December 18, 2018
By Brett Samuels
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) (click here) on Wednesday criticized President Trump's decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, and raised concerns that the timing of the announcement coincided with new developments in the legal proceedings for former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
“It is premature for the President to declare a sweeping victory against ISIS when, just a few weeks ago, our military led more than 250 coalition-conducted airstrikes against targets in Iraq and Syria," Pelosi said in a statement.
"All Americans should be concerned that this hasty announcement was made on the day after sentencing in criminal proceedings began against the President’s former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who admitted that he was a registered foreign agent for a country with clear interests in the Syrian conflict," she added....
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Voters head back to the polls in Russia's Vladivostok (click here for article - thank you.
Truth be known, the Kremlin is not doing very well among the Russian people. Putin's nationalism is not holding up. The Russian people are supposed to be the focus of Putin's nationalism, but, the reality is the Russian people are tired of the Kremlin.
That internal instability may make Russia a very dangerous player in the world. I sincerely believe there needs to be more transparency about the unrest within Russia to bring the idea that Russian aggression is only proving to be a reason for hiding the unrest of the Russian people.
This election is very telling about the influence of the Kremlin. If the Russian people are slowly, but, deliberately walking away from the Kremlin, what can China say about it's ally?
December 16, 2018
A Kremlin-backed candidate for governor of Russia's Far East region of Primorye has won a repeat election for the post after officials nullified an earlier ballot over electoral irregularities.
With 100 percent of the ballots counted late on December 16, Russia's Central Election Commission said Kremlin-backed acting Governor Oleg Kozhemyako was leading with nearly 61.9 percent of the vote.
The preliminary results showed Andrei Andreichenko of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) in second place with 25.1 percent of the vote.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's office said he had called Kozhemyako in the evening to congratulate him on his victory
Kozhemyako had a massive lead in preelection polls. A candidate must secure at least 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff.
Two other candidates -- Aleksei Timchenko of the Party of Growth and Roza Chemeris of the For Women of Russia movement, had 5.2 percent and 3.8 percent of the votes, respectively....
That internal instability may make Russia a very dangerous player in the world. I sincerely believe there needs to be more transparency about the unrest within Russia to bring the idea that Russian aggression is only proving to be a reason for hiding the unrest of the Russian people.
This election is very telling about the influence of the Kremlin. If the Russian people are slowly, but, deliberately walking away from the Kremlin, what can China say about it's ally?
December 16, 2018
A Kremlin-backed candidate for governor of Russia's Far East region of Primorye has won a repeat election for the post after officials nullified an earlier ballot over electoral irregularities.
With 100 percent of the ballots counted late on December 16, Russia's Central Election Commission said Kremlin-backed acting Governor Oleg Kozhemyako was leading with nearly 61.9 percent of the vote.
The preliminary results showed Andrei Andreichenko of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) in second place with 25.1 percent of the vote.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's office said he had called Kozhemyako in the evening to congratulate him on his victory
Kozhemyako had a massive lead in preelection polls. A candidate must secure at least 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff.
Two other candidates -- Aleksei Timchenko of the Party of Growth and Roza Chemeris of the For Women of Russia movement, had 5.2 percent and 3.8 percent of the votes, respectively....
December 20, 2018
By Mark Perry
In 1966, in the midst of the Vietnam War, (click here) Vermont Senator George Aiken recommended that President Lyndon Johnson simply “declare victory and get out.” While what Aiken actually said was more complex (because the U.S. couldn’t win militarily, he implied, it should stop deploying troops and start deploying diplomats), his statement is commonly cited as an example of foreign policy wisdom—then, as now, a much depleted currency in Washington.
While it’s doubtful that President Donald Trump has studied Aiken’s views (or even heard of him), his decision on Wednesday to order the unilateral withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria is one of the few “Aiken moments” in American history. Not surprisingly, given Trump’s inclinations, the news came in a tweet posted by the president on Wednesday morning: “We have defeated ISIS on Syria,” Trump announced, “my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.” U.S. officials later said that all U.S. troops would be removed from Syria over the next 60 to 100 days.
While the announcement took much of official Washington by surprise, The American Conservative has learned that a select group of administration officials, as well as a handful of senior military officers, knew of Trump’s decision as early as Saturday morning. According to these officials, all of whom required anonymity in exchange for the information, Trump’s decision came as a result of a lengthy telephone exchange he had had with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday. Everything that Trump announced today, we have been told, was decided in that call....
