It's about time Progressives got their day in the public arena. Afterall everyone, and their brother, gets a say -- the Tea Party group, the Family Values group, the Republican Repealers group, The GOP Just-Say-No group, the overpaid Corporate Lobbyist group, the Global Investors group, the Wall Street Bankers group, the weak-tea Dems group, the find the impossible Middle-of-the-Road group -- SOOO when is the Progressives group going to ACTUALLY get 'heard', down in the national town square?
It's not like we don't have some very sound solutions, to some very tough problems. It's just that Media Gatekeepers don't give Progressives the time of day -- unless they have to. Afterall, some Tea Party clown is saying something stupid again -- Now that's News! Quick hurry, send out a news crew ... find out what the T-Clown thinks, this time.
"There's only SOOO much air time to go around, you know. Get in line Progressives -- call us when you have something important to say."
OK, here goes ... ALL us average working-class citizens
DO need an advocate in Congress. And funny thing is, we
have SOME ... though you'd never know from watching American News media, except for occasionally on MSNBC slip-up, when they have the rare species
"Progressive Sighting" or two ...
The Deal for All -- Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC)
The Deal for All resolution, H.Res 733, which additional Members will cosponsor through the end of the year, advocates four key policies that have built the middle class, expanded the nation’s economy and must play a significant role in any future budget negotiation:
(1) No cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits;
(2) Must contain serious revenue increases, including closing corporate tax loopholes and increasing individual income tax rates for the highest earners;
(3) Significantly reduce defense spending to focus the United States Armed Forces on combating 21st century risks; and
(4) Promote economic growth and expand economic opportunity by including strong levels of job-creating Federal investments in areas such as infrastructure and education, and by promoting private investment."
[...]
Those are some
serious goals,
but can they make the numbers crunch -- you know lose that mis-appropriated label of
"Tax and Spend Liberals" ???
-- well as Sarah Palin gets wall-to-wall coverage everytime she says it, "You Betcha!"
So the citizen-concerned idealists (aka the Progressives) have a plan, eh -- but can they Do the the Math to back it up?
"Well does the Bear sleep in the woods?
Well does the Pope think 'Corporate Greed is the root of all Evil' ?"
Well then,
Progressives CAN do the Math. (It's just that the
Corporate hoarders don't much like it, when we do.)
The Balancing Act -- Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC)
Replace Sequester with Revenue:
• 28 Percent Limitation on Certain Deductions and Exclusions ($482B)
• Close Carried Interest Loophole ($17B)
• Close Loopholes for Jets and Yachts ($4B)
• Close International Tax System Loopholes ($161B)
• End Fossil Fuel Subsidies ($94B)
• Close Exclusion of Foreign-Earned Income Loophole ($71B)
• Close Corporate Deductions for Stock Options Loophole ($25B)
• Close Estate Tax Loopholes ($23B)
• Close S Corporation Loophole ($13B)
• Reduce Corporate Meal and Entertainment Deduction to 25% ($70B)
Invest in Job Creation:
• Making Work Pay Extension for 1 year ($61B)
• Support for Teachers and School Modernization ($55B)
• Transportation Infrastructure Investments ($160B)
Cut Pentagon Waste:
• Rep. Markey’s Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures ($106B)
• Limiting Excessive Contractor Compensation ($50B)
• Relocate Troops from Europe to the U.S. ($3B)
• Reduce Troop Levels 4% by Attrition ($48B)
• Limiting the Purchase of Virginia-class Nuclear Subs to one per year ($22B)
• Replacing F-35s with F-18s ($23B)
• Eliminate one Ford-class Carrier ($14B)
• End Production of the V-22 Osprey ($9B)
• Limit Military Bands ($2B)
• Reduce General & Flag Officers to Cold War Standard ($1B)
[Guess what -- It Balances.]
[Now some nitty-gritty details, behind the Progressive talking points solutions.]
Replace Sequester with Revenue
[... ]
• Close International Tax System Loopholes ($161 billion) – Secs. 401-405
Closes corporate tax loopholes and cracks down on offshore tax abuses that encourage corporations to move jobs offshore. Offshore corporations that are managed from the United States would no longer be able to claim foreign status and dodge taxes on their non-U.S. income. In addition, the bill eliminates tax incentives for moving U.S. jobs offshore and transferring intellectual property offshore. The bill gives the Treasury Department stronger authority to take tough new actions to combat tax haven banks and jurisdictions that help U.S. clients evade taxes. (includes bill text from Sen. Levin and Rep. Neal)
• End Fossil Fuel Subsidies ($94 billion) – Secs. 301-311
Repeals tax breaks, financial assistance, exploration and development expensing, preferential tax treatment of royalties, and domestic manufacturing deductions, for oil, natural gas, and coal producers. Despite the fossil fuel industries being among the most profitable on earth, the U.S. government gives them tens of billions of dollars in subsidies through the tax code. The five largest U.S. oil companies earned about $1 trillion in profits over the past decade, yet in recent years, companies like Exxon Mobil and Chevron paid zero federal income taxes. These subsidies distort markets and are detrimental to creating a clean energy economy, reducing our reliance on oil, and cutting carbon pollution.
