* The Republicans who are against helping the unemployed really have their priorities screwed up. What do they expect people to do that have no money coming in?
Here is something posted at the Economic Policy Institute that compares tax cuts for the rich vs. unemployment compensation:
.....Increasing the take-home pay of low- and moderate-income families will lead to more spending and a boost in demand for goods and services and, thus, more jobs. By contrast, tax cuts for the wealthy are more likely to be saved, providing a relatively ineffective response.
Economist Mark Zandi of Moody's Analytics estimates that every dollar spent making the Bush income tax cuts permanent generates only 32 cents of economic activity. Comparatively, every dollar spent on unemployment assistance generates $1.61 worth of economic activity, a dollar of spending on infrastructure yields $1.57 and a dollar in assistance to states to prevent layoffs of teachers or first responders yields $1.41. Tax cuts for the wealthy are simply not a good way to stimulate the economy.
A much more economically sound approach to supporting the economy would be to let the tax cuts expire for those at the top of the income scale and to use the revenue to fund more cost-effective job creation policies....
It might be a good idea to send a copy of the article to every single member of Congress. Then again, some of them don't even read legislation.
* Doesn't it just make you absolutely sick that Republicans are concerned about keeping tax rates low for millionaires and billionaires?
Rachel Maddow just explained that the deficit expanded by 186% under Reaganomics (aka "Trickle Down Economics" aka "Voodoo Economics").
* The headline in today's Dispatch shows how incredibly out of touch Sen. John McCain is:
"McCain: Keep gays out"
Someone should wake up McCain and explain to him that gays have served and are serving right now in our military.