Obviously, the USA was left out of the loop on this one.
October 27, 2018
The leaders of Turkey, Russia, France and Germany (click here) on Saturday called for a ceasefire around the last major rebel-held bastion of Idlib in Syria to be preserved.
A joint statement adopted at the end of a major summit in Istanbul said the countries were committed to working "together in order to create conditions for peace and stability in Syria".
It also "stressed the importance of a lasting ceasefire" in Idlib, while hailing "progress" following a deal last month between Syrian-regime supporter Russia and rebel-backer Turkey to create a buffer zone around the northwestern province.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke for several hours with Russia's Vladimir Putin, France's Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the Syrian conflict, in which more than 360,000 people have been killed since 2011.
Their statement, read by Erdogan, called for a committee to be established to draft Syria's post-war constitution before the end of the year, "paving the way for free and fair elections" in the war-torn country....
Erdogan enjoyed the RETREAT on Syria so much the first time he wants to repeat it. Turkey has a close relationship with Russia for the sake of tourism, so it is not unusual for Erdogan to seek stable relationships with Russia, but, with summits taking place without the USA, it is almost as though allies are running away from the USA and not just setting new ambitions at the top of international relations agenda.
December 1, 2018
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (click here) told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 1 that they should hold another summit to discuss the situation in Syria's Idlib province where the two countries are trying to create a sustainable demilitarised zone.
Erdoğan made the suggestion during an hour-long meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
"Holding another four-way summit on Idlib is important. I believe that we have different steps that we should take together on Idlib," Erdoğan told journalists, after stressing that he discussed "vital issues" with Putin.
The Syrian government's ally Russia, and Turkey, which backs Syrian rebels, agreed in September to create a demilitarised zone around the insurgent-held northwestern enclave of Idlib.
But exchanges of shelling have been common since then and the first air strikes since the deal hit the area on Nov. 25....
By Mark Perry
In 1966, in the midst of the Vietnam War, (click here) Vermont Senator George Aiken recommended that President Lyndon Johnson simply “declare victory and get out.” While what Aiken actually said was more complex (because the U.S. couldn’t win militarily, he implied, it should stop deploying troops and start deploying diplomats), his statement is commonly cited as an example of foreign policy wisdom—then, as now, a much depleted currency in Washington.
While it’s doubtful that President Donald Trump has studied Aiken’s views (or even heard of him), his decision on Wednesday to order the unilateral withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria is one of the few “Aiken moments” in American history. Not surprisingly, given Trump’s inclinations, the news came in a tweet posted by the president on Wednesday morning: “We have defeated ISIS on Syria,” Trump announced, “my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.” U.S. officials later said that all U.S. troops would be removed from Syria over the next 60 to 100 days.
While the announcement took much of official Washington by surprise, The American Conservative has learned that a select group of administration officials, as well as a handful of senior military officers, knew of Trump’s decision as early as Saturday morning. According to these officials, all of whom required anonymity in exchange for the information, Trump’s decision came as a result of a lengthy telephone exchange he had had with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday. Everything that Trump announced today, we have been told, was decided in that call....
Obviously, the USA was left out of the loop on this one.
The leaders of Turkey, Russia, France and Germany (click here) on Saturday called for a ceasefire around the last major rebel-held bastion of Idlib in Syria to be preserved.
A joint statement adopted at the end of a major summit in Istanbul said the countries were committed to working "together in order to create conditions for peace and stability in Syria".
It also "stressed the importance of a lasting ceasefire" in Idlib, while hailing "progress" following a deal last month between Syrian-regime supporter Russia and rebel-backer Turkey to create a buffer zone around the northwestern province.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke for several hours with Russia's Vladimir Putin, France's Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the Syrian conflict, in which more than 360,000 people have been killed since 2011.
Their statement, read by Erdogan, called for a committee to be established to draft Syria's post-war constitution before the end of the year, "paving the way for free and fair elections" in the war-torn country....
Erdogan enjoyed the RETREAT on Syria so much the first time he wants to repeat it. Turkey has a close relationship with Russia for the sake of tourism, so it is not unusual for Erdogan to seek stable relationships with Russia, but, with summits taking place without the USA, it is almost as though allies are running away from the USA and not just setting new ambitions at the top of international relations agenda.
