Yes, my friends…, when Illegitimate Joe prefaces a statement with the words “make no mistake,” a big lie is coming!
According to Sahil Kapur, of NBC News, “President Joe Biden told House Democrats that 2022 “may be the most important off-year election in modern history,” and gave his party credit for an improving economy and rejected blame for rising gas prices.”
This strategy of stating the obvious before dropping misinformation bombs, is an attempt to lend credibility to their lies. For example, “Roses are red, violets are blue, and the federal government is here to help you.”
“Democrats didn’t cause this problem. Vladimir Putin did,” Biden said of the Russian president. “Putin’s gas tax has pushed prices higher.”
It’s true that Putin’s actions have pushed gas prices higher…, but it’s not true that you sir, and “Democrats didn’t cause this problem,” because you did. You were handed energy independence by President Trump. All you had to do was nothing. But your first day in office, your first day, you immediately chose to hand our energy fate back to the Middle East, Russia, and Iran. Why would you and your anti-American friends do that, Joe?
“The president spoke to Democratic lawmakers as the party grapples with fierce political headwinds in the run-up to the 2022 midterm elections, with Republicans attempting to seize on voter angst to capture control of Congress.”
And those “headwinds” have definitely been earned. People aren’t just angry about gas prices and inflation in general. There is the crime issue, the defunding the police issue, the southern border and immigration issues, the COVID mandates issue, the parents vs. school boards issue, the DOJ vs. school parents issue, voting issues, censorship issues, and the list goes on and on.
If Republicans do so (capture control of the Congress), the president said Friday, “The only thing I’ll have then is the veto pen.”
I don’t know, Joe…, that executive order pen has been pretty devastating as well.
“Democrats are conflicted over the best path to hang on to their slim majorities. Some argue lawmakers should communicate better (they mean lie better), promote their victories (they mean make up things that could be construed as a victory) and focus on bipartisan opportunities (although they really have no interest in operating in any type of bipartisan manner). Others say that isn’t enough (that they won’t be able to lie their way out of this one), and that Democrats need more policy wins to improve people’s lives, including salvaging parts of Biden’s Build Back Better Act, to have a reasonable chance of retaining Congress.”
Ha! Ya, we wouldn’t want to try to improve people’s lives just to help people. But they’ll throw us all a bone here and there in an attempt to get re-elected, and then dictate their misery all over again. An excellent example of this would be Black Americans. Democrats always become extremely interested in Black Americans when election time rolls around. Then after the election, it’s crickets for another four years.
“Biden said, ‘The real reason prices are so high in the U.S., notwithstanding what Republicans say, is twofold: Covid’s disruptions to supply chains, and Putin’s war in Ukraine driving up gas prices. Make no mistake, inflation’s largely the fault of Putin.’”
“Make no mistake.”
Covid and Putin. The democrats will be riding this train all the way up to the elections later this year.
And the fake news…, the liberal propaganda news, will now continue to echo these falsehoods, like the good little anti-America co-conspirators they are.
Stay deplorable my friends.
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In many cases that’s true…, at least not for what you want to pay them.
Why doesn’t the rule of supply and demand apply to workers?
I keep hearing we can’t pay workers more without raising prices.
It seems to me companies aren’t worried about raising prices because of other factors.
Have you checked out the price of gas, or the prices of building supplies lately?
If you have to raise prices, so be it.
If your business can’t cut it by paying people a fair wage, then shut it down and go get a job yourself.
According to Patti Domm, for CNBC, “Workers’ wages are rising at the fastest pace in years. Companies’ profits could take a hit.”
Oh nooooo…, “companies’ profits could take a hit!”
Not the poor company owners or shareholders!
Don’t the “working poor” know their place?!
Don’t the “working poor” know they’re supposed to work for next to nothing so the rest of us can have an affordable meal, while the owners and shareholders pad their wallets?!
The nerve!
“The pandemic changed work life and as the economy reopens, it’s changing it again, with companies offering higher wages as they grapple with a labor shortage.”
“It’s been at least 25 years since U.S. businesses were willing to increase worker pay. While this won’t affect the bottom line right away, it could start to squeeze profits down the road.”
So, they admit they’ve been taking advantage of the working poor for “at least 25 years,” and now they’re crying when they have to pony up and finally pay people a decent wage for a change?
Excuse my French, but these greedy PsOS can go FOAD, in my humble opinion.
I normally don’t get so upset, but this is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Please see my prior blogs on the working poor and the minimum wage.
‘“Under Armor’ announced this week that it was boosting its minimum wage, following other companies, like McDonald’s, Chipotle, and Bank of America.”
“Workers are getting higher wages, but at some point that could bite into companies’ profits.”
Again…, ohhhhhh nooooooooooo!
So you mean these CEOs might have to live on $10 million a year as opposed to $11 million a year?!
“As the economy reopens, costs are climbing for everything from packaging and raw materials to shipping. In addition to these expenses, companies are also paying more to get workers to come in the door.”
Like I said before…, costs are climbing for everything, across the board, but it’s the workers who are to blame, and the workers they choose to complain about.
“But the disparity between labor costs and profits has been so wide for so long, that employers should be able to increase pay if they can raise prices for goods and services or improve productivity.”
“McDonald’s said last week that it was boosting wages for the 36,500 hourly workers at company-owned stores by 10%, and Chipotle announced it will raise wages to an average of $15 an hour by the end of June. Bank of America said it would raise minimum wages for its hourly workers to $25 an hour, from the current $20, by 2025.”
