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The Middle Class At Risk
The Gap Between Rhetoric and Reality of Republican Prescriptions for the Economy
In recent decades, dramatic changes have squeezed the middle class, making it harder and harder for middle-class families to feel economically secure. In response to these changes, GOP candidates have shifted their rhetoric and begun decrying stagnant wages, inequality, and rising middle class costs. For example, in his campaign launch speech Jeb Bush said we need to “make opportunity common again.” Meanwhile, Sen. Marco Rubio introduced his tax plan in an op-ed with Sen. Mike Lee saying, “Too many Americans believe the American dream is slipping away.”
But a new report from CAP Action finds that despite its new rhetorical shift, the GOP continues to propose policies that would undercut economic security for working- and middle-class families. Even as Republican candidates talk about restoring the American dream and expanding opportunity to all Americans, they continue to embrace the same, failed policies that have led to middle class Americans being squeezed by rising costs and stagnant wages.
Here are a few of the key facts on how the middle class is at risk and how Republican policies would only make things worse:
- Republicans continue to support tax policies that favor the wealthy but do little for middle class families. Many of the GOP candidates favor eliminating capital gains taxes, which would do nothing for middle-class Americans. Middle-class families receive very little income from capital gains and dividends: Only 6 percent of market incomes for households in the middle quintile come from business income, capital income, and realized capital gains. The top 1 percent of households, on the other hand, receive more than half of their incomes from these sources. Eliminating capital gains taxes is nothing more than a massive tax cut for the wealthiest few.
- Republican governors are blocking bills that help families juggle the demands of work and home.Of the 12 states with laws preempting localities from taking actions like increasing the minimum wage or offering paid sick leave, 11 were passed by a GOP governor and legislature since 2011. In particular, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed a preemption bill that nullified Milwaukee’s paid-sick leave law which would have helped 120,000 Milwaukeeans–or 47 percent of the city’s private sector workforce.
- Despite the rhetoric, GOP economic policies favor the wealthy. In 2014, 41 Republican senators with an average net worth of $8.1 million, including several eventual presidential candidates, voted against giving low-income Americans a $6,000 raise.
- Instead of investing in working Americans, Republicans have been slashing key pillars of opportunity, such as education. More higher education cuts have occurred under Republican leadership than under Democrats. Between 2007 and 2014, real state funding for public education grew under Democrats and fell 10 percent in states led by Republicans. This also led to higher tuition increases.
- Republicans still oppose a minimum wage. If a Republican president spent two terms in office continuing to block a minimum wage increase, like each of their positions today, the value of the minimum wage would fall below $6 in today’s dollars, lowest in 70 years.
BOTTOM LINE: Decades of failed, trickle-down economic policies have left middle-class Americans struggling. Disguising old, top-down policies with new rhetoric is as disingenuous as it is dangerous.
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~ FDA/USDA ~~ Alerts & Safety ~ July 2015
07/31/2015 02:18 PM EDT
John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. (JBSS) announced today that it is voluntarily recalling Fisher brand chopped walnuts packaged in 10 ounce plastic bags because some of these products may be contaminated with Salmonella.
07/31/2015 02:18 PM EDT
John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. (JBSS) announced today that it is voluntarily recalling Fisher brand chopped walnuts packaged in 10 ounce plastic bags because some of these products may be contaminated with Salmonella.
07/24/2015 09:54 PM EDT
Moses Lake Professional Pharmacy is voluntarily recalling human and veterinary sterile compounded drugs which are unexpired to the consumer level due to lack of sterility assurance. The company has not received any reports of product contamination or adverse events to date, and is issuing this voluntary recall out of an abundance of caution following a recent inspection which identified an issue with sterility assurance.
07/24/2015 10:23 PM EDT
Nature’s Variety has announced a voluntary recall of their Instinct® Raw Chicken Formula for dogs with a “Best By” date of 04/27/16 because these products may be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.
Brown Packing Recalls Veal Products Due To Possible E. Coli Contamination
Brown Packing Company, a South Holland, Ill. establishment, is recalling an undetermined amount of beef (veal) trimmings that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC).
07/21/2015 05:29 PM EDT
July 20, 2015 -Osamu Corporation of Gardena, CA is recalling all of its frozen tuna (loin, saku, chunk, slice, and ground market forms) sourced from one processing plant in Indonesia because the Minnesota Department of Health Investigators found samples of this product from one retail location in Minnesota to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis. Persons developing these symptoms should seek medical attention.
