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« on: July 22, 2019, 01:42:38 PM » |
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The Patriot Post Digest 7-22-2019
From The Federalist Patriot
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The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest
Jul. 22, 2019
https://patriotpost.us/digests/64438-mid-day-digest
THE FOUNDATION
“If Congress can do whatever in their discretion can be done by money, and will promote the General Welfare, the Government is no longer a limited one, possessing enumerated powers, but an indefinite one, subject to particular exceptions.” —James Madison (1792)
https://patriotpost.us/fqd/64437-founders-quote-daily
IN TODAY’S EDITION
Bernie is burned by staffers complaining of low pay.1
Does anyone care about the national debt? Not in Washington.2
Daily Features: More Analysis3, Columnists4, Headlines5, Opinion in Brief6, Short Cuts7, Memes8, and Cartoons9.
IN BRIEF
Sanders Campaign Collides With Economic Reality10
News leaked last week that staffers working for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign were frustrated and complaining about receiving “poverty wages.” The irony is rich: Sanders the millionaire socialist11 has long railed against corporations for paying “starvation wages” as he stumps for a $15 minimum wage, but he was exposed as a hypocritical political hack.
In response to the embarrassing news, Sanders insisted over the weekend that his staffers would now be paid the promised $15 minimum wage, though this announcement came with a significant caveat: staffers’ hours would be cut to pay for it. As Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir explained, “We look forward to continuing those discussions and obviously are disappointed that some individuals decided to damage the integrity of these efforts before they were concluded. As these discussions continue, we are limiting hours so no employee is receiving less than $15 for any hours worked.” Welcome to real-world economics. Yet Shakir and his boss threw those complaining staffers under the bus for the sin of naively believing that Sanders actually meant what he so loudly preaches.
Sanders himself expressed anger at his complaining staffers, stating, “It does bother me that people are going outside the process and going to the media. That is really not acceptable. It is really not what labor negotiations are about, and it’s improper.” Spoken like any good socialist dictator, “Your time is my time.”
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) quipped, “So does this fall under the category of hypocrisy, irony, or poetic justice? All three? Can’t make this stuff up.”
The Blaze’s Aaron Colen noted the obvious economic problems associated with artificially raising the minimum wage, stating, “This situation is an instructive example of the downside of more than doubling the minimum wage. Companies don’t just suddenly get more money to pay employees. They have to make tough decisions; usually either cutting hours, or worse, cutting staff.”
What will the greater impact of this be upon the rest of the Democrat primary field? Clearly, Sanders would love to force the rest of his opponents into spending their campaign cash to match his expensive virtue signal. Nevertheless, we fully expect Democrats will continue to ignore the Congressional Budget Office’s recent report12 warning that a $15 minimum wage would cost at least 1.3 million jobs, while at the same time raising the cost of living for millions more. Socialism is only for the true believers.
https://patriotpost.us/articles/64435-sanders-campaign-collides-with-economic-reality
Does Anyone Care About the National Debt?13
“Nobody is a fiscal conservative anymore,” declared Rush Limbaugh last week. “All this talk about concern for the deficit and the budget has been bogus for as long as it’s been around.” Limbaugh wasn’t being literal, but he was making a point that has become painfully clear over the last 20 years: Neither party can be trusted to rein in federal spending.
Negotiations are ongoing between Congress and the White House over a two-year spending deal, but reports indicate that in exchange for raising or suspending the debt limit, everyone will spend more money. Yes, you read that correctly.
To be fair, negotiators for President Donald Trump pushed for minor cuts, but even that was too austere for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She rejected cuts of $150 billion over 10 years, during which time the federal government is on track to spend $57 trillion. As Reason’s Eric Boehm notes, “In the context of a $50,000 annual household budget, that’s like cutting about $150 per year — the cost of a single lunch each month. That’s hardly enough to get the federal government out from under $22 trillion in debt.”
Oh, and by the way, The Daily Signal notes the bill for that debt “currently averages $67,000 for every single American.”
On the downside, Trump has essentially yawned as the annual federal deficit once again approaches $1 trillion. He has given vague instructions to aids about looking for big cuts in his second term, but what are the chances of those cuts coming to pass?
Why is the debt problem so intractable? Essentially, there are two reasons. First, the debt apocalypse so many have warned of has yet to materialize. We’ve argued that it’s gradual and then sudden14, but few people pay it much mind until they feel the consequences. It’s like the fable about the slow-boiling frog.
Second, corruption in the Swamp is rampant. Political favors and graft for constituents in 435 congressional districts and all 50 states mean that someone is very invested in each part of the federal budget — especially the lobbyists who make sure it stays there. Cuts are only acceptable for the other guy’s priorities, which means those cuts never actually happen. Follow the money.
The House adjourns for a six-week recess Friday, while the Senate hangs around for another week. In any case, as long as Washington politicians — the president included — view the debt ceiling as a bigger problem than the debt itself, the American fiscal train will continue barreling ahead at full steam until it can’t anymore.
https://patriotpost.us/articles/64434-does-anyone-care-about-the-national-debt
ON OUR WEBSITE TODAY
Featured Analysis: The American Dream or an American Nightmare?15 — Republicans are running to lead America. Democrats are just running it down.
Eliminating Educational Apartheid16 — Two bills introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley aim to break up the education “monopoly.”
Massive Drop in Global Poverty Due to Free Market17 — But the UN attempts to claim government programs and socialism led to the decrease.
Grassroots Perspective: Count the Ways President Trump Impacts the Black Community18 — The Left has turned a blind eye to Trump’s undeniable impact on the lives of black Americans
Video: America Isn’t Great?19 — Freedom Toons brings us “The Debunkers vs. The New York Times” on America.
Video: Google Is Censoring the 10 Commandments20 — Google VP says PragerU’s video is restricted because it contains the word “murder.”
TOP NEWS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
MUELLER SHAKEDOWN: “All eyes will be on special counsel Robert Mueller this week as he delivers his first public testimony since wrapping up his two-year investigation into 2016 Russian election meddling and the Trump campaign. Anticipation over Mueller’s Wednesday testimony comes as Congress is facing a jam-packed week as lawmakers wind down their work ahead of the August recess.” (The Hill22)
ENFORCEMENT DELAY: “The Trump administration is giving taxpayer-funded family planning clinics more time to comply with its new rule that says they no longer can refer women for abortions. … A notice sent Saturday night to representatives of the clinics by the Department of Health and Human Services said the government ‘does not intend to bring enforcement actions’ against clinics that are making ‘good-faith efforts to comply.’ … The department had said last Monday that it would require immediate compliance.” (CBS News23) |