Ha! By 2025?!
Why not now?
Why not guarantee a living wage by 2050, and a fair increase in the minimum wage by 2075?!
I mean, we are talking about time in chunks of 25 years, aren’t we?
“Sports equipment company Under Armor also announced it would boost the minimum hourly wage for its retail and distribution workers to $15 from $10.”
“It’s some of the strongest wage growth we’ve seen in a quarter century,” said Mark Zandi, Moody’s Analytics chief economist. He said the 3% wage growth for private workers in the first quarter was the strongest since the 1990s and productivity has picked up at the same time.”
“Employers are trying to address a labor shortage, according to Jonathan Golub, chief U.S. equity strategist at Credit Suisse.”
‘“The economy is overheating and companies, even though we have a high unemployment rate, cannot get the labor they need to meet demand and they are being forced to raise wages,’ he said. ‘It’s happening with financial services. It’s happening in industry. It’s happening in retail. You’re seeing it everywhere.’”
Yes…, it’s called capitalism, Mr. Golub.
“Golub said investors are right to wonder when the higher wage costs could pressure profit margins, but he does not anticipate it becoming a problem in the near term.”
Like I said, it’s called capitalism, Mr. Golub. And capitalism does not solely benefit owners and investors. Workers are allowed to benefit from capitalism as well!
“If this represents a trend where people begin to expect higher wages and they demand higher wages, and there’s a continuation, yes it becomes a problem,” he said. “We don’t know if this is a one-time adjustment.”
That name “Golub” rings a bell.
Maybe I’m thinking of “Golem,” from The Lord of the Rings!”
Anyway…, take your sad song walking, Golub. We have a million symphonies of sad songs out here…, you just haven’t tuned into them…, because really you just don’t care.
This crying about the loss of profits just goes on and on.
My point is, there isn’t a lot of sympathy out here for the loss of profits.
“Mike Englund, chief economist at Action Economics, said the pandemic has resulted in some permanent changes in employment. ‘We probably downsized the restaurant industry.’”
There’s no “probably” about it, Englund. The democrat COVID stupidness “downsized” many business, along with the restaurant industry.
“The industry will likely shrink in cities like New York, but it could grow in suburbs since many restaurants added takeout.”
What a maroon! Ya, none of these restaurants had takeout before!
I’m sure it couldn’t have been caused by the incessant lockdowns, the looting of their businesses, or actual damage caused by all of the “peaceful protests…,” not to mention the surge in crime, due to more liberal policies.
“One result of the pandemic is that people moved out of cities or to different regions. ‘With this shift… we’re seeing shortages, a mismatch,’ Englund said.”
Ha! No kidding. These are shortages these cities created, and are creating, themselves.
Again…, take your sad song walking…, and don’t let the backdoor hit you in the backside on the way out. On second thought…, go ahead and let it!
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Here is my second course, “Who really pays for everything – 101,” presented by MrEricksonRules’ University as a public service.
So, who really pays for everything?
The answer is WE DO.
The 99% of us poor slobs who are just trying to get by and make a living.
We pay for EVERYTHING.
Don’t believe me?
Let’s begin the class and see if I can change your mind.
We’re all aware of these billionaire sports team owners in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), and the National Football League (NFL), right?
They have to be really, really rich in order to join the club of sports team owners.
We pay for all of the exorbitant, multi-million dollar, salaries of the players on their teams, and here’s how it works.
Let’s take a look at the NFL, specifically, here.
NFL team owners get approximately 70% of their revenue from television contracts, and the other 30% from ticket sales, concessions, parking, etc.
I think we all realize that when player contracts go up ticket prices and concession prices go up as well.
Hence, the $10 beer and the $6 hotdog!
And if you choose to pay $200, $500, $1,000, or more, for a seat to actually attend a game, God bless you. You’re getting ripped off, but you still only account for a small portion of the 30% of their revenue.
What about the other 70%…, the bulk of their revenue?
The NFL distributes television revenue to all teams equally, regardless of performance. As of February 2019, each team receives $255 million annually from the league’s television contracts.
The league’s salary cap per team is currently $182.5 million, so, you do the math.
That’s why teams could afford to play the 2020 season without any fans in the stands and still do quite well.
Okay, you say, but the television companies are paying for that.
But where do the television companies get their money from?
The answer is advertisers.
Yes, the people who put those commercials on our TVs that we all love to watch so much.
This year, in 2021, a 30-second commercial for Super Bowl 55 cost about $5.5 million!
How can these companies afford to pay that?!
Well, they don’t.
We do.
Companies like Anheuser-Busch, Miller, Coors, Coke, Pepsi, just bump their prices by a nickel or a dime to cover their costs.
Yes, folks, we are all being “nickel and dimed to death.”
Isn’t it nice of us all to cover the costs of their advertising, which covers the costs of the TV companies, which cover the costs of the billionaire owners?
That’s why we should be upset about these people who play a game for a living, while getting paid hundreds of millions of dollars, while teachers make in a year for what they get paid for one game!
That’s why we should be upset about these people, who play a game for a living, while getting paid hundreds of millions of dollars, while a doctor would have to work over a hundred years to make what they make in one year!
So, if you eat, drink, wear clothes, wear shoes, drive a car, buy insurance, or use a cell phone…, you’re paying, whether you like it or not.