December 1, 2018
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (click here) told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 1 that they should hold another summit to discuss the situation in Syria's Idlib province where the two countries are trying to create a sustainable demilitarised zone.
Erdoğan made the suggestion during an hour-long meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
"Holding another four-way summit on Idlib is important. I believe that we have different steps that we should take together on Idlib," Erdoğan told journalists, after stressing that he discussed "vital issues" with Putin.
The Syrian government's ally Russia, and Turkey, which backs Syrian rebels, agreed in September to create a demilitarised zone around the insurgent-held northwestern enclave of Idlib.
But exchanges of shelling have been common since then and the first air strikes since the deal hit the area on Nov. 25....
The Democrats have their hands full when they take the US House majority in January.
Is Trump lying about this, too? There needs to be a delegation that meets with Russian leadership about this issue and the Russian embassies to find out what the truth is regarding any diplomatic talks at all.
Besides the USA slip sliding away from it's commitment to peace with other nuclear nations, what is it's position with Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities are stating war is inevitable if Russia continues it's aggressive stance.
December 19, 2018
Kiev - Ukraine will send warships (click here) back to its Azov Sea ports again, a security official said on Wednesday, despite Russia’s seizure of three navy vessels and their crew in the area last month.
Ukraine and Russia have been at loggerheads since Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, with more than 10,000 people dead in battles between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists.
The dispute deepened when Moscow last month seized two small Ukrainian gunboats and one tugboat - with a combined crew of 24 - off Crimea, accusing them of illegally entering Russian waters as they headed from the Black Sea via the Kerch Strait....
The USA is missing huge gaps in it's policies regarding Ukraine, China in Israel, the Kurds in Syria and otherwise. The Kurds are always hanging in the balance because they are great warriors, similarly to the USA soldiers, but, they are not a sovereign power and always find themselves in the breach of any kind of commitment by the USA.
The USA policies with allies need to be shored up to make it plain to China and Russia they are not being handed American allies for their disposal.
There is also the issue of the new President in Cuba, the sabotaging of American diplomats in Cuba and recently in China through deliberate microwave exposure and the problem with Russia's interest in Cuba as a military port. When one examines the horizon of American alliances and their condition there is every reason for communist China and Russia to muscle into what is considered allies of the USA.
There needs to be a lot of repair work and the current president is no help. As a matter of fact I sincerely believe as soon as the Democrats take their place in the US House majority Trump will carry out demands to weaken the strength of that majority and it's commitments to the American people and allies. This president is not a good friend to allies and befriends countries that have been aggressive in areas of the world once thought to be off limits. The USA presence is not as strong as it once was to promote peace and it's appearance of a weakened presence with allies promotes war, not peace.
The USA military has a substantial budget under Trump and is building interesting hardware, including submarines, but, to what end if the policies don't match the hardware? According to Trump and his administration with very frequent changes or better said revolving door of high ranking federal authority the USA military will be the best outfitted military in the world and no allies to justify it.
December 19. 2018
Moscow — Russia said on Wednesday (click here) it would not let the United States inspect a new nuclear-capable cruise missile at the heart of a dispute between Washington and Moscow that risks unraveling a landmark arms.
Washington has threatened to pull out of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, alleging that the new Russian missile, the Novator 9M729 (called SSC-8 by NATO), violates the pact, which bans either side from stationing short and intermediate-range, land-based missiles in Europe.
Russia says the missile’s range puts it outside the treaty altogether and is not as long as Washington alleges, meaning that it is fully compliant with the INF Treaty. It has accused the United States of inventing a false pretext to exit a treaty it wants to leave anyway so as to develop new missiles....
Besides the USA slip sliding away from it's commitment to peace with other nuclear nations, what is it's position with Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities are stating war is inevitable if Russia continues it's aggressive stance.
December 19, 2018
Kiev - Ukraine will send warships (click here) back to its Azov Sea ports again, a security official said on Wednesday, despite Russia’s seizure of three navy vessels and their crew in the area last month.
Ukraine and Russia have been at loggerheads since Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, with more than 10,000 people dead in battles between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists.
