Update - 3/11/21 - America Rescue Plan Bill is signed!

[LD0506]

You can smell the desperation

 

On another point, there was a conscious political meaning to eight Dems (or 7 Dems, one Ind) voting down the minimum wage increase. Especially since both Senators from Biden's home state (yay Delawhere?) signed on. Pragmatically you only really needed one to shelve it, and you already had Manchin for that, or Sinema mugging for the camera like she was in a school play. Since I am in Delawhere? and one of the people here that actively tries to follow these things, I got the other two and we were talking about this.

 

IMO, (IOO? In our opinion? whatever..), this was an intentional thing- a message as it were to the progressive wing from the institutional Dems about who is actually calling the shots here. This type of internecine warfare is fairly typical of the Democrats, and probably will exist until the sun goes cold, but the opportunity arose to get back some of the spotlight that the Progressive have hogged for months now. Chris (Where's the camera?) Coons especially is a legend in his own mind and represents that cohort that still believes the best path forward is the Republican-lite version that offsets the oil baron money with Hollywood celebrity dollars and doesn't want the boat rocked. To be continued.....

 

I have been saying for years, the real battle is not R vs D, because the Rs are exactly who they always have been. THEY have been consistent to the point of suicide, and continue to be so. They just can't help themselves. The real battle is between younger generations of Ds that still want to believe in a lot of the public rhetoric about justice or equality or diversity, and the old guard that understands that's just **** your sell to the rubes.

 

The tie in the Senate prevents further damage from the Rs, but that's all. It is untenable and unless focused on it can easily fall back into their hands. This entire process was political theater and a clear message on exactly why the '22 midterms will be crucial. Garner a couple more Senate seats and the equation changes radically. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by LD0506

[Larry]

59 minutes ago, mistertim said:

 

Yeah and nevermind the fact that the polling shows tons of support from the public, including lots of Republicans. 

 

This is one hell of a gamble for the Republicans. 

 

I think supposedly 89% of NRA members support closing the "gun show loophole".  

 

But the NRA opposes it.  Therefore so do 100% or R's in Washington, and 1/3 of D's.  

[Larry]

17 minutes ago, No Excuses said:

Good bill, will make a hugely positive impact. This countries outlook on economics and social welfare has dramatically shifted to the left with this. Obama couldn’t have passed this stimulus with a Dem supermajority in 2008. 
 

I frankly believe we will look back at this pandemic and the economic response to it as a turning point in how we view aid to the poor and the struggling, and that direct cash help from the government is a hugely successful policy measure. 
 

This is a generational shift akin to Reaganomics. Dare I say, we are entering a new era of economic thinking and policy making.

 

I think that economic facts support economic policies that the Dems advocate.  

 

I'm not at all sure that political messaging does.  For all the talk of the vast liberal media boogeyman, if the Dems had the messaging apparatus the R's do, the R's would be an extinct political party,  

 

Just like I think the Dems absolutely blew their messaging during the election.  There were so many things that Trump and the R's did during those four years that should have been used as clubs against them.  

[Califan007 The Constipated]

55 minutes ago, No Excuses said:

 direct cash help from the government is a hugely successful policy measure. 

 

 

Didn't someone post this earlier?

California Program Giving $500 No-Strings-Attached Stipends Pays Off, Study Finds

A high-profile universal basic income experiment in Stockton, Calif., which gave randomly selected residents $500 per month for two years with no strings attached, measurably improved participants' job prospects, financial stability and overall well-being, according to a newly released study of the program's first year....

 

It gave 125 people living in neighborhoods at or below Stockton's median household income the unconditional monthly stipend. A study of the period from February 2019 to February 2020, conducted by a team of independent researchers, determined that full-time employment rose among those who received the guaranteed income and that their financial, physical and emotional health improved.

 

https://www.npr.org/2021/03/04/973653719/california-program-giving-500-no-strings-attached-stipends-pays-off-study-finds

[mistertim]

58 minutes ago, Califan007 said:

 

Didn't someone post this earlier?

California Program Giving $500 No-Strings-Attached Stipends Pays Off, Study Finds

A high-profile universal basic income experiment in Stockton, Calif., which gave randomly selected residents $500 per month for two years with no strings attached, measurably improved participants' job prospects, financial stability and overall well-being, according to a newly released study of the program's first year....

 

It gave 125 people living in neighborhoods at or below Stockton's median household income the unconditional monthly stipend. A study of the period from February 2019 to February 2020, conducted by a team of independent researchers, determined that full-time employment rose among those who received the guaranteed income and that their financial, physical and emotional health improved.

 

https://www.npr.org/2021/03/04/973653719/california-program-giving-500-no-strings-attached-stipends-pays-off-study-finds

 

None of that is probably surprising to people who actually study human beings for a living. The problem is getting this sort of stuff through the right wing messaging and media buzzsaw in this country. As @Larrynoted, it's a messaging problem and the Dems are vastly outmatched at the moment.