So, who really pays for everything?
The answer is we do.
Please be on the lookout for my next course, made available to everyone free of charge, from MrEricksonRules’ University.
Hey…, I’m just trying to do my part!
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According to Megan Henney for FOXBusiness, “President Biden’s push to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour as part of a broader coronavirus relief package could be a ‘death knell’ for businesses still reeling from the pandemic, according to a new study published this week.”
A “death knell?”
That seems overly dramatic to me.
“The report, authored by researchers at the University of Kentucky, Indiana University and Washington University in St. Louis, found that hiking the minimum wage hurts new entrants into the labor market, based on data from six states that increased their minimum rate.”
It also “hurts” when you’re a worker and you can’t pay your bills.
Just sayin’.
Can we all agree that someone can get a “report” to basically support whatever narrative the want to push?
“When the minimum wage increased, businesses — particularly those making tradeable goods, such as the manufacturing sector — reduced the number of new workers they were hiring, the study found.”
Just for the record, the federal minimum wage was last increased July 24, 2009, when it rose from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour.
Whoa! Be still my heart!
So, the minimum wage has been stuck on $7.25 an hour for over ten years!
So much for even a cost of living increase.
‘“While the overall number of low-wage workers declines following a minimum wage increase, incumbent workers are no less likely to remain employed,’ the report said.”
“Given that the U.S. unemployment rate is still hovering at 6.7%, Radhakrishnan Gopalan, one of the study’s authors and a finance professor at Washington University in St. Louis, argued now is not the time to hike the minimum wage.”
Like I said, there is never a good time to raise the minimum wage for all of the people not forced to work for the minimm wage.
“Roughly 800,000 Americans have been filing for unemployment benefits each week over the past five months — nearly four times the pre-crisis level — and there are about 9.8 million more out of work Americans now than compared to February, before the crisis began.”
Yes…, thanks to the oppressive and draconian lock-downs, mostly dictated by clueless blue state governors.
‘“Small businesses are especially hurting from the pandemic,’ Gopalan said. ‘The restaurant sector, which employs a significant number of minimum wage workers, and the retail sector are struggling. Raising the minimum wage now would spell a death knell for many small restaurants.’”
Again, the so-called “death knell” has already been caused by these “non-science” based lockdowns.
Believe me, big and small businesses will all deal having to pay their emplyees a decent wage.
They’ll deal with it.
They all manage to deal with tax increases.
They all manage to deal with additional regulations and regulation changes.
They all manage to deal with cost increases in other areas.
They all seem to be able to manage to deal with everything else except paying their employees a livable wage!
“A recent analysis published by the Congressional Budget Office [CBO], a nonpartisan agency [There is no such thing by the way.], found that as many as 3.7 million workers could lose their jobs as a result of the minimum wage increase. At the same time, the CBO projects that some 17 million workers would receive a pay boost.”
“Could” and “would” definitely come from two different perspectives.
One perspective is what is possible to happen, and the other perspective deals with what will happen.
I do think it is reasonable to believe there will be a loss of some slave labor jobs, however, when these businesses are forced to act more fairly towards their workers.
‘“For most low-wage workers, earnings and family income would increase, which would lift some families out of poverty,’ the report said. ‘But other low-wage workers would become jobless, and their family income would fall—in some cases, below the poverty threshold.’”
The truth is MANY families would be lifted out of poverty, while others would just remain there.
“And although raising the minimum wage could boost spending among low-income Americans, Gopalan argued the Biden administration should wait until 2022 to implement an increase to allow the economy and unemployment rate to recover from the economic shock of the pandemic.”
‘“Having said that, the multiple stimulus packages have put a lot of money in people’s hands, so one is talking about demand in the economy possibly outstripping supply once the pandemic is brought under control,’ he said. ‘Some are already cautioning about the economy overheating.’”
Wow!
Well, we’ll definitely have to be on look-out for the “economy overheating!”
That sounds like an economic windfall…, for everyone except those making $7.25 an hour, of course!
Maybe a raising of the minimum wage will be exactly what the economy needs to cool it down a bit!
“The pandemic has already devastated small businesses, which employ roughly 59 million Americans, or about 47.5% of the nation’s entire workforce. One estimate from Yelp found that between April and September of last year, 160,000 businesses closed — or about 800 per day.”
Like I said earlier…, the pandemic didn’t devastate anything economically…, oppressive and draconian lock-downs, mostly dictated by clueless blue state governors, did.
“Biden is seeking to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour, where it’s remained for the past decade, to $15 per hour and to end the tipped minimum wage and sub-minimum wage for people with disabilities.”
Don’t even get me started on the tipped minimum wage and sub-minimum wage for people with disabilities.
Let’s just say the “tipped minimum wage” should just be “the” minimum wage. Tips should be tips, and not considered part of a person’s wage.
And the minimum wage for people with disabilities is completely illegal in my opinion.
Have any of these geniuses ever heard of the The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or ADA, which is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability?
It seems like they haven’t.
“Separately, a group of Democratic lawmakers reintroduced legislation on Tuesday to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025.”
By 2025?!
‘“Let’s be clear: The $7.25 an hour federal minimum wage is a starvation wage,’ Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the incoming chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said during a call with reporters. ‘No person in America can make it on $8, $10 or $12 an hour.’”
Well, I can now say I agreed with Senator Sanders at least once.