The dispute deepened when Moscow last month seized two small Ukrainian gunboats and one tugboat - with a combined crew of 24 - off Crimea, accusing them of illegally entering Russian waters as they headed from the Black Sea via the Kerch Strait....
The USA is missing huge gaps in it's policies regarding Ukraine, China in Israel, the Kurds in Syria and otherwise. The Kurds are always hanging in the balance because they are great warriors, similarly to the USA soldiers, but, they are not a sovereign power and always find themselves in the breach of any kind of commitment by the USA.
The USA policies with allies need to be shored up to make it plain to China and Russia they are not being handed American allies for their disposal.
There is also the issue of the new President in Cuba, the sabotaging of American diplomats in Cuba and recently in China through deliberate microwave exposure and the problem with Russia's interest in Cuba as a military port. When one examines the horizon of American alliances and their condition there is every reason for communist China and Russia to muscle into what is considered allies of the USA.
There needs to be a lot of repair work and the current president is no help. As a matter of fact I sincerely believe as soon as the Democrats take their place in the US House majority Trump will carry out demands to weaken the strength of that majority and it's commitments to the American people and allies. This president is not a good friend to allies and befriends countries that have been aggressive in areas of the world once thought to be off limits. The USA presence is not as strong as it once was to promote peace and it's appearance of a weakened presence with allies promotes war, not peace.
The USA military has a substantial budget under Trump and is building interesting hardware, including submarines, but, to what end if the policies don't match the hardware? According to Trump and his administration with very frequent changes or better said revolving door of high ranking federal authority the USA military will be the best outfitted military in the world and no allies to justify it.
December 19. 2018
Moscow — Russia said on Wednesday (click here) it would not let the United States inspect a new nuclear-capable cruise missile at the heart of a dispute between Washington and Moscow that risks unraveling a landmark arms.
Washington has threatened to pull out of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, alleging that the new Russian missile, the Novator 9M729 (called SSC-8 by NATO), violates the pact, which bans either side from stationing short and intermediate-range, land-based missiles in Europe.
Russia says the missile’s range puts it outside the treaty altogether and is not as long as Washington alleges, meaning that it is fully compliant with the INF Treaty. It has accused the United States of inventing a false pretext to exit a treaty it wants to leave anyway so as to develop new missiles....
The USA leaving Syria will require an American presence in the region to protect allies like Jordan and Israel.
Reality proves that the USA never had a real role in Syria and only would have added to escalations rather than deescalation, which Jordan welcomes deescalation in the way of relief at it's border from refugees.
If one looks to the news publications of Jordan it definitely is filled with diplomatic outreach to encourage trade expansion. (click here)
The only aspect of the problems within Syria is the Islamic State and problems it may have caused for allies.
The jihadists (click here) control a shrinking strip of land east of the Syria's Euphrates River around the town of Hajin, which U.S.-backed forces entered this month
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (click here)
Considering the Syrian Kurds (which I never knew existed in Syria) are considered allied forces by the USA military, the argument could be made the USA is abandoning an ally. However, when considering where the USA would place a foot hold in Syria there would be only one answer and that is to commit to a larger war.
December 20, 2018
By Amos
U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement (click here) that American troops are being withdrawn from Syria — assuming that a full withdrawal will be carried out — is of strategic importance to Syria and the entire region. It may have implications for the entire Middle East and the battle for influence between the United States and Russia.
Trump was irresolute from the start about the continued U.S. military presence in the region. When he spoke of “America First” during his campaign (and exaggerated, with some rewriting of history, his opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003), his intent was also to reduce American military investment in the Middle East....
What is somewhat curious is not only the relinquishing of Syria to Putin, but, the new presence of China with Israel. I find this very curious. I think it will be up to the Democrats in the US House to examine the actions of the USA military both in Syria and with Israel. There are vast changes no one would expect taking place. It will also require clarification by Israel's leadership regarding it's wishes in regard to a private domain of China in Israel, but, I sincerely believe clarity regarding these surprising issues need to take place.
December 15, 2018
By Michael Wilner
Washington – The US Navy (click here) has acknowledged that its longstanding operations in Haifa may change once a Chinese firm takes over the civilian port in 2021, prompting Israel’s national security cabinet to revisit the arrangement, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Haifa, the nation’s largest port city, regularly hosts joint US-Israeli naval drills and visits from American vessels. But a 2015 agreement between Israel’s Transportation Ministry and Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) – a company in which the Chinese government has a majority stake – has raised intelligence and security concerns that are only now prompting an interagency review.