Edited March 7, 2021 by mistertim

[@DCGoldPants]

5 hours ago, Califan007 said:

I feel like the GOP trying to convince their base that they should criticize the stimulus they receive from this bill will be a bit like trying to convince people that the jokes they're laughing at aren't funny lol...

Let them try it. Dems shouldn't waste oxygen on whatever they say beyond saying they were never serious about anything that wasn't Wealthcare for their richest donors. 

 

Move on to topics that are simpler to lay out. Getting vaccinated. Getting schools open. Massive hiring for rebuilding roads, bridges, power grids. Tax breaks for those who hired and made things in America, and not those who just promise to do it after a break. 

[mistertim]

1 hour ago, @SkinsGoldPants said:

Let them try it. Dems shouldn't waste oxygen on whatever they say beyond saying they were never serious about anything that wasn't Wealthcare for their richest donors. 

 

Move on to topics that are simpler to lay out. Getting vaccinated. Getting schools open. Massive hiring for rebuilding roads, bridges, power grids. Tax breaks for those who hired and made things in America, and not those who just promise to do it after a break. 

 

Yeah I think they should also focus on the stuff that has the most popular support as well. Force the GOP to continuously vote against bills that have widespread bipartisan support among voters. Let them hang themselves. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by mistertim

[goskins10]

3 minutes ago, mistertim said:

 

Yeah I think they should also focus on the stuff that has the most popular support as well. Force the GOP to continuously vote against bills that have widespread bipartisan support among voters. Let them hang themselves. 

 

HR1

Infrastructure

Health Care

 

They will then be in place for 4 yrs at least. Then let Rep explain why people should: 

 

1. Have it harder to vote

2. Continue to live with a poor infrastructure and eliminate the jobs being created

3. Go back to subsidizing Health Insurance companies to the detriment of everyone's health.  

 

Dems should already be making the case that Reps used reconciliation to gave the rich a huge tax break and the Dems passed Covid relief. 

[China]

On 2/16/2021 at 11:08 PM, China said:

Biden extends mortgage relief, moratorium on foreclosures

 

The Biden administration Tuesday announced it's extending the moratorium on home foreclosures and the enrollment window for mortgage forbearance through June.

 

Why it matters: Many Americans have struggled to make home payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both programs were set to expire in March. The actions are an extension of a program the Trump administration started in 2020.

 

The departments of Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and Agriculture will carry out the executive action, per the White House.

The new relief will provide up to six months of additional mortgage payment forbearance, in three-month increments, for borrowers who entered the program on or before June 30, 2020.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

It's still an issue:

 

Chattanooga woman fears homelessness after rent is doubled

 

Chattanoogan Ivette Rivera is in tears, because not only has she had to endure pain from her disability, but she might end up homeless after her rent has been increased.

 

It is a problem many throughout the Tennessee Valley are facing.

 

“It's so hard in this time that a company could take advantage in times of need of a pandemic,” Rivera said.

 

She said her new property management company, First Property Management, has not only raised her rent, but doubled it to the point where she said her disability checks won’t be able to cover the upwards of $750 a month.

 

Those checks are her only lifeline, and she said with no loved ones around like children or family, her journey will be a difficult one.

 

She said the apartment on Sweetland Drive has been her home for 20 years.

 

However now, according to a notice placed on her door on February 26, she has only 30 days to move from that date.

 

"I have no control,” explained Rivera. “I don't know where to go."

 

Rivera’s rent situation is unfortunately common among residents during the pandemic.

 

Chattanooga has been ranked (among 100 larger cities) 3rd in the nation for places with the highest rent increase according to a Magnify Money study.

 

Local property management owner Joni Eldredge from Greyhaven Realty, who is not associated with Rivera, explained the rent increase is due to the higher market value of properties when they are bought.

 

"Owners still have to pay their mortgage payments as well,” she said.

 

Click on the link  for the full article

[No Excuses]

6 hours ago, Larry said:

 

I think that economic facts support economic policies that the Dems advocate.  

 

I'm not at all sure that political messaging does.  For all the talk of the vast liberal media boogeyman, if the Dems had the messaging apparatus the R's do, the R's would be an extinct political party,  

 

Just like I think the Dems absolutely blew their messaging during the election.  There were so many things that Trump and the R's did during those four years that should have been used as clubs against them.  

I don’t know, the Dems did take complete control of government within four years and made Trump a one-term President.

 

I think the Dems messaging usually sucks but they are also up against a political system that is titled to minoratarian rule, both in Congress and the executive branch, that heavily favors the GOP.

 

Still, this bill is a major shift in Dem politics. It’s a complete rejection of 40 years of economic thinking in this country that swung on debt/deficit concerns. Even Obama would talk about “the government tightening its belt”.
 

This is the liberal middle finger to the GOP on deficit spending hypocrisy that is 20 years too late. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by No Excuses

[Larry]

54 minutes ago, No Excuses said:

 

Still, this bill is a major shift in Dem politics. It’s a complete rejection of 40 years of economic thinking in this country that swung on debt/deficit concerns. Even Obama would talk about “the government tightening its belt”.
 