07/21/2015 05:29 PM EDT
Osamu Corporation of Gardena, CA is recalling Frozen Yellow Fin Tuna Chunk Meat (Lot #68568) sold to AFC Corporation of Rancho Dominquez, CA sourced from one processing plant in Indonesia because the Minnesota Department of Health Investigators found samples of this product from one retail location in Minnesota to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
The Natural Dog Company, Inc. Recalls 12″ Tremenda Sticks Because of Possible Salmonella Health Risk
07/21/2015 01:27 PM EDT
The Natural Dog Company, Inc. of Windsor, CO, is recalling its 12oz bags of 12″ Tremenda Sticks pet chews because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals eating the product and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.
Recall Notification Report (Salad Products)
Huxtable’s Kitchen, Inc., a Fife, Wash. establishment, is recalling approximately 778 pounds of salad products due to misbranding.
07/16/2015 01:15 AM EDT Aspen Foods, A Division of Koch Poultry Company, a Chicago, Ill. establishment, is recalling approximately 1,978,680 pounds of frozen, raw, stuffed and breaded chicken product that may be contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis.
07/15/2015 07:15 PM EDT Murry’s, Inc., a Lebanon, Pa. establishment, is recalling approximately 20,232 pounds of gluten-free breaded chicken nugget product that tested positive for Staphylococcal enterotoxin.
Homemade recalls Pickles and Sauces because of possible health risk 07/14/2015 09:31 PM EDT Homemade of Leavenworth, Washington is recalling pickle and sauce products because they may have been improperly produced. Washington State Department of Agriculture routine sampling discovered that a bottle of Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles had a pH level high enough to allow the growth of Clostridium botulinum. Required records were not available to support that safe processing guidelines were followed on all sauce and pickle products produced at Homemade.
07/10/2015 03:50 PM EDT Maya Overseas Foods Inc. of Maspeth, NY, is recalling approximately 8000 lbs. of Cashew Split because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
07/07/2015 09:48 AM EDT Stella & Chewy’s is voluntarily recalling some of its products due to concerns of a possible presence of Listeria Monocytogenes. The recall was prompted by a positive test confirming Listeria monocytogenes in Chewy’s Chicken Freeze-Dried Dinner Patties for Dogs, 15 ounce, Lot #111-15, during routine surveillance testing by the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
Barber Foods Recalls Stuffed Chicken Products Due To Possible Salmonella Enteritidis Contamination Barber Foods, a Portland, Maine establishment, is recalling approximately 1,707,494 pounds of frozen, raw stuffed chicken products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis.
Note: This news release is being reissued to expand the July 2, 2015 recall to include additional products. Details were also updated to reflect a change in poundage, epidemiological information and distribution area.
07/10/2015 11:15 PM EDT Gourmet Culinary Solutions, a Statham, Ga., establishment, is recalling approximately 495 pounds of turkey sausage products that are part of a frozen entree that also contains French toast sticks and peaches. The entrees may be contaminated with foreign materials.
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07/07/2015 11:15 PM EDT Bassett & Walker International, Inc., a Toronto, Canada, establishment, is recalling approximately 1,540 pounds of beef lip products produced in Australia that were not presented at the U.S. point of entry for inspection.
07/02/2015 05:07 PM EDT Whole Foods Market is recalling Cherry, Blackberry and Peach pies produced and sold in four retail stores in the Southwest Region, which includes TX, OK, LA, and due to undeclared egg. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to egg run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products
07/02/2015 05:35 PM EDT Boulder Dog Food Company, L.L.C. is voluntarily recalling the Turkey Sprinkles (3 oz.) with a “Best By” date of “05/18/16, 05/28/2016 and 05/30/2016”, a Lot Number of “743”, and a UPC Code of 899883001224 because the product has the potential of being contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals eating the product, and there is risk to humans who handle the product, especially if the handler does not thoroughly wash his or her hands after having contact with the Product or any surfaces exposed to the product.
07/03/2015 07:15 PM EDT Lombardi Brothers Meats, a Denver, Colo. establishment, is recalling approximately 26,975 pounds of tenderized steak and ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7,
Fsis Issues Public Health Alert For Frozen Raw Stuffed Chicken Products Due To Possible Salmonella ContaminationThe U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert due to concerns about illnesses caused by Salmonella that may be associated with raw, frozen, breaded and pre-browned, stuffed chicken products.
07/01/2015 05:27 PM EDT Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets Inc., a Lakewood, Colo., based natural grocery chain, is recalling one lot of Natural Grocers brand Caribbean Nut & Fruit Mix as the product contains macadamia nuts that have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
07/01/2015 09:30 AM EDT FDA is taking action against 16 prescription drugs labeled to relieve ear pain and swelling because they are unapproved and haven’t been evaluated by FDA for safety, effectiveness and quality. Parents and other consumers still will have many other options for treating ear pain. Read the Consumer Update to learn more.