That agreement granted SIPG control over the port for 25 years. The Chinese company has committed $2 billion to the project and, according to state-run media, plans to transform the port’s bay terminal into the largest harbor in the country.
A representative of the Sixth Fleet said the navy’s partnership with Israel remains “steadfast.”...
We know when Chinese oligarchs are involved in any private investment there is always a government that may find it a poor decision by their citizens and step in for whatever reason China believes important. The oligarchs of Russia and China are never investing independently and within the foreign governments authority. At any point in time China can step in and alter the future of any investment, the same holds true for Russia.
But, to sum this entire mess up, if Russia can bring stability to Syria the entire region will benefit from it. Why Israel is seeking private investors to one of it's ports is more than curious. The USA sovereign authority to allies has to be in force otherwise why be allies. Putting China into Israel only creates a national security issue for the USA with Israel and that is why there was no such privatization that took place before. China in Israel may put Israel at risk and that isn't good for anyone. Israel is nearly autonomous in it's ability to protect it's borders and engage in war if necessary. With a fluid presence of the USA in Israel, that brings a lot of questions into focus when adding in the fact there have been increasing close ties between Saudi Arabia and Russia and the death of an American journalist in Ankara.
The one place the USA has had a strong presence is the Middle East. Many Americans believe that is not a good place for the USA, especially when weighing what occurred with Iraq. But, it seems as though the time has come to evaluate the changes occurring in USA relations in the Middle East and decide whether the country is considered a strong or weakened ally under Trump's leadership.
That said, the American Jewish diaspora should be engaging dialogue to determine the future of the USA with Israel and the Middle East in general.
continued...
If one looks to the news publications of Jordan it definitely is filled with diplomatic outreach to encourage trade expansion. (click here)
The only aspect of the problems within Syria is the Islamic State and problems it may have caused for allies.
The jihadists (click here) control a shrinking strip of land east of the Syria's Euphrates River around the town of Hajin, which U.S.-backed forces entered this month
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (click here)
Considering the Syrian Kurds (which I never knew existed in Syria) are considered allied forces by the USA military, the argument could be made the USA is abandoning an ally. However, when considering where the USA would place a foot hold in Syria there would be only one answer and that is to commit to a larger war.
December 20, 2018
By Amos
U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement (click here) that American troops are being withdrawn from Syria — assuming that a full withdrawal will be carried out — is of strategic importance to Syria and the entire region. It may have implications for the entire Middle East and the battle for influence between the United States and Russia.
Trump was irresolute from the start about the continued U.S. military presence in the region. When he spoke of “America First” during his campaign (and exaggerated, with some rewriting of history, his opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003), his intent was also to reduce American military investment in the Middle East....
What is somewhat curious is not only the relinquishing of Syria to Putin, but, the new presence of China with Israel. I find this very curious. I think it will be up to the Democrats in the US House to examine the actions of the USA military both in Syria and with Israel. There are vast changes no one would expect taking place. It will also require clarification by Israel's leadership regarding it's wishes in regard to a private domain of China in Israel, but, I sincerely believe clarity regarding these surprising issues need to take place.
December 15, 2018
By Michael Wilner
Washington – The US Navy (click here) has acknowledged that its longstanding operations in Haifa may change once a Chinese firm takes over the civilian port in 2021, prompting Israel’s national security cabinet to revisit the arrangement, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Haifa, the nation’s largest port city, regularly hosts joint US-Israeli naval drills and visits from American vessels. But a 2015 agreement between Israel’s Transportation Ministry and Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) – a company in which the Chinese government has a majority stake – has raised intelligence and security concerns that are only now prompting an interagency review.
That agreement granted SIPG control over the port for 25 years. The Chinese company has committed $2 billion to the project and, according to state-run media, plans to transform the port’s bay terminal into the largest harbor in the country.
A representative of the Sixth Fleet said the navy’s partnership with Israel remains “steadfast.”...
We know when Chinese oligarchs are involved in any private investment there is always a government that may find it a poor decision by their citizens and step in for whatever reason China believes important. The oligarchs of Russia and China are never investing independently and within the foreign governments authority. At any point in time China can step in and alter the future of any investment, the same holds true for Russia.