Anyway…, okay…, here we go.
MrEricksonRules is going to apply some reasonable common sense here.
My minimum wage proposal would be as follows:
$8.00 per hour minimum wage for all 16-17 year-olds (True “entry level” high school aged employees.).
$10.00 per hour minimum wage for all 18-22 year-olds (True “entry level” college aged employees.).
$15.00 per hour minimum wage for all 23 year-olds and over (for people who are actually trying to make a living.).
Let’s remember that at $15.00 an hour these people are still not getting rich, but at least they can live.
At $15.00 an hour an individual will make $600 gross and $460 net a week, or net $1,840 a month, which is $22,080 a year.
If you take into consideration rent, a car, gas, utilities, a phone, and food, these people are still only just getting by, but at least they can get by.
If we don’t supply a living wage for these older workers, what alternatives do they have?
They can go on an entitlement program and live off of government assistance.
What is the better option?
I would much rather pay a little more for goods and services than just support these people entirely.
I would much rather support people who are willing to work for a living than those who don’t or those who can’t support themselves.
Why is it their burden to insure everyone else a cheaper burger or a cheaper anything?
I feel it is a sin for all of us to take advantage of the “working poor” in our country, just so the rest of us can afford a little more.
Not to mention all of the companies and businesses, big and small, who take advantage of them, while affording multi-million dollar salaries to CEOs and other executives, sizeable profits to shareholders, and very comfortable lives to other business owners.
If you’d like to comment on my proposal, or try and defend the current $7.25 an hour minimum wage, I’d love to hear from you. I may even do a follow-up blog incorporating the comments I receive.
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Yes, my friends…, if anything, and I mean if ANYTHING happens that isn’t good, it’s President Trump’s fault…, and NOTHING he does is allowed to even be considered good.
I’m really getting bored with this liberal blame game that seems to be on a never-ending loop.
Can we just assume that President Trump is to blame for everything from now on so you liberals can just shut up?
I mean, your litany of lame excuses and shifting of all of the blame from yourselves onto President Trump is so disingenuous, very tiresome, and quite sickening as well.
We see a seemingly never-ending parade of liberal mayors…,
blue state governors…,
democrat congresspeople, and, of course, the liberal propaganda media, blaming President Trump for all of their, and all of the world’s problems.
But remember, President Trump has only been in politics the last 3½ years.
So, racism wasn’t an issue prior to 2017?
Social justice wasn’t an issue prior to 2017?
Police brutality wasn’t an issue prior to 2017?
Crime rates, shootings and murders weren’t an issue in any of our big cities prior to 2017?
Criminal justice reforms weren’t an issue prior to 2017?
Economic opportunity in depressed areas of our country and our cities wasn’t an issue prior to 2017?
In fact, these were all existing issues prior to 2017.
These have all been existing issues prior to 2017…, AND FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS!
The fact is, President Trump has done more to address these issues in the last 3½ years than had been done in the prior 50 years!
And I’m talking about actual positive actions…, not just lip service or promises.
You don’t believe me?
Let’s take a look at just a few of President Trump’s accomplishments.
Our economy, under President Trump’s direction, saw historic lows for African American unemployment and African American youth unemployment, as well as historic low unemployment rates for Latinos, Asians, and Women.
Nearly 8 million Americans have been lifted off of food stamps. Indeed, the latest data from the Department of Agriculture shows that 7.7 million fewer Americans receive food stamps now than did when Trump entered the White House.
The poverty rate has fallen to its lowest level in nearly two decades, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The First Step Act was promoted and signed into law by President Trump. This law shortens mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. It also eases a federal “three strikes” rule, which currently imposes a life sentence for three or more convictions, and issues a 25-year sentence instead. Most consequentially, it expands the “drug safety-valve,” which would give judges more discretion to deviate from mandatory minimums when sentencing for nonviolent drug offenses.
Beyond sentencing reform, the First Step Act includes provisions that will improve conditions for current prisoners and address several laws that increased racial disparities in the federal prison system.
“We’re all better off when former inmates can receive and re-enter society as law-abiding, productive citizens,” Trump said in remarks endorsing the bill. “And, thanks to our booming economy, they now have a chance at more opportunities than they’ve ever had before.”
Opportunity Zones were created under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and signed into law by President Trump. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA,) known for creating Opportunity Zones, is often celebrated for its potential to move billions of dollars into low-income communities. However, there remains an open question as to whether this program will ultimately serve to add value, or extract values, from these communities. Opportunity Zones (OZs) are defined as “economically-distressed communities where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment.” First conceived in April of 2018, OZ plans are now in place for communities in all 50 states this year.
President Trump signed a bill that will permanently provide more than $250 million a year to the nation’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), along with dozens of other institutions that serve large shares of minority students. “When I took office, I promised to fight for HBCUs, and my administration continues to deliver,” Trump said. “A few months ago, funding for HBCUs was in jeopardy. But the White House and Congress came together and reached a historic agreement.”
H.R.1927: African American Civil Rights Network Act of 2017. This act recognizes the importance of the African American civil rights movement and those who made sacrifices for it. It authorizes the National Park Service to create a US Civil Rights Network, tying together relevant operations within the Service, that will be tasked with coordinating and facilitating projects to commemorate the history of that movement. The Network will operate for seven years, tending to relevant events and historical sites and developing and disseminating new educational materials on the issue.
