obama’s lack of executive overreach. GOP lawmakers are suddenly convinced the tyrannical dictator needs even more sweeping powers to act unilaterally in matters of life and death. . .This isn’t so much an example of Republicans temporarily putting aside their principles for the sake of convenience. Rather, it’s fresh evidence that the principles themselves have always been a mirage. . .

Republicans think Obama must stop acting like a dictator and start working with Congress as the Constitution intended – unless we’re talking about wars, in which case Obama should go ahead and circumvent Congress as much as possible.

Republicans think higher deficits are an economic scourge – unless deficit financing advances conservative policy goals, in which case budget shortfalls are better left ignored.

Republicans think government spending is inherently wasteful and counter-productive – unless the investments are directed at their state and/or their policy priorities, in which case government spending is great.

Republicans think the big federal government shouldn’t interfere with local decision making – unless the residents of the District of Columbia make a decision the right disagrees with.

Republicans think Congress should take a leading role in economic policy – unless we’re talking about trade authority, in which case it’s time to curtail Congress’ influence and empower the lawless White House to do as it pleases. . . "

What do you think?

Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html or at
http://www.ohomusic.com

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak. Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com

My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music will be released April 7, 2015 Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Consummate . . .

. . . politician . . .

Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, and Senate majority leader ACTUALLY said:
“After so many years of sluggish growth, we’re finally starting to see some economic data that can provide a glimmer of hope; the uptick appears to coincide with the biggest political change of the Obama Administration’s long tenure in Washington: the expectation of a new Republican Congress. So this is precisely the right time to advance a positive, pro-growth agenda.”

During the election cycle, McConnell constantly accused the President of destroying the economy. As McConnell whined, economic conditions just kept getting better and U.S. job growth reached a 15-year high last year.

Never mind all those bothersome facts, now McConnell wants credit for the recovery’s unexpected strength. McConnell took his time to come up with this rhetorical trick. Two days before Christmas, when Americans learned that GDP growth in the third quarter of 2014 reached an 11-year high, McConnell said . . . nothing.
(thanks to http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/mcconnell-wants-credit-economic-turnaround)

What do you think?
Tell me at
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OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak. Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com

My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music will be released April 7, 2014 Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Too Big To Fail . . .

. . . Too dangerous to exist

(from Senator Elizabeth Warren's comments to Citigroup)

A century ago, Teddy Roosevelt was America's trustbuster. He went after the giant trusts and monopolies in this country, and a lot of people talk about how those trusts deserved to be broken up because they had too much economic power. But Teddy Roosevelt said we should break them up because they had too much political power. Teddy Roosevelt said break them up because all that concentrated power threatened the very foundations of our democratic system. And now we're watching as Congress passes yet another provision that was written by lobbyists for the biggest recipient of bailout money in the history of the country. And it's attached to a bill that needs to pass or else the entire federal government will grind to a halt.

Think about this kind of power. A financial institution has become so big and so powerful that it can hold the entire country hostage. That alone is a reason enough for us to break them up. Enough is enough.

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html or at
http://www.ohomusic.com

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak. Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com

My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
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Thursday, November 21, 2013

An Offer . . .

(from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/13/pope-francis-mafia-target-corruption)
". . . Prosecutor says pope's attempt to bring transparency to Vatican is making mobsters agitated. Pope Francis's crusade against corruption has made him a target for Italy's all-powerful mafia clans, a leading anti-mob prosecutor has warned.

Nicola Gratteri, who has battled Calabria's shadowy 'Ndrangheta mafia, said on Wednesday that Francis's attempt to bring transparency to the Vatican was making the white collar mobsters who do business with corrupt prelates "nervous and agitated".

He told the Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano: "Pope Francis is dismantling centres of economic power in the Vatican.

"If the bosses could trip him up they wouldn't hesitate. I don't know if organised criminals are in a position to do something, but they are certainly thinking about it. They could be dangerous."

Francis, who has called for "a poor church", has backed reform at the Vatican's bank, which has been suspected for years of being a channel for the laundering of mob profits. This week police impounded a luxury hotel on Rome's Janiculum hill – formerly a monastery – which the 'Ndrangheta allegedly purchased from a religious order.

In a fiery sermon on Monday, Francis railed against corruption and quoted the bible's advice that practitioners be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck. . ."

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