Since President Obama’s election, Republicans in Congress have criticized the administration’s stimulative economic policies for increasing the deficit and “spending trillions of dollars we do not have.” But the GOP’s concern about the debt goes out the window when they’re advocating for extending the Bush tax cuts. Over the weekend, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) said Congress should not allow the Bush tax cuts to expire and suggested that tax cuts should never have to be paid for, a sentiment echoed by almost every prominent Republican. Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) agreed, saying, “I tend to think that tax cuts should not have to be offset.” Carly Fiorina, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate in California, said this week that “you don’t need to pay for tax cuts. They pay for themselves.” GOP Senate candidate Marco Rubio (FL) released an economic platform of almost all unpaid-for tax cuts. Then, on Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) went a step further, claiming that “there’s no evidence whatsoever that the Bush tax cuts actually diminished revenue. They increased revenue, because of the vibrancy of these tax cuts in the economy.”

BUSH TAX CUTS DID ‘DIMINISH REVENUE’: As Michael Linden, Associate Director for Tax and Budget Policy at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, put it, McConnell’s claim “is not some disagreement among economists over the effects of a future tax cut. Nor is this a philosophical debate between the left and the right.” “Instead,” Linden said, “what we have here is McConnell making a clearly false claim about recent history.” Before the tax cuts, income tax revenues were 10.2 percent of GDP. Three years later, income tax revenues were 6.9 percent of GDP. Even in total dollars, tax receipts were lower in 2002 and 2003 than they were in 2001. What’s more, the Bush tax cuts led to “the weakest jobs and income growth in the post-war period,” with monthly job growth the worst of any business cycle since 1945 and only contributed to the nation’s income inequality. Today, income inequality is the worst it has been since 1928, and according to the latest data, “the gaps in after-tax income between the richest 1 percent of Americans and the middle and poorest fifths of the country more than tripled between 1979 and 2007.”

THE COSTS OF EXTENDING BUSH TAX CUTS: While Obama has proposed extending the Bush tax cuts “for all but the richest two percent of taxpayers,” Republicans have all insisted on “making permanent all the tax cuts enacted under President Bush,” including cuts for the richest 2 percent of Americans. But as Fox News’ Chris Wallace pointed out to Kyl, extending tax cuts for people making more than $250,000 per year would add $678 billion over 10 years to the growing deficit. Debt-service costs alone would amount to “$1.7 trillion over the 2009-2019 period” and more than $330 billion in the 2019 fiscal year. As Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) told The Progress Report yesterday, “When reasonably intelligent people say something that is patently absurd and ridiculous, then you have to look to the hidden agenda, right? Judd Gregg, Sen. Kyl, these are not dumb people. They know what they’re saying is completely self-serving, but they’re looking at it strictly from the standpoint of personal gain and the gain of individuals directly connected to them and people who they regard as their base.”

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM A DEFICIT PEACOCK?: Indeed, earlier this year, the GOP repeatedly rejected legislation that would have, among other things, increased aid to states and boosted unemployment benefits. Despite Democratic attempts to offset the bill, Republicans still voted against the measure, demonstrating that they were unwilling to tolerate a one-year short-term hike in the deficit of $33 billion to save jobs and help people who can’t find them, but supported adding $678 billion to the deficit to help the richest Americans. “We just can’t keep kicking the can down the street and say, ‘Oh, we’ll take care of it later on. It’ll be offset later,” Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) told The Hill. “That’s all we’ve been doing these last couple of years, and I’m fed up with it.” “What our Republicans believe is that the bill spends too much money and not enough of the money it does spend is offset,” Kyl added yesterday, just three days after insisting that Bush’s tax cuts should not be paid for. Linden refers to these conservative thinkers as “deficit peacocks” because they “like to preen and call attention to themselves, but are not sincerely interested in taking the difficult but necessary steps toward a balanced budget.”

I don’t need to remind you of the disaster BP has caused in the Gulf — you’re painfully reminded of it everyday by the images on television, in the newspaper and on the internet.

But what you might not know about is BP’s reckless endangerment of the health of its clean-up workers. The oil in the Gulf of Mexico is toxic and BP is not providing the 30,000 clean-up workers with respirators or other safety gear essential to cleaning it up.

BP clean-up workers are already being hospitalized due to nausea, headaches and chest pains caused by the toxic fumes that they breathe in everyday on the job. Yet BP cares more about the negative impact on its public image if clean-up crews wear masks than BP cares about safety. And BP continues to cut every corner possible to protect its bottom line. It’s irresponsible and unacceptable.

DEMAND BP PROVIDE PROTECTIVE GEAR TO CLEAN-UP WORKERS — ADD YOUR NAME NOW

9/11 clean-up crews worked without protective gear and they are still suffering for it. We can’t let that happen again. That’s why we’ve joined with our friends at the PCCC in calling on President Obama to demand BP provide protective gear to each and every clean-up worker — and we’re not the only ones standing up.

Already, over 60,000 Americans have added their names. RFK Jr. and more than 50 elected leaders and candidates for office have joined the campaign. And the media, including the New York Times, have been covering every step of the campaign so far. That’s why we need you to sign on today to keep the momentum building and the pressure on until BP does the right thing — or President Obama makes BP do it.