H.R.1242: 400 Years of African-American History Commission Act. This bill commemorates the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Africans in the English colonies in Virginia in 1619. It creates a 15-member commission, composed of government officials, members of civic societies, and historians, to be appointed within 120 days. The commission will plan, develop, and carry out activities recognizing and highlighting African-American history since that point in time, and it will be authorized to provide grants of up to $20,000 to support related activities at all levels.
H.R.267: Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act of 2017. In 1992, the federal government recognized several sites associated with the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., as a collective national historic site. This bill adds one building, the former headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that King co-founded, and upgrades the collective site to national park status—the first such entity in Georgia.
Presidential Proclamation 115: To Take Certain Actions under the African Growth and Opportunity Act and for Other Purposes. This proclamation most significantly reverses Obama-era decisions to deny the African nations of Gambia and Swaziland duty-free trade access to American markets under the act named in the proclamation’s title. That access is contingent on maintaining or improving political freedoms and human rights standards.
H.R.2989: Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission Act. This bill recognizes Douglass’s exceptional rise from slavery to the forefront of the American civil rights movement, as well as his vital role in abolitionism, contributions to the Union in the Civil War, and service in national government. It affirms that all Americans would benefit from learning more about and following the examples laid out by Douglass. The act creates a commission to plan and carry out federal activities to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his 1818 birth.
And there has never been a bigger supporter of the safety of American citizens, law enforcement, and our first responders, in The White House, than President Trump. The lawlessness we see in our large, liberal, cities is a result of opposition to President Trump’s policies, not because of them.
Regarding New York City, specifically, Julia Musto of Fox News reports that, “Dan Bongino blasts liberal mayors blaming COVID-19 and Trump for violence: ‘This is pathetic.’”
“Liberal mayors’ attempts to blame violence over the Fourth of July weekend on the coronavirus and the Trump administration is ‘grotesque and pathetic,’ former NYPD officer and Secret Service agent Dan Bongino said Tuesday.”
“In an interview on ‘Fox & Friends,’ Bongino specifically called out Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.”
“The Democrat-run cities both saw spikes in violent crime over the holiday weekend. According to the Chicago Police Department, there were 87 people shot and 17 killed from July 2 to July 5. There were at least 44 shooting incidents and 10 dead in New York City as the Big Apple saw its surge in violence continue.”
‘“I heard Mayor Lightfoot in Chicago also trying to pin this on [President] Donald Trump somehow. How was this Donald Trump? And again, it was racist, of course. Everything is racist. God forbid you call out the fact that young Black children are being shot in the head,’ he remarked.”
‘“It’s not President Trump that did this. It’s that guy in City Hall, Bill de Blasio — your Communist mayor who has failed you and — as I said on this program and others, repeatedly for years now — people will die because of the arguments going on over public safety,’ Bongino concluded. ‘And, tragically, I was correct.’”
So, after decades upon decades of inaction and ineffectiveness by the “do nothing” political establishment, democrats and republicans, we are now told that all of these problems are President Trump’s fault, and that all of these politicians who have overseen these problems for decades and decades now suddenly have all the answers.
Fool us once, shame on you…, fool us twice (or a hundred times), shame on us.
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You’re worried so much about dying from the coronavirus that you’re willing to barricade yourself in your house for months and bring our national economy to its knees, but these other causes of death in the US are just an afterthought?
What extreme measures do we institute to combat these other causes of death in the US?
Don’t get me wrong…, this is a serious health consideration…, and losing all of these people to the virus is very sad…, but are losing these people to the virus any sadder than losing people to these other causes?
According to Medical News Today.com:
“Around 74% of all deaths in the United States occur as a result of 10 causes.”
Over the past 5 years, the main causes of death in the U.S. have remained fairly consistent.”
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 2,813,503 registered deaths in the United States in 2017.”
“All figures and percentages provided here come from the most recent data from the CDC, collected in 2017.”
Heart disease deaths in 2017: 647,457
Percentage of total deaths: 23.5%
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. This is the case in the U.S. and worldwide.
Cancer deaths in 2017: 599,108
Percentage of total deaths: 21.3%
Unintentional (accidental) injury deaths in 2017: 169,936
Percentage of total deaths: 6%
Chronic lower respiratory disease deaths in 2017: 160,201
Percentage of total deaths: 5.7%
Chronic lower respiratory disease refers to a group of lung conditions that block the airflow and cause breathing-related issues. These diseases include:
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
bronchitis
emphysema
asthma
Stroke and cerebrovascular disease deaths in 2017: 146,383
Percentage of total deaths: 5.2%
Cerebrovascular diseases develop due to problems with the blood vessels that supply the brain.
Every year, more than 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke. The risk of stroke varies with race, ethnicity, and age.
Alzheimer’s disease deaths in 2017: 121,404
Percentage of total deaths: 4.3%
In the U.S., an estimated 5.8 million people currently have Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. This figure may rise to 14 million people by 2050 as life expectancy continues to increase.
Alzheimer’s is also the only cause of death in the top 10 that medical experts cannot cure, prevent, or slow down.
Diabetes deaths in 2017: 83,564
Percentage of total deaths: 3%
Diabetes is a condition wherein the body can no longer control blood glucose, which leads to dangerously high levels of blood glucose. This is called hyperglycemia.
Persistent hyperglycemia can damage the body’s tissues, including those in the nerves, blood vessels, and eyes.