06/29/2015 06:33 PM EDTv Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. is initiating a voluntary recall of a limited quantity of Atkins Chocolate Candies – 5 ct. cartons – UPC code 637480075558 – because it may contain sachets of Atkins Peanut Candies. A small quantity of Atkins Peanut Candy individual sachets has been inadvertently placed into outer cartons for Atkins Chocolate Candies – 5 ct. sachets.
06/29/2015 03:12 PM EDT
Rocky Mountain Foods, Inc. is voluntarily recalling certain lots of Island Fruit and Nut Trail Mix packaged under the Free Range Snack Co. Brand and certain lots of bulk Macadamia Nuts due to possible Salmonella contamination. Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
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what a successful Presidency looks like
The following sponsored message was sent to you by AlterNet on behalf of DCCC:
To be sure the numbers have shot upward
This is what a successful Presidency looks like:
| President Obama Took Office (January 2009) |
Today | |
| 7,949 | The Dow Jones Index | 17,573 |
| 7.8% | Unemployment | 5.8% |
| -5.4% | GDP Growth | 3.5% |
| 9.8% | Deficit GDP % | 2.8% |
| 37.7 | Consumer Confidence | 94.5 |
In 6 years under President Barack Obama, we’ve made incredible progress as a country.
Often in the face of incredible obstruction, the President has continued to fight for us and lead us forward.
Will you add your name now and say that you’re still standing with President Obama in his final two years in office?
Sign your name to say you’re standing with President Obama:
http:// action.dccc.org/i-stand-with-obama
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Pursuing transformative technology with the Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities ~ a repost
When Laura Palmaro was 10 years old, she woke one morning to find that the central vision in her left eye had all but disappeared. She was not ill and had no genetic issues—it was completely out of the blue. When she was 14, the same rare condition struck her right eye, and she began her freshman year of high school legally blind. Suddenly she was forced to depend on other people to read everything aloud, from school assignments to menus. The toughest part, according to Laura, was losing her sense of independence—and not knowing when or how she would get it back.
Laura has since adopted technological solutions to her vision challenges, using a combination of screen-readers and magnification software to read, work and more. Now a program manager at Google, she is following her passion, helping Chrome and Chrome OS teams make their products more accessible. “Technology has truly transformed my life,” she says. “Assistive technology can tear down boundaries, and empower people to find their independence and fulfill their dreams.”
We agree with Laura about the power of technology to change lives. And in order to support more people like her—people who see obstacles as opportunities—we’re launching the Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities. We’re putting $20 million in Google.org grants behind nonprofits using emerging technologies to increase independence for people living with disabilities, and today we’re issuing an open call to identify new areas of opportunity at g.co/ImpactChallengeDisability.
We’re kicking things off with support for two remarkable organizations. Each of these organizations is using technology to dramatically reduce the cost of and access to prosthetic limbs and auditory therapy, respectively—which could be transformative for hundreds of millions of people.
- The Enable community connects people who want prosthetics with volunteers who use 3D printers to design, print, assemble, and fit them, for free. This dramatically cuts costs, increases speed of distribution, and meets unmet needs. We’ll support the Enable Community Foundation’s efforts with a $600,000 grant to advance the design, distribution and delivery of open-source 3D-printed upper-limb prosthetics.
- Diagnosing auditory challenges can be a struggle in low income communities—the equipment is expensive, bulky and unrealistic, particularly in the developing world. With our support, and a $500,000 grant, World Wide Hearing will develop, prototype and test an extremely low cost tool kit for hearing loss using smartphone technology that’s widely available—and affordable—in the developing world.
The Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities will seek out nonprofits and help them find new solutions to some serious “what ifs” for the disabled community. We will choose the best of these ideas and help them to scale by investing in their vision, by rallying our people and by mobilizing our resources in support of their missions.
But of course, we realize there’s always room to improve our products as well. We have a team committed to monitoring the accessibility of Google tools; and we provide engineering teams with training to incorporate accessibility principles into products and services. That doesn’t just mean improving existing Google tools, it means developing new ones as well. For example, Liftware is a stabilizing utensil designed to help people with hand tremors eat more easily, and self-driving cars could one day transform mobility for everyone.
Historically, people living with disabilities have relied on technologies that were often bulky, expensive, and limited to assisting with one or two specific tasks. But that’s beginning to change. Thanks to groups like Enable and World Wide Hearing, and with tools like Liftware, we’re starting to see the potential for technologies that can profoundly and affordably impact millions. But we’ll all get there sooner if we make it a team effort—which is why we’re launching Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities today. Together, we can create a better world, faster.
Posted by Jacquelline Fuller, Director, Google.org
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