This is the liberal middle finger to the GOP on deficit spending hypocrisy that is 20 years too late

 

That's how you see it. 

But unless you can successfully inform a whole bunch of voters, of something which they haven't figured out after 40 years, then you're going to be hearing a whole lot about how the Republicans won this election by bringing back "voters who believe in traditional Republican values like controlling the deficit"  

[LadySkinsFan]

The argument that can be used to explain where the Covid relief bill is allocating funds to non-believers.

 

 

[Ball Security]

Many families are getting stimulus that don’t really need it.  Some will choose to give it away.  For others, I recommend treating yourself to a nice getaway to Georgia when it’s safer later this year.  Visit Atlanta and Savannah.  Without them, this doesn’t pass.

[PleaseBlitz]

4 hours ago, China said:

Chattanoogan Ivette Rivera is in tears, because not only has she had to endure pain from her disability, but she might end up homeless after her rent has been increased.

The housing market has had all kinds of craziness due to the pandemic. One is that nobody is selling, because who wants strangers coming into their home?  Especially when most homes are owned by older, high risk people. So people in search of new housing are forced to rent, so demand for rentals, and therefore the cost of rents, has gone up. 

[LadySkinsFan]

There's all kinds of price gouging going on. It should be made criminal.

[goskins10]

12 minutes ago, PleaseBlitz said:

The housing market has had all kinds of craziness due to the pandemic. One is that nobody is selling, because who wants strangers coming into their home?  Especially when most homes are owned by older, high risk people. So people in search of new housing are forced to rent, so demand for rentals, and therefore the cost of rents, has gone up. 

 

Existing homes sales are at 15 yr highs. New home sales are down the last few months but only due to lack of material availability. There are some odd things going on with the market based on this article from The Atlantic. Homes prices are going up while rental prices in many areas are going down. I am buying a house in Savannah. There has been plenty of inventory but there are also a lot of buyers. There were 7 offers in total on the house I bought.  

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/03/why-are-housing-prices-and-rents-down/618212/

 

Here is the housing sales data: 

Existing homes - https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/existing-home-sales

New -Homes - https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/new-home-sales

 

[TheGreatBuzz]

Just saw this on Twitter:

 

Q:  What is considered trashy if you are poor but classy if you are rich?

 

A:  Getting money from the government.

[TradeTheBeal!]

2 hours ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

Just saw this on Twitter:

 

Q:  What is considered trashy if you are poor but classy if you are rich?

 

A:  Getting money from the government.

Collecting guns.

[Larry]

7 hours ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

Just saw this on Twitter:

 

Q:  What is considered trashy if you are poor but classy if you are rich?

 

A:  Getting money from the government.

 

Sociopathic behavior. 

[PleaseBlitz]

12 hours ago, goskins10 said:

Existing homes sales are at 15 yr highs.

 

Well I guess I'll just update my stale information from the summer. 

[CobraCommander]

Cool cool cool.

Meanwhile our family is still waiting on second stimulus check, 2019 tax return and Maryland Unemployment from December through January for me. Somewhere around 6k dollars that various organizations are withholding from me for no apparent reason other than they can. I'm sure I'll get this next round too. 🙄

[LadySkinsFan]

The differences between the Republican tax cut bill and the Covid relief bill.

 

 

[China]

On 3/7/2021 at 10:54 AM, Califan007 said:

 

Didn't someone post this earlier?

California Program Giving $500 No-Strings-Attached Stipends Pays Off, Study Finds

A high-profile universal basic income experiment in Stockton, Calif., which gave randomly selected residents $500 per month for two years with no strings attached, measurably improved participants' job prospects, financial stability and overall well-being, according to a newly released study of the program's first year....

 

It gave 125 people living in neighborhoods at or below Stockton's median household income the unconditional monthly stipend. A study of the period from February 2019 to February 2020, conducted by a team of independent researchers, determined that full-time employment rose among those who received the guaranteed income and that their financial, physical and emotional health improved.

 

https://www.npr.org/2021/03/04/973653719/california-program-giving-500-no-strings-attached-stipends-pays-off-study-finds

 

Yes, I did.

 

 

[goskins10]

52 minutes ago, LadySkinsFan said:

The differences between the Republican tax cut bill and the Covid relief bill.

 

 

 

This graphic needs to be splashed all over the place for the next 4 yrs! Pound it into the ground. Make Reps answer for it over and over again. Dems need to start getting the idea that saying it once is NOT enough. Say it often and a lot. Keep pounding until people get tired of it and then say it again!  

 

Great graphic! 

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

2 minutes ago, goskins10 said:

This graphic needs to be splashed all over the place for the next 4 yrs! Pound it into the ground. Make Reps answer for it over and over again. Dems need to start getting the idea that saying it once is NOT enough. Say it often and a lot. Keep pounding until people get tired of it and then say it again!  

No doubt.

 

I get that they can't tackle every single right-wing talking point and at times, they want to be 'above' the attacks.  But you have to fight fire with fire, and they need to do a better job all around with destroying the right wing narratives every single opportunity they get.