But, to sum this entire mess up, if Russia can bring stability to Syria the entire region will benefit from it. Why Israel is seeking private investors to one of it's ports is more than curious. The USA sovereign authority to allies has to be in force otherwise why be allies. Putting China into Israel only creates a national security issue for the USA with Israel and that is why there was no such privatization that took place before. China in Israel may put Israel at risk and that isn't good for anyone. Israel is nearly autonomous in it's ability to protect it's borders and engage in war if necessary. With a fluid presence of the USA in Israel, that brings a lot of questions into focus when adding in the fact there have been increasing close ties between Saudi Arabia and Russia and the death of an American journalist in Ankara.
The one place the USA has had a strong presence is the Middle East. Many Americans believe that is not a good place for the USA, especially when weighing what occurred with Iraq. But, it seems as though the time has come to evaluate the changes occurring in USA relations in the Middle East and decide whether the country is considered a strong or weakened ally under Trump's leadership.
That said, the American Jewish diaspora should be engaging dialogue to determine the future of the USA with Israel and the Middle East in general.
continued...
The Executive Branch cannot change the conditions in which food stamps are issued.
The Executive Branch cannot unilaterally change legislation passed by Congress. Besides the conditions under which food stamps are issued is a State's Rights issue. Trump and Secretary Purdue are acting unconstitutionally regarding food stamps. I am quite certain there will be Attorney Generals filing a complaint that will restrain any more of this nonsense from occurring.
Trump treats the office of the President as if he is a dictator. He hasn't learned his limits even after having three travel bans rejected by the Supreme Court. He has this idea he can do as he pleases outside laws passed by the US Congress. Many Americans believe the presidency is some kind of all powerful position. It is not. The president is restrained by the US Congress in many, many instances and the way Trump conducts himself and his cabinet, it is as if he "doesn't get it." Obviously, this is another time "He doesn't get it."
The Executive Branch is responsible for the daily operations of the USA Constitutional laws. It is NOT where law is made. Some of these responsibilities can be handled by the President, but, with certain understanding to their implementation.
December 20, 2018
By Juliet Linderman
Washington – The Trump administration (click here) is setting out to do what this year’s farm bill didn’t: tighten work requirements for millions of Americans who receive federal food assistance.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday is proposing a rule that would restrict the ability of states to exempt work-eligible adults from having to obtain steady employment to receive food stamps.
The move comes just weeks after lawmakers passed a $400 billion farm bill that reauthorized agriculture and conservation programs while leaving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which serves roughly 40 million Americans, virtually untouched.
Passage of the farm bill followed months of tense negotiations over House efforts to significantly tighten work requirements and the Senate’s refusal to accept the provisions...
The two-faced and/or racist Republicans, including the current president, like to make a huge fuss over the Obama Dreamers' Executive Order, but, when it comes to Trump all is possible. That is not the case.
After six years of racism by the Republicans, President Obama put an end to it.
November 20, 2014
By Eyder Peralta
After six years (click here) of often bitter back-and-forth with congressional Republicans over the issue of immigration, President Obama announced he has decided to go it alone by temporarily shielding up to 5 million immigrants from being deported.
In a prime-time speech to the country on Thursday, Obama said he would defer the deportation of the parents of children who are either U.S. citizens or legal residents, and that he also would expand that protection to more "DREAMers," or children who entered the country illegally with their parents. Those two groups also will be allowed to work in the United States legally, after passing a background check and paying a fee....
...saying every president in the past 50 years has taken similar steps.
"To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill," Obama said....
President Obama knew the restraints on the presidency. He knew he had recourse, but, it needed to reflect relief to the immigration in processing Dreamers. Basically, President Obama said in his Executive Order that the immigration courts are over burdened and need time to process people who most likely will be able to stay in the USA. He provided what is considered a "deferred action plan" for the Dreamers. There is no reason why they have to be deported because the grew up here and are an asset to the country as an American educated brain trust, as consumers to our economy and taxpayers to our US Treasury as well as the treasuries of states and local governments.
President Trump is attempting to legislate from the Oval Office and he is simply wrong. He can't do it. It is a willful act against the legislation passed by the US Congress and attempting to remove the right of states to handle how the impoverished receive benefits inside their borders.
