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When I began Schwartzreport my purpose was to produce an entirely fact-based daily publication in favor of the earth, the inter-connectedness and interdependence of all life, democracy, equality for all, liberty, and things that are life-affirming. Also, to warn my readers about actions, events, and trends that threaten those values. Our country now stands at a crossroads, indeed, the world stands at a crossroads where those values are very much at risk and it is up to each of us who care about wellbeing to do what we can to defend those principles. I want to thank all of you who have contributed to SR, particularly those of you who have scheduled an ongoing monthly contribution. It makes a big difference and is much appreciated. It is one thing to put in the hours each day and to do the work for free, but another to have to cover the rising out-of-pocket costs. For those of you who haven’t done so, but read SR regularly, I ask that you consider supporting it.
Stephan: This is one of the many manifestations of christofascism I am seeing every day, and you are too probably. We tend to just ignore things like this or brush them off, but what strikes me about these people and these kinds of statements is the medievalism. The speaker and the statement are like something out of the 14th century, yet believed by millions of 21st century Americans.
Pastor Mario Murillo claimed this week that President Joe Biden is surrounded by a “demonic hedge of protection,” urging fellow Christians to pray for a “powerful move of God” to bring it down.
Murillo’s remarks came during an interview with the Christian TV program Flash Point. The evangelical Christian minister leads Mario Murillo Ministries, based in Reno, Nevada, and frequently criticizes Biden and the Democrats. He has previously suggested that former President Donald Trump is still the legitimate president, not Biden. Right Wing Watch first reported Murillo’s remarks this week.
“War has been declared on your faith,” Murillo said during the interview, discussing his staunch opposition to LGBTQ rights, specifically the transgender community. The pastor argued that “this is not a gentle moment, this is not a courteous moment, this is a declaration of war,” before taking aim at Biden.
“There is a demonic hedge of protection around Joe Biden. That’s why he can say and do the most insane things with no backlash,” Murillo said. He then urged viewers to “pray,” saying God had changed the way he prayed for America. “He helped […]
Stephan: I agree with every word Robert Reich wrote in this article. The U.S. Tax system needs to be completely reconfigured. During the pandemic, tens of millions of Americans sank into economic distress and poverty while billionaires became trillions of dollars richer. The U.S. has the worst wealth inequality of any developed nation in the world, it is an ongoing crisis.
Robert Reich
Income and wealth are now more concentrated at the top than at any time over the last 80 years, and our unjust tax system is a big reason why. The tax code is rigged for the rich, enabling a handful of wealthy individuals to exert undue influence over our economy and democracy.
Conservatives fret about budget deficits. Well, then, to pay for what the nation needs – ending poverty, universal health care, infrastructure, reversing climate change, investing in communities, and so much more – the super-wealthy have to pay their fair share.
Here are seven necessary ways to tax the rich.
First: Repeal the Trump tax cuts.
It’s no secret Trump’s giant tax cut was a giant giveaway to the rich. 65 percent of its benefits go to the richest fifth, 83 percent to the richest 1 percent over a decade. In 2018, for the first time on record, the 400 richest Americans paid a lower effective tax rate than the bottom half. Repealing the Trump tax cut’s benefits to the wealthy and big corporations, as […]
Stephan: How much clearer does it need to get that the entire American tax system is rigged to support the rich and corporations?
Credit: Raw Story
Bolstering arguments against providing further public benefits to the fossil fuel industry, a BailoutWatch analysis published Friday reveals that 77 companies got a collective $8.24 billion tax bailout last year, then laid off tens of thousands of employees.
The tax benefits for major polluters resulted from two provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, signed by then-President Donald Trump in March 2020. The CARES Act changed corporate tax cuts from legislation that passed under Trump in late 2017, which critics often refer to as the Trump-GOP “tax scam.”
“The impact of the change was highly concentrated, enabling each of the 77 firms to collect an average of $107 million in benefits,” the nonprofit’s new report explains. “Among the top beneficiaries, the contrast between the millions—even billions—they received and the number of workers they sacked is staggering.”
According to BailoutWatch’s review of fossil fuel firms’ Securities and Exchange Commission filings, “Payrolls were cut by a net 58,030 jobs at the 74 of these companies that reported employee headcounts for […]
Stephan: Although there was a lot of competition I finally settled on this as today's Republican Scum Award. Mitch McConnell and his wife have turned public service into a multi-million grift. Do you think the people of Kentucky are proud of who and what they have voted for? Why isn't there a Democratic Scum Award? For comparison, Biden has been in office for almost 100 days and there hasn't been a single grifting scandal.
