Nov 13, 2012 10:50 AM EST President Obama is scheduled to meet with labor and progressive leaders today at the White House to discuss the fiscal cliff and overall economic strategy moving into his second term. The meeting will take place behind closed doors and the press isn't invited. Exactly who will be there? ·Mary Kay Henry, SEIU ·Lee Saunders, AFSCME ·Dennis Van Roekel, NEA ·Rich Trumka, AFL-CIO ·Neera Tanden, Center for American Progress ·John Podesta, Center for American Progress ·Bob Greenstein, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities ·Laura Burton Capps, Common Purpose Project ·Max Richtman, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare ·Justin Ruben, MoveOn ·Deepak Bhargava, Center for Community Change For those who have said Obama will shift closer to the middle in a second term, this move indicates he's going to do the opposite
They've got to decide whether they are supposed to hit the gas or the brake just before they drive over the cliff.
This is a troubling list. I didn't recognize any people so I picked one. Bob Greenstein, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities He is the food stamp and free lunch program guy. Won prizes too. He won the heinz ketchup award and the joe gardner achievement leadership award. "Honorary doctorates from Tufts University and Occidental College." Always good to have a doctor on board, even though he can't treat anybody or cure anything. Worked with Carter and should do well with Obama.
Honorary doctorates Means he did nothing to earn them other than show up and be handed the certificates.
Here's some recent encouraging news. "Labor union leaders emerged from talks with President Barack Obama on Tuesday vowing a side-by-side battle against Republicans to bring about higher taxes on the wealthy as part of an effort to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. "It was a very, very positive meeting," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told reporters in the White House driveway after the meeting. "The president, like we are, [is] committed to preserving the tax breaks for the middle class and making sure that rich people pay their fair share. He's very, very committed to that, we are committed to that," Trumka continued. "We are very, very committed to making sure that the middle class and workers don't end up paying the tab for a party that we didn't get to go to. And the president is committed to that as well."
Same old question that has been asked for decades while the economy crumbles around our ears: who is going to pay for all this? The tax rate that is thought to kill an economy is about 50%.. everything stops when half the people are making a living off the other half.. all of our public sector budgets total up to about half the GNP so we are at the point where it's not worth it to keep on trying.. and these leftists are going to continue on with their ideas from the nineteenth century when the game is essentially already over. LOL The government will try to tax more people and their income will fall further, it's not rocket surgery. Eventually they will need an incredible amount of inflation to get their debt in line with their income.
Here is what Trumka is really all about, seems to me if you were really doing whats best for people you wouldnt feel the need to intimidate people into voting for you. I love how they name the bill "employee free choice act" when it is a bill designed to intimidate people into towing the union line. BIG LABOR BOSS TRUMKA: CARD CHECK 'WITHIN NEXT TERM' IF OBAMA WINS AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said that if President Barack Obama wins a second term, Americans should expect to see "card check" legislation "within the next term." Card Check, known as the Employee Free Choice Act, would strip away rights from workers at companies where unions want to organize. Unions would be instantly recognized once a majority of employees sign authorization cards, and workers would be forced to sign those cards in public in front of union organizers and co-workers who may favor forming a union. This would allow unions to intimidate workers into signing union cards. Union organizers would even be able to go to the homes of the workers to bully, threaten, and intimidate them into signing union membership cards. Big Labor wanted Obama to pass Card Check legislation during his first term, but strong opposition from Democrats and Republicans prevented it from happening. "You'll see it," Trumka said. "That's within the next term."
Trumka is committed to something that ain't going to happen. 10k boomers retire everyday and in the process for the most part are done paying income tax. Also, in that group are some big earners, yes a tax increase probably won't make a difference in their life style but are just weary of the burden of the rat race. ---------------------------- Interesting though, 10k people retire yet I don't see 10k job openings a day.
There is a lot of choice involved. Some people become eligible to retire but decide to keep on working until they are 70 or so. If they tax the hell out of everyone many people will just retire as soon as they are eligible and head to their favorite fishing spot. Poof! No more tax revenue from them (well, greatly reduced anyway).