There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
The bodies of people with type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin at all, so these people need to supplement their supply. The bodies of people with type 2 diabetes cannot use insulin effectively.
Diabetes can cause serious health complications, including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and the need for amputation of the lower extremities.
Influenza (the flu) and pneumonia deaths in 2017: 55,672…, and we have and have had a vaccine for the flu!
Percentage of total deaths: 2%
Kidney disease deaths in 2017: 50,633
Percentage of total deaths: 1.8%
Suicide deaths in 2017: 47,173
As an added note, at least 15,292 people were fatally shot in The United States in 2019 as a result of gun violence.
According to the Statista.com website, these are the daily number of coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths compared to influenza and all causes of death in the United States as of May 6th, 2020:
Average deaths/day by all causes (2019), 7,969.7
Average deaths/day by influenza (2018-2019), 161.3
Average COVID-19 deaths/day since first case in U.S., 912.2 (That would extrapolate over a year to roughly 333,000, although the death rates have been on the decline and would probably end up being much lower than that.
As of the time of this blog, there have been a reported 80,900 deaths credited to the coronavirus, although I tend to believe this number may be slightly inflated.
I’m just putting this information out there, since I’m not seeing this data from any other media outlet.
I just feel it’s important to put this current coronavirus health emergency into perspective.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS, UNLESS THE GOVERNMENT IS PREPARED TO PAY ALL OF OUR MORTGAGES, ALL OF OUR RENT, ALL OF OUR UTILITY BILLS, ALL OF OUR FOOD BILLS, ETC., THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE CANNOT CONTINUE TO LIVE UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES.
THAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE.
PLEASE NOTICE THAT ALL OF THE PEOPLE DEMANDING WE GO ON IN THIS “STAY AT HOME” MODE DO NOT HAVE THESE PROBLEMS. THOSE IN GOVERNMENT ARE ALL RECEIVING REGULAR PAYCHECKS FROM PRECISELY THE PEOPLE THEY ARE ECONOMICALLY STRANGLING TO DEATH!
VIRUS CONCERNS OR NOT…,
THE CURE CANNOT BE WORSE THAT THE DISEASE.
THAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE.
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I’m really getting tired of every time I turn on the news…, any news…, fake or not…, and I hear people bemoaning the unemployment rates.
“We lost 15 million jobs last month!”
“The unemployment rate is at 14.7%!”
“The unemployment rate could go as high as 20% or even 25%!”
“We haven’t seen unemployment rates approaching these levels since The Great Depression!”
NO KIDDING?!
YOU DON’T SAY?!
WE INTENTIONALLY SHUT OUR ECONOMY DOWN…, WHAT WOULD YOU EXPECT?!
The real news would be if the unemployment rates didn’t skyrocket!
And as if President Trump’s economic policies are somehow responsible for this.
As The President likes to remind everyone…, before this voluntary shut down, our economy had been the BEST EVER in US history, and unemployment rates had been at historic, all-time, lows.
Again…, our government chose to shut down our economy for the sake of health considerations pertaining to the coronavirus.
This was not a case of failed economic policies, as in the case of the Obama administration, for example.
These reporters all act like they’re passing along some great breaking news they skillfully unearthed.
Please, do us all a favor, and go ahead and report the numbers…, but please spare us the over-dramatization, and put the situation in the proper and honest perspective.
I value your feedback and I’d love to hear from you!
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Yes folks, and if you see CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NBC, ABC, The Huffington Post (HuffPost), The New York Times or The Washington Post reporting news about Wall Street, or the economy in general, it’s bad news.
In this case, CNN Business’ David Goldman reports, “US stocks plummet on Coronavirus fears: March 9, 2020. Dow falls 2,100 points.”
Well, that is definitely news Mr. Goldman…, but it was news too when the stock market hit record highs like over 30 times this last year.
It’s funny how I didn’t see any mention of those economic events.
I wonder why?
CNN must be doubly excited about this news…, as their hyping of the coronavirus seems to be working and that in turn is causing negative economic news.
Please check out my previous blogs regarding the coronavirus:
Another article out there by David Goldman today reports, “It’s a bad day to be an energy company.”
Wow…, two articles in one day! Mr. Goldman must be extra charged up by all of this bad news!
Goldman reports, ‘“The rapidly falling price of oil [due to an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia] is likely to put more pressure on energy companies in the United States, which will hurt the banks with the most credit exposure to the oil industry,’ according to CFRA Research analyst Pauline Bell.”
Yes, Mr. Goldman…, again, this is definitely news.
But it was also news when President Trump pushed to open-up more areas for oil exploration and when he got all of the pipelines approved. Not to mention when we gained our independence from Middle Eastern oil, and in fact, became the world’s number one producer of oil again!
Not to mention how low the price of gas has been for over three years now.
This “good stuff” was also news that I didn’t catch you or CNN reporting about, or even bothering to mention in most cases.
Again, I wonder why?
Actually, I don’t “wonder why” at all.
I know very well why all of the liberal propaganda, fake news, shamelessly tries to manipulate the news.
It’s all in an effort to support their anti-Trump narrative.
It’s just amazing to me how many people are still falling for this fake news.
Just watch the fanfare (I’m being sarcastic) about the market bouncing back on the fake news today.
There won’t be any.
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During these first debates, I’ve heard many of these democrat presidential candidates make all kinds of wild claims about our economy.
“Many people are forced to work two and three jobs!”