Buried Report Catalogues Trump Transportation Department Support of Shipping Business; Barr Refused to Prosecute
In January 2017, upon confirmation as secretary of the Department of Transportation, Elaine Chao committed to separating herself from her family’s shipping interests. Looking back, it’s clear she didn’t.
During the Trump administration, itself awash with emoluments and ethics concerns, Chao’s ability to gain financially flew mostly under the radar. Government watchdogs failed to challenge Chao’s repeated wrongdoings.
Chao is married to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell from Kentucky.
The Chao family business is deeply entangled with Beijing. The family dry bulk ship company has borrowed 100s of millions of dollars from Chinese banks, all of which are partly or fully owned by the communist regime.
In 2019, Elaine Chao faced some criticism for public appearances with her family members that seemed to be elevating the profile of the family business long after she was sworn in as transportation secretary.
The report shows clearly that numerous documented Chao actions could be felonies under federal laws designed to avoid official favoritism.
Walter Shaub, the former head of the Office of Government Ethics, said […]
RICHARD WIKE, LAURA SILVER, SHANNON SCHUMACHER and AIDAN CONNAUGHTON, - Pew Research Center
Stephan: Democracies around the world are in trouble because of the rise of a corrupt uber-class who have rigged their countries to serve the rich, while distracting the masses with racism, religious prejudice, and national exceptionalism. A changing team of grifter politicians have created the response this Pew Research survey outlines. But the rich don't care, they just fund and shuffle through another group of willing orcs.
As they continue to struggle with a public health crisis and ongoing economic challenges, many people in the United States and Western Europe are also frustrated with politics.
A four-nation Pew Research Center survey conducted in November and December of 2020 finds that roughly two-thirds of adults in France and the U.S., as well as about half in the United Kingdom, believe their political system needs major changes or needs to be completely reformed. Calls for significant reform are less common in Germany, where about four-in-ten express this view.
Of course, there are important differences across these countries’ political systems. But the four nations also share some important democratic principles, and all have recently experienced political upheaval in different ways, as rising populist leaders and movements and emerging new forces across the ideological spectrum have challenged traditional parties and leaders.
Some of the frustrations people feel about their political systems are tied to their opinions about political elites. In the U.S., concerns about political corruption are especially widespread, with two-in-three Americans agreeing that the phrase “most politicians are corrupt” describes their […]
Stephan: It may surprise you to learn that until now a direct connection between fossil fuel emissions and the Greenhouse Effect had not been proven unequivocally. But now it has and all the human-mediated climate change deniers need to shut up except to apologize for the disinformation they have been vomiting out across social media.
A NASA study proves that fossil fuel emissions are heating the planet. Credit: Christopher Furlong / Getty
In a first-of-its-kind study, NASA has managed to achieve something that has so far eluded scientists: provide direct, global observations that fossil fuel emissions are heating the planet.
There is already robust evidence that human activity is causing the climate crisis. This conclusion is supported by 97 percent of climate scientists, and has been established through direct observations of skyrocketing carbon dioxide levels and rising temperatures. However, the connection between greenhouse gas emissions and their climate effects remained theoretical, until now. NASA scientists have provided evidence through satellite observations that greenhouse gases are heating the Earth. “It’s direct evidence that human activities are causing changes to Earth’s energy budget,” Ryan Kramer, the study’s first author and a researcher at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, told CBS News.
Stephan: More good news about America's transition out of the carbon energy era. Both the private sector and the government, now that it is under the Biden administration, seem to understand how important this transition is.
The nation’s transition from dirty to renewable energy is “nearing exponential growth”—a shift set to usher in “transformative” impacts within a handful of years.
So declares the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) in its “U.S. Power Sector Outlook 2021” report released Wednesday.
Among the key findings (pdf) are that wind and solar are the least costly power generation option in much of nation.
Expected new offshore wind capacity “will certainly undercut any need for new fossil fuel generation in the region, as well as vying for market share with existing fossil fuel generators,” the publication finds.
The fast decline of coal is projected to go into high gear, according to the report. Coal made up less than 20% of the U.S. electricity market in 2020, and coal generation capacity is in free-fall, dropping 32% from its peak 10 years ago. And while higher gas prices could tick coal generation upward this year, the analysis forecasts it would be “a short-lived reprieve” lasting a year at best.
What’s more, a number of coal plants are already set for retirement, and that number […]