"A Year After the Middle Class Tax Cut, the Rich are Winning" (click here)
December 18, 2018
By Ben Steverman, Dave Merrill and Jeremy C. F. Lin
When President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress set out to re-write the tax code, their goals were simple enough: Lower tax rates, juice the economy, reward some taxpayers while punishing others. The price tag, though, was enormous: by some estimates, as much as $1.9 trillion over 10 years.
And their tool—an enormously complex, 186-page piece of legislation—still puzzles tax experts a year later....
Really? Experts can't figure the darn this out a year later? Why does that not surprise me? If Trump and the Republicans wanted clarity they would have written it. Believe me they would have written, but, if the waters are cloudy, well welcome to the dirty well of the wealthy that can clarify the understanding of the law FOR THE IRS!
...Some wealthy Americans have good reason to complain about the law. Residents of states with high property taxes can now only deduct $10,000 of their state and local taxes, or SALT. Rich lawyers, doctors and even actors are barred from a lucrative break (see below) for pass-through business owners....
...The rich are already using the new limits to create dynasty trusts for generations of their descendants....
...Overall, the Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the law delivers taxpayers who earn $1 million or more a tax cut of $37 billion in the next year alone....
Hello, America!
...The tax law limits or eliminates dozens of itemized deductions, including for SALT, mortgage interest, home office expenses and fund management fees....
This tax law absolutely hates small businesses. While most small businesses don't worry about fund management fees, they do benefit when the owner has a cut in their tax liability including SALT, mortgage interest, home office expenses and itemized deductions.
Every time I approach the new tax law to understand it's severity on small business, I have to come to the conclusion that Trump's Tax Law wants to put small businesses out of business. THAT leverage by the federal government is anti-woman. A great number of small businesses are created and run by women.
So, if I were a politician trying to create a theocracy rather than protecting the rights of people within the American democracy, I would attack women on all fronts and put them back in the kitchen, laundry and bedroom where they belong. This tax bill gives the theocracy nut cases exactly that.
...Workers are still waiting for their raises as inflation eats into modest increases. Hourly wages, adjusted for inflation, were up 0.8 percent in November, according to the Labor Department. While the number has been steadily rising for the last few months, it’s still significantly lower than real wage increases in 2015 and early 2016, when inflation-adjusted raises occasionally topped 2 percent. Even then, economists worried that the strong economy wasn’t helping the average worker....
Is there anything else to say? A year after the Trump Tax Cuts were passed into law by a majority Republican Congress, the American worker is no further ahead and is losing ground with inflation coming into the picture.
Inflation hurts disposable income. It will hurt the poorest and there will be low middle class families worried about losing their homes, but, for the most part THE MIDDLE CLASS is once again carrying the burden for the wealthy and receiving no relief at all.
Additionally, NOW when they lose their homes and are forced to look to the government to fill in with medical bills and items like food, they will meet with more regulation and less benefits.
Merry Christmas, America from Wall Street.
Trump treats the office of the President as if he is a dictator. He hasn't learned his limits even after having three travel bans rejected by the Supreme Court. He has this idea he can do as he pleases outside laws passed by the US Congress. Many Americans believe the presidency is some kind of all powerful position. It is not. The president is restrained by the US Congress in many, many instances and the way Trump conducts himself and his cabinet, it is as if he "doesn't get it." Obviously, this is another time "He doesn't get it."
The Executive Branch is responsible for the daily operations of the USA Constitutional laws. It is NOT where law is made. Some of these responsibilities can be handled by the President, but, with certain understanding to their implementation.
December 20, 2018
By Juliet Linderman
Washington – The Trump administration (click here) is setting out to do what this year’s farm bill didn’t: tighten work requirements for millions of Americans who receive federal food assistance.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday is proposing a rule that would restrict the ability of states to exempt work-eligible adults from having to obtain steady employment to receive food stamps.
The move comes just weeks after lawmakers passed a $400 billion farm bill that reauthorized agriculture and conservation programs while leaving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which serves roughly 40 million Americans, virtually untouched.
Passage of the farm bill followed months of tense negotiations over House efforts to significantly tighten work requirements and the Senate’s refusal to accept the provisions...
The two-faced and/or racist Republicans, including the current president, like to make a huge fuss over the Obama Dreamers' Executive Order, but, when it comes to Trump all is possible. That is not the case.