“The middle-class is being left behind in this economy!”
“The only thing Trump ever points to about the economy is the stock market! What good does that do the millions of people who don’t own stocks?”
Then we have the candidates who claim President Trump is taking credit for an economy launched by Barack Obama!
So, what is the truth?
Well…, if these words are coming out of the mouths of democrat politicians, then “the truth” is really not an option!
But don’t take my word for it. Let’s look at the facts.
According to Suzanne O’Halloran, of FOX Business News, “Investors soaked up U.S. stocks during the month giving the Dow Jones Industrial Average its best June in 81 years while the S&P notched its best [month] in 64 years.”
Now it is true that many people don’t own stocks…, but many do too!
If you have a 401k, or you have a pension at work, you’re invested in the stock market.
And the markets are a fairly good indicator of how the economy is generally doing…, at least it has been in the past…, before these “fake newsers” have chosen to abandon the truth and promote their own liberal agenda.
“The last time the S&P 500 performed this well, Eisenhower was making the first presidential appearance to be seen on color television!”
Well that’s putting it in perspective!
Let’s take a look at the jobs picture now.
“According to the Labor Department, 5 million Americans work more than one job, a figure that hasn’t changed much in recent years and remains lower than it was during the 1990’s boom.”
Those 5 million people represent a lowly 2.2% of American workers…, hardly “many people,” as the democrats claim.
According to Heather Long of The Washington Post, “U.S. unemployment fell to 3.6 percent, the lowest [overall] since 1969.”
That’s the lowest in FIFTY years, in case you’re counting.
“The United States has more job openings than unemployed people, a situation some economists call “full employment.”
The unemployment rate for African Americans is at its lowest rate EVER!
The unemployment rate for Latino Americans is at its lowest rate EVER!
The unemployment rate for Asian Americans is at its lowest rate EVER!
Did I just say EVER? EVER is a long time.
How about women? How are they doing?
According to Elaine Parker, of RealClear Politics, “Women Are Winning in the Trump Economy!”
“By almost every economic measure, women are flourishing in today’s economy. Female unemployment is currently at a 50-year low of 3.9 percent, less than half the rate it was as recently as President Obama’s second term.”
“The number of women-owned businesses has [also] grown by 114%, and… there are an estimated 11.6 million women-owned businesses, about 40 % of the total businesses in the country.”
Heather Long adds, “Low unemployment is forcing employers to raise pay and become more aggressive about hiring and training workers. Average hourly earnings rose 3.2% in the past year, well above inflation, and lower wage workers enjoyed some of the largest gains as companies scrambled to fill jobs and many states have raised their minimum wage.”
Now that’s how you raise the minimum wage…, not by passing some law.
Interest rates are still relatively low, and they’re expected to stay there for a while.
The price of gas is low…, and according to Javier Blas of Microsoft News, “America turned into a net oil exporter last week, breaking almost 75 years of continued dependence on foreign oil and marking a pivotal — even if likely brief — moment toward what U.S. President Donald Trump has branded as ‘energy independence.’”
“The shale revolution has transformed oil wildcatters into billionaires and the U.S. into the world’s largest petroleum producer, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia. The power of OPEC has been diminished, undercutting one of the major geopolitical forces of the last half century.”
“Oil historians said the country has been a net oil importer since the mid-1940s, when Harry Truman was in the White House.”
That’s over 75 years, just in case your counting.
Along with jobs and wages, most Americans saw their taxes go down, thanks to The President’s tax cuts. The middle-class has definitely not been “left behind in this economy!”
And as far as Barack Obama being able to claim any credit for this economy…, I think I saw him wandering around, still searching for the “magic wand” that President Trump apparently found!
So, we can see that by any measure, that President Trump’s economy is not only good, but in most cases historically good…, all-time good…, and just a couple of years ago, unimaginably good.
So there you have it.
Who appears to be lying?
Me, or our collection of democrat candidates, along with the rest of the democrats and the “biased, liberal propaganda, fake news media.”
If I wasn’t able to convince you after all of this that the democrats have a problem with the truth…, then you might be a liberal…, and I have this bridge I’m selling if you’re interested.
WINNING!
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I’ve been seeing more and more of these “doom and gloom” business “experts,” financial “experts,” and economic “experts” calling for an economic slowdown in 2019, and even a recession in some cases!
The backgrounds of these “doom and gloomers” is across the board, so their motivations for these predictions are all different as well.
“Experts” from the “biased, liberal, fake news media” are of course trying to set-up a self-fulfilling prophecy for their own political benefit; the country be damned.
Some “experts” are just trying to be contrarian in order to stand out.
Some “experts” are just plain confused, and they are over-analyzing the economy in general.
And some “experts” really aren’t experts at all, and they’re just wrong.
Just to name a few, we’ve got Henry Fernandez of Fox Business News claiming, “The US economy will likely fall into a recession next year.”
We’ve got, Charles Schwab’s, Liz Ann Sonders, claiming, “The U.S. economy will likely fall into a recession next year.”
Kevin Kelleher of FORTUNE reminds us that, “2018 has been a banner year for economic growth,” (thank you for stating the obvious Kevin) but that “according to many economists,” “2019 will bring an economic slowdown with a recession possible in 2020.”