ADD YOUR NAME RIGHT NOW

But wait, there’s more. Now there are reports that BP is threatening to fire any worker who actually uses protective gear. Why? Because BP thinks it’s an admission of liability and it’d be responsible for even more clean-up costs.

BP is already responsible for the biggest environmental disaster in U.S. history, but instead of learning from its mistakes it’s making all new ones. It’s wrong and it has to stop.

Tens of thousands of DFA members joined us in Boycotting BP, so join us again us today in calling on President Obama to demand BP provides protective gear to all clean-up workers. We’ll make sure that the White House, Congress and every candidate for office knows where you stand.

JOIN US TODAY TO DEMAND BP PROTECT ITS CLEAN-UP CREWS

It’s time for BP to stop cutting corners. Join us today to make sure they get the message.

Thank you for everything you do,

-Charles

Charles Chamberlain, Political Director
Democracy for America

monthly newsletter, July
Major bank drops Sinar Mas, but fast food companies are still serving forest destruction

Two weeks ago, our activists in New York and California donned orangutan suits and headed down to local branches of HSBC, the world’s largest banking and financial services company, to protest the company’s investments in Sinar Mas, a notorious destroyer of Indonesia’s Paradise Forests. We’re happy to announce that, thanks to the many activists who took action, HSBC has dropped all holdings in forest destroyer Sinar Mas from its global asset management groups. The orangutans have achieved victory!

This is just the latest in a long string of companies that have cut Sinar Mas out of their business. Nestle, Unilever, and Kraft have all taken steps to remove Sinar Mas from their supply chains. But, as Greenpeace reveals in a new report, many fast food companies are still serving up Sinar Mas’ rainforest destruction, including Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Pizza Hut. Take action now and tell these fast food joints to hold the forest destruction!

Tell the EPA: Coal ash is hazardous!

Now is the time to tell the EPA and Big Coal fat cats that Americans refuse to be poisoned by dirty energy any longer. Help us reach our goal of 10,000 signatures in support of tough legislation that forces coal to clean up its act.

Coal ash, the highly toxic leftovers from burning coal for fuel, contains dangerous pollutants like mercury, lead, and arsenic that cause cancer and can wreak havoc on both plant and animal life. The EPA has let the coal industry dump coal ash into unlined ponds and landfills that leak into our rivers, streams, and recreation areas for far too long.

On May 4, 2010, the EPA issued two very different proposals for regulating coal ash. One proposal put forth by the EPA is good and the other is very bad. The first proposal would classify coal ash as a hazardous waste, which it very much is. The other would classify coal ash as non-hazardous, which would run contrary to the EPA’s own findings and play right into the hands of big polluters. The EPA’s choice is clear: Coal ash must be regulated as a hazardous waste immediately.

Watch our new video: ScamWow!

There’s no way to clean up an oil spill. It’s clear BP knows this all too well, and is determined to spare no expense on the cleanup… of its image. We put together a new video to highlight this sad state of affairs. Watch the video now: ScamWow!

Take action and tell Congress: No Drilling. Period.

Greenpeace airship takes flight

Greenpeace has a new ship to announce. But, this fine ship doesn’t sail in the ocean; it flies in the sky! The A.E. Bates Thermal Airship brings a “higher” viewpoint to Greenpeace’s mission to “bear witness.” Meet our new ship.

JUSTICE — MILITARY RECRUITING AND RETENTION ARE THRIVING IN THE MIDST OF DADT REPEAL EFFORTS: Following a White House statement supporting a repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) — the military’s policy that bars openly gay members from serving —  and Congressional support for ending the policy, it’s been clear for months that DADT repeal is just on the horizon. Opponents of the repeal have been vocal, claiming that lifting the ban could undermine military effectiveness or recruiting efforts. However, “troops are already forced to live in a whole host of disagreeable conditions and train, sleep, and eat with men and women of all races, religions, and values without detriment to unit cohesion or military effectiveness.” And yesterday, the military released its latest recruiting numbers showing that “despite clear Congressional intent to end [DADT], military retention and recruiting continues to thrive.” LGBT rights blog LezGetReal reports that in the month of June, “the Army National Guard met 94% of its recruiting goal and the Air National Guard met 99% of its recruiting goal. The eight other branches or components of the Defense Department met or exceeded their recruiting goals for the month of June 2010.” The Department of Defense also noted, “The services also are at or above their fiscal year-to-date retention goals for the first nine months of fiscal 2010.” The effect of a DADT repeal on recruiting and retention is a “hugely important question” for the Pentagon; its DADT survey, given to 400,000 servicemembers to “gauge their reaction to repealing the policy,” asks, “If Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is repealed, how, if at all, will it affect your willingness to recommend to a family member or close friend that he or she join the military?” The June numbers suggest that there has been no negative effect whatsoever on recruiting due to concerns over repealing DAD

Joe Johns | BIO AC360° Correspondent MaryAnne Fox AC360° Producer

via Anderson Cooper 360

“Less than 2 percent of the money that’s been promised has been delivered”  Six months after a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, most governments that promised money to help rebuild the country have not delivered any funds at … Read More

Gary Tuchman, Haiti Earthquake

http://wp.me/pacM2-m6H