After six years of racism by the Republicans, President Obama put an end to it.
By Eyder Peralta
After six years (click here) of often bitter back-and-forth with congressional Republicans over the issue of immigration, President Obama announced he has decided to go it alone by temporarily shielding up to 5 million immigrants from being deported.
In a prime-time speech to the country on Thursday, Obama said he would defer the deportation of the parents of children who are either U.S. citizens or legal residents, and that he also would expand that protection to more "DREAMers," or children who entered the country illegally with their parents. Those two groups also will be allowed to work in the United States legally, after passing a background check and paying a fee....
...saying every president in the past 50 years has taken similar steps.
"To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill," Obama said....
President Obama knew the restraints on the presidency. He knew he had recourse, but, it needed to reflect relief to the immigration in processing Dreamers. Basically, President Obama said in his Executive Order that the immigration courts are over burdened and need time to process people who most likely will be able to stay in the USA. He provided what is considered a "deferred action plan" for the Dreamers. There is no reason why they have to be deported because the grew up here and are an asset to the country as an American educated brain trust, as consumers to our economy and taxpayers to our US Treasury as well as the treasuries of states and local governments.
President Trump is attempting to legislate from the Oval Office and he is simply wrong. He can't do it. It is a willful act against the legislation passed by the US Congress and attempting to remove the right of states to handle how the impoverished receive benefits inside their borders.
"A Year After the Middle Class Tax Cut, the Rich are Winning" (click here)
December 18, 2018
By Ben Steverman, Dave Merrill and Jeremy C. F. Lin
When President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress set out to re-write the tax code, their goals were simple enough: Lower tax rates, juice the economy, reward some taxpayers while punishing others. The price tag, though, was enormous: by some estimates, as much as $1.9 trillion over 10 years.
And their tool—an enormously complex, 186-page piece of legislation—still puzzles tax experts a year later....
Really? Experts can't figure the darn this out a year later? Why does that not surprise me? If Trump and the Republicans wanted clarity they would have written it. Believe me they would have written, but, if the waters are cloudy, well welcome to the dirty well of the wealthy that can clarify the understanding of the law FOR THE IRS!
...Some wealthy Americans have good reason to complain about the law. Residents of states with high property taxes can now only deduct $10,000 of their state and local taxes, or SALT. Rich lawyers, doctors and even actors are barred from a lucrative break (see below) for pass-through business owners....
...The rich are already using the new limits to create dynasty trusts for generations of their descendants....
...Overall, the Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the law delivers taxpayers who earn $1 million or more a tax cut of $37 billion in the next year alone....
Hello, America!
...The tax law limits or eliminates dozens of itemized deductions, including for SALT, mortgage interest, home office expenses and fund management fees....
This tax law absolutely hates small businesses. While most small businesses don't worry about fund management fees, they do benefit when the owner has a cut in their tax liability including SALT, mortgage interest, home office expenses and itemized deductions.
Every time I approach the new tax law to understand it's severity on small business, I have to come to the conclusion that Trump's Tax Law wants to put small businesses out of business. THAT leverage by the federal government is anti-woman. A great number of small businesses are created and run by women.
So, if I were a politician trying to create a theocracy rather than protecting the rights of people within the American democracy, I would attack women on all fronts and put them back in the kitchen, laundry and bedroom where they belong. This tax bill gives the theocracy nut cases exactly that.
...Workers are still waiting for their raises as inflation eats into modest increases. Hourly wages, adjusted for inflation, were up 0.8 percent in November, according to the Labor Department. While the number has been steadily rising for the last few months, it’s still significantly lower than real wage increases in 2015 and early 2016, when inflation-adjusted raises occasionally topped 2 percent. Even then, economists worried that the strong economy wasn’t helping the average worker....
Is there anything else to say? A year after the Trump Tax Cuts were passed into law by a majority Republican Congress, the American worker is no further ahead and is losing ground with inflation coming into the picture.
Inflation hurts disposable income. It will hurt the poorest and there will be low middle class families worried about losing their homes, but, for the most part THE MIDDLE CLASS is once again carrying the burden for the wealthy and receiving no relief at all.
Additionally, NOW when they lose their homes and are forced to look to the government to fill in with medical bills and items like food, they will meet with more regulation and less benefits.
Merry Christmas, America from Wall Street.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)