Benjamin Fearnow (aptly named) of Newsweek (“Weak News”) says, “CFOs predict 2019 recession, majority expect pre-2020 market crash!” Mr. Fearnow goes on to say that, “An overwhelming majority of U.S. chief financial officers say the economy will sink into a recession by the end of President Donald Trump’s first term in 2020, and about half say it will happen next year.”
Wow! So in this case, we’ve doubled down and are going “all in” on an actual “market collapse!” I’d like to see a list of these CFOs that gave their input on this. I’m not so sure that CFOs (Chief Financial Officers) are the right ones to be getting this information from in the first place. CFOs typically don’t make company policy, they bookkeep it.
“The end is near for the near-decade-long burst of global economic growth,” said John Graham, a finance professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and director of the survey, in a statement. “The U.S. outlook has declined; moreover, the outlook is even worse in many other parts of the world, which will lead to softer demand for U.S. goods.”
The “decade-long burst of global economic growth” referred to here was at the expense of The United States I’m afraid, Mr. Graham, and we weren’t an economic recipient of “that” growth, we subsidized it.
Economist Peter Schiff said that “We won’t be able to call it a recession, it’s going to be worse than the Great Depression…, the U.S. economy is in so much worse shape than it was a decade ago.”
“Worse than the Great Depression?!” Really Mr. Schiff? You aren’t any relation to democrat congressman Adam Schiff are you? Because if you were, that would explain your propensity for the absurd.
“Bloomberg” economics writer, Jeanna Smialek’s chose to go with the headline, “JPMorgan, Bank of America Detect Hints of a U.S. Recession Looming in 2019,” even though her article points out, “Wall Street’s biggest banks are scouring U.S. data for signals of an impending recession. On balance, they’ve been finding that a 2019 downturn still isn’t likely…”
Ms. Smialek would seem fall into the “Experts from the “biased, liberal, fake news media,” who are trying to set-up a self-fulfilling prophecy for their own political agenda; the country be damned” group.
The resident “experts” on CNN, CNBC, and MSNBC have all, of course, chimed in with their predictions of demise regarding anything Trump related.
This list could go on, but you get the idea I’m sure.
Now, I, admittedly am no economics expert, but I have two eyes, a relatively functional brain, and some common sense.
Here is my take on the U.S.’s economy for 2019 and into 2020.
But first, a little historical perspective.
The economy started to improve immediately in December of 2016 and into 2017 after President Trump was elected, and that was just based on the expectations of the impact of his actions.
The President’s only real actions in 2017 had to do with the reduction of regulations and the signing into law of The Trump tax cut and tax reform plan. The new law would not begin to offer any real benefits to people or to companies until 2018.
In 2018 individuals were able to keep a little more of their own money due to tax cuts, and business were more easily able to invest their own money in improvements and expansion with drastically reduced capital gains tax penalties.
So in all reality, the United States economy is really only showing the benefits of the new tax laws and some reworked trade policies for about the last six months.
That bring us to 2019.
MrEricksonRules is predicting that 2019 will be an excellent year, economically, for The United States!
2019 will be the year that people see the real benefit of the new tax cuts law. Families across the country will pay thousands less in taxes and/or get thousands more back. This can only help stimulate the economy even more in the second and third quarters of 2019.
Although many of these “experts” see President Trumps “tariff wars” as economic negatives, I can only see them being a positive thing for our economy. I see businesses across the board beginning to reap the benefits of the new USAMC trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, and the same goes especially for the new agreements with China.
Also, as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, and a recent directing Executive Order, President Trump is encouraging long-term investments in low-income urban and rural communities nationwide. The Opportunity Zones program provides a tax incentive for investors, which should also help to stimulate the economy in whole new areas. It also directs government entities to prioritize these zones for expenditures as well.
2019 will also see record revenues for the federal government, due to the booming economy and the increase in the number of taxpayers overall. These revenues may help us to avoid increasing the federal deficit and possibly even work on bringing the deficit down. At this point I would settle for just a slowing of the amount we owe.
So, based on my “expertise,” I would tend to disagree with most of these so-called “experts.”
I would go as far to say that 2020 will just build off of 2019, and that President Trump will be running for re-election having orchestrated the most impressive economic turn around and economic run since Ronald Reagan in the early 80’s.
Larry Kudlow, who is serving as president of the National Economic Council under President Trump, seems to agree with me, when he says, “In my personal view, our administration’s view, recession is so far in the distance I can’t see it,” Kudlow said. “The basic economy has reawakened and it’s gonna stay there…, I mean, I’m reading some of the weirdest stuff, how a recession is around the corner. It’s nonsense.”
I think The President would second that notion as well.
Regarding the Stock Market, I believe there is still a lot of value to be had there. I feel the Market remains undervalued at this point.
Paul Dietrich of FOX Business feels the same way I do. He goes on to say, “There seems to be a new “fear of the day” knocking down the stock market. Chinese trade talks, Brexit, government shutdowns, Fed rate hikes, inverted yield curves or Trump’s tweets all seem to be culprits in this conspiracy to drive down the stock market. None of these issues have any significant impact on the underlying U.S. economy.”
Overall, The Market will continue to bounce up and down, but also maintain its positive general momentum.
Remember, however, that what’s good for Wall Street is not necessarily what’s good for Main Street.
In 2019 and 2020, we’ll take a look back and see how I did versus “the experts.”
If any of the media outlets want to contact me at some point regarding business and economic prospectives, you can do so via the “contact” feature on my blog website.
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Mr. Erickson Rules! 