• Close Exclusion of Foreign-Earned Income Loophole ($71 billion) – Sec. 231
Closes an exclusion enabling U.S. citizens working abroad to avoid paying any federal U.S. taxes on incomes below $95,100 for individuals and $190,200 for couples. This allows citizens to shelter income and violates the principle that U.S. citizens with similar income should incur similar tax liabilities. This measure closes the exclusion, but retains the tax deductions and credits for taxes paid to a foreign government and housing benefits for U.S. citizens working abroad. (bill text from Rep. Tierney)
• Close Corporate Deductions for Stock Options Loophole ($25 billion) – Secs. 331-332
Repeals the “Facebook loophole” that allows a company to deduct stock options cashed in by an employee at the inflated current market value, rather than the original cost to the corporation. In addition, this provision would impose a $1 million cap on deductions related to stock options, the current standard applied to other types of executive compensation. (bill text from Sen. Levin)
[...]
Invest in Job Creation
• Making Work Pay Extension for 1 year ($61 billion) – Sec. 701
The Making Work Pay Credit is targeted towards low- and middle-income families and provides them additional revenue to stimulate our economy. This provision would extend for one year a tax credit of $400 (or $800 for married couples) that was in effect in 2009 and 2010. Extending the Making Work Pay credit would help make up for the expiration of the payroll tax credit.
• Support for Teachers and School Modernization ($55 billion) – Secs. 711-741
This proposal mirrors President Obama’s call in the American Jobs Act to invest in America’s education system by preventing the layoffs of up to 280,000 teachers and investing $25 billion to modernize at least 35,000 public schools. Education has always been one of our greatest sources of strength and global economic competitiveness, as well as the engine of incredible progress in science, technology and the arts. The recent recession left many state and local governments scrambling for funding, causing nearly 300,000 educators losing their jobs since 2008 and resulting in over-crowded classrooms. Many school buildings also do not meet the needs of 21st century students, undercutting their ability to learn. Unless education is provided the funding it deserves, many school districts will be forced to further reduce the number of educators they employ, and the quality of their school buildings and classrooms.
• Transportation Infrastructure Investments ($160 billion) – Secs. 751-780
Infrastructure forms the foundation of the U.S. economy, yet negligence and lack of investment have left it in a state of disrepair. This proposal includes $150 billion in immediate investments in modernizing our highway, aviation, transit, and rail infrastructure. It also invests $10 billion to capitalize a National Infrastructure Bank to leverage public and private capital to invest in a broad range of infrastructure projects.
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) finds that between now and 2020, we face an infrastructure gap of $1.1 trillion between what is needed and what is planned. The ASCE recommends investing an additional $157 billion per year in infrastructure, predicting that if we made this investment each year through 202[0].
This is WHY it's SOOO damn important that the Democratic Party wins back the House in 2014 (and holds the Senate) -- so that the "sound solutions" of the CPC actually gets a fair hearing, FOR ONCE. So that
Progressives Representatives actually get a News Camera or two -- instead of the Media Agenda-setters all flocking to cover all the
hi-larious antics of the clowns at the town zoo.
Honk, honk.
Afterall it's these Progressive Reps who are ACTUALLY standing up for what most Americans want ...
Which just might explain why the Corporate News Producers routinely fail to take Progressive solutions all that seriously -- afterall it's what the People want ... and the Hoarder Class will never get behind THAT!
There's got to be some 'Sad Puppy Story' (SPS) somewhere they can cover instead ... "Gotta give the People what they want." (... "more mindless entertainment, less thoughtful commentary"™.)
Progressive Plans best 'get in line' ... (or else learn how to "become popular" or something. Maybe put on funny costumes, and act like a fool -- it works for the Koch cohorts, afterall ... those very-serious not-so-serious, but always entertaining, "reps.")
As the Corporate Newsrooms Associate Producers are so very weary of saying:
"Shutdowns are such a hoot, aren't they? ... Next!
Afterall, 'The Show must go on' ... 'Got to give the people what they want'™."